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Post by thesecondjack on Jun 2, 2016 11:55:41 GMT
Batchelor is a great signing in my view- rate him and he is just what we need. As for Sean's return, I agree with thesecondjack. Let's hope he comes back with his form of November 2014, rather than November 2015. Would be great to see him back to his best again. Squad's coming together nicely. Still feel we a short of a decent striker though. And a bloke to go in goal (i'm available)
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Post by thatloudbloke on Jun 2, 2016 13:54:14 GMT
Thing are looking better & better each day, one good signing from what i have heard & the other i will wait & see, if he comes back with the early head great, if he comes back with the over aggressive & not really wanting to commit, then this is no place for him wee need to keep the cards down to a minimum & players available for every game, think him & Jacko could make a great pair together. now we need a keeper, Mr Good senior could fill the spot, on a serious note I really think we will have a couple of good keepers in the near future & another striker, that will give us rotation & injury cover, Alex is really who we need to get resigned & still would love Sam to say yes, then i think we have a pretty good squad & Danny Nti would be another i would like to see play, especially how he was at beginning of last season.
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Post by thesecondjack on Jun 2, 2016 15:07:14 GMT
Steve Goode in goal worth a try - gets paid in chips, gets a fish too, but only as a clean sheet bonus! ? ? ?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2016 16:44:52 GMT
Steve Goode is the son of a god - and therefore a deity himself. No insult of him will be tolerated.
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dcx
Squad Member
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Post by dcx on Jun 2, 2016 17:54:51 GMT
We are looking very midfielder heavy at the moment!
Jackman Gater Waldron Geddes Bachelor Ologu
Thats a lot considering we will probably only play a max of three at a time, but good to have squad depth where possible.
Still a lot of areas need addressing, notably the wingers (we have none) and goalkeeper position.
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Post by stgeorge on Jun 2, 2016 20:56:18 GMT
I'd rather have 2 good midfielders than 6 average ones. Where's the pace and goals apart from Geddes if he's back on form? We can't rely on our 40 year old forward to score the goals to keep us up. It's going to be a very long season
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dcx
Squad Member
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Post by dcx on Jun 2, 2016 21:30:32 GMT
I'd rather have 2 good midfielders than 6 average ones. Where's the pace and goals apart from Geddes if he's back on form? We can't rely on our 40 year old forward to score the goals to keep us up. It's going to be a very long season I am by far a shining beacon of hope (I like to think I'm a realist), but I don't think we can determine the success of our season based on our crop of center mids! Geddes and Waldron, as well as the unproven Ologu all offer something going forward. The other three are more defensively minded, don't forget Carl likes to play 1 behind the striker, then two sitting behind him. The nature of where they play restrict their goalscoring chances really. Batchelor sounds like he is more box-to-box than Gater or Jacko, so he might contribute another 5 goals a season if he starts enough games. We are lacking in creativity on the wings at the moment, with Dunkley and Murphy gone and no news on Dan Nti, and this is a key area for us as we do tend to play with a lone striker so the wingers have got to have a goalscoring instinct. Would have liked us to have gone for Greg Mills but he got snapped up by Tamworth early on.
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Post by thesecondjack on Jun 2, 2016 22:05:03 GMT
I think a right winger is needed, but have the left drop to a left midfielder, which Jacko can do well, or Jamie Smith.
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Post by Tim Munslow on Jun 3, 2016 11:20:06 GMT
I must say I was highly surprised (and not a little delighted) to see Sean Geddes return: does this mean that his exit was to do with him and Gards, since he is happy to sign for Carl?
He is a bit of talisman for me and I really hope he can re-capture the form of our cup run. If we'd had him on the field against the Blades I fancy the outcome might have been different.
Richard Batchelor is a class player, as we already know from previous encounters.
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dcx
Squad Member
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Post by dcx on Jun 3, 2016 12:16:50 GMT
I must say I was highly surprised (and not a little delighted) to see Sean Geddes return: does this mean that his exit was to do with him and Gards, since he is happy to sign for Carl? He is a bit of talisman for me and I really hope he can re-capture the form of our cup run. If we'd had him on the field against the Blades I fancy the outcome might have been different. This was posted on the Stourbridge FC forum when he re-signed for them in December 2015...make of it what you will - could be complete BS but the financial bit makes sense!
I'd like to dispel a few myths regarding Sean that seem to be springing up on here,particularly in regards to what Stoursi has had to say about the substitutes bench etc,etc.
I know exactly what the sequence of events was at Worcester City that lead to him not being around the first team for a stretch this season.
He got himself sent off a couple of times in fairly quick succession and i believe one of them cost him a four match ban,not big or clever but it happens,we know he's feisty but it gives him that "edge" that a lot of us enjoy watching and in recent years he's controlled it a lot better.
He came back from his ban and his next match was a less than average performance according to Alan his father in law and he then picked up a bad chest infection that laid him low for a while.
When he was fit and ready to resume playing Worcester started to sound the alarm bells in a financial sense so he wasn't played because of the appearance and goalscoring bonuses that were built into his Worcester contract,this happens at league and non league level,Sean became a victim of the bonuses within his contract,it suited Worcester to leave him out as they have had to find huge cuts to their weekly budget.
After all of this Worcester offered Sean a new contract on vastly reduced terms and with all of his bonuses cut out so he had a choice,he could take the new contract lasting 18 months,he could sit on his a**e for the next six months drawing his juicy weekly contract ( but unable to play and earn bonuses ) or he could show some pride and make a move back to a club that wanted him and who he was desperate to play for again AND on a contract paying less money than the new degraded contract Worcester had offered him!
The truth is that Sean was so desperate to play football and play for Stour in particular that he was willing to take a cut in money,i for one respect that and hopefully other people will as well.
I was one of the most vociferous complainers about Sean leaving us last year and people know my thought's on it but to be honest Stoursi it's time to let that sleeping dog lie,lots was said about the goings on at the time but digging over it now is just plain wrong,i love to have my say and i said it,direct to those at the top at the time and to be honest i respect everyone's opinion on it,there was valid points made by both sides regardless of my personal feelings.
I wish Sean well,he and his family are very well regarded by many at Amblecote and it'll be great to see them all in regular attendance again.
Let's be totally honest here,we probably have the best attacking midfielder in the country at our level of football and one who proved he could do it at the level we hope to achieve,we should be delighted he's returned to us.
If Sean,Gary and the management team feel happy to be together again then who are we to question their commitment to one another.
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Post by thesecondjack on Jun 3, 2016 13:54:26 GMT
I was led to believe he was allowed to move on for a few reasons - part of which is covered above, but I'll flesh it out more from a City point of view, than a Geddes point of view.
Geddes had been sent off twice, the first was a bit daft, the second was pointless, and he should have known better. The second made him miss out on some important games, most noticeably - Sheffield United. Whilst in the team before his second red card offence, most games he wasn't doing very well, fluffing free kicks, poor corners, mislaid passes, lack of running, and two or three missed penalties if I recall rightly. Some defended him saying we were playing him out of position, I disagree. When he came back from suspension, he again had a couple of poor games, then suddenly was dropped from the team - apparently due to illness, but I've been told it was really because of the money. He was a big earner for us last season, and wasn't doing a job much better than those on lower wages, who replaced him in his absence. Stourbridge came in for him, and we sold him to them for a nominal fee (about £1,000 usually).
I'm glad Sean is back with us, it's given a bit of a buzz, something for the fans to look forward to. If he can find the form we know he's capable of, he could well be off to a league club in January. He can provide us with 15-20 goals, and assists to add to that.
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Post by thatloudbloke on Jun 3, 2016 14:57:42 GMT
i for one will welcome Sean back to our team, & yes i was one of those who showed & shouted disapprovement at him when he was playing so poorly, i really hope we get the best out of him, i think he will link up well with Lee & Kyle, also think Jacko will be the calming influence if needed.
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Post by thesecondjack on Jun 3, 2016 20:04:12 GMT
More team news in the morning - my bet is we're signing Zlatan on a free.
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Post by thatloudbloke on Jun 4, 2016 8:14:16 GMT
Well nearly correct
English & Bates Sign Whilst Gudger Departs on city website
like English as he will help the youngsters to develop & as a play anywhere guy that is very useful, really glad we have stuck with Bates, i think he will keep developing & get better team is building nicely just need a keeper & fast winger, Nti i think is doing the same as last year looking for a bigger club to sign him up, when that fails will then see if we will take him....
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Post by simples on Jun 4, 2016 8:44:31 GMT
I was not paying full attention and thought we had signed Johnny English, I thought I'd google to find out any info' and discovered my mistake. I hope he turns out to be a special agent. Welcome aboard, I hopey he can transfer his recent successes on to the rest of the team. My slight concern, and this is no disrespect to the current players, is that with the loss of Gudger and Thomas we have lost a bit of physicality. The younger players will be a year older and physically stronger and so I hope they will be able to step up.
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Post by thatloudbloke on Jun 4, 2016 9:11:06 GMT
I was not paying full attention and thought we had signed Johnny English, I thought I'd google to find out any info' and discovered my mistake. I hope he turns out to be a special agent. Welcome aboard, I hopey he can transfer his recent successes on to the rest of the team. My slight concern, and this is no disrespect to the current players, is that with the loss of Gudger and Thomas we have lost a bit of physicality. The younger players will be a year older and physically stronger and so I hope they will be able to step up. if you look at the recent signings there are a three who are physical people, one we know is aggressive, sometimes a little too much but hope we get him at his best, aggressive & playing at his best, Batchelor & English are strong boys, Perry is not frightened & Hughes is up for a squabble, so think we will have a good balance of attitude & calm, really looking forward to watch the team play, think we have the makings of a competitive squad,
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Post by thesecondjack on Jun 4, 2016 9:27:16 GMT
Blimey, not a signing I expected! English has been a solid player in this league for a fair while now, but I don't see why we need him. Versatile he may well be, but beyond centre mid, he is a square peg in a round hole. Too many centre mid players signed up.
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dcx
Squad Member
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Post by dcx on Jun 4, 2016 10:52:46 GMT
Blimey, not a signing I expected! English has been a solid player in this league for a fair while now, but I don't see why we need him. Versatile he may well be, but beyond centre mid, he is a square peg in a round hole. Too many centre mid players signed up. Couldn't have said it better. Absolutely bizarre signing. I can only assume we will be playing 3-6-1 next season with a hexagon in midfield...
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Post by stgeorge on Jun 4, 2016 10:57:21 GMT
Gudger gone and we sign a youth teamer and a bit part Solihull player was was nowhere near their starting 11 last year. Maybe we're biding our time to sign the players who will give us the small hope of staying up next year. But if they are anything like Ashley Vincent -and Shaun Harrad we're doomed!
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Post by jupu on Jun 4, 2016 11:00:47 GMT
I agree, it could be that we're going to play a different way next season without wide midfielders.
English is clearly a versatile player. My one thought is that he may take time to adjust after being with the same club for so long.
The goalkeeper vacancy I think is s key position to fill. To me it's evident that here experience wins out over and above potential. Thompson, Veiga and Vaughan have shown that in recent seasons.
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Post by thesecondjack on Jun 4, 2016 11:02:24 GMT
Lets not be too downbeat chaps. These players could be inspired signings, that really help us press on next season. I'd have just preferred getting a player in one or two positions first.
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dcx
Squad Member
Posts: 289
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Post by dcx on Jun 4, 2016 12:49:57 GMT
I agree, it could be that we're going to play a different way next season without wide midfielders. English is clearly a versatile player. My one thought is that he may take time to adjust after being with the same club for so long. The goalkeeper vacancy I think is s key position to fill. To me it's evident that here experience wins out over and above potential. Thompson, Veiga and Vaughan have shown that in recent seasons. Playing without width concerns me greatly. Trying to tippy tap it around a midfield diamond just isn't going to work at this level, particularly on the standard of pitches we will be playing on. Also that relies on us playing two up front which given we only have three strikers, one who can't play every game and one who has played about half an hour of first team football, so not quite sure what the plan is there... I'm not averse to signing up good youth prospects, but we can't be expecting them to perform at the same level as an experienced semi-pro. I would imagine our first choice midfielders would be Geddes behind the striker, then 2 of Jacko, Batch or Gater. I am expecting English, Waldron and Ologu to be starting on the bench mostly.
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dcx
Squad Member
Posts: 289
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Post by dcx on Jun 5, 2016 20:56:18 GMT
So this is where we are at the moment (updated 5th June): Signed
Goalkeepers:
Defenders:
Weir Sharpe Hutchison Smith
Midfielders:
Jackman Gater Waldron Batchelor English Geddes Ologu (?) Forwards:Hughes Perry Bates UnconfirmedNti Morris Nash Minihan Webb Ward-Cochrane ReleasedVaughan (to Solihull Moors) Dunkley (to Hednesford Town) Gudger (to Brackley Town) Burton (retired) MacDonald (released) Thomas (released) I've updated the squad list for the new additions, and Gudger's departure. I think there must be a fair bit more to come transfer-wise, we have lost 6 players there, plus 4 loanees, and only added 4 new signings, so I would expect there to be more activity imminently. Of the undecided ones at the moment, I see it going like this: Nti - arses about til July trying to find someone else before signing for us again. Morris - signed Nash - released Minihan - released (due to location) Webb - can't call this one Ward-Cochrane - released
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Post by Tim Munslow on Jun 6, 2016 10:00:41 GMT
I see the armchair managers are out in force again: FFS why can't we let the manager just do what he thinks is best? I have every confidence in Carl Heeley and co making the right decisions within the given budget.
You don't have a dog then bark yourself.
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Post by The Verner on Jun 6, 2016 10:34:48 GMT
So this is where we are at the moment (updated 5th June): Signed
Goalkeepers:
Defenders:
Weir Sharpe Hutchison Smith
Midfielders:
Jackman Gater Waldron Batchelor English Geddes Ologu (?) Forwards:Hughes Perry Bates UnconfirmedNti Morris Nash Minihan Webb Ward-Cochrane ReleasedVaughan (to Solihull Moors) Dunkley (to Hednesford Town) Gudger (to Brackley Town) Burton (retired) MacDonald (released) Thomas (released) I've updated the squad list for the new additions, and Gudger's departure. I think there must be a fair bit more to come transfer-wise, we have lost 6 players there, plus 4 loanees, and only added 4 new signings, so I would expect there to be more activity imminently. Of the undecided ones at the moment, I see it going like this: Nti - arses about til July trying to find someone else before signing for us again. Morris - signed Nash - released Minihan - released (due to location) Webb - can't call this one Ward-Cochrane - released I would think that the new coach with his various football league contacts will be looking at various loan options
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Post by thesecondjack on Jun 6, 2016 14:44:03 GMT
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Post by The Verner on Jun 6, 2016 17:14:28 GMT
Its worse for Kiddy fans, dont think they have announced any new signings mostly just those staying
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Post by thesecondjack on Jun 6, 2016 17:32:20 GMT
Its worse for Kiddy fans, dont think they have announced any new signings mostly just those staying Yeah but they already support Harriers- they're used to being disappointed
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wr3
Youth Teamer
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Post by wr3 on Jun 6, 2016 18:53:38 GMT
Have we signed a goalkeeper yet?
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Post by thatloudbloke on Jun 9, 2016 8:22:41 GMT
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