Four players released

Quoted from Grantley

Agree with those that say we need a handful of actually good players. For me, Macca, Hendrie, Öhman, Hess, Clifton and Vernam are of a good enough standard. I also think that Whitehouse, Wright, Rose and RHJ are more than good enough backups (RHJ and Hendrie at fullback would do me fine tbf). I think we need another experienced CB (obviously quicker than Collins, either a experienced midfield general (quicker than Welsh) or another Embleton type and someone who can actually score goals.

It’s fine saying this in hindsight but will the budget actually allow us to do this?

I think investing in staff and facilities would be a better investment, this is probably where other clubs do better not actual transfer fees and player wages.

Only a couple of clubs every season manage to spend big fees and guaranteed quality players and make themselves promotion favourites purely through spending and even that doesn't always work.

But with a good scouting network and ensuring you get the best out of the players you do get, it could make all the difference. Seems strange we seem to back managers on letting go and bringing in whoever they want (within budget) but don't want to invest in our own club and help the manager guarantee they'll get players worth getting.

For me there’s room for only one of Ohman and Whitmore in a decent side and it’s Ohman. Same goes for Clifton and Hess and it’s Hess. If he insists on playing 3-5-2 (which he seems to) then the side needs some serious upgrades in certain positions.

The reality is that Ring was not up to it in this half season, he may improve next season after a proper pre season and having had half a season to better understand the intensity, pace and physicality of this league but I have my doubts.

I do like RHJ in that position on the right of a back three as he’s improved markedly this season both with and without the ball. Likewise Hendrie and Ohman are fine. We need a quality left sided centre half who has the athleticism to cover for a wing back bombing on (as they need to make the system successful) and the requisite composure on the ball to bring the ball out of defence and occupy wide areas. This will not be easy to find or cheap to hire.

Hess is fine in that position in front of the back 4 and Whitehouse may be the box to box midfielder who can get ten goals a season, we’ll have to hope his injury hasn’t hit him too hard. He’s also a bigger lad and we need more physicality in that area. We then need a creative midfielder. Someone of the Jamey Osborne, Jon Nolan or pre-late February Embleton variety who has legs and creativity. It’s all well and good saying we need strikers to score but we also need someone to create chances for them.

Then we need two new strikers. We need a partnership. Don’t care what type of partnership but one that scores goals. Whether it’s Reddy and the Goal Machine (Gary Jones) or Omar and Podge it needs two strikers miles better than we’ve already got. Someone who could hold the ball up, bring others into play and win free kicks would be handy, someone who can run in behind would also help greatly and obviously someone who can score goals!

This would also mean we have players like Vernam, Clifton, Davis and Cook on the bench and they’d all be half decent backups If, and that’s a big if, Jolley can sign that calibre of player that I have wished for then we’ll probably challenge for the play offs.

There isn’t a great deal between teams in this league. We could have done the double over Lincoln, with better finishing and refereeing. We did beat MK Dons and could feasibly of pinched it at their place. We more than matched Bury at home and just had a dreadful day at Gigg Lane and we were beaten by a header from a player who should’ve been sent off at home to Mansfield and were a team with no centre halves. We were resoundingly beaten at Field Mill though. That shows we don’t need to improve enormously to challenge but we certainly need to improve plenty of positions and it doesn’t take a genius to work out what the weaknesses are.

I have trust in Jolley to identify those players and just hope he’s given the funds to do so as Mr Fenty will reap the rewards further down the line if we’re winning lots and gates go up. Let’s hope he sees it that way but I have my doubts. Next season is really the time to judge Jolley as it will be his squad entirely and will have had over a year to put his stamp on things. I constitute success next season as a minimum of a top 10 finish and flirting with the play offs and that’s what everyone at the club needs to aim for.

Quoted from Northbank Mariner

I think you'll find Forza most football players are on a self employed basis, which I am myself, therefore removing employers liability on NI, holidays, tax etc...the length of contract given is just a reassurance that a player will get an income for the length of said contract...therefore your figure of £700k is definitely out..wish it was 700k.. Christ that would get us better quality rather the normal poundstretcher specials we normally end up with.

Sorry but don't think you're correct on that. Friend who played 300 games from championship to conference south confirms he was always employed on a paye basis.  Bonuses weren't quite as significant  as I thought. £30-£60 per point and c £100 per clean sheet for a keeper and same for a goal scored.expenses for travelling etc were just as significant

A player being self employed would be effectively third party ownership which is not allowed in football. There are tax refunds available for fuel etc due to it being sub-2 year contracts that are mostly offered at our level but that’s about it.

I don't know how we get around this as we are on a limb location wise, but to me having players such as Wes making 3 hour drives is doomed to failure. I assume he was possibly living somewhere down South?

How would he have then got to say Carlisle?
Driven there or come in his car to Grimsby and on the coach from here, which either way would seem to be a long, long day. And something that might seem ok at first but soon wear thin.

When trying to tempt a player, apart from money, would it put them off if we insisted they moved here for a 1 year contract, or made them go into rented accommodation and miss their possible family?

There is more than money to consider.

Yet again it's the time of year when players are released from club A and signed by club B, clubs B players are released and signed by club C, basically it's just a merry go round of players moving and everyone hoping this is the season it clicks into place and get some success. This is why you need an excellent scouting system and youth policy.

Quoted from Gaffer58

Yet again it's the time of year when players are released from club A and signed by club B, clubs B players are released and signed by club C, basically it's just a merry go round of players moving and everyone hoping this is the season it clicks into place and get some success. This is why you need an excellent scouting system and youth policy.

You also need a clear vision of what system/ formation you are going to play and recruit accordingly.
Saturday was probably the first game where we actually had two wide players prepared to and capable of taking on their defender....that helped us look balanced and we got round the back of Crewe plenty of times. We actually picked out players when crossing the ball as well...Vernam wasted 2/3 attempts with weak or delayed shots.
Width , a finisher and that playmaker are what I want to see.

Quite surprised that Woolford was given so much game time by the clown in charge. Wasted opportunities for others, (Wright), who clearly showed much more in his fleeting appearances than Woolford ever did.

Yet another example of poor player management in afraid

Is it just me that doesn't see Vernam as the answer to the big problem we have, but I easily see him getting double figures if played regularly.

Quoted from The Boys Paddock

Quite surprised that Woolford was given so much game time by the clown in charge. Wasted opportunities for others, (Wright), who clearly showed much more in his fleeting appearances than Woolford ever did.

Yet another example of poor player management in afraid

Woolford was the type of player that many didn't appreciate what he did for us, he's a good footballer and played his career a lot higher than we have since he's been a pro, but he's at the age where he is slowly making more errors and not the player he once was. So like Collins, they both go with my best wishes, both played big parts in keeping us up under MJ