Reply With QuoteFull backs and central midfield aside. It’s a complete rebuild for me.
I’d keep Jones and tootle (if jones is fit enough to play every week)
And the central midfield of Hewitt and o’connor
Aside from that I wouldn’t be sorry to lose any of them.
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Hey ho, it wasn't to be in the end, but this is team that finished 4th in League Two, so there are certainly some strong elements to this squad. We've got plenty of depth in the goalkeeping, midfield and full back positions, certainly enough to match any other team in this league.
As Luton manager Nathan Jones said last night about how he responded to losing to Blackpool in the play-offs the previous season, it's all about looking at the areas that cost you those extra points and addressing those weaknesses in the summer.
In our case the forward line needs a virtually complete rebuild. Ameobi is finished, Stead should be going but has triggered a foolishly given extension clause and should only be taking over the Alan Smith role at best. Forte has turned it on in the last few weeks of his contract but is a journeyman with a career history of inconsistent commitment and delivery, and the sundry strikers like Smith and Saunders offer nothing of note. So that's where the main surgery needs to be.
Also, we must, must, must bring in two big, good quality centre halves to address a lack of depth we've had in that position for multiple seasons.
Get those things right, and use the ball a bit better generally, and there's no reason why we shouldn't be solid top two next year.
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Full backs and central midfield aside. It’s a complete rebuild for me.
I’d keep Jones and tootle (if jones is fit enough to play every week)
And the central midfield of Hewitt and o’connor
Aside from that I wouldn’t be sorry to lose any of them.
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Quality post....next season's team is Nolo's.....get rid of Shola and sit Stead on the bench......Forte, mmmmm, not so sure....Duffers is cheerio from me, Nobsa is another mmmmm.....3 months to sort it out......next season, pass and move, pass and moveOriginally Posted by jackal2
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It's perhaps natural to think that an hour or so after a disappointing night, but like I say, this is a squad that took us to 4th, not 14th or 24th, so it doesn't suggest there are a huge number of things wrong. The teams that succeed after previous disappointments show a certain degree of continuity as well as an ability to know where to strengthen, whereas teams that consistently re-arrange the whole deck tend to struggle.
Closer to the truth is to say you're only as strong as your weakest link, and the weaknesses up front and in central defence have been the main factors holding us back.
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Noble was shocking again tonight. In the first 3 mins of the 2nd half, O'Connor made more of an impact than Noble did in 45.
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Noble is useless why did Notts bring him back.
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I thought this when I heard the rumours of him re-signing. I thought it when he did re-sign. And I still think it now.
We've got him for another year, but for me he's one of the most overrated players I can remember in my time watching Notts. I couldn't believe we were taking him back after correctly releasing him at the end of his first red card-strewn spell with us.
I suppose you can say he hasn't got sent off again (yet), but he doesn't really cut the mustard as a battling midfielder or a creative midfielder. He increasingly reminds me of Mark Fotheringham, doing a lot of pointing and talking and not much else. If we had replaced Ryan Yates with a barrel full of hot air in the middle of the pitch, it would have contributed more.
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I think the players to keep are Collin Fitzsimmons Tootle Jones Brisley Hewitt O’Connor Husin Alessandra Forte Bird?
I think he may keep Stead and Duffy as well not sure I would though.
Noble has to go he is useless O’Connor looked levels above him when he came on.
I’d keep Forte & maybe Stead as 4th choice we need two quality strikers no more of these Saunders or Hodge signings wasting wages.
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Fifth, we finished 5th not 4th. We snatched a play-off postion from the jaws of promotion. In the end we could easily have crashed out of the play-offs. Flattered to deceive really living off the fruits of the early part of the season. Coventry and Lincoln were just 2 points behind and we've a lot to thank Evans for whilst Exeter were a clear* 3 points ahead. *Though we had a much superior so maybe not quite "clear".
Really hope some lessons have been learnt and AH is already promising us an "incredible future" (so maybe lessons haven't yet been learnt)
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Yes apologies, correction accepted, I moved us up one position in my mind! But my point still stands. It's easy to say we slipped backwards from top three to fifth place, but in truth we probably overachieved in the early season and trod water a bit in mid-season, before dropping out of the top three.Fifth, we finished 5th not 4th. We snatched a play-off postion from the jaws of promotion. In the end we could easily have crashed out of the play-offs. Flattered to deceive really living off the fruits of the early part of the season. Coventry and Lincoln were just 2 points behind and we've a lot to thank Evans for whilst Exeter were a clear* 3 points ahead. *Though we had a much superior so maybe not quite "clear".
Really hope some lessons have been learnt and AH is already promising us an "incredible future" (so maybe lessons haven't yet been learnt)
The fact remains that Nolan has turned us from genuine relegation candidates into a play-off contender in the space of just over a year, so I don't think he should be too harshly judged simply because we couldn't maintain our phenomenal start. It has still been the best season for a long time and a better base from which to build.
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