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I agree with United , Dawson the key midfielder to sign over Lapslie though I would like both.

GJ has to improve recruitment and tactics. His best side was a 433 with 2 pacey players out wide and a target man. In midfield 2 players who can create/ make a pass (CLE/ Little) and an enforcer.

At the start of last season it was obvious he was going to play 3 at the back (to accommodate Moxey- which was fair enough), as he didn't recruit any wingers, but then didn't have 'footballing' wing backs, and in any event they rarely got past the halfway line. But the biggest issue was then going with a midfield 3 who were one paced (slow), uncreative, can't make a key pass and rarely out of the centre circle- Hall, Lapslie, Hanson, Donnellan, McGavin. Midfield were basically bypassed as we were forced to hoof it to Jarvis.

Not quite sure who the MARQUEE signing was, but Johnson has really struggled to recruit since his lad left Bristol City.

MARQUEE signings… there was 1 out of about 8 or 9 that paid dividends. Blame WYscout the lazy way to recruit from the Brothers Johnson

I guess we will soon know who stays, who are released, who have a contract for 2023/24 already, and who will be offered terms to sign for2023/24. Here are my hopes and guesses because we do not know for certain about players already contracted for 2023/24.

Loan Players.

Nico Lawrence
Lewis Collins
Keiron Evans
Jack Stobbs
Tope Fadahunsi
Kevin Dawson.

Nico will be playing at a higher level as clearly destined for a good career. Collins and Evans depends on decisions from their parent clubs.
Jack Stobbs if released by Oldham may want to return up north. Tope who knows? Kevin Dawson. Certain to be offered a Contract by United.

I have excluded the 4 Young Pros who have been out on loan to further their development.

Likely to be released. Ali Omar, Jacob Mensah, Tomlinson, Marshall unless contracted.

Asa Hall and Dean Moxey. I love watching these two very good pros who are a credit to Pro Football. Will they retire or decide to have one more season to help us win Promotion?

Already under Contract based on various sources. Aaron Jarvis. Sure to attract offers. Brett McGavin and Ryan Hanson.

Mark Halstead,Tom Lapslie,Shaun Donnellan,Rhys Lovett, sure to be offered a contract?

That leaves Dan Martin, Frank Nouble and Ben Wyatt. I just have no idea.

We will know this week I guess.

Of those 6 loanees, we have no chance of getting 3 of them;

• Lawrence is for sure destined for greater things.

• Evans is at a championship club and I'd expect him to be on loan at a L1 or L2 club next season.

• I believe Collins has already told some of our fans - who saw him at a service station a few hours after the game - that's he's moving on.

Stobbs, we might want to make an offer to if he becomes available.
I think Dawson is as closed to nailed on to join as any of them given his history with Johnson and the impact he had.
Finally (on loanees)- Fadahunsi wasn't in the squad when we had 5 other loanees, so that suggests he's not particularly liked by the management. I don't expect to see him again.

I think Martin will be offered a contract if the club feel that he's able to get past his long Covid. He'll probably take it, too, since I can't see to many clubs lining up for a guy who played maybe 3 times last season. If he is offered something (and accepts) then I think that means Wyatt will be moved on. Although I thought Wyatt was pretty good in the last few games so if he stuck around I think we'd be well covered by left backs.

I get the sense that Hall and Moxey will stay for another year - had GJ moved on, I'd have expected them both to retire, but him remaining means they don't have to spend a few months figuring out the new guy. They'll both be assets in NLS, even if nobody really expects more than 25 games out of each of them.

We're assuming McGavin and Hanson both stay, so it's a big season for each of them at this stage in their careers. I would absolutely love to keep Jarvis and I think our chances of doing so have increased with Johnson staying, although I still put it at 60/40. Not sure on Marshall's contractual situation, but as portugull says, if we are able to do so cheaply, he's probably not coming back.

Omar - I think we all agree that he's not NL standard (annoyingly because I kept hoping he'd come good) but he might be a relatively cheap option as cover. No idea where Mensah is; I'd assumed he'd already left. I'd keep Tomlinson, and if we're to offer Koszela anything we need to do it on the understanding that he won't be going on loan and that this is is one season to prove his value.

Pretty sure Lapslie is gone; disappointing in a way because he's the kind of player every fan loves; enthusiastic, committed, that sort of thing. But he is probably a fairly limited player who needs 'talent' alongside him so I don't think he'd be a huge miss if he were to go.

Halstead and Donellan i think get offered a deal, though I could see both of them getting offers elswhere that might be more appealing.

we're still going to need at least half a dozen additions, and i think this season showed that we *really* need some pace on the wings to get the ball into the box for Jarvis (hopefully!)

Last note - I have no evidence for this but I can't help feeling that Nouble could stick around. If that happens, I'm 100% piling in on us to win the division. Nouble and Jarvis as a strike partnership could 50 goals in NLS. (and Nouble would be good for Kozsela)

Happytorq, a lot of what you say makes sense but as it is torquay probably will never happen, I disagree with Koszela, he has had his chance over how many seasons, and will only get a contract because of his family ties to thea, certainly not on merit. if Jarvis and nouble stay what use is koszela, on the wing, he bulked up so much the start of last season he was a clone of jake andrews without the heart or skill factor and miles slower. I saw him play in a pre season at plainmoor season season before last , out on the right wing, he just walked up and down like a spoilt schoolboy for 45 minutes because Johnson had the temerity to play him out of his no 9 position, he lasted less than 45 minutes and was rightly subbed and very shortly was loaned out for the season where he found his right level in a southern league side. No one from the youth set up has ever had three years to prove himself like Koszela and still not come up to the mark.

happytorq I now realise I omitted Dylan Crowe.

At NLS level I think he might get an offer.

The reason I said I had no idea about Dan Martin was because of Covid. I rate him but will he be able to get over Covid or has he long Covid which affects his respiratory function.

I would like to think Jarvis and Nouble might enjoy playing and scoring at NLS level because when you are not playing at all like Nouble was it is great to be back playing especially in a winning team if Gary gets his recruitment right.

portugull wrote: ↑01 May 2023, 16:01 happytorq I now realise I omitted Dylan Crowe.

At NLS level I think he might get an offer.

lol I forgot about him too. Crowe is a weird one - as a former youth international you'd think he'd be at a higher level, but I know that being a right back in youth games means that you're probably only there for your attacking ability; which is why I thought he'd fit in well as a wing back. We saw early in the season that he can't defend as well as we'd like. I'd keep him, though.

culmstockgull wrote: ↑01 May 2023, 16:00 Happytorq, a lot of what you say makes sense but as it is torquay probably will never happen, I disagree with Koszela, he has had his chance over how many seasons, and will only get a contract because of his family ties to thea, certainly not on merit. if Jarvis and nouble stay what use is koszela, on the wing, he bulked up so much the start of last season he was a clone of jake andrews without the heart or skill factor and miles slower. I saw him play in a pre season at plainmoor season season before last , out on the right wing, he just walked up and down like a spoilt schoolboy for 45 minutes because Johnson had the temerity to play him out of his no 9 position, he lasted less than 45 minutes and was rightly subbed and very shortly was loaned out for the season where he found his right level in a southern league side. No one from the youth set up has ever had three years to prove himself like Koszela and still not come up to the mark.

Hasn't Koszela been released along with Moyes and the other players out on loan?

I see Jack Stobbs has been released by Oldham. Would like to think we could offer him a contract.

MellowYellow wrote: ↑01 May 2023, 18:44 I see Jack Stobbs has been released by Oldham. Would like to think we could offer him a contract.

Not sure he’d move from Manchester and commit to regional football. GJ will have to sell this as a springboard to get players’ careers back on track.

Admiral wrote: ↑01 May 2023, 19:27 Not sure he’d move from Manchester and commit to regional football. GJ will have to sell this as a springboard to get players’ careers back on track.

I spoke with Jack on Friday, he said he wanted to play at Torquay next season, despite his home is in Leeds.

North Curry House wrote: ↑01 May 2023, 21:18 I spoke with Jack on Friday, he said he wanted to play at Torquay next season, despite his home is in Leeds.

That would be good news!

On Twitter the players are saying goodbye so you can work out who has been released. Alex Moyse
@alex_moyse has declared himself a free agent. Frank nouble…..NIZ
@FrankNouble is rather good at social media and embracing the fans. He seems to think he is leaving but unusually his management team are also saying goodbye which is odd and optimistically a sign he is negotiating a contract.
Jack Stobbs
@jackstobbs7 says he is leaving but with no club, can he persuade his family to move from Yorkshire? We hope so.

No doubt there are other players online via Instagram who are letting the football world that they are available. The controversial new non league contracts will also make a difference. Basically, a club can terminate the contact after several weeks if a player is injured. Maybe TUFC will keep a standard contract which would attract better players.

I think we should keep Kozela. Not necessarily as a starter, but as a 3rd Striker. Comparing him to Jake Andrews and saying he's slower than Andrews is nonsense. Why compare a striker to a midfielder who never had pace?

We need a new striker alongside Jarvis, if Frank goes.