Next season

[MadAmster]

The following players are still under contract for next season OR the club has an option it can trigger (*). ** denotes players who have been U21s this season and may be looked at for a similar role next season.

Cashin, Bielik, Oduroh **, Knight *, Hourihane, Collins, Rooney, NML, Barks, Thommo, Wildsmith, Smith, Bird and Sibley.

The rest are all out of contract.
Loach and McGee seem fair enough for 3rd choice cum coach and 2nd choice respectively. McGee's FGR contract expires so he'd be on a free.
Fozzy has, IMO, earned at least another year.
Chester will be let go.
Roberts. His BHA contract expires this summer and the club has had a chat to see if he's like to stay. We could get him for compo unless he agrees a new deal with them but I think compo counts as a transfer fee so, unless the EFL relaxes the restrictions a little he'll probably be gone.
Stears and Davies won't get a new contract unless it's in a coaching role.
Springett and White will be off back to their parent clubs, as will Dobbin.

Then there's Didzy. Out of contract. I'd have him back in a heartbeat but there's every chance SBC clubs will be after him and can offer him way more than we can. PW is, apparently, already talking to him about an extension but we'll have to wait and see.

Probably need about 10 incoming to have a squad numerically strong enough to go on a L1 promotion push, if we're still in L1. Similar for midtable in the SBC.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Looking at the game last night there's a possibly we could have Dobbin playing against us in the league next season

[Geoff Parkstone]

Looking at the game last night there's a possibly we could have Dobbin playing against us in the league next season

[swaledale]

So good you posted it twice!

We will have to hope the EFL relaxes the business plan restrictions a little then.

[macstheman]

The Title of this thread says it all for me! 'Next Season', we can pontificate about and look forward to 'Next Season' whether it be L1 or the Championship. After last summer that'll do for me. 😀

[swaledale]

Agreed, 2 games to go and we still have a chance of promotion, after the last two seasons thats a big plus!!

[MadAmster]

New info garnered over the weekend. It seems the business plan (aka budget) was based on 17000 gates and we're at least 10K above that. We've kept within the spending restrictions. The reasons for the business plan are to ensure we don't go mad and overspend again in the first 2 seasons following admin.

Financially we are in a very healthy position. Apparently, the EFL like David Clowes. The planned review will go ahead. If any club was ever going to get an easing of restrictions halfway through the 2 years, it's us. I don't expect a complete lifting but 3 things that do seem a possibility are being allowed to spend any incoming transfer fees to be allowed to be spent on incoming players and maybe a small rise in the wage cap and/or a small rise in the £8M spending limit we currently have. IMO, that's about the best we can hope for.

If we go up, I'd expect the above as a minimum in order to give us a fighting chance of survival. Some of the fairness the EFL claim to be about.

[ramAnag]

Not sure what we can say until we’re sure which ‘division’ we’ll be in next season. If it’s the Championship then there’s at least three on that list of contracted players who I can’t see being up to it. If it’s L1 then there’s maybe a role for all. Top of my list to keep...Wildsmith, Cashin, Smith and NML.

Imagine Stearman has played his last match for us barring a serious CB crisis between now and the end of the season and suspect Davies’ career is coming to an end although he’s the sort of genuine character I’d welcome having a coaching career with us. Chester must surely be on his way...seems a decent guy but he’s proved a very poor signing.

Bielik? Just our luck that now he’s at Brum he manages 30+ games in a season for the first time ever. Excellent player on his day...a first name on the team sheet at his best, but maybe we still need to cash in to enable Warne to strengthen. Be sorry to see him go for good but tbh we can’t be sure whether we’d be getting back a star or an injury liability.

Agree about Fozzy...a combination of his efforts and proven versatility this season means he deserves a last hurrah.

[MadAmster]

Agree about Fozzy...a combination of his efforts and proven versatility this season means he deserves a last hurrah.

New contract and a testimonial, IMO.

[ramAnag]

New contract and a testimonial, IMO.

This is his testimonial year, MA, as far as I understand it. Seems like it’s all down to him though which maybe doesn’t sound quite as it should be, imo.