Interested in views on this.

At the end of last season there was one or two players that people generally would have liked us to keep, mostly the loan players.  However, I wonder if anyone still thinks there’s any player we had last year that they’d swap into the current squad and if so, who would you swap them for.  From my perspective I’d happily take what we have.

I also often wonder how Harry Davis now feels having opted for league football- I hope he got a big pay rise to be on place higher up the leagues!

I've actually forgotten them

Nope

I think Matete would compliment this squad very well. I would probably swap him for Scannell or Grant on the basis we haven't seen them yet this season.

I thought we would miss Hewitt and/or Menayese at CB but we haven't.

Strange how life turns out isn’t it -  Davis, Hewitt and Menayese all chose other options and all find themselves fighting at the wrong end of L2 again… and somehow we’ve ended up with 4 very good centre backs.

Matete if anyone. That said, who would he replace?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Matete if anyone. That said, who would he replace?

I'm really happy with our central midfielders, but Matete is absolute quality. He walks into our midfield. Anyone see that goal he scored the other day? Has lots of ability, but he backs it up with full on graft. He's some future.

The others? No, I don't despise any of them lot. They gave it their best go but weren't good enough to play for us as the manager was an idiot.

Matete. He would urine this league on one leg

Yeah would have Matete back tbf that's about it glad Hewitt, Menayese and Hendrie left or we might not have got Towler, Sears or Efete and would Waterfall still be here.. funny how football works out sometimes

Was pleased Hewitt went, he is a very limited footballer. I was borderline disappointed to lose Hendrie but he's been part of a losing team for an extended period of time and it's probably best for both parties he started afresh.

Not realy , this squad is 4 times better than last years  as it is.. and i think if we had got this squad and had stayed up we would still be seeing Grimsby at the top end of the league

I dunno, I do find myself pining for Matt Green from time to time.

I'd have Matete in, the person I would choose to lose to replace him who is new would be Revan or maybe Grant. Nit in the same position but only ones who haven't been excellent (Grant obvs due to being injured hasn't had the opportunity to be fair). Matete would be fantastic and I guess he could probably oust Fox, but that's sort of a case of being greedy really. Fox has been very impressive so far. And you never know, maybe matete might be an individually better player but would not fit into the team or group as well as those incoming this year.

I’d have Hunt over Matete all day long

As good as Matete is, football isn't about individuals, it's about balance.

Hunt and Fox look the ideal pairing in there to me and Fox will only get better in time I think. He's been kicking around this level having loan deals at several clubs in non league before and after his cruciate injury, then being released by Burton. He now has a home and is over his injury by the look of it. I think he's very good for this level.

Matete would have been as good, maybe better, but he wouldn't be our player.

I'd have James Morton over Alex Hunt, but then again, I've taken 4 kilos of crack this weekend.

Quoted from Poojah

I dunno, I do find myself lining for Matt Green from time to time.

Turning to ‘lining’ after watching Matt Green is drastic yet sadly understandable!

Owura Edwards and Matete are the only obvious choices for me, Matete really changed us and would walk into this side.

Says a lot that they weren’t even our players, although a few of the other loanees will be doing very well to be working at Tesco in the next couple of years

2  4  1     Edwards  and  Matete  for  Coke

Who's the one who used to make the tea at half time?  :)

Quoted from golfer

2  4  1     Edwards  and  Matete  for  Coke

Coke?! He really did clone your ST card didnt he

My neighbour tells me he's missing Ludvig, not his playing ability but his lodge money! ;) ;)

One thing I've noticed this season is that there is no scapegoat. There has always been a player that gets the wrath of the fans just by turning up, but this season every player gets nothing but plaudits. Strange?

The only player I miss was actually released the previous summer and that was Hassenthaller. Apart from that I am 100% happy with the squad. I think the balance is right and we have players available for many different formats. No square pegs in round holes.

Quoted from pontoonlew

Owura Edwards and Matete are the only obvious choices for me, Matete really changed us and would walk into this side.

Says a lot that they weren’t even our players, although a few of the other loanees will be doing very well to be working at Tesco in the next couple of years

Sousa > Edwards

Quoted from jamesgtfc

Sousa > Edwards

Like the sentiment and really like Sousa but Edwards is a level above IMO

Quoted from mimma

One thing I've noticed this season is that there is no scapegoat. There has always been a player that gets the wrath of the fans just by turning up, but this season every player gets nothing but plaudits. Strange?

It’s almost as if fans weren’t out there to ‘get’ players nor did they specifically turn up just to moan, they just got dived on by other fans when they dared to question a players ability.

This season we have a team full of quality and effort and the fans have responded in kind.

Quoted from pontoonlew

It’s almost as if fans weren’t out there to ‘get’ players nor did they specifically turn up just to moan, they just got dived on by other fans when they dared to question a players ability.

This season we have a team full of quality and effort and the fans have responded in kind.

Instead the concern trolls have targeted Hurst and the second we have a couple of bad results they'll go all in on him and probably find a player to moan about. McKeown probably the main choice.

Think waterfall / towler are at least as good as hewitt menayese , hunt & fox are at least as good if not better than anything we had last yr , people go on about matete & yes he was good but he played his part in our relegation , did he play 20 times or something , i think fox brings more & it mite not be everyones opinion , also think mcatee blinds everyone else talent wise from last year then taylor definatly an upgrade on hanson

I was asking myself who’s got the best loan deal Cheltenham with Pollock or ourselves with Towler. Towler wins hands down in my book and l think has the brighter long-term future of the two.

I miss Danny Rose.

*Cough*

Apart from Hewitt and Hendrie I doubt those that are no longer here would have been able to keep up with Hurst’s and the sides work ethic on and off the pitch. Matette and Edwards had ability but without the ball they where poor, look how often Soussa wins it back or tracks his man, in the first half yesterday he doubled up to do the defensive duties well.

The only one I would add would be Hewitt for his versatility, though based upon our best 11 I’m not sure he’s be a starter.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

I miss Danny Rose.

*Cough*

What’s with the cough? Been breathing in a little too much 5G?

Quoted from pontoonlew

Like the sentiment and really like Sousa but Edwards is a level above IMO

I know Edwards ended up playing a few Bristol City games last season but he's back in League Two this season with Exeter.

Both are similar players but Sousa does the defensive work too and is much more direct than Edwards.

I know Dembele is playing regular Championship football but I actually think Sousa is better for us than Dembele was. Much more end product and hard graft.

Quoted from Poojah

I dunno, I do find myself pining for Matt Green from time to time.

Is it because you have a banjo and cows @rse doing nothing ?

Quoted from rancido

The only player I miss was actually released the previous summer and that was Hassenthaller. Apart from that I am 100% happy with the squad. I think the balance is right and we have players available for many different formats. No square pegs in round holes.

I agree about Hessenthaler. Also Charles Vernam from that season.

Only Matete. Would have liked to have kept the centre backs but they aren’t needed now

Honestly, I think Matete and only Matete is the right answer. Regardless of their abilities (or lack thereof in some cases), I don't think any others would necessarily fit into system and ethos that's been created.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

The only one I would add would be Hewitt for his versatility, though based upon our best 11 I’m not sure he’s be a starter.

Really? I'm quite sure he wouldn't be.

Quoted from Poojah

Honestly, I think Matete and only Matete is the right answer. Regardless of their abilities (or lack thereof in some cases), I don't think any others would necessarily fit into system and ethos that's been created.

Agree entirely.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

I know Edwards ended up playing a few Bristol City games last season but he's back in League Two this season with Exeter.

Both are similar players but Sousa does the defensive work too and is much more direct than Edwards.

I know Dembele is playing regular Championship football but I actually think Sousa is better for us than Dembele was. Much more end product and hard graft.

I got multiple red x’s last time so ready for it again but that bottom part is a staggering statement IMO. You have to consider the level we’re currently at, we have players who were poor in the FL last season doing well down here this season. I really rate this team highly but to put Dembele and Sousa in the same bracket is really over-egging things to the maximum. Dembele was at the time and still is, criminally underrated by our fan base.

Edwards himself is 20 and really impressing an Exeter fan base who are used to challenging for promotion every season and I’m still convinced he’ll have a career as a Championship player.

Quoted from pontoonlew

I got multiple red x’s last time so ready for it again but that bottom part is a staggering statement IMO. You have to consider the level we’re currently at, we have players who were poor in the FL last season doing well down here this season. I really rate this team highly but to put Dembele and Sousa in the same bracket is really over-egging things to the maximum. Dembele was at the time and still is, criminally underrated by our fan base.

Edwards himself is 20 and really impressing an Exeter fan base who are used to challenging for promotion every season and I’m still convinced he’ll have a career as a Championship player.

Impressing them in very limited game time, he has only played 102 mins of football this season in the league, all coming in 6 substitute appearances

I'm not sure that saying Hewitt has versatility is particularly apt. He can do a below-par job at full-back, a poor job in central midfield or a decent job at centre back. You could probably say the same of most decent centre backs.

Note that Menayese, Hewitt and Matete all started latest games for their clubs.
If you consider Waterfall last season versus this, we have no idea how good Hewitt and Menayese would be had they stayed under the new regime. Think Matete was always destined for a brighter future and therefore way out of our level at the moment.

Quoted from buckstown

Note that Menayese, Hewitt and Matete all started latest games for their clubs.
If you consider Waterfall last season versus this, we have no idea how good Hewitt and Menayese would be had they stayed under the new regime. Think Matete was always destined for a brighter future and therefore way out of our level at the moment.

Totally agree on the centre back pairing. The actual answer to this question is we’d swap absolutely nobody because we’re top of the league. It’s wrong to compare our current squad to players playing in the leagues above though for that very reason, they’re currently playing a league higher.

Quoted from Maringer

I'm not sure that saying Hewitt has versatility is particularly apt. He can do a below-par job at full-back, a poor job in central midfield or a decent job at centre back. You could probably say the same of most decent centre backs.

Except with Hewitt, he was described as a full back for the first 18 months of his time here. Had he not been played at CB for those last few months I think most people would been glad to see the back of him.