FANS looking at Tuesday night’s defeat and reading that Bury are being linked with another forward in Ricardo Vaz Te may be forgiven for scratching their heads.

But I would say there is method in the madness.

Forwards are the most difficult players to snap up and you have to make your move early.

I know David Flitcroft already has six strikers but it could be he has not got the balance right for the formation he wants to play.

You also can’t deny that Vaz Te is a proven goalscorer at a higher level. He has that ability to put the ball in the net and also to produce something a little bit different or unexpected.

If you can bring a player like that into your team then you have to try.

The coaching staff and recruitment team will know that once they have their attackers they will have a better idea of the budget they have available to strengthen the rest of the squad.

They will definitely be busy in the transfer market because after three league games it is clear there are still areas they need to strengthen.

Defence is an obvious starting point. You can’t go through a campaign with two senior centre-backs.

Defenders are the players that pick up the most bookings, so they will invariably spend part of the season suspended, and they are also more liable to pick up injuries.

Every player, no matter what their position, also needs to feel under pressure to perform.

As soon as you start taking your place in the starting line-up for granted then you naturally going to take your foot off the gas.

And judging by the performance on Tuesday night, no player in that backline should feel safe.

Going into the game, Fleetwood were scratching around for goals. I assumed if Bury could get their noses in front then they would be okay, so to concede four is a concern.

People like Nathan Cameron, Joe Riley, Chris Hussey and Peter Clarke don’t become bad players overnight though.

Part of the problem may just be balancing the desire to play attacking, expansive football with grinding out the points.

The barometer for success, unlike last season, when the pressure was on to earn promotion, is to remain in the league so there is a little more scope for set-backs.

I think fans and the board will be more forgiving and allow the players and coaching staff to grow into the division, but I would warn against tinkering.

Players at this level need to know what system to play in then stick to it, too much change and the season may never get going.