Saint Charlie Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Simple question - would you offer them a new contract: Connolly - Yes - Has been brilliant since he came back in, a pay as you play one year deal is a risk but if he plays 15 games its worth it. Wouldn't be suprised if Saints don't make him an offer though. Jaidi - Yes - Will be perfect for some games. One year. Harding - Yes One/two years Butterfield - Yes - Tough one because he has been very good but we might be able to get someone better. Plus Richardson is on a 3 year deal and Jack Stephens is a good back up RB. Another one year contract is most likely I think. Gobern - No - not of the required standard, will hopefully get a L1 club. Martin - Yes - but needs to spend a season on loan in L1 It wouldn't entirely suprise me if someone we expect to keep doesn't get offered a contract. If we are going to bring a few players in then we need to get rid of a couple who are in the squad now or will end up with too many players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint1977 Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Connolly - yes but pay as you play mixed in with coaching duties Jaidi - Heart says yes but head no, great at this level but imagine him taking on Bellamy next season? Harding - would be v surprised if he didn't get another two year deal Butterfield - based on his performances yes but Richardson is on a 3 year deal Gobern - yes, two year deal but loan out to someone like Greg Abbott at Carlisle who has a good track record with his type of player for the season. Martin - yes and ditto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquidshokk Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I'd go with all of that. Apart from maybe Jaidi. As much as I rate the player I just wonder if he will struggle with the pace in Championship. He's been caught out a couple of times this season. All depends if we could find a such a rock with pace to replace him with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avenue Saint Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Yes to all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint-scooby Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I have a feeling there will be a few upsets over the next few weeks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Charlie Posted 10 May, 2011 Author Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I have a feeling there will be a few upsets over the next few weeks... The club has to be ruthless, if we do want to challenge near the top of the CCC then players like Gobern will have no part to play in that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquidshokk Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I have a feeling there will be a few upsets over the next few weeks... Did anyone else notice Andy crosby say in the celebration interview on solent "we have some excellent players in this club, and one or two......" but didnt carry on In the saints player interview with Adkins after he also used the words "if you lose a key player" when talking about their upcoming activities over the summer... I agree with Saint-Scooby. I think the shocks won't be about who comes in but more about who leaves us... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Charlie Posted 10 May, 2011 Author Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Did anyone else notice Andy crosby say in the celebration interview on solent "we have some excellent players in this club, and one or two......" but didnt carry on In the saints player interview with Adkins after he also used the words "if you lose a key player" when talking about their upcoming activities over the summer... I agree with Saint-Scooby. I think the shocks won't be about who comes in but more about who leaves us... In the context of that quote I think he meant when you lose players through injury you need to have good ones to bring in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquidshokk Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 In the context of that quote I think he meant when you lose players through injury you need to have good ones to bring in. Quite possibly. Are they expecting many injuries during the summer break then? The squads pretty much fully recovered now so our key players should be raring to go come august. I guess any that leave just simply don't fit into the plan. Will be a shame to see any of them go though. (Except the spoilt brat on a permanent basis) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry the Badger Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 In the saints player interview with Adkins after he also used the words "if you lose a key player" when talking about their upcoming activities over the summer... I think you're reading too much into what was probably a throw away comment. Every club has to be prepared in case a key player is taken off them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellman Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 No one is being sold unless we want to sell them...NC said it and I believe it, why can't we leave it at that? S'pose there wouldn't be much to do all summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the stain Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 No one is being sold unless we want to sell them...NC said it and I believe it, why can't we leave it at that? S'pose there wouldn't be much to do all summer. Exactly! Nobody has said anything about stadium expansion, so it's pointless speculating about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liquidshokk Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I think you're reading too much into what was probably a throw away comment. Every club has to be prepared in case a key player is taken off them. Damn text on screen compared to thoughts! I wasn't trying to raise any eyebrows! Just simply thought it was a curious comment. That said I cant see us simply bringing new players in without offloading some. Cortese even looked around to see if any players were listening when asked at staplewood wether money will be spent on new players and answered yes. Will be interesting. FWIW I really hope there isnt loads of speculation all summer as all the cr@p with chambo being rumoured to leave was hard to bear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctoroncall Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I don't think it's easy just to keep a player without thinking about the team. Much will depend on the succession planning of players, i.e. who will take over from Jaidi? Seaborne, Martin? Are they ready now? Is Jaidi going to be used as cover? Or do we buy? We have a number of options for left back plus the promising Shaw (who is likely to see some first team action in the next two years). Do we keep Mills, and Dickson as well as Harding? Or Sell Mills and keep Harding and Dickson? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West End Saint Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I would give all of them a contract Connolly is quality his movement & touch are 1st class & he looked really fit Jaidi has been a rock he may not play every game next season but his experience is well worth having in & around the squad Harding well worth another deal Butterfield great steady squad player with experience Gobern jury is still out but worth a deal might well make it Martin very good prospect get him signed & out on loan to learn his trade he is 1 for the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the stain Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 .;.,.-.-.-;.-,,. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lighthouse Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 If we are serious about promotion to the Premier League, then we're going to have to put sentiments aside and be ruthless. There are certain players who did an decent job this season, but can't take us any further. Connolly - No There really isn't much point in 'PAYP' contracts. It's not like you can chose the games he will be fit. If Barnard breaks his leg, you can't just flick a switch and make Connolly fit for 2 months. Having Connolly is like having the worlds greatest health service, but the hospitals are only open on Tuesdays. Brilliant, unless you have an accident on 6 days out of the week. Jaidi - No Doing a great job last year in League 1 isn't the same as doing a great job in NpC. Let him go, get someone the same 10 years younger. Martin - Yes One for the future definitely. Harding - Yes Absolutely! Butters - Yes Has invaluable NpC experience. Gobern - No Never really troubled the first team in League 1. To go up we will need players who CDAJ in the bottom half of the Prem. OG is a long way short of that. I'd also get rid of Holmes, Forecast and Seaborne. I thought the former was out of contract anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Charlie Posted 10 May, 2011 Author Share Posted 10 May, 2011 If we are serious about promotion to the Premier League, then we're going to have to put sentiments aside and be ruthless. There are certain players who did an decent job this season, but can't take us any further. Connolly - No There really isn't much point in 'PAYP' contracts. It's not like you can chose the games he will be fit. If Barnard breaks his leg, you can't just flick a switch and make Connolly fit for 2 months. Having Connolly is like having the worlds greatest health service, but the hospitals are only open on Tuesdays. Brilliant, unless you have an accident on 6 days out of the week. Jaidi - No Doing a great job last year in League 1 isn't the same as doing a great job in NpC. Let him go, get someone the same 10 years younger. Martin - Yes One for the future definitely. Harding - Yes Absolutely! Butters - Yes Has invaluable NpC experience. Gobern - No Never really troubled the first team in League 1. To go up we will need players who CDAJ in the bottom half of the Prem. OG is a long way short of that. I'd also get rid of Holmes, Forecast and Seaborne. I thought the former was out of contract anyway. Very true - Im sure Adkins has some difficult calls to make. I think personally that Jaidi would still do a great job against certain teams, and is worth keeping for a year. He has played most of our games this season and hasn't been totally ripped apart once from memory. I think the suprise could be with the full backs. Agree re Gobern - hasn't showed enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I think the suprise could be with the full backs. I'd think we absolutely have to keep Dan Harding, Dickson won't cut it in the NPC,did you see that faux-pas he made when Walsall nearly equalised? Any common or garden NPC striker or advanced midfielder would have buried that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 (edited) From a hard nosed business viewpoint you would probably release Jaidi, Connolly, Butterfield and Harding and bring in younger, possibly cheaper players and free up some space on the wage bill. I can see us recalling Joseph Mills for this reason to provide cover and competition at left back alongside Luke Shaw. I am not sure Jaidi will last the pace in the Championship - and who knows he may choose to retire on a high anyway! Connolly although undoubtedly talent is on the seasoned side and injury prone. The club may decide to go for someone who is less of an injury risk. Butterfield and Harding are probably good enough to keep - but it might just come down to budget! Gobern and Martin would probably be retained on two year deals with an option on a third year as both show the potential to make the grade at a higher level, have resale values and could be loaned out to gain experience. We shouldn't forget that any or all of these players might be offered more money and/or guaranteed first team football elsewhere! In regards to Oxlade-Chamberlain you would probably sell him whilst his value is high - but get him back on loan for next season as part of the deal - along with two other young top class players - and invest the money in building the team. For example if we sold Oxlade-Chamberlain to Arsenal for £10 million - £5 million up front and the rest in staged payments (say £3 million in January and £2 million next summer) and got him back on loan for next season along with Craig Eastmond and Frimpong it would make business sense. Eastmond would provide cover at right back and Frimpong in the middle. We could then use the £5/10 million to bring in other players. Say £2 million for Jack Cork, £3 million for Nicky Maynard and £3 million for Scott Sinclair for example. The rest on wages. We are in a strong position when it comes to Oxlade-Chamberlain - we don't need to sell and he seems to want to stay for another year to get more first team experience under his belt at the next level. However his parents and advisers will also want to sign a deal with a big club that guarantees his financial future whilst he's still a wanted man. In effect we can drive a hard bargain - but I think they will want us to do a deal on his future. But if the money we can raise takes us to the top of the Championship and into the Premiership surely we'd all be happy with that! From a business point of view I'd also look to exchange Jason Puncheon for Matt Phillips from Blackpool. Edited 10 May, 2011 by Rebel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjsaint Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I think Gobern may do alright. Jaidi and Connelly, well it's a tough business so as much as I'd hate to let them go I'd be surprised if they would be NPC material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david in sweden Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I'd go with all of that. Apart from maybe Jaidi. As much as I rate the player I just wonder if he will struggle with the pace in Championship. He's been caught out a couple of times this season. All depends if we could find a such a rock with pace to replace him with. basically agree but a one year deal. I wouldn't let him go without having a made to measure replacement on the books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Lungs Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Is this the same Jaidi many had hypothesised would struggle in League 1 because of his lack of pace? He won't be ideal for every game but he'll sure as hell be absolutely fine for another contract. We should look for a similar alternative as he won't be able to play every game, but his ability to play a level higher should not be in doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Wolf Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Connolly - Yes. Experience is exactly what we need in the Championship, at his age he'd know he was only going to be back up. He is just the player we need to come on and calm a game down. Jaidi - Yes. We're short in that area and I know he isn't the quickest car on the track but there are some games even in the Championship that just cry out for a massive, experienced, strong CB. Perfect for gritty pitches like Barnsley ect. Harding - Absilutely. He's been outstanding this season and last. Butterfield - Yes, experience/cover factor again. Gobern - No. He isn't a bad player but I think league one is about his level. He's done OKAY for us coming off the bench in League One but we don't need a player of that description. Martin - Yes. Can see this lad having a massive future. My friend knows him quite well, have met him quite a few times and he's always said he just wants a chance to play for Saints at the highest possible level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickG Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Gobern is only just out of his teens a few weeks ago. Has played England U19 and seems to be still growing! Not sure how good he will be but think he is still on the up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doddisalegend Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 In Jaidi's interview in the match day programme a few weeks back Jaidi said that Nigel has already told him he wants him to stay for another season so I imagine we will see Jaidi in the team next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 (edited) I would give Connolly and Jaidi one-year extensions and Harding two more years. Let Gobern and Martin go. Butterfield's tricky - he's impressed more than Richardson at times despite the assumption that he would play second-fiddle and brings calmness and leadership to the team; but age is a more important quality in a modern full-back than a CB and a full-back that can get up and down is critical to the way NA wants to play. If there's one criticism of Butterfield is that he doesn't carry the ball further down the pitch, even when he has space to attack. On balance, am tempted to give him one more year but wouldn't be surprised if he's released. Its important to be clear who Norwich did and did not let go - those let go were largely fringe players. Only Gary Doherty regularly featured in their promotion season - and initially was not in Lambert's plans and only recalled due to injuries at the club. Our situation is v.v.different from that Norwich - Harding, Jaidi, Butterfield have been regular first-teamers and our success has been built on clean-sheets and a sound defence. Momentum has become the recent watchword for NA and I would like to see how far one season with the current set-up and a few choice acquisitions can take us before we perform radical surgery to the squad. Only the medical staff know Connolly's true fitness but if the last month is anything to go by, surely he's good for another year. With the summer break and a settled pre-season, there's no reason why he can't contribute. The guy is a livewire and the whole team looks much sharper and slicker when he's playing - FWIW he's the same as Kevin Phillips was when Phillips started his brilliant spell at WBA. Edited 10 May, 2011 by shurlock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sussexsaint Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I certainly took Adkins comments on Saints player to mean to needed quality in depth in a squad to cover injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Gobern is only just out of his teens a few weeks ago. Has played England U19 and seems to be still growing! Not sure how good he will be but think he is still on the up. Exactly. Everyone is saying Gobern should go, but he has only just turned 20 and is a member of the 1st team squad and has been getting game time for Saints. Other people his age at Saints are with Martin Hunter's development squad. Ryan Doble for example hasn't played for Saints, yet he was given a new deal until the end of next season. I'd be very surprised if Oscar isn't offered a new deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Exactly. Everyone is saying Gobern should go, but he has only just turned 20 and is a member of the 1st team squad and has been getting game time for Saints. Other people his age at Saints are with Martin Hunter's development squad. Ryan Doble for example hasn't played for Saints, yet he was given a new deal until the end of next season. I'd be very surprised if Oscar isn't offered a new deal. I think Oscar needs games for his own sake and there's less chance of getting them next season - if we do give him another contract (which wouldn't surprise me), I'd loan him out immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Currently would say yes to all of them, though this is turning a blind eye to concerns about Jaidi's ability to last the pace. Cant believe those so easily saying "no" about Connolly. He has major injury issues, but the guy stands head-and-shoulders above most of our players in terms of quality and is arguably our best forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goalie66 Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 (edited) Hammond out as he is not Championship quality Puncheon out as he is a prat Forte out only an impact player Stevens loan ended McGuessen loan ended Jaidi out or retired Holmes Out too injury prone Barnard Out could be in jail anyrate but despite his hard work is not championship class IMO In New Goalkeeper New Centre Back New left sided midfield to replace Hammond Pacy Forward Edited 10 May, 2011 by Goalie66 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Forte out McGuessen loan ended Holmes Out Barnard Out New left sided midfield to replace Hammond Hammond isn't a left sided player, why are you getting rid of Barnard (he isn't out of contract, just has an upcoming court case - innocent until proven guilty), Forte also isn't out of contract and was only signed in January so no chance he will be going anywhere. I like how N'Guessan has become Scottish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brussels Saint Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Connolly - No. Most of it has already been said, time to move on. Jaidi - Yes. One year deal, brings a lot and would still be a useful option. NA seems to really like him. Martin - Yes One for the future definitely. Harding - For me yes, but I think this one is going to be the shock. I think he might get released as we bring Mills back. I have a hunch Nige does not rate him that highly, nothing specific just a general feeling I can't quite put my finger on. Butters - I'm undecided on this one. If we bring in a quality replacement I would be tempted to release. Gobern - No, Yes, No, Yes, No.........................just about yes, as young enough to make the required improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saints-cris Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Yes to all. Connoly and Jaidi definately worth another year. Martin and Gobern have potential. Harding has been class, Butterfield has been our best RB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katalinic Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Currently would say yes to all of them, though this is turning a blind eye to concerns about Jaidi's ability to last the pace. Cant believe those so easily saying "no" about Connolly. He has major injury issues, but the guy stands head-and-shoulders above most of our players in terms of quality and is arguably our best forward. Agree. Connolly is quality, worth the risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr X Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Hammond out as he is not Championship quality Puncheon out as he is a prat Forte out only an impact player Stevens loan ended McGuessen loan ended Jaidi out or retired Holmes Out too injury prone Barnard Out could be in jail anyrate but despite his hard work is not championship class IMO In New Goalkeeper New Centre Back New left sided midfield to replace Hammond Pacy Forward Thank christ your not manager barnard is easily good enough for the championship and has tbf been at least as good as lambert this season, who is mcguessen? do you mean danny N'guessan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pingwing Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Connolly - Yes but only just, he's got the experience and skill but not really the fitness, should be just worth it. Jaidi - One year rotation, we have to replace him this season, either Martin/Seaborn have to take his place or we buy someone in as his age is going to really effect the team. Martin - YES! Have to either get him a lot of L1 games on loan or get him into more npc games to see him develop. Seaborn - OUT, terrified me every time the ball goes near him Harding - could give another go but can not be treated as the number one left back (though we havnt got anyone pushing him too much for the place) Butterfield - We HAVE to give another year, given more than enough very good performances, been overall better than Richardson and really should be a good part of the first team next season. Gobern - Too unknown. Yes but only 2 years, loan him out to an average L1 team and see if he actually does anything other than try and break someone's knee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_stevo Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 (edited) Keep all the buggers. Jaidi has his place, even with a lack of pace, if we were up against Steve Howard next season for example the Beast that is Jaidi would be ideal. Also i wonder if those saying no to Gobern are judging him on past performances, taken it on this season he would be a 20year old who has broken into the first team squad and not looked out of place Edited 10 May, 2011 by saint_stevo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doddisalegend Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 (edited) Connolly - Yes but only just, he's got the experience and skill but not really the fitness, should be just worth it. Jaidi - One year rotation, we have to replace him this season, either Martin/Seaborn have to take his place or we buy someone in as his age is going to really effect the team. Martin - YES! Have to either get him a lot of L1 games on loan or get him into more npc games to see him develop. Seaborn - OUT, terrified me every time the ball goes near him Harding - could give another go but can not be treated as the number one left back (though we havnt got anyone pushing him too much for the place)Butterfield - We HAVE to give another year, given more than enough very good performances, been overall better than Richardson and really should be a good part of the first team next season. Gobern - Too unknown. Yes but only 2 years, loan him out to an average L1 team and see if he actually does anything other than try and break someone's knee Really? I'd be more than happy to have Harding as number one choice, plenty of champ experince, hasn't looked out of place when playing higher placed teams in the cups either. Were we going into the PL I might agree but for the champ I'd happily have Harding. Edited 10 May, 2011 by doddisalegend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Munster Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Currently would say yes to all of them, though this is turning a blind eye to concerns about Jaidi's ability to last the pace. Cant believe those so easily saying "no" about Connolly. He has major injury issues, but the guy stands head-and-shoulders above most of our players in terms of quality and is arguably our best forward. if he could stay out of the treatment room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Munster Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 No mention of Pulis. Please tell me his contract is going to expire before I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodymatt Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Connolly has really showed his quality in the games post Barnard's injury. To achieve that, without playing regularly shows he is worth keeping for 1 more year. Use him sparingly. How many of our other attacking players need a decent run in the team to perform at that level. Even watching back the highlights from the Plymouth and Walsall games, he is without doubt up to the championship when fit. So why not risk another year? He may be injured for large periods, but when he plays, his contribution is obvious! As for Jaidi, we have got to keep him one more year, he may not play ever game, but players of his mould are few and far between. I agree with previous comments regarding games against the 'Howard' type strikers. The mans a rock. An additional signing at CB to rotate with Jaidi, and be utilised for the games against rapid forwards would benefit the group. Especially an up-and-coming type, with a few to securing that position the following year? Obviously raising the question about Martin and Seaborne. When I have watched Seaborne I haven't always been 100% confident. However, we have not seen enough of him or Martin to say neither of them should have renewed contracts. perhaps Martin could go on loan to league one and then sign an up-and-coming CB that has championship experience. Leaving Seaborne as the fourth choice for next season. Gobern should definitely get a contract. He has looked comfortable at both filling in from the bench and karate! Perhaps loan him out, but there is still time for improvement. I think he deserves the chance. Butterfield and Harding have played a huge role this season and contributed massively to our promotion. They should be rewarded with contracts. Butterfield is a good solid player with plenty of assists. Harding has been very consistent. Both keeping league one LB and RB out of our team for the entire season, when fit. I do however agree with comments regarding the need to be ruthless. If we plan on a return to the premier league one just one season then signing premier league quality players would obviously be preferable. But it is important to remain realistic. We will push for the playoffs next season in my opinion with a few additions. Harding and Butterfield especially IMO will be in the starting 11 next season and we will be there, or there abouts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Appy Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Hammond out as he is not Championship quality Puncheon out as he is a prat Forte out only an impact player Stevens loan ended McGuessen loan ended Jaidi out or retired Holmes Out too injury prone Barnard Out could be in jail anyrate but despite his hard work is not championship class IMO In New Goalkeeper New Centre Back New left sided midfield to replace Hammond Pacy Forward Your opinion on releasing Hammond and Barnard is mental. Hammond is our captain and has been outstanding in the 2nd half of the season, he will be here next year. Barnard deserves his chance, he will be effective in the NPC in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iowsaintsfan Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Yes to all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 is Jaidi any slower than when he got Brum promoted? Even if he didn't move at all I still think he'd be useful against some of the long ball only score from set piece NPC sides we will face next season. For the first time in years I actually feel relatively relaxed whenever we concede a corner or the opposition keeper smashes the mother of goal kicks down the middle to some lump of a centre back. Seriously, has there ever been a better headerer of the ball than Jaidi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david in sweden Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 (edited) If we are serious about promotion to the Premier League, then we're going to have to put sentiments aside and be ruthless. There are certain players who did an decent job this season, but can't take us any further. Connolly - No There really isn't much point in 'PAYP' contracts. It's not like you can chose the games he will be fit. If Barnard breaks his leg, you can't just flick a switch and make Connolly fit for 2 months. Having Connolly is like having the worlds greatest health service, but the hospitals are only open on Tuesdays. Brilliant, unless you have an accident on 6 days out of the week. Jaidi - No Doing a great job last year in League 1 isn't the same as doing a great job in NpC. Let him go, get someone the same 10 years younger. Martin - Yes One for the future definitely. Harding - Yes Absolutely! Butters - Yes Has invaluable NpC experience. Gobern - No Never really troubled the first team in League 1. To go up we will need players who CDAJ in the bottom half of the Prem. OG is a long way short of that. I'd also get rid of Holmes, Forecast and Seaborne. I thought the former was out of contract anyway. we are looking at this in a very simple fashion, assuming that we can find " better " replacements who will fit in. If you end up with "another " Puncheon (assuming this one will go ) ...or another Forecast ..or Pulis then the whole balance of the squad , and the dynamics in the dressing room is lost. The key issue is not finding 11 players who can play 46 games of 100 minutes a match, but getting cover for eventual injuries, suspensions or loss of form. Whilst some of us were looking for another striker to be signed in the January window, what we got was an almost legendary performance by sub. Jonathan Forte who came off the bench (in MK Dons game ) and scored twice in a couple of minutes and "perhaps" won a match that helped get us promoted instead of looking at play-offs. then our " new signing" appeared in the form of the almost forgotten, now fit David Connolly who scored a couple of very valuable goals. INSTEAD : our real problem suddenly became ; MIDFIELD. In the space of a few games, we lost Schneiderlin, Chamberlain, Lallana... then replacement Stephens ..and then Barnard. Fortunately the likes of Chaplow and Guly were good enough to fill the void for a few games, whereas we might have lost 9-12 points had we been forced to use untried Academy lads... We need depth in the squad - at least for one more season, and those we know can fill the breach in an emergency. If we are promoted next season , or not ..we will def. need new faces to push on / and stay up / in the Prem. Edited 10 May, 2011 by david in sweden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadpanmatt Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I'd definitely keep Gobern. I think he's looked alright when he's played and we can always loan him out if he's surplus to requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedelldays Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 I think connolly will be let go. I can see jaidi staying for one more year.. maybe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwoite Posted 10 May, 2011 Share Posted 10 May, 2011 Trouble is, if we keep Connolly, Harding, Butterfield, Gobern, Hammond, Martin an thecrest, then we have more than two players for every position, and who or where do we bring in new players who are expected to be better? Therefore, the knife has to be but through some. I'd start with Seaborne, and reluctantly, Holmes. Butterfield and Connolly must be in doubt if better is available. we don't need three right backs, for instance. As for strikers, any chance of Mackail-Smith joining? I don't really rate Bannard, and certainly seen nothing in Forte. Wouldn't weep buckets if either was replaced by someone better. At the end of the day, we need 22 good players...so any surplus is, well, surplus!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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