Rival Son

Really? I’ve yet to see Randall’s ability. Guy can’t seem to kick a ball with any pace. That isn’t physical, it’s technique.

The point I’m making is that some, such as Cogley and Tutu, are lauded for the physical prowess but are actually distinctly average footballers. Santos is a better example, great physically but a bloody awful footballer who relied on his physical attributes to get him out of the shit.

They are from Llansantffraid, a small village in mid Wales but only 3-4 miles from Oswestry in Shropshire. They played in Llansantffraid and reached the Welsh Premier League, under the village name, with the backing of the local boy who founded Total Network Solutions. They only moved to Oswestry when Oswestry Town were liquidated and they needed a bigger ground, due to their success.

While I agree on the role of physical attributes in the modern game, they never trump footballing ability. Look at 39 year old Messi at the World Cup. The footballing ability is neglected too much, in my opinion.

Another who puts physical and athletic attributes above technical ability. Tutu was very average League One, while Cogley is League Two. The pair of them would have been dreadful in the Championship.

People are saying, for example, Clough generated £3 million. Not just that, he was also a valuable player for a couple of seasons, which saved us bringing other players in.

And nobody is counting the savings when these graduates play for the first team. It’s not just about transfer fees.

Anyone who doesn’t count towards squad limits should be retained and play in the U21s, in case required. This definitely includes Inwood and Ritchie.

International clearance? Missed the earlier post from @Lt. Aldo Raine

Others have mentioned the Arena. I recall we had a big stake (25%?) in that, when it was constructed. We also owned the waste land between the athletics track and the police station, which was used as an overflow car park in Premier League days. With all the upheaval in the late 2010s, I don’t know if we still own all this. I’m hoping Michael James’ purchase included this. if we do, the wider Arena, athletics stadium and, especially, that waste land would be ripe for development that would facilitate 365 days use. We’re not necessarily just talking about more use of the pitch and stadium.

Given the (rumoured) money the “Swiss” have put in, you’d have to pay more than £2 million for 10%. Think the government loan of £5 million, is less than 10%. Our value hasn’t gone down.

Remember JDC. Fit as a fiddle and a big engine, but a very ordinary footballer, IMO. Might be repeating myself here, but it’s better to identify footballers and train the athleticism, rather than identify athletes and try to coach the football. Too much of the latter in today’s football.

Lots of talk about (lack of) wingers, but no mention of Dong. No idea if he’ll be up to it, but he is a new signing from overseas and his highlights reel suggests he’s comfortable on either wing.

And by the same token, we can’t be writing people off. With a robust U21 programme now, let’s retain our better young talent. You never know when we might need them.

I can’t see Ritchie going out on loan. A good chance he’ll be our breakout player of the season.