Its becoming increasingly clear to me that the midfield of Bailey,Racon,Shelvey and Sam would be pretty impressive next season. I would like the board to come out with a statement of intent to the effect that unless a ridiculous bid is received none are going to be sold. This imho would boost season ticket sales and give supporters real hope that a quick return to The Championship is possible.
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I'd love to keep them all but clubs will be looking at all of them, possibly even Sam. I'll understand if one or two go, as long as it's us getting the better deal out of it.
I agree, I doubt we could replace them in our situation, just saying I'll understand if say Bailey goes for silly money.
What sort of bids do you think we'd get for them? Obviously they'll be looked at, but I can't see anyone bidding £2m+ for Racon or Bailey, but we will surely not let them leave for £1m or so.
In addition we have some good youth team players coming through - Yussuf, Solly, Mambo, Wright etc, who may step up and plug a few gaps, but who gets to do the buying/selling is going to have to juggle the accounts.
They'll mainly be free transfers or cheap signings, so I don't see that as a huge issue. We won't have any other choice (well, maybe loan signings...). We're not going to go out and spend £750k on a striker for example. I'd be shocked if we do.
I'm sure he was talking as if we'd at least look into the possibility of keeping Zheng (therefore I'd assume other out of contract players like Fortune).
We have the basis of a good League One side yes, but still need to let some players go, Ambrose and Weaver in particular. Some of them are clearly not right to play a part in challenging for promotion.
Every one of them played under Pardew, don't forget - which made me think that Pardew, having played very successfully in that position knew a thing or two about midfielders (even if he was hopeless when it came to finding defenders and strikers).
Parkinson, on the other hand, clearly recognises a decent defender - his old position, of course. Murty and Ward were excellent signings and even Butterballs isn't nearly as bad as some have made out.
Yet Parky doesn't seem to have a clue about midfield. All three of his signings there - Gillespie, Spring and Soares - have been virtually anonymous and he did, don't forget, tell us a few weeks back that ZZ and Jonjo couldn't play in the same team as they 'replicate' each other, surely the stupidest comment we've heard from any manager all season.
Anyway, back to the thread topic - next season's midfield. ZZ and Bailey are certain to go, IMO. We could conceivably keep the other three, although there will surely be clubs sniffing around Racon,too.
If we keep Shelvey (for a bit, anyway), Sam and possibly Racon, to them you can add Holland (who is only a year older than Beckham so don't write him off just yet), maybe Semedo, the wretchedly invisible Spring (who reminds me of Ambrose in disguise) and the youngsters.
Still pretty good for div three. Our real problems, of course, lie behind and in front of them!
Today they all brought themselves to the front of the shop's window display.
I thought we thoroughly deserved our win today. Makes the results of our last 4 games, which were 1 at home & 3 away, W1 D2 L1, and that loss was an unlucky defeat away to top of the table Wolves. We are on a decent run & it's not hard to see that the improvement has come from getting ZZ & Racon playing well together, with great support from JJ, Bailey & Sam (today).
For me Sam is crucial because he adds width that no other midfielder does. That was true when Thomas was here, and whether he is offensively effective or not in the last two seasons his defensive work rate has been one of the best of all midfielders; compare the cover he gives say to an Ambrose/Thomas and there is a world of difference. It really winds me up when he is dropped after one average performance as always a lazier player comes in get's a few matches and offers no cover for his full back. Not only this but he was top of our assists chart for months, Pard's and Parky considered someone who creates goals as superflous.... the goals will come with 4-5-1 and no winger who'll cross....
Have to say as well that any fee offered will probably be snapped up. Be that from free transfer for Gray or Hudson to get rid of their wages, or indeed a cheap price for Racon or Bailey. Running at a loss, losing season ticket holders and then losing ten million in turnover cutting costs in regards to wages will be the most crucial move of all.
Parkinson was a midfielder wasn't he?
Don't blame him for Gillespie, he went for a winger who was available, didn't have the pace he had, but could put in a better cross than Sam. Just didn't work out as he hoped, it was a gamble but arguably worth taking.
Soares is a decent player, just not that good - he was never going to change our midfield.
Spring I never understand and still don't. Still say apart from scoring the occasional goal, he doesn't offer anything Josh Wright can't (on the pitch, not talking about Wright's supposed bad attitude). He seemed to be brought in because he was available, cheap and maybe could offer a few goals and reliable performances.
Agree about Murty and Ward. He got two players in that have plenty of experience and just do their job.
Love him or loathe him, at least Parky has tried to introduce a consistant shape, methodical approach and system to the team.
Something Pardew wasn't able to recognise as a necessity.
Yep his results might be appalling, but we do look more like a team.
We've drawn with Reading and only lost 2-1 to Wolves. The difference could be being able to get in a decent striker or two, something he just wouldn't have been able to do until the summer.
If he can find a few similarly reliable defenders in the summer, a couple of goalscorers and keep our better midfielders we'll have a decent team and a much better chance of doing well than with the squad Pardew built.
Bailey has not exactly been Mr Loyalty with two moves in two years, Jon Jo will be courted by many sides but at least we will get a fee. Racon I feel might stay but that is based on hope more than anything else.
Spring has done well IMHO, scored goals and he's more than capable of playing at this level and league 1. He's like Graham Stuary (not as good obviously) but can see a pass and arrives late in the box.
Just a shame for him that we have such talent in Racon, Shelvey and ZZ. Bailey has been forced wide to accommodate them and Spring dropped. You certainly can't say that Parky plays his favourites seeing as he signed Burton and Spring and dropped them both. Hard nosed bastard as a player, hard nosed bastard as a manager.
McCeverly was a good signing and another unlucky injury.
.............
And we followed up those matches with a couple of truly abject, gutless displays in "must win" home matches.
I still don't rate Spring after seeing him. Assuming he's still here next season he'll be useful as a squad player, not good enough to be a regular even in League One for me though. Might be better with certain players around him.
And it's good to see Parkinson's dropped Burton and Spring after not quite doing enough even though they are his signings.
Those who say Holland is too old, well he's 34, I think - same age as Beckham and Graeme Murty. May be a few months older.
You have to say, Pardew did a assemble a highclass midfield in ZZ, Bailey, Racon and Sam with Shelvey coming through to join them. It was very much Pardew's midfield not Parky's signings got us three points yesterday, for as someone else pointed out, Parkinson's men (Burton and Spring) didn't even start.
Sam and Shelvey have come through the ranks so you can hardly call them Pardew's men and Shelvey was hardly a regular under Pards.
By the second game of the seaon v Watford, Pardew had signed Bailey.
So I think yes, one can say that yesterday's win in game 40 of the league campaign was down to the prefered midfield with which Pardew started the season eight months ago !