James - I don't think your joking and I actually agree with you. Last game of the season and nothing to lose other than a bit of pride. Difficult choice for Hessy bearing in mind he probably does not want to get any stick in the final game of the season, so he could be tempted to play a strong squad. However, in this situation as the manager, I would do exactly that and bring Miller in to get some more first team experience under his belt. I'm not really a fan of the pre season friendlies and I would prefer to use a game such as this as a test. I'll be there Saturday and if we lose so be it, but if Hessy demonstrates doing something constructive for the last game then I will come away happy with defeat. I really do not care whether we come 8th, 9th or whatever league position. Maybe the ideal opportunity to try out 442 with a couple of wingers < cough >
Is it just me or would anybody else like to see a mixed team of players being released and youngsters? Players like Oli and Lawrence, despite their faults, deserve to have one more run out at Preistfield in my opinion. So what if we lose 5-0? It doesn't change anything and would let the kids get 90 minutes of football under their belt for next season. Also I would let people like Whelps and Lee go on holiday already, why? What good are they to us if they pick up an injury and miss a large part of next season! The kids and rejects for me on saturday please
Gesundheit. We should take this opportunity to rest any unfit or half fit players...you'd probably be surprised at just how many we have. All for trying some of the youngsters out, not sure about the idea of using this as a "pre season friendly" as there's still a summer ahead. If Davies is fit, include him. Give the likes of Miller, Dack & Brown some experience at being in the matchday squad. Oli and Lawrence I think are no goes, but I guess one last hurrah is a distant possibility. I'd like to see us line up with the following:- Gazzaniga Fish Essam King Jackman Whelpdale Lee Spiller Weston Kuffour Kedwell SUBS Flitney/Hawkes Evans Dack Miller Vine
Tom - thank you - lol I would not play anyone in this game who would not be with us next season. Therefore in the politest sense I hope your selection is wrong.
hess says all the right things "we need to go out on a high" ! hess can i just say have you looked back at the season and last couple of months...does it really matter...REALLY !!! I would go with the new crop and include in the squad of 17 i.e. evans, davies, brown, dack, parter, miller and also king and carter....but when the manager puts...go out on a high, he will pick the squad we have seen most of the season, which helps no one ! not looking forward to next season with our deluded boss, he will keep richards, weston plus spiller and put them in the starting eleven alongside frampton, fish, martin, montrose anf kedwell....when that line up is the main reason we are where we are this season...just don't see our season improving under hess's stewardship ! new coaching staff needed for us to improve and move forward !!!
I hope I'm wrong too buddy. But I can see Hess playing his cards very close to his chest RE: out of contract players, so I just don't think he would give an inch by not playing some members of the squad in this and therefore leaving their futures up for debate. Personally I'm intrigued as to what will happen in pre-season. I have no doubt that Hessenthaler will still be the man in charge, and I have my reservations as to whether or not we will add to the current coaching staff. But the man has some big decisions to make when it comes to playing staff. Is he bold enough to make wholesale changes and get rid of some of the more senior out of contract players? A couple of months ago, I would've said yes. But now I'm not so sure.
Close to his chest Tom? I think he has made his intentions very clear already. In the link brb supplied he said he is looking to freshen things up and the cash will be made up form letting players go (paraphrasing of course), I feel the writing is on the wall for Lawrence, Weston, King et al.
