A Skeleton Squad.

[lesgeo]

Please ignore my avatar photo – but I am not really up to playing.

We have done the same as we have so often in the past – left everything to the last minute. This sends a message out to other teams, available players and makes us vulnerable. Our squad have been given insufficient time to blend together.
We have missed out on the players we could/should have been interested in (as has been our custom for a number of years.)
There will undoubtedly be a rush to bring in the best of the vestiges who have failed to register on anyone else’s radar.
I am just waiting for the League One youngsters piling in to pad out the squad.
May the 31st?- Pah!

[razoriron]

After the mass exodus of players released in May you looked at the squad left and would have said you needed 7 or 8 rock solid Div 1 or 2 types to even be competative and try and get us to midtable status.We are a million miles away from that with just 3 signed. I doubt very much we would even be competitive in the conference right now. The squad is horrifically ill equipped.The only saving grace seems to be reasonably assembled defence.

[Iron-awe]

Aye your right les we really are down to the bare bones with this skeleton squad, hope nobody let’s a dog loose on the training ground, could be a proper crunch fest. 💀🐕

[BigLeftToe]

It really is a bit of a shit show. A few injuries to what’s left of senior players and we’ll be down to fielding the youth team already (and look what happened with having a plethora of injuries at the start of last season!).

Looking at the current free agents still available, there really isn’t much to choose from. Putting a competitive squad together is already very unlikely, the bargain basket is all that’s left!

[cassidystash]

Less than 4 weeks until the first league game. Some players now without income for 5 weeks. Desperate times for us and them, wage expectations coming down and our need for players remains. The players we still need MUST be signed this week to give them and the team half a chance of being ready.

[Ferrite]

Squad ready by the end of May – another great example of over-promising.

So what do we have?

GK – Watson
RB – Millen
RB – Rowe
LB – O’Malley
CB – Onarise
CB – Taft
CB – Davis
RW – Green
LW – Hippolyte
CM – Hallam
CM – Beestin
CM – Kenyon
CF – Loft
CF – Jarvis
CF – Dunnwald-Turan

Plus a smattering of players so young they look like they’ve not yet started shaving.

I make that a squad of 15 established pros. 11 players, plus 4 subs.

[cokeovenkid]

You could almost get to think someone’s running the club as a hobby !!

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mistertonmick, bartonscorpion, Sanfran49, inspector, Northumbiron, Peter Promise, SODIron

[lesgeo]

The forward line is a disaster. As previously mentioned – we MUST have a Paul Hayes-style player.
Another backup forward.
One GK.(Come back Mark – all is forgiven?)
We are banking on Hallam staying fit in CM.
Phew! And all that is assuming both triallists fit the bill.

[alcazar]

We have got exactly what I expected from these owners.

And when are we going to start calling the May 31st statement what it was?
Either misdirection, or a lie?

Personally, there have been so many broken promises now, I’d check if this guy told me today was Tuesday.😠

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bartonscorpion, inspector

[Kenny Spennymoor]

Under the embargo rules we are allowed to ‘squad up’ to a maximum of 23 players of ‘a professional standard’, which means they have played at least one first team game. How many of the kids actually made it onto the pitch last season, Jessop, Pugh, any others=?? .Plenty or room in the squad, if there is any desire from those in charge to fill the gaps. If Bunn and Thompson sign are we looking at last-minute loans to bring the numbers up??

[lesgeo]

That’s my guess.
I really want to be wrong.
No chance whatsoever of a Yates or a Toney!

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meth

[BigLeftToe]

Scary times ahead looking at the current squad list above. Think you need to add Jessop, Pugh and Collins (did he play in the tin pot trophy??) to that list. That’s 18 “pros”, leaving room for 5 signings. If the trialists Bunn and the LB sign that’s only 3 spots left!

In my opinion we’d then still require a decent GK, CM, winger and two strikers to be in with any chance of being competitive.

[Ferrite]

BigLeftToe wrote:

(did he play in the tin pot trophy??)

Interestingly, those games don’t count which, given the way the EFL likes to bang on about the cup giving youth players a better chance, is quite an admission of failure on their part!

[Ironawe]

Skeleton’s usually come with backbones/Spine. Our team has neither

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bartonscorpion, alcazar, Northumbiron

[Lord Kitchener]

It’s going to come down to relying on two clubs being worse than us. That is highly unlikely as others in L2 seem more ambitious.

C U Next Tuesday Peter…

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alcazar

[meth]

Got to feel for Cox.

Inherited a very poor squad last season. Got a skeleton squad this season.. O wonder how much longer he’ll stick around for.

[Awaywego]

For as long as swanny keeps paying him, not likely to be head hunted.

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bartonscorpion

[cassidystash]

I’m looking for something to be optimistic about, UTI 99 has failed to provide as requested. All I’ve come up with is that the signings appear to be players that Cox wants and we’ve shifted Spence who he clearly didn’t want. Unbelievable that we had a player worth a transfer fee.

[vader]

I think we may have difficulty fielding eleven players let alone a full bench of subs.
Let’s just hope Ernie has something up his sleeve, but he’s leaving it late.

It wouldn’t suprise me to see Cox walk.

[WonderGoals]

Smudger to be fair to him said he was the main instigator last season in all the crap that went on and he is usually spot on.

One faux par with Slocombe being already signed but we offered him a contract so he wasn’t far off.

Definitely need a replacement now though..along with a few wingers, LB, GK and a striker or two.

Doesn’t the season start in 2 weeks time ?

[Sanfran49]

Last season we had one player unregistered ! All season, and that lad deserved far better treatment than that.

Just another reason I no longer have a season ticket.

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bartonscorpion

[Sharp_Shooter24]

3 weeks until we kick off the new season and the same mistakes from the previous pre-seasons are happening again

If a miracle happens and we go out and add the 5 or 6 players we need, will we then hear how the poor league position/ rubbish start to the season is down to the lads not having a full pre-season together etc… and Covid (obviously)

And if we don’t add the players we need… well we are in big trouble and that will no doubt be because of Covid and a lack of support through season ticket sales 😡

Just absolute madness at SUFC these past few years

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bartonscorpion, alcazar, cassidystash

[vader]

It seems Mr Whartons bag of wurthers did have an appeal to some players.

[DarrynStampGoalMachine]

Dead wood is the big concern for me. A squad of 23 and a few kids is great it’s a good number and we don’t need to be carrying 30 plus like we were last year.

But Turan, Jarvis and Hippolyte take that to 20. I don’t want to call Hallam dead wood as he can definitely contribute if fit but if he manages 5-10 games again this season that’s essentially what he is which puts us on 19 plus kids which is more concerning.

Every single one of the 23 have to be in a position to contribute strongly.

[Ferrite]

DarrynStampGoalMachine wrote:

A squad of 23 and a few kids is great it’s a good number and we don’t need to be carrying 30 plus like we were last year.

23 is quite a long way away at the moment, given we have about 15 at present!

[Northumbiron]

Well we’re starting to put some flesh on the bare bones.

In fact I’m starting to lose track of who’s signed.

Anyone in the know want to post up breakdown of what the squad looks like as things stand?

[Kenny Spennymoor]

This looks up to date to ne.

[MK Iron]

Not in the know NI but the OWS states we have 25 in the first team squad.

Watson
Collins

O’Malley
Baker
Millen
Thompson

Taft
Rowe
Onariase
Davis

Hippolyte
Hallam
Beeston
Kenyon
Pugh
Shrimpton
Wilson
Gallimore

Loft
Turan
Jessop
Bunn
O’Neil
Jarvis
Green

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Northumbiron

[mistertonmick]

I think he said he wants three more.

[cassidystash]

We also need to get 6 or so out on loan. With no U23s some of the youngsters will struggle to get game time and at least one of the more senior players is unlikely to get anywhere near match day.

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