Now that we have most of our players released, re-signed and a transfer or two coming in, I wanted to get down on paper a 24-man squad for next year, see where we still have work to do. Would be interesting to see what you guys think, and what our priorities are. I have also made a note of nationalities, as even if most of the signings to come are from Europe etc we will still have a British core; GK ? GK Pope - Eng GK Philips - Eng DL Wiggins - Wal DL Nego - Fra DR Solly - Eng DR Fox - Eng CB Morrison - Eng CB ? CB ? CB Lennon - Eng ML Harriott - Eng ML ? MR Wilson - Eng MR ? MD Buyens - Bel (Loan) MD Poyet - Eng (Contract yet to sign) MC Cousins - Eng MC ? MA Jackson - Eng MA ? CF Vetokele - Ang CF Ghoochannejhad - Ira CF Church - Wal CF Piggot - Eng CF Parzyszek - Pol Missed anyone? Or any youth that could fill any roles? I make it we need: 1 First Choice GK, 1 First Choice CB and a Back-up CB, 2 Wide Midfielders - 1 for either wing and another decent central midfielder - Only 6 signings to go! Note: MD - Defensive Mid MC - Central Mid MA - Attacking Mid JA
Players who have got a contract. Holmes- Dennis, Daniels, Sho- Silva, Osborne, Gomez( not announced yet), Pyke, Edwards.
Has Wood definitely gone now? If not he'd be decent backup if Gomez has a good preseason and starts for us.
To be honest it looks quite good on paper. I think we will play a 433 system so actually need less players than you said.
I cannot see anything remotely "good" about it. Of the squad which struggled to stay up last season we have lost Hamer (no replacement), Wood (no replacement), Dervite (no replacement), Poyet (replaced by Buyens*), and Kermorgant (no replacement). Plus a lot of deadwood. We have gained Vetokele** and Ghoochanejhad who, on the strength of his World Cup performances, might be good enough to replace Church on the bench, and some new deadwood. Harriott, Cousins, Pigott and others will be a year older, and should be better. But every club in the League has youngsters coming through and too many of ours are developing three steps forward and two back. At the other end of the spectrum, Jackson is injury prone and getting ever slower. In my opinion the squad is much weaker than the one which struggled last year, and is doomed to go down unless we make three or four good signings. Those who believe Powell was a terrible manager might feel the new man can make the difference. I have nothing against Peeters. He could prove to be a top guy, but I don't think anyone could do much with the rag bag assortment we have left. And he needs to get off to a bright start otherwise he will have all the pro-Powell and pro-Riga partisans on his back and our remaining decent players, Cousins, Wiggins, etc. agitating for transfers. So what is "good" about it? *I appreciate that Buyens is not a direct replacement for Poyet, but now Cousins can revert to his "natural" DM position. That could work well if the new guy is up to Championship standard. ** I am expecting Vertokele to be of a similar style and standard to Cameron Stewart. A 400,000 quid player at the very best. If we have really paid 3 million euros then there has been some serious financial chicanery simillar to the ridiculous sum we were alleged to have pad for Parzyszek That would not surprise me at all.
