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There does seem to be little between teams at league 2 level

The more i think about it , i don't think we are that far away  

Maybe if we can keep the majority  and add 3 or 4 of real quality we should do well , its more quality over quantity i would suggest .
I would take Lloyd , Orsi , Taylor (as 4th choice ) and AN other of good quality and physicality rather than a load of unpredictable kids . We hardly ever play 2 out and out strikers anyway so there is realistically 1 spot for 4 players then .

I wonder if Shaun will continue playing as back up alongside a coaching role , i got the impression his legs might have gone  in the interview with Hurst .

Quoted from waltham_mariner

Arjan Raikhy not been offered a new contract with Villa - one we could snap up as a free agent?

I thought he was impressive in his short spell here last season.

He was a relatively tall and athletic lad, I seem to recall? Given what Hurst has said about being able to physically compete, he would certainly fit the bill.

Of course, there is more likelihood that he'll end up somewhere a bit nearer Birmingham, but you never know.

Quoted from Maringer

He was a relatively tall and athletic lad, I seem to recall? Given what Hurst has said about being able to physically compete, he would certainly fit the bill.

Of course, there is more likelihood that he'll end up somewhere a bit nearer Birmingham, but you never know.

I liked ,good on the ball and pretty athletic although not strong ; but he's only young - dare i say it even in summer i would have taken him over Hunt .

Just looking at the sort of strikers and strike partnerships we've had down the years with Hurst in charge... he's always preferred a strong set of lads that cause defences issues:

11/12 - We had Elding as the big man, Hearn the goalscorer. Great partnership in a side that ironically came nowhere close to a play-off place. Rob Duffy and Damian Spencer weren't small lads either as back-up

12/13 - We signed Andy Cook as the big man, Hearn was crocked so we got Hannah on loan. Greg Pearson, Richard Brodie and then LJL joined in the January. Neither of them were small!

13/14 - Mainly LJL as the big man, Hannah as the goalscorer with Cook and Hearn (when fit) making an appearance. Alex Rodman, albeit not a striker, scored 7 that season.

14/15 - LJL as the big man, John-Paul Pittman also a nuisance for defenders. Hannah more a reserve and then we got Ollie Palmer on loan, another target man.

15/16 - Bogle & Amond all the way. Not so much big man/small man, just both goalscorers. We tended to use wide players like Monkhouse as a target man.

16/17 - Not our best summer, probably due to previous ownership. Bogle up top with Vernon, target man, with pace (Kayden Jackson) and technical ability (Dominic Vose) in support, Ashley Chambers out wide.

No doubt Hurst will have a shortlist of the target men he wants to recruit. A big bully up front, a Vardy-like pest alongside. This season's been odd because in every other season PH has been our manager, we've always had strikers hitting anywhere between 15-30 goals!

Let's hope it's a good summer and he manages to get someone who can hit those numbers next season.

I agree with most that there isn't some major rebuild required, looking across our division despite the odd shocker of a game we could easily be in the playoffs this season if only we could knock a couple more of the hundreds of wasted chances in.

I think we need different types of players, not just better quality, for next season so there's a tool for every job,  My wish list (lottery win pending) would be  1 or 2 attacking players (strikers or wingers, or wing/forwards if you like) with genuine raw pace, a couple of much taller players, a couple of lads with far better technical/passing ability and a couple of dribblers/tricksters.  Oh, and the striker we all know is needed obviously.

We need a bit more height to level the playing field against some teams, but overall in L2 everyone is used to dealing with height.  What they fear is pace and attackers running at defenders and committing them.  The better passers are for when we need to retain possession more, accurate passing and distribution with less balls lost could have really opened up a few teams this year.

The club will do it's best to improve the squad this summer I'm sure, looking forward to the 300+pages of transfer rumours already!

Quoted from RichMariner

This season's been odd because in every other season PH has been our manager, we've always had strikers hitting anywhere between 15-30 goals!

Let's hope it's a good summer and he manages to get someone who can hit those numbers next season.

To be fair, most of his seasons have been in the Conference where it is a bit easier to score goals. With the best will in the world, you'd have to say that LJL is well past his best, but he's still scored a dozen in a struggling team.

20 players in the National League have scored a dozen or more so far this season. In comparison, only 9 in League two have a dozen or more.

I'm not overly concerned about having a target man who scores lots of goals - Steve Livingstone only managed to reach double figures once in his career, for example. The main thing is making sure enough of the other players chip in with plenty of goals. It was looking pretty decent in this regard earlier this season when Khan and Clifton were scoring, but the goals have really dried up since the turn of the year for everyone. Partially due to injuries, partially due to the distraction of the Cup run, partially due to tiredness.

I think Khan will have an important role to play next season, providing he can stay fit as he went through a spell tucking chances away nicely. If Clifton stays, will he continue to play in a role where he can nick some goals?

Lots of choices for Hurst to make for next season, but at least we've got more time to sort out some signings this time around.

Quoted from waltham_mariner

Arjan Raikhy not been offered a new contract with Villa - one we could snap up as a free agent?

I thought he was impressive in his short spell here last season.

My concern  is that he plays a similar role to Hunt, so is it a waste of a wage to have both.

Nothing against raihky, I like him, although he is a risk taking player. In all honesty I think raikhy is an upgrade on Hunt as he has more height and is a more physical, tackling player along with the forward through balls.

Inih Effiong

12 months left on his deal, far better out there than Effiong if you’re going to be spending money.

Quoted from Nutsy

I watched the highlights from the play-offs again, and so may have my rose-tinted spectacles on, but if the opportunity to have McAtee back again, I would want him.

I quite like, on paper, the idea of trying some iteration of Lloyd, Orsi, McAtee, Khan and Clifton. I appreciate this doesn't have a 'big man', but would certainly intimidate with a mixture of tenacity, flair and aggression.

Obviously, big strikers do cause problems (look at Hudlin for example).

For me, defence is fine - Glennon, Waterfall, Maher and Emmanuel are strong enough to start. Amos and Efete are able substitutes. We just need a couple of reinforcements here.

Midfield is trickier. I think Clifton, Holohan, Green, Hunt and Khouri are fine but we need a CM similar to Fox who can play as part of a 2 man midfield.

Given a proper off season, pre season and no op we’d jump at the chance of getting McAtee back.