The Squad List (2023/24 Edition)

[Dr Pierre Chang]

…I bet he’d win more than 4 in 18 though…

Agreed - as posted elsewhere, I’m not a Morris apologist!

[RobertT]

…I bet he’d win more than 4 in 18 though…

I agree.  The squad is a disaster, but it's not Rochdale bad.  We really needed a pragmatist to come in and eek out as much as we could for the remainder of the season.  I honestly think the rot had already set in, and we'd be talking about being a few points shy of the play offs, even with that type of person in charge though.  I'm not 100% sure Lindsey ends-up in a much better place than Morris has managed either - he was already on the same sort of form even before a couple of older heads departed.

We are witnessing a live project to see what happens when you rip any sense of been there and done it from a Div 4 team.  Fortunately our budget is top 7 ish, so we padded a squad out with just enough.  Teams with slightly lower budgets have shown us how easy it can be to drop lower.

The entire place needs a massive reset button.  I do not give a fuck that we just had two summers of massive turnover in a row.  There is nothing to build from, no foundations in place.  Hang on to nothing out of some sense of loyalty, or because we might think a player may have some potential if only the stars and moon would align.  Nothing/nobody in the club is so valuable as to be worth keeping around.  Ultimately we need about 5 or 6 spine of the team first choice players brought in.  i Imagine we need to see 10 or more depart to fund that.

[Jimmy HaveHave]

Good post and going back to Steve Evans he brought in approximately 15 players last summer after coming so close to going out of the football league.

[DiV]

I agree.  The squad is a disaster, but it's not Rochdale bad.  We really needed a pragmatist to come in and eek out as much as we could for the remainder of the season.  I honestly think the rot had already set in, and we'd be talking about being a few points shy of the play offs, even with that type of person in charge though.  I'm not 100% sure Lindsey ends-up in a much better place than Morris has managed either - he was already on the same sort of form even before a couple of older heads departed.

We are witnessing a live project to see what happens when you rip any sense of been there and done it from a Div 4 team.  Fortunately our budget is top 7 ish, so we padded a squad out with just enough.  Teams with slightly lower budgets have shown us how easy it can be to drop lower.

The entire place needs a massive reset button.  I do not give a fuck that we just had two summers of massive turnover in a row.  There is nothing to build from, no foundations in place.  Hang on to nothing out of some sense of loyalty, or because we might think a player may have some potential if only the stars and moon would align.  Nothing/nobody in the club is so valuable as to be worth keeping around.  Ultimately we need about 5 or 6 spine of the team first choice players brought in.  i Imagine we need to see 10 or more depart to fund that.

I agree with what you’ve said about the rot, agree with what you’ve said about Lindsey.

I still think a half decent manager can get more out of this squad and don’t think it’s necessarily needs burning to the ground and starting from scratch. We definitely 100% need a new, experienced spine GK, CB, CM, CF. Think literally with those 4 players we’d be good to go with the rest.

For me our main concern should be Morris. He’s shown absolutely nothing. Only RHM has improved. Everyone else has gone backwards. The team selections, tactics & subs are awful. We are picking up loads more injuries since he came in and our discipline has got worse.

I worry we might actually back up some of our words this summer and give Morris exactly what he wants - just to find ourselves in the bottom quarter of the table after 15 game & realising we did everything we could to placate an absolute dud….

….then having to start the whole cycle again.

[Power to people]

With now no manager, and no DoF, do we risk losing the likes of RHM and those with contract clauses that are actually decent, as it would surely be up to the new manager to decide on contracts, there may be a clause play x games and a new deal but if that is not forthcoming then surely they are free to talk to other clubs.

Assuming the retained list will also be delayed.

[Nemo]

Those with clauses, the club could take up unilaterally. Those that are actually negotiations, it would be a surprise if the current flux didn't impact the negotiations.

[JoeMezz]

Those with clauses, the club could take up unilaterally. Those that are actually negotiations, it would be a surprise if the current flux didn't impact the negotiations.

We could. My concern is that would players like McEachran want to be here if Morris isn't? We want to steer far clear from a disruptive dressing room.

[Bob's Orange]

I noticed there was an Academy Update on the official site which was quite interesting to read. And I am fully aware there are way more important things happening at the club, but for next season I'd quite like to see a continual 'Loan Update' on the official site so that fans can keep an eye on how players we have out on loan have done. It doesn't have to be monthly either, maybe every 3 months or so.

[horlock07]

I noticed there was an Academy Update on the official site which was quite interesting to read. And I am fully aware there are way more important things happening at the club, but for next season I'd quite like to see a continual 'Loan Update' on the official site so that fans can keep an eye on how players we have out on loan have done. It doesn't have to be monthly either, maybe every 3 months or so.

Do other clubs do it officially, I know I have seen it on https://www.nufc.com/ but that's a fan run thing?

[Bob's Orange]

Do other clubs do it officially, I know I have seen it on https://www.nufc.com/ but that's a fan run thing?

I don't know whether it's done universally at other clubs tbh. I'm sure I read something on another website when I was looking for something but I can't remember who. I may be in a minority but it would interest me to see how Oscar Massey was getting on at Plymouth Parkway or Harry Parsons' recent spell with Farnborough. Yes, I could probably find that information out on the Farnborough website, but a lot of our loans go to much smaller clubs where some of the info can be difficult to find.

[Riddick]

We could. My concern is that would players like McEachran want to be here if Morris isn't? We want to steer far clear from a disruptive dressing room.

McEachren was without a club for what 18 months? He failed a trial with us previously. I don't think the guy is in a position to pick and choose frankly. I also don't think he is that great, his final ball has been consistently poor.

[Nemo]

So if it is Flynn (or another physical manager), how does this squad work?

Good Fit: Hutton, Brewitt, FBT, Austin

Probably okay: Brann, Clayton, Devine, Lavinier, Minturn, Khan, Dworzak, Adeloye (!), Shade (?), Wakeling, RHM (?)

Seems unlikely: Iandolo, McEachran, Darcy, Cain, Aguiar, Roberts, Massey, Parsons, Cowmeadow

Going anyway: Brynn, Williams, Baudry, Tomlinson, Harries, Kadji, Jephcott


So basically, start our midfield again?

[Batch]

our midfield is shit weak and needs some steel anyway.

but how do we shift out iandolo, Darcy, Aguiar, and are Roberts, dabre, parsons all ooc?

[Jimmy HaveHave]

our midfield is shit weak and needs some steel anyway.

but how do we shift out iandolo, Darcy, Aguiar, and are Roberts, dabre, parsons all ooc?

Give them all to Crawley😀

[Nemo]

our midfield is shit weak and needs some steel anyway.

but how do we shift out iandolo, Darcy, Aguiar, and are Roberts, dabre, parsons all ooc?

I think Dabre and Parsons are and Roberts isn't, but his contract length was never actually announced. Aguiar and Cain with two more years each in particular look like they'd struggle with the style.