From that starting 11 who should we be looking to get rid of? I'll start with - Frimpong - He started off looking good for his first game for us but Championship seems not for him! He's a loose cannon waiting to be sent off and offers little else. Return to Arsenal on 1 Jan Green - I love him to bits but..... it seems he is not for us Try to use him as a PX for Swindon winger fella Stephens - Any offer over £1m should be taken ASAP Hulse - Return to QPR... he offers nothing that Kermit can't offer Seabourne - Return to Soton and play Fox if Evina is not ready and perhaps most surprisingly,,,,,,, Fuller - not in the slightest VFM.... if he can find a new club then get rid So that's OVER half of the starting 11 and I'm sure we will not miss them. AllHell
Couldn't argue with any of those. I'm surprised Seaborne is still with us. It's not all his fault mind you because LM is a glaring weakness, and it would be hard for Fox to come into the team without decent support in front of him. It's hard for me to understand why Harriott has not featured at all considering how long we have had this problem. At least with Harriott you are guaranteed the same sort of enthusiasm and commitment that you get from Pritchard. LM is his natural position so you might be a bit nearer to getting a balanced team.
Can't really argue with any of the suggested departures. I think Frimpong is genuinely a class above but he's not doing it and he's not ours and we couldn't afford him so let's just stop pretending. Hulse divides opinion. I just don't see it. He's poor in the air - he really is, just watch! And adds very little on the deck. Kermit is struggling but he's no worse. Green makes me weep. I genuinely think we should build a team round him but any confidence has been knocked right out of him. cP clearly doesn't rate him so the door is over there. Seabiscuit is a stand in and should be removed forthwith. I'd add Kerkar, Cook and Wagstaff to the bin list. Err one problem, no one left! Another view is that we actually have quite good players but have absolutely no idea how to play. Man for man, I defy anyone to say that Ipswich were better than us in any position except for Martin who we know all about. Every team bar none this season (and many last come to think of it) looked better organised than us. Simple things like everyone knowing their positions and passing to each other. We've blamed injuries and no pace. Well we has plenty of pace in the team today and pretty much a first choice team. That is hinting at a very unpalatable truth I'm afraid. I don't want to go there.
It be a good idea to start Fox and Harriott at the same time. Partly because they should have some sort of understanding, and partly because it would take the pressure off each of them a bit. If CP wanted to do that, now is the time before Evina is match fit, otherwise it would be a slap in the face to him. I have noticed over the years that Sir Alex often bloods his youngsters in pairs like that. And for ForestHillBilly it would be like Christmas had come round again. Twice!
Difficult to agrue with most of the selections on this thread (Seaborne a bit unlucky, I think although he did have a stinker today) but - I think we've overlooked the spectre at the feast here - we must get rid of Leon Clarke - anywhere will do. Coventry are the latest to think about sampling his elusive talents apparently, with Tranmere looking as well. Pity Scunny were so boracic, that was looking like a dead cert. I'd also get rid of Cook if we can find any takers. The QPR striker situation is about to get very interesting IMO. On the evidence of today, Campbell looks the likelier of the two to return, as it's difficult to see what Hulse could offer. We could be looking at an extension until the end of the season. Matt Richie is who you're thinking of, AllHell - he was outstanding in the recent thumping of Tranmere. The club also needs to decide what to do with Yado Mambo - they can't keep loaning him out forever.
Wagstaff, Clarke, Hughes, Sullivan and anyone else who is realistically just going to go when thier contract is up and won't feature. Especially Andy Hughes though because I think he had a bogey on the CAFC Christmas Greetings Video. But bring back Danny Hollands, into the first team.
I'd like to keep stephens unless a 2mil offer comes in then he can run off and play in the prem, could easily get a decent player for 2mil to replace him Hollands come back Hulse and Frimpong go back Fuller I would happily get go for a decent offer for him Get a few lower league but decent players Richie would be top of my list
I think Cook should get another chance. He has hardly had any game time We need Hollands back on form. Get rid of Hulse. Seaborne is OK but he had a terrible game today. His first four games included four clean sheets I think. Green should stay. I feel he adds another dimension to the team. Stephens to villa. We should bring in Cox Ritchie Wordsworth Mcgoldrick And possibly another cb? But I doubt we will spend more than we sell.
We won't get much for Stephens the way he has played this season. We missed the boat there, I'm afraid. Lucky to get half million now. Maybe another half million (at best) for Green, Clarke and BWP in total. Ritchie and McGoldrick will now be too expensive for us. Wordsworth has been out of the limelight with Colchester struggling and might now be affordable and happy to move. They might take a few players plus cash for him. Which Cox? Dean Cox of Orient might be affordable. CP won't get rid of Cook though could loan him out. And he will keep Hulse until the end of the season whether on loan or on a permanent.
Lucky to get 500,000 now. But could still get two better players for that money. (I mean better right now, not talking about potential). Why on earth would anyone want to pay a fee for him? We got him on a free and he is injured 80% of the time so who would want to match his salary, let alone pay a transfer fee?
I never said a fee.... take him off our hands free up wages could work for us, even a sub 100k deal and the freeing of wages would be good
The squad doesn't need a huge overhaul, but a few more additions. Some of the dead wood can be sacrificed for a bit of extra cash but talk of fuller, Stephens etc bring scraped isn't the solution. These players went on a 8 game run, so no fluke feat. They have come up short a second time this season but we have been found wanting when we've faced a scenario of 2-3 players missing through suspension and injury. So rather then a mass mid season clear out (has that ever happened), CP will have to be shrewd with what's offered and get rid of the players that haven't been in the line up/squad. I'd keep hulse, not a world beater but I think there is goals there. Frimpong hasn't gone as expected, but he was never staying. Seaborne hasn't been as good as the first four games but he has been no different to our own players in the defence since. One thing I would say about those 3 is that you can't say they haven't tried. We don't need much to achieve mid table. We don't need anything to consolidate IMO. But the mumblings of play offs during our unbeaten run has once again left a lot of people to feel worried and think we are massively underachieving. Reminds me of the days when curbs would take us on 8-12 unbeaten runs, talk of Europe kicks in, but is then followed by 10-12 winless runs with curbs out talk.
The problem for me is that during that 8 game unbeaten run we never had a consistent starting 11, and I still don't think Powell knows who our 'best' 11 is or any plan to get the best out of our better players. I'm not saying Powell should go, but he should look at the Cardiff match (second half in particular) and benchmark that as the next starting 11 in my view. The Hulse / Haynes partnership was by far the most effective so why the need to change? In terms of out I would go with the following immediately: Frimpong Green Seabourne Clarke If we get a decent fee for Stephens (£500k+) bite their hand off. Hollands has to come back in my view. He is a million times better than Frimpong.
Mary, sorry but we do need something major done and starting with getting rid of the dead wood will be a first step Frimpong - has shown nothing and if any Prem Club have watched him with us then they would be mad to sign him.... I just hope we don't get lumbered Seabourne - He's a centre back not a left back so gives us nothing in an attacking threat down the left Hulse - why is he better than Kermit? He can't play WITH Kermit so it's an either or...... plus I hate the long ball game we play when he starts Fuller - highest paid player in the squad and wants to win the game on his own.... he just disrupts the team ethics when he starts.... Jacko would have scored if he hadn't got in the way yesterday Stephens - his head hasn't been with us this season, get the best price we can for him and get somebody in who is more reliable or even Hollands Green - He seems to need a long run in the team which it seems the good doctor won't give him so replace with somebody more reliable (Wilson will be at RB when we sell Solly) I love Greeny but it seems we are not the best Club for him. Other than Bristol City I can't remember any Club's supporters saying that we were the better team..... this has to change soon
When you say major, do you mean getting rid of 5-7 players to replace them with the same amount? I think we can get rid of a few players who are surplus to requirements, but see no point in doing that with players like Fuller and Stephens. Hypothetically, I think we will be more than fine if we kept the squad but signed two Championship quality midfielders - preferably on the left and in the centre. To me, thats not anything major. CP has spoken of what some of the players mentioned offer off the pitch. There is a lot to be said about characters like that at a club, something that we missed for 3 years.
No I mean getting rid of 5-7 players and replacing them with 3 or 4 good ones Left Mid, Centre Mid and goal scorer
Do we need to get rid of all of those players though? The squad has been tested already and the would leave us even more short. Couple of the dead woods, but I'd like to keep Stephens, green, fuller etc IF possible. If we have to sell them for finances then ok, but not gettin rid for the sake of it. CP has often spoken of the tight knit of the squad, and there is something o say for that within a team.
The striker situation is a bit muddy to say the least: BWP-seems to be on his way out. Kermit-doesn't look 100% fit yet, let alone match-fit. Fuller- ditto, plus appears to have an ongoing hamstring problem playing on his mind. Haynes- played mainly as a winger nahadays. Dodgy hamstrings? Hulse- Our fittest striker. Divides opinion I thought he was OK yesterday. Azeez- One for the future, but hamstring problem at the moment.
They didn't AH, can't deny that. But a mass clear out isn't the answer IMO. But who knows, maybe the doc agrees with you and is planning a busy January as we speak. I just think 2 good midfielders, a returning wiggins and a settled front 2 (believe we have the players there already) will see us comfortably safe.
