Lalkovic, Jennings and Berry.

Our squad consists of 19 players. Before the start of the 2014/15 season, 10 of those had never played a professional game before.

We gave debuts last season to Smith, Bree, Holgate, Maris, Cowgil and Abbott, who all came through the youth system. They're still all kids on kids contracts and will hardly make any dent in the budget. More importantly, they've played so few games between them, no one is yet sure if they'll make it. We hope they will, but hundreds of young lads have hope. Unfortunately it's not enough and we can't rely on thes lads to perform week in, week out. Even if some of them are good enough, they're too young to be able to do that without succumbing to injury, as Bree proved last season.

Three of the squad are from non-league with no professional experience before last season. Williams, Roberts and Phenix have only one league start between. I'm sure the contracts they are on will reflect this.

Davies also made his professional debut last season.

Not that we'd want to, but if you got rid of all that lot you'd save tuppence 'appeny.

That leaves us with 9 players who had played a league game before last season.
Digby is only 20, has come up through the youth system and has still only made 9 league starts.
Watkins managed 8 league starts for Chelteneham before moving to non-league, then a season with Inverness.
Hourihane, Winnall and Scowen were all signed from the basement division.
The only players on our books with any experience of this division or above before they came here, so could reasonably demand decent contracts are Turnbull, Nyatanga, Bailey and Lalkovic, who had a season on loan at Walsall. Bailey and Lalkovic are already on the transfer list. Nyatanga's Championship contract ran out this summer, as did all the Championship contracts, so he'll now be on more reasonable money.

The squad of 19 consists of 7 kids, aged 20 or under; 3 signings from non-league, with no experience at all to speak of; a winger who was surplus to requirements at Cheltenham, with just 8 league games under his belt in English football; a Slovak with one season on loan to Walsall to his name; a goalkeeper who made his debut last season, who has only made 22 starts; and just 6 experienced players. Of those only Nyatanga has played more than 200 games. And Bailey is transfer listed.

If we haven't got the lowest wages in the division, questions need to be asked as to why. We're not carrying an excessive amount of players, we're through the bare bones and in to the marrow.

Completely agree. But to turn it in to a good League 1 side, you don't start from scratch again, you sign a few players in key areas to compliment what you've already got. With Williams or O'Sullivan in the team we looked pretty good. We were an average League 1 side, but only a few players short of a good one. Now we're almost back to square one and I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if next season turns out like this one. We had no choice last summer. Those on Championship wages had to be dispensed with. We had every choice this summer, but we've voluntarily decided to begin again. It's barmy.

 

This. With bells on.

I can't imagine he was on a high wage, plus he definitely showed potential. Even if Johnson didn't think he was going to be in the starting lineup next season, I'd have expected him to sit him down and say summat like "look Luke, as things stand I don't expect you to be in my starting XI come August. I want you to prove me wrong. I recognise that you didn't have long to adapt to league football and then you had to try and adapt again to a change of manager and tactics. You're a young lad, you've been given a great opportunity at this club, it's not going to be easy but you need to force me to change my mind. I want you to give it fvcking everything in preseason as nothing would make me prouder than having to admit I was wrong as I put that teamsheet up on August 8th (or whatever the date is)."

 

Nope.

Berry was not good enough.

And 22 is generally more than an age to form an opinion.

How old is Stonesy?

The only thing Berry has going for him in this argument is that the bloke who secured him regularly played him out of position .

Anyway, we'll see.

I will take evens that Berry will never play in the Championship.

Anyone wanna bet?

 

We're not in the championship. Berry is good enough for L1, he was our best player for a spell early doors last season even though he was out of position. He then disappeared, came back at very end of season and performed well again. Opinions eh.

 

Remind which spell was this please, he was certainly never our worst but to class him as our best at any stage is very questionable

 

Mmm.... (IMO) well Berry was good enough for L1 lower reaches.. but if ya wanna bet!!........

 

Look through the archives on this very site, all there on record. There was an early player of season thread (around October/November time I think) where him and CH took most of the votes.

 

it'll be interesting to see how many 'championship' quality players Johnson fetches in,i mean lets face it the same backroom staff are here that filled our squad quota last year,with many of the said squad now being sent packing.
We are where we always are at this time of year,stuck wondering when we will see some quality turn up,wondering who will get booted out of other squads.**** alls changed except for the name on the managers door.

 

He'll play in L1 again. Probably not the championship but as I said that is irrelevant as we're not in the championship.

 

Well it is not irrelevant if ya wanna bet.

And even you don't think he's worth a place in the Championship.

Which is where we wanna dream of going.

 

http://bbs.barnsleyfc.org.uk/showth...-so-far&highlight=Berry&p=1594041#post1594041

There you go. This is where you tell me all those opinions were wrong.

 

We dream of the PL too, we shouldn't be recruiting for the PL though.

 

"Every game I go to it's a different player that impresses me. Seen brilliant performances from every one of Wilson's first choice 11."

Thanks for that quote. What a wonderful world under Wilson it was. I'd forgotten.

Berry the "Unsung hero" hardly qualifies for little more than maximum effort. He wasn't awful - ever. He was limited and will be forever thus.

Bet's still open.

 

What bet?

 

Berry playing in the Championship

 

Have you read my posts above? You have because you commented. I don't think he'll play in the championship. Why would I take a bet on it?

And you do realise he's about 21? The payout wouldn't be for another 15 years if he didn't play in it.

 

I guess if you don't rate him you will be offering good odds

 

I need to meet someone who does rate him! More than our league. That's where I get good odds.

 

Dunt matter.

If you express an opinion on summat then there may be a market for it.

You think he's only good enough for L1

So we'd offload if we went up. Which we would not (go up) anyway if he was centre mid.

Not the player we need.

Probably very nice bloke. His ambitions (and perhaps limitations) seem to be mirrored by his happiness at, age 22, to scuttle off down a league.

All is well.

 

Two years? No chance...