Core For Next Season

I will watch it again. Perhaps it's a case of mistaken identity
That said, my main points remain

 

Cathcart is on a steep downward decline though, there have been some signs of life from Britt of late, and while he's not getting younger, he can get fitter and therefore more useful for us, whereas we've seen the best of Cathcart. Suspect Hoedt (as much as I don't particularly like him) and Porteous (as much as he's a rough diamond) will be regulars next season, Kabasele will surely stay (again, not that anyone wants him at this stage), then there's Sierralta who could be an asset again at this level if he can stay fit and even Pollock on loan, we might not desperately need to retain Cathcart

 

There is no reason to keep Cathcart. No reason at all. He’s atrocious now. As is Kabasele. There’s no ‘or’ in getting rid of them. They both must leave. Experts in failure need to be removed.

 

But we’re losing Blake & Amass sooooo

 

It's the mental aspect that I think overrides everything for me. There's always an argument for keeping older, wiser heads around the place in a bit part playing role if they're going to contribute to the greater good. But all our old heads know is relegation, failure and capitulation. Get rid.

 

Did we loan them all out in our promotion seasons?
I am not saying we should keep them, but your sweeping statement is wrong.

 

On performance alone, I would probably keep Cathcart as he's been one of our better players this season (although his form has dropped second half). I do have some sympathy with your point above though, and in his case I don't think I've ever seen a more passive captain/senior pro. However, we are not going to have a lot of money to spend and are going to want to drastically trim the wage bill. The senior pros probably accept they can't expect wages similar to the peak of their career but even then, they will be towards the top of our pay range for a team entering its second year in the Championship and we simply can't justify that for back ups just because they have "experience".

I don't think we should extend any of them. But all things considered, Cathcart will go down as one of the best Pozzo era signings, nine years of (for the most part) consistent performances including starting 35 of 38 games in our highest finishing PL season.

 

I would keep Cathcart on a short term deal as a squad player /cover. Not planning for him to be first choice but we always need plenty of CD cover and I wouldn’t be surprised if his performances saw him make plenty of appearances.

 

This is a drastic overhaul, and most likely not happening, but I would love for us to have mass clear out and mass intake.

Next season:

New GK, new GK, Hamer

RB: Andrews/Ferreira

CB: Porteous, New LCB, Sierralta, New LCB, Pollock, Cathcart

LB: new LB, Morris

CM: Louza, Kone, New CM, New CDM, Kayembe

RW: New RW, New RW

CAM: Asprilla, New CAM

LW: Sema, New LW

ST: new ST, new ST, new ST, Adeyemo

14 players needed in my opinion. 5 will be on loan. So 9 signings.

There are some decent frees to fill those spots. Also some good league 1 players that would join us. So if we play it smart, we could build something that top 6 worthy for not much financial outlay.

Manga is saying all the right things, but we’ve heard it all before. Proof really will be the summer window.

With the desperate need of players who would want to come here and also understand the English leagues here’s a quick list of loans/frees/mostly EFL League 1 players that would improve us. Some starting 11, others squad depth. If Manga has any sense, then he has got to dive into the English market.

GK options:

Cooper (Plymouth)
Trafford on loan (Man City)

CB options:

Moore (Oxford)
Ferguson on a free (Palace)
Cooper on a free (Millwall)
Cashin (Derby)
Edwards (Peterborough)
Lonwijk on loan (Wolves)

LB options:

Davis (Ipswich) - personally would love to see us go all out for him.
Brown (Oxford)
Dasilva on a free (Bristol City)

CDM/CM/CAM options:

Brannagan (Oxford)
Bird (Derby)
Sibley (Derby) - although he can play many positions.
Evans (Bristol Rovers)
Connell (Barnsley)
Collins (Exeter)
Taylor (Peterborough)
Azaz on loan (Villa)
Dack on a free (Blackburn)
Wiles on a free (Rotherham)

LW options:

Willock on a free (QPR) - they have a 1 year option, so here’s hoping they get relegated, that way he’s still cheap if they activate it.

Dobbin (Derby)

RW options:

Rak-Sakyi on loan (Palace)
Ward (Peterborough)
Poku (Peterborough)

ST options:

Leaburn (Charlton)
Taylor on loan (Forest)
Collins (Bristol Rovers)
Coburn on loan (Boro) - only if Boro go up
House (Lincoln)
Nombe (Exeter)

 

We've got far too much dog **** to shift and there's no way we're going to manage to bin even half of them all at once suddenly, and no way we're going to sign the 10+ new first choice players we need to replace all the dross.

We'll no doubt still have to suffer through yet another season of regular appearances from Cathcart, Kabasele, Bachmann, probably even Cleverley, as well as Sema, Ngakia etc. and therefore yet another season of torturously poor performance and terrible football.

 

Would be good to paste that list in to the transfer talk + suggestions thread.

 

I think you’ve identified the right areas but I think/hope we go for quality over quantity. We’re not going to be getting two new LCBs, for instance, though I hope we get one and Hoedt becomes second choice. I think we’ll keep Assombalonga or Bayo and get 1-2 strikers. Hopefully we get one quality keeper (can’t see us getting two) and would be shocked if we brought in three in the middle (CDM, CM and CAM). Cathcart is out of contract so would be easy to shift too. Players may be brought in to cover multiple positions - we don’t need three strikers, three wingers and a CAM, especially if one of the strikers is capable of playing out wide too etc.

Mike Cooper is my top keeper target but reckon he’ll go somewhere better/wealthier (e.g to one of the relegated PL sides - Everton as a Pickford replacement for instance, or one of the promoted sides - Boro/Burnley if they don’t keep their loanees). He’s a top player.

 

Honestly don't know many of those players but seen a few highlights of some.
Leaburn looks amazing for 19 and scores all different types of goals. So, so strong and remarkably has good pace for his size. Would imagine plenty of clubs will be sniffing around after him.
Plymouths keeper looks quality too. Again believe he's destined for bigger things
Collins at Rovers has had an unbelievable season and to think he went off the boil around the new year. Very good stats.

 

You mean the sporadic threat of an appearance before he is ultimately ruled out for between 1 week and 4 months with an acute flare up of boneitis.

 

Hopefully.

 

Agree with virtually all your exit players, apart from Kayembe. Can’t stand him as a player. He’d also go as far as I’m concerned. I would keep Clevs around but offer him something on the coaching side. Apart from that, bang on with my opinion also.

 

He turned left out of the training ground and his inability to turn right means he’s still working his way back around the planet.

 

He had an unbelievable first half of the season - but as you say he's not really done anything since the new year.

Rovers fans are saying he's basically been crap since late Jan/early Feb - albeit maybe it's a similar situation to JP or Sarr with us where his head has been turned and he's lost focus?
They even briefly made him captain, as we did with JP, but then they took it away from him again.
Might add to the risk of signing him. From March in the Rovers forum:

"Still wouldn’t be surprised to see him left out for a game or 2 in the coming weeks, by the standards he’s set all by himself the last 15 months, his recent form has been pretty f’ing dire"

"Aaron Collins is so good he’s almost undroppable but he’s not immune to needing a kick up the arse. He’s been invisible since perhaps early Feb maybe even earlier than that.
His performances have been so bad it was inevitable that if they continued he’d need time out of the team to reset."

"Collins has been absolutely garbage for weeks now. "

"Great supporter of Aaron, but have to say in the last few weeks it looks suspiciously like either his agent has got into his head or a hand shake has been made on a move in the summer, its not about what you have done its more about what your doing, he hasn't been up to scratch lately and needs a kick up the backside as we are not safe yet!"

"Not captain material, may be that the amount of effort Aaron puts in over a season has caught up with him and he is literally knackered and needs a rest, may do him good and return even better "

https://gaschat.co.uk/thread/20862/aaron-collins

 

I had a quick check on google maps - and if he exited Watford's training ground at London Colney and kept turning left at all the major junctions or forks in the road, then he'd arrive back at the entrance to our training ground, which he could turn left in to should he wish.

 

With our bargain basement signings this summer I doubt we will be picking up established stars from this seasons promotion rivals.

 

I think bringing in a commanding goalkeeper who is less prone to horrendous mistakes would clear up problems in the defense, then the midfield just needs a ball winner who can pass more tham 5 yards and can be arsed to run around a bit.

I'd like to see the club hold off on making attacking commitments until Manga + co have a style and a longer term manager locked down, so that they can actually have a say on the style of football we'll be playing.

 

How could we be "promotion rivals" with a team in the division below us?

 

Rule of 11 lads. We’ll be keeping all our domestic HG shyte and signing foreign duds. JP10 is also HG so we’ll be losing him from our 11!

 

Sorry, my bad, wrong "Rovers" !

 

Here's my Corrrr!!! for next season.
27 year old midfielder Sophie McLean joined the Golden Girls from Billericay Town in February 2023.

 

I would like to see a core of players featuring absolutely no one currently at the club.

 

My concern is that the playing staff will not change.
Ok, Sarr and Pedro are almost out of the door.
We have massive debts and very little money, Administration is a possibility if the rumours of our real amount if the debts are true.
Our Owner, Club Agent and Watford FC are under investigation by various organisations in different Countries.
We may just have keep what we have until the deadwood players contracts come to an end.
Is League One any good?

 

My sheer worry is who buys any of the duds and we don’t have the money to release players at such a rate.

Guaranteed Starters: Porteous & Louza.

Young but promising: Andrews, Kone, Ferreira Asprilla.

Ok for depth but old or average or who knows wtf is happening with them: Sema, Britt, Hoedt, Cathcart, Kalu, Kayembe, Bayo, Bacuna.

Depth: Morris, Hamer, Sierrelta.

Really got to go now: Kabasele, Cleverley, Bachman, Ngakia.

So much surgery required that it’s a concern. Even Louza hasn’t played like a guaranteed starter I’d sell him if someone paid enough and EVEN Porteous has looked dodgy recently but there’s enough to have some hope. Him and Asprilla making leaps are our two shining lights for the season. Really, really concerned we won’t move the likes of Kabasele and they’ll be playing next year, then we are ****ed.

 

Not far wrong. I'm honestly struggling to find anyone in the squad who I'd want playing next season.
Porteous, Sema and maybe Asprilla. The rest can do one.