Thursday deadline.

[chaddyrovers]

@Fraserkirky, I would be looking at these positions now the season is over with

A tall striker

a deep midfield playmaker

2 wingers

Armstrong 

a number 10 back up(Otzumer on a free)

a centre back(if Mowbray thinks we need one)

. 

[RV Blue]

Just now, chaddyrovers said:

a centre back(if Mowbray thinks we need one)

Would you want a new goalkeeper if Mowbray wanted one? What about a new left back?

[chaddyrovers]

8 minutes ago, RV Blue said:

Would you want a new goalkeeper if Mowbray wanted one? What about a new left back?

we don't need either IMO. 

i'm unsure if we need another centre back tbh

[Commondore]

3 hours ago, RV Blue said:

Starting XI wise I reckon we need two new central midfielders, two new wingers and a striker for next season. I don’t think Smallwood will cut it in the Championship though he would be decent backup. Graham could play some games but I wouldn’t really want to rely on him as our first choice striker. We possibly need a new left back but I would like to see Bell given a go.

My team:

                      Raya

Bennett Lenihan Mulgrew Bell

           New (Hibs lad?) New

New              Dack               New

                Graham/New

Way too risky to start a season in a new division with a completely new central midfield, Smallwood will at the very least begin the season in there. Main focus should for me be new wingers (Conway is past it and Armstrong has a dodgy record on Championship level) and a new main striker. We might very well need a new centre back as well if Mulgrew's injury record rears it's ugly head again. 

[roversfan99]

Id imagine Nyambe will start as right back and Bennett down a wing.

I just hope we dont try and use Nyambe (or anyone) as a wing back, hes too defensive to play that role, hes fine at right back. Back to 4-2-3-1 yesterday and back to looking good.

[RV Blue]

46 minutes ago, Commondore said:

Way too risky to start a season in a new division with a completely new central midfield, Smallwood will at the very least begin the season in there. Main focus should for me be new wingers (Conway is past it and Armstrong has a dodgy record on Championship level) and a new main striker. We might very well need a new centre back as well if Mulgrew's injury record rears it's ugly head again. 

Surely it’s more risky starting the season with a player in central midfield who isn’t up to it? We know that from experience. Preseason is about getting new players used to playing in the side.

[47er]

Most of us think that we have a better squad now than the one that went down to Div 1 and that side, under TM took 22 points from the last 15 games and was cruelly relegated on GD in the last minutes of the last game of the season.

Therefore, assuming the loans situation is sorted, ie buy,retain or replace, we ought to be safe.

The transfer window this time around is really about the owners. Have they bought into TM's vision of what the club can be or are they content to rattle along from day to day, week to week?

In short, do they share his ambition or is it business as usual? Are we going places or is this it?

Next few weeks will be very illuminating for once.

 

[blueboy3333]

11 hours ago, RV Blue said:

Surely it’s more risky starting the season with a player in central midfield who isn’t up to it? We know that from experience. Preseason is about getting new players used to playing in the side.

In my opinion if he is on his game Smallwood is easily good enough for the Championship. Evans too has shown signs of returning to the player who 1st joined us. I certainly think we need 1 new CM to provide competition and you'd hope everyone we sign this summer is better thsn what we've already got. That may be tricky on a small budget in positions like Dacks but there are areas we can definitely improve.

 

 

[Mike E]

Just now, blueboy3333 said:

In my opinion if he is on his game Smallwood is easily good enough for the Championship. Evans too has shown signs of returning to the player who 1st joined us. I certainly think we need 1 new CM to provide competition and you'd hope everyone we sign this summer is better thsn what we've already got. That may be tricky on a small budget in positions like Dacks but there are areas we can definitely improve.

Competition for those two (combative) will come from Bennett and Travis, with Hardcastle and Tomlinson knocking on the door too imo.

Midfield needs a playmaker like we thought Whittingham would be.

[Give 'Em the Axe]

1 hour ago, Mike E said:

 

Midfield needs a playmaker like we thought Whittingham would be.

Wonder if that's the chap from Hibs?

Anyone got any more word on that?

[RV Blue]

1 hour ago, blueboy3333 said:

In my opinion if he is on his game Smallwood is easily good enough for the Championship. Evans too has shown signs of returning to the player who 1st joined us. I certainly think we need 1 new CM to provide competition and you'd hope everyone we sign this summer is better thsn what we've already got. That may be tricky on a small budget in positions like Dacks but there are areas we can definitely improve.

 

 

He hasn’t been on his game since January, he’s looked pretty poor. I also think he’d be a bit too slow for the increased pace of the Championship. Bennett could be treated as a CM but I think he’s a cracking right back and will be one of the best in the Championship there. At the end of the day it all depends on our ambition, if we just want to stay up, Smallwood is probably good enough, if we want to have a go at getting in the top half, Smallwood probably isn’t good enough. I’d like to see us use this momentum to have a proper go next season like Sheffield United.

[chaddyrovers]

1 minute ago, Give 'Em the Axe said:

Wonder if that's the chap from Hibs?

Anyone got any more word on that?

nothing out there. but don't forget that Hibs are still playing in their season so it might be announce after their season ends

[blueboy3333]

Just now, RV Blue said:

He hasn’t been on his game since January, he’s looked pretty poor. I also think he’d be a bit too slow for the increased pace of the Championship. Bennett could be treated as a CM but I think he’s a cracking right back and will be one of the best in the Championship there. At the end of the day it all depends on our ambition, if we just want to stay up, Smallwood is probably good enough, if we want to have a go at getting in the top half, Smallwood probably isn’t good enough. I’d like to see us use this momentum to have a proper go next season like Sheffield United.

Nyambe will start the season at RB. He's been excellent this season. Bennett is wasted at RB. He's all-action, closes people down etc and stops them playing. He's far more suited to midfield.

[RV Blue]

10 minutes ago, blueboy3333 said:

Nyambe will start the season at RB. He's been excellent this season. Bennett is wasted at RB. He's all-action, closes people down etc and stops them playing. He's far more suited to midfield.

He’s only wasted at right back if your midfield is poor, as ours has been most of the season. His attributes are perfectly suited to playing full back.

[Give 'Em the Axe]

18 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

nothing out there. but don't forget that Hibs are still playing in their season so it might be announce after their season ends

You're dead right, man. I had totally forgotten that there's other leagues still unfinished, haha! Mine is a BRFC only household.

[blueboy3333]

Just now, RV Blue said:

He’s only wasted at right back if your midfield is poor, as ours has been most of the season. His attributes are perfectly suited to playing full back.

Nonsense. If our midfield had been poor all season we wouldn't have got 96 points.

[roversfan99]

Wouldnt be surprised to see Bennett back wide next year.

If he does, he needs to contribute more goals as he is capable of doing.

His work rate and pressing do give us something a bit different, and using him there renders Conway even more meaningless now his legs are gone.

[RV Blue]

Just now, blueboy3333 said:

Nonsense. If our midfield had been poor all season we wouldn't have got 96 points.

Rubbish. We haven’t had a settled two all season, Evans is poor, Smallwood has been poor during the second half of the season, Bennett only played there during the second half of the season, and Whittingham has been a disaster. We won promotion because we have a few players who are way too good for this league (Dack, Mulgrew, Graham, Bennett & Lenihan) and Armstrong was on fire for a couple of months.

Nyambe brings nothing going forward and imo isn’t good enough to be playing in a decent Championship side.

[blueboy3333]

Good thing about this summer is that Mowbray doesn't have lots of players who offer nothing taking up a chunk of the wage bill. There are a few that we could do to get rid of but I doubt they are on big money as the wage bill is only £8.5m. Caddis and Whittingham are two I think we can do without but beyond that you could make a case for most other first-teamers staying.

 

[blueboy3333]

Just now, RV Blue said:

Rubbish. We haven’t had a settled two all season, Evans is poor, Smallwood has been poor during the second half of the season, Bennett only played there during the second half of the season, and Whittingham has been a disaster. We won promotion because we have a few players who are way too good for this league (Dack, Mulgrew, Graham, Bennett & Lenihan) and Armstrong was on fire for a couple of months.

Nyambe brings nothing going forward and imo isn’t good enough to be playing in a decent Championship side.

LOL. Lenny only played about ten games. Nyambe played all season and has been excellent. If you don't think he offers anything going forward you don't go to matches. I thought the same at the beginning of the season but he has come on leaps and bounds this season. This from the LT today in the players ratings:-

Ryan Nyambe 8 (MOM)

Back in the side after injury and can be pleased with his display. Got forward regularly and his athleticism is a real positive. Made one brilliant block from Obika shortly before Oxford leveller.

Richey Sharpe is an excellent reporter and a good judge in my opinion. He knows the game.

[roversfan99]

I think, and Saturday was a good example, that Nyambe offers nothing going forward. That said, hes come on leaps and bounds as a defensive full back.

As much as like any team we have a few star players, to imply that it was anything but a team effort to get such a high points total is naive in the extreme.

[islander200]

2 minutes ago, blueboy3333 said:

Good thing about this summer is that Mowbray doesn't have lots of players who offer nothing taking up a chunk of the wage bill. There are a few that we could do to get rid of but I doubt they are on big money as the wage bill is only £8.5m. Caddis and Whittingham are two I think we can do without but beyond that you could make a case for most other first-teamers staying.

 

The wage bill was only 8.5 million last season but I presume our higher earners in the championship had to take wage cuts last season.Not sure how it works but now we are promoted do their wages go back up to what they where?

[tomphil]

Pace on the wings an absolute must in my view especially if this summer turns out to be an 'as you were' mentality. Ideally you want to boost it with a quality signing in each key area or a Dack like marquee signing but I just can't see that happening.

So just dig some speed out from somewhere to help what should be a limited but hardworking side.

[Angry_Pirate]

As of now we're starting next season with this team (the ones in bold being those i think are a guarantee for opening day unless some John Terry/Ronaldinho type signing falls our way - it wont)

                             Raya

Nyambe    Lenihan    Mulgrew    Williams/Bell 

          Smallwood     Bennett/Evans

NEW                  Dack                 Armstrong

                        Graham

One of Bell and Williams will start, and depending on our signings will depend if Bennett plays CM or W, but i think he starts. Graham will get his contract and also start though i expect there will be some better competition brought in as Samuel showed he isn't a striker (though "useful" as a RW). Armstrong i see us chasing and him starting LW if signed.

I think we need to focus on the wide midfield positions first - then look for an upgrade on the likes of Feeney, Hart, Whittingham, Gladwin, Caddis and Ward who are all surplus to requirements and will likely be offered out if not out of contract anyway.

Ignoring loan departures if we can get those 6 out, and 6-8 in (W x 2, CM, CF, CAM and CB) ill be happy as the U23's deserve some consideration before we look to loan any players under the age of 21 (Harper!).

I honestly would be amazed if 8 of the team that started the final day (Dack making it 9) don't start the first game next season (Injuries depending).

[chaddyrovers]

32 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Wouldnt be surprised to see Bennett back wide next year.

If he does, he needs to contribute more goals as he is capable of doing.

His work rate and pressing do give us something a bit different, and using him there renders Conway even more meaningless now his legs are gone.

I can see Bennnett playing in centre midfield next season unless he is needed to do a defensive job out wide. 

Conway isn't meaningless cos he would be good squad man to bring when defending a lead and good in the dressing room. plus loads of experience and knowledge of this league, why get rid of that type of player. very strange