Feel like my initial anger with the latest news has subsided now somewhat (don’t want to swear out loud on packed train home!) but still disappointed that so many from what was a self professed really tight and close group of players have now decided not to be part of that scene anymore.
I firmly believe SL ain’t no mug but we really do need some good news and fast re people coming in to replace others
We have 13 players signed for next year, 7 in negotiation, plus I assume Scott will want to offer Maguire a contract. That makes 21 if they all sign (unlikely) split as follows based on where Scott likes to play them:
6 Midfield: Campbell, Gladwin, L Kelly, Khaleel, Roles, Williams
3 Strikers: Fish, Lolos, Orsi
I would say we need a squad of 25/26 so it is clear where we need to strengthen - 2 experienced defenders (one left footed and one right footed) a strong midfielder (to cover in case Gladwin does not make it), and one experienced striker to give Orsi a rest sometime. I also feel we need to bring in another experienced keeper, possibly on loan to challenge Addai, and enable us to loan out Sandford for experience - he has only played 7 games at National League level.
Obviously, if we sell players, or some do not sign on for next year, we will need to replace them too.
We currently have 17 players, so probably need another 8 or 9
Understand 3rd young KEEPER coming in
DEFENDER wise we have lost Maguire and Wright but gained Barker, so feel we need at least 3 experienced defenders at this level
WIDEMEN we have lost Tsaroulla and probably Gordon, but gained Papadopoulos, so feel need one more experienced winger at this level
MIDFIELD lost Campbell and probably Gladwin, so need two more midfielders including an experienced defensive central midfielder at this level
STRIKER s feel need two strikers, at least one experienced at this level
I expect I see a number of trialists at our training sessions next week and pre-season as I would expect most players to be picked up on a free like last year. Although we can hope,again I would expect most new signings to be promising youngsters from non-league rather than experienced old hands at this level.
It's going to be so dificult to sign required quality player for us to compete. We can't compete with any clubs in League 1 on budget and if we are honest 14 to 15 clubs in league two can out spend us.
I think the club are pursuing the only option available which is finding gems in the non league but it's going to be tough for them to make an impact I league 1.
If Scott stays and keeps us up he will have worked miricale imo. I
We actually had the 5th lowest budget in L2 last were (only Accrington, Crewe, Morecambe and Newport were lower) so most had a bigger budget. I would not be surprised if Chesterfield's budget was bigger last season too!
We actually had the 5th lowest budget in L2 last were (only Accrington, Crewe, Morecambe and Newport were lower) so most had a bigger budget. I would not be surprised if Chesterfield's budget was bigger last season too!
An additional issue is those other 4 clubs are in areas where housing is far cheaper so it's not a proper like-for-like comparison. That can make a big difference for players on lower-league income.
We actually had the 5th lowest budget in L2 last were (only Accrington, Crewe, Morecambe and Newport were lower) so most had a bigger budget. I would not be surprised if Chesterfield's budget was bigger last season too!
An additional issue is those other 4 clubs are in areas where housing is far cheaper so it's not a proper like-for-like comparison. That can make a big difference for players on lower-league income.
We also had a much smaller squad (no reserve or youth side) which allowed us to pay slightly more per player than if we had a bigger squad
I’ll be forever grateful to these players who have left for giving me my best ever experiences as a fan by bringing about the miracle of promotion against all the odds.
I’ll be watching the highlights of last season basically in to infinity BUT, I’m just ever so slightly irked that as a club we’ve proven to be little more than a launching pad for a few players to move on to other things and even the lure of L1 football wasn’t enough to deflect them from their desire to leave to join “bigger” clubs.
They’ve obviously had a ball being at the club last season and I’m sure they’ve loved being loved by the fans and playing in a team that plays such attractive football, but all the same they have joined their new clubs excited about their new challenges and basically Crawley just didn’t figure in their long term plans ultimately!
Such is the reality of life as a pro (and for fans!) in the lower leagues it would seem.
We actually had the 5th lowest budget in L2 last were (only Accrington, Crewe, Morecambe and Newport were lower) so most had a bigger budget. I would not be surprised if Chesterfield's budget was bigger last season too!
An additional issue is those other 4 clubs are in areas where housing is far cheaper so it's not a proper like-for-like comparison. That can make a big difference for players on lower-league income.
I believe some clubs buy homes they 'rent' out to players until they settle, maybe WAGMI should do this if they havnt already.
With Orsi going, we now have no defence or forward line left.
Looks good for life in L1 now don’t you think?
Last one out, can you switch off the lights please?
Apparently prospective strikers and defenders are being invited to training on Monday to make up the numbers as we only have 16 players and can only play 8 v 8 game in training!
