This may be paper talk but from The Star

<div class="headline" id="ds-headline"><h1>BARNSLEY DUO SET TO LEAVE </h1></div>

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<div class="off noprint" id="divGalleryLink">View Gallery</div></div></div><div class="byline" id="ds-byline">By Simon Meeks</div><div class="ds-firstpara" id="ds-firstpara">PORT Vale are poised to take Barnsley striker Marc Richards while centre back Antony Kay could switch to Huddersfield Town in the summer player shake-up.
</div><div class="va-bodytext" id="va-bodytext">Richards, who has not started for Simon Davey's team since February, and Kay are not expected to be on the Oakwell retained list when it is revealed later this week.
Richards, aged 24, almost switched to League One team Vale during the season as part of a swap deal for Leon Constantine. That deal broke down but Port Vale manager Martin Foyle is ready to revive it.
Out of contract Constantine, scorer of 21 goals, has already quit Port Vale.
Meanwhile 24-year-old Kay could link up with former Barnsley boss Andy Ritchie at League One Huddersfield.
Kay is out of contract at Oakwell and unlikely to be offered a new deal. He was dropped from Davey's team at West Brom on Sunday and fined for breaking club alcohol rules.
Ritchie is understood to be in the market for a centre half</div>

 

Ritchie has just released 7 players.

Including three centre backs.</p>

http://www.htafc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10312~1022545,00.html?ptvParm=</p>

 

Port Vale have released 7 players too.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/6638509.stm

 

Should Kay leave

I expect a centre half of established Championship or Premiership quaity be signed to replace him. Not some 18 year old with potential.</p>

If not, then The Board and management at BFC should be shot with a Blunderbus of their own excrement.</p>

 

so you would reject someone of the calibre of nyatanga then?

wasn't really established, in his teens, but certainly did a job for us....

 

RE: so you would reject someone of the calibre of nyatanga then?

If he was the only signing with Kay leaving ? I wouldn't reject him but he on his own isn't enough.

 

I know that, and probably everyone else looks at it the same way...

just your original post pointed out the scenario of one out and then one in... ie a straight replacement

 

We still shipped plenty with Nyatanga in.

We need full backs to complement our new Centre Half pairing for next season.</p>

We also need plenty of pre-season games to get the new back four used to each other.</p>

 

RE: I know that, and probably everyone else looks at it the same way...

Given what we signed last season under Davey's tenure, Eckersley, Jones etc youngsters who were no better than what we already had, I can well see Kay being replaced by an up and coming 'starlet' from a Prem sides reserve team. Nyatanga aside, who I'd be more than happy to see in a Barnsley shirt next year. ( Alongside Kay ideally )</p>

It's quite ironic seeing as it was the general wisdom on here that 'experience' was what was needed. </p>

 

And?

i wasn't talking full backs, just making a comment on nyatanga....

 

It wasn't just the back 4 last season

The way we set off under Ritchie with attacking widemen left the flanks exposed, and with Togwell in the main affording defensive cover, we were exposed at the back. Despite someone signing McCann and Davey setting out 4-5-1 on occasion, the back 4 were still given little or no protection under the new Messiah. </p>

If we are setting out with Devaney as (at least one) attacking midfielder and hoping that Howard stays, Davey needs to sign a mobile defensive minded midfielder to complement Togwell.</p>

Granted, he needs to look at the full back situation, because imho austin got worse as the season wore on. Hassell may be central defensive next year. Although again just imho, Heckingbottom let no-one down when he had to be returned to the side when Eckerthing hurt himself. Whoever the full backs are, they need much more help from the wide midfielders next year.</p>

 

Fair do

see your point...

 

RE: Fair do

Everybody does eventually.......</p>

irony'r'us</p>

 

my mate talking to Richards sat night

said him and kay defo off at the end of the season!

 

and where was he talking to him - Asda? nt

 

at last....

(clap)

someone else with some eyes with our wingers not being very defensive minded (we still need stonger full backs though), but they were very over run by a less than helpfull defensive side to there game

 

as ever

quoting the players that support your argument irrespective of the fact that Wallwork, Nyatanga, Ferenczi, Rajzci, McCann & Reid all contributed to survival this season and without them and with the original squad only its quite likely that we would have gone down. Its also true that the manager had little time or scope to choose since he only had days before the loan window closed last autumn and faced an uphill battle to bring in quality in January to a side looking destined for relegation.

I agree in part though now the manager and the board, unlike last close season, need to sieze the window of opportunity before the season starts to bring in some quality to the defence which is to say the least, just as last season, woefully innadequate.

 

Nah, I dont believe that for one minute!

You have a mate? Fack off.

 

agree though fullbacks are the key IMHO

capable of overlapping.

Agree about a more mobile defensive midfielder too or at least another winger with defensive ability and good stamina.

 

I only saw three games last season

But on returning recently from a trip, I watched the goals from le weekend, and have to say that
Mr Aitkinson looks ***** - for one of the goals I think he cowered away from the shot like a
girly girl