Balham Blade
S24SU Seer
Replying to SwissBlade 's post in another thread got me thinking about next season now it's been confirmed that we'll be in Division Three again. That turned into this monster thread - bear with it, please; I'd love to get others' opinions.
Mainly my thoughts are on the squad... bold indicates players who have played for the first team this season; italics mean that a player is out of contract in June.
Goalkeepers:
Howard: a club record number of consecutive clean sheets was a huge plus but question marks have started to rise following some average performances. Probably deserves a one year extension.
Long: Clough's been quoted as saying that one of Howard and Long will be #1 next season with the other out on loan. Wonder where our England U21 keeper will end up?
Willis: potential breakthrough year for George Jr. He'll be on the bench week by week.
Eastwood, Owen: two more talented U18 keepers waiting in the wings.
Defence:
Harris: Whispering Bob has been solid since joining at the end of January on an initial 6 month deal. I'd be utterly amazed if we don't take up the option to extend that by a year.
Maguire: our prize asset. It's easy to be critical given that Maguire is still prone to the odd error but his talent is unarguable. Could be a club legend but his head will be turned in the summer. Up to Clough to decide whether to cash in should the £5m+ bids arrive.
Collins: goes into the final year of his deal and, in all likelihood, his last season as a Blade. He's been a good servant but with Maguire beginning to show leadership qualities and looking more like the senior partner I'd not be surprised if our longest serving player loses his spot.
Kennedy: waited patiently through a horrific spell of injuries to get his chance. The only question mark over an extended deal for him is whether his knees can stand up to the rigours of professional football. It'd be a huge shame if the answer was no.
Banton, Evans: two more academy centre halves. Fairly sure Banton has signed a pro deal, less sure about Evans.
Midfield
Doyle: possibly the player whose transformation under Clough I've been most surprised by. As with Collins, into the final year of his deal but he's thriving in his new role of seek and destroy.
Scougall: the raw potential of our latest Scot is there for all to see. He's a proper footballer and one to build the team around
McGinn: came with a great reputation but has let games pass by without stamping his authority on them. There are glimpses of class in there but he will have to accept a rotation role next year.
Flynn: another who's benefited immensely from working with Clough. Out of contract in the summer but almost certain to stay on, he's perhaps not as immediately impressive as Murphy but his discipline allows the right back to overlap to great effect.
Cuvelier: didn't really fit into Weir's 4-2-3-1 formation as he lacked the strength to play as one of the two holding midfielders and the technique and pace to play as one of the three attacking midfielders. Very unlikely to play again this year, he's got a long road ahead of him to get back to full fitness and into Clough's thoughts but he's got the ability to do so.
Dimaio: has leapfrogged to the front of the queue as go-to back up. I wouldn't be surprised if he played 30+ games next season and softened the blow of Coady leaving.
Reed: our youngest post war player, will have more of an impact later on next season but will probably play in the JPT games.
Whiteman: academy central midfielder who signed his first pro deal back in December.
Attacking Midfield
Murphy: the little boy lost under Wilson and Weir has become one of the division's best wingers. He'll be pivotal to our chances next season.
Khan: confident with the ability to back it up; next season could be a big year for the fantastically-monikered winger.
Calvert-Lewin: has that all important ability to find the back of the net. It's a shame his season's over but will be pushing for a squad place at least next season
Di Girolamo: the most hyped player to come our of the Blades academy. Pre-season is make or break for him.
Coustrain: another academy player who will be looking to push on next season; Coustrain is a tricky winger.
Forwards
Baxter: played out of position as a lone front man for most of his time under Clough but there's evidence of a real footballing brain there. Personally, I think he'd be better suited to playing off an out-and-out forward but his 19 goals for a struggling Oldham team last term suggests that he's got the talent to be a big success at the Lane.
Eyre: think he's signed professional terms, he will be looking to impress in pre-season.
Departures:
Hill: the very definition of model pro, Hill's always done a job. However, with the number of young players coming through in his preferred position I don't know whether he will be kept on.
Hodder: given a pro deal last year but hasn't made the squad this season. Feels like a release is impending; might surprise if given a chance by a League Two team.
Whitehouse: once highly rated - perhaps highest after Maguire of the 2010 FA Youth Cup squad - but injuries and a lack of opportunities have slowed him down. Now probably 6th or 7th choice central midfielder at the club it wouldn't surprise me to see him leave with a decent sell on clause the only fee.
McFadzean: a string of loans punctuated with relatively ineffective performances in a red and white shirt would indicate that his time at the Lane will come to an end this summer. Likely to have a string of League Two clubs after his signature.
Porter: realises that he's not the world's best forward but would be better suited to a lesser club where he'd be picked week in, week out. His contract is up at the end of the season and while he's scored some vital goals for us, he's just not good enough.
Miller: one goal this season but it was a vital one - the 119th minute winner at Fulham. Currently on loan at Shrewsbury where he's scored a couple of goals; question marks remain over his ability to fully recover from his knee injury. Contract up in June and is likely to leave.
Taylor: has some of the attributes required to be a phenomenon but the whole is considerably less than the sum of the parts. The biggest issue with Taylor is his speed of thought - he just doesn't appear to think quickly enough at this level. Wouldn't surprise me if we cut our losses and he moved back to Scotland.
Ironside: has yet to find his level and that's after spells at United, Halifax and Harrogate Town. Will probably be released. Scored twice in 10 Halifax games and has yet to register for Harrogate.
Smith: also on loan at Harrogate, he's not really pushed on enough to suggest that he's worthy of a contract extension.
Arrivals:
It's pretty obvious to all concerned where the issues are with our current squad. Going into next season, we've only got two contracted forwards, one of whom is likely to depart and the other better playing as a #10. I've posted a list of possible targets elsewhere but it's compiled exclusively of young forwards playing for lesser teams which is what we should be looking for; with probably 3 needed.
The chance of us re-signing Brayford have to be put somewhere around the 'slim' mark. He's a very, very good player, probably too good for League One and if Derby go up I can see them returning for him. The trump card, however, is the Clough factor - how much is that worth per week to the Beard?
If Brayford doesn't sign, I've seen enough in Freeman's performances to suggest that he should be pursued. He's filled in on the left admirably, putting in a great performance at Crawley. At 21 he's got time on his side to develop into a class full back.
The only other position I'd like to see us look at is the leader role in the middle of the park. Following Brentford's promotion, Tiomane Diagouraga is likely to become available and he fits the bill perfectly - 6'4", a strong tackler and disciplined, he could be the long term replacement for Doyle.
Others:
Coady is in last chance saloon at Liverpool and if he doesn't break into their 25 man Premiership squad next season will probably look to prove himself on loan at a lower top division or upper second division side rather than back in League One. He's been a great loan signing (how long since we could say that?!) but I can't see him being here next season.
There's been talk of Davies turning his loan spell into a permanent deal but I'm not sure about that. His professionalism should be applauded but he's not good enough as a wide midfielder for me. The only way I'd consider taking him is if he was content to be a back up but I can't see that happening. That said, Clough obviously rates him so it's more than likely that he'll join.
Mainly my thoughts are on the squad... bold indicates players who have played for the first team this season; italics mean that a player is out of contract in June.
Goalkeepers:
Howard: a club record number of consecutive clean sheets was a huge plus but question marks have started to rise following some average performances. Probably deserves a one year extension.
Long: Clough's been quoted as saying that one of Howard and Long will be #1 next season with the other out on loan. Wonder where our England U21 keeper will end up?
Willis: potential breakthrough year for George Jr. He'll be on the bench week by week.
Eastwood, Owen: two more talented U18 keepers waiting in the wings.
Defence:
Harris: Whispering Bob has been solid since joining at the end of January on an initial 6 month deal. I'd be utterly amazed if we don't take up the option to extend that by a year.
Maguire: our prize asset. It's easy to be critical given that Maguire is still prone to the odd error but his talent is unarguable. Could be a club legend but his head will be turned in the summer. Up to Clough to decide whether to cash in should the £5m+ bids arrive.
Collins: goes into the final year of his deal and, in all likelihood, his last season as a Blade. He's been a good servant but with Maguire beginning to show leadership qualities and looking more like the senior partner I'd not be surprised if our longest serving player loses his spot.
Kennedy: waited patiently through a horrific spell of injuries to get his chance. The only question mark over an extended deal for him is whether his knees can stand up to the rigours of professional football. It'd be a huge shame if the answer was no.
Banton, Evans: two more academy centre halves. Fairly sure Banton has signed a pro deal, less sure about Evans.
Midfield
Doyle: possibly the player whose transformation under Clough I've been most surprised by. As with Collins, into the final year of his deal but he's thriving in his new role of seek and destroy.
Scougall: the raw potential of our latest Scot is there for all to see. He's a proper footballer and one to build the team around
McGinn: came with a great reputation but has let games pass by without stamping his authority on them. There are glimpses of class in there but he will have to accept a rotation role next year.
Flynn: another who's benefited immensely from working with Clough. Out of contract in the summer but almost certain to stay on, he's perhaps not as immediately impressive as Murphy but his discipline allows the right back to overlap to great effect.
Cuvelier: didn't really fit into Weir's 4-2-3-1 formation as he lacked the strength to play as one of the two holding midfielders and the technique and pace to play as one of the three attacking midfielders. Very unlikely to play again this year, he's got a long road ahead of him to get back to full fitness and into Clough's thoughts but he's got the ability to do so.
Dimaio: has leapfrogged to the front of the queue as go-to back up. I wouldn't be surprised if he played 30+ games next season and softened the blow of Coady leaving.
Reed: our youngest post war player, will have more of an impact later on next season but will probably play in the JPT games.
Whiteman: academy central midfielder who signed his first pro deal back in December.
Attacking Midfield
Murphy: the little boy lost under Wilson and Weir has become one of the division's best wingers. He'll be pivotal to our chances next season.
Khan: confident with the ability to back it up; next season could be a big year for the fantastically-monikered winger.
Calvert-Lewin: has that all important ability to find the back of the net. It's a shame his season's over but will be pushing for a squad place at least next season
Di Girolamo: the most hyped player to come our of the Blades academy. Pre-season is make or break for him.
Coustrain: another academy player who will be looking to push on next season; Coustrain is a tricky winger.
Forwards
Baxter: played out of position as a lone front man for most of his time under Clough but there's evidence of a real footballing brain there. Personally, I think he'd be better suited to playing off an out-and-out forward but his 19 goals for a struggling Oldham team last term suggests that he's got the talent to be a big success at the Lane.
Eyre: think he's signed professional terms, he will be looking to impress in pre-season.
Departures:
Hill: the very definition of model pro, Hill's always done a job. However, with the number of young players coming through in his preferred position I don't know whether he will be kept on.
Hodder: given a pro deal last year but hasn't made the squad this season. Feels like a release is impending; might surprise if given a chance by a League Two team.
Whitehouse: once highly rated - perhaps highest after Maguire of the 2010 FA Youth Cup squad - but injuries and a lack of opportunities have slowed him down. Now probably 6th or 7th choice central midfielder at the club it wouldn't surprise me to see him leave with a decent sell on clause the only fee.
McFadzean: a string of loans punctuated with relatively ineffective performances in a red and white shirt would indicate that his time at the Lane will come to an end this summer. Likely to have a string of League Two clubs after his signature.
Porter: realises that he's not the world's best forward but would be better suited to a lesser club where he'd be picked week in, week out. His contract is up at the end of the season and while he's scored some vital goals for us, he's just not good enough.
Miller: one goal this season but it was a vital one - the 119th minute winner at Fulham. Currently on loan at Shrewsbury where he's scored a couple of goals; question marks remain over his ability to fully recover from his knee injury. Contract up in June and is likely to leave.
Taylor: has some of the attributes required to be a phenomenon but the whole is considerably less than the sum of the parts. The biggest issue with Taylor is his speed of thought - he just doesn't appear to think quickly enough at this level. Wouldn't surprise me if we cut our losses and he moved back to Scotland.
Ironside: has yet to find his level and that's after spells at United, Halifax and Harrogate Town. Will probably be released. Scored twice in 10 Halifax games and has yet to register for Harrogate.
Smith: also on loan at Harrogate, he's not really pushed on enough to suggest that he's worthy of a contract extension.
Arrivals:
It's pretty obvious to all concerned where the issues are with our current squad. Going into next season, we've only got two contracted forwards, one of whom is likely to depart and the other better playing as a #10. I've posted a list of possible targets elsewhere but it's compiled exclusively of young forwards playing for lesser teams which is what we should be looking for; with probably 3 needed.
The chance of us re-signing Brayford have to be put somewhere around the 'slim' mark. He's a very, very good player, probably too good for League One and if Derby go up I can see them returning for him. The trump card, however, is the Clough factor - how much is that worth per week to the Beard?
If Brayford doesn't sign, I've seen enough in Freeman's performances to suggest that he should be pursued. He's filled in on the left admirably, putting in a great performance at Crawley. At 21 he's got time on his side to develop into a class full back.
The only other position I'd like to see us look at is the leader role in the middle of the park. Following Brentford's promotion, Tiomane Diagouraga is likely to become available and he fits the bill perfectly - 6'4", a strong tackler and disciplined, he could be the long term replacement for Doyle.
Others:
Coady is in last chance saloon at Liverpool and if he doesn't break into their 25 man Premiership squad next season will probably look to prove himself on loan at a lower top division or upper second division side rather than back in League One. He's been a great loan signing (how long since we could say that?!) but I can't see him being here next season.
There's been talk of Davies turning his loan spell into a permanent deal but I'm not sure about that. His professionalism should be applauded but he's not good enough as a wide midfielder for me. The only way I'd consider taking him is if he was content to be a back up but I can't see that happening. That said, Clough obviously rates him so it's more than likely that he'll join.
