Personally I would keep van Sas, Moore, Skura, Anders & Abbott (I am assuming he stays with us once he recovers)
I would send Berry, Back, Shala, Matton, Cole, Peart & Bartolo out on loan to toughen up/get game time/prove their fitness. The first 2 definitely have potential but need to prove they are up to playing senior football. the others the jury is out on whether they have what is needed at L1 level.
I am in 2 minds about Huggins & Woodrow though ending their loan spells early would need a discussion with their parent clubs
I am unconvinced by Tilley & Westergard so would look to move them on asap
Finally Casey blows hot & cold but would hold onto him for now
The whole squad needs to show more self belief, ā¦not just as individuals..,but as a team that takes the field from the kickoff with more,energy,commitment and desire to win from the outset, which they are capable of producing ,.. unfortunately, thus far, having been from being mostly 2-0 down!
Ask me after the Boxing Day fixture, ..then Iāll give you a list,ā¦until then we are just stuck with it,ā¦.some will,.. hopefully rise to the challenge,ā¦others may just do the bare minimum and shame on them pulling on the Iconic Blue Quartered shirt,ā¦and they will duly will be named!
Pretty much all the players have shown ability so Iām not desperate to get rid of anyone. But we need some balance. Itās obvious we are too soft and need a physical presence at centre back. And probably some extra bite in midfield.
Thereās zero chance we completely pivot away from signing young players and suddenly move them all on in order to make room for a load of late 20s/early 30s players with Lg1/Championship experience. But if we could bring in just one grizzled central defender that would improve the whole team dramatically.
I imagine one of Back or Huggins will go. Perhaps Tilley. And surely Westegaard and Hagelskjaer must leave if they still arenāt getting games. Beyond loaning out a few of the younger players that need game time in senior football, I reckon most will stay.
After an insane January window that served no positive impact, followed by a summer window with even more upheaval, Iād like us to do almost nothing this winter. I have a feeling the spreadsheet will disagree
The problem is we have gaping holes in our squad - defensive quality in midfield, lack of aerial threat both in defence and attack the main ones. So doing nothing will not be a good idea.
Presumably this is a reserve team competition rather than a youth team competition. Yesterdayās 0-0 draw with Oxford included Stuart Moore (30yo), Declan Skura (23yo) and Bradley Fink (22yo). Jack Matton also played, I guess he has returned from loan.
Valuable minutes for some of the main squad as well as more experience for the youth team. We now progress to the next phase providing more minutes for some.
Regarding the squad going forward it is slightly puzzling to me why Moore would play in that game instead of Laury Shala or one of the youth keepers. No game time for Back or Huggins.
Leave in January - Moore / George, Back / Huggins, Casey,Westergaard (presuming Scowen can return)
As a couple of others have said, I would prefer to keep the majority of the squad as it is and add a proper tough centre back and midfielder.
Iām not sure Casey will be moving as Duff is giving him a run in the squad at the moment and hasnāt proven as error-prone as Taylor. I think weāll be keeping Huggins as well as he is capable of playing LB as well as RB. George has already left āOn Loanā but I thought that was a season-long loan, why would we recall him unless its to make room on the wage budget but weād also recall Berry and either release or sell him? Tilley will be questioning his life choices being here but not being used.
While I hate to write this, unless Skura is going to be used by Duff, he might be on the way out too, either on loan or permanent to give him a chance. Heās a very useful CB who could play for L1 or L2 squads, he just needs an extended run of games.
To me, the point of recalling Shamal George in January is for him to become our first-choice goalkeeper. Heās better than both Mikki van Sas and Will Norris, in my opinion. Whether Michael Duffās shares it remains to be seen.
Declan Skura needs to play. Heās 23. Heās good enough, in my opinion, but needs the opportunity to prove it to others. Sadly, I doubt Duff feels the same. The fee paid for Connor Taylor means he wonāt be leaving in January. Therefore itās either Dan Casey or Skura whoāll move on, as we need to sign a dominant right-sided centre-back, and four of those are one too many.
Looks like Iām in the minority but I donāt think there is a huge issue with our goalkeepers, particularly since they seem to have been asked to stop playing stupid short passes all the time. Personally I think they are decent enough L1 keepers and not sure George is any or significantly better than either (albeit from a small sample size of evidence).
I do think Mullins has significant potential, he needs just needs to massively toughen up/bulk up
Sam GALE - 21 - 6ā2 - 50+ apps - Gillingham - a real talent with huge potential, likely to be a similar fee to Connor Taylor, Iām sure Gareth would do us a deal!
Nigel LONWIJK - 22 - 6ā5 - 100+ apps - Wolves/Luton - told you I was on my bullshit. He was unceremoniously dropped from the 18-man squad by Jack Wilshere at the weekend. On a season-long loan but with an option to buy. I wonder if a permanent deal could be done in January.
Ben NELSON - 21 - 6ā5 - 50+ apps - Leicester - would be a loan deal, but he also has huge potential. Impressed during a loan spell with PNL last season.
Tyler BINDON - 20 - 6ā3 - 90+ apps - Sheff Utd/Nottām Forest - would be a loan deal, having fallen out of favour under Chris Wilder. Recall in January and bring him to Adams Park. We know how good he is.
Ben GIBSON - 32 - 6ā1 - 400+ apps - Stoke City - not sure weād be able to pull this one off, given heās supposedly on Ā£35k p/w but has fallen out of favour with Mark Robins. Also left-footed, which means heād come in for Taylor Allen. His experience would be very beneficial and I didnāt think weād pull off the signing of another vastly experienced player from Stoke City not so long ago!
2. MIDFIELDERS
Dan BARLASER - 28 - 290+ apps - Hibs/Middlesboroā - again ambitious, would only be a loan, which would seen him recalled from Hibs in January. The difference he would make to our side would be vast.
Luke BERRY - 33 - 500+ apps - Charlton - already been told he can leave the Valley in January, really needs no introduction. Would be a big jump in quality.
Will VAULKS - 32 - 500+ apps - Oxford United - a bit-part player with the PNL, Gary Rowett didnāt sign him so thereās a deal to be done.
Jay FULTON - 31 - 400+ apps - Swansea City - a bit-part player with the Swans, played under Duff whilst he was there. Would be another great option/addition, either loan or permanent.
Liam WALSH - 28 - 150+ apps - Luton Town - also played under Duff at Swansea, currently recovering from a shoulder injury at Luton, likely to struggle for game time under Wilshere. whoāll want to bring his own players in January. Could be loan or permanent.
Jon RUSSELL - 25 - 150+ apps - Barnsley - played under Duff at Barnsley and wonder whether he might fancy him. Doesnāt quite fit the profile but Conor Hourihane aināt having him.
3. ATTACKERS
Dion CHARLES - 30 - 250+ apps - Huddersfield Town - not fancied by Lee Grant, career on the slide a bit, but has the goalscoring pedigree we need right now.
Lyndon DYKES - 30 - 350+ apps - Birmingham City - said to be frustrated by the lack of game-time at St Andrews. Would likely to be a loan but heās a proper hard bastard.
Max WATTERS - 26 - 150+ apps - Dundee United/Barnsley - not getting much of a look-in at Tannadice. Would be recalled in January and sent to Adams Park. Played under Duff whilst he was at Oakwell.
Macauley LANGSTAFF - 28 - 250+ apps - Millwall - perennial benchwarmer at the New Den. If theyāre willing to loan him out in January, would be a good option.
Ollie PEARCE - 30 - no EFL apps - York City - itās clearly a punt but heās scored 114 goals in 76 starts in non-league football. A proper No. 9. His age is putting off EFL clubs I suspect based on resale value.
Abdul ABDULMAILK - 22 - no EFL apps - Boreham Wood - if itās resale value weāre after then Abdulmalik is the man. Heās maybe more of a 10 than a 9 but has been taking the National League by storm this season and we wouldnāt be the only club looking at him.
This post is fantastic work and shows exactly what sort of players we need. Itās likely that loans will be the order of the day, but that gives us a chance to have a good look at people. Iām pretty sure Duff will be thinking along the same lines, but I donāt think these players will be very high up the spreadsheet however. Letās hope Duff can get his way or he might become a little frustrated.
Norris has looked more secure now heās not being asked to play out. Thatās what we want from a goalkeeper at the minute, command the area and donāt fuck-up.
I donāt think anyone wants us to gut the squad, thereās some good young players here with great potential. But egos need to be parked for the good of the club, and I do see signs of that happening.