The Squad for 2017/18

[Sparky]

Agree with Boz that Alabi would be a poor replacement for Cook if the latter does move on anywhere. Hopefully those rumours will come to nothing.

What isn't a rumour is that Adam Dawson was training with Salford FC today. Another one out the door potentially.

 

[drwhoman]

Dawson going would be the last of the peripheral players? Might mean that we can pay a bit more for the players necessary to strengthen the squad.

 

[Ian]

What happened to Dawson? Such a waste really, could have been a good player in these leagues.

 

[Sparky]

As you say Ian a real waste. No doubt there is talent there and I've always been a massive fan. He was positive, had pace, and great delivery on set pieces. You only have to look at the play off final to see Mangan out of position on the right wing to see how little Micky must think of Adam.

His career history provides a clue. He has not really settled anywhere albeit many spells were on loan. He started the season at Eastleigh brightly under Ronnie but fell out of favour. Ronnie then left and Adam came back to us to come back up north (think his partner was expecting).

But he's hardly had a look in and MM has suggested in interviews that his stats or whatever he does in training clearly isn't enough. A bizarre situation, especially when last season we lost Tollit, Dunn & Kirby to injury and Adam still couldn't get a game. You do wonder whether he is the certain type of player (and I've heard this about Cook), who needs a constant arm round the shoulder and MM isn't that type of manager.

Sadly I hope Adam moves on and along with the likes of Almond, Stephenson, Mekki, a lot of what MM will have considered to be deadwood will have gone. Hopefully we'll have some quality coming in. Davies the defender from Pompey is still supposed to be coming. After that you do wonder if MM will stick with what he has for now.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Good analysis, Sparky. Dawson is the one failure so far of Micky's signings and you wonder why Adam can't get it together. He looked uninterested at Maidstone and did very little, although he had an assist in the goal. I hope he finds a club where he can blossom but with his record, who would give him another chance?

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Dawson's lack of interest in the games I saw last season was disgusting quite frankly. He has basically stolen a wage from the club for nine months. No wonder Mellon wants rid.

 

[Ian]

There has to be some mental issue there to show no interest in playing. Sadly it looks like he'll end up on the scrap heap with that attitude.

 

[Boz]

I wasn't keen on Dawson returning, although not expecting quite such a lacklustre showing second time around. What makes it more frustrating is the glimpses of talent, like the run pulling defenders with him v York and the ball to Ilesamni at Maidstone, both of which led to goals.

It's been reported that while Jay Harris is likely to be fit enough to take part in pre-season friendlies, Ben Tollit is not. Unsure of the position re Jake Kirby's return, but with Mekki, Stephenson and Almond, all players capable of playing wide moving on, that may be an area Micky needs to give some thought to. While Norwood looks reasonable playing in a wide position, Connor Jennings seems less comfortable in that role.

 

[Sparky]

I share some of the concerns Boz has about the squad.

We can't rely on Wallace. Tollit will need a fair bit of time to get match fit and ready for the inevitable reckless tackles that will come his way. Harris will hopefully be the same player but is Kirby ready? Plus he's fairly useless anyway and another who had a serious injury. Dunn is still unproven as is Duggan. That leaves Norburn who we don't know much about and Hughes. Connor J and Nors are not wide men and will 1. Be wasted out wide and 2. Will be unhappy.

Micky still has time to bring people in but the likes of daggers and Wrexham have made more decent signings in the last 24 hours. Bringing in Tom Davies may complete the defence altho we're being linked with released Liverpool right back Kane Lewis who may suit a wing back role better than big Buxton.

We're OK for strikers so perhaps another midfielder needs to come in when you think who has left.

 

[drwhoman]

Let us hope for some news soon. Lewis looked ok on Liverpool TV but a lot of competition and hence his release. Ash Taylor has signed for Northampton.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

. Ash Taylor has signed for Northampton.

Does this mean we get some compensation now we has signed for an English club? That happened before when Alan Mahon returned from Portugal, but I bet the rules have changed since then. I can't imagine the Cobblers paying a fee.

 

[Sparky]

I very much doubt it BBTC.

Ash is an interesting one. His time in Scotland was very successful, especially last year where he played in Europe and Aberdeen finished second and reached a cup final, but he wanted to move back closer to home. Still only 26 so I thought a bigger club that Northampton would have wanted him, possibly at Championship level (Bolton were linked). I guess the offer of a 3 year deal from the Cobblers may have swung it.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I am still not concerned by the squad size, provided we bring one defender in. If tollitt is not fit for the start of the season, we have the option of playing a diamond or 4312. You can't stockpile players simply because you will be without someone for a couple of weeks.

 

[Boz]

But if Tollit isn't available for months, what then? All sorts of optimistic noises about how well Ben was recovering initially, now things have become quite subdued about his immediate prospects. Too early to say if he'll make a fully recovery, but on how last season panned out with Injuries, my preference would be to operate assuming a worst case scenario.

Would have thought the new defender would have surfaced by now too.

 

[Sparky]

We are favourites to sign Alabi from
Chester whose future should be sorted in the next day or two.

Just hope that if we do sign him it doesn't mean cook is moving on

 

[Sparky]

It's not just Tollit, you also have Kirby, Wallace and Harris who had bad injuries. I know jay is back in training but not sure about the other 2.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Agree with sparky about alibi. Regarding tollitt, if he is out for an extended period (has anyone actually suggested he will be ?) we will cope as we did for half of last season. With the signing of dunn, we actually have more creative options than we did last year.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

In midfield we have five players covering two or three positions, six if you include Jennings. I think that is enough.

 

[Boz]

I agree with Sparky and RLC regarding Alabi. Cook, Norwood, Mangan, Waring and Jennings can all play up front, as can Tollit and Kirby when fit. Enough forwards already, Alabi would be a downgrade on Cook and if that's the route we are going down, I would be very disappointed. Should it happen, trading in a regular scorer at this level for a one season wonder feels like bad business to me.

I have no inside information on Tollit, just the dampening down of expectations about when he'll be fit again is a concern.

 

[Sparky]

I don't believe all the rumours but seems highly likely now Alabi will be joining us. Some Chester fans I know aren't too upset and despite a decent season (17 goals albeit 4 in one game and a few penalties), I can only assume that despite Micky and Mangan going back a few years, Andy will move on to get first team football and Alabi and Waring will replace Mangan And Cole so we'll have the same striker numbers as last season.

Don't want to be over dramatic but if Cook ever left we'd be in trouble.