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for me its Luke Hopper, heard Sturrock & Dave Byrne say numerous times he isnt far behind Lukas Jutkiewicz, yet seems strange that Lukas moves for £750,000 and Hopper isnt given a pro contract. I seen all the youth cup games and was more impressed with Luke Hopper than Lukas Jutkiewicz

Probably Ben Wells for me, but then again needs to look at attitude.  He was told by sturrock he would get a month to show what he did but was seen at least 3 times out on teh piss not knowing where he was within 3 weeks of the month.  Not a dig at players drinking but thought he had talent and blew it

says on wikipedia Hopper has been linked with Burnley after he impressed playing against them in the Youth Cup  :shock: , hope we havent made a big mistake

With this board I wouldnt be surprised

SWINDON BOARD IN COCK UP SHOCKER!

words i never thought id hear  :?

You're so wrong.  :|

wikipedia is about as reliable at fatbury.

i'm disappointed we released whalley.

wells always impressed me and hopper looked to have enough about him to push for the first team next season, shame.

I would've thought it would have been Sturrock's decision which players he kept.

Allen got a pro contract, maybe Hopper and Wells weren't Luggy's type of players, for whatever reason.

The board are incompetent, but you can't blame them for everything!

Players get released from all clubs, some go on and build successful careers, some don't.

I hope all those released go on to be successful (Apart from Brown :D )

spot on herthab the board are wankers agreed but its sturoocks decision who goes

Fair do's but I would like to know what our budget is next year and if its gone up at all

I think over players might price themeselves out of a contract

I hope some of them do over price them out of new contracts tbh.I wouldnt be suprised to see another 4 regulars leave which imo is a good thing.

Im going to be controversial here and say we have one of the best managers outside the premier league here at the moment and it will be such a shame if we cant get him to get the players he WANTS rather than be lumbered with players he inherited.

sturrocks record is as good as anyones in the country in the lower leagues and i trust him when it comes to getting rid and signing new players

That's a good point Ash.

I would've thought that the budget, if anything, would be reduced as we're not going to get the type of cash injection we had last year from BP (Unless the twats fuck off).

But Sturrocks very experienced in working within tight financial constraints and he also has knowledge of playing the loan game. Now we're in League 1 we'll be more attractive for Championship players, who can't get into their Clubs teams.

Add to that, the spine of the team has already signed, or are about to.

I'm still very optimistic about next season.

And by that, all I'm talking about is what happens on the pitch, not all the other stuff.

Each to their own, he hasnt impressed me like Wise did tho.  I hope he does after his own pre season and team

Good points mate.  Hopefully we will have a good year and leave all teh bollocks off it to the people involved.  I just want to enjoy my saturdays

Hopefully he can mould his own team

Agree 100%

I'll agree with the Bushmeister but ive also stated before that i'll wipe the slate clean and judge him on starting a fresh season with his own players and ideas.

Im worried your the 2nd person to call me the bushmeeister!
I will judge him about November time

imo the wheels were starting to come off around the time wise was leaving.I honestly believe at times that we have played some quality football under sturrock problem is that it was only in spells.I cannot remember one good performance under wise and the leeds fans will say the same

I agree with the Maccameeister :D

Maybe your right maybe I am.  The thing is were never know.  Im just glad were out of that shit league

Nice touch

Grey Squirrel?  :hide:

:oops:

no i am right :D The proof will be next may when we have had a good season and dennis wise is unemployed and resorts to bumming blow up dolls of david healey.

maccameister has spoken

You're always wrong.

In so many ways Benjamin

Just stay away from room 119 bushmeister. It's not good for the bank balance.

(Aaron Brown for me. Controversial maybe, but hey ho)

What happened to funky fledgling? thats who i miss the most!

[imo the wheels were starting to come off around the time wise was leaving.I honestly believe at times that we have played some quality football under sturrock problem is that it was only in spells.I cannot remember one good performance under wise and the leeds fans will say the same[/quote]


Spot on, we were heading south before Wise left.  Wise provided a solid defense, but the attacking force, aside from Monkhouse, was the one that got us relegated.  Monkhouse had previously played in a team that could have got relegated, and was surplus to requirements.   Injuries to Adie and Evans could have killed us but Jamie Vincent stepped up in defense, and Sturrock "manufactured" Peacock into a midfielder.  We had a good start under Wise, because the players were the fittest in the division and were mentally the best prepared, but Accrington Stanley offered more threat in front of goal.  Corr, Lucas, and yes Blair, with Roberts not a central striker made a heck of a difference, especially as many of the top teams retooled after Christmas.  Darlington and Peterborough must be feeling pretty stupid after all the money the shelled out, not to mention the Dongs.  

Hartlepool and Walsall shouldn't have been relegated to Div II.  Hartlepool were relegated mainly due to injuries, and Walsall were a more than a decent side for half the season.

Hopper was too slow, I belive Spencer said that months back...but he was right.

Wells looked good in the 10 minutes he played this season.

Not fussed about any of them to be honest.

yeah Hopper wasnt the quickest but i really rated him, Lukas hasnt got pace yet hes gone to a premiership club! Hopper strengths were more his heading and holding the all up, didnt give the ball away much and the most important thing HE SCORES GOALS!

Has to be said Sturrock changed the side a lot. He got Lukas in, he got Roberts scoring a few if not shedloads. Then he got Peacock in midfield and creating before bringing in Zaaboub and Corr. We've become a good side at home, and ever since he got some of his own players in before Lincoln we've been a much better side.

I'm hoping he will attract more players of that calibre in and we should be okay in League 1 then

What the???? Not a chance! Lukas was ace in almost every Youth game i saw him play in! I think the fact Sturrock picked Lukas ahead of Hopper, proves who was the better player too.

im not doubting Lukas is a better player, just in the youth games i was more impressed with Hopper, maybe i expected to much of Lukas i dunno.

I have to say though, i was surprised that Hopper got released. Surely we could have offered him a one year contract maybe....So he could have been a back up player.

its odd that the youth team achieved the most in the last 50 odd years at the club, yet only 1 player in Chris Allen gets taken on, dont really count Alex Rigley as he was only given 6months cos he has a broken leg!

saying that last year(?) we won some sorta cup and we didnt keep any of those players either.

they all got pro contracts

Iffy gave them all pro contracts, Stroud Henry Wells

that wasnt the whole team though....and most were only 6 months.

What I should of said, our youth team did well that year and won a cup but still none of them have really made it into pro-football.

Only Holgate has probably played more than 5 pro games.

thats cos the rest of the team were 1st years, like Allen Doe Pryde Rigley Walker

still a pro contract isnt it???????

im not bothered that any of them have gone to tell you the truth

I remain to be convinced by Sturrock to be honest, partly because I used to hate watching his previous 2 teams play.  I don't doubt his record but I equally don't think he's some kind of magician and some of the performances under him have been as much worse than under Wise as some have been better.

Yeah, but he's got a plan. For once we've got a manager who's as experienced as they come (so far as success goes) at this level - so is trying to fit the same structure (tactics, squad structure, coaching staff, youth structure, attitude etc) here as he did at Sheff Wed and Plymouth.

A good youth striker doesn't make a good first team striker - Draycott, Alan Young, Meechan etc - once they hit 18 they have to be judged as equals...if they were on the open market would you sign them? It'd be great to see a team full of youth players, but not if they're not good enough...we've seen with pook that they get no more leeway if they turn out shite performances.

Saying all that, i still think Ashan Holgate (on first team evidence) is worth another year/

in sturrock we trust!
well i do anyway.

i think he has proven over the years that he knows what he's doing in lower league footy.there was hardly any difference in football really under wise and sturrock imo.but converting roberts wide right and peacock to cm was spot on.plus wise thought nicho was a better cb :o
as for players leaving i'm always disapointed when local lads dont make the grade,but thats the nature of it i suppose

If you want to trust to youth, then you've got to accept some seasons you'll go down, and some seasons you might go up.  Dario Gradi has shown this at Crewe,

   Bert Head produced the side that got to the final of of the Youth Cup in 63/64...he had in that side Don Rogers, but of the others none made much of a career....Tony Hicks (flying pig) played 50 odd between the sticks for us .....Dick Plumb played a bit with Charlton and I think Rovers and Exeter, but not too many games.....Bruce Walker a good left foot, but again only a handful of games and Dennis Peapell 20 odd for Exeter after a couple for us.

 The Board back in the day sacked Head as he took us down.....they should have kept him in place and backed him.

I'm not bothered about any of the released players tbh, the quicker Paul Evans follows the better.

evans? are you joking dave? He was our best player until he was injured.

yeah he should be given a chance to prove his fitness as luggy has done. hopefully he'll prove himself to Sturrock and he'll get another year

which means he was our best player for a few weeks- and we got up without him

he's done well but like i've already said before, it smacks of paul smith last year and stefani miglioranzi before him.

we can't afford passengers bushey, if sturrocks sticking with peacock in centre midfield then that pushes evans down the pecking order. he'll be a year older, with no football under his belt for a similar period, in a quicker league.

it's a shame it hasn't worked out but the sensible thing is to get shot- young blood please.

so youd rather pook than evans? crazy

congratulations you've totally missed the point- then that's not that unusual for you- where'd i mention pook?

you didn't but how can you possibly want Evans to go? i mean come on. Ash does have a point. Would you seriously choose Pook over Evans if Peacock was injured?

Absolutely under no circumstance

Evans was playing really well before the injury.

I don't know why we can't offer him a similar contract to what Darren Anderton has at Boremuf i.e he only get's paid when he plays.

It's not that I'm demanding him to leave, I think it's too big a gamble on a player whose missed more through injury in a season than any other player retained in the last 3 or so years.

You mention youd rather have youth than Evans.  I used Pook as an example of youth at the club.  Your wrong about this one but I doubt your admit that, you seem to have issues with admitting when your wrong.  Then again I wont hold that against you, its part of your make up  :D

dave's got a point, Evans' injury record in recent years has been atrocious - we'll end up with another Migs.

I'd keep him though cos I think he's fucking invaluable when fit.

Lets not all start, we are all wrong and David is correct

I'm always right and the sooner everyone accepts this the easier it will be for everyone.

I DISAGREE

I think a four way Bushey/Russell/Sonic/Rich forum fight should be ordained.

haha, that reminded me of some classic family guy

"the only drive-bys they have in england are drive-by arguments"  8)

Dave and Sonic would sit on me anad ricxh and kill us.  I couldnt stand that I have asthma  :shock:

Tag team then?

I dont understand wrestling, im 26 you see.

are you calling me fat?

"Oh Reginald... I DISAGREE"

 :D

 :mrgreen:

Big boned

Please ban me for this as at least I would do some work!

its simple isnt he

Evans, when fit is a quality player.
Evans, when injured isnt much use

His injury record this year has been terrible, hasnt played enough to warrant a extended contract at this moment in time, yet when he did play he was easily good enough not be thrown straight onto the scrap heap.

Hopefully he'll stay fit, have a good summers training under his belt and start our league one season like he did our league two season.

No doubt, he's a better player than Pook.

Big boned? I'm as thin as a rake

You sound like a women James!

Talking of young blood, it's all Weston's fault really. If he'd followed instructions at Macclesfield away and not caused Evans to damage his foot then Sturrock wouldn't have lost his patience/rag with him (Weston) and he  would have played more instead of Evans, even though he (Evans) wasn't injured ...  8)

I think its time for evans to go really.Sturrock has players lined up and cm is obviously one of them.

He takes to long to recover from injurys imo.With wage caps and limited budgets we cant afford to keep players in the hope that they stay fit

I'm sad to see Wells go.

He's a local lad and when i saw him play, he always impressed me. I think he just lacked that bit of fight in him to make it.

It's last chance saloon for him - remember this is the bloke's first long-term injury of his career so it's not as if there's a track record there. he came with that reputation (wrongly) becaus ehe hadn't played for so long...bgut that was because he'd fallen out with Megson, not due to injury.

Thing is, he's not only a useful player - he plays exactly Sturrock's way - sprays the ball about, gets stuck in - and he's always there or there abouts on the edge of the box to knock in a 20 yarder - and Sturrock wants to make the most of set-pieces - well nobody in the squad takes a better free kick or corner than him. Add to that the attitude he brings to the side and experience and it's not a bad package.

But if we get Adams in i doubt we'll see him even if he does prove his fitness - whcih is a shame

Meeeeh to all of the players released.

Evans should be given the chance to prove his fitness. If he's not right by the start of the season then get rid, although it pains me to say it as I thought he was our best player when fit this season.