Decisions made by the end of January are likely to have a decisive influence on the short and long term future of the club. Transfer window activity could make or break our season and the ownership issue should come to a conclusion.
In recent seasons the January window gave Stuart McCall a chance to make some adjustments to a squad that had looked comfortable at the top end of the table. Ian Baraclough would love to be in that position but the reality is that the current group of players have suffered a monumental loss of form that is reflected in our current lowly status.
The new manager has made a couple of references to his database of players and to the time he has spent on the telephone in the last month, can his efforts cause an improvement as the second half of the campaign gets underway? With funds limited he'll have to free up a wage or two to fund new faces. The only name in the frame so far is Ryan Williams, a 23 year old midfielder from Morecambe who has been training with the team.
As for the long term prospects, the Well Society has issued an update a month after the signing of the memorandum of understanding with Les Hutchinson. The good news is that "Significant progress has been made and we are confident a deal will be completed by the end of this month".
A new recruitment campaign will follow the sealing of the deal and improvements in communications with members is promised. More use will be made of member volunteers to spread the load wider than the existing Society board.
The statement concludes by stating that "Les and the board are also supporting Ian Baraclough’s plans as the new manager tries to improve recent performances.". Maybe that will give the manager the extra resource he needs to bring in the fresh faces we need.