@BSE I get what you're saying about Southwell. You could look at his goalscoring record and think getting rid of him was an absolute no-brainer, but the few times I've seen him play I've actually been impressed, not just by his workrate, but also by his touch, technique and movement off the ball. He's not the next Pirlo or anything, but his performance out wide against (I think) Crawley earlier this season did make me think he might be worth holding on to.
Your idea about playing him as an attacking midfielder is an interesting one and could be worth a try if a replacement for Eze proves hard to come by. I remember thinking the same thing about Beavon in his early Wycombe career when he wasn't really scoring. In fact, Southwell reminds me a hell of a lot of Beavon. I'd like to see him get a chance and maybe another year to prove himself, but given our lack of budget I wonder if GA will feel we have the option of holding on to someone who may or may not come good. Bayo won't go on forever though and we will need a new central striker to step up to the plate.
@Jonny_King or maybe this other keeper we apparently signed in the summer will be recalled and Ma-Kalambay will take on Baz's role as a goalkeeper / fitness coach.
PS I am also very attracted to the idea of playing Southwell as an attacking midfielder. He has good touch and it'll give him a chance to play in a central role without having to act as target man, which is really not his strong point. Nor is pace, which is why he's so ill suited to the wide forward role. With Eze gone could it be we have a natural successor right under our noses? An excellent suggestion from @BSE - you should page Gareth Ainsworth forthwith.
@aloysius Ah yes, The Great Henry Newcombe Mystery. It does rather look like we've signed him, so the fact it was never announced is curious. Perhaps we only gave him some sort of year-long trial contract to see how he did out on loan and he's not actually registered as a player? Did we have Müller on a similar deal before we signed him for realsies?
Anyhoo, I think I'm right in saying that Newcombe picked up a bad injury whilst on loan at Canvey Island a month or so back, so may be out for a while. Making YMK our new GK coach, at least until the summer, makes sense, even though he's actually younger than Brown and appears to have played fewer than 75 first team games in his entire career!
As of now it looks unlikely that Southwell or WDH (or probably freeman too) will secure a contract renewal at the end of the season. If replacements of equal or better quality can be secured at equal or cheaper price and they wish to move on to try to secure a contract for next season elsewhere, probably makes sense to let them do so.
based entirely that at 22 in the second year of being here, he has only started a handful of games despite being fit for majority of season. In my experience it is rare for players with that record to get a contract for a third year.
I'd be amazed if Freeman wasn't given a new contract. Our most-improved player this season by a long way for me (although that's mainly because we didn't see him last year!)
Freeman has been a real stand out for me. Comes off the bench and delivers nearly every time, starts games and always looks lively. Since he has joined us he learned to defend and looks more and more like a left-sided Harriman. At 22 I hope he continues to develop at this pace.
As for Southwell I think he is a very decent player. When he scored his goal last season it looked like that would be the turning point but he got injured straight away and lost momentum. I would love to see him get a chance and I feel confident he could prove himself but in front of who Bayo, CMS, Tyson, Kashket? i just don't see it, and not playing is not helping him improve. If we changed formation with him behind another striker I could see it working for him but GA is set with his formation and its difficult to argue with him when you look at the table.
@eric_plant said:
of course Freeman will be offered a new contract, he's having a breakthrough season and doing very well
I agree. Freeman is an outstanding young talent and would probably have been first choice in one of the wide attacking roles if we didn’t have the quality and experience of players like Tyson, Mackail-Smith and Cowan-Hall.
Facts remain that despite being fit all season, 22, in a small squad in his second season he has started just 7 league games. Whether he deserves to start more or not, I couldn't say but history would tell you that a player with that profile is somewhat unlikely to get a contract renewal. Time will tell but needs an impressive second half I suggest.
Having seen a lot of our games this season I have to disagree. He has nearly always made an impact as a substitute and I think Gareth will want to keep him.
Yes generalisations rather than specifics - based on numbers rather than viewing - which is why I said probably. Perhaps "possibly" would have been better phrasing.
If Freeman isn't offered a contract I'd be amazed. The question for me is, given the other options we have and that he seems to be fourth choice behind CMS, Tyson and PCH, will he stay?
I hope he does as next year I think he could get more game time. He always seems to deliver really tantalising crosses given half a chance to get the ball into the box.
I normally keep a safe distance from @DevC and that bloody high horse that he occasionally mounts but on this occasion I feel compelled to say that, provided another club doesn’t come in for him with the kind of offer that his talent and potential would undoubtedly justify and at a level which we felt unable to refuse, I’d say that a new contract is a nailed on certainty.
But then eric, I have never suggested that I think Freeman is a bad player etc etc. I am in no position to judge, as you rightly say and I freely acknowledge. I have just noted that in his second season at the club at 22 and despite being fully fit most of the season, he has started 7 league games. Which suggests that the manager does not believe he is ready to regularly start games - yet at least. Which must place doubt on whether if that continues for the season, he would be offered another contract. As I say time will tell.
Only a throwaway comment though, the main focus was on Southwell and De H.
Comments
@BSE I get what you're saying about Southwell. You could look at his goalscoring record and think getting rid of him was an absolute no-brainer, but the few times I've seen him play I've actually been impressed, not just by his workrate, but also by his touch, technique and movement off the ball. He's not the next Pirlo or anything, but his performance out wide against (I think) Crawley earlier this season did make me think he might be worth holding on to.
Your idea about playing him as an attacking midfielder is an interesting one and could be worth a try if a replacement for Eze proves hard to come by. I remember thinking the same thing about Beavon in his early Wycombe career when he wasn't really scoring. In fact, Southwell reminds me a hell of a lot of Beavon. I'd like to see him get a chance and maybe another year to prove himself, but given our lack of budget I wonder if GA will feel we have the option of holding on to someone who may or may not come good. Bayo won't go on forever though and we will need a new central striker to step up to the plate.
@Username I think Ma-Kalambay's deal only ran to the New Year, but with Baz gone I assume we will definitely see him get an extension to the summer.
@Jonny_King or maybe this other keeper we apparently signed in the summer will be recalled and Ma-Kalambay will take on Baz's role as a goalkeeper / fitness coach.
PS I am also very attracted to the idea of playing Southwell as an attacking midfielder. He has good touch and it'll give him a chance to play in a central role without having to act as target man, which is really not his strong point. Nor is pace, which is why he's so ill suited to the wide forward role. With Eze gone could it be we have a natural successor right under our noses? An excellent suggestion from @BSE - you should page Gareth Ainsworth forthwith.
@aloysius Ah yes, The Great Henry Newcombe Mystery. It does rather look like we've signed him, so the fact it was never announced is curious. Perhaps we only gave him some sort of year-long trial contract to see how he did out on loan and he's not actually registered as a player? Did we have Müller on a similar deal before we signed him for realsies?
Anyhoo, I think I'm right in saying that Newcombe picked up a bad injury whilst on loan at Canvey Island a month or so back, so may be out for a while. Making YMK our new GK coach, at least until the summer, makes sense, even though he's actually younger than Brown and appears to have played fewer than 75 first team games in his entire career!
According to Wikipedia, his contract runs to January 29th.
Lee Brown was at QPR when Ainsworth was there, born in Farnborough.
As of now it looks unlikely that Southwell or WDH (or probably freeman too) will secure a contract renewal at the end of the season. If replacements of equal or better quality can be secured at equal or cheaper price and they wish to move on to try to secure a contract for next season elsewhere, probably makes sense to let them do so.
@DevC - How often have you seen Freeman to make that comment?
based entirely that at 22 in the second year of being here, he has only started a handful of games despite being fit for majority of season. In my experience it is rare for players with that record to get a contract for a third year.
Freeman ran rings round FGR on NewYears day. He fully deserves a new contract imho
I'd be amazed if Freeman wasn't given a new contract. Our most-improved player this season by a long way for me (although that's mainly because we didn't see him last year!)
of course Freeman will be offered a new contract, he's having a breakthrough season and doing very well
Freeman has been a real stand out for me. Comes off the bench and delivers nearly every time, starts games and always looks lively. Since he has joined us he learned to defend and looks more and more like a left-sided Harriman. At 22 I hope he continues to develop at this pace.
As for Southwell I think he is a very decent player. When he scored his goal last season it looked like that would be the turning point but he got injured straight away and lost momentum. I would love to see him get a chance and I feel confident he could prove himself but in front of who Bayo, CMS, Tyson, Kashket? i just don't see it, and not playing is not helping him improve. If we changed formation with him behind another striker I could see it working for him but GA is set with his formation and its difficult to argue with him when you look at the table.
Re Lee Brown I find it quite amazing that people are quoting a twitter account with 100 followers and believing it to be true.
I agree. Freeman is an outstanding young talent and would probably have been first choice in one of the wide attacking roles if we didn’t have the quality and experience of players like Tyson, Mackail-Smith and Cowan-Hall.
Facts remain that despite being fit all season, 22, in a small squad in his second season he has started just 7 league games. Whether he deserves to start more or not, I couldn't say but history would tell you that a player with that profile is somewhat unlikely to get a contract renewal. Time will tell but needs an impressive second half I suggest.
Having seen a lot of our games this season I have to disagree. He has nearly always made an impact as a substitute and I think Gareth will want to keep him.
I'd say you are quoting generalisations rather than facts when it comes to Freeman Dev.
Yes generalisations rather than specifics - based on numbers rather than viewing - which is why I said probably. Perhaps "possibly" would have been better phrasing.
If Freeman isn't offered a contract I'd be amazed. The question for me is, given the other options we have and that he seems to be fourth choice behind CMS, Tyson and PCH, will he stay?
I hope he does as next year I think he could get more game time. He always seems to deliver really tantalising crosses given half a chance to get the ball into the box.
I normally keep a safe distance from @DevC and that bloody high horse that he occasionally mounts but on this occasion I feel compelled to say that, provided another club doesn’t come in for him with the kind of offer that his talent and potential would undoubtedly justify and at a level which we felt unable to refuse, I’d say that a new contract is a nailed on certainty.
interesting split in this debate, on one side lots of fans who actually go to games, and on the other Dev, who reads team line ups on the BBC website
I wonder who is going to turn out to be correct
Nick Freeman deserves a new contract in my opinion
Been very good when he has been called upon this season
But then eric, I have never suggested that I think Freeman is a bad player etc etc. I am in no position to judge, as you rightly say and I freely acknowledge. I have just noted that in his second season at the club at 22 and despite being fully fit most of the season, he has started 7 league games. Which suggests that the manager does not believe he is ready to regularly start games - yet at least. Which must place doubt on whether if that continues for the season, he would be offered another contract. As I say time will tell.
Only a throwaway comment though, the main focus was on Southwell and De H.
I would go so far as to say that there are aspects of Nick’s play that put me in mind of Steve Guppy.
you said he was '(probably) unlikely to get a new contract'.
Everyone else who has seen him play this season is absolutely certain that he will.
Freeman is a good impact sub, who perhaps deserves more game time. Pretty sure he'll be kept if he wants to stay.
why may I ask do you think he starts only when absolutely necessary Micra.
For obvious reasons I can make no comment, but am curious.