Just Back  (merged)

Quoted from pontoonlew

I personally think Green has improved massively from a technical perspective since Artell came in, he’s starting to resemble a footballer when the ball is at his feet. Despite looking about 45, he’s still only 26 so I think there’s still some improvement to be had there, but I do feel it’s starting to click a bit for him.

I’d 100% keep Green. He has his uses and we have no one else with those attributes. He’s not by any means a regular starter but nor is he without value.

Thompson and Clifton are the only current midfielders I'd keep. And Clifton mainly because he is so versatile. Last summer we were in a situation whereby the only midfielder out of contract was Bryn Morris so he was let go by default. Whether or not he was the worst midfielder in the squad is very arguable in my opinion. The midfield needed an overhaul last summer but we were hamstrung by the deals that were already in place, we can't be only changing one of them again this summer. Khouri, Hunt and Green definitely aren't good/consistent enough for me. Holohan, I can see the arguments for keeping him but I'd be inclined to say thank you for the memories Gav but we need to move on. Ainley, we've not seen enough of and I'm not even sure if he falls into the CM category anyway but fortunately we have a manager who knows him better than anyone else so I trust him on that.

Quoted from toontown

Well that's what has happened - and it's a good thing too as proven in the last few weeks!

But it's not what happened, is it. DA said he could leave if he wanted to but Crawley f*c*ed up the transfer.

Quoted from Son of Cod

Thompson and Clifton are the only current midfielders I'd keep. And Clifton mainly because he is so versatile. Last summer we were in a situation whereby the only midfielder out of contract was Bryn Morris so he was let go by default. Whether or not he was the worst midfielder in the squad is very arguable in my opinion. The midfield needed an overhaul last summer but we were hamstrung by the deals that were already in place, we can't be only changing one of them again this summer. Khouri, Hunt and Green definitely aren't good/consistent enough for me. Holohan, I can see the arguments for keeping him but I'd be inclined to say thank you for the memories Gav but we need to move on. Ainley, we've not seen enough of and I'm not even sure if he falls into the CM category anyway but fortunately we have a manager who knows him better than anyone else so I trust him on that.

Khouri is 21, started 6 games last season and 2 trophy games this season. Not good or consistent enough based on?

Quoted from Wedidntdidwe

Khouri is 21, started 6 games last season and 2 trophy games this season. Not good or consistent enough based on?

Well you could use that argument to ask why so many think he is so good he should be starting.

He may well turn out to be a very good player but considering the games he has actually started, if he was that good surely he would have started more or is it that he is injury prone?

Quoted from Theimperialcoroner

I’d 100% keep Green. He has his uses and we have no one else with those attributes. He’s not by any means a regular starter but nor is he without value.

It raises a question about the youth team and whether or not any of them are ready to step up. Surely that affects who we offer contract extensions to?

If we keep the 3 -5-2 formation next season I’d definitely keep Green as he’s looks much more effective in it and could easily slot into a back 3 if needed.

Quoted from pontoonlew

I personally think Green has improved massively from a technical perspective since Artell came in, he’s starting to resemble a footballer when the ball is at his feet. Despite looking about 45, he’s still only 26 so I think there’s still some improvement to be had there, but I do feel it’s starting to click a bit for him.

I see why people like Green. His time with Town actually feels a bit stop start, injured from time to time, starting a game on the bench for a couple of games after that, I just wonder what we'd see if he was given a good run in the starting line up. Like Holohan though his passing isn't great and if you're going to class yourself as mid fielder you need to be a good passer of the ball.

Quoted from Wedidntdidwe

Khouri is 21, started 6 games last season and 2 trophy games this season. Not good or consistent enough based on?

Based on the multiple times I've seen him play. It would be nice to eat my words, but I just think he's massively overrated by a lot of Town fans for no real reason. He looks tidy for sure, but I've not really seen any evidence that he has the tenacity or guile to really affect a game. We've currently got plenty of midfielders that excel at one thing and one thing only, we need midfielders that have more balance to their game. I'd maybe have Khouri in the squad and loaned out again if he's classed as an additional CM spot but I'd rather have CMs that are ready to play first team football if that's not an option. For me it's quite telling that we have brought in young loan CMs over the past three seasons that have been ahead of him in the pecking order.

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

How many times has it been said on here “we can do better”?
Actually we often can’t. It was said about Max and Orsi who have played 36 and 35 games this season, and they could have a made a big difference to our season. Both Gav and Green are highly committed squad members who also have a relatively good track record with injuries. For me, it depends on their expectations, if they want to be starters every week then they should move on, but if they are happy at GTFC as squad players they could be worth another 12 months. Especially if on relatively modest wages. It depends on the clubs view on Khouri though - if we kept both that could be a blocker on his progress.

Is it that we can't or that we just don't?

This forum was more or less unanimously in agreement 12 months that Crocombe had run his course with us and the time was right for both parties to look for something else.  Less nice way of putting it is that perhaps his time here had gone a bit stale  He wasn't as commanding in his area, his kicking had gone to pieces and he was forever palming relatively easy shots back into the path of strikers.

We should have upgraded on him if we wanted to kick on.  You're not going to get better than midtable League Two if you're first choice 'keeper is performing how Crocombe did in the second half of last season.  Ultimately, we didn't do that.  We downgraded, certainly on the first 6 months of the season.  I think Eastwood is a fine 'keeper when his chin is up, the problem is that his confidence is so fragile that the slightest dent and he completely crumbles.  Cartwright is now showing what he can do and if we take his last month or so in isolation he pisses all over Crocombe, but more than likely he just wasn't ready to be first choice in November of last year.  

It's an ongoing issue at this club and I will repeat it, it's the legacy of Hurst.  In the Football League he simply failed at every attempt to upgrade on the players he let go. The intent was absolutely correct, you always want to get better players in and the first-teamers of today become the squad players of tomorrow as you go through that process.  But he never managed to do it.  I don't think it's unkind to say that more often than not he weakened us with his transfer dealings at this level.  I'm really struggling to think of more than a handful of signings in the league under Hurst that were genuine improvements and upgrades.  Danny Rose absolutely, Danny Andrew, it's definitely a theme as Danny Collins too was an upgrade.  But who else?

I really like Holohan, he just seems a very likeable bloke and I think we've consistently looked better with him in the side since he arrived two years ago.  His ability to pop up with important goals has proved key.  But he should not be part of our improvement arc.  Same with Green, who I do think has put in a couple of very good performances of late.  Ultimately they are not the players who take you into the higher echelons of this division.

Of the two Green is probably the one with the better chance of staying because he's a bit more versatile, I do think he's perhaps got a bit more to offer moving further forward and that he can and does suit a high press in that role.  Technically though I'm not sure.   He can do that destroyer role but I think in both Conteh and now Thompson we've seen that an effective holding midfielder can and should offer more than just getting to the ball first.  Thompson especially is doing everything Green does in that role and then more.  If Thompson's out and Green drops into that position, our game dramatically changes and is weakened.  It's idealistic but you want someone who's more capable of doing the Thompson role.  Also if our aspirations are to challenge at the top end, how often are we going to go somewhere and want to put Green in there to do a destruction job?  Probably not very often.

If we had to sort contracts today, I would offer Clifton one but on the understanding that his primary position is wingback/fullback.  In that position I honestly think he's up there at this level.  But in midfield he's another we would need to improve on if we want to kick on.

The harsh reality is that the vast majority of the squad still have huge question marks over them.  At the back Rodgers and Mullarkey have really improved in recent games, but it still must be a worry of how bad they can be.  Wilson up top, who I think has looked every inch the perfect No 9 at this level (strong, mobile, quick, intelligent and a bloody good finisher too), but what was it that Artell didn't fancy about him to start with?  I can't remember the comment but it was about his fitness/durability when it came to injuries and knocks.  I don't for a second think we're in danger, but this squad is still the one that's left us in that position.  How much of that do you want to take forward into the next season?  I don't think it's going to be a shock when we return to a more expansive style of play next season, how many of this lot does Artell fancy can cope with that?