I like stability, but Brown doesn't provide us with it.
Are we playing one up front or two? Are we playing a diamond? Is White a right-back or a centre-back? Is Atkinson playing left-wing, right-wing, centre-mid or not at all? Is Leonard playing right-back or centre-mid?
What's becoming clear is that Brown doesn't know his best XI or his best formation and is just hoping to stumble upon a combination that might work.
This is his third bite at promotion and we don't appear to be getting any closer.
His first attempt he took over as a full-blown injury crisis was finally clearing up and we were 6 points behind Rotherham then in 7th, who ended up 2nd. Bradford who were two places and a point behind us, with an inferior goal difference (albeit with a game in hand) went up via the play-offs.
His second attempt he had a chance to assemble his own squad, had one of the most injury free seasons I can remember, yet finished below where we did in 2011-12 and we didn't do anything in the play-offs.
This is his third attempt. Whilst in charge he's now signed 5 forwards plus another 2 kids (Reid, Cowan, Barnard, Coulthirst, Weston plus Brown, Layne) without any of the 5 looking remotely the answer and the kids not getting a look in. Why do people think a 8th or 9th would be any more successful? This is on top of Corr (who he re-signed) and Harris, Benyon, Mohsni, Eastwood who he released and Tomlin who opted to go elsewhere. At what stage is not about the individual player?
He's been given money in the transfer market, but that player can't even make the starting XI and has a player playing out of position ahead of him. So why do people think that giving him a bigger transfer budget would work?
He's signed 3 central midfielders, and 4 central defenders yet each time he signs one it seems to displace another one of his signings with the core (or should that be Corr) of our side still the Sturrock signed spine of Prosser/Timlin/Corr with the Sturrock blooded youngsters of Bentley and Leonard our most valuable assets.
There are a couple of knocks (which is always the case) but I think the only first team player out at the moment is Coker, otherwise he's had everyone available, so we can't blame injuries and suspensions.
As far as I'm aware the players have been paid on time and we're not under an embargo.
So it's not that he's inherited a squad, it's not that he hasn't had money in the transfer budget, it's not that we've had injuries, it's not that the players haven't been paid. I'm beginning to run out of excuses as to why we're regressing rather than progressing.
