The future`s certainly super white, but is it really bright? With a number of first team players out of contract this summer, is simple tinkering all that is needed, or do the rovers need a complete re-build? This article will be the first in a series tackling the many important questions currently at the forefront of most rovers` fans minds. Today the issue being tackled will be the players whose contracts are coming to an end. It will aim to sum up their influence on the squad, how it can be replaced, or if they should be kept.
Adios
Robbie Stockdale – Perhaps the most influential player who will be departing. For the whole of the season, only Paul McLaren played more minutes for the rovers. An ever dependable right back, who looked comfortable 99% of the time. Possibly the best tackler in the squad, with good tracking back skills. However, as well as being an asset, being dependable may also be his downfall. When going forward, he adds very little to an attack. He does not enjoy going on the overlap, and will always look for an easy option when in possession of the ball. However at this level, you have to argue that it may be difficult to find a complete full back. Robbie added a lot of assurance at the back, and one would hope that Ronnie Moore did everything in his power to keep hold of him, especially considering the lack of back up available to him for next season.
Should he have gone? NO
John Mullin – The release of John was an expected decision, with little time spent on the pitch, whether it being down to his fitness, or just that he was down the pecking order. Despite a good first season with the club, many fans won`t be shedding a tear over his departure, after a second season with little to show. Being one of the rovers top earners, most Tranmere fans will welcome this decision, and hope that a better replacement is brought in, who may provide more of a challenge to the current central midfield pairing.
Should he have gone? YES
Mike Jones – Mike Jones is a player who is frequently mentioned amongst fans as a “prospect”. He has been put in this category for two years now and perhaps, he should have shown more in the here and now. However, is he to blame for this? With Ronnie giving little chance to youngsters this season, he had little chance to shine. On the occasions he was given a chance he seemed to do okay, with a sterling performance against Hereford, which arguably turned the first leg, and a goal against Oldham. However he also put in some pretty normal performances. Personally, i would have given the lad another year, a year with real chance. However, if the small amount of wages saved is enough to help fund a better player, then arguably this is the right decision. The jury is out on Jones, and many Rover fans seem to be of the same mind. We`ll see where he is in a year or two.
Should he have gone? UNSURE
Michael Johnstone – Surely one of the best prospects at Tranmere. A brilliant season on loan with Bangor, sealing them a place in Europe through the welsh cup as well as bagging two personal awards. As if winning club player of the season wasn`t enough, he then went on to win the best player in Wales award as well. A great achievement considering his age and the un-glamorous position in which he plays. What more could you expect from a player when you send him out on loan? The decision to release him seems a strange one, with Michael being of such talent and so young and presumably barely nibbling at the wage budget. Let`s hope this decision doesn`t come back to haunt us.
Should he have gone? NO
Going, Going…… Gone?
Steve Davies – With the news of his apparent failure to sign a new contract this week, one can on presume that he is on his way out. With Leeds strongly linked to him and more recently Charlton, surely he`ll be on his way as under no circumstances could we compete with those two clubs when it comes to money. Despite very little time spent on the pitch last year due to injury, when he did play, he showed his class. None more so that when he curled a beautiful free kick into the top corner against Yeovil in the sixth minute of time added on. When his age is taken into account as well, we can only hope that Ronnie has done everything possible to hold onto him.
Should he go? NO
Steven Jennings – The strong tenacious midfielder is in the same boat as Steve Davies when it comes to signing a new contract. When the news broke last week about his non-signing of a new contract many Tranmere fans hearts will have sank. Still in his early twenties, and a seasoned member of the first team, he could be a real asset for us over the next few years. Many believe him to be of championship quality, and this may play a big part in whether he stays or goes. Will not starting the final game of the season affect his decision? If he signs a new contract, then he will be one of the players around which the squad will be built.
Should He GO? NO
Will He, Won`t He
Paul McLaren – No news yet on the signing of Paul McLaren despite his contract being up in a months time. His partnership with Jenno at the heart of the team should be kept in mind when deciding on his future. A quality player, no doubt about it, but does he have the temperament to get Tranmere out of this league. Many a time, he seems to drift in and out of games, before finally turning it on shortly after the hour mark. The passing triangles he creates are a joy to watch and one can only hope that if he signs a new contract he can play for 90 minutes, not just the final third. Whether or not he signs a new contract should depend on the wages he is currently commanding and who could replace him. He is certainly an asset, but do we need better if we are to succeed at this level.
Should he go? UNSURE
Shane Sherriff – Shane is certainly a jack of all trades, but has he actually mastered a position. If not then signing a new contract should hinge on his happiness about sitting on the bench. Naturally he is a defender, but with Taylor looking so strong at LB, and Goodison commanding one CB position, the only place up for grabs is the second CB role. Is he better than Chorley, will Kay play in midfield? The answers to these questions are debatable and however they are answered should depend on whether he stays or not. I`d certainly have him as a bench player, but not sure about him in a starting berth, despite having an impressive cross on him. So, again, it all boils down to the wages he is demanding.
Should he go? UNSURE
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Seem unsure on one or two Banana Army, but you have to look around and see if there are better players to be had before players are discarded, and players out of contract are not going to sit around waiting to see if better comes in. They will move on to ensure or try to ensure first team football.
I see where you are coming from Dean, but, when Ronnie first came, would Paul McLaren have crossed your mind as a central midfielder? Chris Shuker? Gareth Taylor? Kevin Ellison? IMOI think that all these players were o.k and based on this I dont doubt that Ronnie can better those who have been released and I am also nsure about Serriff (because of his vesatility), McLaren (we need a wise and controlled head in the middle andhis assists are valuable).
Have you seen the list of players released as it stood this morning, it is frightening.
ACCRINGTON STANLEY
Jay Harris, Graham Branch, Lee McEvilly, Mark King, David Brown, Leighton McGivern, Mark Roberts, Sean Webb, Shaun Whalley
David Mannix.
ALDERSHOT TOWN
Rob Gier, Dean Smith, Ryan Scott, Ryan Williams.
BARNET
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Guiliano Grazioli, Sagi Burton.
BARNSLEY
Rohan Ricketts.
BLACKPOOL
Keigan Parker, Michael Jackson, John Hills, Paul Tierney, Phil Doughty, Andy Welsh, Marcus Bean, Lewis Edge, Michael Flynn, Matt Lawyor, Phil Marsh.
BRADFORD CITY
Eddie Johnson, Darren Williams, Paul Evans, Donovan Ricketts, Ben Saynor, Jamie Waite, Tom Penford, Craig Bentham, Scott Phelan, Alex Rhodes, Luke Morgan, David Brown, Damian Hopkins.
BRENTFORD
Simon Brown, Charlie Ide, Craig Pead.
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
Kerry Mayo, Gary Hart, Guy Butters, Sam Rents, David Martot, Shane McFaul, Paul Reid, Sonny Cobbs, Chris Winterton, Lloyd Skinner.
BOURNEMOUTH
Gareth Stewart, Jo Tessem, Stephen Foley, Neil Young, Russ Perrett.
BURNLEY
John Spicer.
CARLISLE UNITED
Neale McDermott.
CHELTENHAM
Michael Wylde, Sam Foley, Adam Connolly, Craig Reid.
CHESTER CITY
Paul Butler, Tony Dinning.
CHESTERFIELD
Alan O’Hare, Kevin Gray, Josh Law, Kevin Cooper, Jamie Jackson, Adam Smith.
COLCHESTER UNITED
Danny Granville, Aidan Davison, Kevin Watson, Luke Gutteridge, Tom Webb, Tom Devaux, Aidan Davison.
COVENTRY CITY
Arjan de Zeeuw, Michael Hughes, Colin Hawkins, Stuart Giddings, Ellery Cairo, Wayne Andrews, Lee Hildreth, Liam Davis.
CREWE ALEXANDRA:
Eugen Bopp, Matthew Bailey, Ryan Lynch, Junior Brown, Nick Farquharson.
GILLINGHAM
Leroy Griffiths, Barry Cogan, Craig Stone, Kelvin Jack.
GRIMSBY TOWN
Justin Whittle, Ciaran Toner, Nick Fenton.
HARTLEPOOL
Scott Allison, Robbie Elliott, Ali Gibb, Tom Haigh, Michael Rae, Stephen Turnbull.
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN:
Chris Brandon, Frank Sinclair, Matthew Young, Aaron Hardy, Danny Racchi, Lucas Akins, Mitchell Bailey, Luke Malchar.
IPSWICH TOWN
Michael Synott, Andy Plummer, Craig Calver, Curtley Williams.
LEEDS UNITED
Filipe Da Costa.
LEYTON ORIENT
Sam Oji, Wayne Corden, Jabo Ibehre, Efe Echanomi, Raphael Sylvester, Clayton Fortune, Stuart Nelson.
LUTON TOWN
Paul Peschisolido, Don Hutchison, Alan Goodall Free transfers: Marlon Beresford, Darren Currie, Richard Jackson, Paul McVeigh, Steve Robinson.
MANSFIELD TOWN
Danny Reet, Lee Bell, Simon Brown, Jonathan D’Laryea, Matthew Hamshaw, Ian Holmes, Dan Martin and Carl Muggleton.
MILLWALL
Chris Day, Tom Brighton, Mark Phillips, Gavin Grant, Andrew Callaghan, Ross Gaynor, Ryan James, Rhys Evans, Zoom Bakayoko.
MK DONS
Gareth Edds, Matt Carbon, Sam Collins, Kieran Murphy, Drewe Broughton.
MORECAMBE
Simon Grand, Jon Newby, Neil Sorvel, Jamie Burns, Paul Jarvis, Andy Langford, Jamie Davies.
NORTHAMPTON TOWN
Poul Hubertz, Danny May, Brett Johnson, Joe Burnell.
NORWICH CITY
Rossi Jarvis, Ryan Jarvis, Matthew Halliday, Juan Velasco, Bally Smart, Patrick Bexfield, Andrew Cave-Brown, Steven Arnold, Darren Huckerby.
NOTTS COUNTY
Jason Lee, Lawrie Dudfield, Lee Canoville, Gary Silk, Andy Parkinson, Matt Somner, Austin McCann, Rob Austin.
OLDHAM ATHLETIC
Michael Pearson, Ashley Kelly.
PETERBOROUGH UNITED
Claude Gnakpa, Danny Crow, Josh Low.
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE
Paul Wotton, Nick Chadwick, Lilian Nallis, Lee Hodges.
PORT VALE
Mark McGregor, Justin Miller, Charlie O’Loughlin, David Mulligan, Joe Cardle, Robin Hulbert, George Pilkington, Adam Eckersley, Craig Rocastle, Colin Miles.
PRESTON NORTH END
Grzegorz Szamotulski.
QPR
Stefan Moore, Sean Thomas, Aaron Goode, Matt Pickens, Stefan Bailey.
ROCHDALE
Lee Crooks, Lloyd Rigby, Ben Wharton, Reece Kelly, Simon Williams, Otis Williams, Tom Farrell.
S’THORPE UNITED
Jim Goodwin, Alex Morfaw, Kevin Horlock.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
Lee Bullen.
SHEFFIELD UNITED
Geoff Horsfield, Paul Gerrard, James Ashmore, Martin Donnelly, Stephen Hernandez, Lloyd Kerry, Dean Oliver.
SHREWSBURY TOWN
Luke Jones, Colin Murdock, Jimmy Ryan, Tom Moss, Andy Cooke.
SWINDON TOWN
Sofiene Zaaboub, Kaid Mohammed, Andy Nicholas, Michael Comminges.
WALSALL
Darren Wrack, Edrissa Sonko, Bertrand Bossu, Tommy Mooney.
WATFORD
Jordan Stewart.
WOLVES
Gary Breen, Keith Lowe, Kevin O’Connor.
WREXHAM
Chris Llewellyn, Neil Roberts, Danny Williams, Mike Carvill, Alex Darlington, Jamie Reed, Mike Jones, Josh Johnson, Mark Jones, Phil Bolland, Jeff Whitley. Transfer listed: Sam Aiston, Richard Hope, Silvio Spann, Michael Proctor, Anthony Williams.
YEOVIL TOWN
Mark Lynch, Anthony Barry, Darryl Knights, Stephen Maher, Wilifred Domoraud, Jerahl Hughes.
Dean, where did you get that list from? Also, why dont you use the forum feature? You would be valued on there judging by your imput on this article.
I am a Lincoln supporter Tomo, but I enjoy keeping abreast of what is going on around the clubs, and do tend to put my twopenneth in if I think it is worthwhile. The list was in our local newspaper.
Any chance of an update? Three weeks is a long time. Is everybody waiting till the last minute to snap players up once they become desperate? There are still a huge number of squad places to fill across the country and comparatively little activity. Is every manager hoping to emulate Graham Turner at Hereford and fill up his squad in the first week of August, rather like an end of season sale?
Shane is certainly a jack of all trades, but has he actually mastered a position. If not then signing a new contract should hinge on his happiness about sitting on the bench. Naturally he is a defender, but with Taylor looking so strong at LB, and Goodison commanding one CB position, the only place up for grabs is the second CB role. Is he better than Chorley, will Kay play in midfield? The answers to these questions are debatable and however they are answered should depend on whether he stays or not. I`d certainly have him as a bench player, but not sure about him in a starting berth, despite having an impressive cross on him. So, again, it all boils down to the wages he is demanding.
Should he go? UNSURE