Past, present and future tense....

[TANGODANCER]

D.S.B runs the rule over our options for the currently unclear future of the club.

http://www.the-wanderer.co.uk/bolton/go ... growing-up" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Worthy4England]

Excellent read from DSB, as ever. Ta, bud. Good to actually read something about football.

[Riviman]

Excellent read, and difficult to argue with the summing up of the possible future of the players.

[LeverEnd]

Interesting read. Cheers. Had forgotten about some of them.

[Jugs]

Woolery is out of contract? Forget drawing circles around Heskey, get Woolers and Holding signed up!

[Gary the Enfield]

Woolery is out of contract? Forget drawing circles around Heskey, get Woolers and Holding signed up!

I think we can't sign anyone until the embargo is lifted.

[BWFC_Insane]

Woolery is out of contract? Forget drawing circles around Heskey, get Woolers and Holding signed up!

I think we can't sign anyone until the embargo is lifted.

The embargo is a restriction on registering players.

We can as far as I know sign players to new deals who we already have registered.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

IIRC Lennon has said that in some circumstances - Holding and Woolery from memory, maybe others - we have options to extend for another year. Which is nice, even if it messes with the linear narrative. We need to take up those options (IMO).

[Prufrock]

Was that not why we couldn't extend Ameobi's contract? Anyway, if the tax bill is paid you'd hope it's a matter of time before before the embargo is lifted. No English team can talk to either of them until a month before their contract runs out. So as long as everyone plays by the rules...

[BWFC_Insane]

Was that not why we couldn't extend Ameobi's contract? Anyway, if the tax bill is paid you'd hope it's a matter of time before before the embargo is lifted. No English team can talk to either of them until a month before their contract runs out. So as long as everyone plays by the rules...

I don't really remember what happened with Ameobi. Didn't he offer to play for free but the league said it wasn't allowed? Also I think his registration may have expired here.

Anyhow, fairly sure an embargo doesn't stop you from signing up existing players. Would be incredibly harsh if it did. However, we are a different case I guess seeing as we are under an embargo for not filing accounts and secondly under special measures generally till we show ourselves to be secure financially.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I'm not sure, but here's a hypothesis: Under FL rules, there might be a difference between giving someone a new contract when the old one elapses (as per Ameobi) and activating a clause in an existing contract – as per Holding:
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wa ... ding_fast/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Can't find any evidence of a clause for Woolery. Sorry folks. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, though, and hopefully some gametime under Jiminho will persuade him he has a future here.

[thebish]

IIRC Lennon has said that in some circumstances - Holding and Woolery from memory, maybe others - we have options to extend for another year. Which is nice, even if it messes with the linear narrative. We need to take up those options (IMO).

you'd certainly hope so!! they're the one thing offering any hope!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

The piece is only my opinion, obviously, and I'd be interested to hear others' views. (A great language, English, wherein one can hear a view.)

To make it easier, it can be broken down into sections, like this:

RENEW Rob Holding, Alex Finney, Oscar Threlkeld, Tom Walker, Kaiyne Woolery
RELEASE Paul Rachubka, Ross Fitzsimons, David Wheater, NeiL Danns, Jordan Lussey, Liam Feeney, Rob Hall, Emile Heskey, Stephen Dobbie, Tom Eaves
TRY TO FLOG Ben Amos, Francesco Pisano, Dorian Dervite, Jay Spearing, Mark Davies, Filip Twardzik, Conor Wilkinson
KEEP (if they’re cheap and happy) Lawrie Wilson, Derik Osede, Liam Trotter, Josh Vela, Zach Clough, Max Clayton, Gary Madine
UNSURE Quade Taylor, Niall Maher, Hayden White; Darren Pratley, Dean Moxey

If all that came to pass, we’d look something like:

--------------Madine--------------
--Clayton--Clough--Woolery--
----------Trotter---Vela----------
?Moxey?-Derik-Holding-Wilson
--------[Senior GK needed]--------

Backups:
Goalkeeper: Harry Campbell
Defence: [experienced CB], Oscar Threlkeld CB/RB/DM, Alex Finney CB, ?Quade Taylor CB?, ?Niall Maher RB/LB?, ?Hayden White RB/RW
Midfield: Threlkeld (DM), ?Pratley CM?, Walker LW, [possibly another CM]
Attack: [experienced CF], plus more youth prodigies like Jamie Thomas (dob 10.1.97, the Devs top scorer this season with 9), [possibly a winger]

[BWFC_Insane]

In my view we can't afford to keep Pratley, Moxey, Trotter and Madine (and shouldn't bother from what I've seen so far of GM).

It just depends if clubs take them off our hands or not.

But I doubt they'd turn down offers for any of them.

[BWFC_Insane]

In my view we can't afford to keep Pratley, Moxey, Trotter and Madine (and shouldn't bother from what I've seen so far of GM).

It just depends if clubs take them off our hands or not.

But I doubt they'd turn down offers for any of them.

I can't find a source now, but I'd heard around the time of signing that Madine was on peanuts compared to some of our other signings?

It has been reported he's on about 8-9 a week. Which is still too much for league one. Especially in Madine's case.

[officer_dibble]

What happened to Samizda(sp)?

[Harry Genshaw]

I'd like us to keep Danns if there was any prospect we could agree reduced terms. An(other) experienced head amongst the youngsters would be an asset

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

What happened to Samizda(sp)?

Alex Samizadeh is still around. He's appeared in four of the last five U21 games, two starts and two half-hour sub runouts. He's only a kid: born 10 Nov 1998, he's still got three "underage" seasons after this one – and he's competing with players like Jamie Thomas (dob 10.1.97), George Newell (21.1.97) and Chris Cvetko (2.4.97) who are the thick end of two years older than him. But he's scored as many U21 goals this season as Newell and Cvetko (3 each; only Thomas and Woolery have scored more), and if he pushes on...

In my view we can't afford to keep Pratley, Moxey, Trotter and Madine (and shouldn't bother from what I've seen so far of GM). It just depends if clubs take them off our hands or not. But I doubt they'd turn down offers for any of them.

I can't find a source now, but I'd heard around the time of signing that Madine was on peanuts compared to some of our other signings?

It has been reported he's on about 8-9 a week. Which is still too much for league one. Especially in Madine's case.

Individually it makes sense to get shut of all those players, especially if they're on contracts we need shut of. But we'll struggle if we get rid of everybody over the age of 22. The great unknown is what alternatives might be available. It would be good to get one or two blokes who've been in this division for the last two or three years... if they're available, affordable and amenable.

I do think Pratley might be on too much, which is why I haven't put him in my entirely hypothetical first XI. If he goes, he goes. Same with Madine - although I think he might (*might*) do a job under a new gaffer in the third tier, I won't throw myself in front of the cortege. We could switch Woolery up front with Walker-Clough-Clayton in behind, but that's a *very* green front four. As essential as the kids will be, we'll need some nous in there too. <warning: Rags reference> Even the Class of 92, in their breakthrough campaign of 1995/96, were shown the ropes by Steve Bruce (who turned 35 that season), Denis Irwin (30), Eric Cantona (29) and Roy Keane (24 but with 245 games under his belt). </warning>

[BWFC_Insane]

What happened to Samizda(sp)?

Alex Samizadeh is still around. He's appeared in four of the last five U21 games, two starts and two half-hour sub runouts. He's only a kid: born 10 Nov 1998, he's still got three "underage" seasons after this one – and he's competing with players like Jamie Thomas (dob 10.1.97), George Newell (21.1.97) and Chris Cvetko (2.4.97) who are the thick end of two years older than him. But he's scored as many U21 goals this season as Newell and Cvetko (3 each; only Thomas and Woolery have scored more), and if he pushes on...

In my view we can't afford to keep Pratley, Moxey, Trotter and Madine (and shouldn't bother from what I've seen so far of GM). It just depends if clubs take them off our hands or not. But I doubt they'd turn down offers for any of them.

I can't find a source now, but I'd heard around the time of signing that Madine was on peanuts compared to some of our other signings?

It has been reported he's on about 8-9 a week. Which is still too much for league one. Especially in Madine's case.

Individually it makes sense to get shut of all those players, especially if they're on contracts we need shut of. But we'll struggle if we get rid of everybody over the age of 22. The great unknown is what alternatives might be available. It would be good to get one or two blokes who've been in this division for the last two or three years... if they're available, affordable and amenable.

I do think Pratley might be on too much, which is why I haven't put him in my entirely hypothetical first XI. If he goes, he goes. Same with Madine - although I think he might (*might*) do a job under a new gaffer in the third tier, I won't throw myself in front of the cortege. We could switch Woolery up front with Walker-Clough-Clayton in behind, but that's a *very* green front four. As essential as the kids will be, we'll need some nous in there too. <warning: Rags reference> Even the Class of 92, in their breakthrough campaign of 1995/96, were shown the ropes by Steve Bruce (who turned 35 that season), Denis Irwin (30), Eric Cantona (29) and Roy Keane (24 but with 245 games under his belt). </warning>

Yeah, we won't get rid of them all. Just any that other sides want to take off our hands.

I'd prefer Madine to go than certain others. Though in all honest I suspect a rip it up and start again approach is where Deano is coming from. Obviously with some realism thrown into the mix that it won't happen in one summer.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I'd like us to keep Danns if there was any prospect we could agree reduced terms. An(other) experienced head amongst the youngsters would be an asset

I can completely see that argument, and I wouldn't think it disastrous if we can afford it. I just think we might be clearing the decks as soon as possible - in all likelihood, the renew/retain decision will happen before we can sell the ongoing overheads (Davies, Spearing, Amos, Pratley etc).

I also worry that Danns appeared to completely physically collapse halfway through the season. Perhaps his age caught up with him - he turned 33 in November, and for Lennon his game was based on pressing and energy. He started every single one of Lennon's first 33 games unless he was suspended (by the league for accumulated yellows or the club for That Barry Bannan Thing); then he started the first 12 games of the season, but only 2 of the last 20. I think we might have run his legs to stumps.