Retained List

[Jourdan]

I don’t think we have to be ruthless. We have to be sensible and strike a balance.

At the end of the day, Warne’s success has been achieved through good man management and building a good club culture.

If we decide to be ‘ruthless’ we’ll be left with almost no-one and having to rebuild the team from scratch as well as the good atmosphere in the dressing room and good team spirit and understanding amongst the players.

That shouldn’t be underestimated. Warne won’t want a team of strangers lining up together on the opening day.

[Ghost of Clough]

Forsyth, Adams and Collins are the types of player you want in your squad as they set standards for the rest of the squad - professionalism off the pitch as well as effort and determination on it.

All three are good enough to be at least Championship squad players, so as long as they're happy with wages to match their role, then we should be trying to keep them around.

[valakari]

3 hours ago, Eoghan1884 said:

If you think we can get Sammie Szmodics, please send me your dealers number 🤣. 

Effing hell, we signed Wayne Rooney & Ashley Cole, why is Szmodics so out of our reach?? 🤣

[valakari]

2 hours ago, jimtastic56 said:

I am a little concerned about Fozzy . He will be 36 before the end of the season . 5 year ago in the Championship - he was being booooed by home fans. Opinion is split on him . I have always liked him and wouldn’t like to see fans turn on him again if we had a rocky start to the season .

Fozzy played v Bolton and was the best player on the pitch!

[valakari]

2 hours ago, Jourdan said:

I don’t think we have to be ruthless. We have to be sensible and strike a balance.

At the end of the day, Warne’s success has been achieved through good man management and building a good club culture.

If we decide to be ‘ruthless’ we’ll be left with almost no-one and having to rebuild the team from scratch as well as the good atmosphere in the dressing room and good team spirit and understanding amongst the players.

That shouldn’t be underestimated. Warne won’t want a team of strangers lining up together on the opening day.

It was Warne who suggested he would have to rip it up

[Ghost of Clough]

2 minutes ago, valakari said:

Effing hell, we signed Wayne Rooney & Ashley Cole, why is Szmodics so out of our reach?? 🤣

The first 2 cost no transfer fee whilst the 3rd would cost more up front than we paid Rooney in wages during his time as player and manager with us. It's a transfer fee which would mean no budget for any other signing during the summer.

[JPRamFan]

Keep Sibley, Wildsmith and Thompson. I'm 50/50 on Barkhuisen, Smith, Gayle and Collins whether I want them to stay. I wouldn't re-sign Hourihane, Waghorn or Fozzy(as good a servant as he has been), as I don't think they're good enough Championship squad players.

Edited May 1 by JPRamFan

[trappatoni]

I genuinely don't understand why people wouldn't give Fozzy a year based on his performances over the last 2 seasons.   Yes at his age you can't look long term  but he's versatile, played well and played quite a few games.    

[S8TY]

2 hours ago, Jourdan said:

I don’t think we have to be ruthless. We have to be sensible and strike a balance.

At the end of the day, Warne’s success has been achieved through good man management and building a good club culture.

If we decide to be ‘ruthless’ we’ll be left with almost no-one and having to rebuild the team from scratch as well as the good atmosphere in the dressing room and good team spirit and understanding amongst the players.

That shouldn’t be underestimated. Warne won’t want a team of strangers lining up together on the opening day.

I agree with keeping a tight unit and retaining the clear comradery that Warne has created but we need new faces and although Warne likes a certain type of personality in a player which is commendable we still need players and can’t keep this squad together because we need change 

The main characters in the dressing room will be important going forward as they should help new players to settle and become part of the family 

These changes are necessary so hopefully we’ve done our homework and know who we want and get things done early ….this of course is easier said than done with greedy agents wanting to wait until the end of the window 

I  imagine that Warne will still not buy just for the sake of it so let’s trust Warne to get the right players and keep the harmonious dressing room but change is necessary 

[Zag zig]

1 hour ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Forsyth, Adams and Collins are the types of player you want in your squad as they set standards for the rest of the squad - professionalism off the pitch as well as effort and determination on it.

All three are good enough to be at least Championship squad players, so as long as they're happy with wages to match their role, then we should be trying to keep them around.

Listening to the interview @SamUltraRam put up, can’t believe nobody would not want Collins in the squad. He talks well, you can tell how committed he is, absolute must he stays even if he is back up.

Agree with the other 2, Fozzy for his versatility as much as experience, even if he doesn’t regularly feature.

[therealhantsram]

Portsmouth quick off the mark, announced their retained list today.

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/football/portsmouth-fc/breaking-shock-decisions-as-portsmouth-announce-retained-list-4611682

 

[Eoghan1884]

1 hour ago, valakari said:

Effing hell, we signed Wayne Rooney & Ashley Cole, why is Szmodics so out of our reach?? 🤣

They were freebies, Sammie Szmodics has bags of prem interest and has years left on his contract. 

[Chopper]

6 minutes ago, therealhantsram said:

Portsmouth quick off the mark, announced their retained list today.

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/football/portsmouth-fc/breaking-shock-decisions-as-portsmouth-announce-retained-list-4611682

 

Portsmouth are a couple of weeks in front of us, so I'd expect that. 

Agree that if the moneys right I'd keep quite a few from this squad, they may not guaranteed first teamers given a few of their ages, but really good people to have around the place and could do a job if required, which is to keep us up and in a position to build for 25-26.

We wont have the finances to compete (listened to RD on Monday and it was eye opening) which means a plucky attitude and the promotion bounce may be crucial for us to have a successful season.

[jimbobram]

Release:

Hourihane

waggy

fozzy

Loach

Gayle

 

 

[Gabby'sThighs]

On 30/04/2024 at 17:03, Carnero said:

I am comfortable with keeping Smith in the squad for a year if that's the way we choose to go, but I do think we're in danger of letting recency bias override what was a pretty average season for him up the last 6 games or so.

Sums up my thoughts. He was good Feb-April (after Adams came in) but he'd been average-to-crap August to November, apart from his immense performance against Blackpool.

This is just reminding me that Ebou made everyone else better.....

"You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off Ebou..."

[Jase116]

I know I'm in the minority here, but personally I'd keep Hoularane, might just turn out that the championship might suit him better, no he isn't the player he was, but still has an eye for a pass, especially if he has adams and another workhorse around him

[Rich84]

On 30/04/2024 at 15:50, Ambitious said:

I'm of a different mindset where you typically want younger, typically more cheaper players on the fringes of the team pushing the first team. 

Collins, Smith & Barkhuizen to me were three players that have played their part and ultimately I'd like to see us replace with younger players. All three will be on 'Championship wages' so to speak - if we keep all three of them on then that's fine. They can contribute. I just doubt their impactful at the next level. 

All three could be better suited to the bigger League One clubs being paid well to play every week. 

Need to remember you have 9 subs, not 7 in the Championship,  so there should still be room in a 20 man matchday squad for the younger players, whilst keeping the good characters that will be able to so a job when required.

 

Also, can everyone mentioning Hourihane just stop, he said ages ago he was hanging his boots up for a coaching role at Villa, and even if he wasn't, he's become very much a bit part player in the last 10 games!

[Reggie Greenwood]

24 minutes ago, Jase116 said:

I know I'm in the minority here, but personally I'd keep Hoularane, might just turn out that the championship might suit him better, no he isn't the player he was, but still has an eye for a pass, especially if he has adams and another workhorse around him

Pretty sure he will retire and do coaching at Villa . 

[jono]

On 29/04/2024 at 11:05, TheRamOfSwad said:

I would personally 

Keep:

Wildsmith, Sibley, Forsyth, Thompson, Collins (and buy Adams)

Let Go

Barkhuizen, Gayle, Washington, Fornah, Waghorn, Hourihane, Smith, Elder

So the core of the team would look like

                     Wildsmith 

Nyambe    Nelson Cashin     Sibley

                        Adams

             New                   New

NML                                    CBT/New

                         New

In summary I'd look to buy players to play 3 at the back or 4 at the back depending on opposition and injuries it's shown to be important to be able to win matches in different ways

To sign:

Left back

1 extra centre back (for 3 at the back)

2 box to box midfielders 

1 creative midfielder 

1 winger 

2 strikers

Harsh, but I get it. Personally I think Barks still has legs for another year, he’s no ones fool and could still play a part whilst not being first choice. The retained list depends so much on who we can find at sensible money.
I think Hourihan knows he hasn’t got the reaction speed he had and Waggy, deft though he is at times, is going to struggle, but like Fozzy he is a real footballer. It is the same with all the old stagers it’s a question of we need you, but you aren’t going to be auto first choice in a team wanting to progress

[Crewton]

It might have been clearer if Warne had said that the squad won't stay intact, because I think that's what he actually meant, not that we'd start with a blank canvas. Ignoring loanees and any made available for transfer, I'd be surprised if more than 4 of the first team squad actually leave.