The rebuild.

Sorry, but until the futures of Martin, Bryson, Butterfield and Thorne are resolved we are effectively hamstrung as far as making progress is concerned.
Those four players represent a massive drain on the finances of DCFC and have contributed little if anything in return for two years or so now.
It’s a sad thing to say about Thorne, he has suffered horribly from injury after injury however the consensus seems to be that he’s now becoming an out of shape fat bloke and that isn’t acceptable, imo, from a man who is paid a fortune to get fit and perform for the club who pay for his lifestyle.
None of this is Gary Rowett’s fault...he inherited (I think) at least four players on ludicrously inappropriate contracts...but it needs sorting quickly by the financial staff before Rowett can realistically start planning for the future.

Beyond that...I think maybe that BJ might have done enough in the last month or so to re-establish some faith in him having a role to play in the future...so, trying to be positive, I’d be looking to build around Carson, Wisdom Keogh, Davies, Huddleston, Johnson, Lawrence, Vydra (or the considerable amount his sale would generate), Jerome, Weiman and Lowe.
In Davies we may have at last found a captain but top of the wanted list is still a ‘midfield general’, closely followed by a left back and a finisher...top of the job description requirement in all three cases should be...a willingness to work, heart, mobility and a little bit of guile.

Vydra, Butterfield, Johnson, Anya & Lawrence cost approx 30m between them. To date we've only had a genuine return from one of those players.

Add in those aforementioned big wages for Bryson, Martin & Thorne and we've a top heavy squad in terms of financial draining and underperforming signings.

Rowett has inherited 90% of the issues and must be given the chance to shape his own squad. If Morris is intent on not putting any further funds in close season we either need to be shrewd in the free transfer and loan markets or sell our prized asset to raise funds.

Olsson, Forsyth, Butterfield, Bryson, Martin, Thorne, Pearce can all go.

Question marks on Huddlestone, Ledley, Nugent & Jerome in terms of age. All useful squad players but can't afford to be fielding more than two of them in starting XI.

I think Keogh and Davies make a good partnership but again age playing a role more so with Davies.... another season in them I reckon.

I'm no big fan of Lawrence but hope for improvement.

I'd keep Carson, Wisdom, Weimann, Anya and Johnson (just) and I hope Vydra stays.

Weimann big improvement this season and Anya I think is a footballer who can play multiple positions and every side needs one of those.

Will be an interesting summer folks.

I refer back to a thread I started a month or so ago, a lot of it still applies IMO, and bear in mind Ramanag described this as 'depressing reading'. Italics are where I've changed my mind

For those with contracts up in the summer

Darren Bent – release, thanks for your early efforts Darren and for the comedy og v Chelsea
Chris Baird – retain. This goes against the general grain which is to release, I still see a fill-in role for the old-stager.
Jason Shackell - release
Kelle Roos – dont know the reserve goalies well enough to comment

For those with 2019 Contracts

Craig Bryson – retain and put him back in the first team
Andreas Weimann - retain
Jacob Butterfield – give him the pre season to prove something, if no improvement release
Bradley Johnson – retain, there's been an improvement
Nick Blackman – release or allow to stay at Maccabe if its costing us nil wages
Marcus Olsson – retain if we can’t find anything better
David Nugent – release
Curtis Davies – retain X10
Tom Huddlestone - retain
Alex Pearce – retain as cover, IMO lacks skill not heart
Joe Ledley - retain
Cameron Jerome – retain

For those with 2020 contracts

Matej Vydra – retain X10 or sell for £20m
Ikechi Anya – release, or see if Kansas City will swap him for Johnny Russell
Chris Martin – Blimey, there was a time when he’d be top of my retain list but his apparent moody demeanour and GR’s preference re formation says release
Scott Carson - retain X10
Craig Forsyth – release. Not the same since returning
George Thorne – Not sure where GR is going with someone who is clearly struggling to get back to his best, release
Mason Bennett – retain for cover if he’s cheap on the wage bill
Jamie Hanson – as above, although the new contract makes any comment irrelevant

For those with 2021 contracts

Andre Wisdom - retain
Jonathan Mitchell – See goalie comment above
Richard Keogh – retain X10

For those with 2022 contracts

Tom Lawrence – retain and to coin the old phrase ‘put a rocket up him’

For those on loan

Sam Winnall – retain if possible
Kasey Palmer – release, we already have one showboater and I’ll never forgive him for that free kick against Leeds

Vydra to stay, but think he'll be gone. Carson has had a decent season but I don't think he's the Messiah that many think he is! Good enough to keep though, just wish we had another decent keeper to challenge him.

Then I look at the rest of the team and there isn't one player I'd be sorry to see go! Rowetts got a job on!

I know it's more than a tad revolutionary but this is what I would do .............

1. Decide how we are going to play, which system. Making sure that it is both successful and entertaining
2. Which players do we have that either don't fit that system and/or have passed their sell by date. Get rid
3. Which players do we need to play that system? Go out and get them.

Too Utopian? Probably but I have seen too much of this defend the last 30 and then hope for a counter. I want to see us defend when necessary and attack the rest (most) of the time.
A mix between Mac's gung ho and GR's safety first approach.

EXACTLY! I was just about to start a new thread suggesting that a 'style of play' should come first

we've seen with Martin and Vydra amongst others that there aren't just good players, there are good players for a style of play/system

I've liked the more positive moments of our 'new' system, love seeing wingbacks do their work (WHEN they actually produce an end product), also love seeing disciplined defending like the first leg, with Davies doing the intercepts and Huddlestone sweeping up the mess, but there has to be a greater balance towards attack and a bit of actual excitement to report on after a game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Andy_Faber

EXACTLY! I was just about to start a new thread suggesting that a 'style of play' should come first

we've seen with Martin and Vydra amongst others that there aren't just good players, there are good players for a style of play/system

I've liked the more positive moments of our 'new' system, love seeing wingbacks do their work (WHEN they actually produce an end product), also love seeing disciplined defending like the first leg, with Davies doing the intercepts and Huddlestone sweeping up the mess, but there has to be a greater balance towards attack and a bit of actual excitement to report on after a game.

---

That’s all well and good Andy but the point of the original post is that we have to deal with what we’ve got.
There seems general agreement about who’s worth keeping and who isn’t...Bryson, Anya and Baird, along with keeping or cashing in on Vydra, being the greatest source of debate.

Beyond that Martin, Butterfield and possibly Bryson are the problem. They cost us a fortune but are of relatively little value. If I recognise that you can bet every other club/agent in the country will have a clearer understanding...so, taking into account FFP as well,
how do we move forward?

I agree with much of your retain/release list...I even agree about Bryson although he is approaching ‘elderly’ now for a box to box midfielder whose game was built on energy and mobility...but how do we ship out Martin and Butterfield, both of whom I believe to have ‘burned their bridges’, without taking an unaffordable loss?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ramAnag

That’s all well and good Andy but the point of the original post is that we have to deal with what we’ve got.
There seems general agreement about who’s worth keeping and who isn’t...Bryson, Anya and Baird, along with keeping or cashing in on Vydra, being the greatest source of debate.

Beyond that Martin, Butterfield and possibly Bryson are the problem. They cost us a fortune but are of relatively little value. If I recognise that you can bet every other club/agent in the country will have a clearer understanding...so, taking into account FFP as well,
how do we move forward?

I agree with much of your retain/release list...I even agree about Bryson although he is approaching ‘elderly’ now for a box to box midfielder whose game was built on energy and mobility...but how do we ship out Martin and Butterfield, both of whom I believe to have ‘burned their bridges’, without taking an unaffordable loss?

---

I'm a forgiving bloke, if I was GR and couldn't offload Butterfield early doors, I'd 'coach' him to be of use to us, point him towards the (partial) resurgence of BJ, it might come to nothing, but it might result in our £5m original investment actually helping us avoid a £5m-plus investment in a new signing who might also be a crock of ****. If he runs out for the first game of the season, he'll have deserved the recall and I'll applaud him along with the rest. We aren't talking 'Claude Davies' bad here, ther HAS to be something GR can work with

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Andy_Faber

I'm a forgiving bloke, if I was GR and couldn't offload Butterfield early doors, I'd 'coach' him to be of use to us, point him towards the (partial) resurgence of BJ, it might come to nothing, but it might result in our £5m original investment actually helping us avoid a £5m-plus investment in a new signing who might also be a crock of ****. If he runs out for the first game of the season, he'll have deserved the recall and I'll applaud him along with the rest. We aren't talking 'Claude Davies' bad here, ther HAS to be something GR can work with

---

Can see where you’re coming from and I wish you could be right.
Unfortunately I don’t believe you can ‘coach’ attitude...not at their age...and that’s what I believe to be wrong with Butterfield and Martin (Shackell too but he’s irrelevant). They’ve got no hunger any more imo.
Whatever else the likes of Keogh and Davies might lack...they go out each week with the right mindset.