Starting eleven for next season and players to axe

While I understand it’s pretty early to be throwing out a first team eleven before the season is out, and before we’ve had a chance to assess the decisions around the out-of-contract players, what are your first impressions on what the team should look like next season? With Marcus Evans publicly stating the squad will rely heavily on our young players and existing first team players, maybe this long-needed investment in the squad won’t happen? If you could field a realistic starting eleven next season, who would you go for and what formation? My initial feelings:


--------------------Bart

New RB--Nsiala--Woolfenden--New LB

------------------New DM

----------Bishop ------ Nolan

------------------Judge

----------Harrison----New CF


Priority in the window must be a new striker (realistically two, if you can offload Jackson and fail to sign Keane, who I’m not overly sold on), a new right back, a new left back, and that deep-lying, defensive midfielder. I think that new DM, who has similar attributes to Chalobah, would be incredibly effective and provide an immediate improvement on Skuse (who looks too slow and ponderous on the ball) and Downes (who I don’t think possesses the vision and passing attributes to do the role justice in a diamond).

I think if we can get a 4-3-3 to work, and many teams have managed to do this effectively, then we need to get the attacking players playing with more confidence. Just imagine an effective sitting midfielder behind a fluid midfield quartet of Judge, Nolan, Bishop, and Lankester (with a prolific forward ahead of them). That should lead to the attractive, attacking football we’ve been chasing for several years.

Regarding outgoings from the squad, I’d wave goodbye to Gerken, Knudsen, Spence, Collins, Bree, Elder, Adeyemi, Dawkins, Chalobah (sadly he’s off, probably to a play-off competing Championship side next season), Quaner, and Keane. To offload players in contract, I think Donacien, Roberts, Rowe, and Drinan should be sold off for whatever we can get. If we can get good money for Dozzell, we’d be foolish not to cash in with a few incentives.

 

I'm not a big fan of the diamond formation, especially with our personnel, who are way too static. I love old fashioned wingers, so for me i'd prefer to see a 442, with two out and out widemen in the team(i appreciate this doesn't help the full backs, but if you can get a couple of decent defensive minded full backs, this shouldn't be too much of a concern.
Bart, i'm convinced will be sold (prob for about £1.5-2m). Dozzell, also i think will be sold (again, for roughly the same 1.5-2m)
I'd love to see Rowe given an opportunity for us, i think with decent coaching could be a decent player in L1 for us.
CB's, i'm not sold on Toto..i'd probably go with Chambo and Wolfy at the back, with Toto covering each of them.
So, on that basis...

--------------------Gerks (until Wright becomes good enough)

New RB--Chambo--Woolfy--New LB

Edwards, Bishop, Nolan, Rowe

Judge

Harrison

Also, if Huws can stay fit, then you can add him in to the mix (but probably in a 4-3-3, replacing either Rowe or Edwards, whilst pushing the other up either side of Harrison)

I'd agree with all your outgoings (bar Gerks), but it will be interesting to see if Adeyami will be kept on. If he is, and stays fit like Huws, could be a real big player in L1 for us (imagine a 100% fit midfield of Bish, Huws and Adeyami!!)

 

Fair points, and I have sacrificed Edwards for my diamond midfield, which is a hard decision as I've been generally impressed when I've seen him play (although I take the point that his away form has been underwhelming). I only pick the diamond because I think our best games this season have come when we've used that formation. I think it does rely on having a good footballer at that DM position though.

Regarding Bart, I'm hoping the big cut to the wage bill, and the relegation clauses in the players' contracts, will enable us to keep him for another season at least. If we can get him back to his full confidence (and in a fancied Ipswich side in League One, there's a good chance he'd get back to previous performance levels), then he'd easily be one of the goalkeepers in that division.

Interesting on keeping the faith with Rowe, Huws, and Adeyemi. I think Huws can certainly factor in the team when he gets back to full fitness, and will further boost our options and quality in midfield. Not a fan of either Rowe and Adeyemi and wouldn't be sad to see them go. Predictably, Rowe will probably go to Lincoln and have two stand-out games against us ...

 

The thing is with Huws and Adeyami, on their day, and 100% fit, are too good for L1 (!!), so to have them on our books already, is so frustrating to not be able to use them.
If either of them are sold, you can just see another McGoldrick scenario, where they go to a good team, stay fit, and put a huge contribution in.
It's a tough one, so maybe Lambert will see how each of them do pre-season.

 

Anyone think we will/should keep Grant Ward?

I’ve never been his greatest fan but perhaps League One would be more his level.

 

Depends...if we can a million for him, and use that to fund full backs or a forward, then get rid, we have plenty of midfielders that can do his job

 

in the case of Grant Ward, I'd do a similar deal to what we did with Luke Varney after he got a long-term injury in the play offs. So support Ward in his rehabilitation at the club and give him six months to impress. Unlike some on here, I think he can be a good squad player at the club. Would seem pretty harsh to just cut him loose when he was injured playing the club, even if his contract is due to expire.

 

Dean Gerken Strong reserve
Janoi Donacien Will be shown the door
Jonas Knudsen Quality left back
Luke Chambers Keep in reserve
Trevoh Chalobah Will go back to Chelsea
Gwion Edwards Key player
Cole Skuse Not good enough, get rid
Kayden Jackson Play him regularly or move him on
Ellis Harrison Give him until January to make an impact
Jon Nolan Key player
Jordan Spence Liability, move on
Will Keane Key signing to make
Teddy Bishop Rotation midfielder
Tristan Nydam Surplus to requirements
Danny Rowe Rotation midfielder
Grant Ward Could cause damage at this level
Freddie Sears Blows hot and cold, move him on
Flynn Downes Rotation midfielder
Aristote Nsiala Fringe CB, retain
Andre Dozzell Bad attitude, move on
Tom Adeyemi Who knows?
Callum Elder Waste of space
Aaron Drinan No idea
Josh Emmanuel Not strong enough
Harry Wright Play him in the cups
Myles Kenlock Solid back up
Alan Judge Key player
Luke Woolfenden Key player
Bartosz Białkowski Key player
Jack Lankester Important attacker
James Collins Crocked, move on
James Bree Waste of space, back to his club
Emyr Huws Assess fitness and consider releasing
Collin Quaner Not good enough, back to his club
Simon Dawkins Waste of space

Key:

In the XI
Squad / rotation player
Last chance saloon
Move on, but the manager may decide differently
Expect to leave / strongly should leave
No ****ing clue

So this gives us:

Bart
XXX / Woolfy / XXX / Knudsen
Edwards / XXX / Nolan / Judge / XXX
Keane / XXX

(12 players because we need to be able to adapt)

Reserves:

Gerken / Wright
XXX / Nsiala / XXX / Chambers / Kenlock
XXX / Bishop / XXX / Downes / Rowe / Ward
Harrison / Jackson / XXX / Lankester

So I think we eventually need to sign:

0 goalkeepers
2 x right backs
2 x centre backs
0 left backs
1 x right mid / right wing
2 x CDM
1 x left mid / left wing
2 x strikers + Will Keane

However we cannot sign 10 players in this window so critical signings to be in with a chance of promotion are:

1 x right back
1 x centre back
1 x CDM
1 x left mid / left wing
2 x strikers + Will Keane

Time to put your money where your mouth is Marcus.

 

Do you think Knudsen will stay? Seems one of the most likeliest to leave at the end of the season, particularly as he'll view League One as being beneath him (rightly or wrongly) and the relationship with Lambert appears to have broken down.

While I think Keane would bag goals at League One level, I don't think we're in the financial position to offer him the contract he would want, unless he is willing to take a heavy pay cut and no Championship club comes in for him on a free.

 

Forgot about Lankaster...jeez we have way too many midfielders if all fit.

 

Look at it this way - we are going to have to pay a hell of a lot of cash to get a new left back in of a similar level, especially when we have so many positions to fill. That's a bridge that Lambert needs to build.

 

Agreed but no quality CDM or box to box player and that's why I think it's probably time for the likes of Skuse, Dozzell and Huws to move on now.

 

But if he doesn't want to stay (and there's every indication he wants a fresh challenge based on his words and actions this season) then he will reject a new contract, even if we do want him in our first team plans. I think we're realistically going to have to rule Knudsen out and focus on bringing in a new left-back.

 

No question he may well leave - but the manager will now have League One in his focus - looking at the players he needs, the resources, the task at hand. The player may also have a change of heart if there's not an obvious opportunity for him somewhere else and the doom and gloom behind us.

Bringing in a new left back and letting Jonas go when there are so many holes in the side already, absolutely bonkers IMO.

 

I think you're in for some disappointment on this front then, Hampy.

I would be shocked if Jonas was in this squad for next season. Don't forget, this is a player who has been angling for a move out of the club since his World Cup call-up and arguably since Mick left. I agree, he would have been a more than capable League One left back, but I think it's quite clear he doesn't see his future with us, certainly in League One. He will be off abroad, possibly back to Denmark, where he'll get more money than dropping a level with us.

 

I'd be amazed if Jonas was still with us next Season.

 

We are told that the way the club has run has changed.

Are we going to continue to have a tin pot mentality or bust our balls to build a competitive team? That is the question here.

 

Granted we need a competitive, high-quality squad, but we don't need want-away players that have spent a majority of this season throwing their toys out of the pram. I wouldn't even argue Knudsen has had a good season. Not many of our players have, for obvious reasons, but I've seen nothing this season from Knudsen to justify breaking our backs and handing Knudsen a massive, appealing contract to stay next season.

 

What reason has he been given to stay or perform? If the owner and manager were behaving that way then why on Earth would he want to play for us? As far as I understand it he's still working hard and it's Lambert who has thrown his toys out of the pram over our two best full back options and replaced them with ****e loanees. We know he's a good left back. What we don't know yet is whether Lambert is still a capable manager or what Marcus is going to do in the summer.

 

He's been trying to put himself in the shop window ever since his World Cup appearances in the summer. He tarred the fanbase with the same brush and slated us for 'driving out' Mick. Lambert had to rely on the loan market for a left back in January because the club were told that Jonas had his eyes on something else and was fully expecting a move in that window. It didn't happen for him. That's hardly Lambert throwing his toys out of the pram. Lambert played him quite regularly until Knudsen's agent said about the projected January move.

I think the club handled his contract situation poorly, but then under Evans we've had a habit of running down player contracts and waiting until the final month or so to renew. I understand you rate Knudsen and think he's a good player, but he doesn't want to stay here and he's not good enough for us to throw stupid money at him. Time for both parties to move on.