The players we are likely to lose fall into 3 categories. a) not up for the championship fight - Jelavic, N'doye, Hernandez - b) likely to be wanted by PL teams for a reasonable fee of course - Chester, Robertson, possibly Dawson and possibly Brady - and c) Those we let go - probably Mcshane (hopefully not) and maybe Quinn (again hope not). Even without those players we can field a strong championship 11. We need new forwards anyway and the midfield will hopefully benefit from a fit Snodgrass and Diame. We won't be far off the front runners with the bookies come August.
Is it Buckingham who put novel on that? This is the drip drip drip of negativity we get from the local press. Why the **** shouldnt we be favourites. We finished 5 points above Burnley and 7 above QPR. We have experienced PL players who will be staying. We've got a lot of good young players with a lot of experience and very few over 30. There will be outgoings but there'll be incoming too. Keep the faith
Looking at the quality of players who are likely to stay for next season I'd say we are definitely favourites for promotion IF we can find two quality strikers and a top GK. The rest of the team will be very strong with good depth...This could be our opening day line up. Hard to beat if we can stay relatively injury free. New GK Chester Dawson Macca Elmo Snodgrass Meyler Diame Brady Two New Strikers Bench...McGregor Rosenior Maguire/Bruce Robertson Quinn Ince Aluko
We can get a top GK if we prioritize it. What we need to do is sign Bill Hamid for our number 2 keeper. His contract runs out at the end of this season and his current salary is only ~ $2,100 or 1,357 pounds a week. He is the future US number 1 and current MLS keeper of the year. Anyone who watches DC United knows that he will be a great keeper. So we get him on a free then give him a 100% raise, hell even a 200% raise puts him at 4,071 pounds a week for the future US number 1. If there is anything that we the US actually do produce in this sport its keepers. Uh, and he has refused a new contract because he wants a move to Europe or England if possible so it isnt like he doesnt want to come over anyway.
I'll be backing Ipswich next season. Would have been quids in this year with Bournemouth, had I not put it in an accumulator.
That is a good side except you have no strikers on the bench. I do not think that a Premier League side will come in for Jelly owing to his dodgy knee and a fellow Championship side will not offer him better than us. If he goes anywhere it will be back to Croatia (imo). N'Doye is one who may get an offer from a PL Club but it will be to sit on the bench so I think he will stay too - unless he goes to a second tier European Club. Aluko is not a striker and if there is a thousand to one chance of him scoring he will take it rather than pass the ball to a team-mate who has a better than evens chance of scoring - he could be a very good player in the Championship but he plays for Sone Aluko and not the team - he has to go!
I'll say once again, has everyone forgotten just how ****ing good Aluko was in the championship? If he stays injury free like he did this season he should easily hit 20 goals.
Again that's the key though isnt it? Even then he was fleeting in appearance. Yes he was at times outstanding, particularly against TWS at home, but staying fit will always be his issue. Hopefully a 'quiet' season like he's just had and a full summer will help.
I maybe wrong I don't know, but I don't think we were as fit as other team's this season we always looked knackered half way through the second half.
If Aluko scores 20 goals in one season it will be the biggest miracle since Jesus Christ rose from the dead! He has scored 10 goals in one season but once - in the Scottish Premier League! I have said many times that Sone Aluko plays for Sone Aluko and not the Club he is being paid by. If there is a thousand to one chance of him scoring or passing to a team-mate with a better than 'evens' chance of scoring, he will take the thousand to one chance every time. He is supposed to be an attacking midfielder/winger and NOT a striker - he isn't a strikers @rsehole! Have a look at the Man U game late in the second half when he makes a feeble attempt at goal with Jelly screaming at him, unmarked, in a goalscoring position. Nah! Get rid!
Can't see Macca staying. Lenihan is another prospect of ours - bought to be a similar player to Robertson but on the right. Dudgeon could stay next season too. Are we lumbered with Sagbo?
Let's hope there's somebody stupid enough to take Sagbo then. Shame about Joe. He was good in the Championship for us - don't really know why he was stopped being picked.
Sagbo's out of contract, it makes no difference to us if anyone is interested or not and Dudgeon was out because he was injured when he went out on loan to regain his fitness, he couldn't make the Barnsley team, he'll also be released.
I agree he'll be released, but wasn't he brought in to Barnsley on loan because their favoured youth academy graduate led back was injured, and once he was back fit their manager preferred to continue development of their own player rather than ours? Seem to recall something along those lines.
