Negotiations with new players will be easier this summer.
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gus on talk sport now
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TrueFan
New member
I think Dicker has more of a chance of being kept than Bridcutt does, because The Championship is more physical. Personally i'd keep both 
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Perkino
Well-known member
- Dec 11, 2009
- 6,053
Some interesting comments and I'd have to agree with most of them:
El-Abd has the spot at the moment and has formed a solid partnership with Greer, but in the Championship against strikers who can headthe ball he may come unstuck. Greer and Elphick are our 2 best centre backs but El-Abd has the shirt and shoul keep it until he is making errors that get punished
Dicker is our best passer of the ball and I'd be shocked/horrified if we didn't offer him another contract
El-Abd has the spot at the moment and has formed a solid partnership with Greer, but in the Championship against strikers who can headthe ball he may come unstuck. Greer and Elphick are our 2 best centre backs but El-Abd has the shirt and shoul keep it until he is making errors that get punished
Dicker is our best passer of the ball and I'd be shocked/horrified if we didn't offer him another contract
kevtherev
Well-known member
The centre backs have been out standing this season. Greer the ball player and El Abd the more old fashioned stopper. Out of the two Greer looks very comfortable on the ball, but he does seem to sometimes get caught napping and only the lack of quality at this level lets him get away with it, more often than not. He has never played at a higher lever and out of the two, I think he is the one that may struggle. El Abd will carry on just doing his physical stuff and I think he will cope, he plays a very different game than Greer..As for Dicker, I cant see him pulling the strings in midfield next season if we are in the championship. Bloom may like a gamble but I suspect Poyet does not, as far as football is conserned. I can see a top draw midfeilder coming in to pull the midfield strings and help develop Caskey, who will have a bigger role next season. This will not be Dicker, if he does get a new deal he will be a squad player at best. Make no mistake about it, mid table safety will not be Poyets target next season and as such, mid table players will not be the ones he is looking to keep if their contracts have expired.
Is it okay to point out, that we are not actually IN the Championship yet
Really? He played at BLACKBURN, and in the SPL.
Wikipedia tells me he scored against Barcelona. What a man.
Is it okay to point out, that we are not actually IN the Championship yet
Yes we need reminding of this regularly!
kevtherev
Well-known member
Sorry, how could anyone forget his 1 game for Blackburn over 8 seasons ago. As for the playing for the mighty Kilmarnock in the SPL i'd say thats about the same level as where we are at, at the moment or worse.
kevtherev
Well-known member
Is it okay to point out, that we are not actually IN the Championship yet
This is true and the very reason new contracts are not being dished out yet....But we will be, no doubt about it!
It must be odd for players who at the moment are heading towards the Championship but are also concerned that once there they become surplus to requirements, basically promoting themselves out of a job. Celebrating one day, out the next, very much a double edged sword.
Part of me isn't convinced Battipiedi won't get another shot. I know he was largely slaughtered for his performance v Stoke, but there must have been a reason Gus brought him over. Did he really expect him to do whatever he was doing before the moment he stepped into the team? Surely Gus would have an appreciation for the fact that a lot of the time, a new foreign import's first season in the english league is a write off? As mentioned on some of the batti-bashing threads this weekend, he is young, in a foreign country, has played a total of 5.5 games (just under 500 minutes total game time over 6 months).
Though, as was also pointed out on those threads, he only played on saturday because so many players were out. Will he be higher up the pecking order when he acclimatises, or has gus decided Batti won't work out with us? I honestly wouldn't be surprised either way.
Though, as was also pointed out on those threads, he only played on saturday because so many players were out. Will he be higher up the pecking order when he acclimatises, or has gus decided Batti won't work out with us? I honestly wouldn't be surprised either way.
I'm sure the more optimistic view would be that they are showing other championship sides that they can perform so much better than league one, so may find another championship team to take a punt on them, or at the very least adding the experience of a promotion/title win to their CV, thus bumping up their price, and getting the chance at one of the promotion favourites for next year, hopefully getting locked in to more than one year contract, with this year's experience giving them the confidence that they can do it again.
I certainly agree with the sentiment but whilst many on the list will go and have not featured to any great degree anyway, its that many on this thread are questioning what have been main stay players of the current campaign.
For what its worth I believe Dicker, Murray Navarro will comfortably fit into a Championship team along with perhaps El Abd, some of the youngsters will be given short extensions but the others will be gone.
Skint Gull
New member
Did you forget Bridcutt or are you suggesting he is not going to be offered a deal?
So small I missed him, suddenly felt a tugging at my socks and yes he would be an asset.
BensGrandad
New member
I would suggest that Murray and Bridcutt are the most likely to get offered new contracts, possibly Dicker and El Abd but not sure if they will make it also not convinced Navarro will ciome back so will have to wait and see. What I do like is the fact that Gus has said about keeping 4 so all players out of contract at the end of the season will be playing for their life to gain a new contract. He has given no indication whatsoever as to who are at the forefront of his thoughts as yet.
Greer is 30 and El-Abd is 26. Given El-Abd's improvement in the last year, imagine how good he'd be when he's 30!
Murray will definately get a new offer as will El-Abd in my opinion. Bridcutt should, as should Dicker and possibly Navarro. Mind you, Sandaza actually looked properly fit (as in healthy) for the first time on tuesday and really impressed so maybe he's in with a chance!
This is, of course, dependant on them actually accepting the new offer and Murray not going to Man Utd to replace Berbatov...
Murray will definately get a new offer as will El-Abd in my opinion. Bridcutt should, as should Dicker and possibly Navarro. Mind you, Sandaza actually looked properly fit (as in healthy) for the first time on tuesday and really impressed so maybe he's in with a chance!
This is, of course, dependant on them actually accepting the new offer and Murray not going to Man Utd to replace Berbatov...
Thinking about Gus' comment this morning, I reckon it's little more than hyperbole and that he has plucked the figure of 4 renewals out of 10 out of thin air. I don't think any of our 4 centre backs are going to struggle, and the same goes for the midfielders who are up for renewal. We put in semi-first choice teams against Watford and Pompey and looked far too good for both of them.
I think he may sign 6 more players in key positions (full back, striker, one or two midfielders) and only let go 2 or 3. It will depend on his budget, which in turn will depend on how many STHs we have at the start of the season.
I think he may sign 6 more players in key positions (full back, striker, one or two midfielders) and only let go 2 or 3. It will depend on his budget, which in turn will depend on how many STHs we have at the start of the season.
I'm prepared to bet £100 with anyone here, who is DIM enough to think El Abd will NOT be offered a new deal. Any takers?