Team for next season

[Handsome Man]

Am a bit surprised that a few want to keep Blackman and would like to know why.

I've never particularly understood the criticism of him - think he's been lumped in the same category as Akpan, i.e. a player who came in way above his level in the Premier League and, because of that, will never make it. Plus we all need a scapegoat...

For me, he's been one of a handful of players this season to show commitment, directness, and dare I say it, a goalscoring threat. IMO he's shown far more than the likes of HRK this term.

Is he a winger or is he a centre-forward? If he had just been a centre-forward, I think he would have had a run in the side this year, and we would know more about him. Subsisting on substitute appearances and the odd start out of position hasn't been good for him - the same has been true of HRK as well. If we had been luckier with our considerable efforts to ship out Pogrebnyak last summer, I don't think we would lost too much from having a larger contribution from either of them.

Blackman wasn't worth a million, but he didn't choose his transfer fee and he might have the potential to thrive at this level.

[Ian Royal]

Am a bit surprised that a few want to keep Blackman and would like to know why.

I've never particularly understood the criticism of him - think he's been lumped in the same category as Akpan, i.e. a player who came in way above his level in the Premier League and, because of that, will never make it. Plus we all need a scapegoat...

For me, he's been one of a handful of players this season to show commitment, directness, and dare I say it, a goalscoring threat. IMO he's shown far more than the likes of HRK this term.

There's no faulting his effort, he's not played a single game where he's impressed him other than in the odd moment of skill. He's just so bang average.

He's not really a striker, he's not really a winger. He's possibly a wide forward in an attacking three, but without enough goal threat.

[Scarface]

Can't be bothered to pick from the list of players in the earlier posts. But clearly the clubs finances are not good, so if we don't get promoted, then I think the policy will be to try and off load the high earners (Bridge, Pog, Guthrie, Carrico, Drenthe, Kelly etc etc), whether that's right or wrong. With the success of the U21's and U18's I'd love to see more of them getting a chance next season.

[RoyallyFcuked]

Best thing we can do is clear out most of the team and start again

[PistolPete]

Best thing we can do is clear out most of the team and start again

Yep, brilliant.

[JakeTheRoyal]

Jamie Ward and Jordi Gomez are musts on a free next season... surely

[CavershamRoyal]

Goalkeepers
Mikkel Andersen
Adam Federici
Jon Henly
Daniel Lincoln
Alex McCarthy
Stuart Moore
Stuart Taylor

Defenders
Nick Arnold
Wayne Bridge
Jake Cooper
Shaun Cummings
Kaspars Gorkšs
Shane Griffin
Chris Gunter
Michael Hector
Stephen Kelly
Niall Keown
Sean Long
Sean Morrison
Matt Partridge
Alex Pearce
Pierce Sweeney

Midfielders
Hope Akpan
Daniel Carriço
Lawson D'Ath
Royston Drenthe
Ryan Edwards
Danny Guthrie
Jem Karacan
Mikele Leigertwood
Jobi McAnuff
Garath McCleary
Shepherd Murombedzi
Jordan Obita
Hal Robson-Kanu
Jake Taylor
Aaron Tshibola
Danny Williams

Attackers
Nick Blackman
Adam Le Fondre
Pavel Pogrebnyak
Dominic Samuel
Craig Tanner
Gozie Ugwu

Starting XI for next season:

McCarthy
Gunter - Pearce - Hector - New LB
McCleary - Williams - Karacan/Guthrie/Tshibola - Obita
New ST - Ugwu

(Or include both Karacan & Guthrie/Tshibola in 4-5-1)

Subs: Lincoln, Morrison, Bridge, Karacan/Guthrie/Tshibola, New CM, Tanner, Samuel/New ST

[maffff]

I've had 10 answers I can translate across into something, so based on this the numbers of keeps/leaves are

Keeps
Goalkeepers
First team Federici (6) McCarthy (6)
Others Andersen (2), Henly (8), Lincoln (9), Moore (8), Taylor (2)

Keeps
Defenders
First team Bridge (4), Cummings (3), Gorkss (1), Gunter (10), Hector (10), Kelly (2), Morrison (10), Pearce (8),
Others Arnold (4), Cooper (10), Griffin (8), Keown (10), Long (8), Partridge (1), Sweeney (10)

Keeps
Midfielders
First team; Akpan (3), Drenthe (5), Guthrie (6), Karacan (10), Leigertwood (2), McAnuff (7), McCleary (9), Obita (10), Robson-Kanu (3), Taylor (3), Williams (10)
Others; Carriço (4), D'Ath (3), Edwards (2), Murombedzi (6), Tshibola (10)

Keeps
Attackers
First team Blackman (3), Le Fondre (5), Pogrebnyak (4),
Others Samuel (8), Tanner (10), Ugwu (10)