Who do we focus on for next years starting 11

[topperharley]

Thought carried on from match thread.

Not so much who we want gone, more about who from our current starting 11 will realistically be here next year, and who should be getting game time. We are not making the playoffs, we're very likely safe despite the drop in form.

Of our current squad;

Likely here next season
Nardi
Walsh
Morrison
Morgan
Varane
Field
Saito
Chair
Dembele
Frey
Kolli
Lloyd
Smyth
Bennie
Vale (can't be played of course)

Gone in the summer
Dunne
Yang
Edwards
Ashby

TBC?
Cook
Fox
JCS
Paal
Andersen
Madsen
Celar

There is not much of a defence left once/if the loans and TBC's move on. We have to be starting Morrison surely? Is there any point in playing Yang? Do we have to under some kind of agreement? Bennie should get a run maybe. What's the story with Jimmy and who's going in at RB if he goes? Looks like there is a bit of work to do, though I'd say we'll be in the loan market again so though not panic stations, the back line looks like it really needs attention this summer.

[DJ Hooper W12]

Well done mate let’s start getting positive again in the face of all this adversity

[SheepRanger]

JCS's extended contract runs to 25/26 and nobody will be taking him off our hands.

Frey's contract expires at the end of this season and there's a big question mark over his ability to stay fit.

EDIT: Frey has made 23 appearances so far this season and scored seven....thats probably enough for a one year extension if the money is right.

[Dono77]

Keep frey as back up. Cant have him as our first choice option anymore. Any chance kolli can stay fit? Is he going to be another sicknote? I'd would look to sell celar and send Lloyd out on loan. Sign 3 strikers.
even if 1 is on loan we can still spend money on 2 others.

[Abseits]

We are a selling club, if we don't turn a profit on transfers every year we are storing up a massive problem for the future. We might be able to get away with a neutral or even negative outcome for the odd year once in a while but over 3, 4, 5 year cycles we MUST be making a profit.

I can't see any profit this year or anything significant since Eze went. Therefore, my concern is we will need to sell over the summer and we have hardly any players worth anything much. Of the players contractually still here next season we may be in the invidious position of letting Varane, Field or Nardi go if offers come in. We'd have to consider offers for any player but due to injury or loss of form most of 'em have a very depressed worth on the open market.

[SheepRanger]

We are a selling club, if we don't turn a profit on transfers every year we are storing up a massive problem for the future. We might be able to get away with a neutral or even negative outcome for the odd year once in a while but over 3, 4, 5 year cycles we MUST be making a profit.

I can't see any profit this year or anything significant since Eze went. Therefore, my concern is we will need to sell over the summer and we have hardly any players worth anything much. Of the players contractually still here next season we may be in the invidious position of letting Varane, Field or Nardi go if offers come in. We'd have to consider offers for any player but due to injury or loss of form most of 'em have a very depressed worth on the open market.

I wonder if one of the bigger championship clubs will come in for Morgan this summer. If not this one, then surely he's a £3m player in summer 2026?

With a £13m loss last season we really need to make £6m net profit on player transfers every season just to halve the losses. That seems very fanciful at the moment.

[FurtiveFox]

Defence and strikers fundamental. Personally if wage package can be agreed would keep Cook. Important player on and off the pitch and we should always have a couple or so older players, particularly given our focus on bringing through and developing younger players. That would leave us with him, JCS and Morrison as CBs. Need one or two more. Ideally would love to keep Dunne but suspect he will feel this will be his last chance to get a decent package elsewhere so will follow the money. Two new full backs and some back up.

We also in my opinion need to review how we set up our teams. A sole striker is fashionable but that relies on there being goals elsewhere. We simply don't have that and I struggle to see us scoring that many. If Chair gets back to form and has a full season he will get maybe around 8. Him aside others don't score much. With a sole striker we need three midfielders around 10 mark and couple of others 5+. We just don't have it. Dembele maybe but untested at this level. Smyth and Saito if they stay maybe 5 at best. If club is committed to sole striker then we maybe need to look to get in a couple of midfielders that can score decent amounts which means sacrificing others who otherwise are good players.

That takes us to the next problem. If we did switch predominately to two strikers we will need two players capable of scoring reasonable amount at this level and that will not be cheap. Realistically that would mean us taking a punt on someone cheapish from abroad and a decent Prem or equivalent loan. They could compete with Celar and Kolli. TBH even if we stick with one striker I would still want a couple in.

If the above sounds doom and gloom we have made progress. Nardi good keeper with two young keepers pushing him. Outside of injury niggles have liked what I have seen of Morrison. Morgan has been a find and will continue to develop, after shaky start Varane now looks the part and we have Field. Vale bit of an unknown quantity but once fit could do well. Dembele looked good prior to injury. If we can keep him Saito has settled in well. Celar after dismal spell actually looked pretty decent before his injury and if he can pick up where he left off could do the business. Kolli has shown promise but will need to step it up and continue improving, next season big one for him. Chair not had a good season after legal issues last year and injuries but fresh start next season. Would like us to keep Smyth. My hope is if we have a half decent summer window we can show bit more consistency and maybe upper mid table.

[topperharley]

Defence and strikers fundamental. Personally if wage package can be agreed would keep Cook. Important player on and off the pitch and we should always have a couple or so older players, particularly given our focus on bringing through and developing younger players. That would leave us with him, JCS and Morrison as CBs. Need one or two more. Ideally would love to keep Dunne but suspect he will feel this will be his last chance to get a decent package elsewhere so will follow the money. Two new full backs and some back up.

We also in my opinion need to review how we set up our teams. A sole striker is fashionable but that relies on there being goals elsewhere. We simply don't have that and I struggle to see us scoring that many. If Chair gets back to form and has a full season he will get maybe around 8. Him aside others don't score much. With a sole striker we need three midfielders around 10 mark and couple of others 5+. We just don't have it. Dembele maybe but untested at this level. Smyth and Saito if they stay maybe 5 at best. If club is committed to sole striker then we maybe need to look to get in a couple of midfielders that can score decent amounts which means sacrificing others who otherwise are good players.

That takes us to the next problem. If we did switch predominately to two strikers we will need two players capable of scoring reasonable amount at this level and that will not be cheap. Realistically that would mean us taking a punt on someone cheapish from abroad and a decent Prem or equivalent loan. They could compete with Celar and Kolli. TBH even if we stick with one striker I would still want a couple in.

If the above sounds doom and gloom we have made progress. Nardi good keeper with two young keepers pushing him. Outside of injury niggles have liked what I have seen of Morrison. Morgan has been a find and will continue to develop, after shaky start Varane now looks the part and we have Field. Vale bit of an unknown quantity but once fit could do well. Dembele looked good prior to injury. If we can keep him Saito has settled in well. Celar after dismal spell actually looked pretty decent before his injury and if he can pick up where he left off could do the business. Kolli has shown promise but will need to step it up and continue improving, next season big one for him. Chair not had a good season after legal issues last year and injuries but fresh start next season. Would like us to keep Smyth. My hope is if we have a half decent summer window we can show bit more consistency and maybe upper mid table.

Good consensus, alot of work to do.

We'll not go to 2 strikers though, not sure what happened to 442, like everything no doubt it'll come back into fashion but our guy Marti seems pretty set on it, most modern managers are.

[Abseits]

Good consensus, alot of work to do.

We'll not go to 2 strikers though, not sure what happened to 442, like everything no doubt it'll come back into fashion but our guy Marti seems pretty set on it, most modern managers are.

Quite comprehensive but has skated around fact that we will have NO fullbacks next season as it stands. The only positive I can find is this: the current squad has NOT delivered. Yeah, season not quite over but we are surely looking at another dismal bottom 8ish finish. On that basis I'd happily get shot of the lot of 'em so the fact we will be having a major overhaul over the summer doesnt overly bother me. Puts massive pressure on Nourry to get it right in terms of recruitment and Cifuentes in terms of getting them assimilated, bedded-in and gelling as a unit - we can't pissaway a dozen games whilst they all " find their feet".

[Harrow QPR]

Quite comprehensive but has skated around fact that we will have NO fullbacks next season as it stands. The only positive I can find is this: the current squad has NOT delivered. Yeah, season not quite over but we are surely looking at another dismal bottom 8ish finish. On that basis I'd happily get shot of the lot of 'em so the fact we will be having a major overhaul over the summer doesnt overly bother me. Puts massive pressure on Nourry to get it right in terms of recruitment and Cifuentes in terms of getting them assimilated, bedded-in and gelling as a unit - we can't pissaway a dozen games whilst they all " find their feet".

Good post and i completely agree , we should let all the out of contract players go , none of them are up to the standard of a play off chasing side in the championship , all of them have been given a chance and are not good enough or are not interested in signing or too old. I would'nt particularly be bothered about signing Saito permanently either , great attitude and has some skills but is too small and weak. Agree with others on here also that i would rather see us play 442 or 352 , keep Celar and Kolli , get 2 strikers in and send Lloyd on loan . Get a big nasty , dominant centre half in to play with Morrison , forget all this passing around at the back , leave JCS in his normal position , the treatment room . Get a few strong pacey full backs and a nasty hard as nails , energetic midfielder . Jesus we badly need someone to buy Eze.

[topperharley]

If we ship out the lot of em, we spend yet another season 'building'.


Lloyd out on loan for me.
Paal out.
Dunne out.
Chair out. We have seen the best of him imo.
Andersen out. His legs have gone.

I agree with all of this, though would prefer Jimmy to stay and we actually get a decent right back, Jimmy, Morrison, Cook and JCS are good centre back options.

[SheepRanger]

If we ship out the lot of em, we spend yet another season 'building'.


Lloyd out on loan for me.
Paal out.
Dunne out.
Chair out. We have seen the best of him imo.
Andersen out. His legs have gone.

I agree with all of this, though would prefer Jimmy to stay and we actually get a decent right back, Jimmy, Morrison, Cook and JCS are good centre back options.

Chair has just signed a new contract so will be here next season. Nobody will buy him from us now.

[topperharley]

Chair has just signed a new contract so will be here next season. Nobody will buy him from us now.

I know. Shame to speak about a player that tried so hard for us for a long time and obviously cares, but we need to use him as sqaud rotation now, rather than the talisman that Marti and others seem to think he still is.

[Shania]

If we ship out the lot of em, we spend yet another season 'building'.


Lloyd out on loan for me.
Paal out.
Dunne out.
Chair out. We have seen the best of him imo.
Andersen out. His legs have gone.

I agree with all of this, though would prefer Jimmy to stay and we actually get a decent right back, Jimmy, Morrison, Cook and JCS are good centre back options.

I agree with your take on Jimmy D if he wants to stay here.

[Stanfan]

I’d expect and hope a couple of the young lads at least who are not in the first team squad at the moment to break through. It feels to me that we have a few on the right track. Not necessarily first choices but getting close.