Leadbitter - Ipswich - Free Scored 5 or 6 this season (2 against us) Green - Derby - Free Think this is someone AP indicated we would look at. King- Man U - Loan Season wasn't impressed initially, now he's a must. Hammill-Wolves-Fee Assuming we had the money to put in a bid previously,are we likely to follow that up in the summer? Lafferty-Rangers-Fee no idea how long he has on his contract or even if we could afford hi But he is the type of player we need in the lone role. Kevin Davies-Bolton-Free Why not? Out of contract at the end of the season awesome hold up battering ram player. McShane back to cover centre half and rb. I wonder if he would split is remaining year over 2? He'd start to look a better value Championship player then, I think the club like McShane too? Garcia - Retain, he's looked dangerous and creative since he got a run in the side. Can perform in a number of positions-surely a no brainer? Kightly-Wolves-Free Sell Stewart/McClean Fryatt although the Jurys out!
Leadbitter sounded good to me until someone pointed out that their fans don't rate him much in a poor side. Woudl he be any better than McKenna or Evans? Green is an interesting one, I wouldn't be surprised to see us go for him at all, but does anyone know what kind of player he is? I've got it in my head he's a McKenna type but I don't know where it came from, it's probably nonsense. Hammill, Lafferty and Davies are probably unlikely and the last two certainly seem like the type of players Barmby doesn't like. I'd keep Garcia but get rid of McShane if possible. Not sure if the club would want to split his contract fr 2 years. It was helpful for Kilbane to do it when we had cash flow problems but to be honest it'd be nice to just get him of the wage bill. Kightly has scored some good goals for Wolves, seems unlikely to me. I'd be a bit sad to see Stewart go and I wouldn't want us to lose Fryatt (even though his finishing annoys me, yes) but McLean can leave as long as he's replaced.
I think Paul green is the one we will be looking at (of course AP confirmed as much in January). It's been said by derby that he won't be signing a new contract and won't be involved in their final two games this season. I would caveat it by saying Leeds have been heavily linked with him as well so I'd imagine there is a bit of interest elsewhere.
We need a replacement for Oli - an ATTACKING and creative midfielder. McKenna isn't one, so we aren't looking for a direct like for like player. Fryatt wont be sold as he can score, and you couldn't buy anything similar at the price we'd get. We will struggle to find a striker who scores as they are like gold dust. Why sell one that does? Hammil was loaned to Middlesbrough - after we had a bid in for him. Not sure that was down to wages or to King being here... Wonder if he is realistic based on these facts - and reckon the sides going up will snap him up?
We should look at Rangers. If the administrators have to go the way of setting up a new business and selling the assets to the new company (leaving the debts behind) then all of the players become free agents. (they signed their contracts wth the old business and an employment contract can't be sold as an asset like a service contract could)
we need 2 goal scoring wide players. I think Barmby will play Fryatt and Koren up front next season. I can't see us getting a big name striker.
Lafferty would be class. Someone I know who is Burnley mad said they are due another installment from Rangers in the deal that took Lafferty north of the border. I think he'd be ace as an additional attacker.
I don't either but Barmby has said he wants Fryatt as his spearhead for next season. I don't think he will have Koren out wide either. I would like to see Koren in the middle of midfield in a 4.4.2 but that will never happen.
Agreed, I want to see Fryatt, Koren, and a specialist lone striker rotating to suit the opposition and vary our tactics. If we had the option of starting with slick passing and movement, a little and large up front, or a big man up front that the wingers and Koren would work off it'll be really difficult for teams to set themselves up to defend against us for 90 minutes. It's even more difficult if they don't know what we're going to be doing in the 'holding' positions as well but the 4th variation is a seperate debate.
Fryatt could work in the 3 behind the striker, he showed great skill coming from wide for his 3rd v Barnsley. I'd love a Lafferty or Steven Fletcher type player to be signed. Not at all likely, but if we shuffle the pack a bit then you never know! I'm pretty concerned about the documented 4/5 players we're signing, if we really are going to lose anywhere near a dozen. The words squad, paper, thin spring to mind! Ah well never dull in Hull!
It's no more dramatic than this season's problems, which I know I've been banging the drum about all year but I think looking at the numbers makes it look worse than it is. Kilbane, Harper, Adebola, and Atkinson haven't contributed much/anything to miss this year, and Basso, Gulacsi, Oxley, Peet, and Mannone only need two players to sign to replace them, so you can lose 9 out of contract players and only bring in 2 without affecting the squad depth we've had this season. If another 3 go and get replaced then we've offloaded 12, brought in 5, and have the same number of first team squad players. EDIT: The extra 3 that leave and get replaced could be King, Brady, and McLean, although I'd then hope that one or both of the loanees were their own replacements, if you know what I mean.
I'd agree, but up until the last 2 months we've been lucky with injuries, the last 2 months have been incredibly tough and ultimately the team ran out of steam during 'Mad March', as much to do with lack of quality replacements.
I agree it's still a problem, I'm one of the ones that's been saying that and predicting it all season. But I think people who are only just seeing it after March, then seeing 12 out and only 5 in are thinking that actually makes it a far worse situation next year than we've had this year because it's hard to believe when we've struggled for numbers that we've got 7 players out of contract that have effectively been deadwood. I know Basso, Gulacsi, and Mannone haven't been but I'm counting one of them that way, but we only brought Mannone in because Basso became deadwood due to his injury. If he hadn't we'd only be talking about cutting the squad by 6 instead of 7.
What about goals from the back? 21 minute hat-trick tonight from a centre half (albeit only at Southend)
