The Squad 2024-25

[ADD]

I agree re young Norris. While acknowledging he may struggle at times due to physicality, he has I.proved in that position. Defo thing Left Mid would suit him, and he did look good in Centre Mid against Leicester U21s. Loked composed on the ball and read the game well with some timely interceptions.

It was one of the baffling things of this season. We took him on loan and said he was a LB in the original press release and somehow seemed to convince ourselves he was a LB but but for the whole of the previous season at Liverpool he never once played LB... much better in midfield for sure.

 

[drwhoman]

I agree re young Norris. While acknowledging he may struggle at times due to physicality, he has I.proved in that position. Defo thing Left Mid would suit him, and he did look good in Centre Mid against Leicester U21s. Loked composed on the ball and read the game well with some timely interceptions.

I think that many young players particularly those from a large club academy will struggle to start with at L2 level. The training regime is different and playing in an academy environment is different to competing in L2 against older men for whom uncertain short term contracts are the norm and who are unlikely to do them any favours. They will be seen as a possible weak link by many opponents. They have to ‘man up’ very quickly to survive and prosper.

 

[Boz]

I think James Norris and others are an indictment of how the arrangements which allow bigger clubs such as Liverpool to vacuum young players up, do not help them when it comes to a career in football. Although they may get a good education out of it. I wonder whether the likes of eg Irons or Brannan would have made it if a similar system had been in place thirty years ago.

On James Norris, I wouldn’t mind him joining Rovers but not as first option left-back. If he beefs up a bit he may become more adept at defending, but in the short term would rather he was deployed in midfield.

 

[Ian]

Yeah, certainly not convincing as a LB but decent going forward.

 

[O4anotherplayoff]

25 man squad next season, 3 keepers and 22 outfield. Good interview by the gaffer on BBC Merseyside:

 

[dollar'sbloke]

So we keep Robson. And have already Davies, Turnbull it appears, Morris, Walker, Hendry, Saunders, Dennis, Taylor, Hawkes.
I'd guess LOC will turn us down and Dennis will move on.
So out of 22 outfield we may have eight already. Those out of contract are not looking good as others have been extended. He almost said we might recruit 6 to 12, which means curtains to most out of a deal potentially.
He's right he could start pre-season now when Ronnie arrived I believe we had four players and three weren't considered first team! Micky and Mark seems to think the first eight matches could be winged as we waited for a deadline signing like Maynard.
Optimistic but will become more so if we can get things moving before July.

 

[bigmart]

I wudnt be surprised if 2 or 3 of the players u der contact left in the summer, I think Wood will stay.

 

[Am on mobile]

Gotta like Nigel love his passion for the club. He is quite infectious

 

[bigmart]

In his post match interview Nigel said we are looking to bring in 9/10 players, hopefully they will be of better standard than those leaving

 

[Boz]

Unless that means a few of the contracted players moving on, then that raises concerns with quality rather than quantity. Aside from Dennis I’d rather keep those already signed up.

 

[Sparky]

Possible that none of the following will be here next season:

Apter, James Norris, O’Connor, Luke Norris, Lewis, McAlear, Merrie, Hockenhull, Belohuan, Hawkes, Dennis, Leake, Wood, Jolley, Rhys Hughes, Yarney, Pike and Starbuck. 18 players.

Now I’m sure some of the above will be here, but the likes of LOC and Luke Norris may have interest from other clubs albeit Luke has been injured. Hawkes I think will go and the extension was purely to get us a fee. Dennis we’ll need to pay off and I’d try and keep Wood but there is a lot of potential wages to be saved there even with some of the youngsters who won’t be earning much.

 

[Sparky]

Just on Luke Norris. I’m not sure how many games he’s played this season due to his injuries but he ends the season with 6 goals and 4 assists which is a decent return considering his long absences

 

[bigmart]

Just on Luke Norris. I’m not sure how many games he’s played this season due to his injuries but he ends the season with 6 goals and 4 assists which is a decent return considering his long absences

19 league games with 4 goals, 2 Cup games with 2 goals so in total 21 games played with 6 goals.
Not a bad return and for this league he is the type of player we need if we play to his strengths, I expect he will have other offers

 

[Am on mobile]

A good clear out is badly needed we need fighters with some quality and some hight in the team with some pace and forwards who can score goals. What a poo show today a very disappointing game to a very disappointing season simply not up to standards that are required to play for our Amazing club

 

[Ian]

Just on Luke Norris. I’m not sure how many games he’s played this season due to his injuries but he ends the season with 6 goals and 4 assists which is a decent return considering his long absences

He's a good player at this level and if we are looking to improve and push on next season we need to be retaining him.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

19 league games with 4 goals, 2 Cup games with 2 goals so in total 21 games played with 6 goals.
Not a bad return and for this league he is the type of player we need if we play to his strengths, I expect he will have other offers

Looking at goals per minutes played, which allows for substitutions and late cameos, Robbie Apter is still our most prolific striker but Luke Norris is second and Sam Taylor completes the podium. With respect to Connor, they are our best three strikers. Robbie may be beyond our budget but I’d like to see the other two up front for us next season.

 

[Higgy 2]

It would be good if Leake could be secured for next year. With good fitness and a run of games I think he could overtake Wood for the LB role. Clever and cuteplayer going forward. Can struggle defensively if isolated...albeit not much worse than Wood in that respect, but with the same level of support Apter provides LOC I think he'd be fine.

 

[Ian]

Robbie Apter is still our most prolific striker but Luke Norris is second

Norris has been out for most of the season too! Tells you all you need to know. With no Apter next season, we need good quality coming in.

 

[dollar'sbloke]

You need to look at matches subjectively not through raw statistics, then consider practicalities. You don't build a team from scratch, some players won't fit so the more you sign the more failures you will have. Ronnie rescued the post Little disaster by signings players who all worked for at least six months- a minor miracle.
If we release Wood and Pike we will have no fullbacks, given LOC is going. Leake seems an odd theory as he has been unaccountably injured all year and most thought him a liability when he played. I'd mitigate the defence was at sea so maybe he suffered like McGee did.
Equally Norris brings elements of his game completely absent in the squad, most see us needing two players of such abilities. Signing two marque CF's would be a hellish task, something we have failed repeatedly.
Yesterday proved how putting people in the wrong places defuses their effectiveness and then starved Apter into a neutral effect.
If you have money you can recruit top names, we haven't and would have to settle for long shots. I'm hopeful most recruits will be back up and the odd first teamer will lift this decent side into contention. We must build and that clearly is the intention.
I'm sure Dennis will attract a two year deal allowing us to mutually dissolve our deal, however LOC's agent is claiming far bigger offers and Hendry's is touting a minor sale and if the player supports such a move we know how that works.
Quite impressed with the other Norris yesterday, Nigel needs to explain how he was defending the six yard box for the equaliser as he will never deal will those crosses. His interventions were impressive but his attacking play were undermined by having Hendry not Morris in front of him. If we sell Hawkes as suggested it will be another Doohan, just can't see it, although flattering to deceive is better than the Drop so who knows.
From his interview it appears we may start slightly light on numbers awaiting deadline bargains, thought chills me but there you are.

 

[Boz]

On left-backs, I'm puzzled that we've been making a contribution to Jake Leake's wages despite him being unfit for the second half of the season. While I don't think have seen enough to rule him out of developing into a capable L2 player, on what has been seen so far, there are significant doubts.

James Norris did himself no favours yesterday, his attacking play and decisions in that capacity were poor. Defensively he's not ready to play left-back regularly yet. Deserves credit for keeping battling and not letting his head drop.

Connor Wood is much better in an attacking sense at present. Wondering if the fact that he wasn't brought on when James was struggling yesterday is an indication that he won't be signing on again.