How on earth can you make the judgement that Brereton, Armstrong, Rothwell, Rodwell and Davenport are "dross"?
Davenport has not played; Brereton was bought as a medium-term investment; Rodwell has looked classy at times, despite not having a sustained run; Rothwell and Armstrong are not ideal for a team that is struggling, but would certainly be useful attacking players in a team on the front foot.
The same is true, probably, of Chapman.
Of the existing players, Raya, Lenihan, Travis, Graham and Dack are certainly of Championship class. The verdict is still out on Nyambe and Bell, but time is on their side. Reed will probably not be with us
Let's assume we remove all the other old-stagers: Mulgrew, Williams, Evans, Smallwood, Bennett, Gladwin and Conway. Let's also assume that - conservatively - three players will come through next season from Wharton, Magloire, Grayson, Platt, Hart, Thompson, Buckley, Rankin-Costello, Butterworth and Nuttall (leaving some other good ones out).
So a potential first-team squad of about 20 from the following 25:
Raya, Fisher
Nyambe, Lenihan, Rodwell(?), Wharton, Magloire, Grayson, Platt, Bell, Hart, Thompson
Chapman, Rankin-Costello, Travis, Davenport, Buckley, Rothwell
Graham, Dack, Armstrong, Brereton, Nuttall, Samuel, Butterworth.
Now I don't actually expect ALL of the seven I mentioned to leave, but whether they do or not, we will definitely need about four experienced players to come in, the priorities being a second target-man centre-forward, a Hendry-style centre-back and a midfield play-maker.
Of course that would not be a strong squad, compared to the big spenders and teams on the way down, like Fulham, but that is the reality of the type of club we are.
I'm not sure who you are comparing us with, Champs. Mid-table Championship is probably a realistic spot!
The other thing is, you are talking as if we are doomed next season, if we survive this one, but you must know football isn't like that.
Our January results didn't mean we were bound for glory, any more than our recent run means we are National League-bound. Every season brings surprises. No-one had Bristol City marked for success this season, and the BBC's pundits-poll in August had Stoke as the likely Champions, come May!
This is football. It is fundamentally unpredictable, outside the PL top-six. Looking back at our season, I would say there were two potentially pivotal moments: Lenihan's injury, and allowing that ridiculous injury-time equaliser in against Birmingham. That really seemed to do for our confidence.
I am still a supporter of giving Mowbray another chance, because I think he deserves it, despite his recent spell of indecision and running on the spot. The other thing is, I simply have no faith in this creed that change always works.
Incidentally, it is beginning to look as if Dack was genuinely injured, but might be fit for Tuesday.
A final point: I have no idea what you mean about a rotten apple in the dressing-room. Where is the slightest shred of evidence for that? It's conspiracy theory run mad.
Reply With Quote
