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Players for next season

Discussion in 'Bristol Rovers' started by Captain Jack Sparrow, Apr 23, 2018.

  1. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    So we know we will be in L1 next season. Will DC be happy to aim for a 3rd season of finishing around mid table again? I don't think he will. I have no doubts that he will want at least a top 6 finish. And to do that, we need our strikers to be actually scoring more goals. L1 will be a pretty good strong competitive league next season for sure. To make the top 6 then, I feel we will need at least 2 strikers to score 15 or more goals each and a 3rd striker reaching at least 10 goals.

    So far this season, our 3 strikers have done the following.
    • Harrison has scored just 12 goals and made 3 assists in 41 league appearances. Not too bad. I would hate to think where we would be now this season without his goals!
    However....
    • Nichols has scored just 1 goal and made 2 assists in 36 league appearances. Sorry but that is shocking.
    • Gaffney has scored just 7 goals and made 4 assists in 41 league appearances, although he has been a sub quite a lot!
    8 goals and 6 assists between Nichols and Gaffney from a combined 77 games. If you add Harrison into this then it reads 20 league goals and 9 assists, which really is what we want to see from just 1 striker, not from 3 strikers combined!

    I don't want to upset anyone but DC has a major decision regarding Gaffney and Nichols. Has Nichols been worth the money that we paid for him? Over £300k apparently. Are these 2 players good enough to push us from a mid table team to a top 6 team? Personally, I don't think so. Hard working players yes, but we need to win more games and you do that by scoring more goals. In their position, hard work alone is not enough. Look at Luke James last season. He ran his socks off each game. But failed to score a single goal.
    Harrison, has done enough. Compare this season to last season then for me he is our most improved player. He deserves another season with us I feel.

    I wont mention loans as they are not ours and I would keep if possible all development and youth players to continue to develop them as I feel we are doing things right with them. Also, I don't know how long players have left on their contracts so I am basing my opinion as if they will be out of contract. I appreciate some of the players I would let go would still be under contract so I wont get my wish. But here goes....

    Personally this is what I would do with our 1st team players.

    GK:
    Smith - KEEP (good keeper, needs a better defence in front of him)
    Slocombe - KEEP (good keeper, needs a better defence in front of him)

    DF:
    Brown - KEEP (worth keeping, even if its a back up)
    Broadbent - KEEP (been a good player)
    Lockyer - KEEP (not been a great season but worth keeping and continue develop him)
    Craig - KEEP (bags of needed experience to help Lockyer)
    Partington - GET RID (too injury prone)
    Leadbitter - GET RID (too injury prone)
    Clarke - GET RID (too injury prone)
    Burn - GET RID (not good enough)

    CM:
    Sercombe - KEEP (my player of the season)
    Lines - KEEP (worth keeping as very experienced at this level and will help youngsters coming through)
    Clarke - KEEP (worth keeping as a back up but need better)
    Sinclair - 50/50 (works damn hard and epitomises the Rovers way but injury prone. maybe worth keeping)

    WINGERS:
    Bennett - KEEP (been brilliant since his arrival 3 goals in 14 games for us)
    Mensah - KEEP (still early days so give him a season and see what he can do)
    Moore - GET RID (not good enough)

    CF:
    Harrison - KEEP (had a good season for him. see if he can build on this for next season)
    Gaffney - GET RID (i think we can find better)
    Nichols - GET RID (1 league goal in 36 league games is not good enough. has had a lot of chances)

    So out of 20 players in the 1st team that we own, if I was DC, I would let 8 go and be left with only have 12 players. So I would either promote some development players or go on a strong recruitment drive to fill in some big gaps. DC needs to be ruthless and not just keep some because they are his mates. If he wants a top 6 place next season then he needs to add experience at the top end of L1 like Tony Craig but not necessarily as old as him and we also need some creative players who knows how to take dangerous set pieces and 2 players who actually knows how to score goals regularly to help Harrison.

    Over to you DC.
     
    #1
  2. Delsy

    Delsy Active Member

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    Well, after the final three games of the season it will probably become more apparent to the management team that the side definitely needs strengthening as I can only see us realistically picking up another point from this years campaign which would be a very disappointing end to the season.

    The main problem that I see is actually attracting quality players to the Rovers in the first place, it is a bit of a catch 22 situation in as much as we need a stronger team but we also need an up to date stadium for them to play in, I think currently we are going to struggle to bring in decent players whilst we are still playing in a dilapidated and ram shackled ground. So, what is the answer ? do we take a 'hit' on the playing side for a season or two and put all efforts in to rebuilding the Memorial Stadium so that we can attract both players and supporters or do we carry on as is in the hope that we can pull a few rabbits out of the hat and progress the team up in to the next level ? One thing is for sure, if the latter did happen then the Mem in it's current guise would not be good enough in today's game to host Championship football so sooner or later the ground situation has to be addressed as it is in my mind holding the club back.

    Oh, and I agree with you about Nicholls, a huge let down and simply not good enough.
     
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  3. smhbcfc

    smhbcfc Well-Known Member

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    CJS - a turnover of half the squad would be a big change - could take time to settle

    Maybe going for 3 or 4 quality players in key positions might serve you better?
     
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  4. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    We need a new stadium urgently.
     
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  5. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    If we want to remain mid table this time next season then you are right about 3 or 4 players. Remember, teams around us will be improving their squads too. To progress into the top 6 then we need 8 to go and replaced. Yes takes time to settle but now its key for DC to act quick to get them in as early as possible to settle during pre season so they are ready for the start of the season <ok>
     
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  6. Gasheadseamge79

    Gasheadseamge79 Well-Known Member
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    If it was up to me I would keep Harrison, Sercombe, Bennett and probably Sinclair the rest I would sell on and I'm being serious:emoticon-0148-yes: I don't rate any of the GKs or any of the defenders I believe we can't equal last seasons points so says it all about the squad
     
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  7. Gastronomic

    Gastronomic Well-Known Member

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    I would keep Sinclair because I think his all action hard work rubs off on the other players and he can be pretty effective. Harrison's scored more than 12 in all competitions hasn't he?
     
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  8. Delsy

    Delsy Active Member

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    I'd let Sinclair go, he's had his time with us and just because he runs around a lot doesn't warrant him a place in my team for next season if we are to seriously push on, he reminds me a little of Derek Randall years ago in the Test team, his batting went off the boil but because he charged around all day in the field stopping fours he was still getting selected, until that was the hierarchy wised up.
     
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  9. Gastronomic

    Gastronomic Well-Known Member

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    Sinclair's had quite a few outstanding games. He won the free kick that Lines scored from at Plymouth and he's one of those leaders that makes a difference. We always need players like that, and I remember when we got rid of the likes of Disley we were missing that extra ingredient and we paid the price with a lot odf lacklustre performances. Sercombe's really good too, but you need two or three of those sorts of players in a squad because they tend to get injured and you need that sort of Frankie Prince to really get stuck in.
     
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  10. old timer

    old timer Well-Known Member

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    I would be sad to see J Clarke or J Partington leave promote Tony Craig to player coach defence Leadbitter and Burn to go, replace Craig with a pacy 27/28 year old defender Lockyer Broadbent and Brown Keep Bennett, Sercombe, O Clarke, and Mensah, not sure about Lines and Harrison. Slocombe and Smith to stay unless we can find a better keeper and my choice to stay if that happens is Slocombe.
     
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  11. smhbcfc

    smhbcfc Well-Known Member

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    How many are out of contract?
    I assume some of them will be under contracts that don't expire this year - so moving them on may be more difficult?
     
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  12. Gastronomic

    Gastronomic Well-Known Member

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    Harrison's a good candidate for player of the year. He's been excellent.
     
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  13. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    14 in all comps. But 12 league goals in 41 league games.
     
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  14. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    Contract lengths are closely held to DC's chest. He doesnt like that known public so we have no idea who will be under contract next season. I know DC likes short term contract wanting players to prove they want to play for us and earn a better contract. However, the bad side of this is that when a player does well for us on a short term deal, they get snapped up like Taylor to you and Bodin to Preston.

    I did say in comment 1 that I have no idea what length the players still have on their contracts but for the purpose of this thread, I am pretending all will be out of contract.
     
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  15. old timer

    old timer Well-Known Member

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    Both GKs are under contract for next season as I believe are Harrison, Lockyer, Sercombe, Broadbent and probably Nicholls
    I guess we are going to need a LB with Browner going
     
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  16. old timer

    old timer Well-Known Member

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    Heard a strange rumour that Rovers and Stoke have agreed a deal for Dominic Telford but because he couldn't sign until the window opened they didn't play him to keep him out of the shop window, apparently was told that they rate him very highly
     
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  17. old timer

    old timer Well-Known Member

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    Bristol Rovers have appointed Tommy Widdrington as head of recruitment. He has played along side DC managed DC and recommended him for the managers job at Salisbury which he got and the rest as they say is history
     
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  18. Delsy

    Delsy Active Member

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    You scrub my back and I'll scrub yours !
     
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  19. old timer

    old timer Well-Known Member

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    The comment was made Delsy that there was no system in place so it is a step forward, he has just come from Coventry and they haven't done to badly this season
     
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  20. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    https://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/2018/may/30.04.18-widdrington/

    Manager Darrell Clarke today strengthened his backroom staff with the appointment of Tommy Widdrington, who will take on the newly created role of Head of Recruitment.

    Widdrington, who began his career at Southampton, went on to play for Wigan Athletic, Grimsby Town, Port Vale, Hartlepool United and Macclesfield and ended his league career back at Port Vale.

    Along the way he scored 24 goals in 372 league games and won promotions with both Grimsby and Hartlepool and played alongside Darrell Clarke during his time at Victoria Park.

    He joined Salisbury City in 2005 and remained there for five years, and was player/manager for the last of those. Darrell Clarke took over from him as manager of the club.

    Tommy enjoyed a brief spell as assistant to Paul Sturrock at Southend United before joining Hemel Hempstead Town as manager.

    In February 2012 he took over as manager of Eastbourne Borough, where he was in charge for five years.

    He was appointed Head of Recruitment at Coventry City in April last year and it’s from the Ricoh Arena that he links up again with Darrell Clarke.

    Everyone at Bristol Rovers would like to welcome Tommy to the club and hopes that he enjoys a long and successful career with us.
     
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