Deadbat
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*Note Written before Adkins departure
Playing Squad
Goalkeepers
Mark Howard Howard had ended the previous campaign as number one but had been less than convincing with many long shots flying in and his two legged performance v Swindon being poor with a shocking mistake in the home leg to give them the crucial winner. Still Long had not really done enough to take the first team spot and you felt more by default, Howard would take number one slot. Adkins threw a bit of a curveball when he gave Long the opening day shirt but after this debacle, Howard was back in. At first he was ok but slowly not helped by a shocking defence. he started to make mistakes also. The team continued to ship goals.
Adkins decided to shake things up and changed the keeper again. Long came in and although he still made a few errors he actually showed a decent level of consistency and after appearing at Crewe late October; Howard never played again. Adkins had firmly nailed his colours to the mast in terms of the keeping situation. Howard has never totally convinced at the Lane. He has been here now for over four seasons and the fact he never became the main number one consistently sums it up. Sadly, a journeyman keeper who is not even 30 but will almost certainly be released this summer. Not sure he will do much better than maybe Scotland or a side in lower reaches of League Two.
Grade E (Last season D)
George Long The fact Long has been one of the 4 or 5 best players this season (started 30 out of 46 league games) sums it up how bad we have been. That may seem harsh but Long has just been ‘ok’ for me. He has improved and bot been at fault for too many goals. He has had some decent games in his run back in the side. Some fans may say he has done really well but I have not seen enough yet to convince me he will be our number one for the long term. He has been better than Howard that is for sure and after the disastrous opening day he got back in. He did make some good saves but made some errors too in key games (Southend away). I am still not convinced he organises his defence enough nor does he dominate enough in terms of taking crosses.
However, he has been much better and become decent as opposed to a liability. He made some good reflex saves in front of a poor defence. At times I have felt sorry for him as he has been exposed too much. He definitely has improved in terms of long shots and his handling has improved. His kicking at times can go out but often he gets good distance. He also is very good at the back pass on both feet and has been able to clear well when unnecessarily put under pressure. He needs to be more vocal and dominant though. I am still convinced that he is good enough for the higher level and we still need some decent competition for him (not had that from Howard and the young lads may not be ready yet). I am sure he will be re-signed and come back as number one.
One thing I will say is that he has rarely had a settled defence in front of him; nor has he had a properly dominant centre back either. Hopefully these things will be addressed in the summer. For Long though it has been a better season and he at least shown he may/will have a future at the Lane as opposed to a year ago when we felt he may be heading for non-league football. He has shown he may make it as professional number one keeper long term with some of the aforementioned improvements. If he wants to play higher he has to do a lot of things better but he has some good raw ability and size and keepers do develop late – he is still only 22.
Grade B- (Last season D- )
The rest
George Willis Willis has not pushed on at all after being seen as a promising keeper a few years ago with some suggesting he had a brighter future than Long. He has been loaned out again this season and ended up at Matlock. Now 20 and out of contract, it seems certain he will be released and his route back into the league will have to be via non-league.
We also apparently have some other good young keepers coming through and the hope is they can push on where Willis has failed to do so. With Jake Eastwood was involved previously for England at younger age groups and he has split time in the Academy and u21’s with Aaron Ramsdale. The latter is perhaps getting even more attention also being involved with England and has played really well in the under 21’s and academy with some one man shows in some games. He looked very impressive in the final that I saw against Charlton. Both now have professional deals and we will look to one or both to push on next season and maybe be involved in the 1st team squad.
Next season
Howard and Willis will almost certainly depart this summer leaving us Long and the two other promising young lads. I feel it would be too much to have three young keepers and those two will remain with the u21’s much of next season. We will need some experience and someone who can properly push Long and help develop him. Whilst we need youth and energy in other areas, I would have no issues if we signed an older player in this area.
We just need someone that can come in and play if Long has another dip or injury. We do not need to spend much but I am sure we can do better than Howard. Long needs to push on from his recent improvements and ensure he really does nail down that shirt and does not have more poor form that sees him back out of the side. Every year this has happened and he has not played for a full season consistently.
Returning players;
Player / Position Years remaining (contract expires)
Goalkeepers
George Long Out of contract (2016)
Mark Howard Out of contract (2016)
George Willis Out of contact (2016)
Aaron Ramsdale 1 year (2017)
Jake Eastwood 1 year (2017)
Defenders
Neill Collins Like a boomerang Collins always seemed to come back. He had seemingly been on his way out several times and finally it seemed the club and him would part ways after Clough disposed of him for most of the 14-15 season. Yet he somehow had another year on his contract (quite why he had such a long deal is beyond me and most fans) and with no new defenders brought in (till Edgar came) he got the nod to start the season. He shocked on day one he was not good enough as he argued with his own young keeper and blamed everyone but himself despite heading into his own net for one of the goals in an awful defeat. He then scored a few headed goals to help win games v Rochdale and Swindon, but I truth his performances were quite poor much of the time. He had some decent games amongst it but for the most part he defended too deep, was erratic and part of a disorganised backline as we let in too many goals.
You would have thought Adkins would have realised this but he kept playing him and whilst McEveley actually improved, Collins did not. Too many games we were backpedalling into our own area as teams put pressure on us. He picked up an injury and was out of the side but came back for a brief spell before after a poor performance versus Burton, Adkins publically slammed one player who in his words did not follow instructions.
It seemed that may have been Collins as he was dropped the next game and soon after we heard his contract had been mutually ripped up to allow him to move to America and sign for Tampa Bay. Fair play to him getting a decent deal to end his career in Florida rather than stay at the Lane for the final few months when he surely would have been released and scrambling around for another contract elsewhere. A player that maybe harshly represents a bad period in United’s history. He has been here for 6 seasons and been part of a side that has constantly failed (relegation / play offs etc) and has been a symbol of this decline. He had maybe one decent season under Maguire when we first come down but for the most part has been part of the problem. Slow, ponderous and lacking leadership you need (instead of just haranguing young players) he ought to have left a long time ago.
Sure he may have given his all but the truth is he was not good enough and carrying player of his ilk no matter how proud they were to supposedly wear the shirt is the reason we are no nearer to getting out of this division.
Grade E+ (Last season E+)
David Edgar A player that had departed Newcastle and then Burnley where he could never hold down a regular place, he then ended up in the reserves at a poor Birmingham side. Not exactly an inspiring CV, when you need a centre back to plug up a leaky defence. He came in and looked decent at first and was steady as we won a few games on the trot. However, he went away with New Zealand (this happened 2 or 3 times and did not help continuity and another reason I would not sign him permanently) and came back and was woeful at Bradford. He was outmuscled badly at Port Vale in another poor defeat and was away with his country again and then got injured.
He came back in around December time and had another decent spell and scored a good header v Bradford but then his form dipped again as we gave away more soft goals. We went to 3-5-2 and he had a slightly better end to the season but still some really sloppy goals were conceded in key games. Some fans feel we should sign him but I would say we should not. He does not dominate in the air or physically and is not very quick. He does not do one thing really well and whilst he is ok, he has been a regular in a defence that has still looked less than tight and conceded too many; especially at home. Factor in he will miss maybe 5 or 6 games a season due to international duty and I do not think he has done enough to earn a contract. I saw more dominant and imposing centre backs for many teams at this level and would be on cheaper contracts/wage. I personally would explore other options before considering signing Edgar. He is the type of player/signing that to me would say we are happy with 6th – 12th place rather than a team getting no nonsense types that are heading for promotion.
Grade D-
Jay McEveley A player that was incredibly retained on another year’s contract after an error strewn first season at the Lane. Two poor displays should have sealed the fate of an ageing player but he was re-signed. A decision that was compounded when the guy that kept him was then sacked. Adkins came in and seemed to like him though and even made him captain, a decision that did not go down well with fans who had watched a series of calamitous displays from the Scouser the previous season. He began at centre back as the side capitulated at Gillingham but he kept his place early on despite some poor displays. Surely Adkins would realise he was not good enough?
However to give both Adkins and McEveley credit, he did improve. He ended up putting in a series of decent performances either side of Christmas and maintained this form. He was not brilliant but was fairly competent and there were less errors generally. He played both left back and left centre back and was one of our more consistent performers. I felt in some of the crucial games he made some mistakes down the stretch (Shrewsbury, Millwall, Southend, Coventry) when it mattered and started to revert back to type after a largely decent season. For that reason and the fact he is now 31; I am unsure you bring him back. Retaining players like him, Collins, Flynn etc had been one of main reasons we stay so far off promotion. If he is kept it would have to be on vastly reduced wages and as cover but I think we need a new attitude and mentality and need to clear out as many as we can from this squad and bring in a new approach and hunger.
Grade C- (Last season D+)
John Brayford Much ballyhooed signing from Clough in January 2015. He had not quite been at level of loan spell but still been good although had been moved to centre back when he got the bad injury against Swindon in the playoffs at the Lane. He came back in the draw against Barnsley and seemed to give side a lift as they went on a decent run around Christmas. However, his form started to dip and he had some error strewn games. He looked slow and laborious and at times his winger gave him harder games than they should. I recall the lad Akins giving him a really rough time in the Burton win at the Lane. He had some really poor performances and was actually at fault for quite a few goals that came down to his side or when he switched off. He had seemingly been dragged down to poor level of so many of the rest of them and quite a few fans were now questioning why we signed him back on such supposedly big wages. He then got an injury in training and did not return to the side. We looked better with the ungainly Basham at right wing back which shows how ineffective he had been. He had a pretty poor season. A really likeable guy who connects with the fans but reality is he will be judged on performances.
He was out for the first few months, had a steady return but then was really poor to close. If it was not for his play previously or his track record (went for a lot of money to the Premier League to Cardiff from Derby where he was outstanding) fans would probably want him moved on and maybe if Clough came back for him, you may allow this due to wages. However, there is still a very good player in there for me and I am not sure he ever got totally fully fit after his bad injury. He needs a full pre-season and to back to the talisman we had before. Whether it be right back or right wing back he has enough quality to stand out at this level. I am hoping he can as we have enough holes to fill already!
Grade D- (Last season C+)
Kieran Wallace Another you felt was on his way but remained at the club as Adkins came in and he seemed to like him, playing him as a left back and also centre back in pre-season games. He was involved in some of the cup games and got sent off at Fulham but then got in the side in the left back position and played a run of matches in October/November and did surprisingly well in this positon. Seemed to be better on the ball than we had seen the previous campaign when he seemed out of his depth and was quite fleet footed. He did ok defensively too and was just nice and assured generally. Looked to be someone who could surprise us and Adkins gave him a new deal. Oddly Adkins then took him out of the team for no real reason, he then picked up a number of injuries and was not involved the rest of the season. Needs a full pre-season and to be really knocking on Adkins door for August. Ironically the new 3-5-2 formation may suit him in the left wing back position. He has another 2 years and is still only 21 but will need to kick on this season. I expect a new left full back to come in so he will have competition but has to try and show he has the defensive capabilities and try and nail down that spot in pre-season.
Grade D+ (Last season E)
Alex Baptiste A signing that came in as we continued to have defensive issues. His debut saw an error strewn cameo versus Burton but after Neill Colllins left the next week; he was given a start as the right hand side of the central defence and slowly showed his class. Could read the game well, could mop up and quick over the ground, he also was decent on the ball. Competitive physically and decent on the air; he just seemed a very competent defender overall. Sadly, Karanka at Middlesbrough has spoken over his admiration of Baptise and he may go back there or at worst be maybe on loan or going to a Championship club. He made a real difference to United’s defence who stopped conceding as many goals and were able to become more solid generally. We played a higher line and overall could play further up the field with him in place of Collins. Would be a great signing but sadly cannot see it happening.
Grade B+
Bob Harris Harris is a player that a lot of United fans still rate but I am not sure why. A journeyman left back who has never been a regular anywhere and is now nearly 29. He did have a really good half a season when we had the cup run to the Wembley semi-final. He was physical, tackled well and got forward also. I felt his follow up season was poor and with a few injuries was in and out of the side. He had some really poor game and was given a torrid time by Byrne over the two ties with Swindon. He began the season injured and only returned at the end of October but he featured in two poor defeats against Crewe and Shrewsbury. He played only 5 games and then was back out of favour and picked up more injuries. He was loaned out to Fleetwood but got injured again. Another sick note that even when fit was not really good enough. Quite erratic defensively and gave away too many fouls. Out of contract and another surely certain to be moved on. I expect he may move back to a level he is more comfortable, back in Scotland.
Grade E- (Last season C-)
Terry Kennedy Kennedy had been a Clough favourite and was a no nonsense defender who the previous campaigns always done well when he played with an impressive win to loss ratio. The concern was he could never stay fit and struggled to play two games in a row. His knees seemed shot but he had managed to eek out a new contract each season. He came back this year but has had more injuries and when fit he was not seen as the answer and only played the odd game in the cup. Indeed, he has not started a league game this year.
He took to social media to show his frustration and you could argue maybe he deserved a chance but he never seemed to be regularly fit and was in and out of the under 21 side. He ended up the season playing midfield for them but you felt his United career and maybe his professional career was coming to an end with his contract up. A real shame as you look at what Maguire did and he could have maybe gone on and at least been a regular at the Lane but injuries/his knees means he has never been able to pin down a regular spot and for 2-3 seasons he has never been able to convince he would ever be a regular for this reason. When he has played he has given us that no nonsense, uncompromising defender we need and cannot recall many bad games but this season has been a write off and thus we will part ways. He has a big decision whether to seek another club or for the sake of his health pack it in this summer.
Grade E- (Last season B-)
Kieron Freeman Freeman was an odd one in that the 14-15 season he was one of our better players to end it. He had a poor play off second leg but after he signed he ended up being one of few consistent players and looked a player who could improve. Decent on the ball, quite quick and athletic I thought Freeman was a player we may be able to count on amongst some of the dross we had left.
Sadly, after some goals were shipped early on, he lost confidence and form but remained in the side. However, after a few more awful defensive displays including the rotten defeat at home to Shrewsbury, Freeman was taken out of the side and he did not return. Brayford came back from injury and that was it, we never saw him again. He was not even on the bench and you wonder if they had been a falling out.
He was loaned out to Portsmouth but did not even feature there hardly until getting sent off and you worry about his future, as if Adkins remains he clearly does not have much of one at SUFC. With another year left on his contract they may have to look to mutually agree his release or he is going to end up stuck in the reserve or waiting for another loan spell.
It seems that many other managers who had him at Forest, Derby etc were right and only Clough seemed to rate him. He has bounced around on loan at a few clubs in recent years both before and after his loan/permanent spell at United and for a lad who is still only 24, he faces a real fight to establish himself in the League. For as poor as he is defensively (ball watches and cannot tackle); I am sure he is good enough for some sides at League Two level due to his pace and decent ability on the ball. May be better served as a midfielder but lacks aggression also so that is an issue.
Grade E- (Last season B-)
Harrison McGahey McGahey came in from Blackpool and was seen as someone with raw potential. He had not really shown enough in the games I saw to suggest he would ever be a main stay of the side. He was in and out and ended up on loan at Tranmere and was derided there. To start 15-16 Adkins had him involved in the first team squad but other than cup games he was not really involved and picked up a series of injuries. Despite the defence again showing they were not good enough, McGahey still was not seen as the answer. He got a late run in the side around Easter time and did ok and was not a disaster and was one of the better players versus Crewe/Southend.
However, he was taken out again and did not return. Another out of contract, I am unsure he has done enough to remain. He does not look to me like he is good enough to be a regular and lacks any outstanding features. He is quite clumsy on the ball, lacks pace and is not that dominant aerially. Not sure he will get another league club if he left United and that is all you need to know when considering whether to remain him. People may point to him developing but he has been here two years and not really developed at all in a very poor division. I personally think we could do better and may even be better bringing through some of the Academy lads. It is worrying we are signing players like him that are cluttering up the ‘pathway’ for our own; when they are not really much better than what we already had.
Grade E+ (Last season Grade D-)
Craig Alcock Alcock had ended up at centre back in the play off defeat at Swindon and had looked out of his depth. He had another year on his contract but began season injured. He did get back fit and played a few cup games and then also started and was ok against Doncaster at home but I think took a knock and was out again. He never returned. Another player that was signed by Clough that was sadly not good enough for a team with aspirations of promotion. He ended up back with his old pal Ferguson who had managed him at Peterborough. Ferguson saw enough form his loan to give him a contract. Doncaster with him and Butler as regulars slipped down the league and eventually out of it. League Two is probably more his level.
Grade E- (Last season Grade D-)
Callum McFadzean Oddly after it emerged he actually had another year on his contract, he ended up being in Adkins’ plans for the new season. Maybe more by default with injuries to Bob Harris and others seeing him without a left back. He did ok in pre-season and started at Gillingham but was awful by all accounts and this experiment was quickly shelved. He only played once more; in the cup hammering a Fulham and was barely even on the bench as Adkins realised what we already knew, he was not good enough in any position. He ended up on loan at Stevanage but did not even play regularly there but then got a nasty injury to his erm…..manhood which saw him injured. He was still often involved in Scotland under 21 squads which was odd as he barely even played for our own under 21’s! Will be released at the end of the season. Had shown a bit of promise a few years ago under Wilson but off field issues did not help. Sadly, he was just not good enough and another I expect to struggle to remain in league football.
Grade F (Last season D+)
The rest
Graham Kelly of course shares the name of the former FA Chief Executive but he was seen as someone who was progressing nicely via the Academy being a regular at left back. I cannot say I have seen too much of him but he has impressed Adkins and ended up making the first team squad and being on the bench for a clutch of games at the end of the season. He made his bow late on at Coventry and will hope with the dearth of full back options he can continue to push on to be part of the first team squad.
Ioan Evans and Julian Banton are two lads that have been around but not really pushed on. The latter has been a regular for the u21’s and done ok but maybe lacked one outstanding quality and maybe was a bit short or lacked pace to make it. Both players had loan spells in non-league and will have to kick start their careers down there as they are both being released.
Next season
An area of the side that 12 months on still is nowhere near the level it needs to be for us to have a serious promotion challenge. We lack domination, pace and intimidation. Baptiste came in and looked class but it will be hard for us to keep him. He is easily Championship level and the wages he is on means it will be highly unlikely he would return. If he did that is one of the two or three centre back positions sorted.
However, the likelihood is that outside of maybe Brayford we have 3 or 4 new positions to fill. The centre of the defence still is a priority. Brayford will of course be returning and hope he can get to some level of form and fitness after a poor season. Not sure Basham or Done are defenders and then we have out of contract/loan players like McEveley and Edgar. Neither to me are good enough. Edgar was ok but nothing spectacular and did not dominate enough to me. McEveley was one of our better players oddly after being re-signed much to the chagrin of many fans. However, after an uncertain start he settled down and was quite consistent. He had his moments and towards the end of the season was poor in some key games. Despite his ok season, I would not entertain signing him. Not even as cover. We need to move on. If he stayed it would be as cover on a vastly reduced wage. Sadly, I think Adkins will keep him. He is his skipper and is always praising him. The club need to take a stand and ensure they move on from this type of player. Ageing, slowing and on the way down.
Freeman is still under contract but Adkins clearly does not fancy him and he will probably be moved on if he can find a taker. He would not be a bad lad to have as cover for the two full back positions but his confidence/form seems rock bottom and has barely played any football so it might be best if he starts again elsewhere. I would not bring McGahey back either. Another who has done enough to earn a new contract.
It will be interesting to see whether Adkins carries on with the 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 whichever way you look at it. I felt he played this to compensate for the poor centre backs we had and lack of out and out wide threats. It also meant the lack of legs in the 3 in the middle were compensated by having an extra centre back and wing backs. In some games it worked; in others it did not. I certainly do not think Basham and/or Done are the answer in the wing back positions. Basham did a job and caused some problems with his height and awkwardness and could drift onto the full back for the diagonal high ball. Long term I am not sure this is his position. Ditto for Done. He cannot defend really and at times showed his naivety in this position; as he often went to nick the ball or got into bad positions.
With so many areas to fill it depends on who Adkins gets in. He would need to sign two dominant centre backs and also two new wingers if he goes back to 4-4-2. That is without even thinking about some legs in the middle of the park. My gut feeling is he may stick with the formation moving into next season but will need a left wing back (if Wallace does not get fit – still not convinced he is good enough either) and Brayford to get back fit and firing. We then also need probably three new centre backs. I would be disappointed if either McEveley or Edgar are retained. They have both played a lot of games (33 and 35) for a side that has shipped so many goals. We need to target two big lads who can still cover ground but basically make us more of a physical threat. Look at sides like Wednesday and Bristol City who have escaped the division. Even Wigan also have big uncompromising lads at the back (Morgan, Pearce and Barnett). That is what we need to look at. It may not be pretty but we need to be able to head it and clear it. If they are decent footballers that is a bonus but unlikely we will get a player like Baptise who offers all these qualities. We have to have a solid base next season and cannot keep shipping 2’s and 3’s especially at home. This simply has to be addressed after two seasons of inadequacy in this area since Maguire moved on.
Player / Position Years remaining (contract expires)
Defenders
Jay McEveley Out of contract (2016)
Bob Harris Out of contract (2016)
Terry Kennedy Out of contract (2016)
Harrison McGahey Out of contract (2016)
Callum McFadzean Out of contract (2016)
Kieron Freeman 1 years (2017)
Graham Kelly 1 year (2017)
Kieran Wallace 2 years (2018)
John Brayford 2 years (2018)
Loan returnees
Alex Baptise to Middlesbro (contract ends 2018)
David Edgar to Derby (out of contract)
Playing Squad
Goalkeepers
Mark Howard Howard had ended the previous campaign as number one but had been less than convincing with many long shots flying in and his two legged performance v Swindon being poor with a shocking mistake in the home leg to give them the crucial winner. Still Long had not really done enough to take the first team spot and you felt more by default, Howard would take number one slot. Adkins threw a bit of a curveball when he gave Long the opening day shirt but after this debacle, Howard was back in. At first he was ok but slowly not helped by a shocking defence. he started to make mistakes also. The team continued to ship goals.
Adkins decided to shake things up and changed the keeper again. Long came in and although he still made a few errors he actually showed a decent level of consistency and after appearing at Crewe late October; Howard never played again. Adkins had firmly nailed his colours to the mast in terms of the keeping situation. Howard has never totally convinced at the Lane. He has been here now for over four seasons and the fact he never became the main number one consistently sums it up. Sadly, a journeyman keeper who is not even 30 but will almost certainly be released this summer. Not sure he will do much better than maybe Scotland or a side in lower reaches of League Two.
Grade E (Last season D)
George Long The fact Long has been one of the 4 or 5 best players this season (started 30 out of 46 league games) sums it up how bad we have been. That may seem harsh but Long has just been ‘ok’ for me. He has improved and bot been at fault for too many goals. He has had some decent games in his run back in the side. Some fans may say he has done really well but I have not seen enough yet to convince me he will be our number one for the long term. He has been better than Howard that is for sure and after the disastrous opening day he got back in. He did make some good saves but made some errors too in key games (Southend away). I am still not convinced he organises his defence enough nor does he dominate enough in terms of taking crosses.
However, he has been much better and become decent as opposed to a liability. He made some good reflex saves in front of a poor defence. At times I have felt sorry for him as he has been exposed too much. He definitely has improved in terms of long shots and his handling has improved. His kicking at times can go out but often he gets good distance. He also is very good at the back pass on both feet and has been able to clear well when unnecessarily put under pressure. He needs to be more vocal and dominant though. I am still convinced that he is good enough for the higher level and we still need some decent competition for him (not had that from Howard and the young lads may not be ready yet). I am sure he will be re-signed and come back as number one.
One thing I will say is that he has rarely had a settled defence in front of him; nor has he had a properly dominant centre back either. Hopefully these things will be addressed in the summer. For Long though it has been a better season and he at least shown he may/will have a future at the Lane as opposed to a year ago when we felt he may be heading for non-league football. He has shown he may make it as professional number one keeper long term with some of the aforementioned improvements. If he wants to play higher he has to do a lot of things better but he has some good raw ability and size and keepers do develop late – he is still only 22.
Grade B- (Last season D- )
The rest
George Willis Willis has not pushed on at all after being seen as a promising keeper a few years ago with some suggesting he had a brighter future than Long. He has been loaned out again this season and ended up at Matlock. Now 20 and out of contract, it seems certain he will be released and his route back into the league will have to be via non-league.
We also apparently have some other good young keepers coming through and the hope is they can push on where Willis has failed to do so. With Jake Eastwood was involved previously for England at younger age groups and he has split time in the Academy and u21’s with Aaron Ramsdale. The latter is perhaps getting even more attention also being involved with England and has played really well in the under 21’s and academy with some one man shows in some games. He looked very impressive in the final that I saw against Charlton. Both now have professional deals and we will look to one or both to push on next season and maybe be involved in the 1st team squad.
Next season
Howard and Willis will almost certainly depart this summer leaving us Long and the two other promising young lads. I feel it would be too much to have three young keepers and those two will remain with the u21’s much of next season. We will need some experience and someone who can properly push Long and help develop him. Whilst we need youth and energy in other areas, I would have no issues if we signed an older player in this area.
We just need someone that can come in and play if Long has another dip or injury. We do not need to spend much but I am sure we can do better than Howard. Long needs to push on from his recent improvements and ensure he really does nail down that shirt and does not have more poor form that sees him back out of the side. Every year this has happened and he has not played for a full season consistently.
Returning players;
Player / Position Years remaining (contract expires)
Goalkeepers
George Long Out of contract (2016)
Mark Howard Out of contract (2016)
George Willis Out of contact (2016)
Aaron Ramsdale 1 year (2017)
Jake Eastwood 1 year (2017)
Defenders
Neill Collins Like a boomerang Collins always seemed to come back. He had seemingly been on his way out several times and finally it seemed the club and him would part ways after Clough disposed of him for most of the 14-15 season. Yet he somehow had another year on his contract (quite why he had such a long deal is beyond me and most fans) and with no new defenders brought in (till Edgar came) he got the nod to start the season. He shocked on day one he was not good enough as he argued with his own young keeper and blamed everyone but himself despite heading into his own net for one of the goals in an awful defeat. He then scored a few headed goals to help win games v Rochdale and Swindon, but I truth his performances were quite poor much of the time. He had some decent games amongst it but for the most part he defended too deep, was erratic and part of a disorganised backline as we let in too many goals.
You would have thought Adkins would have realised this but he kept playing him and whilst McEveley actually improved, Collins did not. Too many games we were backpedalling into our own area as teams put pressure on us. He picked up an injury and was out of the side but came back for a brief spell before after a poor performance versus Burton, Adkins publically slammed one player who in his words did not follow instructions.
It seemed that may have been Collins as he was dropped the next game and soon after we heard his contract had been mutually ripped up to allow him to move to America and sign for Tampa Bay. Fair play to him getting a decent deal to end his career in Florida rather than stay at the Lane for the final few months when he surely would have been released and scrambling around for another contract elsewhere. A player that maybe harshly represents a bad period in United’s history. He has been here for 6 seasons and been part of a side that has constantly failed (relegation / play offs etc) and has been a symbol of this decline. He had maybe one decent season under Maguire when we first come down but for the most part has been part of the problem. Slow, ponderous and lacking leadership you need (instead of just haranguing young players) he ought to have left a long time ago.
Sure he may have given his all but the truth is he was not good enough and carrying player of his ilk no matter how proud they were to supposedly wear the shirt is the reason we are no nearer to getting out of this division.
Grade E+ (Last season E+)
David Edgar A player that had departed Newcastle and then Burnley where he could never hold down a regular place, he then ended up in the reserves at a poor Birmingham side. Not exactly an inspiring CV, when you need a centre back to plug up a leaky defence. He came in and looked decent at first and was steady as we won a few games on the trot. However, he went away with New Zealand (this happened 2 or 3 times and did not help continuity and another reason I would not sign him permanently) and came back and was woeful at Bradford. He was outmuscled badly at Port Vale in another poor defeat and was away with his country again and then got injured.
He came back in around December time and had another decent spell and scored a good header v Bradford but then his form dipped again as we gave away more soft goals. We went to 3-5-2 and he had a slightly better end to the season but still some really sloppy goals were conceded in key games. Some fans feel we should sign him but I would say we should not. He does not dominate in the air or physically and is not very quick. He does not do one thing really well and whilst he is ok, he has been a regular in a defence that has still looked less than tight and conceded too many; especially at home. Factor in he will miss maybe 5 or 6 games a season due to international duty and I do not think he has done enough to earn a contract. I saw more dominant and imposing centre backs for many teams at this level and would be on cheaper contracts/wage. I personally would explore other options before considering signing Edgar. He is the type of player/signing that to me would say we are happy with 6th – 12th place rather than a team getting no nonsense types that are heading for promotion.
Grade D-
Jay McEveley A player that was incredibly retained on another year’s contract after an error strewn first season at the Lane. Two poor displays should have sealed the fate of an ageing player but he was re-signed. A decision that was compounded when the guy that kept him was then sacked. Adkins came in and seemed to like him though and even made him captain, a decision that did not go down well with fans who had watched a series of calamitous displays from the Scouser the previous season. He began at centre back as the side capitulated at Gillingham but he kept his place early on despite some poor displays. Surely Adkins would realise he was not good enough?
However to give both Adkins and McEveley credit, he did improve. He ended up putting in a series of decent performances either side of Christmas and maintained this form. He was not brilliant but was fairly competent and there were less errors generally. He played both left back and left centre back and was one of our more consistent performers. I felt in some of the crucial games he made some mistakes down the stretch (Shrewsbury, Millwall, Southend, Coventry) when it mattered and started to revert back to type after a largely decent season. For that reason and the fact he is now 31; I am unsure you bring him back. Retaining players like him, Collins, Flynn etc had been one of main reasons we stay so far off promotion. If he is kept it would have to be on vastly reduced wages and as cover but I think we need a new attitude and mentality and need to clear out as many as we can from this squad and bring in a new approach and hunger.
Grade C- (Last season D+)
John Brayford Much ballyhooed signing from Clough in January 2015. He had not quite been at level of loan spell but still been good although had been moved to centre back when he got the bad injury against Swindon in the playoffs at the Lane. He came back in the draw against Barnsley and seemed to give side a lift as they went on a decent run around Christmas. However, his form started to dip and he had some error strewn games. He looked slow and laborious and at times his winger gave him harder games than they should. I recall the lad Akins giving him a really rough time in the Burton win at the Lane. He had some really poor performances and was actually at fault for quite a few goals that came down to his side or when he switched off. He had seemingly been dragged down to poor level of so many of the rest of them and quite a few fans were now questioning why we signed him back on such supposedly big wages. He then got an injury in training and did not return to the side. We looked better with the ungainly Basham at right wing back which shows how ineffective he had been. He had a pretty poor season. A really likeable guy who connects with the fans but reality is he will be judged on performances.
He was out for the first few months, had a steady return but then was really poor to close. If it was not for his play previously or his track record (went for a lot of money to the Premier League to Cardiff from Derby where he was outstanding) fans would probably want him moved on and maybe if Clough came back for him, you may allow this due to wages. However, there is still a very good player in there for me and I am not sure he ever got totally fully fit after his bad injury. He needs a full pre-season and to back to the talisman we had before. Whether it be right back or right wing back he has enough quality to stand out at this level. I am hoping he can as we have enough holes to fill already!
Grade D- (Last season C+)
Kieran Wallace Another you felt was on his way but remained at the club as Adkins came in and he seemed to like him, playing him as a left back and also centre back in pre-season games. He was involved in some of the cup games and got sent off at Fulham but then got in the side in the left back position and played a run of matches in October/November and did surprisingly well in this positon. Seemed to be better on the ball than we had seen the previous campaign when he seemed out of his depth and was quite fleet footed. He did ok defensively too and was just nice and assured generally. Looked to be someone who could surprise us and Adkins gave him a new deal. Oddly Adkins then took him out of the team for no real reason, he then picked up a number of injuries and was not involved the rest of the season. Needs a full pre-season and to be really knocking on Adkins door for August. Ironically the new 3-5-2 formation may suit him in the left wing back position. He has another 2 years and is still only 21 but will need to kick on this season. I expect a new left full back to come in so he will have competition but has to try and show he has the defensive capabilities and try and nail down that spot in pre-season.
Grade D+ (Last season E)
Alex Baptiste A signing that came in as we continued to have defensive issues. His debut saw an error strewn cameo versus Burton but after Neill Colllins left the next week; he was given a start as the right hand side of the central defence and slowly showed his class. Could read the game well, could mop up and quick over the ground, he also was decent on the ball. Competitive physically and decent on the air; he just seemed a very competent defender overall. Sadly, Karanka at Middlesbrough has spoken over his admiration of Baptise and he may go back there or at worst be maybe on loan or going to a Championship club. He made a real difference to United’s defence who stopped conceding as many goals and were able to become more solid generally. We played a higher line and overall could play further up the field with him in place of Collins. Would be a great signing but sadly cannot see it happening.
Grade B+
Bob Harris Harris is a player that a lot of United fans still rate but I am not sure why. A journeyman left back who has never been a regular anywhere and is now nearly 29. He did have a really good half a season when we had the cup run to the Wembley semi-final. He was physical, tackled well and got forward also. I felt his follow up season was poor and with a few injuries was in and out of the side. He had some really poor game and was given a torrid time by Byrne over the two ties with Swindon. He began the season injured and only returned at the end of October but he featured in two poor defeats against Crewe and Shrewsbury. He played only 5 games and then was back out of favour and picked up more injuries. He was loaned out to Fleetwood but got injured again. Another sick note that even when fit was not really good enough. Quite erratic defensively and gave away too many fouls. Out of contract and another surely certain to be moved on. I expect he may move back to a level he is more comfortable, back in Scotland.
Grade E- (Last season C-)
Terry Kennedy Kennedy had been a Clough favourite and was a no nonsense defender who the previous campaigns always done well when he played with an impressive win to loss ratio. The concern was he could never stay fit and struggled to play two games in a row. His knees seemed shot but he had managed to eek out a new contract each season. He came back this year but has had more injuries and when fit he was not seen as the answer and only played the odd game in the cup. Indeed, he has not started a league game this year.
He took to social media to show his frustration and you could argue maybe he deserved a chance but he never seemed to be regularly fit and was in and out of the under 21 side. He ended up the season playing midfield for them but you felt his United career and maybe his professional career was coming to an end with his contract up. A real shame as you look at what Maguire did and he could have maybe gone on and at least been a regular at the Lane but injuries/his knees means he has never been able to pin down a regular spot and for 2-3 seasons he has never been able to convince he would ever be a regular for this reason. When he has played he has given us that no nonsense, uncompromising defender we need and cannot recall many bad games but this season has been a write off and thus we will part ways. He has a big decision whether to seek another club or for the sake of his health pack it in this summer.
Grade E- (Last season B-)
Kieron Freeman Freeman was an odd one in that the 14-15 season he was one of our better players to end it. He had a poor play off second leg but after he signed he ended up being one of few consistent players and looked a player who could improve. Decent on the ball, quite quick and athletic I thought Freeman was a player we may be able to count on amongst some of the dross we had left.
Sadly, after some goals were shipped early on, he lost confidence and form but remained in the side. However, after a few more awful defensive displays including the rotten defeat at home to Shrewsbury, Freeman was taken out of the side and he did not return. Brayford came back from injury and that was it, we never saw him again. He was not even on the bench and you wonder if they had been a falling out.
He was loaned out to Portsmouth but did not even feature there hardly until getting sent off and you worry about his future, as if Adkins remains he clearly does not have much of one at SUFC. With another year left on his contract they may have to look to mutually agree his release or he is going to end up stuck in the reserve or waiting for another loan spell.
It seems that many other managers who had him at Forest, Derby etc were right and only Clough seemed to rate him. He has bounced around on loan at a few clubs in recent years both before and after his loan/permanent spell at United and for a lad who is still only 24, he faces a real fight to establish himself in the League. For as poor as he is defensively (ball watches and cannot tackle); I am sure he is good enough for some sides at League Two level due to his pace and decent ability on the ball. May be better served as a midfielder but lacks aggression also so that is an issue.
Grade E- (Last season B-)
Harrison McGahey McGahey came in from Blackpool and was seen as someone with raw potential. He had not really shown enough in the games I saw to suggest he would ever be a main stay of the side. He was in and out and ended up on loan at Tranmere and was derided there. To start 15-16 Adkins had him involved in the first team squad but other than cup games he was not really involved and picked up a series of injuries. Despite the defence again showing they were not good enough, McGahey still was not seen as the answer. He got a late run in the side around Easter time and did ok and was not a disaster and was one of the better players versus Crewe/Southend.
However, he was taken out again and did not return. Another out of contract, I am unsure he has done enough to remain. He does not look to me like he is good enough to be a regular and lacks any outstanding features. He is quite clumsy on the ball, lacks pace and is not that dominant aerially. Not sure he will get another league club if he left United and that is all you need to know when considering whether to remain him. People may point to him developing but he has been here two years and not really developed at all in a very poor division. I personally think we could do better and may even be better bringing through some of the Academy lads. It is worrying we are signing players like him that are cluttering up the ‘pathway’ for our own; when they are not really much better than what we already had.
Grade E+ (Last season Grade D-)
Craig Alcock Alcock had ended up at centre back in the play off defeat at Swindon and had looked out of his depth. He had another year on his contract but began season injured. He did get back fit and played a few cup games and then also started and was ok against Doncaster at home but I think took a knock and was out again. He never returned. Another player that was signed by Clough that was sadly not good enough for a team with aspirations of promotion. He ended up back with his old pal Ferguson who had managed him at Peterborough. Ferguson saw enough form his loan to give him a contract. Doncaster with him and Butler as regulars slipped down the league and eventually out of it. League Two is probably more his level.
Grade E- (Last season Grade D-)
Callum McFadzean Oddly after it emerged he actually had another year on his contract, he ended up being in Adkins’ plans for the new season. Maybe more by default with injuries to Bob Harris and others seeing him without a left back. He did ok in pre-season and started at Gillingham but was awful by all accounts and this experiment was quickly shelved. He only played once more; in the cup hammering a Fulham and was barely even on the bench as Adkins realised what we already knew, he was not good enough in any position. He ended up on loan at Stevanage but did not even play regularly there but then got a nasty injury to his erm…..manhood which saw him injured. He was still often involved in Scotland under 21 squads which was odd as he barely even played for our own under 21’s! Will be released at the end of the season. Had shown a bit of promise a few years ago under Wilson but off field issues did not help. Sadly, he was just not good enough and another I expect to struggle to remain in league football.
Grade F (Last season D+)
The rest
Graham Kelly of course shares the name of the former FA Chief Executive but he was seen as someone who was progressing nicely via the Academy being a regular at left back. I cannot say I have seen too much of him but he has impressed Adkins and ended up making the first team squad and being on the bench for a clutch of games at the end of the season. He made his bow late on at Coventry and will hope with the dearth of full back options he can continue to push on to be part of the first team squad.
Ioan Evans and Julian Banton are two lads that have been around but not really pushed on. The latter has been a regular for the u21’s and done ok but maybe lacked one outstanding quality and maybe was a bit short or lacked pace to make it. Both players had loan spells in non-league and will have to kick start their careers down there as they are both being released.
Next season
An area of the side that 12 months on still is nowhere near the level it needs to be for us to have a serious promotion challenge. We lack domination, pace and intimidation. Baptiste came in and looked class but it will be hard for us to keep him. He is easily Championship level and the wages he is on means it will be highly unlikely he would return. If he did that is one of the two or three centre back positions sorted.
However, the likelihood is that outside of maybe Brayford we have 3 or 4 new positions to fill. The centre of the defence still is a priority. Brayford will of course be returning and hope he can get to some level of form and fitness after a poor season. Not sure Basham or Done are defenders and then we have out of contract/loan players like McEveley and Edgar. Neither to me are good enough. Edgar was ok but nothing spectacular and did not dominate enough to me. McEveley was one of our better players oddly after being re-signed much to the chagrin of many fans. However, after an uncertain start he settled down and was quite consistent. He had his moments and towards the end of the season was poor in some key games. Despite his ok season, I would not entertain signing him. Not even as cover. We need to move on. If he stayed it would be as cover on a vastly reduced wage. Sadly, I think Adkins will keep him. He is his skipper and is always praising him. The club need to take a stand and ensure they move on from this type of player. Ageing, slowing and on the way down.
Freeman is still under contract but Adkins clearly does not fancy him and he will probably be moved on if he can find a taker. He would not be a bad lad to have as cover for the two full back positions but his confidence/form seems rock bottom and has barely played any football so it might be best if he starts again elsewhere. I would not bring McGahey back either. Another who has done enough to earn a new contract.
It will be interesting to see whether Adkins carries on with the 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 whichever way you look at it. I felt he played this to compensate for the poor centre backs we had and lack of out and out wide threats. It also meant the lack of legs in the 3 in the middle were compensated by having an extra centre back and wing backs. In some games it worked; in others it did not. I certainly do not think Basham and/or Done are the answer in the wing back positions. Basham did a job and caused some problems with his height and awkwardness and could drift onto the full back for the diagonal high ball. Long term I am not sure this is his position. Ditto for Done. He cannot defend really and at times showed his naivety in this position; as he often went to nick the ball or got into bad positions.
With so many areas to fill it depends on who Adkins gets in. He would need to sign two dominant centre backs and also two new wingers if he goes back to 4-4-2. That is without even thinking about some legs in the middle of the park. My gut feeling is he may stick with the formation moving into next season but will need a left wing back (if Wallace does not get fit – still not convinced he is good enough either) and Brayford to get back fit and firing. We then also need probably three new centre backs. I would be disappointed if either McEveley or Edgar are retained. They have both played a lot of games (33 and 35) for a side that has shipped so many goals. We need to target two big lads who can still cover ground but basically make us more of a physical threat. Look at sides like Wednesday and Bristol City who have escaped the division. Even Wigan also have big uncompromising lads at the back (Morgan, Pearce and Barnett). That is what we need to look at. It may not be pretty but we need to be able to head it and clear it. If they are decent footballers that is a bonus but unlikely we will get a player like Baptise who offers all these qualities. We have to have a solid base next season and cannot keep shipping 2’s and 3’s especially at home. This simply has to be addressed after two seasons of inadequacy in this area since Maguire moved on.
Player / Position Years remaining (contract expires)
Defenders
Jay McEveley Out of contract (2016)
Bob Harris Out of contract (2016)
Terry Kennedy Out of contract (2016)
Harrison McGahey Out of contract (2016)
Callum McFadzean Out of contract (2016)
Kieron Freeman 1 years (2017)
Graham Kelly 1 year (2017)
Kieran Wallace 2 years (2018)
John Brayford 2 years (2018)
Loan returnees
Alex Baptise to Middlesbro (contract ends 2018)
David Edgar to Derby (out of contract)
