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squad size
at 12:37 25 Feb 2023

We now have 30 players in our first team squad and I am not convinced that this is a great advantage for the club. Of course it means that we can have a good standard of players on the bench (no more under 18s), and more quality players for the manager to select from, but it could also lead to some discontentment among the players regarding how much game time they get. This must create an additional challenge for the manager that he could do without. Selles himself has said that he would prefer to work with a a squad of 22- 24 players, (as did Ralph I think) so it's curious that we have put together such a large squad when all of them are potential first team players - in fact I think that all of them have at some time started a game.
For example, according to my calculations we currently have 5 centre backs, 6 full backs (inc. AM-N) and at least 6 wide players.
Additionally this squad size is costly in terms of wages, so I presume there will be some leaving the club at the end of the season, and that number will probably depend on what league we are in. Also we have some loanees due to return who would be expecting to figure in the first team squad (e.g. Smallbone, Teller and Stevens)

Overall is this squad size a nice problem to have? - I'm not so sure.

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Loan players returning?
at 11:35 21 May 2021

So what can we expect from our loan players returning to the club and can they provide the sort of squad in depth that we need?

It is not clear that Vokins and Valery have done much at their loan clubs, so I am not sure that we have benefited much from their absence when they could have been back up for our very limited full back positions if they had stayed. However I am not sure they are going to be the sort of quality we need, though we may have to rely on them as back up - Valery was a shoe in first team player a couple of seasons back, so what has happened to him?

Lemina has had a reasonable season at Fulham and at least he showed some spirit when he played for them, which he didn't always show for us, and with our limitations in midfield, I think he could be worth another try. I'm not sure that Ralph likes him though.

I cant see Hoedt returning as he never seemed to fit in, but again we need back up in defence!

Elyounoussi has been a regular at Celtic, though wide midfield is a position we are fairly well covered for - perhaps Celtic will make it a permanent deal, as I cant see him coming back here.

As for Gunn, again he was a first team player not that long ago and was seen as our long term goalkeeper, but has he now slipped down the pecking order? - not sure how he has done away on loan, but he should be challenging FF and Macarthy for the first team place and could help decide who stays and goes - instead we are being linked with a new goalie!

As for Long, not sure what he can add when he returns for another year on his contract - I think he will go out on loan again or move on permanently - sad to see him go but cant see what he could do for us now.

All in all I don't think the loan spells for these players have helped us much at all in increasing the quality of our squad for next year.

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Ronnie

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