How many players do we need to recruit in the summer ?

I'm thinking ten, before we even start to think about loaning six or seven. Be even more if we sell anyone.

 

Minimum?
One left back
One covering full back for both sides
2 strikers
One winger
One central midfielder

That is assuming that all the out of contract players resign and all the loan players go back to their clubs.

 

Depends on how many we retain.

 

It'll be none,

 

Give it a rest.

 

Who knows Marley and Josh may decide to stay. Then there's the players out on loan, of which at least 3 are strikers. Also, if is 10 not all recruitment is directly for the first team. So perhaps not as big of a first team rebuilding process as you seem to suggest.

 

You don't think we will retain Ryan Williams?

 

Probably need a dozen but more than likely nearer fifteen new players.

 

10/12 including loan players

 

Can't see it unless he as a option,

 

This the big issue - not the performance against Brighton. Which ever way you cut it we are looking at a major re-building job, whilst at the same time trying to get results to stay in the league. With all the loanees going back - apart from Gethin - it's tough enough. But the likes of Marley and Josh have seen four of their mates go this season for big buck wages so in my book are unlikely to stay. And then there is Roberts We are asking far too much of Hecky.

 

We need the majority of new lads in for the first week of July, to give them a pre season together, because no matter how fit they are they'll not be up to the standards of the rest of the squad what's left of it. our friendlies this summer could be crucial to us hitting the ground running again. We had a squad with momentum coming into this season, it needs to be built this summer and pre season is all we have to do it in.

 

I'd say 10-12 based on an assumption that Scowen and Watkins will go and that we don't sell anyone.

Tall order which is why we need the structure in place soon to help Hecky. Can't be relying on part time Maurice.

 

Yeah that will be the very least. Six loanees. 2 in Scowen and Watkins who will be offered more elsewhere. Fringe players who have no chance of being a regular for us like Townsend, Evans, Lee etc might want to leave to play more regular first team football. Yiadom, Roberts and Mcdonald I'd sell them all if they didn't sign up longer as I'd rather lose them in the summer than on the cheap next Jan.

 

No idea. But I bet there'll be fans complaining if we haven't signed at least half a dozen players by the start of July. Then there'll be others complaining on the quality of the new players before they've even pulled on a Reds shirt and still others complaining where we've signed the new players from (especially if they're from lower down the footballing pyramid). Then, after 31st August, some will say we haven't signed enough, or the quality of our squad is weaker, perhaps both.
It's been the same every Summer since the introduction of transfer windows, so I see no reason why 2017 will be any different.

 

Apart from the old days when we ran with a squad of 12/14 and saw 1 or 2 changes each season.

 

How do even know who's staying or going? Pointless question.

 

Yup. Before the transfer windows were introduced.
I remember the Summer of 1979, after we'd won promotion from Division 4, and we had what seemed to me to be a glut of new signings. It was the grand total of four (Ronnie Glavin, Norman Hunter, Gary Pierce and Bobby Flavell).

 

Well let's look at each position:

Goalkeeper: Davies, Townsend, Walton: fine, no need to recruit

Full-backs: Yiadom, Evans, Jones, Elder, White: I don't expect Elder or White to be here next season. Hopefully we can sign Jones permanently and whether Evans stays or not depends on if we think he's good enough. So overall I'd say we'll need 3; 2 if Jones signs

Centre-backs: Roberts, MacDonald, Jackson, Kpekawa: as it stands, I think we're ok. Depends whether we think Kpekawa's good enough as a centre-half. It will be hard to keep hold of them all, but currently we wouldn't need any

Wingers: Hammill, Williams, Kent, Watkins, Hedges: obviously a lot of variables for this position given we have a lot of versatile players, but Kent won't be here next season, Watkins will be difficult to keep. Williams has to earn a new contract, so we may need 3 players who can play out wide

Centre-midfielders: Scowen, D'Almeida, Moncur, James, Mowatt: James clearly won't be here next season, Scowen hard to keep. However the other three will be; Sessi like a new signing. So I'd say 2 if Scowen doesn't re-sign, 1 if he does

Strikers: Lee, Bradshaw, Armstrong, Watkins, Payne: this is where we're weakest seemingly. Armstrong won't be here next season, Watkins difficult, Lee unlikely to stay. So we probably need 3 new strikers

So overall about 10 as it stands, but will probably end up being more. However there are lots of players who I've not included on this list from development squad. If we're lucky 1 or 2 might prove to be good enough next season. 10 seems like a lot but we signed 14 last summer. Recruiting is something we're used to and something we're good at, so it's really not worth worrying about; I have plenty of faith in the club to sign what we will need

 

They were great times following the Reds, much like now. How on earth we managed to get through a whole season with so few players and one sub seems incredible by today's standard. What would have happened if we had 3/4 injuries I wonder?