Building for next season

[genome]

Dack is a good player but no water-carrier. Swift should already be capable of playing in a similar position to him.

We need a strong mobile defensively minded CM who can win the ball and get play moving quickly.

Like... Danny Williams

[Old Man Andrews]

Dack is a good player but no water-carrier. Swift should already be capable of playing in a similar position to him.

We need a strong mobile defensively minded CM who can win the ball and get play moving quickly.

Like... Danny Williams

Only one man for the job. Two words..... Michael and Brown.

[Tilehurstsouthbank]

Can you release players still in contract? surely its not that easy.

It's never going to be easy to shift contracted players unless there is a demand for them, unlikely with our overpaid, underperforming lot.

My opinion assuming we stay up:

Mannone - Keep
Jakkola - Out of Contract, release
Bond - Out of contract, try to resign but could well move on.
Southwood - Promote to back up if Bond doesn't sign, otherwise loan potentially.

Gunter - Keep
Watson - New contract possibly but wary because of being injury prone. Expiring in the summer.

McShane - Keep
Moore - Keep if possible, hard to resist a big money transfer.
Ilori - Keep
Blackett - *Shrug* there's a decent player in there somewhere, keep unless a realistic offer comes in, he only has a year left on contract.

Obita - Keep
Richards - Extend contract, expiring in the summer.

Van den Berg - Keep, don't think he's as bad as people want to make out and was solid last season.
Bacuna - Keep
Kelly - Keep
Quinn - Out of contract, release
Dave Edwards - Try to sell
Swift - Keep
Clement - Try to sell
Evans - Keep

McCleary - Keep
Barrow - Keep
Harriott - Try to sell.
Aluko - Keep

Kermorgant - Keep
Bodvarsson - Keep
Novakovich - Assess and probably promote.
Mendes - Out of contract, release

Realistically you can't just completely change a squad and expect everything to just gel the following season but at the same time we have quite a large squad and a fair few we can probably move on.

Tidus, I'm sure Richards recently signed a new deal.

[Snowflake Royal]

Dack is a good player but no water-carrier. Swift should already be capable of playing in a similar position to him.

We need a strong mobile defensively minded CM who can win the ball and get play moving quickly.

Like... Danny Williams

Except Williams wasn't that good at winning the ball and the only way he got play moving quickly was by putting his head down and running forward.

[double d]

Dack is a good player but no water-carrier. Swift should already be capable of playing in a similar position to him.

We need a strong mobile defensively minded CM who can win the ball and get play moving quickly.

Like... Danny Williams

Only one man for the job. Two words..... Michael and Brown.

The port vale player?

[Old Man Andrews]

Like... Danny Williams

Only one man for the job. Two words..... Michael and Brown.

The port vale player?

I wasn't seriously suggesting we should sign the biggest shithouse to ever play football in the English leagues. He is about 40 and retired too.

[NewCorkSeth]

Dack is a good player but no water-carrier. Swift should already be capable of playing in a similar position to him.

We need a strong mobile defensively minded CM who can win the ball and get play moving quickly.

Like... Danny Williams

Except Williams wasn't that good at winning the ball and the only way he got play moving quickly was by putting his head down and running forward.

Like Bacuna.

[genome]

Dack is a good player but no water-carrier. Swift should already be capable of playing in a similar position to him.

We need a strong mobile defensively minded CM who can win the ball and get play moving quickly.

Like... Danny Williams

Except Williams wasn't that good at winning the ball and the only way he got play moving quickly was by putting his head down and running forward.

Certainly better than what we have now

[Snowflake Royal]

Like... Danny Williams

Except Williams wasn't that good at winning the ball and the only way he got play moving quickly was by putting his head down and running forward.

Like Bacuna.

Not seen Bacuna consistently run down blind allies.

His background and stupidity recently makes me less keen on him anyway.

I'd like us to stop signing headcases no one wants to work with in the hope we can magically change their personality.

[Coppells Lost Coat]

Think many players will have point to prove next season.
Striker and a defensive mid must be a priority, get some energy into the middle. No point throwing names into the mix as if we are suggesting players surely everyone will be thinking the same.

[Denver Royal]

A different question, I suppose, is what would be people's expectations for next season in Champ?

I asked this earlier this season, and was assured that given the stature of the club now, we should be comfortably Top 10 and challenging for promotion every season.

Everyone still feel that way?

[Old Man Andrews]

A different question, I suppose, is what would be people's expectations for next season in Champ?

I asked this earlier this season, and was assured we should be comfortably Top 10 and challenging for promotion every season.

Everyone still feel that way?

It is completely impossible to answer before we know what the squad will be going into it.

[Denver Royal]

A different question, I suppose, is what would be people's expectations for next season in Champ?

I asked this earlier this season, and was assured we should be comfortably Top 10 and challenging for promotion every season.

Everyone still feel that way?

It is completely impossible to answer before we know what the squad will be going into it.

Ok, that's fair enough, maybe I'll ask you in Aug.

However, as I say, was assured that given the stature of the club now, we should be as above every season,
irrespective of signings, etc.

(Btw, I didn't necessarily agree with that myself, and pointed out we had only achieved that once in our last 4 seasons...).

[Old Man Andrews]

A different question, I suppose, is what would be people's expectations for next season in Champ?

I asked this earlier this season, and was assured we should be comfortably Top 10 and challenging for promotion every season.

Everyone still feel that way?

It is completely impossible to answer before we know what the squad will be going into it.

Ok, fair enough, maybe I'll ask you in Aug.

However, as I say, was assured that given the stature of the club now, we should be as above every season,
irrespective of signings, etc.

(Btw, I didn't necessarily agree with that myself, and pointed out we had only achieved that once in our last 4 seasons...).

I think we have been so up and down in the last 10 years it is really hard to say. Right now at this moment in time I would expect a mid table finish and I would love a run in either cup competition. I would just like to see progress made with our youth players at the heart of our team.

[North Royal Lad]

Dack is a good player but no water-carrier. Swift should already be capable of playing in a similar position to him.

We need a strong mobile defensively minded CM who can win the ball and get play moving quickly.

Like... Danny Williams

Only one man for the job. Two words..... Michael and Brown.

Are you stupid he won’t come we have no money

[NewCorkSeth]

A different question, I suppose, is what would be people's expectations for next season in Champ?

I asked this earlier this season, and was assured we should be comfortably Top 10 and challenging for promotion every season.

Everyone still feel that way?

It is completely impossible to answer before we know what the squad will be going into it.

Absolutely true but I do think clubs carry a 2-3 year stature with them. Obviously teams can dissolve rather more rapidly than this but we have a settled championship stature on the grounds that we have competed strongly in the competition for most of the recent seasons and we have yet to be relegated from the division. Kinda like Derby. Or Norwich. Or Ipswich. Or Cardiff. Or Fulham.
Anyway due to this I expect us to remain a strong championship club.

[North Royal Lad]

It is completely impossible to answer before we know what the squad will be going into it.

Ok, fair enough, maybe I'll ask you in Aug.

However, as I say, was assured that given the stature of the club now, we should be as above every season,
irrespective of signings, etc.

(Btw, I didn't necessarily agree with that myself, and pointed out we had only achieved that once in our last 4 seasons...).

I think we have been so up and down in the last 10 years it is really hard to say. Right now at this moment in time I would expect a mid table finish and I would love a run in either cup competition. I would just like to see progress made with our youth players at the heart of our team.

Old andrew man i told you before and i tell you again u don’t no nothing about football ..

[Hound]

A different question, I suppose, is what would be people's expectations for next season in Champ?

I asked this earlier this season, and was assured that given the stature of the club now, we should be comfortably Top 10 and challenging for promotion every season.

Everyone still feel that way?

It is a little difficult to say - the Champ is such a strange but entertaining league at times. Genuinely think its one of the most entertaining in the world.

Its all about getting a bit of momentum and one or two players going on a great run of form - bit like Kermogant did for us last year. No doubts a slight left field team such as us, QPR, Norwich or Hull will get it all together and have a good season.

I don't think its possible to challenge for promo each season - it seems to take so much out of a club that they fall away the season after. Even Fulham had a major hangover which could easily have wrecked their season if they didn't go on such a good run after.

In saying all that, I think we would be competitive. I'd think we'd be about 9th-14th, but hopefully with some progress with the younger players. Lessons need to be learned from this year though, inc not just signing players because they are available and trying to be too clever

[tidus_mi2]

Can you release players still in contract? surely its not that easy.

It's never going to be easy to shift contracted players unless there is a demand for them, unlikely with our overpaid, underperforming lot.

My opinion assuming we stay up:

Mannone - Keep
Jakkola - Out of Contract, release
Bond - Out of contract, try to resign but could well move on.
Southwood - Promote to back up if Bond doesn't sign, otherwise loan potentially.

Gunter - Keep
Watson - New contract possibly but wary because of being injury prone. Expiring in the summer.

McShane - Keep
Moore - Keep if possible, hard to resist a big money transfer.
Ilori - Keep
Blackett - *Shrug* there's a decent player in there somewhere, keep unless a realistic offer comes in, he only has a year left on contract.

Obita - Keep
Richards - Extend contract, expiring in the summer.

Van den Berg - Keep, don't think he's as bad as people want to make out and was solid last season.
Bacuna - Keep
Kelly - Keep
Quinn - Out of contract, release
Dave Edwards - Try to sell
Swift - Keep
Clement - Try to sell
Evans - Keep

McCleary - Keep
Barrow - Keep
Harriott - Try to sell.
Aluko - Keep

Kermorgant - Keep
Bodvarsson - Keep
Novakovich - Assess and probably promote.
Mendes - Out of contract, release

Realistically you can't just completely change a squad and expect everything to just gel the following season but at the same time we have quite a large squad and a fair few we can probably move on.

Tidus, I'm sure Richards recently signed a new deal.

Yeah you're right, contracted until 2021.

[Denver Royal]

Yeah, some good thoughts.

A lot is dependent on the manager, right? Assuming we have upgraded massively in this regard, then this will presumably reflect in the standings/promotion(?).

A common narrative, as I recall, was that we have (or had) a lot of talent throughout the side. That's not to say that some of the player's weren't questioned at all. But just that they needed a good manager (which presumably they now have).

So, at risk of stating the obvious, two big factors are likely to be how much talent there is in reality, and how good the manager is.

This will take on greater significance since (we hear) there isn't much money to spend, and - despite all the (alleged) talent - maybe we don't have the players that would generate a lot of money through sales. I'm hearing Moore is the obvious candidate to be sold, but then we'd have to replace him anyway(?).