Squad Numbers

I think Walker had the S there last season as well. As for him still being number 1, I wouldn't read anything into that at all.

 

Good to see Lunn and Ibbitson getting squad numbers. Hope they play well in the upcoming friendlies and get a chance at some point this season.

 

Loads of people mentioning Walker at number 1 on social media…. Talk about overthinking it. Thats his number - why would we change it? We aren’t changing anyone else’s numbers.

 

It would be hugely disrespectful to Walker as well and going against what Alexander has said that Walker and McCracken are fighting for the starting place.

It tends to be an unwritten rule that once you get a number at a club it's yours until you leave unless you a more fashionable number becomes available and you can move up.

 

It doesn’t indicate anything. He’s a contracted player and that’s the number he’s had since he’s been here. As @Birky Bantam says it would be hugely disrespectful to change it.

 

Exactly. If Cook was still here he'd still be number 9, even if he didn't play a single minute.

 

Why would we get rid of him the whole idea is competition

 

10 squad numbers not taken up currently, 9 if you discount no 13
Lots of room to manoeuvre

 

Not necessarily. A lot of keepers are happy to play backup. No one had any idea what Sam is thinking. He could be thinking he wants to play as he’s at the end of his career, but equally he could be happy to wait in the wings. Either way it’s nice to have some genuine competition for the first time for at least 10 years. I don’t think he’ll be in any rush to leave, he will want to fight for his place, and good on him.

 

Sam's been number 2 at plenty of clubs, I can't see this phasing him.

Like you say, it's competition, not a sentence to spend 46 games on the bench.

 

Has he been number 2 where he'd previously been number 1 though? I think that's a different scenario mentally to deal with..