So according to LJ there are some decisions being made this week on who to retain. He says we have already told some if there future lies here or elsewhere. He doesn't mess about and i sense his frustration so far has not being the ability to bring in players to play his way. Hence 7 loanees. However i wonder what the decisions are. Who would you choose in a two horse race if you had to make space for new signings. Digby vs Abbott Crainie vs Ramage Mvoto vs Nayatanga Hemmings vs Ibhere Jennings vs Lalkovic Davies vs Turnbull Cowgill vs Holgate Smith vs John Pearson vs Scowan Hourihane vs Bailey Berry vs Stewart Waring vs Winnall Discuss
They're odd combinations. Take the strikers for example, you've out target man V striker and then another target man V striker? Surely it would be waring V ibehre andmhemmings V win all if anything?
Surely not even a discussion with most of those, decisions wont come down to a straight 'him versus him'. All the loanees won't be in the reckoning. Digby's last chance saloon was yesterday and i doubt we'll see him here next year.
Maybe one or two seem so. Some are like for like match ups while some are based on the thinking of who he will bring in new and needs to make space, expected salaries etc. I believe its like chess, you might sacrifice a pawn to take a rook. My point is this is the kind of thinking that LJ will have to go through. i.e. to get Waring you might have to sacrifice a bigger salary. Its not just about the style of each individual.
Correct. There are many more things to consider, team ethic etc, but this is just an exercise for our forumites and the logic we apply. Of course we aren't all LJ !!
Digby vs Abbott - Keep 'em both. Young players on low wages who may improve. Crainie vs Ramage - Keep 'em both if they'll sign on the wages we can afford. If keeping just one then Cranie as Ramage is too injury prone. Mvoto vs Nayatanga - Keep Nyatanga, if he'll sign. Release. M'Voto. I like him, he plays well for 99.9% of every game, but in the 0.1% he costs us a goal and we can't afford that. Hemmings vs Ibhere - Realease Hemmings. Given a one year contract as he was a gamble. The gamble hasn't paid off. Ibhere is OK, but no more than that. If we genuinely are looking for promotion then we need to be looking for better. If we're interested in consolidation then he's your man. Jennings vs Lalkovic - They're both contracted to us so I would imagine they'll both be in the squad next season. One is talented but struggling for fitness. The other is lively but often looks like a dog chasing the ball about, with it never in control. Let's see if Johnson can improve them. Davies vs Turnbull - Keep 'em both. Talented 'keepers and a position where we don't need to recruit. Cowgill vs Holgate - Keep 'em both. Kids on small wages with potential. Smith vs John - Keep Smith, he's ours. Let John go, who offers little in defence and is inconsistent at best in attack. Pearson vs Scowan - Keep Scowan, he's ours and he's talented. Pearson is OK, if Man Utd release him and he's prepared to sign for us on a contract that fits in to the wage structure then go for it, but we shouldn't be trying to break the bank to bring him in. Hourihane vs Bailey - Keep 'em both. Skilful players with something to offer. Berry vs Stewart - Keep Berry, he's ours and he's got potential. Let Stewart go back. Waring vs Winnall - Keep Winnall, obviously. Enquire if Waring is available. If not, look elsewhere.
Waring is out of contract, obviously we'll have to pay a fee but we'd be daft not go for him for such a small fee. And i think he'd really want to stay if given the opportunity.
Digby vs Abbott - Both but loan them out Crainie vs Ramage - Ramage Mvoto vs Nayatanga - Nyatanga Hemmings vs Ibhere - Ibehre Jennings vs Lalkovic - Neither Davies vs Turnbull - Both if Turnbull is mendable and mended Cowgill vs Holgate - Both Smith vs John - Smith Pearson vs Scowan - Scowen Hourihane vs Bailey - Both Berry vs Stewart - Berry Waring vs Winnall - Both
I fail to see this obsession with... keep the young players.. If there not at least in or around the first team squad at 19-20ys, then show em the door One of the best players this season as been Donny Rovers Coppinger, Who some on here would have sat in a bath chair, shoved round by a nannie. Age should have nowt to do with it... if they can play, play em. if not then bye-bye. The only reason we now have a fixation on young players is if we get a good en, we'll sell him, so PC don't have to put his hand in his pocket as much
So have others. It's not really intended as a debate on the virtues of a player versus another more so if you had to choose to keep only one.
Agree with all these decisions and the reasoning behind them. At a push may try a little harder to get Waring.
I'd take that as media talk. He should have known for the past month who is good enough and who isn't. We will be better next season with Waring, JOS and Ryan Williams all permanents this summer
