Just a bit of fun (hopefully! ) If you were the manager and you could have the current squad as permanent and injury-free, how would you line up next season? I’d go: 4-3-3 GK Darlow LB Fleming CB Greaves CB McLoughlin RB Christie CM Slater CM Seri CM Traore LF Tetteh CF Oscar RF Connolly Subs: Ingram, Jones, Coyle, Simons, Allahyar, Ebiowei, Tufan
you said it...a modicum of fun!! 3-5-2 Darlow Greaves, McL, Jones Allahyar, Seri, ???, Slater, Elder Connelly, Tetteh Bench from: Ingram, Coyle, Simons, Oscar, Christie, Fleming, Traore, Vaughan, jacob, Covil, ???, ???, New GK. Leaving the building: Baxter, Doc, Tufan, him for Pal, Woods, Figgy, Pelkas, Longman
4-4-2 diamond GK - Darlow RB - Christie CB - Jones CB - Mac LB - Greaves (providing he pushes forward when needed) DM - Seri RM - Allahyar LM - Tetteh FM - Tufan ST - Oscar ST - Connolly Bench - Ingram, Coyle, Elder, Traore, Slater, Pelkas, Longman Not much defensive cover in that, but we'd surely see some attacking threat there.
442 GK - Darlow RB - Christie CB - Jones CB - McC LB - Elder CM - Seri CM - Traore RM - Malcolm LM - Allahyar ST - Oscar ST - Connolly Bench - Ingram, Coyle, Greaves, Tufan, Slater, Tetteh, Longman
3-4-1-2 GK Darlow CB Jones CB Macca CB Greaves RWB Christie M Seri M Simons/Slater LWB Fleming AM Traore/Tufan ST Tetteh/Estupinian ST Connolly
I personal think we need a left back, a holding midfielder, another wide forward and centre forward. I'd look to move or not sign permanently Pelkas, Longman, Woods, Elder and Docherty. If we got decent offers for Oscar and Tufan I'd let them go.
Would you be willing to take our two highest scorers this season out of the team and place all faith in two new guys? Very high risk. Can't see either leaving in Summer unless we get a good offer. We've also got Sinik to come back, be interesting to see how he slots back in after he's done with his loan spell. For me, we've got the GK positions covered with Darlow, Ingram and Tim LT. Cartwright to go out on loan (to a club that'll actually ****ing play him, please) and Robson and Fisk to be released. CB - Greaves, McLoughlin, Jones are the obvious starters, with Andy Smith doing well at Grimsby. Those four offer good depth, I'd maybe look at loaning a youngster as cover and letting Figuereido go to free up funds. Greaves could very well be let go, McLoughlin and Jones need a new deal. RB - Coyle, Christie are fine. LB - Priority, we have Greaves and Jacob under contract. Need a proper upgrade there. CM - Seri, Tufan, Slater, Simons. Happy with that and Doc, C. Jones, Woods and Pelkas to leave. A tougher tackling bastard would be welcome. AM - We only really have Traore who can play in behind, but he seems versatile enough that he can play deeper too. This has to be a big priority as well, somebody who can get the killer pass in behind the opposition defence. LW/RW - Connolly, Sinik, Allahyar, Ebiowei (if we resign him on loan) offer decent depth here. Jarvis, Snelgrove are leaving, Covil will no doubt go out on loan and I don't really know about Longman, if he finishes the season well, keep him around, if he's still inconsistent, loan him out. ST - Oscar and Tetteh - both very good at this level, but it's a position that you need to both invest in and build around so I'd expect good money to be spent here. Glen Sani can provide cover as he's currently playing three times a week for the stiffs/U18s and will no doubt be turning out for Hull City Ladies tomorrow, before driving back to play as an overage player for the U12s later that day. So for me, we need a striker for goals (preferably a quick one), a LB to do left back things, an AM to provide the striker with a killer pass so that we aren't relying on crosses and a reet **** in midfield. For the tackler, Ben Whiteman at Preston or Josh Eccles at Coventry. If we're going abroad, Miha Zajc from Fenerbahce on loan is a decent shout too. Striker is trickier, but I think a smaller quicker striker would be better than another tall lad. Ryan Hardie at Plymouth or, if we're going to spend a moderate to good amount, Johnson Clarke-Harris at Peterborough (at 28 he's both experienced and scored 12 last time he played in the Championship). A left back? Derry John Murkin. If you've not heard of him, check him out. He plays for FC Voldendam in the Netherlands and just...wow. Can play LB, WB, LW, really surprised he's not playing for a bigger club. He's English too, which is great for work permit reasons. For the AM, I'd probably spend more here than I would on a striker. A fantastic AM can dominate games (we've seen it with Geo, Koren, Diame and recently with Bowen and KLP), either play wide or centrally and be a goal threat themselves. Could Acun pull it out the bag and bring in Arda Guler from his favourite Turkish club? I think he'll ask. We also were linked with Kahveci but given what he cost them to buy, I can't see it unless the FFP is a sleight of hand. You'd get change out of £10m for all of them (assuming the foreign players are loans and we're just paying wages). We'll be in good shape next season, we have the spine of a great team but we need to stop picking up these injuries at key moments and upgrade those key areas with some real quality.
Ditto....Didn't he go? lets assume he's not coming back.. Come what may, we're going to need some quality in midfield. A Sander Berge type at the blunts, wouldn't go amiss. though, I suspect, that type is not easy to find or attract. Unless Man City have one kicking about in the stiffs....Cole Palmer would be a decent steal on loan for the season...
He is coming back, he'll be back with the group in Summer. Whether he wants to come back is a different matter entirely. He's a very good player, he just didn't get much of an opportunity and pre season will give Rosie a chance to have a proper look at him and decide whether he can fit in or not. He was homesick and then injured and then not in the team, so this loan will hopefully reinvigorate him. Tommy Doyle at Man City would be a good signing if we can wangle it.
