Squad size!

[Derbados]

With the signings we've made this summer, i am surprised not to see more players players being moved on, sent out on loan etc. Our squad is huge and bloated when you look at it and that means we are going to have players who were first teamers last season not even making the subs bench, even extending some of the new signings! (see Alex Pearce) That cannot be good for team morale, individual players must be frustrated, annoyed etc and it will be impossible to keep everyone happy. I saw a piece from Mark Warburton the other day that sums it up perfectly: 

"Rangers manager Mark Warburton said that he was not tempted to seek any additional signings on the final day of the transfer window.

Warburton is happy with the size of his squad, saying any more would create an "awful scenario".

"The worst thing you can do is take numbers for numbers' sake and add bodies just in case," he said.

Warburton added: "That's an awful scenario: to have four, five, six players not being involved with the first team on a Friday. All that creates is upset, resentment, so we have a tight, lean squad."

 

 

i hope this isnt something that bites us on the a**e this season 

 

 

[Ramos]

I'd expect one or two to go out on loan once the window opens. 

[Day]

 

[North_Stand_Ram]

I expect a few to leave but it isn't as easy as letting them go. They're our deadwood for a reason, and their wages are healthy, which perhaps lesser clubs can't afford the vast majority of.

 

[Thameram]

Last season we payed for a thin squad keep them all and fight for the shirt,every win players keep the shirt bad performance and their out simplistic way of managing a squad

[Carl Sagan]

How big is big? The current squad (those with allocated numbers and using the club's own designation - so the likes of Dawkins/Ince/Calero are "midfielders") is:

GK (4)

1 Grant, 17 Carson, 21 Roos, 35 Mitchell

DF (10)

2 Christie, 3 Forsyth, 5 Bucko, 6 Keogh, 12 Baird, 14 Shackell, 16 Pearce, 30 Ssewankambo, 32 Shotton, 37 Warnock

MF (9)

4 Bryson, 7 Dawkins, 8 Hendrick, 15 Johnson, 18 Butterfield, 23 Ince, 26 Hanson, 27 Calero, 34 Thorne

FW (4)

9 Martin, 10 Bent, 11 Russell, 24 Weimann

Long-term Injured (1)

19 Hughes

That's 28 of whom 27 are available for selection. I could see one keeper, possibly one defender (Ssewankambo?) and probably Dawkins and Calero going out on loan. I do believe squad spirit and mentality is crucial to a promotion campaign, but I think this suggests we're still just on the right side of it. However, I woudn't bring in any loans unless we lost people to injury and had a space that we clearly needed to fill with quality rather than another body.

It's very disappointing we went out the League Cup so can't give people a game every two or three weeks regardless. But those who came in certainly didn't seize their chance!

 

 

[Walsall_Ram]

Don't think its the fact of the squad being "too big"..

 

More of the fact we have more quality players in the squad per position to choose from.? No?

[CornwallRam]

How big is big? The current squad (those with allocated numbers and using the club's own designation - so the likes of Dawkins/Ince/Calero are "midfielders") is:

GK (4)

1 Grant, 17 Carson, 21 Roos, 35 Mitchell

DF (10)

2 Christie, 3 Forsyth, 5 Bucko, 6 Keogh, 12 Baird, 14 Shackell, 16 Pearce, 30 Ssewankambo, 32 Shotton, 37 Warnock

MF (9)

4 Bryson, 7 Dawkins, 8 Hendrick, 15 Johnson, 18 Butterfield, 23 Ince, 26 Hanson, 27 Calero, 34 Thorne

FW (4)

9 Martin, 10 Bent, 11 Russell, 24 Weimann

Long-term Injured (1)

19 Hughes

That's 28 of whom 27 are available for selection. I could see one keeper, possibly one defender (Ssewankambo?) and probably Dawkins and Calero going out on loan. I do believe squad spirit and mentality is crucial to a promotion campaign, but I think this suggests we're still just on the right side of it. However, I woudn't bring in any loans unless we lost people to injury and had a space that we clearly needed to fill with quality rather than another body.

It's very disappointing we went out the League Cup so can't give people a game every two or three weeks regardless. But those who came in certainly didn't seize their chance!

 

 

Thorne apparently has a hamstring injury. The club expect him to be back in a couple of weeks - but they said that about Chris Martin with the same injury. I'd wager that we won't see a fully fit George Thorne again before Santa has done his stuff. Add in Bryson's fitness being questionable and our midfield actually looks light on numbers, despite the small investment last week.

[StringerBell]

Thorne apparently has a hamstring injury. The club expect him to be back in a couple of weeks - but they said that about Chris Martin with the same injury. I'd wager that we won't see a fully fit George Thorne again before Santa has done his stuff. Add in Bryson's fitness being questionable and our midfield actually looks light on numbers, despite the small investment last week.

eh? Since when? What's happens to the calf strain?

[StringerBell]

This plan of having different formations will help to ease any injury worries and keep players happy. The only problem is if the plan works. Weimann, for instance, doesn't look as versatile as he was made out to be. 

[rynny]

eh? Since when? What's happens to the calf strain?

Thorne apparently has a hamstring injury. The club expect him to be back in a couple of weeks - but they said that about Chris Martin with the same injury. I'd wager that we won't see a fully fit George Thorne again before Santa has done his stuff. Add in Bryson's fitness being questionable and our midfield actually looks light on numbers, despite the small investment last week.

Steve Nicholson said it was a tight calf earlier in the week. Not heard anything since then.

[Dimmu]

Hope we can recall Sammon if our strikers doesn't start scoring.

[CornwallRam]

SDSR on Derby Mad posted about Thorne's injury.

[Carl Sagan]

SDSR on Derby Mad posted about Thorne's injury.

It was a horrendous challenge on Thorne for which the useless excuse of a ref didn't even give a foul, leaving us short as the dirties lived up to their name and counter-attacked with our George in pain on the floor. The moment it happened I didn't expect him to be able to carry on. If what SDSR says is true (bleeding in the hamstring which will have been caused by the impact), it could be nothing or may take a while. Last season we had Mascarell and Eustace as cover - maybe our squad's not so big this season after all!

[cloughandtaylor]

We need a big squad, as when we do start winning games, we don't want a re run of last seasons 10 games, if we do get injuries. If we want to win anything or in our case get promotion, we need strength in depth.