Players out of contract in June 2023 including Retained List

TBF Ridehlagh (clearly our preferred LB), Walker and Osadebe missed half of this season. We also lost Chapman who was just hitting form at the right time and Oliver (who is a far better option than anyone else not named Cook - best of a bad bunch) at a vital time of the season. Derbyshire missed spells too. Banks missed quite a period too. We were depleted at times.

Not quite Mansfields injury crisis but we suffered too as most teams will have.

 

The club say's different just today -

 

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.

 

Its an improvement, but doesnt make it ideal. Im saying we have had key players out injured - some for long periods and some for key periods.

 

You don't need much to get out of this league. 3 quality players to add to solid would be enough

No it doesn't. It's a comparison to the previous season mainly

 

I don't agree. We've got off very lightly on injuries.
Are you classing Walker as a 'key player'? He's just about the only significant injury we had.
I don't think you could class Odasebe as a 'key player'.

 

Who? Walker for 4 months.
That's it?
Or are you saying Osadebe is a key player?

 

You think we've had a poor injury record this season?

 

Osadebe started that first game - he was firmly in Hughes plans. Who knows how he would have started and finished the season. If you dont think that injury has derailed his progress and affected him this season then you haven't seen many games since his return - yes he has struggled since. Banks only made 20 starts in the L2 campaign. Ridehlagh firmly the first choice left back and missed a huge chunk. And we had injury issues with Derbyshire, Chapman and Oliver in the key period at the tail end.

 

We got off lightly. Banks made 20 starts because he was dropped when we went to the diamond.
Foulds came in for a few months for Ridehalgh, when he was injured.
You'd be hard pressed to say Osadebe, Derbyshire, Chapman or Oliver were 'key players'.

If you don't believe me read the article again. 63% drop in injuries sustained in a game.

Northampton & Mansfield went into the run in with 8-11 players injured.
Stevenage had to use 4 GK's as 3 got injured.

Other clubs had it far worse than us.

Our Head of Sports Science is literally bragging about the stats.

 

Yes there's been a massive improvement, yes we got off lightly compared to some other clubs, but that doesn't mean that the injuries we have had and the times when they've happened, haven't had an impact on our season - These things are not mutually exclusive.

Also, I notice in that article there's a quote from Hughes about how he doesn't see the point in pushing the players too hard in training. That's certainly better than Adams approach of flogging them until they dropped and may be a factor in why we haven't had as many injuries this year, certainly in respect of training injuries, but has that come at the cost of us not having the stamina and fitness to see certain games out?

 

We were absolutely four conceded from being in the autos - Gillingham (H), Swindon (H), Mansfield (H), Newport (A)

 

We can't go all season without any injuries. No team does that.
What would you expect?

 

I think the Osadebe injury hurt us in terms of formation and the player he could have been. Get him fitter over the summer, get him over his fear of breaking his leg again, and we will see a different player in August.

 

Don't think injuries had an adverse effect on the season at all. Osadebe we'll never know what he could or couldn't have done but our two best players played all season. None of the back four were out for more than the odd day, and our midfield was virtually the same all season.

 

Don’t forget Mansfield “ invested” heavily for the second season on the spin , yet still blew it. I’m sure Mrs Botox will find plenty more from hubbys wallet?

 

We weren’t the only team to concede late or soft (in the Newport example) goals.
We also scored late goals in the run in - Colchester and Northampton.
The late goals just cover up the inept performances and / or tactics which left us vulnerable in those games

 

Quite possibly. Also, Walker has not looked the player he was last season since coming back from injury and we lost Chapman just at the point when he was hitting a bit of form, which left us really weak down the left for the crucial last few games.

 

Clough's got a new contract so they they agree that with a reduction in injuries, they would have been right up there.

 

He started the first game of the season so it suggests he was very much part of Hughes strongest 11 in August which is all you can really go on as he was injured since then.