Like many fans, I feel distinctly underwhelmed by PJ's close season signings or rather potential signings so far.
But the real test will come when he has overhauled the whole squad, and we are more able to see who is staying, who is part of the first team squad, and who are the fringe players. And of course, whether or not they can gel and become a tight unit capable of battling through adversity and difficult games. Even more important whether or not, those that come on during the game are able to slot in and do the business as required.
The rotation system has well and truly arrived – no-one expects to be an automatic choice for the ‘first team' every game. It is horses for courses and that is where the skill of the manager comes into play. It is where Avram Grant showed himself so lacking, making poor substitutions at the wrong time and being unable to rise to the situation. And as a consequence, lost the confidence of his senior players.
Next season will see the beginnings of PJ's team, his squad, with his training regime, his tactics, and his strategies.
My impression for what it is worth is that he will go for mainly fast paced players, who are muscular, and have a robust attitude. I also think he will go for some known quantities such as Ellington who have a point to prove.
Until then, we can only speculate endlessly who is going and who is coming. Like many fans, I have been distinctly uneasy at the lack of activity so far. I was rather hoping that unlike last season where we turned up at the stable door only to find it firmly shut, we would already have lined up several reasonably exciting signings within the first two weeks. That doesn't seem to have happened yet, and perhaps I am being unfair. But surely once we knew for sure we would not survive early in the season, we would have been tipping the wink to agents up and down the country so that as soon as the transfer window opened or has it already opened for heaven's sake?
So, yes I do feel that progress has been slow – too slow for me. But hey, what do I know? I'm only a fan and just have to wait like the rest of us to see how the close season develops. But I'm also pretty sure that the longer there is a lack of clear and unequivocal progress with people being shipped out and people coming in, the more disenchanted people will become.
PJ's credibility and popularity will therefore rest very much on how he conducts himself in the coming weeks. Most unfair of course, as Adam Pearson is also very much involved but that won't be how we see it. We're old fashioned people and we'll be looking at ostensibly the man in charge – PJ – no matter how much power he has or how little.
So – for his sake as much as mine, I do hope that we'll see a flurry of activity very soon and then we can happily argue the toss until the first game of the new season.