Potential player departures - Are we really that bothered?

[Kevin Hogg]

Unless I missed something, this lot have not been good enough to get promotion and this season not even a play-off spot.

 

[shrimpled]

Clohessy, Timlin, Bentley, Corr and Leonard are the out of contract players i'd keep.

 

[fredheim_holm]

Unless I missed something, this lot have not been good enough to get promotion and this season not even a play-off spot.

Which therefore deems them all useless.

Baby > Bathwater.

 

[Jam_Man]

Unless I missed something, this lot have not been good enough to get promotion and this season not even a play-off spot.

You only have to be weak in one area for the whole team to suffer.

All season our issue has been midfield. We started poorly and then improved when Laird/Tam joined, then fell to pieces when they left and Timlin got injured.

For me our defence is fine but the midfield would need to be sorted out and the team itself would improve as a whole. However, as Cresswell looks to be off and there is a question mark over Clohessey we are going to have to rebuild defence as well.

 

[Sherif H]

I seem to be hearing more doom and gloom about the players that might be off in the summer. Got to be honest I really dont think I am that bothered as to who goes. There are a few players that are obviously better than others but personally I think these are in the main average L2 players. Most of them have had 2/3 years to get us promoted and have not done so.

I think a wholesale change might actually be what is needed. The football this year has been bad but the worst thing has been the total lack of passion and fight from the players. They have been great at playing lip service in the press but how many have times have we been totally out fought by on paper lesser sides.

I remember as a kid I cried when Dad told me David Crown had left and yet we replaced him with some random called Brett Angell and the rest was history. I learnt then that in the vast majority of times players can be replaced at the lower levels of football.

What this man said.

I'd really start getting emotional if the players that were leaving had actually contributed to a successful season but alas this is been anything but the case. No truer a case can be made for someone like Ryan Cresswell who seems to continually lap up praise on Twitter but is anonymous when receiving criticism - being homesick is absolutely no excuse for putting in sub-standard performances for the whole of the second half of the season.

If anything, the sheer weakness of this season's league and the inconsistency of results should tell the masses that players for most teams are much of a muchness in terms of ability and we shouldn't have any problem, fee or no fee, replacing those who have decided to leave.

 

[Jai]

I'm a bit concerned at this general viewpoint which seems to be because we've had an average season, all of our players are therefore **** and must go.

A complete overhaul doesn't always benefit sides. I think we have some very good players at the club, but also some dross which needs to be shipped out. It's where Brown will earn his corn.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

You only have to be weak in one area for the whole team to suffer.

All season our issue has been midfield. We started poorly and then improved when Laird/Tam joined, then fell to pieces when they left and Timlin got injured.

For me our defence is fine but the midfield would need to be sorted out and the team itself would improve as a whole. However, as Cresswell looks to be off and there is a question mark over Clohessey we are going to have to rebuild defence as well.

Agree about the midfield but come Jam you really cant be happy with Straker at left back??? Its the whole teams job to defend but he really is bang average (if that). He has one good game in 6. Need players who are a 6/7 out of 10 every week. Goalkeeper also an issue, both Smith and Bentley have their weaknesses. Chopping and changing hasnt helped, reliant too much on injury prone players.
If Cresswell and Clohessy go we will be left with one of the weakest back lines in the division.

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

If we look at the current squad and who is under contract, then my suggestions regarding the out of contract players is as follows:

GK:
Paul Smith 2014
Dan Bentley 2013 - KEEP
Luke Chambers 2014 (Out on loan at Bishops Stortford until end of season)

DEF:
Sean Clohessy 2013 - KEEP
Chris Barker 2013 - RELEASE
Mark Phillips 2014
Luke Prosser 2013 - KEEP
Anthony Straker 2014
Ryan Cresswell 2014
Graham Coughlan 2013 - KEEP but in a coaching role only

MID:
Michael Timlin 2013 - KEEP
Alex Woodyard 2013 - RELEASE
Kevan Hurst 2014
Ryan Leonard 2013- KEEP
John Spicer 2013 - RELEASE
Marc Laird 2014
Ben Reeves (on loan from Southampton until end of season)
Micky Spillane 2013 - RELEASE
Matt Lund (on loan from Stoke City until end of season)

FWD:
Elliot Benyon 2013 - RELEASE
Neil Harris 2014
Barry Corr 2013 - KEEP
Gavin Tomlin 2013 - KEEP
Freddy Eastwood 2014
Britt Assombalonga (on loan from Watford until June 1st 2013)
Bilel Mohsni 2013 - RELEASE
Seedy Njie 2013 - KEEP
Coalan Lavery (on loan from sheffield weds till June 1st 2013)


Obviously we don't know who actually wants to stay and who has an option to extend their current contract (rumours that Corr and Barker have options and I'm not sure if the option on Spillane's contract is ours or his to extend). We also don't know about salary levels and Brown obviously has a balancing act with these and the overall salary budget which don't forget is capped by the league.

Looking at that list of players - Luggy had a bit of a mixed record with regard to his transfers - he obviously had high hopes when he signed Benyon, Spicer, Spillane, Straker and Smith but they've hardly set Roots Hall alight!

 

[DTS]

I'm a bit concerned at this general viewpoint which seems to be because we've had an average season, all of our players are therefore **** and must go.

A complete overhaul doesn't always benefit sides. I think we have some very good players at the club, but also some dross which needs to be shipped out. It's where Brown will earn his corn.

Dont think they are all **** but no-one has really done anything amazing either. Its not like when we lost Gower or Freddy who were once in a decade type players.

 

[The Big Shrimp]

He didn't actually start a League game whilst at Bradford for 2 months so they couldn't have rated him that highly. But you're right if we're going for loanees, the continuity of season long loans would obviously be prefereable.

I didn't know the details of his loan, but a few Spammers raved about him. He scored three goals in a reserve game soon after he came back!

 

[mrsblue]

Season long loanees are ok but only if their terms are sensible which means their parent club cannot put in clauses stating they must play regardless of form.Phil needs a group of fighters who will battle for lost causes and actually earn their wages.

Question is can he find them?

 

[Jam_Man]

Agree about the midfield but come Jam you really cant be happy with Straker at left back??? Its the whole teams job to defend but he really is bang average (if that). He has one good game in 6. Need players who are a 6/7 out of 10 every week. Goalkeeper also an issue, both Smith and Bentley have their weaknesses. Chopping and changing hasnt helped, reliant too much on injury prone players.
If Cresswell and Clohessy go we will be left with one of the weakest back lines in the division.

No I agree left back is a weak position, but as a whole I think we have a decent defence as opposed to our midfield which is makeshift at best.

Unfortunately if we do loss Cresswell and Clohessey our defence will be just as bad.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

The priority* has to be Ryan Leonard.

He showed his ability to read the game again on Saturday by getting into another terrific attacking position for his equaliser. Goal-scoring midfielders are a very valuable commodity (cf Kane Ferdinand and Ryan Hall) and he does this whilst not weakening the side defensively.

Another season or two will hopefully see him develop into a player we can get a nice return on. To not get him signed up would be negligent.

Outside of that I don't think the others have much in the way of future transfer value. But I'd suggest Prosser should be next on the list to re-sign. It's important to develop young players and Prosser is one who has improved each season he's been here. We've got 3 good seasons out of Clohessy but we signed him when he was about the age Prosser is now. Prosser seemed to grow in stature when given the captain's armband and was our best defender over Christmas before he was shunted out of position to make room for Phillips to return and then dropped after one game at left-back. He appears ready to make that next step and to flourish in the heart of defence. You want to sign players when they are on that upward curve.

Clohessy and Tomlin have been excellent during their time with us and whilst I'd like to see them re-sign I suspect they've already moved on. Timlin has been vital to us, but he was a Sturrock player and I'm not sure Brown has the tactical nous to get the best out of him like Sturrock did.

I'd also be wary of letting players go if the plan is to replace them with loanees. You want to develop your own team's youngsters, not another team's. There's a lot of growing pains with youngsters but when they are loanees there's no long-term upside to it.


*obviously after Big Bad Barry Corr - naturally I give him a blank contract and tell him to write his own terms.

ps Forgot Bentley was out of contract - he deserves a new one.

 

[Firestorm]

I may be alone here but I don't think I could take another season of Prosser.

 

[dannypav]

I may be alone here but I don't think I could take another season of Prosser.

I think he has really improved this season and will hopefully get even better with more game time.
He always gives everything , and although I understand that alone is not enough , he has put others to shame in some games with his determination.
Not the greatest , but a good squad player.

 

[C C Csiders]

My opinion is of all our centre-back's Prosser is the best of the bunch.

 

[united we stand]

My opinion is of all our centre-back's Prosser is the best of the bunch.

bssed on the last few months I am with you here. Creswell and Philips both can be much better, (remember Philips was POTY), and Creswell was no where near as good compared to earlier in the season

 

[Norwichshrimper]

My opinion is of all our centre-back's Prosser is the best of the bunch.

Best at what?

I agree 100% he's had a decent season for him, but he is very much high effort/ low quality. Whether we keep him really depends on what we are aiming for next season. If we are going to have the budget for a promotion chase then he needs to be a squad player at best. If we are just planning on survival and plodding along for a few years in this league, then yeah - he can do a job for us. I like Prosser, he gives 100% and you can't really ask more than that - but he is a lower league clogger....no more.

 

[C C Csiders]

Best at what?

I agree 100% he's had a decent season for him, but he is very much high effort/ low quality. Whether we keep him really depends on what we are aiming for next season. If we are going to have the budget for a promotion chase then he needs to be a squad player at best. If we are just planning on survival and plodding along for a few years in this league, then yeah - he can do a job for us. I like Prosser, he gives 100% and you can't really ask more than that - but he is a lower league clogger....no more.

As I said of what we have he is the best, in my opinion. That is not to say he is necessarily any good, or should be a first-choice CB for a team aiming to be promoted. Phillips is injury and error-prone; Barker an old cart-horse who should be pensioned off; and Cresswell after a good start has been frankly abysmal of late.

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

The priority* has to be Ryan Leonard.

He showed his ability to read the game again on Saturday by getting into another terrific attacking position for his equaliser. Goal-scoring midfielders are a very valuable commodity (cf Kane Ferdinand and Ryan Hall) and he does this whilst not weakening the side defensively.

Another season or two will hopefully see him develop into a player we can get a nice return on. To not get him signed up would be negligent.

Outside of that I don't think the others have much in the way of future transfer value. But I'd suggest Prosser should be next on the list to re-sign. It's important to develop young players and Prosser is one who has improved each season he's been here. We've got 3 good seasons out of Clohessy but we signed him when he was about the age Prosser is now. Prosser seemed to grow in stature when given the captain's armband and was our best defender over Christmas before he was shunted out of position to make room for Phillips to return and then dropped after one game at left-back. He appears ready to make that next step and to flourish in the heart of defence. You want to sign players when they are on that upward curve.

Clohessy and Tomlin have been excellent during their time with us and whilst I'd like to see them re-sign I suspect they've already moved on. Timlin has been vital to us, but he was a Sturrock player and I'm not sure Brown has the tactical nous to get the best out of him like Sturrock did.

I'd also be wary of letting players go if the plan is to replace them with loanees. You want to develop your own team's youngsters, not another team's. There's a lot of growing pains with youngsters but when they are loanees there's no long-term upside to it.


*obviously after Big Bad Barry Corr - naturally I give him a blank contract and tell him to write his own terms.

ps Forgot Bentley was out of contract - he deserves a new one.

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