Most liked posts in thread: Players out of contract in June 2023 including Retained List

Lofty is a cheeky chappy...

 

Best of luck to all of them, not a single 'bad apple' among the bunch for me.

A few too many average players cost us in what amounts to a 'nearly' season, but none of them were a waste of space like we've seen in previous seasons.

 

It might be that he rejects the offer, same with Andy Cook and Gilly. The players released doesn't surprise me and I'd like to see us try and move on some of the contracted guys that probably won't feature next season.

 

What has he contributed? 10 goal contributions in 156 appearances for a supposed attacking midfielder is a disgrace.

 

What does he do well? Serious question.

He's weak at tackling, rarely wins high balls, positionally tends to get caught the wrong side a lot, he's very negative in or around the box and drifts that much in games he's barely noticed for large periods of it.

Yes he has energy and stamina. Is that really enough though?

 

I'd have been happy with Clayton OR Smallwood but we absolutely can't build a team mobile enough compensate for having both in there. Especially when at least one of our centre halves is even slower than the two.

 

If he doesn't contribute going forwards then he's got to contribute elsewhere. The simple fact is Gilliead is a hard worker and half decent tackler but that's it. He's extremely poor in a number of areas, average in a substantial number and good in only a couple. Can we not do better even at L2 level?

 

It's about how they fit a formation and a manager's strategy. Take the very talented Josh Cullen, has the odd goal and assist to his name but will be playing premier League footy next season. Managers know what he does well. And I guess it's the same with the likes of Smallwood and Clayton.
Football is never down to the ability of the individual, it's about the manager getting the line up right and the players fitting into it.Hence Chelsea spending an absolute fortune and then struggling to score.
Stats will always be used to suit a narrative

 

Smallwood will be fine if he's shifted back to the base of the midfield and we get two proper central midfielders to play in front.

 

These are the facts that make the 'we're playing the wrong brand/style of football' incorrect to me.

What we did last season was play the right style of football not well enough lol

 

That's excellent and a massive improvement, but you can't deny the facts that Sergio has pointed out. Certain key players have missed significant chunks of the season and that will have had an impact.

 

The Chapman injury and the timing of it was massive. Losing Walker for the first half of the season also had an impact. Then you need to consider Oliver at the end. He was not first choice but we lost a valid alternative option off the bench at the business end.
Not a full on injury crisis by any means but certainly enough to have had an impact.

 

I think the problem actually lies in how we set up. We conceded lots at the back post but never really switched anyone around so it was constantly Smallwood or Halliday getting outjumped. If we sign a bit more height and power in Midfield and/or the full back areas this should hopefully help us re jig the line and cut out us conceding similar goals next season whilst hopefully remaining as resolute in open play.

 

Yet what he did was good enough either. Slow, lazy as tracking back was alien to him, poor ball control and hated a tackle. That’s why he was shifted out to play only 5 more games at Barrow than he played with us, scoring precisely zero.

He’s not the answer Sergio.

There are an awful lot that we need to move on.

 

Young has a relative who used to work with me until a few months back. We had a few chats about Jake and how he was getting on between about September, from what I can read into it Young not getting into the side might have been an attitude thing. Last time I spoke to them it was late in 2022, said the family were fuming with Hughes because Jake is in their words "far too good to sit in the stands".

Your family are always going to build you up, no issues with that sentiment. But if you aren't getting first team football and your closest people are coming at it negatively with a "you're too good for this role" attitude, it's going to weigh down on the lad and he'll start believing that over the management. Think this summer if he comes back with the fresh slate mindset, he could be useful for this squad. He only managed 538 L2 minutes at Barrow, from 17 appearances. Wouldn't write off a 21 year old who does show some promise, but there is something off with the lad, hopefully he can figure it out this summer.

 

Cooks finances might be better off with a move but I am not sure his career will. Coming of his best season by a country mile he may not fit in or reproduce it elsewhere there have been numerous instances of players in similar circumstances flopping after a move. Sometimes it’s better with the devil you know

 

Sparks has done a good job with the commercial side of the club I've been impressed since he's dropped out of the media spotlight.

 

Wonder if the manager will sub Banks for a central defender?