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Post by gazz on May 18, 2018 11:50:46 GMT
"Ambiguous" is putting it mildly, Maccy.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2018 13:16:50 GMT
Without having a chance to read it properly... it looks like a very disappointing, non-committal statement. Are we in for another season of pathetic mediocrity already? I hope not.
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Post by countyfan on May 18, 2018 13:51:26 GMT
I am very much looking forward to 2021 then when we'll probably get our next update on their thoughts of going full time!!
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Post by gazz on May 18, 2018 14:22:37 GMT
They can forget me ever going again if they keep giving us crappy updates like that.
Would you pay to get into a swimming pool to simply stay in one spot in the pool treading water? Would you b*ll*cks, so why do these owners think it's ok to take our hard-earned money each year to give us season after season of what, so far, has been tantamount to the same thing in this footballing purgatory?
By way of analogy, my Sky subscription is getting cancelled after my current deal ends - there's only so far I'm willing to go when I'm being fed the same shite over and over again.
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Post by hatter_in_macc on May 18, 2018 15:25:58 GMT
Turning to the individual players, does anyone share my disappointment - nay, discontent - over Winter's non-rentenion? It seemed to me that our decent late run coincided with his return to form, and, even though we have Turnbull contracted for next season, I fear that the midfield bite Winter offered will be missed.
Otherwise: pleased that Smalley has been offered terms; hopeful that something may come of the ongoing talks involving Oswell; and indifferent about O'Halloran - although he does bring something in terms of squad cover, and, probably, as a good dressing-room influence and mentor to some of the younger players.
Brazel and West have failed to come up to scratch - while Clarke was left wanting last term, sadly. We shall need better players if we are to keep on improving...
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2018 15:41:04 GMT
I was going to post similar. I'm very disappointed with that one. I think he struggled to accept the discipline Gannon requires early on and his game suffered accordingly but once he realised that he could get stuck in without getting booked or worse he finished the season particularly strongly and looked like one of our better players. I doubt he'll be without a club for long.
I'm going to chuck a grenade into this conversation. I'm a little indifferent about Oswell too. Once defenders sussed out that refs at this level aren't going to punish them for blatantly holding him down (a game towards the end of the season in which the Centre - Half had both arms wrapped round him about 5 yards from the ref who allowed play to continue being not untypical) I think he was distinctly ineffective. Not his fault but he doesn't have the physique to out - muscle such defenders.
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Post by jimboslovechild on May 18, 2018 20:03:09 GMT
I wondered whether the upturn in Winter's form -- and perhaps even County's form overall -- might have had something to do with our pitch getting knackered. Herm posted some highlights of Winter looking terribly out of his depth at Harrogate, where their astro lets quick players control the ball easily and shift away from their opponent. At EP, it probably became much harder to carry the ball and much easier to tackle once Burnley reserves had churned it up. I seem to recall one of our away games was played in a howling gale too.
Hopefully we've got good replacements lined up.
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Post by hermannsays on May 18, 2018 20:40:21 GMT
As well as the pitches, he just looked so much fitter this calendar year and with the switch in roles between him and Ball, the midfield pairing looked better. I don't think JG could bring up discipline as a reason to let him go - he signed him when he was on 14 yellows and straight after he had elbowed Montrose in the face off the ball at EP. I think it just comes down to trying to build something better and lower the overall age of the squad. With Turnbull and Walker signed on, I would imagine the midfield options look too immobile and, dare I say, old if Winter is retained. Of course, he can still play at this level but just on that basis I imagine a couple of good players 22 to 25 would be more suitable to add in.
On Oswell, early on in the season, one of the Salford managers was grinning in his interview saying we played into their hands (Oswell having to try out-muscle Piergianni). Spring forward to the very last game of the season and the Chorley CB Teague is saying the same thing. That kinda sums it up - it matters little if you have the league's top open-play goalscorer and one of the best #10s when they spend too many parts of games (or the 90 minutes!) wasting their energy to compete aerially for poor balls out of defence. Given all the criticism of him not being able to hold the ball, it might just be best that Oswell finds a team for his skill set (finishing) and we find a target man or two for the way we often play?
Other than that, Smalley was the only CB to turn up this season and given he can play any of the CB positions in a back 3 or 4 it makes sense that he should be retained if not able to find suitable younger players.
In my view, O'Halloran is lucky to be retained but hopefully he'll do better next season. Obviously he can play a few positions and if Dux does get a move then the left side disappears completely without O'H.
Clarke seemed to lose his confidence this season - on the ball, it just wasn't right and for many aerial challenges he was simply jumping with his shoulder into the back of the striker, risking fouls and conceding them. Given he lacks the pace to play the outsides of a back 3, I think it would be best to go find a team and get playing regularly and build up again.
West needs to play men's football as mentioned elsewhere. He looked the standout player against Goole U21 but it was something like 9-0 so no test at all - he scored a wonder strike though to be fair!
Brazel... with respect, a north-west counties player. If we're going to take a gamble on someone from lower leagues, Wynne at Prescot Cables would be my one... better, stronger and years younger. That's according to my Youtube notes. Ahem.
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Post by another_ruined_saturday on May 18, 2018 21:31:59 GMT
agree with most of those decisions, although i'd probably have kept winter due to his improved performances later on in the season, and let o'halloran go.
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Post by another_ruined_saturday on May 18, 2018 21:39:13 GMT
it might have been partly oswell/refs being figured out by defenders, but i think it was form as well - both oswell's and county's. earlier in the season i remember him going up against centre halves and giving as good as he got. in one of the friendlies (macc, i think), he bullied their backline. i think his incredible early season form dropped off, and we were going from back to front too quickly later in the season which left him isolated and meant that opposition defenders could concentrate fully on him.
wasn't wrexham supposed to have been a done deal for him anyway?
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Post by hermannsays on May 18, 2018 22:36:21 GMT
Astonishing that Macc won the National when they had about 6 players signed on when we played them - CMW was on trial in that one!
Oswell... I think Port Vale was mentioned too at some point.
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Post by bigfudge on May 19, 2018 2:14:50 GMT
I guess I’m the only one who didn’t rate Winter, he became a lot better in the last couple of months but for me he was well under par for most of the season, okay with the rest of the list, hopefully we can keep Oswell, again towards the end of the season he started to find his 2017 form again.
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Post by harrogatehatter on May 20, 2018 7:57:03 GMT
To improve the squad we need to retain players who can improve and replace those who can’t/won’t with better players.
Winter showed in the latter stages of the season that he was better than at the start but has probably plateaued (ie won’t get any better) I’d say the same about O’Halloran. I’m surprised he’s been offered a contract and would guess it’s because he can play LB too, and he does bring experience of full time (Premier League no less) football.
Of the rest I agree West and Brazel have had long enough to show they’re not up to the standard required.
The lukewarm comments about full time ambitions are a concern. Reads like the club has agreed to kick the can down the road for another season which means that next season we’re looking at play offs if we’re lucky in other words: same again.
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Post by hatter_in_macc on May 22, 2018 10:57:08 GMT
Looking from this tweet by Clarke that he may not be intending to take up the offer of pre-season training, and has left for good:
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 17:31:40 GMT
Best of luck to him.
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