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Plenty of teams round out the squad with teenagers, and I'm sure that's our aim. Whether they're good enough or not is another matter. If you have 18 established pros, and 6 teenagers for your squad, you can pay more for better pros, and you can attract better teenagers with your 'pathway'. Easier to keep team spirit with a core as well. Can't have injuries like this year though.
Cook JCS Morrison Fox NewRightBack Larkeche Field Varane NewMidfielder Chair Dembele Vale Smyth Madsen Kelman Frey Celar
Squad then filled with Kolli, Bennie, Morgan, Esquerdinha, Akindileni etc.
If you think the new midfielder's wages can be covered by Colback, Andersen and EDB you can offer quite a bit. And if the new rightback's wages by Dunne, Ashby, Hevertton... And you've still got Edwards and Paal's wages to play with for a loan or development project defender or two.
Even if the budget stays the same, there's room to manouvre.
And then if Ebs moves we can sign an additional shiny new striker, midfielder and leftback.
On reflection the overhaul is not as extreme as I thought. If Cook re-signs, might just need a starting rightback, a first team central midfielder, and potentially a squad left back and centreback. We can reduce the squad size and free up wages without losing much quality apart from Dunne.
GK: No change needed.
Defence: There were stories that we signed centreback Tim Akindileni from Aberdeen, but I haven't seen any evidence of him in development games. If he is coming and Cook re-signs, that's four centrebacks with JCS and Morrison which is enough. I wouldn't be astonished if we have an option for another year for Fox and take it up for squad cover...since they always describe him so positively. I'd guess Larkeche and Esquerdinha are lined up for leftback, although surprised the latter hasn't been getting a look in on the bench yet, so maybe he's not ready and we'll be in for someone. We paid money to sign Friel, so we must hope he'll be pushing to be backup rightback next season. Seems like Santos can't return. A new rightback is the priority signing.
Central midfield: If Colback, EDB, and Anderson leave, we'll need at least one first team player to complement Field, Varane, Madsen, Morgan. Maybe two if we become more 433 and less 4231.
Attack: We're actually well stocked with players (if quality is debatable). The 10 seems to come from Chair, Madsen, Morgan generally. Vale, Smyth, Chair, Dembele wide. Bennie, Kolli making up the numbers. I'd be pleased if Saito sneakily becomes permanent and not surprised if Yang returns, but you could argue we should be able to cope without either of them. With strikers from Frey, Celar, Kelman, Kolli, I suspect Lloyd will be loaned out. Obviously we'd love a great new striker (if it's not Kelman), but I think we'd have to move one out first to get one (which might be Kelman).
Two poor sides like the OP says, and yet Paal and Colback actually had one (two?) of their better games today, Smyth did some bright bits, and Morrison and Edwards were decent. Low expectations.
A third for American Psycho. I read it on long coach journeys. I remember being so tense and uptight, like it put me physically into a vice, that it would take some time to recover from when I stopped reading. Or maybe it was just the coach.
I also disliked but still finished both The Road and the Wasp Factory. All well written, perhaps culturally important social commentary, but nasty.
I disagree it's a small squad. It's a big squad*. It's just not a very good one.
Season has been disappointing, but there's always the next one. Nobody felt optimistic when Warnock joined in March 2010...
*Of those who've played games, we have 8 defenders, 6 central midfielders, 5 attacking midfielders, 4 strikers. At times Madsen couldn't make the bench.
Problem is we don't have any budget to manouevre in the front four (as Marti tends to play). I believe all of Frey Celar Kolli Smyth Madsen Morgan Vale Chair Dembele Bennie Lloyd (and I wouldn't be surprised Saito) will be under contract. And you wouldn't be expecting anyone to throw money at us for any of them.
Defence is where we have room to make signings. We need a starting right back (even if, as I fear, Ashby turns out to be perm), at least two centrebacks (which could include Cook), and I suspect they won't want to go into the season with Larkeche and Esquerdinha as our only left back options (they describe Vale on the offish as attack-minded midfielder).
You might not find it interesting. But I do. There are pockets of space all over west London. This one hadn’t been mentioned before as far as I recall. On reflection there’s not quite enough space. Ok. Move on. But I’d still be interested to read about other ideas for development opportunities if they come up.
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