Squad for next season

[City123]

Re: Squad for next season

I missed this from a few days ago in WOL about George Ratcliffe:

Smithies: Ratcliffe 'needs to be playing'
Cardiff's Alex Smithies believes youngster George Ratcliffe is getting to the stage of his career when he needs to start playing first-team games.

The 21-year-old is yet to make his first-team debut, but is a fully-fledged member of the senior setup.

With two top stoppers in front of him in Smithies and Dillon Phillips, chances are few and far between. However, with Smithies' contract up in the summer, the Wales under-21s keeper might get his shot next term.

"For George, he’s getting to that stage where he’ll need to be playing games, stepping up when he gets the opportunity," Smithies said.

"He has been working hard with me and Dillon, which I’d like to think is helping in bringing him along in his development as a young player with potential.”

It's a bit of a surprise to me that Ratcliffe hasn't at least been given a cup game, we may need to rely on him as second choice next season

[jon1959]

Re: Squad for next season

I hope the club re-sign Smithies, Morrison and Ralls.

[Rjk]

Re: Squad for next season

I hope the club re-sign Smithies, Morrison and Ralls.

depending on wages, I can see the merit in that

[az city]

Re: Squad for next season

Face it folks, if we don't get relegated this year, we're nailed on certs for next. Unless of course Uncle Vinny gets his mojo back.

[Rjk]

Re: Squad for next season

Face it folks, if we don't get relegated this year, we're nailed on certs for next. Unless of course Uncle Vinny gets his mojo back.

there will be plenty of good frees available, we could be good, or absolutely terrible

[Moodybluebird]

Re: Squad for next season

I don't have much of a problem with us going down. I would hope the drop in income might bring about a reality check for Tan. Relegation didn't work out too badly for Norwich, Southampton, Leicester etc. It's true that Bolton and Portsmouth struggled and there is a fear we could end up as we did in the mid 80s, but we're not a club in huge trouble like those. It took Slade to sort out the mess from Solskjaer and it's taken 3 managers to sort out the mess from Warnock. Sometimes you need to take a step backwards to make bigger steps forward.

I honestly can't believe you can find any positives in relegation. It would be an unmitigated disaster. For one we do not produce home-grown players of the calibre that Southampton in particular do. Even a club far bigger than ourselves such as Sunderland are not finding it easy to bounce back. As for Portsmouth and Bolton, both similar size clubs to us, well they won't be getting promoted any time soon.

[Hilts]

Re: Squad for next season

Face it folks, if we don't get relegated this year, we're nailed on certs for next. Unless of course Uncle Vinny gets his mojo back.

I think if we survive weve every chance of doing much better next season.

A lot of players on big wages gone. Weve some good young players , some decent recruitment and we can do well.

Staying up though im not sure we will.

[Dorcus]

Re: Squad for next season

I think a mass clear out will be a tonic for the club, and we need to focus on bringing in fresh faces to mesh with our current crop of youngsters.

Since we dropped back from the Premier last time the club has been in free fall on and off the field. If we don't make radical changes soon we will continue to drift.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Re: Squad for next season

I honestly can't believe you can find any positives in relegation. It would be an unmitigated disaster. For one we do not produce home-grown players of the calibre that Southampton in particular do. Even a club far bigger than ourselves such as Sunderland are not finding it easy to bounce back. As for Portsmouth and Bolton, both similar size clubs to us, well they won't be getting promoted any time soon.

Few points. We could field a starting eleven with a majority of u-23 players. We are starting, as a club, to realise the importance of this.

Portsmouth and Bolton were in shit street when they went down to League 1. We're not. Sunderland were a total mess when they suffered two successive relegations. They clung on to life in the top flight when they should have gone down sooner and their problems just mounted.

[PhyllisStant]

Re: Squad for next season

I think a mass clear out will be a tonic for the club, and we need to focus on bringing in fresh faces to mesh with our current crop of youngsters.

Since we dropped back from the Premier last time the club has been in free fall on and off the field. If we don't make radical changes soon we will continue to drift.

Completely agree. In order to be self supporting we have to make bringing players through from the academy our focus. Some of the daft wages, transfer fees and contracts we've thrown around should be reserved for really special players or gaps we can't fill from home grown talent.

[life on mars]

Re: Squad for next season

I think a mass clear out will be a tonic for the club, and we need to focus on bringing in fresh faces to mesh with our current crop of youngsters.

Since we dropped back from the Premier last time the club has been in free fall on and off the field. If we don't make radical changes soon we will continue to drift.

Agree I'd let all of the out of contracts go .

Doubt any would take a wage cut .

Many are ageing.

[Pedro de la Rosa]

Re: Squad for next season

I hope the club re-sign Smithies, Morrison and Ralls.

Ralls, Smithies and one of Morrison/Flint. I'd probably lean towards Morrison cos he's Morrison, if that makes sense. He's a leader, captain, keeps everyone in line, is well liked. They don't grow on trees. However, we can't keep someone cos he's a good bloke, so he needs to get back to his best sooner rather than later.

The rest, hard pass. We could be freeing up about 150k a week.

[Tuerto]

Re: Squad for next season

It looks to me like Morrison's body has succumbed to the many knocks and injuries he has sustained over his career. He's not as imposing as he once was, which was a massive part of his game. He was always slow but a decent athlete for a big man, i don't think that he can play in the manner he once did, and he knows it judging on the way he plays now. I wouldn't keep him.

Ralls is a tricky one for me, he does offer more than the rest but that isn't really saying much. It could be argued that what Ralls does well could be enhanced with players around him who can create space which may give him more options and more time. Who knows!

[LeningradCowboy]

Re: Squad for next season

Ralls, Smithies and one of Morrison/Flint. I'd probably lean towards Morrison cos he's Morrison, if that makes sense. He's a leader, captain, keeps everyone in line, is well liked. They don't grow on trees. However, we can't keep someone cos he's a good bloke, so he needs to get back to his best sooner rather than later.

The rest, hard pass. We could be freeing up about 150k a week.

I'd settle for Morrison getting back to his average. He's been absolutely terrible this season.

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Squad for next season

Based on this season’s form, I’d only be looking to get Ralls on a new deal, but I would consider offering a contract to Gavin Whyte and maybe Ciaron Brown if we went down.