[b said:
Quote[/b] (Benfleet boy @ May 24 2004,19:23)]Who else do you think will, and wont sign?
Who, me? How do I know?!
Seriously?
*Warren - provided the money's OK; and can someone please tell him that Gowens is at the Urchins, 'cos then he'll definitely sign for us!
*Jay Smith - if he has a conscience, that is. High time he repaid us for the time he's been on the treatment table.
*Wilson - nowhere else to go.
*Flavs - not many people sniffing around, he's still No. 1 at Roots Hall.
*Hunt - with Derby staying up, their need to recall Lewis has diminished. No reason for him to look elsewhere right now.
= = = =
Do I think that Cort & Maher will re-sign? In my heart of hearts, no. But that's because, after 13 years of supporting the Blues, I'm always a tad pessimistic when it comes to us attracting players.
They've both been offered deals in Div 2, where they'll play in front of 20,000+ crowds at every home game. In all honesty, if you weren't a Shrimper, would you think twice before accepting such an offer?
Basically, we never sign a player who's at his peak or on the make - even when we were in Div 1. We either unearth a gem who we then soon lose (e.g. Stan), give someone a break who's had a tough time elsewhere... and then lose (e.g. Carruthers) or pick-up damaged goods (e.g. Marsh - and his knees; Byrne - and his gambling).
However, maybe that's begun to change. I think Nicolau is a gem - some of his left foot crossing at Huddersfield, which was when I first saw him, was breathtaking; and I think Dudders is also someone who needed to feel at home - and who now does. Maybe Pettefer fits into that category too. I think all three of them will be massive players next season.
Gower is on the make - if we don't go up, he'll be gone next summer, so it's incumbent on us to do the most we can in the time he's here.
I worry that Jimmy Corbett falls into the damaged goods category, given his injuries... but such is his talent, that he's worth the risk.
The worry for next season is that we need a fair bit of luck with injuries if we're to be really successful.
However, if we stay injury free, we still look as if we've potentially got a pretty damn good side:
Flahavan
Jupp/ Warren?/ Edwards Nicolau
Hunt? Hunt?
Gower/ Smith/ Bentley/ Pettefer/
Corbett Gower Pettefer Kightly/
Gower
Dudfield Broughton/
Bramble/
Corbett
My preferred line-up:
Flahavan
Jupp/ Edwards Warren Nicolau
Hunt
Gower Smith Bentley Pettefer
Dudfield Corbett
With that line-up, we'll score LOTS of goals, but perhaps concede a few too... a lot rests on Edwards' & Warren's not so youthful shoulders, and Nicolau & Hunt will need to use their pace a great deal as well (which may be why Hunt's a better bet at right-back than Juppy).
So, we're still looking a bit thin at the back, and I still think we're missing a goalie... but we're getting there. We'll just have to get there without Cort & Maher, IMHO - so it would be great to see if we can tempt Leo Roget back to the Hall as a replacement...
Matt