Disappointing way to sign off. The key metric as so often is how many of the passes we made were to players in space and already moving as opposed to little short tip-tap balls to players standing still or lofted punts forward that almost inevitably were won by an opponent. We need to learn to get the ball on the ground and play forward passes to players who don't have to stand there waiting for it to arrive.
Are we going to do that with Hecky in charge? I don't know but we aren't going to do it without half-a-dozen or so new, younger, fitter, faster players than we have now. So no point at all even considering hanging on to any of the soon to be out-of-contract players Brady, Lewis, Potts if he hasn't signed a new deal. The same is the case for Lindsay though he has played well in his last few matches and I think we have to be realistic Hughes who is simply not going to get any faster. Thompson and Smith have been stopgaps with neither anywhere near what is required for a team that wants to challenge for promotion. Keane has effectively been gone for half the season. Personally I just don't see that Whiteman justifies being captain - he is a supporting player at best not a leader - and maybe it is time for him to move on as well.
So a core of continuity for next season might be Iversen, Offiah, Storey, Gibson, Valentin, Vukcevic - who has been very good lately, Small, McCann, Moran and Osmajic. Of the loanees this season it would, of course, be great to sign Devine and I think Jebbison would be a worthwhile investment. If as rumoured Armstrong could come back for another loan spell that would be superb. As for Dobbin well if Mr Zedan does take over he surely cannot be unaware of what he can bring to the team.
That would leave us needing at the least an agile left-sided defender, a ball-winning central midfielder and a targetman striker. But if next season is to marl a new era then some ruthless pruning of the squad is needed right now.
