De_La_Vega

For my money Gregan has to go, both for the fact that I think he's fading as a player (although would still probably get a game), he's probably on a fair amount of money and finally I don't like the rumours that surround him - he's allegedly had a hand in the departure of Davies, bullied Taylor and along with Hughes is one of the senior guys whi I think let Sheridan down. Get rid of him and some of the other dead wood, and the team that remains should be; Fleming Eardley Hazell Stam Black Smalley Allott Lee Taylor Alessandra O'Grady Subs: Crossley (hopefully as a player/coach), Stephens, Whitaker, Lomax and any youth players we have who we think are good enough. Starting from that base, I think we need a centre-forward and a centre-half, and I think we could do a lot worse than looking at Graham from Carlisle and Trotman on loan until January. With a big, strong CF we'd need to play with width, and look to Taylor and Smalley to get balls into the box. Whether that team is going to be good enough is a matter for debate, but you have to be realistic. We have been hugely spoilt by having guys of the quality of Wellens and Kilkenny, and if our budget is short then we aren't going to get them again - unless we look to use the loan market. Given the budget we have to use what we have to maximum effect, and I'd say that the two signings above would give us that. Plus you have versatile guys like Taylor, O'Grady, Lee and Smalley who can be used to cover other postions. We need to be smarter with loans this season too. Maybe look to get a left-back in until January, depending on how good the training staff see Black as being... If we have slim resources then we cannot afford not to give our youngsters a chance, and that is what I want to see next season.

Shefflatic you have achieved one thing; your dimwitted comments have amused me. That one about wrapping Eardley in cottonwool makes me laugh especially since I can't ever remember the lad flinching out of a tackle. It isn't that I'm worried that the abuse from the terraces will wear poor Neal down - no doubt he will come up against tougher things in life - but the concern is that by such idiotic comments fans will destroy any bond that the lad feels with the club. Not every footballer is willing to do what Chris Porter did and stiff every team who'd helped him to the top, some (like Peter Crouch, Dave Nugent, Harry Redknap and others) have strong loyalties to the teams they leave and look to do the best for them. By getting on Eardley's back we not only alienate a good young player and lower his desire to put it in for the team, but we increase the chances of incidents like hopping off to Scotland to take 30 pieces of silver when under-24 and out of contract... Chris Taylor loves it, and consequently I never watch him and think he's giving less than his all. If I was Neal Eardley however, I'd be thinking that I was performing for a bunch of fat wankers and not really care. If he leaves now, after a poor season, then we'll get peanuts for him. If we do then I guarantee that he'll be moving to the Premier League in a few years and we'll be looking pretty stupid.

To be fair the extremes of the post were meant as a bit of a joke... a bit like a man who thinks that a 19yr old full-back benefitting from a 35yr old winger's experience is letting himself down. Now let us think why a full-back who has a natural inclination to attack might prefer having a steady and dependable winger in front of him, who has a good appreciation of when to release his man, as opposed to an unpredictable Deane Smalley figure who attacks his man himself and rarely looks to release the overlap. Or then I suppose it is pathetic that Eardley doesn't play to his potential when he has a centre-mid playing out of position in front of him, who has the inclination to pull in field and who definitely doesn't look to cover for and release an overlapping full-back... I stand by my comments shefflatic - you need tarring up straight away pal. Also, name me a better player we have produced in the last two decades than either Eardley or Taylor. Gerrard, Bernard & Serrant are the best 3 that I can think of off-hand - and I'd argue that the achievements of a 20yr old who has captained the team, got over 100 appearances and is a full international would stand the test against them. Although that is cruelly neglecting Scott McNiven and Mark Hotte I grant you! Zorrro would agree with me, what a guy...

I'm with all the guys on this thread who have a fully lobed-up brain who see that Eardley is a player of real potential, but one issue that I have to raise is; what are people talking about with these "aimless 50 yard balls" or shanked passes into the Lookers? Here's a thought - Eardley last season played with a proper, experienced winger in Andy Liddell. Eardley looked class, started the season on fire and put in some excellent attacking performances (ref. Tranmere away where he spent most of the 2nd half passing little 1-2's and driving into the opposition area). After Lid's injury his performances trailed off a bit, and his late season form was merely good. This season it is quite obvious to anyone with eyes that his ball up the line was a tactic employed by Sheridan to try and get Lee Hughes 1-on-1 with the full-backs who he could outmuscle. That ball behind the full-back can be dangerous, but we began to play it at the wrong times and it became an aimless punt up the line. He is a full international, a player we have produced and quite clearly a good technical footballer - just note his performances out of position towards the end of last season. The team structure hasn't aided him this year, and subsequently his form has dipped - THIS DOES NOT MAKE HIM USELESS / ARROGANT / LAZY etc etc. Also, could someone let me know what the problems with his defending are? I rarely see a winger get the better of him, certainly not on a consistent basis. He loves a tackle too, so there's no physical issue in his game... Henceforth anyone who doesn't recognise that Eardley is one of the most talented young footballers we have produced in decades should be tarred, feathered and then ignored as the idiot they most certainly are. P.S. Zorrro talks sense - what a leader. I'll bet he loves Paul Murray.

Lee Hughes (presuming he's off): Thought he was playing for himself and a bad influence, but backed up with goals. Chris Porter: The worst of the worst, i'd laugh if he broke both legs. Chris Killen: daft comments after he left, but had the good grace to retract them - ambivalent. Ritchie Wellens: Great player, anyone who dislikes him is a moron - we knew he was a mercenary but like the best of them do he put in a proper shift to earn his good money. No complaints, best player we've had for years. Neil Kilkenny: Top footballer, can't argue with the decision to pick Leeds. Showed commendable loyalty coming back up to January and it disappoints me when numpties boo him. Fitz Hall: Like, but the fire-sale at the time is still a sore point. Clyde Wijnhard: Great up to his injury in the play-off season. Matty Appleby: Never saw the best of him, so no strong opinion. Certainly don't dislike him though. Paul Murray: I'd vote for him as president of the world for ever. Legend and the love of my life. Wayne Andrews: Understand his leaving although it was disappointing. Also, see Fitz Hall. Jermaine Johnson: Grimsby away was the best performance by a Latics player in years - he looked genuine box-office. Woeful finishing though. Christian Colusso: Who? Did no where near enough to earn any opprobrium and looked like he had a bit of class.

Jesus lads I knew it was grim up North, but some of these posts make me want to give up breathing... How any man with half a brain can say that a club at our level would not want to keep Neal Eardley baffles me. This constant carping about him is ridiculous - if he's not good enough then there are a lot of clubs in a lot of trouble next year. I agree with the overall point of the post, because in Taylor, Eardley, Fleming and Smalley we have four young lads who are well capable of going on to be very good footballers indeed. Lee looks good too, and I'll be very interested to see him once he's got a starting spot and is match fit. Stephens and Black haven't been tested yet, but from what little we know they are considered to be good prospects. I'm concerned that Alessandra and O'Grady haven't got goals in them, but then I don't think the latter got a fair crack of the whip this year and the former shows promise sporadically. As for the defence, last season we were all indebted to a fine Hazell-Stam partnership that kept us on the fringes of the play-offs despite having a serious problem getting the ball in the net. Why does a bad end to the season render all the above obselete? I think we've blown a big chance this year, but there are some good players in the mix above and if we can get them all pulling together and get the team spirit back then there's no reason that we can't have a good season. Whether that means pulling into the top half with a small budget or buying a goal-scorer and hoping for the play-offs we'll have to wait and see. It'll be an interesting close season, but for God's sake take the noose off, put the gun down and think rationally about what we do have, rather than taking the collapse of a hugely disappointing season as the end of the world.

Is this a thread about people that we would like to sign, or one about people that we could sign? I only ask because out of the people listed thus far there are hardly any that are realistic I'd have said. If Danny Graham is available then he'd be an excellent signing, but apart from that then I think anyone pinning their hopes on big transfer activity is watching pigs flying up to eat those pies in the sky... I would have thought that IF Joe stays he'll be looking at the loan market and free transfers, because everything that we are hearing seems to point to a slashed budget next year I'd have thought. Quite rightly so too - there's a global recession on and I for one don't want to see the club gambling on success as we have done in the recent past. Look to the young lads we have to grow into a team capable of playing their way out of this league. The cheapest way to do that is to get a decent striker like DG and attack down the flanks to put balls in the box consistantly, because we already have a couple of guys who have quality who can play out there. Taylor has to be a creative spark for us, we need more from him and hopefully if he continues to work on his game then we'll get it - and if we did then there's no reason we can't set ourselves high targets for the season. We should also wake up and realise that we were spoilt by having guys with the quality of Kilkenny and Wellens; we won't get that sort of class again anytime soon without paying good money... Although that said I'd be keen to see what Lee can do given a few games on the bounce.

good call zorrro you dirt bag, i missed that one... kelvin should be banned from BP because his attitude seduces mangers to give him a game - "he's a cracking lad, why not?" they cry. because he is rubbish, should be the answer... eardley is ten times the player, and i'm not sure that would be an exaggeration! p.s. zorrro - you are gay.

you build a team around your budget, and that is why i think first things first we have to salvage as much from this team as we can. then, we look to see what we can get from our youth teams. if we sell taylor we won't go up next season, simple as in my opinion. he's the only real attacking "ace in the hole" that we have - but to keep him we have to get him back on form as soon as possible. in my view that means playing him wide and getting the coaching team to work on his delivery, and continue to teach him that there's more to being a winger than having 2 options - i) beat the man outside and cross, ii) cut inside and shoot. teach the guy how to be more discerning in his decision making, and get a target man for him to hit á la porter. rumours that there have been issues between gregan / hughes and taylor worry me, and what i heard traces them back to the turn of the year since when taylor has been average. so, gregan has to go. reading between the lines i think we're going to have a smaller budget next year so we need to look to bring in the fewest number of players to get the maximum effect - and i think that means a striker and versatile defender. after that look to give young guys a chance; stephens, lee, black, o'grady and follow that by any of the young guys we've just taken on. if they can do the job let them. at the very least we may get some of them to a level where we can sell them and bring a bit of revenue into the club. oh, and next year we cannot afford to be so limp in the cups. we need a run in 2 of the 3 i'd say...

fleming is more than good enough for this level, and crossley as a player/coach gives back up. then eardley, stam and hazell are a decent start for defence, and i'd like to see what black is made of - if we don't give guys a chance then we'll never get another trotman... taylor, smalley and lee are the core of a decent midfield; and the same goes for stephens as goes for black - give him a game and let's see what he's made of. up front i'm not convinced about alessandra or o'grady (both decent but don't look like scoring), but again why waste more money on signings when we've got players that we haven't properly tested. give them a game because what is the worst that can happen? if we have a limited budget then we have to be ruthless and say that gregan is too slow, maher has been good but youth is the way forward, supple isn't better than fleming so would be a luxury and lomax / wolfenden aren't good enough. maybe they will make it, but it'll be on the back of experience forged in games which is something that we can't give them. why not build a team around philiskirk, because with the stadium a mess budgets are going to be tight. we have a back 4 that can compete, some useful midfielders (and we have to play lee) and a couple of decent support strikers. an experienced target man and some defensive cover (versatile centre-half / full-back) would round off a squad that could compete at this level at a low budget.