Can I this time get my tuppence in first. If we stay up this will put us up another level - the first season surprise will be gone and the squad will have to be that much better to survive. I would suggest that PL will want to add at least 5 players to the squad in the summer. At the moment, if my calculations are correct, we have a full squad of 25 when you include Howson, Bennett and Chris Martin. Naughton will go back to Spurs but I would imagine that PL would like to get him back next year which brings us back to 25. Quite clearly Wilbrahams will not be offered a new contract but who else goes? We probably still need at least 4 more departures - Adam Drury? Simon Lappin? Chris Martin? Even if you agree with those 3 we still need at least one more and I already know that there are people who will disagree with the 4 departures I have suggested. Just a simple question before the discussions start about who should be bought in the Summer. If 5 have to go who should they be?
Chris Martin, Aaron Wilbraham, Simon Lappin, Leon Barnett and Adam Drury would be my best guess if we HAD to lose five players.
I'd have to put Leon Barnett among the 'casualties' of increased success - which of course means survival in the top flight this season, by no means yet guaranteed. When Whitbread and Ayala had a few games together they started to look like a decent CB pairing, but alas, injuries took their toll (not for the first time in Zak's career, worryingly) Barnett has come in and done 'a job' but is hardly cultured at playing the ball out of defence, which we need players to do at this level. Harsh, I know - sounds like culling deer in Richmond Park, but something that will need to be addressed. Sooner rather than later.
Despite all recent criticisms, I have every faith that Paul Lambert will know exactly who needs culling and who needs bringing in! Let's face it, his track record over the past thirty-odd months hasn't been too shabby! OTBC ILWT
We still have this deal set in place with Peterborough that they can take a player of ours when Bennett comes at the end of February. I would expect Barnett to go there and never come back.
I think if somebody came in with the right amount of money, any of the players that don't play on a regular basis could go. I realise that sounds obvious but in all honesty, anybody could go, if we needed to get rid of players.
Agree with that 100% and he won't let sentiment stand in the way!! The main point that I was trying to make is that many supporters are very happy to set out who we should buy but are very reluctant to set out who should leave which is just as important in this squad of 25 era. We can't now hang on to players to ' give them more time ' or because ' they might come good sometime ' Any player in our squad next season must be able to come in and be guaranteed to perform immediately at a Premiership standard which means that some of our current squad will have to go if and when PL signs new players.
Don't forget though, players 21 and under don't need to be registered as part of the 25, so that might free up some spaces if Lambert brings in a couple of younger players.
Thats the first time ive heard that ? I thought the idear of the loan back to the 28th Feb was to give them time to find a replacement, if this is the case we should have just taken him the night we signed him & gave them Barnett then ?
Good thread, we need to have a cull and let's be honest with ourselves there are a couple of our players who are punching a bit above their weight, most of our team have adapted but there is one or two who have been mentioned in this thread already who are not Premiership standard. This is future of this club and to compete with the best we want the best we can have and if that means getting rid of players that has to happen, one massive problem our club has had in the past is fans being overly sentimental 'His heart bleeds green and yellow''His been a club stalwart for years' grow up and let's get a grip of the situation here.
Good answer, Northampton - but you never got round to naming any names! The other major factor in this hypothetical discussion is/will be the system PL employs game by game. Last season Crofts tended to play at the base of the midfield diamond, to break up play leaving Fox largely in charge of inventive distribution. Now we have Johnson, who can fulfill the same role, has a better engine, and as we saw in the recent Sunderland match, Crofts on the right hand side of a midfield diamond looked totally lost and was a weak link. It's hard to comment on this thread for fear of being seen to 'have a pop' at certain players, but we can't accommodate them all, assuming Lambert has plans to strengthen in the summer. Which he will.
Well on sky sports it says we have 26 in our squad Carra, of which I make ball, Rudd and steer u21 so that's 23. Bennett to come in makes it's 24
Wilbraham Barnett Lappin Drury Chris Martin. Some loyal servants but I can't see them in Lamberts plans or they are not at the level required.
