SUFC: The Future Next season

[Chairman Trigg]

Have we actually dominated any games this this season or won them comfortably.
Think we are far away from being in a Barnet position .
Does the current business model financially allow the type of signings needed, otherwise a much longer stint in this awful league is likely.

 

[Firestorm]

I love the optimism on here .

However we are still losing 2.5M a year and still a non league club , which is hardly conducive to retaining players should any offers come in . If fees are offered for KAF, Leon , or anyone else for that matter, I cant see them being turned down for long (and if they are from EFL clubs it wouldn't be in the interest of getting the best from the players if we made them stay) I expect offers for Taylor , Coker and Gus , maybe not much of a fee , but better pay for the player (and possibly Noor too) .

Goodfliffe going back , The Goalkeeping situation , the need for regular goalscorers , Aging players, etc , I can envisage a wholesale rebuild required before August which, to be competitive, may be beyond the COSU budget.

Then there is KM , his (and Benno and Currie) stock is high at the moment , Someone , somewhere may well spot a time to make a move , offer a half decent transfer budget , better wages and a bigger stage ......

Its going to be a really tricky summer for Cosu to balance all of this

 

[Napster]

I think future prospects will see the 30k fans that turned up and think I want a piece of this.

 

[SeldomSeenShrimper]

COSU need to come out and tell the fans the expectations on and off the pitch for next season.

I know some fans won't like it and it could initially hurt season ticket sales, but I can't be asked for another season of asking for the coaches to be sacked.

We are not currently in a position to win this league.

This season was a slight overachiever... there is still so much needing to be done off of the pitch that will require the budgets to prioritised

 

[Holy Joe]

There is plenty of money on that board with the likes of Taylor/American tech wiz kid so I think now is the time to put their money where their mouths are.

I'm not sure that's what COSU are about. Personally I'm fine with that, I'd rather not gamble the future of the club on attempting to get the one automatic promotion spot

 

[Holy Joe]

I think future prospects will see the 30k fans that turned up and think I want a piece of this.

I suspect they'll want to see the wage package first and foremost.

CLUB "here ours our offer x per week"
Player "but FGR are offering me 2x, surely with 30k fans you can offer more than that?"

 

[Booma]

This season was a slight overachiever... there is still so much needing to be done off of the pitch that will require the budgets to prioritised

I agree with everything apart from this last bit, we would have been in the play offs last season without the points deduction. This season we made the playoffs again. We’re a top seven side, but we need to recruit well to be a top three team

 

[Bazza the dog]

I'm not sure that's what COSU are about. Personally I'm fine with that, I'd rather not gamble the future of the club on attempting to get the one automatic promotion spot

Spending the bonus money that was not factored into the profit/loss on a few players is hardly gambling with our future is it?.

What is gambling with our future is staying in this poxy national league, buying players on the cheap and then flogging them for 100k to competitor and having to re build yet again.

 

[Liam AAS]

Not sure why everyone thinks we need a GK. Collin is still very young and should go straight back into the starting XI when he can get fit.

Definitely need to look at a LWB, CB & 2x CF. All of sufficient quality to be starters when fit.

New training ground is operational; bills paid, agents ready to work with the club in good faith again; relationships between club & fans being built.

FGR, York and Carlisle are really going to give it a go next year and you'd imagine Rochdale will fancy their chances too. NL always throws up a surprise so Sutton or Yeovil or even Boston given their improvement under Coughlan could see themselves in a playoff position after Christmas.

It will be a long year and the shadow of The Martins still hang over the club as COSU try to complete the purchase of Roots Hall from Jack. But this summer, even though we didn't go up, we can just have a break and then get back to enjoying the football again.

 

[leeblue]

I love the optimism on here .

However we are still losing 2.5M a year and still a non league club , which is hardly conducive to retaining players should any offers come in . If fees are offered for KAF, Leon , or anyone else for that matter, I cant see them being turned down for long (and if they are from EFL clubs it wouldn't be in the interest of getting the best from the players if we made them stay) I expect offers for Taylor , Coker and Gus , maybe not much of a fee , but better pay for the player (and possibly Noor too) .

Goodfliffe going back , The Goalkeeping situation , the need for regular goalscorers , Aging players, etc , I can envisage a wholesale rebuild required before August which, to be competitive, may be beyond the COSU budget.

Then there is KM , his (and Benno and Currie) stock is high at the moment , Someone , somewhere may well spot a time to make a move , offer a half decent transfer budget , better wages and a bigger stage ......

Its going to be a really tricky summer for Cosu to balance all of this

A lot of my wishes for the team building this off season absolutely reliant on budget levels.

 

[sufc4life21]

Looking at our squad we probably need 5/6 new signings...... 2 centre half's, attack minded central midfielder, left wing back or winger depending which formation we intend to play, striker who got the potential to score 20 plus goals. We need 80% of our business done early so we aren't playing catch up come August. To get out of this league we have to hit the ground running and not being in a position come end of October where we might be 12 plus points of top and our season is reliant on finishing in the play-offs and we all know that's heart breaking experience. My fear is COSU will show lack of ambition in the transfer market which won't give players and fans alike much confidence going into the season. I'm all the club to be run sustainable way but I also want progression that means recruiting well during the summer so we are competitive near the top end of this league.

 

[SeldomSeenShrimper]

I agree with everything apart from this last bit, we would have been in the play offs last season without the points deduction. This season we made the playoffs again. We’re a top seven side, but we need to recruit well to be a top three team

Last season was also an overachievement

We are certainly a top 7 club based on league positions... But the budget we have doesn't match that to be a given.

The coaches and the players need all the credit for us even making the playoffs, let alone the final.

But next season won't see us spend more and push for a top 3 ... Infact we will probably have to spend less ... Play offs next season will be better another massive achievement for us and I feel so sorry for Maher. He's going to be damned either way next season

 

[hlane17]

Joseph Oluwa has turned down a deal with Rovers, moved back to Peckham to be involved with his church. He is a quality CB, dominates his area and has pace. He is on a free, from what I understand money and league are unimportant to him. He would be a big coup for Southend. I hope the right people at the club know of his availability.

Simply has to be on our list

 

[gatecrasher]

We have some very good players at this level - Collin if he can stay fit is fine, some back up will be good as Hayes is a lemon. Gus, Ralph, Taylor - Wind is a solid option. Bridge, Gubbins, Crowther can all float off - yesterday made my mind up on Goodliffe, he runs like the tin man and is too clumbsy despite what he brings in the opposition box - don't want him.

Midfield - Appiah Forson, Parillon need to have someone who has played in the leagues above who can dictate play - Husin and Cav are not that player. Morton is fine as a squad player

Forwards - Kendall is the only one I would keep, understand we will still be lumbered with Hopper & Walker - both have been truly awful signings. Bye Bonne

So, another keeper, two centre backs, two centre mids and at least one forward

 

[Holy Joe]

Spending the bonus money that was not factored into the profit/loss on a few players is hardly gambling with our future is it?.

What is gambling with our future is staying in this poxy national league, buying players on the cheap and then flogging them for 100k to competitor and having to re build yet again.

That's not what you said - you implied for the richer members of COSU to put more cash in.

The play off money is already in SUFC. I don't know, but I suspect COSU will put at least a portion of it into the playing budget. I think someone mentioned playoffs were worth around £500k (not sure where that figure came from) - to put that into perspective that's probably not even the equivalent of Harry Caldwell for 2 seasons after you factor in employer costs (I think the rumour was £4k per week salary).

 

[gatecrasher]

We have some very good players at this level - Collin if he can stay fit is fine, some back up will be good as Hayes is a lemon. Gus, Ralph, Taylor - Wind is a solid option. Bridge, Gubbins, Crowther can all float off - yesterday made my mind up on Goodliffe, he runs like the tin man and is too clumbsy despite what he brings in the opposition box - don't want him.

Midfield - Appiah Forson, Parillon need to have someone who has played in the leagues above who can dictate play - Husin and Cav are not that player. Morton is fine as a squad player

Forwards - Kendall is the only one I would keep, understand we will still be lumbered with Hopper & Walker - both have been truly awful signings. Bye Bonne

So, another keeper, two centre backs, two centre mids and at least one forward preferably in the mould of Bim a strong mobile forward

We all know Carlisle, FGR, York will throw big money at getting out of this league, a luxury we do not have, but what gives me confidence is a lot of teams like Harrogate, Barrow, Sutton & bromley have all got out of this hell hole with pennies - it can be done

 

[Guybrush13]

I see Regan Liney has already joined Carlisle. They're not messing about.

 

[londonblue]

We need

A solid goalie. Hayes to depart. Colin as back up
A younger faster smarter central defender or 2 eg Golding
Back up for Ralph / Taylor if current squad members don't stay ie crowther gubbins
1-2 left wingers aka Gus style
1-2 central mid / attack mid
3 forwards - 2 big guys and a pacy skillful striker

Ie almost a like for like remove and add / improve

Ideal world :

To go 12
Bridge
Goodlife
Hayes
Miley
Coker
Hopper
Kendall
Bonne
Crowther
Gubbins
Wood
Waldron

Keep 9
Colin
Taylor
Ralph
Husin
Gus
Wind
Parillion
Morton
Appiah forson

And keep kids

We have a squad that, by some miracle, got us not just into the playoffs, but to the play off final, and you want to effectively dismantle that and start again? (They did that on the strength of the 2nd half of the season, not the first half.) That's not to say change isn't needed, but surely the better approach would be incremental change for continuity's sake? I think some players will leave, or be told their contracts won't be renewed, but in my opinion wholesale change will be taking 2 steps back.

 

[londonblue]

At a minimum a top class CB and CF. If the goal is to win the league we’re at least a Fondop/Pearce level striker and Lopata level CB away, and probably a bit more.

Top 3 feels a more realistic aim but that puts us back to where we were today at best. Realistically think we’ve got another few seasons at this level at this rate.

I think we’re sorted in CM unless someone comes along who can really improve us, would like a LWB to compete with Bridge with LCP moving inside.

I’d be ok with Goodliffe if he’s cheap as a backup.

Out of interest, what do you mean by "top class"? My idea of top class would be a PL player and I can't see any of them dropping down to NL however much we can afford to pay them! Do I assume you mean top class for the level we're at, which would be a player that could play at the top of League 2/ bottom of League 1?

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

York have signed Ollie Banks from Chesterfield, v good signing. Oldham had that bit of experience with Pett and Evans in the middle.
We seemed to want to pass the ball into the net. None of the midfield feel comfortable around the box. Hopefully kev can see this- the signings of Leon and KAF have helped but still a way off.