Next Season

Hooper was a Slade signing.

Quoted from acko338

Youth policy progression and being able to bring in players who fit and add to the team are good signs - ok , Hooper and Robles were 2 that didn't work here but in the main, most fans should be able to see that we are in the top half and playing better football.

Another year of similar progress will be very interesting to wstch !!

Robles was a gamble because I assume MJ thought he had potential. Once he realised that he wasn't going to develop then he got shut. Sometimes you have to take chances , the skill is realising when it's not working and not being stung for a lot of money.

I'd love to see Wes sign for another season. He is class and I love his salute, he forgot last Saturday. This 3-5-2 is working well, but I do wonder about Charles Vernam who is a quality footballer. Can he play in this formation? Is he an out and out centre forward?

I suppose that Jolley has Cook, Vernam and Cardwell to play that second striker role alongside Thomas in the 5-3-2 shape favoured. Competition. So long as one of those 3 is fit/doing the business then they're in the team and the other two have to wait for a chance and then take it. Fair enough I reckon.

Quoted from pizzzza

Compared to this year there is a big Elliot Embleton shaped hole in that XI, is Whitehouse the player to replace him? Difficult to say until he is back...

I seem to recall that v Newport when Elliot want off Harry went in to that role and did ok

If Dennis gets on well here, and likes the set up, that will go a long way towards persuading him to stay. If we have to fork out £100k, then I'd say it's a sound investment for a proven goal scorer.

It looks like we are building a sound defence, and have some good options in midfield, so a strike force of Thomas and Dennis would set us up very nicely.

If Jolley can raid the Swedish league for another couple of class players, or find another couple of young gems to fit into his 3 5 2 jigsaw for next season, then the playing side is looking very good !

The change in the defensive strength over the last few matches has been the mainstay of the team winning each time.

Embleton will go back to Sunderland at the end of the year with huge thanks for his contribution, so the search is on for a natural replacement.

Will a fit Elliott Whitehouse be the one already here, or has the search begun already for that position?

Another year for Max Wright to have matured, Akheem Rose also a year older and wiser, Matty Pollock to complete his growing process, more youth players knocking on the door to become squad players in the first instance?

All looking good to begin a bit of a conveyor belt of maturing talent for the next 3 to 4 seasons.

What looked to be an impossible task two months ago is now going to be a challenge to better opponents' results and catch up at least 6 to 8 points on all those immediately above us, with some teams playing each other to nullify their own chances.

The remainder of February and March will pan out if the challenge is realistic or not, but progress is excellent to date compared to last years' poor runs under Slade.

Be good to see a couple of of over 5,000 + home attendances as well, almost there last Saturday.