Stay up, go down players to keep (merged)

[JannerinCardiff]

After today's "performance" dreaming of a good old clearance ahead of next year is about the only thing cheering me up.

Current Squad

GK
Macey (Out) - Sigh
Letheren (Out) - Decent enough back-up but only looks like a starter this year because the alternative is worse. We need a goalkeeper whatever division we find ourselves in next year.
Cooper (Stay) - Good young prospect, I'd like to see him given a chance next year. Even if he's 3rd choice I think he should be starting Chicken Trade Trophy games.

RB
ASB (Stay) - He's improved as the year has gone on and should develop into a decent L1 full-back. Have certainly preferred him at right back so would like to see him and Oscar fight it out for that position if we can get the latter back permanently.
Threlkeld (Sign) - Presumably no chance of him playing at his parent club so certainly worth an offer to get back permanently.
Moore (Out) - Shocking, if he's lucky he may develop into a decent non-league defender. Not got the right attributes to make it for us or league football though.
Riley (Out) - Not good enough to warrant the injury record he comes with. If you believe our "manager" our wage budget is very, very small. As such why wages are wasted on so many who are only fit half of the time I'll never know.

LB
Sawyer (Out) - Thanks for the years of service Gazza but I think the pace of the game has got the better of you. Certainly if we are in League 1 next year he shouldn't stay on, perhaps he'd fair better against L2 defenders if the worst happens but even then I think we should be looking forwards and signing players to not only take us back to L1 but develop into good players at that level if/when we do return.
C Grant (Out) - Liked him at left back I have to say. If we go down I actually wouldn't mind keeping him on as cover if he's cheap but as with Riley his injury record is a huge concern. If we're tying up wages in players they need to be fit or at very least brilliant players who are worth the months/weeks on the sideline for their ability when they do play.

CB
Edwards (Out) - Not good enough, perhaps keep him around in L2 if he's used as cover but even then he's far too shaky and inconsistent.
Wootton (Out) - Pointless signing, get rid
Caravan (Out) - Not helped by those around him to be fair but still far too error prone for my liking.
Jones (Sign) - If Luton go up I'd like to think he won't be in their plans so on the last two games wouldn't mind starting our new look defence search with him. So long as he's a permanent signing, otherwise let Luton develop him themselves. We need to build our own defence not somebody else's.

CM
Fox (Out) - Thanks for all of your efforts Foxy but this year was 1 too many sadly. If Derek had actually signed a replacement and used Foxy as cover he would have been a good option but he sadly lacks the pace to be a starter in this division. Amazingly Derek hasn't spotted that in the 2 years we've spent in L1.
Sarcevic (Stay) - On his day he is brilliant, those days are fewer and further between sadly but he's useful cover and as I recall on a 2 year deal so worth keeping around rather than paying off.
Ness (Out) - Would throw him in the Grant and Riley category of not being fit for long enough to be worth the wage. He's also very slow and doesn't do anything particularly spectacularly to justify his injury record.
Songo'o (Stay) - Mr dependable, when you need someone, when the rest of the team is playing p*ss poor you can rely on Big Yann to be giving everything. It says a lot that he has been our best player this year because he's not L1 quality by any stretch. I'd keep him as cover but a good ball winning midfielder is as much a priority as it was when Toums left.

AM
Carey/Ruben (???) - Would obviously like them to stay but judging by recent weeks I think they are already gone and simply going through the motions until they leave. I could be wrong and they may well both have just dropped off in form right when it matters most. If so then that is a worrying sign in itself that our two most important players go missing when the chips are down. I do however think it's more a case of them setting their sights for next year outside of Plymouth and not being arsed where we end up next season.
J Grant (Stay) - A good back-up option to have, would be good if he could find a way to have an impact for more than 45 minutes a game but that's why I think he's a good option rather than a starter. A player you bring on to make an impact or take off when he tires. Fingers crossed the time out injured doesn't have too negative an impact on his game.
Ainsworth (Out) - I was 65% sure he'd gone back to Scotland in January until he appeared on the team sheet today. Complete waste of wages from day 1.

FWD
Ladapo (Out) - Scored a few good goals but cash in when his value is high. I don't see him being as good next year and he just doesn't offer much else besides scoring which for a lone front man isn't ideal unless the system is built purely to feed them. If we got a manager who played two up front then he'd be good alongside a target man but if someone comes in offering money I say take the cash and run.
Taylor (Out) - Not sure if it's lack of match fitness or simply an injury too many but he seems to have lost it. A shadow of the man who our attack relied upon last season, I was so hoping he would come in and change things but I today I think we got a glimpse of why he hasn't been able to knock Ladapo out of the side.
Fletcher (Out) - Came in and looked alright today but doesn't really offer much at all. He's not quick, he's not strong, he's not tall and he's not technically gifted. Would probably do alright lower down, if we kept him it's last chance saloon to prove he's got something to offer.
Jephcott (Stay) - Has looked pretty good whenever he's been called upon. Still young and learning his trade but I think he could be a good option to have around.

Good assessment. I agree with all of your views barring one.. I’d keep Conor Grant... he looked quality at LB and I think he should be pushing for the starting LB spot next season as it’s clear Sawyer is getting quite slow now.

 

[Justin]

Has an 18 goal (maybe 20) striker ever been relegated before?

Possibly a 20 goal striker, one of the top assisters in Carey, one of the top players in the league in Lameiras, and a manager nominated for two (?) monthly awards.

This is completely surreal. Shows that the goalkeeper and defence has been the problem though, which in theory should be the easiest thing to organise and get right.

Do they not play with midfielders in Biggtown? Our midfield has been generally woefull, in both defensive and attacking duties, but you conveniently forget to mention them.

 

[Steve Evans]

when our relegation is confirmed next saturday these are the players i would keep.My list doesn't include freddie,carey and ruben because they are leaving and freddie should command a decent fee.
fletcher,cooper,songo'o,ASB,law,rooney,jephcott,peck,randell,goulty,garside,purrington and battle.
This wouldn't be my entire squad obviously but i would make cooper the number one 'keeper,song'o captain with ASB and jephcott in midfield.fletcher and battle would be my strikers leaving the incoming manager to find two full backs,two centre backs and a winger.
I would obviously dismiss mister adams,mister wotton,mister nancekivill,mister wilmott,mister osbourne and i would have a serious meeting with all members of the physio department with regard to all these injuries.

 

[Carlo]

The only plus side about going down is the amount of players out of contact Steve, a new manager could bring his own players in. Clutching at straws obviously...

 

[Green Matt]

I would like to see us play more of the youth but to fill the start eleven with them would see us struggling in League Two, let alone League One. We need to use them more but not rely on them.

 

[Steve Evans]

I would like to see us play more of the youth but to fill the start eleven with them would see us struggling in League Two, let alone League One. We need to use them more but not rely on them.

Matt.i would not start with all youth.for me the new manager brings in another carey,ruben,foxy etc.i feel that we must use our own talent otherwise the youth set up is not worth having.

 

[Green Matt]

I would like to see us play more of the youth but to fill the start eleven with them would see us struggling in League Two, let alone League One. We need to use them more but not rely on them.

Matt.i would not start with all youth.for me the new manager brings in another carey,ruben,foxy etc.i feel that we must use our own talent otherwise the youth set up is not worth having.

Fair enough. I am concerned that if we go down and the next manager can't get hold of a Carey or two quickly we'll stagnate in that horrible division for a few years. The board need to do whatever is necessary to avoid that but unfortunately that probably means the youth don't get a look in again. We're not a club that can be happy existing off the occasional big money sale but staying in that league as Exeter do. There has to be more ambition.

What I dislike is the way recent managers have failed to use home-grown talent as cover even, preferring to loan in some fairly ordinary players to plug gaps. Adams has tried to play an entire season with one striker for crying out loud, with the result that we are so predictable I wonder if the opposition bother scouting us. Yes Freddie has done well overall but I can't help but feel that we could have done with changing it around occasionally. Can't see him hanging around for basement football either and Taylor's race seems to be run so what next? Fletcher still has barely any meaningful experience so there is very little in the squad to take us into next season.

 

[Nobby]

I would like to see us play more of the youth but to fill the start eleven with them would see us struggling in League Two, let alone League One. We need to use them more but not rely on them.

Matt.i would not start with all youth.for me the new manager brings in another carey,ruben,foxy etc.i feel that we must use our own talent otherwise the youth set up is not worth having.

Fair enough. I am concerned that if we go down and the next manager can't get hold of a Carey or two quickly we'll stagnate in that horrible division for a few years. The board need to do whatever is necessary to avoid that but unfortunately that probably means the youth don't get a look in again. We're not a club that can be happy existing off the occasional big money sale but staying in that league as Exeter do. There has to be more ambition.

What I dislike is the way recent managers have failed to use home-grown talent as cover even, preferring to loan in some fairly ordinary players to plug gaps. Adams has tried to play an entire season with one striker for crying out loud, with the result that we are so predictable I wonder if the opposition bother scouting us. Yes Freddie has done well overall but I can't help but feel that we could have done with changing it around occasionally. Can't see him hanging around for basement football either and Taylor's race seems to be run so what next? Fletcher still has barely any meaningful experience so there is very little in the squad to take us into next season.

That's the thing for me. The money we could have saved from Dyson, Wootton and Ainsworth, could've paid the difference for Sonny Bradley. While Fletcher, Jordan Bentley and Alex Battle could've taken their spots at cheap cost.

I'm quite critical of the standard of our Youth players and believe they should only play if good enough, but some of them are certainly good enough to be backup and certainly capable of rotational minutes.

For what it's worth, Sangster is the one I feel could push the first team next year depending on his recovery. Would love to see Mike Cooper, Luke Jephcott and Dan Rooney (who by all accounts is doing very well a few leagues down) in the mix too.