Agree it would also exonerate all those that don’t come to Deepdale by proving them correct. I don’t think it will happen though.
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Agree it would also exonerate all those that don’t come to Deepdale by proving them correct. I don’t think it will happen though.
I think Cunningham will leave in the summer, Warnock seems a big fan.
As for DJ, I don't think we will match what he wants but might keep him till January until we find a replacement.
End of the day, established Championship players can rightly ask for £15k+ a week but we won't pay it due to our small crowds.
As for DJ, I don't think we will match what he wants but might keep him till January until we find a replacement.
End of the day, established Championship players can rightly ask for £15k+ a week but we won't pay it due to our small crowds.
Can definitely see him ending up at Bristol City.
Not only was i told this last month but i also thought it was a possibility with the way he's become a squad player and not a starter anymore. Quality player imo but if he's chasing the money fuck him off, we can't afford it. Not sure he's worth 15k a week. Has lots of ability but pretty lazy for me.
Interesting that after just a couple of months in and out of the side, Johnson, presumably by people who don’t like him anyway, is now being labelled as a squad player. Look how many games he’s played under Neil, and for PNE in general. Squad players are the likes of Spurr and Harrop.
Given that it’s taking us 12-18 months just to replace John Welsh as a midfield option, I’d refuse to sell Johnson until we’ve replaced him, if we do have to sell.
We also have to remember that if we sold Cunningham and Johnson, they’d probably be replaced (eventually) by new players bought for a lot less than we’ve sold those two for, with little or no Championship experience, whereas Cunningham and Johnson have a lot. We have to think about our promotion ambitions as well as profit from transfers.
Given that it’s taking us 12-18 months just to replace John Welsh as a midfield option, I’d refuse to sell Johnson until we’ve replaced him, if we do have to sell.
We also have to remember that if we sold Cunningham and Johnson, they’d probably be replaced (eventually) by new players bought for a lot less than we’ve sold those two for, with little or no Championship experience, whereas Cunningham and Johnson have a lot. We have to think about our promotion ambitions as well as profit from transfers.
15k a week is probably the going rate for decent championship players now. There’ll be a lot worse players than DJ earning a lot more than that.
Well for one i never said i didn't like him. DJ has been immense for PNE. But a player who spends more time on the Bench is not a starter he's more of a squad player is he not? Are Subs not squad players if they spend most of their time on the Bench? DJ certainly has spent alot of time on the Bench this season, well since Xmas anyway.
Yes noted you said he was quality, not aimed at you in that case.
He's been here almost 3 and a half years and played a lot of games. A couple of months in and out of the side (still trusted by Neil to start against top sides like Wolves and Fulham lately) does not make him suddenly some sort of disposable squad player.
He's played 31 times out of 40 this season, starting 23 and always being in the squad when available - https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/dan...aten/spieler/169092/saison/2017/plus/1#gesamt
The manager also speaks very highly of him - https://www.lep.co.uk/sport/footbal...boss-wants-to-add-grit-to-dj-s-game-1-9055272
I think he may be one of those players who people will realise is missed if/when he leaves. He does need to become more consistent and add a proper goal thread to his game again (although he is played quite deep), but ultimately his replacement (if we even managed to get one) would just try to do the same things, pass the ball forwards and try things, and probably be slated for giving it away sometimes when trying things and not sliding around like a Welsh type midfielder.
Also, as others have said, it would be very bad to lose him with Gallagher ageing and out of contract too. Not ideal having to basically revamp the whole midfield in one go. As for Cunningham, Earl is nowhere near his level yet and he basically is indispensable to us in terms of his quality of defending and also his leadership qualities. Obviously we did get him on a free but I think it would be very hard to replace him with someone of a similar standard within budget. This is the problem with selling our best players, we can only afford punts to replace them unfortunately, even we replace are brought into the club anyway.
If we let DJ go and Welsh and Gallagher go we will need 3 new midfielders and we seem to struggle to get one. We need to be very careful with this one.
We would need two because Welsh has played so infrequently since the beginning of last season that there is in effect next to nothing to replace. That is great shame because Welsh has been a great servant of the club but come the end of this season the blunt truth is that he will have stayed two seasons too long. We presumably will try again for Ledson though even if we got him then if those other three left we would certainly need one other central midfielder ideally someone with enough experience to give is what Gallagher did a couple of seasons back - a sort of slightly younger older player.
I'm fine with us selling players at the right price as long as we're following the Burnley model and have replacements in the squad as Maguire was to Hugill, leaving us only to sign the next player on the production line. Earl could be this to Cunningham but isn't yet and needs another couple of seasons being used occasionally before he reaches a level where he could play week in week out in my opinion.
Although I like Johnson as a player I think he is replacable, however if Gallagher leaves he must stay. Harrop could replace him as first attacking midfield sub but losing our first 2 choices for ball playing midfielder would be too big a risk given the unavoidable hit and miss nature of bringing in youngsters and players from the lower leagues or Scotland.
I do however think there may be more significant movement in this summer's window than we expect. AN has talked of changing the way we play and may want to swap a few of our players who are more suited to a counter attacking style for some of similar quality but a higher suitability to his preferred possession based, technical style of play.
Although I like Johnson as a player I think he is replacable, however if Gallagher leaves he must stay. Harrop could replace him as first attacking midfield sub but losing our first 2 choices for ball playing midfielder would be too big a risk given the unavoidable hit and miss nature of bringing in youngsters and players from the lower leagues or Scotland.
I do however think there may be more significant movement in this summer's window than we expect. AN has talked of changing the way we play and may want to swap a few of our players who are more suited to a counter attacking style for some of similar quality but a higher suitability to his preferred possession based, technical style of play.
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The one we’ve needed for the last 2 years was to replace Welsh. We sort of tried with signing Grimshaw. So we need that player. And would need to replace Gallagher and DJ.
So it would be 3.
Ledson is an aggressive type like Welsh, although far superior technically, so surely he would be replacing him in the squad, but would obviously be much more prominent (which is what we need, just because Welsh hasn't been available much doesn't mean he doesn't need to be replaced, we need another option available much more regularly than he has been).
Then Johnson and Gallagher would both need replacing, both offer different qualities.
So I also think it will be 3, which like myself and others have said, is not ideal when we've struggled to bring in just 1 midfielder for so long.
Arguably we already have the replacement for Johnson in the form of Harrop.
They aren't actually that similar at all imho. Neil plays Johnson in a deeper role than Harrop.
We're aiming to mount a promotion push, we shouldn't be looking to go down on numbers in a key area like midfield, simple as that. Going from having Johnson and Harrop to just Harrop (with hardly any professional experience) is weakening the squad in terms of numbers and quality.
I do think Earl and Harrop are good prospects, but selling experienced first teamers with a lot of games under their belts, and just promoting them as you suggest rather than properly replacing them won't see us achieving anything imho.
Wouldn't be surprised if both Josh's left in the summer to bigger clubs. Both are extremely talented. Pretty sure Everton were looking at Earl in January and Harrop won't be short of a bid or two if he decides he won't get a game under neil, he's got man u pedigree and is one of the most dangerous passers in the league if your into statistics.
Josh Harrop has done nothing to show he deserves a regular starting spot here, never mind at a bigger club than us.
Watched Oxfords game against Pompey and Ledson looked a class act. Breaks up play, comfortable receiving ball under pressure. Obviously well schooled at Everton. His teammates were not on the same wavelength a lot of the time so there is a lot more to come from him at a higher level.
Hopefully we can get this done in the summer.
Hopefully we can get this done in the summer.