Squad for 2010/2011

[Wimb]

The big thing I noticed from doing my list was just how many pro's we have at the club, with the parachute payments and most of our most prized easily sellable assets gone, do we not have to cut a few more loose, or is this size squad sustainable

[Sun Tzu]

The big thing I noticed from doing my list was just how many pro's we have at the club, with the parachute payments and most of our most prized easily sellable assets gone, do we not have to cut a few more loose, or is this size squad sustainable

The list is rather misleading.

it includes at least one player who is off our books already, one who is a very long term injury and may not return plus a number of very junior players with no first team experience.

I'd say we're a bit over staffed in midfield and a bit light in defence but the overall numbers seem about right.

[Wimb]

The big thing I noticed from doing my list was just how many pro's we have at the club, with the parachute payments and most of our most prized easily sellable assets gone, do we not have to cut a few more loose, or is this size squad sustainable

The list is rather misleading.

it includes at least one player who is off our books already, one who is a very long term injury and may not return plus a number of very junior players with no first team experience.

I'd say we're a bit over staffed in midfield and a bit light in defence but the overall numbers seem about right.

I included Rosie only as technically he is still a Royals player and with a new regime he MIGHT be open to talking to us.

Even if Armstrong is injured long term he's still on the books, we can't go out and take his wages and spend them elsewhere.

But otherwise I honestly don't know what squad size is sustainable for a club of our size, nor who is earning what, which does cloud the judgement somewhat

[fester_royal]

The big thing I noticed from doing my list was just how many pro's we have at the club, with the parachute payments and most of our most prized easily sellable assets gone, do we not have to cut a few more loose, or is this size squad sustainable

The list is rather misleading.

it includes at least one player who is off our books already, one who is a very long term injury and may not return plus a number of very junior players with no first team experience.

I'd say we're a bit over staffed in midfield and a bit light in defence but the overall numbers seem about right.

I included Rosie only as technically he is still a Royals player and with a new regime he MIGHT be open to talking to us.

Even if Armstrong is injured long term he's still on the books, we can't go out and take his wages and spend them elsewhere.

But otherwise I honestly don't know what squad size is sustainable for a club of our size, nor who is earning what, which does cloud the judgement somewhat

dont see 'rosie' ever comming back for several reasons: his wages were too high, hence sir john & the bankers insisted he go, secondly his ego (way to big for another year in the championship id of thought) and finally i seem to remember a paper article before the ipswich game where he had nothing nice to say about reading

[Hoop Blah]

As oringally said, all a bit pointless at the moment but that's never stopped me before so...

GK's

Federici KEEP unless we get a decent offer…I'd love to see him replaced with someone like Ashdown (a more steady and solid keeper)
Andersen KEEP/SELL
Hamer KEEP/SELL We probably only need one of these two, not really sure who's better at the moment but Anderson 'looks' more the part
McCarthy LOAN not see much of him but probably needs another year to hone his skills. U21 squad doesn't equal Championship quality

Defenders

Rosenior He's already gone
Armstrong RETIRE
Mills KEEP
Ingimarsson LET GO If we go down I'd keep him on for another year, but otherwise it's just sentiment keeping him here
Kelly LOAN
Pearce KEEP fine as backup but we'll need to bring in a fulltime partner for Mills
Cummings LOAN/SELL Must have something, but he's done a great job of hiding it whilst he's been here

We would need to bring in 2 centre backs, ideally they'd both be of the quicker variety, and a couple of fullbacks after Bertrand and Griffin have gone back to their respective clubs. Getting either back for another season would be great though

Midfielders

McAnuff KEEP
Cisse SELL
Gunnarsson LET GO
Tabb KEEP/SELL
Matejovsky SELL
Henry KEEP
Karacan KEEP
Kebe KEEP/SELL
Sigurdsson KEEP
Davies SELL/KEEP
Antonio LET GO
Howard KEEP
Bryant LOAN
Taylor LOAN
Bozanic LET GO

We've already got too many central midfielders, so getting Cisse, Matejovsky and Gunnarsson off the books would make sense. I'd like to see someone like Mullins come in leave us with Karacan, Howard, Tabb and Mullins as four senior midfielders. I'd still like to see a powerful runner like Marvin Elliot added to that as well (in the mold of Sidwell). I don't see much room in there for Davies but I'd still like to see more of him to see if he can't be that Sidwell/Elliot type player.

Out wide we're lacking. I'd get someone to take Kebe off our hands as I still think he's too inconsistent and I like my players to be able to control the football more often than not. Two wingers minimum then, leaving us with four creative midfielders/winger of Sigurdsson, McAnuff, AN Other and AN Other with Henry on his last chance as back up (he could conceivable be he 4th of those 4).

Forwards

Long KEEP/SELL
Hunt KEEP/SELL
Mooney SELL
Church KEEP
Robson-Kanu SELL/LET GO
Rasiak KEEP
Bignall LOAN
Vasilev LET GO
Bell-Baggie LOAN
Thorvaldsson DO NOT BUY

I think this area still needs a shake up. Long, Hunt and Church are all too similar and I could see us having to lose 1 or 2 of them to balance the books and make room for new additions. Long and Hunt would both have question marks against them with Rasiak only staying as 4th choice and that something a little different. We need a proper physical presence upfront (someone like Iwulemo) as well.

NEEDS:

2 centre backs, a couple of fullbacks,a couple of central midfielders, a winger or 2 and at least 1 centre forward.

Not a great deal to do then Brian!!!

[Wimb]

BUMP

[Hoop Blah]

I've not changed my mind on much of my list from before. Kebe has been fantastic since then so I'd happily keep him now, but by the same token I'd not be sad to see him go (he's just not for me).

Tabb has done more than enough in the last month or two to prove he's good enough. I still want something different in the middle though as any combination of Karacan, Tabb and Howard just don't quite do it for me yet.

Upfront I still think get rid of Long, he just isn't good enough. It sounds like Rasiak isn't part of McDermotts plans so I'd do my best to get him out asap and replace with someone physical who can lead the line and chip in with goals.

[Wycombe Royal]

and replace with someone physical who can lead the line and chip in with goals.

Pitman is the one for that. Just need to find a million to buy him......

[Hoop Blah]

and replace with someone physical who can lead the line and chip in with goals.

Pitman is the one for that. Just need to find a million to buy him......

He does sound a decent fit.

My only concern would be he's still pretty much a youngster and ideally I'd like someone who's got that proven track record and is battle hardened and savvy at this level.

Youngsters form goes up and down more, and it's quite a jump from League Two to the Championship. That would represent an expensive gamble as a replacement for Rasiak in the squad.

[Wimb]

and replace with someone physical who can lead the line and chip in with goals.

Pitman is the one for that. Just need to find a million to buy him......

He does sound a decent fit.

My only concern would be he's still pretty much a youngster and ideally I'd like someone who's got that proven track record and is battle hardened and savvy at this level.

Youngsters form goes up and down more, and it's quite a jump from League Two to the Championship. That would represent an expensive gamble as a replacement for Rasiak in the squad.

I'd have to disagree there Blah. Historically it's the players from lower down the league that have done the most for us. Doyle, Kitson, Lita were all from lower leagues when we signed them and they flourished here.

I can see what you mean about having a proven player here but in the financial climate I think it'd be better to gamble on a cheaper fee for someone who can do a job for 5 years rather then a higher fee for a Jason Roberts type who might only have a season or 2.

[Row Z Royal]

I'm not submitting any suggestions until the season is finished.

We're waiting...

[SpaceCruiser]

I'm not submitting any suggestions until the season is finished.

We're waiting...

I'm having a think, I'll get back to you. Although, I'm thinking that Cisse definitely has to go.

[Hoop Blah]

My only concern would be he's still pretty much a youngster and ideally I'd like someone who's got that proven track record and is battle hardened and savvy at this level.

I'd have to disagree there Blah. Historically it's the players from lower down the league that have done the most for us. Doyle, Kitson, Lita were all from lower leagues when we signed them and they flourished here.

I can see what you mean about having a proven player here but in the financial climate I think it'd be better to gamble on a cheaper fee for someone who can do a job for 5 years rather then a higher fee for a Jason Roberts type who might only have a season or 2.

I know what you mean, and so much of it depends on attitude and application, as well as a bit of luck too. Those you listed were great successes (although not 100% on Lita myself) and largely because they wanted to prove their worth.

I could list a few unproven gambles that didn't pay off, Mooney, Thorvaldsson, Cummings, Goldbourne, Morgan, Brown, Halls etc etc. There are plenty of senior pro's we've bought in who've been great too, Forster, Brown, Makin, Griffin, Ingimarrson was still relatively young but dropping down, Armstrong etc etc.

Maybe those youngsters are not as proven as Pitman is coming off two good season, and from that perspective Lita is the closest, but I'd hope their scoring record is their only similarity.

Point is, it's the character and how they slot in that makes them succeed, not their age. I think with the other forwards we have a savvy operator who's been there and done it is more what we're missing.

If we could get Roberts I'd be over the moon by the way, I think he'll get an offer to stay in the Premier League though.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Personally, assuming the following

Armstrong retires/no light at end of tunnel
Ingimarsson goes

Keepers

Don't really need to do anything, McCarthy out on loan in Division 3 again would be good for a season.

Defence

1 left back (I'd have a go for Bertrand but being realistic we'll need someone else)
1 right back (hopefully Andy Griffin)
2 central defenders (1 would be Khizanishvili if we can afford him)

Cummings and Kelly out on loan for a season if possible - make or break time for them.

Midfield

Lose two possibly three, if three go we need 1 to come in (I'd aim to lose Cisse and Matejovsky certainly)

Wingers

Keep four; McAnuff, Kebe, Antonio, Henry

Strikers

This area I feel we can mix and match, we could try to flog some or all to generate finance to allow flexibility, we need 4 though, a couple of bloody quick players, a nice big useful lump and perhaps a utility play anywhere forward who can get his fair share preferably all proven at the levels where they come from (2 must be proven at Championship or higher level)

Next years youngsters on the fringe...

Taylor
Obita
Bell-Baggie
McCarthy

Next is that this lot are out of contract

Liam Rosenior
Ivar Ingimarsson
Brynjar Gunnarsson
Kalifa Cisse
Oliver Bozanic


So I would expect all to be offered new deals except Rosenior, Cisse and probably Bozanic

More imprtantly this lot are out of contract in 2011 and some groundwork must be done to keep those that have a long term future
although I would imagine Rasiak, Matejovsky, Armstrong and Mooney will be gone by then anyway

Grzegorz Rasiak
Adam Federici
Marek Matejovsky
Jem Karacan
James Henry
Shane Long
Jay Tabb
Hal Robson-Kanu
Scott Davies
Noel Hunt
Nicholas Bignall
Dave Mooney
Mikkel Andersen
Alex McCarthy
Chris Armstrong

[Wycombe Royal]

I didn't think CIsse is out of contract.....

[Royal_Delight]

Goalkeepers:

Federici - Keep
Hamer - Loan
Andersen - Loan
McCarthy - Loan


Defenders:

Ingi - Keep for a least 1 year
Pearce - Keep
Rosenior - Sell/Release
Armstrong - Keep/Release if injury has not healed
Kelly - Loan
Cummings - Loan
Mills - Keep
Vili - Buy if there is extra cash available after sales
Griffin - Buy if there is extra cash available after sales
Bertrand - Buy (Top priority)


Midfielders:

Cisse - Sell
Gunnarsson - Keep for at least 1-2 more years
Davies - Keep/Keep (Hopes that he can prove himself during the pre-season)
Henry - Loan/Keep (Hopes that he can prove himself during the pre-season)
Matejovsky - Sell
Tabb - Keep
McAnuff - Keep
Kebe - Keep
HRK - Loan/Keep (Hard choice between him,Henry and Taylor)
Taylor - Loan/Keep
Karacan - Keep
Howard - Keep
Sig - Keep (Must keep!)
Antonio - Loan
Bozanic - Sell
Strikers:

Rasiak - Sell (If we can get Hooper or Pittman)
Church - Keep
Long - Keep (Sell if we can get good offers for him)
Hunt - Keep
Bignall - Keep/Loan
Bell Baggie - Keep/Loan (Both to do a Sigurdsson and score lots of goals next season?)
Valisev - Loan
Mooney - Sell

[Forbury Lion]

As for Thor, I'm just basing it on the fact that he's not getting played despite being here for 2 months now. Maccy D obviously doesn't see THAT much in him and we have plenty of options in that area. With money being tight it seems wise to keep that 300k to strengthen areas such as the defence.

Do you know how long Sigardsson was here before he started getting games? You could argue that Steve Coppell didn't see that much in him or you could argue that he was being developed into the player he is today.

[Forbury Lion]

GK's
Federici
Andersen
Hamer
McCarthy

Federici is an adequate number 1. The others I would presume are not on superstar wages as yet so can't see any benefit in letting them go as long as they show potential. Loan any two out at one time as long as there is a call back clause. If we can get a decent keeper of similar level as Federici on a free transfer we should consider this, but wages would probably be better spend elsewhere.

Defenders

Rosenior
Armstrong
Mills
Ingimarsson
Kelly
Pearce
Cummings

Rosenior is likely to be off, However the new manager didn't ship him out and might fancy his chances of bringing the best out of him. However WCBAP (wages could be a problem). Armstrong is unlikely to be going anywhere and unlikely to be fit for a full season so a replacement/cover is required. Also a right back and I think we could struggle though with what we've got if Gunnarsson/Cisse are around to cover central defence.

Midfielders

McAnuff
Cisse
Gunnarsson
Tabb
Matejovsky
Henry
Karacan
Kebe
Sigurdsson
Davies
Antonio
Howard
Bryant
Taylor
Bozanic

McAnuff, Gunnarsson, Tabb, Karacan, Kebe, Siguardsson, Howard have all impressed under Brian McDermott. For the sake of savings I expect Cisse to be off and Matejovski is a luxury we can't accomodate, afford or get the best out of so I imagine he will be off. The others I'm not so sure about. I think we could benefit from a strong winger to challenge/cover for McAnuff/Kebe. This should be James Henry but I've been saying that for 2 or 3 seasons now.

Forwards

Long
Hunt
Mooney
Church
Robson-Kanu
Rasiak
Bignall
Vasilev
Bell-Baggie
Thorvaldsson

I can't see Mooney getting a game even if he was the only forward fit and in blistering form. I don't want to speculate as to the reasons why but clearly it makes no sense to employ a player your not going to play.

The main strikeforce would be Hunt, Long, Church and Rasiak. If Thorvaldsson can come in and have a similar impact to Sigardsson then we will be in a strong position. The Sig is effectively our second striker, as long as we play 4-5-1 and have a fit Noel Hunt to challenge I think we have enough stikers in terms of numbers, However if one of them wants to go and we can upgrade then we should (thinking in particular of Rasiak's comments about wanting more first team football). If a cheap proven striker is available then we should go for them and then look to trim the squad.

NEEDS:
2x fullbacks
WOULD LIKE:
1x winger
1x striker

[Hoop Blah]

As for Thor, I'm just basing it on the fact that he's not getting played despite being here for 2 months now. Maccy D obviously doesn't see THAT much in him and we have plenty of options in that area. With money being tight it seems wise to keep that 300k to strengthen areas such as the defence.

Do you know how long Sigardsson was here before he started getting games? You could argue that Steve Coppell didn't see that much in him or you could argue that he was being developed into the player he is today.

I think you could argue that....if you were a bit mental Forbes!

Thorvaldsson is a seasoned pro (27/28 years old) and was bought in on a short term loan to supplement the first team forwards.

Sigurdsson has been here for years, but only because he came over as a kid of 13 or 14. I'm not surprised he wasn't in starting 11 straight away!

[Wax Jacket]

there's got to be someone out there interested enough in signing Shane Long, surely