Season 20/21

[andrew1957]

heart still sinks every time I see Sone Aluko in that list

At least this is the last time - unless of course he has a brilliant season and we re-sign him.

[Old Man Andrews]

heart still sinks every time I see Sone Aluko in that list

The more players we sell like Holsgrove the closer we are to him being included in squads. It is terrifying.

[Hound]

heart still sinks every time I see Sone Aluko in that list

At least this is the last time - unless of course he has a brilliant season and we re-sign him.

'At least this is the last time' it is then

[andrew1957]

heart still sinks every time I see Sone Aluko in that list

The more players we sell like Holsgrove the closer we are to him being included in squads. It is terrifying.

With a smaller squad I could see Aluko playing quite a bit this season unless someone takes him off our hands in the next month or we do get in quite a few more players.

[Snowflake Royal]

Holsgrove does seem to be the best fit as a back-up Swift. I'm not sure any others have quite the same range of passing, except maybe Olise - but I'm not sure you'd want him in the deeper role. I think we need to bring in another DM anyway, so Holsgrove going isn't too much of an issue as long as that happens.

I suspect there's nothing particularly special about Holsgrove, it's more the drip drip effect and straw that broke the camel's back so to speak.

Like, I'm not fed up solely because of how Bowen was kicked out, but by the cumulative effect of Adkins, McDermott, Clement and Bowen's sackings and Clarke, Stam, Gomes and Paunovic's hiring alongside the financial state, performances, player releases and sale refusals.

I can't muster the energy to be especially upset by one more highly rated promising youngster I've known of for years being cast off for no particularly good reason though, it's trumped by what's gone before

Yet in a named 26 man squad - 11 players are academy graduates outside of Watson, Smith and Holsgrove who are clearly off.

Of those 11 academy players - McIntyre, Holmes, Olise, Rinohmota, Southwood and Richards are likely to be in or around the 18 most weeks with 4 of them likely starters - McIntyre, Olise, Rino and Richards. I would argue that is a pretty decent return at this level, doubt there are many other clubs who can better that.

Thanks to the work of Clement, Gomes and Bowen we do have a good crop in the squad who were given chances and proved themselves.

There was a period though, which also coincided with what was arguably our most successful Academy group, where we got very few Academy graduates in and the ones we did left fairly soon.

The likes of Cooper, Tanner, Kuhl, Tish, Watson, Hyam, Dickie, Stacey, Fosu, Kelly et al were the generations that won the PL youth trophy and iirc made the final of the FA youth cup but around the time they were coming through is about the time the opportunities for academy graduates were drying up.

Like I say, my big issue isn't the same as Rother's, but I suspect I'm not wrong that it's based on cumulative effect.

[Stranded]

Fair enough but my point is if is cumulative, reaching the end when 4/11 first team starting spots are realistically Academy prospects seems a strange time to do it.

[Snowflake Royal]

Fair enough but my point is if is cumulative, reaching the end when 4/11 first team starting spots are realistically Academy prospects seems a strange time to do it.

Well rother is a strange guy.

It's a strange post in general given he declared years ago he'd given up and goes to non league instead.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

I suspect there's nothing particularly special about Holsgrove, it's more the drip drip effect and straw that broke the camel's back so to speak.

Like, I'm not fed up solely because of how Bowen was kicked out, but by the cumulative effect of Adkins, McDermott, Clement and Bowen's sackings and Clarke, Stam, Gomes and Paunovic's hiring alongside the financial state, performances, player releases and sale refusals.

I can't muster the energy to be especially upset by one more highly rated promising youngster I've known of for years being cast off for no particularly good reason though, it's trumped by what's gone before

Yet in a named 26 man squad - 11 players are academy graduates outside of Watson, Smith and Holsgrove who are clearly off.

Of those 11 academy players - McIntyre, Holmes, Olise, Rinohmota, Southwood and Richards are likely to be in or around the 18 most weeks with 4 of them likely starters - McIntyre, Olise, Rino and Richards. I would argue that is a pretty decent return at this level, doubt there are many other clubs who can better that.

Thanks to the work of Clement, Gomes and Bowen we do have a good crop in the squad who were given chances and proved themselves.

There was a period though, which also coincided with what was arguably our most successful Academy group, where we got very few Academy graduates in and the ones we did left fairly soon.

The likes of Cooper, Tanner, Kuhl, Tish, Watson, Hyam, Dickie, Stacey, Fosu, Kelly et al were the generations that won the PL youth trophy and iirc made the final of the FA youth cup but around the time they were coming through is about the time the opportunities for academy graduates were drying up.

Like I say, my big issue isn't the same as Rother's, but I suspect I'm not wrong that it's based on cumulative effect.

How many academy players are in squad announced today then? I'd say at the time on your list only Stacey and Fosu were mistakes to release. We got decent money for Tish and he wanted to go and what's he done since? Should have cashed in on Loader too for that matter when Wolves came in. What's Kuhl done even when he was fit? Cooper maybe but he wasn't the type of player Stam wanted and he won't do anything away from a side like Millwall. Dickie - had loads of cover at the time he was probably 5th choice.

[Snowflake Royal]

Aren't you asking a question that's answered in stranded's post?

[Hound]

Goal for Puscas for Romania

Nice start for him

[Old Man Andrews]

Goal for Puscas for Romania

Nice start for him

If he gets balls played into feet inside the box he scores, simple. We didn't play to his strengths nearly enough last season and he got a fair amount of flack for it. He reminds me a bit of Adam Le Fondre in terms of his ability to be in the right place at the right time and his movement inside the 18 yard box.

[SCIAG]

Celta Vigo is a step up for Holsgrove. After what happened with Loader I don’t think we’d risk rejecting a decent offer (maybe £1m?). He’s great to watch but as others have said, hard to see where he fits in with Swift and Olise around.

[Old Man Andrews]

Celta Vigo is a step up for Holsgrove. After what happened with Loader I don’t think we’d risk rejecting a decent offer (maybe £1m?). He’s great to watch but as others have said, hard to see where he fits in with Swift and Olise around.

He would have fit quite nicely on the bench. We need decent squad players, preferably young ones who can grow and build experience. Holsgrove would have been perfect for that but nobody can begrudge him a move to La Liga.

[Zip]

Goal for Puscas for Romania

Nice start for him

If he gets balls played into feet inside the box he scores, simple. We didn't play to his strengths nearly enough last season and he got a fair amount of flack for it. He reminds me a bit of Adam Le Fondre in terms of his ability to be in the right place at the right time and his movement inside the 18 yard box.

Agreed. He missed a few chances early on in the season but apart from that was feeding off scraps as we created so little in most games.

[Zip]

Celta Vigo is a step up for Holsgrove. After what happened with Loader I don’t think we’d risk rejecting a decent offer (maybe £1m?). He’s great to watch but as others have said, hard to see where he fits in with Swift and Olise around.

Just haven’t seen enough of him to comment but am surprised Celta Vigo are interested.

[Snowflake Royal]

Celta Vigo is a step up for Holsgrove. After what happened with Loader I don’t think we’d risk rejecting a decent offer (maybe £1m?). He’s great to watch but as others have said, hard to see where he fits in with Swift and Olise around.

Just haven’t seen enough of him to comment but am surprised Celta Vigo are interested.

He's very comfortable on the ball and seems to have very good awareness of what's going on around him. Good range of passing.

[Notts Royal]

Celta Vigo is a step up for Holsgrove. After what happened with Loader I don’t think we’d risk rejecting a decent offer (maybe £1m?). He’s great to watch but as others have said, hard to see where he fits in with Swift and Olise around.

Just haven’t seen enough of him to comment but am surprised Celta Vigo are interested.

He's very comfortable on the ball and seems to have very good awareness of what's going on around him. Good range of passing.

The biggest question though is: is he as effective as the mighty Paul Holsgrove?! Remember him popping up with a few big goals for us

[Sutekh]

Just haven’t seen enough of him to comment but am surprised Celta Vigo are interested.

He's very comfortable on the ball and seems to have very good awareness of what's going on around him. Good range of passing.

The biggest question though is: is he as effective as the mighty Paul Holsgrove?! Remember him popping up with a few big goals for us

https://www.royals.org/matdoc/040295.html

[Zip]

Celta Vigo is a step up for Holsgrove. After what happened with Loader I don’t think we’d risk rejecting a decent offer (maybe £1m?). He’s great to watch but as others have said, hard to see where he fits in with Swift and Olise around.

Just haven’t seen enough of him to comment but am surprised Celta Vigo are interested.

He's very comfortable on the ball and seems to have very good awareness of what's going on around him. Good range of passing.

Then it’s a shame if he goes.

[Simon's Church]

I wonder who has made the decision to sell holsgrove. Bowen before he left? Has paunovich seen enough already, or is the owner happy to sell anyone he doesn't see as being a 'name'?