werthersoriginal
Well-known member
- Joined
- 9 Dec 2017
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Someone will be along to explain why the players are wrongScrongo's 'Donkey' is Players Player? Getaway!
Someone will be along to explain why the players are wrongScrongo's 'Donkey' is Players Player? Getaway!
Is this a cryptic crossword clue?Scrongo's 'Donkey' is Players Player? Getaway!
Yes. I noticed that. A proper captain’s interventionOver the two legs against Peterborough, Moore has probably been our best player.
There was one shot in the first half last night which he bravely stuck his head in the way of, didn’t flinch.
Also liked the way he took charge of the situation when Rodrigues was being booked, pushed the Posh player away whilst having a chat with the ref and calming Ruben down a bit.
If we win on the 18th, then Moore's one of probably only 3-4 players that I would expect/hope to see starting our first game back in the Championship (not that it was called that last time we were in it!). Although there's many more of our current players that I think can be part of a successful squad at that level.
Ciaron Brown has also been a titan this season, and especially over the last couple of months, so would want him to stay next year......but I think we would desperately need a faster ball-playing CB to play alongside Moore at that level.
If, Heaven forbid, we don't win - then happy to pencil Moore-Brown in for 46 games in League One next year!
How many do you realistically see being here if we stay down?
The critically panned and forgotten follow-up to The Small Faces opus 'Ogdens Nut Gone Flake'.Scrongo's Donkey done good
One of the reasons I’m feeling weirdly placid about Saturday is that, even if we don’t win, I now have a huge amount of confidence in Des, the squad that I think will stay and our recruitment team to come back even stronger next year.Want or expect?
If it's want, then I think I would be absolutely happy with starting next season in League One with 9 or 10 of the starting XI from yesterday plus a new RB (and maybe a new GK.....although Cumming has been massively improved since the Shrews game, and is slowly winning me over). The summer would be all about putting together much better depth than we have now.
Expect? I think the players we might lose, in descending order of likelihood are Murphy, Tyler, Cam & Moore. Best guess, we'd probably lose the first two but keep the latter two. And then our summer becomes tougher because we also have to replace them (although hopefully we're then counting a big pile of cash from the Goodrham sale. I'm not advocating that we sell him unless it's a big offer).
One of the reasons I’m feeling weirdly placid about Saturday is that, even if we don’t win, I now have a huge amount of confidence in Des, the squad that I think will stay and our recruitment team to come back even stronger next year.
Agree that Murphy and TG will go. However, I don’t think any of our other contracted players have been obviously standout enough over the course of the season to be tempting to Championship clubs, and we’ll be able to keep a really solid core. As you say, Moore and Brannagan are the obvious two, and their performances in these playoffs will have attracted some attention, but I think Brannagan’s chance to move was a couple of summers ago, and I don’t think Moore is mobile enough or young enough to appeal to Championship sides. Harris, despite a strong second half of the season, I don’t think will have done enough to attract second tier sides, and Rodrigues, too, I think has shown that he would struggle at the increased pace and physicality of a level up.
We’re not as reliant on loan players as we were in even the first half of this season - only Stevens is likely to get recalled, and, with Cumming out of contract, his remarkable uptick in form I think would merit a contract offer there. So little disruption from that perspective.
We will likely also be bidding (very fond) farewells to some players who have been great for us - Henry and Bodin, and (to a lesser extent) Browne, Thorniley and MacEachran, you’d imagine. (Possibly MacGuane? Although I wouldn’t be averse to triggering his option.) This frees up further budget and allows Des to bring in players that are more suited to this new style, rather than having to fit square pegs in round holes.
We’ve seen this year that a core of a squad of Moore, Brown, Bennett, Leigh, Long, Brannagan, Harris, Dale and Rodrigues, among others, all of whom I expect to be here next year, can be a top end League One squad. Supplementing this core with more attacking options on the wings, a stronger right back option, further central midfield strength and more busy bodies to rotate the two 10 roles I don’t think would be too difficult, and would see us right up the top again should we still be in this division come August.
My only worry is that (apart from the last few games) when we were winning 4-0, 5-0 it was Murphy who was the catalyst of those victories by being just a clear step above this level. If he leaves we will struggle to recruit a left winger who can operate at that level, and without that we will look a little less threatening.One of the reasons I’m feeling weirdly placid about Saturday is that, even if we don’t win, I now have a huge amount of confidence in Des, the squad that I think will stay and our recruitment team to come back even stronger next year.
Agree that Murphy and TG will go. However, I don’t think any of our other contracted players have been obviously standout enough over the course of the season to be tempting to Championship clubs, and we’ll be able to keep a really solid core. As you say, Moore and Brannagan are the obvious two, and their performances in these playoffs will have attracted some attention, but I think Brannagan’s chance to move was a couple of summers ago, and I don’t think Moore is mobile enough or young enough to appeal to Championship sides. Harris, despite a strong second half of the season, I don’t think will have done enough to attract second tier sides, and Rodrigues, too, I think has shown that he would struggle at the increased pace and physicality of a level up.
We’re not as reliant on loan players as we were in even the first half of this season - only Stevens is likely to get recalled, and, with Cumming out of contract, his remarkable uptick in form I think would merit a contract offer there. So little disruption from that perspective.
We will likely also be bidding (very fond) farewells to some players who have been great for us - Henry and Bodin, and (to a lesser extent) Browne, Thorniley and MacEachran, you’d imagine. (Possibly MacGuane? Although I wouldn’t be averse to triggering his option.) This frees up further budget and allows Des to bring in players that are more suited to this new style, rather than having to fit square pegs in round holes.
We’ve seen this year that a core of a squad of Moore, Brown, Bennett, Leigh, Long, Brannagan, Harris, Dale and Rodrigues, among others, all of whom I expect to be here next year, can be a top end League One squad. Supplementing this core with more attacking options on the wings, a stronger right back option, further central midfield strength and more busy bodies to rotate the two 10 roles I don’t think would be too difficult, and would see us right up the top again should we still be in this division come August.
The interesting stat is that NO team going up to the Championship last season cane down.I don't think the gaps in class - including NL to L2 and Championship to PL - have ever been greater in recent times. Will be fascinating to see how we recruit should it be at Championship level.