08 May 2017 11:36:51
Hearing that we will sign 6 players this season. one of them will be a big money signing which make equal Costa's transfer record. Also hearing Costa will stay but may leave in January if we aren't pushing for promotion. PL was very impressed with Silvio in the last few games he has played so he may stay. Ivan cavaleiro may also leave in the summer and it is possible that Mendes could get us a profit on him.

Players expexted to be released or sold:

James Henry (Sold)
Jack Price (Released)
George Saville (Released)
Gladon (Sold)
Duckens Nazon (Released)
Jao Texeira (Return)
Oniangue (Sold for profit)
Cavaleiro (Sold for profit)
Stearman (Return)
Lonergan (Released)
Evans (loaned out)
Jed Wallace (sold)
Ethan Ebanks Landell (Sold)
Burgoyne (Loaned Out)
Enobakhare (Loaned Out)
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (Sold)


No reason to worry guys lambert and co have already picked their targets and we'll get business done early but I don't know who our transfer targets are.

The question I want to know is. where are we going for pre-season? I could do with a holiday to Portugal or France.

1.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 11:55:05
Winston,

I like your news, as long as you're not another roofer!

Costa staying would be a sign of ambition, but we can't keep him AND spend the same amount again on another player, for FFP rules. Stearman shouldn't be listed as Released, it should be listed as Returned as we don't own him. EEB is well liked at Sheffield United according to a Sheffield mate, so I can see them buying him.

I don't think we will loan out Bright, unless to another club in our division where he could get a regular starting place.

2.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 12:16:28
Winston why nazon Dickens I thought he done quite well for u 23s and lambert spoke very highly of bright.

3.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 12:19:36
@deepThroat yeah I made a mistake on stearman and no we are selling quite a few players which will allow us to spend more in the summer. Especially if Costa leaves in January.

4.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 12:48:53
Winston the whisper is Austria / Germany.

5.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 13:12:20
Winstonwolf. not sure how reliable your list is. but I like it!
Surprised if Enobakhare is NOT part of the squad though?

6.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 14:11:18
My first ever post. It is clear that it has been yet another disappointing season full of people underachieving. In short teams sent out which are not trained to achieve the win due to a lack of competence in the tactics used and the work ethic applied. Combine this with a clear lack of the required individual skill and you will get a team that finishes 15th in the table with 58 points from a possible 138. There have been changes over the previous years but other than the manager and assistant manager all other day to day first team staff have remained the same. What changes can be done to give the club the chance to achieve promotion? You must start at the top and work down, making tough decisions based on the best future outcome for the club (which is a business) and ensure that you have the right staff in the right positions throughout the club. This is in terms of ability, attitude, competence, skill and mental application. It cannot be said that in terms of incoming transfers we have been successful when all transactions are considered. I don’t know the figure for the previous few seasons on the number of players purchased but I can’t believe that we have a high percentage of genuine success in these being premier quality players. Happy to be proved wrong with the actual stats. Surely it should be the goal of any business that if you bring in or replace any staff then that offers some signs of improvement. The aptitude and level of performance is surely expected to increase. This is not the case with the first team playing squad. This would be the first change I would make in getting in a head of recruitment that is capable of delivering the standard of players required to not only improve the team but improve the level to a standard which gives a chance of promotion. This is important as it not going to be difficult to improve the level of the team but it is going to be difficult to improve to a level that can compete at the top of the division.
This now leads directly to the manager/ head coach position. Even if we can attract and employ the quality of player to achieve promotion this in itself will not happen unless we have a manager who is adept and skilful enough to provide the leadership required. We must have the right training geared towards bonding a team and providing match tactics capable of winning games. This must be based on each game individually and the players must understand and be able to carry out said match winning tactics. If last season’s tactics are to be the bench mark then the predictable long ball approach (99% of the time aimed at the same part the pitch) is to be used then promotion is unachievable regardless of the playing staff. It could be said this was a tactic used due to the current first team players but even if this is the case it was woefully inadequate. If week in week out we are not competitive let alone look like winning games then surely we are not being managed/ coached/ trained to the required standard. I believe that to truly be competitive we should make the tough decision to bring in a manager that gives us a realistic chance of both improving the team’s chances of being competitive in games and achieving promotion.
There must be a question mark over the first team coaching set up. It is the one constant in a long series of seasons which have resulted in failure. There are always questions on the manager when the team do not perform but a part of this failure must be the reasonability of the staff whose job it is to improve the ability and performance of the match day squad and the squad as a whole. You can argue about success and failures or slight improvements here and there but the league position of the team and the way in which the majority of performances regardless of which of the 34 players used in the first team this season have gone only show a lack of improvement. With this in mind a change in coaching set up should be a serious consideration. The question should be do you let the manager bring in a coaching team as this is likely to be a group of friends or let the club employ coaches based purely on their ability. I would go with the later as we have already demonstrated that managers come and go but in general the coaching staff tend to remain. Lastly we come to the current playing staff and there is no doubt from anyone you speak to that changes are needed. The big debate is who and how many. This really depends on what we expect to achieve, it is all well and good talking of promotion but to achieve this and be consistent each week how many of the current squad are really good enough or are we looking to just take the next step next season and finish mid table hoping that we might have a chance of a play off. If our owners are to be believed then it is promotion and that is how we must conduct our summer business and this means changing more than the dozen players that has been reported about for us to have a first team squad of 24. If being honest it is easier to list players who should stay as either first team or squad members so here goes,
Goalkeeper – Burgoyne as 3rd choice, Ikeme as back up and bring in a first team keeper.
Centre Backs – Hause, Batth (squad), bring in 2 more at least one as genuine first team if not two. I like Williamson and Stearman but not fit or good enough and have to be tough. Really I don’t like the idea of bringing in anyone you don’t think is good enough to get in your first team but imo Hause should have a spot with someone he can trust to lead the line.
Full backs – Doc, Iorfa, Silvio (squad) and bring in two first choice.
Centre Mid – Saiss, would like to see Prince given a fair chance but won’t happen under Lambert although he seemed happy enough to give countless chances to others who are clearly not good enough, Coady and Edwards (squad) . Bring in two first team and another if not keeping prince.
Wingers – really depends on if Costa and Cav (should be 10) leave. If not no change required as already have Marshall, Zyro, Graham and Ronan. If either leave then the same quality (particularly in terms of skill to change a game) required.
Forwards – no.10 Enobakhare, Gibbs White, Mason (squad) no.9 Dicko, Wilson, Ennis (squad), bring in two first team goal scorers. Wiemann as utility forward.
With our wingers, midfielders and forwards we have many options for the 10 position from the players worth keeping. We also have an option for additional cover at centre and full back within the retained players but this should only be a last resort playing players out of their best positions. There are 24 players listed, 6 of which are from the under 23 and would be in and around the first team squad. 9 players listed to buy giving a first team squad of 27 plus the 6 under 23. If this is too many remove Wiemann, Mason, Coady, Silvio. Rant Over.

7.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 14:46:34
Not a bad rant Sven, and yes, we do need a new first-choice keeper. Such a keeper should have enough authority in the box to give confidence to his defenders and to distribute the ball better than Ikeme.

8.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 15:05:24
Thats some 1st post SvenBen and I agree with most you stated. If Pl is going for a 1st team squad of low-mid 20's that's two for each position + a couple of youngsters to blood.
I think we're cobvered with wide players even with Costa's potential exit. its the spine staright down the middle, GK, CD, CM, CF that wee need to sign 1st team quality of premier class. People who can play there not sit on a bench.
Wheres Bod fit in to the equation? For me he's a miss so sell on.

9.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 17:10:07
Similar to my posts last week. Yes, I agree with you all. Bod is the enigma. He has class, as we saw in his first few matches, and even when we went through a bad patch, he was one of the better players. Does he fit into the team, though?

Cav - I get that O'Hara feeling. Is he taking us seriously? Would he be a liability if we kept him beyond this season? A great player but probably not us, and not now.

Price - I like Jack but his contract is up. He plays about half the games and does OK. But if we're keeping Saiss then he's not first choice DM and will do better at another club.

Saville - Wouldn't surprise me if Lambert keeps him on. But I see no reason to.

Mason - Another one who will be a bit-player, and played his best with Bod. He might do better at another club, perhaps loaned out.

Oniangue - I quite liked him, although beginning to forget him now. Maybe another loan for him if we don't use him.

10.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 17:22:03
Whilst I doubt Bodvarson will ever be a 20 goal a season striker I do feel he has something to offer. I think what he needs is a good rest. The amount of football he's been playing in the 2 seasons is ridiculous. A good rest will do him the world of good.

11.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 18:21:10
Clivewolves,

Bod does need a rest, so we haven't seen the best of him. He could probably do a Kevin Doyle sort of role, holding the ball to take pressure off the defence. Edwards too needs a rest for similar reasons.

12.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 18:48:43
I personally would keep Bod and agree that we haven't seen the best of him. Controversially, I would keep Price over Saiss. Saiss just has not impressed me at all; he's either sloppy in possession or a walking yellow card.

I would get rid of Saiss, Cav, Saville, Gladon, Mason, Henry, Evans, Lonergan. The jury is out on Oniangue - he reminds me so much of Olofinjana, should be a powerful midfielder but a bit lightweight.

I would be tempted to give EEL a chance, plus he can also cover right back.

We need a striker, dominant central midfielder, a couple of centre halves and a goalkeeper who can genuinely challenge Ikeme (who I do think gets some unfair stick) .

13.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 19:33:52
Give svenben the job or are u rob Edwards lol class bit of posting your saying what I believe to be what we all won't fairplay.

14.) 08 May 2017
08 May 2017 21:33:59
If we keep Bod and Dicko then do we really need Weimann how many non goal scoring Kevin Doyle type forwards does one club need?