How Do You Solve A Problem Like Akinfenwa?

Adebayo Akinfenwa and Aidy Boothroyd have recently made comments to the press that have sparked wild speculation about the future of Bayo. Depending on which rumour you read, it seems the larger than life striker is set to move on to pastures new (or old if you believe the Gillingham rumour)

Firstly let's have a chat about Bayo, I think it is a fair assumption that he is universally loved by all Cobblers fans, some more than others but there has been a huge over reaction from sections of supporters at the thought he might leave the club, cries of 'lack of ambition' and 'throwing away promotion' have been seen across message boards and local news reports - what most of these fans fail to realise is that Akinfenwa isn't even the best player at the club, the most influential and biggest character without question but in terms of ability, Chris Hackett is light years ahead (Although I appreciate they are different types of player).

You cannot underestimate the contribution Bayo has made to the club in his two spells with us - 72 goals in 168 games is an excellent return, he is also the clubs 10th highest goalscorer in it's history. Those that watch Bayo on a regular basis will be well aware he is about much more than goals, his sheer presence in the side brings about space for others and his ability to bring others into the game is superb - For a guy that is built like 10 brick shithouses sadly he does often move like it aswell, the reasons he doesn't play at a higher level are purely down to his lack of mobility - sometimes too much muscle can affect ones mobility and in this case I believe it to be true for Bayo, I won't be telling him that to his face though unless I have a full Nandos loyalty card with me to soften the blow.

So, should we sell Bayo? In my opinion we shouldn't - the figure we're seeking (£50,000) would give us no real weight in the transfer market and seeking a replacement would be difficult in this short time. One of the rumours suggests Gillingham are offering the two Dannys - Kedwell and Jackman in return for Bayo. This sounds a plausible deal especially with Gillingham unwilling to match the £50,000 - would it be a good move for Northampton, quite simply no. Danny Jackman is ok but we don't really have any requirement for his type of player and he left the club in somewhat awkward circumstances last time he donned the claret and white. As for Danny Kedwell, I have to admit to not seeing him play much but he strikers me as a big fat bastard. At least Bayo is a big fat effective bastard - that said Kedwell has a relatively impressive record for Gillingham (22 goals in 63 appearances). The other suggestion is that Gillingham are only willing to offer £20,000 for Akinfenwa, which is way below the asking price. There are numerous other rumours flying around such as a swap deal with Coventry involving David Bell and Cody McDonald - this one doesn't seem like it has much substance. There is also rumoured interest from Leyton Orient and Milton Keynes Dons.

 

The important thing to remember is that as a supporter it is our job and duty to support the club, that is what we signed up for. No one man is bigger than the club -  although looking at the size of Bayo some may disagree with that statement. On a serious note though whoever it may be, manager, player, kitman, masseuse, none of them are bigger than Northampton Town FC. The club has pulled itself up from the depths of despair last season and are well placed to have a real tilt at the play off places - this in itself is pretty miraculous and you have to thank Aidy Boothroyd for the turnaround and that is all despite his tactical naivety away from home! There is a real issue here that negativity from fans could derail the season - negativity breeds negativity and if it transmits from the stands to the players, which is invariably does at Sixfields, then the season will slip away into mid table mediocrity - not necessarily too much of a bad thing after the last few campaigns, however to be so close yet so far would be mighty frustrating, especially if we've been victims of our own downfall.

Supporters should trust Aidy Boothroyd to know what he is doing, almost all of his decisions have proved right in his time at the helm, the man talks sense and he backs that talk up with actions - something of a rarity in recent times for a Northampton Town manager.
If the manager decides selling Bayo and brining in a couple of players off the back of his sale will benefit the team in the long run then let's roll with it and trust his judgement, afterall he is placing the trust in himself otherwise he wouldn't contemplate selling the top scorer in his squad, it's a risk but perhaps it's a calculated risk.  As a fan let us just sit back and see what happens, don't allow the typical knee jerk reaction that has become a common theme in football, think before you tweet, post, speak, sing, shout, sign - whatever mode of communication you use, trust in the manager of the club to know what he is doing. After he saved us from relegation last season, it's the least we can do, isn't it?