My question is, do we currently have any players that you think are the basis of building a squad around ? My personal view is that even with decent investment and good management we’re only at the beginning of a three year rebuilding programme where we need to add a couple of top quality players every season and retain those we can. At this low point in our squad I’d say that we have only Leaburn and Ness under contract that are anchor players. Re signing Hector would be a good start and our ability or not to do that is going to be a good indicator of just where we’re heading.
AMB, Hector, Dobson and Leaburn are all good enough to be starters for a team that challenges IMO.
My question is, do we currently have any players that you think are the basis of building a squad around ? My personal view is that even with decent investment and good management we’re only at the beginning of a three year rebuilding programme where we need to add a couple of top quality players every season and retain those we can. At this low point in our squad I’d say that we have only Leaburn and Ness under contract that are anchor players. Re signing Hector would be a good start and our ability or not to do that is going to be a good indicator of just where we’re heading.
AMB, Hector, Dobson and Leaburn are all good enough to be starters for a team that challenges IMO.
I think that’s a reasonable assessment but Hector won’t be our player as thing’s currently stand. I’d guess that there’s no more than a 50/50 chance of us having him next season. I think it’s also pretty certain that Miles will attract bids in the summer from clubs and on money that he’d be daft to reject. I’d say that of those four you mention that only two are fairly likely to be with us next season. Any money that the club gets for Miles might help fund a decent squad rebuilding programme but I’d see Miles as a twenty goals player next season. Replacing that contribution won’t be easy or cheap. We might get a season loan back on him and that’s my only hope really.
Saw you know more since going to POTY, have you heard Hector won’t be staying and Wollacott will be sold (latter doesn’t surprise me)?
My take on Hector is that he has not long ago been a top Championship player, then Prem squad player, you can only imagine the weeklies… Mutually beneficial for club and player over this half season, but more than less likely will be back at a higher level next season. I think if we had made the play offs and got up, him staying may have been a more likely possibility. Never say never, as there needs to be takers out there, but on balance think he will be elsewhere.
Jojo defo needs/wants 1st team football and AMB has made the spot his own since him and Dean coming in. If we can get a fee for Jojo and use that in other more pressing areas, I think that’s good business all day long. GK area is not a weak area, even if some would like to see Buffon between the sticks.
I’d be amazed if a Championship club doesn’t see Hector as a fourth choice option. He’s fit, has enough pedigree and out of contract. I dare say the player himself sees himself as at least Championship standard. His agent will most definitely be looking for a better gig. It’s possible he stays but the wages we’ve been offering in recent windows won’t get us where we want to be. IMHO I think we can forget about Hector.
Fans massively overrate AMB. Plus he's injury prone.
AMB and Woolacott are both decent keepers but both have their limitations. Woolacott seems to have gone up in some fans opinions while he's not been playing.
Keep on better contracts AMB Miles Dobbo Zach Mitchell, TC, Keep Egbo CBT Kanu Chin Ness Thomas Hector Get Rid: kirk payne Lavelle McGrandles Chuks Penney Bonne Kilkenny Inniss listen to offers: Fraser Wollacott
There’s plenty of youngsters we haven’t seen any of who could be next season’s ML
Some of the out of contract regulars are probably worth keeping if they don’t expect a pay rise Morgan Clare cos there’s no guarantee that different is better as last summer’s recruitment including the manager proved so painfully
Which means CF, LB, CB, CM, RW/LW and a number 2 keeper all critical positions to fill. I reckon 8-9 to come in based on the above.
If Innis, Clare, Fraser, Payne, Morgan, CBT, and Aneke are anywhere near the first team next season we are in for another mid table finish at best
We need a squad and the cost of a rebuild from scratch, inflation etc considered means there will be a mix of new, renewed and existing for sure. Exits 100% on the cards and my analysis is a mix of reading between the lines on some and some facts given on others (their choices etc.).
Keep: Miles Dobbo Mitchell Ness TC AMB Egbo CBT Kanu Hector Thomas (mainly because he did so well at left back).
Get Rid: Kirk Lavelle McGrandles Chuks Penney Bonne Kilkenny Inniss and Kane
Not sure: Payne. Clare. I suspect we'd all keep Chuks if they found a miracle cure for whatever is ailing him.
Listen to offers: Fraser Wollacott Would rather keep Wollacott than Fraser who is a defensive liability. Can't see us becoming a top four side with him as our key creative midfielder.
I suspect the takeover won't go through in time to have anything like the window we desperately need.
First thing to recognise is that Clare is NOT a defender.
He's not a midfielder either though. His concentration and awareness of his positioning is so limited he can't play in the middle and he can't play at CB because he allows too much into the corridors of space around him. He's done alright as a RB because it's the position where the game is mostly in front of him and he's got less space to forget to monitor because he's got the touchline to his side. He's still a liability from set pieces and and second balls off crosses coming in because he switches off after the first ball leaves the attacker's foot. I could see him being used on the right of midfield in a Curbs style 442 the way he sometimes used Kish or Konchesky wide when he really wanted to keep things tight but even then I think we'd get frustrated when that third man run coasted past him into the box.
Ultimately when it comes to who we keep and who we lose I'd be looking at the contracts. I'm a little here and there on Inniss as he's so cheap and he stayed fit this season (and I have a sneaking suspicion that with JRS gone Holden might revert back to the 352 he clearly wanted to play when he started, meaning we'd need 6 CBs) but anyone else out of contract I think I'd wave off. It's easier. Why renew Morgan, Clare etc knowing they're not good enough, and knowing that we'd probably have to pay to see off the likes of Payne, Egbo and Aneke? The cost difference associated with keeping Clare over Egbo would be quite substantial I think, and we should be bringing in a first choice RB over either of them anyway
I think those saying get rid to McGrandles is a bit unfair, we’ve not seen nearly enough of him to make a fair judgement, add to that the fact he didn’t have a preseason and that Cambridge fans think he’s been there best player surely deserves a fair crack before writing off
I think those saying get rid to McGrandles is a bit unfair, we’ve not seen nearly enough of him to make a fair judgement, add to that the fact he didn’t have a preseason and that Cambridge fans think he’s been there best player sureiy
Yeah to be fair I was being a bit of a dick about McGrandles a couple of weeks ago. Thinking about it, if we loan a player to a team in the same division as us and he does well then surely that is one of the purposes of loan deals?
I’d probably change my opinion to say get him back in for the start of pre-season, if he looks good then great, if not then try to move him on, his performances at Cambridge should create a market for him. In the unlikely event that someone wants to make us a brilliant offer in the meantime then we’ll take the money.
Don’t get the Clare hate, think he’s looked decent all season at right back apart from the odd game. No idea if he could do a job in midfield been so long since I’ve seen him play there but he’s versatile and I’d take him over McGrandles he looked absolutely useless the games he played.
McGrandles probably needs to come back for pre season for Holden to have a good look. I’m sure there would be takers for him on loan if DH doesn’t fancy him. I think he might be worth a look.
I don’t think I’ve seen enough of Kanu, in the first team, yet but he’d be another to have about. They would make up the squad, but we need another 10-11 who can be first team players and that can include 3-4 quality loans.
I’d like to keep Woolacott too, but that’s probably unreasonable and unfair to him too.
The rest, including Morgan, Henry, Inniss, Payne et al should all go. They aren’t going to move us forward and nor are they good enough to be regular members of the team or squad.
Worth remembering that McGrandles signed a three year deal, so he's got two years left with us. I don't see anyone coming in for him to pay us a fee and pay him what he's on now so either we have a look at him or chuck him out on another loan where we're probably subsidising some of his salary. With that in mind I'd much rather see if we can get something out of a player who barely featured for us due to injury and has looked good for Lincoln and Cambridge than send him off at our expense
I’d be amazed if a Championship club doesn’t see Hector as a fourth choice option. He’s fit, has enough pedigree and out of contract. I dare say the player himself sees himself as at least Championship standard. His agent will most definitely be looking for a better gig. It’s possible he stays but the wages we’ve been offering in recent windows won’t get us where we want to be. IMHO I think we can forget about Hector.
They probably did but I imagine Hector wants first team football which is why he didn’t have a club for 6 months and eventually dropped down a level.
I think we have a decent chance given we can offer regular first team football and a good location.
Comments
AMB, Harness
Egbo, Ness, Mitchell, Chin, (Inniss), (Clare)
Dobbo, Fraser, Payne, (Morgan), CBT, Campbell
Leaburn, Aneke, Kanu
my educated guesses on renewals in brackets
Which means CF, LB, CB, CM, RW/LW and a number 2 keeper all critical positions to fill. I reckon 8-9 to come in based on the above.
Jojo defo needs/wants 1st team football and AMB has made the spot his own since him and Dean coming in. If we can get a fee for Jojo and use that in other more pressing areas, I think that’s good business all day long. GK area is not a weak area, even if some would like to see Buffon between the sticks.
AMB Miles Dobbo Zach Mitchell, TC,
Keep
Egbo CBT Kanu Chin Ness Thomas Hector
Get Rid:
kirk payne Lavelle McGrandles Chuks Penney Bonne Kilkenny Inniss
listen to offers:
Fraser Wollacott
There’s plenty of youngsters we haven’t seen any of who could be next season’s ML
Some of the out of contract regulars are probably worth keeping if they don’t expect a pay rise Morgan Clare cos there’s no guarantee that different is better as last summer’s recruitment including the manager proved so painfully
And Sign One Actual fucking Left Back!
Nb - Personally don't think Clare and CBT are that bad players given our circumstances.
Miles Dobbo Mitchell Ness TC AMB Egbo CBT Kanu Hector Thomas (mainly because he did so well at left back).
Get Rid:
Kirk Lavelle McGrandles Chuks Penney Bonne Kilkenny Inniss and Kane
Not sure:
Payne. Clare.
I suspect we'd all keep Chuks if they found a miracle cure for whatever is ailing him.
Listen to offers:
Fraser Wollacott
Would rather keep Wollacott than Fraser who is a defensive liability. Can't see us becoming a top four side with him as our key creative midfielder.
I suspect the takeover won't go through in time to have anything like the window we desperately need.
4 of his last 5 managers have picked him solely as a defender.
The problem is they play when ever they are available because they are better than the alternatives. That's the main problem.
Let go: Everyone else, including all the Sandgaards, Burger Boy and the pigeons
(Although the pigeons are probably the least unpleasant)
AMB
Clare
Egbo
Ness
Mitchell
Elerewe
Hector
Fraser
Dobson
Campbell
CBT
Leaburn
I don’t think I’ve seen enough of Kanu, in the first team, yet but he’d be another to have about. They would make up the squad, but we need another 10-11 who can be first team players and that can include 3-4 quality loans.
I’d like to keep Woolacott too, but that’s probably unreasonable and unfair to him too.
I think we have a decent chance given we can offer regular first team football and a good location.