No rothwell so who plays?

[champs95]

The reason I suggested Graham up front is that we know he can do the target-man job. With Gallagher, it's still guesswork.
I take Champs' point that we need to find out, but we are still in with a chance of a play-off place, so I don't think we'll see too much in the way of experiment.
The official site seem to be suggesting/guessing that this will be the team:
Walton
Nyambe Tosin Lenihan Bell
Travis Downing Bennett
Gallagher Armstrong Holtby.

This exact same team need to make a push for the play-offs. Next season. Have a real good go at it. The likes of Bennett & Graham will not be part of that. So I just question the point. They don't improve us, they aren't the answer. They need to be moved on.
We need to find out now, who can come in next season. Forget Johnson, Benno and Graham. We need to be seeing what Davenport, Rankin Costello can do. And stick with Gallagher. People forget, it took Armstrong 12 months to get before we started the best of him. You have to stick with Gallagher. And the play offs this season should not be the aim. Or even a conversation. It would be a disaster going up. We need to aim to win as many games we can, with this young side. With the right balance of youth and experience, who still contributes.

[AucklandRover]

Champs - I agree with you about the play-offs, but we're in a minority.
Mowbray would simply be roasted if he came straight out and said, "I'm not interested in the play-offs this season. I want to focus on developing our youngsters in preparation for a more realistic challenge in 2020-21."

[robinrover]

Mowbray and waggott both stipulated when we gained promotion,this was a 3 season plan for promotion.
Its unfortunate that a chunk of this fanbase has forgotten this and decides to spit bile every time we lose.
This was the season to push on but next season is the key one.

[AucklandRover]

Totally agree, Robin.
The summer will be a crunch-time. I suspect we'll see a lot of departures.
I don't think that will just be amongst the senior players either. We have a lot of our U-23 players coming up to the now-or-never point.
Let's just take the situation at centre-back, for example: the Development squad includes Wharton, Magloire, Platt, Grayson, Carter, Doyle, Annesley and Barnes in that position. The last two still have time on their side, but it must be coming to the moment of decision where the others are concerned. They aren't all going to make it, and they surely won't all be kept on the books.
Where senior players are concerned, Leutwiler, Mulgrew, Hart, Bennett, Smallwood, Samuel and Graham must all be vulnerable - to one degree or another.
Then there is an in-between group containing Johnson, Davenport, Holtby, Downing, Chapman and Brereton.
I have no idea which of those is seen as having a future, although I'd guess Downing will be given an extra year if he is fit. Perhaps Holtby too. (I would be disappointed if Davenport left without a chance to prove himself, actually).
Obviously, we will lose Tosin and Walton as well.
Even if only 50% of those mentioned depart, we will have a lot of holes, and not a whole lot of extra cash from the departures!
It would take the sale of people like Lenihan, Travis and Dack to bring in substantial funds, and I hope that can be avoided.
So it seems to me we have little choice but to gamble on the elite from the Academy graduate group.
Who would that include?
Guesswork again, but probably: Fisher, Wharton(?), Buckley, Rankin-Costello, Butterworth in the first rank, with Grayson, Mols and Vale in the queue.
Seniors to stay for certain (?) from the First Team squad:
Nyambe, Lenihan, Bell, Williams, Travis, Evans, Dack, Armstrong and Gallagher.
That's a hard core of only nine, but a very good base.
With the addition of two or three good-quality experienced players in the summer, is that the makings of a squad which can challenge for a top-six place from the start, next season?

[robinrover]

Possibly the making of a top 6 squad.
Let's break down the definite needs:
First team goal keeper
Back up right back/challenge first
Tosin back but if not a top drawer centre half
A specialist right midfielder.
Now on to the possible needs
Back up goalkeeper,all depends on how well fisher gets on at mk Don's.
Back up left back,again it's all on hart.
That's about it the squad is pretty good apart from that.
Outgoings as stated by aucks will be aplenty.
Leutwiller
Probably Bennett
Mulgrew
Maybe hart
Smallwood
Graham
Possibly samuel
That's all before the cull of not needed youngsters.
Smart recruitment is the buzz words
Cheap unheard of talent who can be moulded over time.

[AucklandRover]

I'd like to put only a "maybe" against Hart's name too, but he does seem to have dropped down the pecking-order.
This is where "luck" plays a big part in football.
Without injury, Hart would probably have been in the First Team squad at the start of the season, while Samuel, Davenport and Butterworth have also had their prospects knocked back by sustaining injuries at critical moments.
Then there was what happened to Gladwin. It's a precarious business.

[champs95]

I'd like to put only a "maybe" against Hart's name too, but he does seem to have dropped down the pecking-order.
This is where "luck" plays a big part in football.
Without injury, Hart would probably have been in the First Team squad at the start of the season, while Samuel, Davenport and Butterworth have also had their prospects knocked back by sustaining injuries at critical moments.
Then there was what happened to Gladwin. It's a precarious business.

It's because Bell has developed into the best left back in the club. By far. Like Nyambe has developed into the best RB. Like Travis has developed into the best CM. Like Lenihan has developed into the best CH. Like Raya developed into the best keeper.
We didnt need Cunnigham. He was no better than what we had. And it knocked Hart down the pecking order.
You don't find this out if your playing older players who are past their best. Of all the experienced players we have, there is only one who merits a starting place. Downing. Who has improved over the season and commands a place. The others can leave. They shouldn't be here anyway. It's time we put faith more in what we have.
I'm a little disappointed we where trying to get Atsu yesterday. It's bad business. Surely it's time to have more faith in the young lads who care about this club. People like Johnskn don't. And they play like it. Bennett cares. Hes just woeful.

[champs95]

Rankin Costello it is. Really like this side. So much potential.

[AucklandRover]

It's because Bell has developed into the best left back in the club. By far. Like Nyambe has developed into the best RB. Like Travis has developed into the best CM. Like Lenihan has developed into the best CH. Like Raya developed into the best keeper.
We didnt need Cunnigham. He was no better than what we had. And it knocked Hart down the pecking order.
You don't find this out if your playing older players who are past their best. Of all the experienced players we have, there is only one who merits a starting place. Downing. Who has improved over the season and commands a place. The others can leave. They shouldn't be here anyway. It's time we put faith more in what we have.
I'm a little disappointed we where trying to get Atsu yesterday. It's bad business. Surely it's time to have more faith in the young lads who care about this club. People like Johnskn don't. And they play like it. Bennett cares. Hes just woeful.

Champs - you just cannot say that about Cunningham, simply because of your bias against older players!
In the games he played, his great quality was consistency. He brought the positional sense to the full-back position that Bell rarely displayed.
Of course, Bell is number one choice now, but you can't re-write history just to prove a theory.

[robinrover]

Bell was effectively gone until Cunningham was injured,even then downing a left winger kept him out.
Bell has taken his chance and ran with it.
It's good for us,as that was a very weak area for us,so just a player to push him now.