Without including the players we have on loan: Keepers Scott Loach Rene Gilmartin Jonathan Bond Defenders Adrian Mariappa Nyron Nosworthy Martin Taylor Dale Bennett David Mirfin Lee Hodson Carl Dickinson Lloyd Doyley Adam Thompson Tom James Midfielders John Eustace Jonathan Hogg Ross Jenkins Prince Bauben Chez Issac Stephen McGinn Piero Mingoia Craig Forsyth Mark Yeates Micheal Bryan Sean Murray Matty Whichelow Strikers Troy Deeney Chris Iwelumo Joe Garner Britt Assombalonga Gavin Massey * Not included Bonham, Hoban and Smith as they are youth players who are 18 * Thats a 30 man squad we have then!! Firstly, does this worry anyone in terms of our outgoings due to all these wages??? And secondly, even if Mapps, Mingoia and Bryan are sold in the summer, thats still a 27 man squad we will be left with which IMO is still too big. 2 players for each position i.e 22 players, surely thats all you need??? And finally, why do we have TWELVE midfielders??? If we were a 4-5-1 team then I could understand, but we're not. And thats without including Josh Walker who would make it up to 13. Personally, Id rather have a smaller 22/23 man squad with some quality about it than have a 30 man average squad with the depth. With a 22/23 man squad you can always loan in a player or two if the injury's start to mount.
Our midfield performances this year don't seem as good as you would expect with, in theory, so many players competing for places. We looked most effective in that department when Kightley and Kacanlikic were with us...which does support Mitch's view that fewer midfielders of more quality is what we'd like. The problem of course is how to attract such quality to Vicarage Road. At least we have Murray's development to look forward to.
Well said. Let's see if SD addresses this over the summer. I, for one, would axe a fair few to bring in one quality signing.
We have three goalkeepers, one of whom is a talented teenager, which is about right. We have three first team centre backs plus Dale Bennett, which is about right. David Mirfin is definitely leaving in the summer. We have three first team full backs plus Adam Thompson, which is about right. Tom James was definitely worth a punt. We have three first team strikers and two teenagers, which is about right. We are a bit heavy in midfield, but you can't really count McGinn when assessing whether the squad was too big this season, and you have to assume that at least two of Bryan, Mingoia, Whichelow and Isaac will leave the club this summer, not to mention Walker who has already been confirmed as leaving.
No, no. My point isn't WAS our squad too big it's IS our squad too big (i.e for next season) As Ive already mentioned, even if Mapps, Mingoia and Bryan are sold we will still have a 27 man squad.
Definitely a top-heavy squad - or to be more precise a midfield-heavy squad. I can see at least seven of those names leaving during the summer - Gilmartin, Mirfin, Jenkins, Mingoia, Yeates, Bryan and Garner. Don't know about Isaac though - possibly out on loan. Then, of course, there is the expected departure of Mapps............ That brings it down to 22.
Im just worried that if we dont get rid of enough players we wont be able to bring in more than 1 new player. The board will look at how big our squad is and probably want us to lose a certain amount of players before we sign any new ones. What if some of these guys dont want to leave? I.e what if Yeates and Garner think " nah, Im not joining any league 1 clubs, Im staying right here in the Championship " then what???
I think there could be a massive number of departures this summer: Definitely one of Loach and Gilmartin, plausibly both. Mapps, Mirfin and in my opinion Bennett. I'm confident that Bryan, Isaac, Mingoia and Walker will leave, and there are surely question marks over Jenkins, Whichelow and Yeates. And probably Garner. I've listed 13 players there, but however many it is, I don't think it's even worth discussing whether the squad will be smaller next year: it certainly will be.
remember when we had small squads with MM and fell away in 2nd half of seasons when injuries and suspensions hit ,this season there has been adequate cover for most eventualities,I do agree there are many shall we say squad players and I have always maintained this season we have been light on quality,However even average players when pushed hard have worked hard and I think to a degree have vindicated Seans plans! To keep us up easily with the squad we have is all power to SD . If we can keep Murray and get a decent quality loanee or 2 there is a base we can build on whilst letting some of the deadwood leave! I dont believe our squad is too big for a 46 game plus season,I do believe that a few need to be replaced ,but we have to operate under our financial restraints and do the bestwe can . we hada huge turnover of personnel last summer ,Hopefully this summer wont be as dramatic and a better start to next season can be allied to a fairly consistant season
That is the other thing Norway. If things go to plan next year we'll be playing at least 51 games. Now, I don't care how good Sean Murray is or how good a manager Sean Dyche is. No 18-turning-19-year-old midfielder will deliver for 51 first team games, plus a tougher pre-season than he'll have done before, plus international duty. It just won't happen. Even if Massey or Britt break through in the same way as Sordell or Murray have in the recent past, they're in the same boat. Lee Hodson tried to do it three years ago, and at one point we were wondering whether he would come back stronger from it. Jenkins was in the same boat it three or four years ago and we're still wondering. You could arguably put Loach into that category too.
I hope your right coz I would like to see a lot of departures happen (not Bennett though). My worry however, is that Yeates, Iwelumo and Garner are not even 1 year into their contracts, so which clubs are actually going to pay money for these guys in these hard up times??? And do you think our board will only allow us to bring in new players once at least 4 or 5 have left???
I think the squad could do with thinning, but not by much. We can get rid of Gilmartin, Mirfin, Tommo, Izzac, Yeates, Bryan, and maybe Mingoia. Tom James should be considered as a youth player as he needed to get some experience at this level and bed into a totally new environment. Dont forget, he was only a part time player before he joined. We used to moan we had no left backs and now we have 2.5. I never rated Gilmartin and think that Bond could be a 2nd choice keeper for the odd times we would call on him. Mirfin is no where to be seen so just let him go. Tommo is doing good at Brentford so why not let him continue there? Izzac is no where to be seen either so why pay him to do nothing?? Yeates is ****e!! cannot cross the ball, cannot take a set piece and runs like a hippo! Bryan has never really been involved so give him a chance elsewhere.
You say ' let him go ' and ' let him continue there ' and ' give him a chance elsewhere ' but what if no clubs come in for these players?? Or what if these players dont want to leave and would rather run down their contracts??
Great to speculate, that is what keeps football fans going over the summer. I think we must wait and see just what is going to happen behind the scenes. Finance will play a big part in the decision making and from my perspective we don't have too many options to sell that will pay the bills. Mapps will probably go for a decent fee, but where do you then look? Murray they will surely want to keep for a bit longer, but even he could go if the money is needed. Loach would not command the sort of money that was being talked about a year ago. Deeney could raise some cash, but not in the £Ms. Maybe something is being lined up to inject further cash into the club, I don't know, but unless we can keep the better players and replace some of the weak links, I can see us in the same position this time next year, happy to have survived, but not looking to challenge seriously at the top.
Well we got Mirfin on a free same for Gilmartin and Bryan, Thompson was a youth player as were Mingoia and Izzac. So money is not an issue there. The loan players are getting good reviews from their respective clubs, so im sure something can be worked out. You were suggesting that the squad is too big and it needs thinning, so the same can be asked of you.
No, we need strength in depth, with the youngsters out on loan and a even distribution on the bench. By the time you take into consideration injuries and loans, our squad looks quite thinnish..
Its all about quality rather than quanity which i think Dyche wanted to do first but then Hogg and Nosworthy have added some more quality to the squad...not just an extra couple of players. Tricky at a club like ours without the money hence relying on the youngsters which is good in a way but don't want to put so much pressure on them. Ofcourse we might need to get 2/3 strikers in if Mr Deeney is forced to take an enforced break...l
You have misunderstood lol. He asked what if we could not offload the players so i said i could ask the same to him lol.
