A Depressing Realisation

[robbiez666]

The following have their contracts up in June:

Howard
Collins
Harris
Kennedy
McGahey
J-Mac
Baxter
JCR
Cuvelier
Dimaio
Khan
Flynn
K Wallace
Higdon
Diego

I've been assuming that none of those would be extended, given we've made no effort to do so as yet. However, I'm getting a really bad feeling that several will be should we not get promoted. He seems happy to rely on Collins and J-Mac at the moment, there's a fair chance that won't change.

 

[Deadbat]

Sadly a few have longer contracts than that. Kieran Wallace has been given a longer contract even though Adkins does not even think he is good enough for the match day squad. DDG signed a new contract even though Adkins does not even think he is good enough for the u21's. Both here another season after this.

There are others though who are out of contract:

Long
Willis
Mcfadzean
J Wallace


Thankfully, likes of Sammon, Edgar and Hammond should be sent back too.

We still have likes of Freeman, Scougall and Mcnulty also still have another year. The latter i am sure will sign for pompey. The other 2 need to be released.

Leaves us with:

Brayford
K Wallace
Basham
Coutts
Reed
Sharp
Done
Woolford
Adams
D Calvert Lewin
DDG

As only 11 contracted players we would have left. A couple of these may move on too.

No other kids look near to first team so would mean we need around a dozen signings in the summer to replace the 20+ + maybe scougall, mcnulyy, freeman.

 

[Rodley]

Sadly a few have longer contracts than that. Kieran Wallace has been given a longer contract even though Adkins does not even think he is good enough for the match day squad. DDG signed a new contract even though Adkins does not even think he is good enough for the u21's. Both here another season after this.

There are others though who are out of contract:

Long
Willis
Mcfadzean
J Wallace


Thankfully, likes of Sammon, Edgar and Hammond should be sent back too.

We still have likes of Freeman, Scougall and Mcnulty also still have another year. The latter i am sure will sign for pompey. The other 2 need to be released.

Leaves us with:

Brayford
K Wallace
Basham
Coutts
Reed
Sharp
Done
Woolford
Adams
D Calvert Lewin

As only 10 contracted players we would have left. A couple of these may move on too.

No other kids look near to first team so would mean we need around a dozen signings in the summer to replace the 24 (18 out of contract) + 3 loanees and scougall, mcnulyy, freeman.

Can't wait for it!

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Knowing this club as I do we won't release any of them .

 

[robbiez666]

I have a horrible premonition that we'll be reading something like this in July

"Nigel Adkins makes his first signing of the summer by paying £1 million for Dean Hammond. Neil Collins and Jay McEveley have also signed a one year extension to their contracts."

 

[Blade58]

The following have their contracts up in June:

Howard
Collins
Harris
Kennedy
McGahey
J-Mac
Baxter
JCR
Cuvelier
Dimaio
Khan
Flynn
K Wallace
Higdon
Diego

I've been assuming that none of those would be extended, given we've made no effort to do so as yet. However, I'm getting a really bad feeling that several will be should we not get promoted. He seems happy to rely on Collins and J-Mac at the moment, there's a fair chance that won't change.

K Wallace recently signed a new contract didn't he?

Out of that list, I reckon NA will look to keep around 5 of them. He will sign Edgar and Hammond and look to sign further ex- Saints and Scunny players who won promotion for him way back when, or players that have some sort of link to his ex Saints days

 

[SwissBlade]

I'd be pretty happy if we just had the 11 left from Deadbat 's list

Add long, Willis and Harris in there and it's a base to build on. Would mean a busy summer but that's what we need

Sadly I also see the scenario of robbiez666 unfolding with Adkins stating "they're both leaders, we need that experience"

Ironically neither are leaders in their current state

 

[Deadbat]

I would not keep one of the out of contract or loanees. They are not good enough. At most can see adkins giving long another year (as back up). I wouldnt.

They should all be binned and he should list/release DDG, scougall, mcnulty, reed, woolford, freeman.

Send a clear message

 

[Worksop II]

Sumat else that may end up being depressing

League 1 playoff final is on the Sunday, if you are checking into a hotel on the Saturday evening

The Championship final will be finishing at 7pm - ish

Just getting in front of mi sen

 

[JohnDenver]

I would not keep one of the out of contract or loanees. They are not good enough. At most can see adkins giving long another year (as back up). I wouldnt.

They should all be binned and he should list/release DDG, scougall, mcnulty, reed, woolford, freeman.

Send a clear message

I'm all for the massive purge, but there's sense in retaining Reed and Freeman. McNulty isn't the worst cover for Sharp either.

My concern is how difficult it is to assemble a whole squad in one window. I'd sooner we got the lynch-pin positions sorted above all else, and kept one or two of the younger squad players we currently have.

If we don't focus on the key things, we'll end up achieving some easy but less important changes.

 

[robbiez666]

The fact we seemingly aren't going to start bringing people in this window makes me worried that there will be no purge.

 

[UnitedBlade]

Sadly a few have longer contracts than that. Kieran Wallace has been given a longer contract even though Adkins does not even think he is good enough for the match day squad. DDG signed a new contract even though Adkins does not even think he is good enough for the u21's. Both here another season after this.

There are others though who are out of contract:

Long
Willis
Mcfadzean
J Wallace


Thankfully, likes of Sammon, Edgar and Hammond should be sent back too.

We still have likes of Freeman, Scougall and Mcnulty also still have another year. The latter i am sure will sign for pompey. The other 2 need to be released.

Leaves us with:

Brayford
K Wallace
Basham
Coutts
Reed
Sharp
Done
Woolford
Adams
D Calvert Lewin
DDG

As only 11 contracted players we would have left. A couple of these may move on too.

No other kids look near to first team so would mean we need around a dozen signings in the summer to replace the 20+ + maybe scougall, mcnulyy, freeman.

Totally agree. What an opportunity to get rid and transform the club. They must be looking at the contingency that we won't qualify for the play offs. We will know in just over 3 months.

 

[Ricky]

The following have their contracts up in June:

Howard
Collins
Harris
Kennedy
McGahey
J-Mac
Baxter
JCR
Cuvelier
Dimaio
Khan
Flynn
K Wallace
Higdon
Diego

I've been assuming that none of those would be extended, given we've made no effort to do so as yet. However, I'm getting a really bad feeling that several will be should we not get promoted. He seems happy to rely on Collins and J-Mac at the moment, there's a fair chance that won't change.

Baxter is the one and only player I'd keep out of those who are out of contract, and I'd hardly push the boat out with the contract offer. The only others who are good enough to keep are too injury prone.

But we have to sign a lot of players regardless of how many we release. We could retain them all and we'd still need a lot of good additions if we were serious about achieving anything.

When you look at our squad properly, you realise how few are even top League One standard players. Brayford and Sharp are the only two unquestionables in terms of quality. Basham's questionable, as is Coutts. James Wallace is too injury prone.
Then most of the others are simply a drain on resources and are holding the club back. There are a few we could get fees for who we may be better off selling.

A lot need to go out, and with so many being out of contract that should be the easy part, but make no mistake, a lot have to come in as well. Not just three or four. So it's not going to be straightforward.

In reality we need a goalkeeper, at least two centre halves, a reliable left back, a right winger, a left winger, at least one central midfielder and a good partner for Sharp.

It's a big ask so I wouldn't be surprised if a few we'd rather get rid of are retained as squad players while we focus on sorting out just the most important positions. One transfer window won't be enough to do it all.

 

[grafikhaus]

Sumat else that may end up being depressing

League 1 playoff final is on the Sunday, if you are checking into a hotel on the Saturday evening

The Championship final will be finishing at 7pm - ish

Just getting in front of mi sen

Doesn't bother me as I wouldn't go anyway. These Sunday teatime kick offs are utter bollocks. Like Sky, they treat supporters with contempt. There's always some other non-event (London Marathon etc.) scheduled for the same day, ensuring hotel prices are through the roof.

 

[robbiez666]

I have a feeling that Brayford won't be playing for us next season (if we don't go up).

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Knowing this club as I do we won't release any of them .

The big danger is not getting up this season, season ticket renewals going through the floor and the cheapest option being extending existing contracts by a year.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

I have a feeling that Brayford won't be playing for us next season (if we don't go up).

They'll be a number who would welcome that.
£Xm for a defender in L1?
Could've bought four more Scottish dwarves.

 

[sheffielder]

Personally the only players I want to start next season with are.

Long
Brayford
K Wallace
Basham
Reed
Coutts
Adams
Sharp
Done
Woolford (contract doesn't expire till end of next season so we have no choice)


Others I wouldn't have a fit about if they came back

Flynn (if he proves his fitness between now and the end of the season)
Edgar (guessing he is out of contract at the end of the season)
Harris (see Flynn)

players leaving

Howard, Scougall, McNulty, Collins, Freeman, McEverley, Baxter, J Wallace, Sammon (loan expires), Hammond (loan expires), Cuvellier, JCR.

Guessing Diego is a dead duck we can't get off the wage bill, however the rest of them should free up nearly 50k of wages a week. Over the next few weeks, Nigel Adkins needs to convince me with that he is the man to use that money. I am anything but convinced at present.

50k on top of a remaining squad list of 10.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

The big danger is not getting up this season, season ticket renewals going through the floor and the cheapest option being extending existing contracts by a year.

The word on the street was that's one reason why Clough got the elbow.

 

[Lane Ender]

I would not keep one of the out of contract or loanees. They are not good enough. At most can see adkins giving long another year (as back up). I wouldnt.

They should all be binned and he should list/release DDG, scougall, mcnulty, reed, woolford, freeman.

Send a clear message

And Harris

 

[Newbury Blade]

Sadly a few have longer contracts than that. Kieran Wallace has been given a longer contract even though Adkins does not even think he is good enough for the match day squad. DDG signed a new contract even though Adkins does not even think he is good enough for the u21's. Both here another season after this.

There are others though who are out of contract:

Long
Willis
Mcfadzean
J Wallace


Thankfully, likes of Sammon, Edgar and Hammond should be sent back too.

We still have likes of Freeman, Scougall and Mcnulty also still have another year. The latter i am sure will sign for pompey. The other 2 need to be released.

Leaves us with:

Brayford
K Wallace
Basham
Coutts
Reed
Sharp
Done
Woolford
Adams
D Calvert Lewin
DDG

As only 11 contracted players we would have left. A couple of these may move on too.

No other kids look near to first team so would mean we need around a dozen signings in the summer to replace the 20+ + maybe scougall, mcnulyy, freeman.

Nothing "sad" about K Wallace being given a longer contract. Of the four left-backs (so far) to have played this season, he has looked much the best (admittedly the competition was hardly impressive: McFadzean, McEveley, and a half-fit Harris). Even so I like Wallace and think the manager is wrong to leave him out.

 

[Deadbat]

I have seen nothing in Harris or K Wallace to suggest they are even good enough at this level. We have shipped goals all season and as much as the centre backs get a slatiing (dserved) the full backs are not much better; Brayford too has been poor defensively recently. Harris has been wretched at times this season and the playoff semi v Swindon when he was torn a new one both legs. Wallace is ok but he is hardly brilliant. A steady eddy but woefully slow and another that if we have hopes of going up would not be good enough at the level above.

It is a sad state of affairrs when McEveley is actually out performing both and ahead of both in the side. Why we would want those 2 back when we all agree McEveley will be gone at the end of the season is odd thinking. Wallace maybe for cover but that is it.

The priority in the summer if 3 new defenders and a goalkeeper (Brayford despite drop off; is a decent right back at this level).

It mystifies me that a lot of fans want players to come back that cannot even get in our pitiful side at the moment (we can argue maybe they should be playing but they are hardly miles better than the ones already in).

Any out of contract have to go. No discussion really for me. People saying it is too much to do in one window. Charlton managed it a few years ago (with less resources). The alternative is we bring back the same dross and have the same crap outlook.

 

[bornablade]

My major concern is that after listening to many of Adkins post match interviews he actually now believes that this set of players really are 'an honest, hard working set of individuals' and we will end up with the same 'owd next season as this.

 

[Hartley Hare]

Has anyone noticed the teams at the bottom of Div II who left us in the last season or so.

Charlton
Bristol City
MKD

Let's face it, if by chance we scrapped through the play-offs we would need a major overhaul and upgrade in quality to survive.

Adkins has a big job on his hands.

HH

 

[sheffielder]

My major concern is that after listening to many of Adkins post match interviews he actually now believes that this set of players really are 'an honest, hard working set of individuals' and we will end up with the same 'owd next season as this.

I was starting to think he was getting it right, by putting in a hardworking bunch of guys. I thought that they would lead by example, with Adams watching how Woolford works back and Reed learning from Hammond etc; McGahey would replace Collins. Just turned out to be an old boys club.

 

[Keen Blade]

Sumat else that may end up being depressing

League 1 playoff final is on the Sunday, if you are checking into a hotel on the Saturday evening

The Championship final will be finishing at 7pm - ish

Just getting in front of mi sen

We can go down and commiserate with them ! Or celebrate our new merger into a club called 'Sheffield'.

 

[Keen Blade]

Has anyone noticed the teams at the bottom of Div II who left us in the last season or so.

Charlton
Bristol City
MKD

Let's face it, if by chance we scrapped through the play-offs we would need a major overhaul and upgrade in quality to survive.

Adkins has a big job on his hands.

HH

If I were an ambitious manager I would love the immense potential offered by the summer 2016 to build my own side virtually from scratch at a wonderful Club , but is he anywhere near the calibre of Harry Bassett , John Harris or even Neil Warnock (in descending order of merit) ?

 

[Keen Blade]

The word on the street was that's one reason why Clough got the elbow.

A credible word too. If we don't go up and can't realistically sack NA , where do the board think season ticket sales will be after the uninspiring season we've had ?

Board are currently in a fool's paradise of 20,000 gates based on the return of Brayfords & Sharp and the optimism from NA's appointment.

Then it will be no money to spend due to poor season ticket sales and L2 here we come.

That merger with the Wednesday looks a safer bet if I am to watch Prem footy in Sheffield before I die.

Promotion in a few weeks time is so crucial because we are at a tipping point , staring into the abyss.

 

[Jonboy60]

Why can't we now, in this transfer window, recognise who we need to finish the season off. And just put the rest on the transfer list now. We've got to pay them until the end of their contracts anyway, let them know now the're not being retained, and let's see if there are any takers.
Free transfers, minimal fees, as in 10/20k. Or is that not a viable option, and I'm talking bollox.
Don't answer that.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

are 'an honest, hard working set of individuals'

Notice he never says "talented". I suppose the bloke has to get this shower up enough to perform to their best, though I suspect he knows it probably isn't good enough. I expect very little activity this JTW - one reason being FFP, the other being the huge squad building opportunity in the summer (does he build for L1 again or the championship,if by some miracle we get there this season).