07-03-2015, 22:55
Pretty sure this squad is done now. As far as I know the contracts expiring this season are:
Simonsen
Robinson
Faure
McCulloch
Mohsni
Smith
McGregor
Foster
Black
Hutton
Miller
Boyd
Daly
As I understand it we have to offer McGregor a new contract, but he doesn't have to take it up. Apart from him, Faure and maybe Robinson and Hutton I'd probably get rid of the rest, and I think they really have to go...surely?
That would leave us with an established squad (assuming no other departures) of:
Bell, Robinson
Zaliukas, McGregor, Wallace, Faure
Shiels, Law, Templeton, Aird, Crawford, Murdoch, Hutton, McKay
Gallagher, Clark
That should probably be the core of our side between now and the end of the season, but obviously the same old faces will hold down undeserved spots. But looking ahead to next season I have mixed feelings about that lot. It should be good enough for the Championship next year but hasn't been this season.
Goalkeepers would be fine. Bell is first choice and will hopefully make it through next season. Robinson or someone else would be decent back up, and we have 2 excellent young goalkeepers as options.
If we added a big, commanding central defender to the squad and have some reasonable cover at full back from the development squad I'd be OK with the options there.
The whole midfield set just depresses me. Murdoch has come in and done well but he's young and relatively untested so I'm not about to say we can build everything around him. Shiels and Templeton might have something to offer under a new manager but I have no faith in them (although Templeton is always capable of scoring spectacular goals from nothing - why do we never have or use him as an option when we're struggling to create good chances in a match?). even Law, who is a very good player, doesn't seem to have done what's necessary to show it at this level. In my opinion it's going to be a case of persisting with these guys under someone new or just getting rid ASAP and replacing them. Apart from them, McKay hasn't done much to set himself apart from his peers in the last couple of years, Aird has been decidedly 'meh' and Crawford and Hutton are both capable of playing a match in midfield without really making an obvious difference. Big changes are probably needed in the midfield and I expect to see them. (I'd love to be able to keep Vuckic, but he's not here this season with a view to settling down in the SPFL Championship.)
Up front we'll be light on numbers but being heavy on numbers hasn't helped produce goals this season. Keep Clark, give him a run up front and see if he can score the goals for us. Give Gallagher a chance to build on what he achieved last season. There are 1 or 2 promising youngsters in the youth ranks but what I think we need is something Hearts have done well, and that's bringing in unknown players from more technical leagues who know how to kick a ball in the direction of the net. Unfortunately this is the sort of thing where not having a scouting system is really xxxx us over, and I don't know if we'll get anyone like that in for a while.
So that's where I see us. Anyone else got some thoughts on what our squad should look like next season? Ins and outs and what we need most? ('replace them all' is cheating).
Simonsen
Robinson
Faure
McCulloch
Mohsni
Smith
McGregor
Foster
Black
Hutton
Miller
Boyd
Daly
As I understand it we have to offer McGregor a new contract, but he doesn't have to take it up. Apart from him, Faure and maybe Robinson and Hutton I'd probably get rid of the rest, and I think they really have to go...surely?
That would leave us with an established squad (assuming no other departures) of:
Bell, Robinson
Zaliukas, McGregor, Wallace, Faure
Shiels, Law, Templeton, Aird, Crawford, Murdoch, Hutton, McKay
Gallagher, Clark
That should probably be the core of our side between now and the end of the season, but obviously the same old faces will hold down undeserved spots. But looking ahead to next season I have mixed feelings about that lot. It should be good enough for the Championship next year but hasn't been this season.
Goalkeepers would be fine. Bell is first choice and will hopefully make it through next season. Robinson or someone else would be decent back up, and we have 2 excellent young goalkeepers as options.
If we added a big, commanding central defender to the squad and have some reasonable cover at full back from the development squad I'd be OK with the options there.
The whole midfield set just depresses me. Murdoch has come in and done well but he's young and relatively untested so I'm not about to say we can build everything around him. Shiels and Templeton might have something to offer under a new manager but I have no faith in them (although Templeton is always capable of scoring spectacular goals from nothing - why do we never have or use him as an option when we're struggling to create good chances in a match?). even Law, who is a very good player, doesn't seem to have done what's necessary to show it at this level. In my opinion it's going to be a case of persisting with these guys under someone new or just getting rid ASAP and replacing them. Apart from them, McKay hasn't done much to set himself apart from his peers in the last couple of years, Aird has been decidedly 'meh' and Crawford and Hutton are both capable of playing a match in midfield without really making an obvious difference. Big changes are probably needed in the midfield and I expect to see them. (I'd love to be able to keep Vuckic, but he's not here this season with a view to settling down in the SPFL Championship.)
Up front we'll be light on numbers but being heavy on numbers hasn't helped produce goals this season. Keep Clark, give him a run up front and see if he can score the goals for us. Give Gallagher a chance to build on what he achieved last season. There are 1 or 2 promising youngsters in the youth ranks but what I think we need is something Hearts have done well, and that's bringing in unknown players from more technical leagues who know how to kick a ball in the direction of the net. Unfortunately this is the sort of thing where not having a scouting system is really xxxx us over, and I don't know if we'll get anyone like that in for a while.
So that's where I see us. Anyone else got some thoughts on what our squad should look like next season? Ins and outs and what we need most? ('replace them all' is cheating).