Is it too early?

Is it too early for people’s thoughts on who should go at the end of the season?
Now we have little play for I would be great to try some of the youngsters , I know people say the seniors are playing for a contract but over the season I think we have all seen enough to make our minds up.

For the following should be released regardless of contract.
Amos
Orsi
Taylor
Holohan
Morris( sometimes looks good but not consistent)
Shaun
Scannel
Cropper
Waterfall ( really humming and arring about this one, can he do another season?)
Out of the loaners really only smith and macatee would be worth signing but very unlikely.

Agree with all barring Waterfall. Showed on Saturday we missed someone who dominated the aerial presence asks him to head and kick it and he is fine.

Danny Amos - Big heart nice lad but not league two quality absolute abhorrent mistakes at Swindon and most latterly Hartlepool he doesn’t have the quality and belongs in non league

Orsi - Another nice lad who scored a couple of decent FA cup decent goals but not the quality to be a L2 player.

Cropper - Think his race is run. Hurst will keep Efete and bring in another right back next year

Scannell - Never been the same since injury

Morris - probably looked the best player on the pitch his past 2 games but often a passenger in matches.. I think it will be between him and Holohan who gets a new deal

Holohan - FA Cup hero and a good signing in non-league just doesn’t look like he has the legs or the quality to be up to L2 standard, think he will be released and Morris will be the one that ends up with a new deal.

Pearson - Gearing him up for a coaching role, fantastic role model and brilliant person to have around. Never a bad word to say about Shaun.

Quoted from monkeyboy

Is it too early for people’s thoughts on who should go at the end of the season?
Now we have little play for I would be great to try some of the youngsters , I know people say the seniors are playing for a contract but over the season I think we have all seen enough to make our minds up.

For the following should be released regardless of contract.
Amos
Orsi
Taylor
Holohan
Morris( sometimes looks good but not consistent)
Shaun
Scannel
Cropper
Waterfall ( really humming and arring about this one, can he do another season?)
Out of the loaners really only smith and macatee would be worth signing but very unlikely.

Orsi ,Waterfall and Holahan are all under contract so would either need to get a transfer or paid off .
Waterfall has been very good so cant see him going
Holahan I think will stay
Orsi might be loaned out depending how many we sign.
Remember if he goes we literally have no other forwards under contract so would need 4 or 5 in  .

I just hope we dont try this loaning players from higher up who are lightweight and never played mens football , not one has impressed this season so the failure rate is quite high maybe 7 or 8 and you have only ever seen them once or twice ; i mean the lad from Norwich scored ,and then we hardly saw him again ,is he even still here ?

[quote=4038]Is it too early for people’s thoughts on who should go at the end of the season?
Now we have little play for I would be great to try some of the youngsters , I know people say the seniors are playing for a contract but over the season I think we have all seen enough to make our minds up.

For the following should be released regardless of contract.
Amos
Orsi
Taylor
Holohan
Morris( sometimes looks good but not consistent)
Shaun
Scannel
Cropper
Waterfall ( really humming and arring about this one, can he do another season?)
Out of the loaners really only smith and macatee would be worth signing but very unlikely.[/quote]

Personally yes! Must always be a motivator to a player when with 7 games to go there being recommended for release - assuming they read this forum which I hope they don't!

I think it’s unfair and a bit disrespectful to do this now. Just my opinion.

Quoted from chaos33

I think it’s unfair and a bit disrespectful to do this now. Just my opinion.

I don't see why not. If Hurst &Co aren't looking at who should stay or go then they shouldn't be running the team. If they are then it's perfectly reasonable for posters on a message board to discuss who they would retain after the end of the season.

I still have hopes for Amos, but Glennon is first choice.

I just don’t get Holohan. He’ll always be a legend because of Southampton, but I just don’t think he’s good enough.

Waterfall deserves another season. I don’t think he’s done much wrong.

Clearly Pearson is a gonner, as he never makes the 18. Shame, because he is also a legend.

Quoted from monkeyboy

Is it too early for people’s thoughts on who should go at the end of the season?
Now we have little play for I would be great to try some of the youngsters , I know people say the seniors are playing for a contract but over the season I think we have all seen enough to make our minds up.

For the following should be released regardless of contract.
Amos
Orsi
Taylor
Holohan
Morris( sometimes looks good but not consistent)
Shaun
Scannel
Cropper
Waterfall ( really humming and arring about this one, can he do another season?)
Out of the loaners really only smith and macatee would be worth signing but very unlikely.

I don’t think it’s wrong to think about this, clearly the players heads are elsewhere on the basis of Friday.

The list works for me as well but I’d add Max to that, we won’t be signing McAtee for sure but if we can sign a decent hold up man I’d look at Lloyd but only to play a different role than he’s done most of the time.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I don’t think it’s wrong to think about this, clearly the players heads are elsewhere on the basis of Friday.

The list works for me as well but I’d add Max to that, we won’t be signing McAtee for sure but if we can sign a decent hold up man I’d look at Lloyd but only to play a different role than he’s done most of the time.

I have come around to the same thinking on Max , I actually think he's a good keeper for this level but he has become a bit of a liability , almost looks mentally shot and just dont have as much confidence in him as a few months ago when he was solid and very good -.
The thing is hes a decent stopper but not a spectacular one
Kicking has been very poor lately
And he has been pretty indecisive .
Thats fair enough if you are earning points by pulling off lots of saves but he hasnt been ,instead has been making errors and become un -solid , which if you are not a keep that excels at anything you are going to look poor when your game goes off .

I think Max is fine for a mid table league 2 side but if we want to be top end i would almost say an outstanding keeper is as high a priority as decent ones up top .

Because brilliant,flawless,top keepers sign for  L2 clubs don’t they. Some people need a big dose of realism.

Holohan is a tricky one.
His passing can be woeful but there has certainly been games where he has won everything in the middle and got us on the front foot repeatedly.

I think the combination of Hunt and Glennon has real potential if we actually get a couple of half decent centre forwards in the box attacking the ball.

As for Max, earlier in the season I thought he would be moving up a league or two. Changed my mind on that now lol.

Quoted from chaos33

Because brilliant,flawless,top keepers sign for  L2 clubs don’t they. Some people need a big dose of realism.

I think we need a dose of ambition .
Plenty of high quality keepers in league 1 and 2 (better than Max)
And surely if we want to do better we need to get better ?
If we are aiming to stay the same keep Max , have Taylor and Orsi up top and settle for 'punching above our weight' at 15th in league 2 .
Surely we need to aim for better , otherwise next season everyone will be on here again having meltdowns .

Totally bizarre to even be talking about releasing Waterfall, especially when he's under contract. One of the first names on the team sheet when fit and I expect him to remain that way next season.

The ones who are almost certain to be released are Pearson, Scannell and Gallacher. I also think we will release Amos as we need an upgrade at left back. I don't think he's been any worse than Glennon but he's the one out of contract so he'll probably have to make way. Everyone else still has time to earn a new contract before the summer.

Quoted from chaos33

I think it’s unfair and a bit disrespectful to do this now. Just my opinion.

Yes, especially when the management team are trying to prepare the squad for a local derby game. They know they were poor both on and off the pitch so they have to be as professional as they can tomorrow. We have our part to play. Doncaster are in a bad run and fans have low expectations. Why would we undermine our players on a fans forum?

Two hours after the match on Friday, I saw one of our younger players walking alone round a Grimsby suburb. Looked bored and fed up. Pro football is a meat grinder for young players especially those a long way from their family.  Our comments can wait for a couple of weeks. I think PH is also running on empty by now. Missed and occasionally testy interviews to live radio show he has little patience for fan's views generally. Time to give him some space too.

Without Max Crocombe, we'd be in a relegation dog fight. He was absolutely brilliant for the first 3 months of the season. There were several games that he kept us in and we nicked points,  not to mention the command of the box cutting out chances.

He's not been great the last 6 weeks, but the whole team has been bad for longer. And you can't rely on the keeper to save the defensive member ups forever

Inevitable that releasing players will be a talking point. My basic emotion is that I’m massively fond of all our players they’ve given me some fantastic days over the last 18 months. I think they’ve worked their nuts off and given more effort than many would.

On the flip side I’m not in the camp who say if you give everything I’ll support you blindly. Was looking at a league two team of the year Gab Sutton posted today. Not one of our players would have been near it. If we want to challenge next year we’ll need two or three at least who could be in that discussion. There’s a few who might keep developing and have a hot season (Harry, Michee, Glenno maybe?). To get to that level we’ll need to bring them in. We seem to have solid pros with seemingly good attitudes and that’s so much better than some previous squads but I’m coming round to us needing major surgery to challenge.

Quoted from Croxton

Yes, especially when the management team are trying to prepare the squad for a local derby game..

As much as I like you my friend and generally agree with you I’m not sure they read The Fishy.

Quoted from Lord Gadiform

Inevitable that releasing players will be a talking point. My basic emotion is that I’m massively fond of all our players they’ve given me some fantastic days over the last 18 months. I think they’ve worked their nuts off and given more effort than many would.

On the flip side I’m not in the camp who say if you give everything I’ll support you blindly. Was looking at a league two team of the year Gab Sutton posted today. Not one of our players would have been near it. If we want to challenge next year we’ll need two or three at least who could be in that discussion. There’s a few who might keep developing and have a hot season (Harry, Michee, Glenno maybe?). To get to that level we’ll need to bring them in. We seem to have solid pros with seemingly good attitudes and that’s so much better than some previous squads but I’m coming round to us needing major surgery to challenge.

Was that the PFA’s voted team of the year or just nominations by the equivalent of a social media football “influencer”?

We’re 15th in the league and I would agree with you, we don’t warrant any players to be in any form of team of the year regardless of who’s opinion it is.

Quoted from pen penfras

Without Max Crocombe, we'd be in a relegation dog fight. He was absolutely brilliant for the first 3 months of the season. There were several games that he kept us in and we nicked points,  not to mention the command of the box cutting out chances.

He's not been great the last 6 weeks, but the whole team has been bad for longer. And you can't rely on the keeper to save the defensive member ups forever

Read what you’ve posted, a season does not last for 3 months. The term “business end” has a meaning.

A social media ‘selection’. Personal opinion in effect. Granted Gab has a bit of a squeaky voice and laugh but when he talks about lower league football I’ll listen to his views. He’s knowledgable and often on the money and has a nice sideline in winding up Bradford fans without realising he’s doing it.

I pretty much agree with the OP. For much discussed reasons, we ended up with a squad that had too many National League standard players and we need to address it.

I never started the thread to disrespect any of the players but to say based over the season it’s clear where we need to improve.
Some of the players just don’t cut it so my opinion is they are best let go so we can get better in.
It’s clear we do need better in and the last 7 games doesn’t make a jot bit of difference to me. They could suddenly put on star turns playing for a new contract but the thing we need is consistency.
Holohan for instance looks brilliant some days but most of the time can pass as good as akpa Alkpro could shoot. Barn door and all that.

We can’t have sentimentality towards players, it’s a team and it’s a business and if your not good enough it’s time to get better.

Of the players mentioned in the opening post  I  liked the look of Holahan when I saw him and also Waterfall. I would be disappointed if either leave.

Feel for those that will get released but that's the ruthleness of lower league football.

Quoted from Rick12

Of the players mentioned in the opening post  I  liked the look of Holahan when I saw him and also Waterfall. I would be disappointed if either leave.

Feel for those that will get released but that's the ruthleness of lower league football.

I think Holohan was great last year, terrific energy but he lacks quality at League level. We need better.

So it’s okay to sack off the players who some think aren’t good enough, but not the manager that signed them all, very odd.  So what is there to suggest that PH will make better choices this time round?

Quoted from TheFryingSquad

So it’s okay to sack off the players who some think aren’t good enough, but not the manager that signed them all, very odd.  So what is there to suggest that PH will make better choices this time round?

We know it won’t happen. He’s bomb proof.

If there were no contracts to consider there is only one player I would definitely want to keep . Obviously that’s Clifton . Suspect he won’t be here next year.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

We know it won’t happen. He’s bomb proof.

Hold on a minute, he might be an advocate of getting a B Corp, that’s FAR more important than recruiting, managing and coaching players to success.

We just need 4 or 5 better players than we have.

I would rather have that than 10 of the same standard.

We can make the rest of the squad up with Loanees. As long as they are not teenagers we need men.

We should be giving our teenagers a leg up instead of others clubs youngsters .

Quoted from grimsby pete

We just need 4 or 5 better players than we have.

I would rather have that than 10 of the same standard.

We can make the rest of the squad up with Loanees. As long as they are not teenagers we need men.

We should be giving our teenagers a leg up instead of others clubs youngsters .

Where are you getting ‘men’ loanees from? We’ve failed miserably on loan recruitment this year.

So back to the original poster:

Amos- pushes on too far too often and gets caught out of position.  Not good enough
Orsi-  still young but National league at best
Taylor- good player who suffers from crap service, like him and more to give
Holohan- doesn’t contribute enough and poor distribution
Morris- needs better players round him, tidy player
Shaun- wtf did we sign him for?  Not disputing his commitment but a complete waste of a wage
Scannel- good player……5 years ago
Cropper- National league at best
Waterfall- Every team needs a Luke, winner and leader
Loanies-  Smith is the only one I’d keep, the rest have been a total waste of cash.  Did Hurst actually watch them?

I'd happily see Lloyd here next season. Just as long as he isn't playing as a lone forward! Looks as decent player and I reckon he'd score a few in a team with a better attacking set up.

Quoted from Maringer

I'd happily see Lloyd here next season. Just as long as he isn't playing as a lone forward! Looks as decent player and I reckon he'd score a few in a team with a better attacking set up.

Yep, 12 goals in 120 games, just the sort of prolific striker we’re crying out for.

Quoted from TheFryingSquad

So it’s okay to sack off the players who some think aren’t good enough, but not the manager that signed them all, very odd.  So what is there to suggest that PH will make better choices this time round?

In general its the manager that gets the sack, not the players.

We are not talking about sacking the players, its about giving new contracts, for those deserve one.

One of the biggest problems is our training ground, being located  in Waltam. Its not like years gone by when all the players lived in the Grimsby area.  Due to the nature of the business these days, players are only been offered one or two years contracts, who is going to uproot their family and move to the Grimsby area based on a short contract.
It would make more sense to base our training ground at the end of the M180 (Doncaster area). less travelling and a wider catchment area were players could stay in their current location, only travelling to Grimsby on matchdays, Barrow train in Manchester.

Really? It’s not been said..didn’t know that..


Honest guv…🤷‍♂️.



Why people persist with this when they know a training ground within the Town is in latter stages of planning I don’t know..

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Where are you getting ‘men’ loanees from? We’ve failed miserably on loan recruitment this year.

Yes we did fail but hopefully with a little extra money from the cup run we could pay a bit of their wages.

It might work but if you do not try you will never find out.

Whether too early or not, I started thinking about next season a few days ago.

The question I put to myself was "who could I see being part of a promotion challenging team?"

Clifton and Waterfall. (pauses for thought)

Emmanuel and Smith are unlikely to be ours next season, and whilst Lloyd could be part of a promotion challenging team,
if we continue to play one up front we need a different type of player.

Crocombe is OK - but would ideally be our second-choice keeper. Maybe Efete and Khan as squad players.
Maher perhaps, if he could act as cover for the left-back position.

But basically Clifton and Waterfall then, and the latter will need younger legs around him.
Our other contracted players will no doubt give their all, which seems unlikely to be good enough judging by our league
performances this season.

Paul Hurst has got his work cut out to satisfy the fans demanding 'play-offs as a minimum' next season imo.

And whilst we've seen some recent Town performances that are best/generously explained by the players showing the
strain of the punishing 18 months the club has just had, Croxton made the valid point that PH has been on the same
journey and must be knackered too.

Tired minds don't tend to make good decisions, so let's hope the head of recruitment proves to be valuable.

So having seriously downgraded my expectations for next season, I decided to stop pretending to be a football manager
and went to the nearest bar to seek comfort in alcohol. (Stick to what you're good at   )

UTM

Quoted from The Yard Dog

In general its the manager that gets the sack, not the players.

We are not talking about sacking the players, its about giving new contracts, for those deserve one.

One of the biggest problems is our training ground, being located  in Waltam. Its not like years gone by when all the players lived in the Grimsby area.  Due to the nature of the business these days, players are only been offered one or two years contracts, who is going to uproot their family and move to the Grimsby area based on a short contract.
It would make more sense to base our training ground at the end of the M180 (Doncaster area). less travelling and a wider catchment area were players could stay in their current location, only travelling to Grimsby on matchdays, Barrow train in Manchester.

If we want a really good training ground that belongs to us then I suspect the funding streams available to enable and support it will be dependent on it being a community asset. Personally I’d prefer the residents of Grimsby & Cleethorpes to benefit from improved facilities as well as the academy & ladies Town teams ahead of people out of town.

Barrow are doing well for sure but they don’t seem to me to be the blue print for a community club. I suspect that their Salford base is as much about managing cost as it is attracting talent, I may be wrong.

Are fans really expecting “playoffs as a minimum”? Genuine question. Obviously, I’m all for progress but I don’t see what entitles us to to going from bottom half to promotion contenders, in a matter of months.

Quoted from jimgtfc

Are fans really expecting “playoffs as a minimum”? Genuine question. Obviously, I’m all for progress but I don’t see what entitles us to to going from bottom half to promotion contenders, in a matter of months.

I've said this many times that people are expecting too much next season.
I think we should be aiming for the play offs but the ultimate goal should be progression so therefore a top 12 finish and be within reach of the play offs with a few games to go.

Quoted from TheFryingSquad

Yep, 12 goals in 120 games, just the sort of prolific striker we’re crying out for.

I realise you're just trolling, but it doesn't change the fact that Lloyd looks a decent player to me.

If you really think there is much chance that we're about to sign a previously-prolific striker this summer, you're going to be disappointed.

I'd settle for two or three forwards who can score a dozen each.

Quoted from jimgtfc

Are fans really expecting “playoffs as a minimum”? Genuine question. Obviously, I’m all for progress but I don’t see what entitles us to to going from bottom half to promotion contenders, in a matter of months.

Valid point .Sometimes you need to eat humble pie and re address your expectations. I for one have been guilty of this considering Grimsbys decent history in years gone by. We have to live in the present and let bygones be bygones and build up steadily admittedly with financial constraints on which everything is built on eg it's fans that pump money into this club and once that starts drying up the football club like any other  up and down the league's would suffer.

We are what we are, a League 2 with mostly an NL squad. Some players have moved with the times and others haven't got it at League 2 level.

We need to keep Clifton, Waterfall, Maher, Hunt, and put a bid in for Lloyd. Build a new team around them and replace the rest as the others shine at times, but only at times.

Those under contract need to be told to buck their ideas up or your are out on loan. Max needs to get back to the level he was before Christmas as it's been a downward spiral for him. What on earth is he doing chasing up the field to complain to refs about things for?

The oddest thing with Crocombe is that his kicking was pretty good last season, but has been increasingly inaccurate this season. Almost as though he has the 'yips'! I'd expect him to stay and hopefully get his head back in the game as regards his kicking.

Quoted from Maringer

The oddest thing with Crocombe is that his kicking was pretty good last season, but has been increasingly inaccurate this season. Almost as though he has the 'yips'! I'd expect him to stay and hopefully get his head back in the game as regards his kicking.

When he's good he's brilliant but he lacks consistency. I'm saying I do not expect that 100% all of the time as most people have bad days but I do expect consistency most of the time.

I’ve been quite critical of Max as it looks like his heads gone but I’m sure he’s still working hard in training.

What might help is if we drop this trying to play out from the back bollox and mix it up a bit. We can’t pass the ball very well so why are we trying to play out? Max has also proved to our cost that he’s not a keeper sweeper.

I’m not sure if I’m right but I think he’s out of contract at the end of the season so I just wonder if his head is actually elsewhere? Agents do start talking to clubs well in advance so could he have a good offer on the table already? Maybe I’m wrong and he’s tied in.

Quoted from jimgtfc

Are fans really expecting “playoffs as a minimum”? Genuine question. Obviously, I’m all for progress but I don’t see what entitles us to to going from bottom half to promotion contenders, in a matter of months.

In a word, Yes
History has shown many clubs coming out of the national league do well in league 2.
They have that momentum, the “feel good factor” etc  add to the fact the huge increase in season tickets sold and the money that brought in quite simply Hurst did not bring in the quality of players (for what ever reason) that was needed.
Missed opportunity in my opinion, pushing for playoff place at the very least, not looking over our shoulder at relegation.

Hurst will need to get a squad together in the summer that can challenge for promotion next season, nothing else will be acceptable

GK
Crocombe (offer terms)
New signing

RB
Efete
New signing

LB
Glennon
New signing

CB
Maher
Waterfall
New signing Smith?
New signing

CM
Clifton
Green
Holohan
Hunt
Khouri (loan out)
New signing
New signing

WM
Khan
New signing Emmanuel?
New signing

CF
New signing Lloyd?
New signing
New signing
Orsi (loan out)

Tighter squad, more invested per player, only Max offered terms from players out of contract. Keep nucleus of squad for continuation, try to upgrade every position..

Quoted from Bigdog

GK
Crocombe (offer terms)
New signing

RB
Efete
New signing

LB
Glennon
New signing

CB
Maher
Waterfall
New signing Smith?
New signing

CM
Clifton
Green
Holohan
Hunt
Khouri (loan out)
New signing
New signing

WM
Khan
New signing Emmanuel?
New signing

CF
New signing Lloyd?
New signing
New signing
Orsi (loan out)

Tighter squad, more invested per player, only Max offered terms from players out of contract. Keep nucleus of squad for continuation, try to upgrade every position..

Feels about right, doubt we’ll get Smith but would take Lloyd as long as it’s not to fulfil the hold up man role.

I’d agree with the 2 lads to loan out but they need to go to NL clubs and not Cleethorpes, Brid etc.. if they’re going to get to any level.

Keep

Crocombe - Needs competition. Becomes second choice If we can get better.
Waterfall
Maher
Glennon - Becomes a squad player if better available.
Amos - Becomes a squad player if better available.
Efete - Becomes a squad player if better available.
Khouri - If wages low.
Kahn - Becomes a squad player if better available.
Morris - Becomes a squad player if better available.
Clifton - Contracted and we should keep, but can see him going in the summer.
Green - Needs to play a more defensive role of breaking up play, because he can't pass for sh*t when he advances.
Holohan - Becomes a squad player if better available.
Orsi - Feel like he hasn't been given a fair crack at the whip considering he has performed decent in his cameos.

Try to Sign

Smith - Try and sign, but wont be gutted if that cannot happen.
Emmanuel - Try and sign but won't be gutted if we don't. Good player in periods, but certainly not a Championship quality player as some are suggesting.
Lloyd - Try and sign, but we still need to look for other strikers. Wouldn't mind him as 1 of 4 strikers.

Release / Return to Club / Sell

Pearson
Gallacher
Cropper
Hunt
Scannell
McAtee
Dickson Peters
O'Neill
Taylor

I do not expect a play off place at least next season after this year I will be happy with a top 10 finish.

Promotion would be good but expect that will take another season or two before we can manage that.

Another cup run would be nice going out away to Man Utd would be no disgrace.

I dunno, DB. I think at our level it's reasonable to expect consistency only every now and then.

Quoted from DB

When he's good he's brilliant but he lacks consistency. I'm saying I do not expect that 100% all of the time as most people have bad days but I do expect consistency most of the time.

The idea that we should only keep half a dozen players and build a squad almost from scratch is frankly ridiculous.

That means signing over a dozen players.  Inevitably, a proportion of those will be misses rather than hits and it will take time to gel as a side and a squad.

This squad is relatively inexperienced at L2 level but they’ve gained massive experience this season and with a decent break and a proper pre season we should expect everyone to do better next season.

There are some obvious departures like Pearson and maybe Taylor, plus some of the fringe players but I hope PH keeps more than a dozen from the existing squad and only needs to make 5-6 new signings maximum.

We’ve had a handful of games this season where the wheels have come off, but on the whole we’ve been competitive and lost out due to poor finishing and, tbh, a lot of bad luck with injuries.  Top half and a crack at the playoffs next season.  

Quoted from Sussexmariner

In a word, Yes
History has shown many clubs coming out of the national league do well in league 2.
They have that momentum, the “feel good factor” etc  add to the fact the huge increase in season tickets sold and the money that brought in quite simply Hurst did not bring in the quality of players (for what ever reason) that was needed.
Missed opportunity in my opinion, pushing for playoff place at the very least, not looking over our shoulder at relegation.

Hurst will need to get a squad together in the summer that can challenge for promotion next season, nothing else will be acceptable

Has history shown that though? Harrogate, Barrow, Salford and Sutton have all been promoted recently and not really challenged for promotion yet. Only teams who have thrown real money at it like Stockport and FGR have had success. We won’t be doing that, guaranteed, cup run or not. So I just can’t see how people think that top 7 is a minimum next season. I’m all for ambition, but I don’t want impatience and frustration and calling for change if we fall short of unrealistic expectations. Personally, another season of progress on and off the pitch is more achievable. Hopefully we can get closer to a new training ground, improve BP and maybe a top half finish, with a view to incremental improvements year on year, ultimately leading to another promotion.

Quoted from TheFryingSquad

So back to the original poster:

Amos- pushes on too far too often and gets caught out of position.  Not good enough
Orsi-  still young but National league at best
Taylor- good player who suffers from crap service, like him and more to give
Holohan- doesn’t contribute enough and poor distribution
Morris- needs better players round him, tidy player
Shaun- wtf did we sign him for?  Not disputing his commitment but a complete waste of a wage
Scannel- good player……5 years ago
Cropper- National league at best
Waterfall- Every team needs a Luke, winner and leader
Loanies-  Smith is the only one I’d keep, the rest have been a total waste of cash.  Did Hurst actually watch them?

I know this has to be a troll but I'll bite.

Amos: Is 23 and been in and out, think there's a player there though with a bit more coaching, I'd offer him a year extension.

Orsi: Young?! he's 26 he's hardly a budding prospect though I agree he doesn't consistently effect games enough for my mind anyway.

Taylor: I imagine he's winding down now and could well take a contract a league or 2 down where he can enjoy his football with less pressure.

Cropper: Been very unlucky with injuries and is only 22, nearly 23. Not sure if he's cut out for the rigors of full time football but you can't teach that throw he has.

Loanees.
Smith: would be a decent signing and wouldnt be mad if we signed him.
Lloyd: Has played 16 games and got 4 goals and 4 assists, which equates to 1 goal contribution every 2 games. Adds something different and would be happy if we signed him in the summer.

Quoted from lukeo

I've said this many times that people are expecting too much next season.
I think we should be aiming for the play offs but the ultimate goal should be progression so therefore a top 12 finish and be within reach of the play offs with a few games to go.

I agree with this luke. Always try and go one better, so, semi finals of the fa cup next year anyone??

On a serious note, IF we recruit well, then the playoffs should be achievable. We’ve been featured in the spotlight thanks to our cup exploits so may have turned a few heads in our favour for our summer recruitment drive. What I think will not go down well, is if we get to the end of the first week of august and PH still doesn’t have his ‘main man’ through the door. Id like to think season tickets will be impressive again (I’d estimate 4500-5000) and this will fill the war chest somewhat.

Every player that’s played this season has been a part of a quite remarkable year that will go down well in the history books. What a rollercoaster it’s been!

With no new ground, think we'll be a big fish in the middle of L2 for the foreseeable future.

We really need a once in a lifetime boost to get us out of that rut (which isn't the worst rut possible admittedly).

Quoted from Yarborough Vaults

With no new ground, think we'll be a big fish in the middle of L2 for the foreseeable future.

We really need a once in a lifetime boost to get us out of that rut (which isn't the worst rut possible admittedly).

It annoyed me seeing all those empty seats at The Keepmoat(or whatever its called now) its just what we need maybe a tad smaller, and there would not be any empty seats .

I think it is possible to touch league one as we are , but then is were it would get difficult IMO . But I am sure Andrew and Jason have got a master plan he keeps going on about 'going right through ' and moving through the gears so pretty sure they do have ; excited to see how it all unfolds .

Quoted from Bigdog

GK
Crocombe (offer terms)
New signing

RB
Efete
New signing

LB
Glennon
New signing

CB
Maher
Waterfall
New signing Smith?
New signing

CM
Clifton
Green
Holohan
Hunt
Khouri (loan out)
New signing
New signing

WM
Khan
New signing Emmanuel?
New signing

CF
New signing Lloyd?
New signing
New signing
Orsi (loan out)

Tighter squad, more invested per player, only Max offered terms from players out of contract. Keep nucleus of squad for continuation, try to upgrade every position..

This looks about right to me; I don’t see many or any new contracts being offered being offered beyond Crocombe so that means saying goodbye to the likes of Amos, Cropper and Taylor who have been good servants for us but have regrettably run their course.

The addition of Emmanuel, Smith and Lloyd would be very welcome indeed but I think we’d be lucky to get any of them. I’d snap your hand off for any one of them at this stage.

Of those under contract, I’d say there’s reasonably firm evidence to suggest Clifton, Holohan and Khan are good enough to start most weeks for a team chasing the play-offs and I’d tentatively add Waterfall and Maher to that list, though Maher needs to up his consistency.

For me, the jury is out in that regard in terms of Crocombe (assuming he signs a new deal), Glennon, Efete and Green, while Hunt and Orsi realistically have a lot to prove as far as their league form is concerned.

Realistically that means we have a need to go out and sign 6 or 7 players that are markedly better than what we have had this season, 3 or 4 of which will need to be forwards / wide players.

It’s a positive that we’ve got the most scope to change and improve up front given it’s the area we’ve struggled to find consistency most this season. But it can also be a double-edged sword, in that we have a lot to do up there.

Beyond those 6 or 7 improvements, we probably need a perhaps another 4 or 5 capable bodies to help complete the squad. So up to 12 new signings this summer seems realistic, and we should have reasonable scope in the budget to do a decent job of it.

This is a big window, and one we need to get right given the likely strength of League Two in 23/24, but we have a lot of advantages over where we were a year ago. It would still be another two months before we would know what division we were playing in, and this time around we have a clear benchmark as to where we are in League Two, a better recruitment team, a bigger budget and a much longer period for players to recover and to recruit new ones.

It should be an intriguing and exciting summer, hopefully leading to a more exciting and fruitful season. Here’s hoping.

George Lloyd is a must to keep if Cheltenham aren't planning on him being in their team next year. Alongside someone who's a half decent target man I reckon Lloyd would get at least 15 in the league. If we are going to be playing 4-4-2 it would leave us needing another 2 strikers as I would keep Orsi, not been given a fair crack of the whip and needs a few games to put abit of form together. A big battering ram of a striker such as Smith who was at Orient / Umerah if Pools do go down and someone capable of winning the first ball for knock downs.

I think we need someone whos a powerhouse in midfield and can control games, a big strapping 6'2 Centre midfielder with an engine wouldn't go a miss and give us some actual height which we seem to be lacking in the middle. Another centre-mid with actual creativity alas Hunt but that can do it at League 2 level, maybe Hurst has to drop his ideas that all the centre-mids need to be work-horses and actually have players that can unlock defences.

Full-backs either side are a minimum next year as I think that Amos will be released, looks like he has too many mistakes in him and often been dominated at games I've seen him this year. Michee's first season of professional football has been frustrating, he's made so many individual errors and gets himself into good positions but then freezes; I think Hurst will keep him as a squad player to try make the spot his own next year after bringing in a good experienced RB.

Another Goalkeeper to challenge Max is a must after his form has nosedived since Christmas, I'm a big believer in becoming too relaxed if there isn't any pressure, I'd hope that we would keep him as he's a very useful keeper in this league and you will never have a perfect keeper at L2 level but would like to see someone come in to challenge him.

With Smith's interview the other day it didn't sound much like he would be returning next year which would be a shame as he's been getting regular football and still developing, I don't think he's ready for L1 football yet myself but he has the potential of playing at a higher level with a few more games under his belt. I think Shauny P will become part of the coaching staff next year, just a hunch. Which would leave us needing 2 centre-backs to challenge Maher and Waterfall. I think Bradford signed Hartlepool's best centre-back last year Odisina? But has hardly played but by all accounts has pace and was strong in the air, I'd like us to sign a centre-back with abit of a turn of pace so it drags us slightly further up the pitch. Definitely need two though for next year.

Wingers, we will have Clifton & Khan so another 2 wingers through the door. Murmurs that the Vernham deal is already complete as we couldn't get it over the line in January? Seems to be linked with us every window since we left. I would like us to go for Chapman from Bradford if available, their fans don't rate him that much but I know PH is a huge fan of him as he's complimented him greatly in interviews in the past and at BP he looked like a level above L2.

Khouri hasn't played much this season, but i'm sure he's learnt a lot from being in and around the squad.
We've had youngsters come through for years, but many of them look out of place, and not quiet good enough.
Whenever i've seen Khouri play, he looks confident, and IMO has the potential to make it as a footballer.

Holohan signing was a huge factor in us getting promoted last season IMO and would be a good squad player.

I'm desperate to see more of Hunt next season. With the right players around him, he's our best creative CM.

Waterfall & Maher are good enough for me, and with a solid signing to replace Smith, we should be ok there.
If we keep Emmanuel, then i'm really happy.

We need changes. I don't think we need mass changes like some people think, but we clearly a bottom half team at the minute.

Quoted from Jarmo.Is.God

Khouri hasn't played much this season, but i'm sure he's learnt a lot from being in and around the squad.
We've had youngsters come through for years, but many of them look out of place, and not quiet good enough.
Whenever i've seen Khouri play, he looks confident, and IMO has the potential to make it as a footballer.

Holohan signing was a huge factor in us getting promoted last season IMO and would be a good squad player.

I'm desperate to see more of Hunt next season. With the right players around him, he's our best creative CM.

Waterfall & Maher are good enough for me, and with a solid signing to replace Smith, we should be ok there.
If we keep Emmanuel, then i'm really happy.

We need changes. I don't think we need mass changes like some people think, but we clearly a bottom half team at the minute.

Khouri will be a player no doubt , i would take him just getting gradually bedded in and then reaching his full potential in 3 or 4 years like Harry has .Maybe a short term loan to the NL might be beneficial for him next year if we sign a decent mid or two in the summer ?

Quoted from Mappers

Khouri will be a player no doubt , i would take him just getting gradually bedded in and then reaching his full potential in 3 or 4 years like Harry has .Maybe a short term loan to the NL might be beneficial for him next year if we sign a decent mid or two in the summer ?

Yeah, 100%.
He could probably do with going to Scunth..... arghhh, that's a level below NL isn't it

Not sure why as fans we shouldn’t be hoping for a play off push next season ?

Have the fans who think this is out of reach looked at last season’s final league standings? Barrow (22nd); Stevenage (21st); Carlisle (20th); Bradford (14th) and Orient (13th).

So rapid improvement is possible without excessive expenditure and it’s easy to forget how much better a number of our current players would perform if we bring in 4 or 5 quality additions.

We have employed a new recruitment guy who made some decent signings for Lincoln, Ben House from Eastleigh and a couple of lads from Ireland, so hopefully he will make a positive difference come this summer’s transfer window.

The other requirement is for PH to adopt a more attacking/front foot approach in home matches and give us a home record to be proud of not 23rd best in the league.