Trojan wrote:Scorched earth policy ! Get rid of the whole lot including Hargreaves & co and start again. None of them are playing for the team just there pennies, I for one won't return to TQ1 until this happens.
LOL, you're funny!
I think everyone in the bay would need to pack out Plainmoor to the rafters every game for the whole of next season for the club to be able to afford to sack EVERYONE!
Get rid of all the Benyons and Tonges, leave the young, inexperienced lads that Hargreaves has brought in along with the likes of Cameron and the youth team lads and use what little money we have wisely for 3 or 4 experienced heads.
I said last year when everyone was going on about signing hungry young players that you need experience to get out of this division. The best Conference teams are filled with 30 year olds, not 20 year olds.
Gary Johnson's Yellow Army! Yellow Army! Yellow Army!
Cameron?
He would genuinely be the first name I would get rid of.
I've never seen such an abject lack of effort from a single player.
When we don't have the ball, it's like playing with 10 men. The only reason he still plays is because Hargreaves doesn't know what he's doing.
Disagree that it takes just experience to get out of the conference, Barnet's starting line up Monday had an average age of 25, if you take into account Lavercombe made his senior debut Monday and that Rice has played the majority of the games and is of course a lot older, also take into account Young would have played instead Harding and is a lot younger, however that still would have left our average age barely 1 year younger than Barnet's.
Barnet had seven players in their side 25 years old and younger, the youngest being 19. The difference being, Barnet have in the main young players who are good at this level mixed with few experienced players who are still quality at this level, what takes a team out of the conference is a team with physical presence, pace and good mix of experience and young players.
We have Downes, Harding, Pearce and Briscoe, none of these players are short of the relevant experience all have played at a higher level, but what are they short of.
Like many have said it takes a blend of experienced players with passion and leadership and young players full of energy.
Cameron has to go, he's inconsistent and hasn't made an impact. Unsure on Rice, he's not the worst keeper in this league but certainly not the best. I'd retain Downes due to his experience but we REALLY do need an experienced CM to partner young. Getting a good set of full backs is also a must as Ives, although a promising young talent, has been exploited by other teams where a Kevin Nicholson would have none of it, even if he was slow!
I think we need three or ideally four experienced heads coming in the summer with whatever young talent can be brought in if it's better than what we already have.
A 30-plus year-old 'keeper with 300+ professional games would be ideal (although this might be dreamland!)
A left-sided centre-half, someone in the mold of a Guy Branston who can sit in between Ives and MacDonald and wear the captains armband.
A calm, accomplished central midfielder who can work alongside Young and control things (and wear the captains armband when needed).
And if we have the budget a wily old fox up front who can help the young lads with putting the ball in the back of the ol' onion bag.
Gary Johnson's Yellow Army! Yellow Army! Yellow Army!
I have an even longer list than I thought! I would however still be happy to keep them all and make it clear to the manager that he needs to include the young 18 and 19 year old graduates in his first team and use them, or sell them but having them sitting around only to be released later is not acceptable. We simply cannot afford for the young talent to be wasted - it's either good enough for our first team or good enough for someone else to buy or we scrap the youth system and replace it with a reserve team filled with Premier League rejects.
Aaron Dawson
Angus MacDonald
Courtney Cameron
Courtney Richards
Daniel Lavercombe
Duane Ofori-Acheampong
James McQuilkin
John Campbell
Levi Ives
Liam Prynn
Louis Briscoe
Luke Young
Mickey Parcell
O'Neil Odofin
Ollivier Gueguen
Ryan Bowman
Sam Chaney
Toby Ajala
Gary Johnson's Yellow Army! Yellow Army! Yellow Army!
There is no way Courtney Cameron should be retained.
Anyone who saw the Semi-Final game at Wrexham will confirm that, he was an absolute disgrace.
Only Hargreaves would have been stupid enough to pick him since that game.
What has he contributed when he has played this season? nothing.
Have any of you watched Oneil Odofin, he may have the physical attributes but I'm telling you that lad cannot play football and is reckless. You think Downes makes mistakes wait until we have to rely on Oneil every week.
supergulls wrote:Have any of you watched Oneil Odofin, he may have the physical attributes but I'm telling you that lad cannot play football and is reckless. You think Downes makes mistakes wait until we have to rely on Oneil every week.
I'll be honest and say no, I haven't. I would just like to see these young lads given a chance in the first team squad. Odofin as 4th choice centre-back at least for pre-season and up until Christmas should be the way forward. If he's no good then ship him out.
Gary Johnson's Yellow Army! Yellow Army! Yellow Army!
supergulls wrote:Have any of you watched Oneil Odofin, he may have the physical attributes but I'm telling you that lad cannot play football and is reckless. You think Downes makes mistakes wait until we have to rely on Oneil every week.
Difference is, ones a last-year youth player and the other is in his 30s. I find it much more palatable watching an 18 year old make a mistake with the potential to learn from it,than a 30 year old who should know better by now.
Guess it will come down to coaching. I would like to see him as our 4th choice and see how it goes. If he is never going to make it then you ship him out and get a loanee. Providing you have a manager with those contacts,of course.
PhilGull wrote:I have an even longer list than I thought! I would however still be happy to keep them all and make it clear to the manager that he needs to include the young 18 and 19 year old graduates in his first team and use them, or sell them but having them sitting around only to be released later is not acceptable. We simply cannot afford for the young talent to be wasted - it's either good enough for our first team or good enough for someone else to buy or we scrap the youth system and replace it with a reserve team filled with Premier League rejects.
Aaron Dawson
Angus MacDonald
Courtney Cameron
Courtney Richards
Daniel Lavercombe
Duane Ofori-Acheampong
James McQuilkin
John Campbell
Levi Ives
Liam Prynn
Louis Briscoe
Luke Young
Mickey Parcell
O'Neil Odofin
Ollivier Gueguen
Ryan Bowman
Sam Chaney
Toby Ajala
I'd roughly agree with your list apart from Cameron and Campbell. For me, Courtney Cameron hasn't turned up this season. Maybe he isn't settled in the area but he hasn't looked interested. Before tonight, I had doubts about John Campbell. I don't have doubts any more. We badly need another striker to partner Bowman but Campbell is not the man - sorry. I also have doubts about Duane O'Achie and Oliie Gueguen. Duane may move on somewhere where he'll get better coaching because he hasn't improved at all during his year with us. I like Gueguen but it seems that he is not high on Hargreaves list because he isn't playing him.
I'd add Downes and Pearce to the list simply because it will be difficult to find central defenders at this level to better them. However, I don't think either player will be here next season - Downes won't accept a lower contract offer and Pearce has mostly looked as if he'd rather be anywhere other than Plainmoor. I've no opinion on Odofin because I haven't seen him play. The only thing, Phil, it's a long list and doesn't allow much leeway to bring in new players. We will need an expereinced keeper, an experienced midfield player and a decent striker to partner Bowman.
Well we now know of one player who's been released: Duane Ofori-Acheampong by mutual consent as, not surprisingly given recent circumstances, he wants to be with his family back in London.
nickbrod wrote:Well we now know of one player who's been released: Duane Ofori-Acheampong by mutual consent as, not surprisingly given recent circumstances, he wants to be with his family back in London.
I've been a bit out of the loop whilst on honeymoon, what's happened?
Duane's sister died recently, & he had a fairly lengthy time back with his family, which I thought was something that the Club got right this season. They seem to be a close-knit family, & it can appear a very long way away from London down here.
