Players Released

[SPARTA]

Ugwu has gone. That one is a WTF.

[Wimb]

Ugwu has gone. That one is a WTF.

Don't agree, he's a player who turns 22 next season but has made little impact during his loan spells away from the club. Sure he's had a fair share of injuries but go and read some Shrewsbury forums to see what they made of him during his loan spell (where he scored 1 goal in 7 games).

I'm sure he's got some ability but is he really going to make an impact at Championship level, especially for a side that still (hopefully) has Premier League aspirations?

Here's what the Shrewsbury boss had to say about his loan spell

One player who has left Shrewsbury is Gozie Ugwu. The manager felt that he had taken some of the fan’s criticisms to heart during the recent home defeat to Tranmere and withdrew the striker at half-time. “He started off ever so well but a perceived lack of effort from the fans affected him. I felt he could have worked harder for the team,” said Turner. “But I couldn’t see myself using him against Preston or here today so he’s returned to Reading. It started off well but didn’t finish so good, though I think he could have a decent career in the game.”
Read more at http://www.shrewsburytown.com/news/arti ... 0iIXtCx.99

Again to me that sounds like a player that needs a sustained run of games and low expectations to thrive, something I doubt he'd be afforded at Reading.

[RoyalBlue]

Ugwu has gone. That one is a WTF.

Have to admit that I only ever saw him in the recent cup game but in that particular game he was distinctly unimpressive and I couldn't really see what all of the fuss had been about him previously.

And one of my impressions was similar to that of the Shrewsbury fans and manager - his workrate for the team could have been better.

[SPARTA]

Maybe so, Wimb, but he was still on the bench recently and thought highly of. I hope this is Adkins decision to let him go and not that we cannot meet the terms the likes of Ugwu, Taylor and Hector will be asking for, otherwise we're in bigger trouble than we thought.

[Ian Royal]

Looked to have good physical attributes but perhaps not quite the mental qualities to apply himself in the match in the right way and make the most of those attributes. In the very little I saw of him.

Disappointed, but at 22 I guess we can't be surprised.

Sparta - Hector and Taylor are still here and we've actively said we're negotiating with them. If we wanted to keep Ugwu we'd still be negotiating and wouldn't have released him.

[Wimb]

Maybe so, Wimb, but he was still on the bench recently and thought highly of. I hope this is Adkins decision to let him go and not that we cannot meet the terms the likes of Ugwu, Taylor and Hector will be asking for, otherwise we're in bigger trouble than we thought.

I prefer to see it as keeping wages and budget room free for players more likely to make the grade and make an impact down the road.

While giving someone like Ugwu £2k a week over 2 years doesn't sound much, you're still talking £200k+ over the contract plus NI contributions and other costs.

We save that money now and maybe we have the room to bring through someone with a bit more promise, even if not this year than next. Sadly when you've got a Cat 1 Academy to run and you're having to cut costs you can't afford to take punts on players that being brutally honest haven't shown themselves to be anywhere near Championship quality several years into a professional career. I'd have perhaps liked to see him given one more year but in these conditions it's a decision I personally understand and back.

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Isn't this the financial meltdown that has been foreseen

The figures pulled together by David Cohn at the Guardian showed that without additional investment, we have a bigger black hole than ever before - the size of which depends on whether this story about mortgaging parachute payments is true or not.

It's not about a player's quality anymore, but about affordability

[akranes]

As said, he's turning 22 and he hasn't really shown that much potential.

Let's not forget Adkins probably knows what he's doing in regards to youth players.

[winchester_royal]

Not surprised. Think Cardwell is already a better player, and Gozie never looked like having the scope to make the significant improvement required.

[SPARTA]

It could also be the same as last summer with Ikpeazu going to Watford - we offered him a contract but he wanted assurances of first-team football and we couldn't give it, so he left (and didn't get it anyway).

[KC Royal]

Ugwu has gone. That one is a WTF.

D'Ath expected to go, not surprised about Arnold either but at this

Had a storming start to the season for the U21s but his season never hit those heights again. Thought he'd do more at Shrewsbury and he was poor in the U21 game against Man Utd. but hoped he'd kick on again next season.

On Ikpeazu, interesting to see how he's got on since leaving last summer (can see why now - because he was behind Ugwu, Tanner and Samuel, but given the injuries/loan spells all 3 have had this season he'd have played more than he realised.) Seems to be progressing better than both Ugwu and Samuel, 4 goals in 15 isn't a bad ratio for Crewe this season and seems to be improving all the time as thought he may struggle at League 1 level, given the gulf between that and U18 football. Looking like one who got away.

[winchester_royal]

Nah, Ugwu won't have offers on the table.

I'm not sure this is the damming indictment on our finances that some think. If anything, we'd have been more likely to keep Ugwu on 2k a week if we were going to have to sell off all our current strikers without bringing in replacements. The fact we've let him go suggests to me that we're either confident of keeping hold of Alf and the like, or of bringing in new strikers better than Ugwu.

The important one to keep is Tish. If he leaves then I will start to worry.

[SCIAG]

Where is this information coming from? I cannot see anything on the official site. Does anyone have a list of ever player released?

The three released so far were all promising a couple of years ago, particularly D'Ath, but we now have younger players who are just as promising. We don't have room in our U21 squad for both Arnold and Keown (unless Keown plays centre back - but we have an abundance of them). Likewise D'Ath and Tshibola, or four of Kelly/Tanner/Samuel/Ugwu(/Cardwell?).

Whilst I am saddened to see these players leave, in some respects I find it heartening - we wouldn't let D'Ath go if we were anticipating selling Guthrie, Williams and Kuhl without replacement. Likewise Ugwu and Le Fondre.

On the other hand, they're only a year younger than Taylor and Hector, and a year ago neither of them were challenging for the first team. Then again, neither of them were out of contract...

I wouldn't be surprised to see all three establish themselves as Football League players and I wish them the best of luck.

[P!ssed Off]

Where is this information coming from? I cannot see anything on the official site. Does anyone have a list of ever player released?

Announcements on twitter from the players themselves.

[Agent Balti]

I prefer to see it as keeping wages and budget room free for players more likely to make the grade and make an impact down the road.

While giving someone like Ugwu £2k a week over 2 years doesn't sound much, you're still talking £200k+ over the contract plus NI contributions and other costs.

We save that money now and maybe we have the room to bring through someone with a bit more promise, even if not this year than next. Sadly when you've got a Cat 1 Academy to run and you're having to cut costs you can't afford to take punts on players that being brutally honest haven't shown themselves to be anywhere near Championship quality several years into a professional career. I'd have perhaps liked to see him given one more year but in these conditions it's a decision I personally understand and back.

Totally agree with that, Wimb. At 22, he should be on the bench, pushing for the first team where we are hardly blessed up front. If he couldn't manage that until now the club can't be a charity.

I saw him against Man City and he looked like one of the few that seemed out of place, he reminded me of Bas Savage (minus the moonwalk!) Other players around him seemed much more composed, skilful and had some guile. They would have been way, way younger than Gozie.

Good luck to him, if applies himself, can still make a decent career out of his disappointment here.

[maffff]

If Tish were to go, worry. This can be explained, and Samuel, Tanner, Caldwell, Novakovich, Vastšuk, etc. If not a little surprising.

[Agent Balti]

If Tish were to go, worry. This can be explained, and Samuel, Tanner, Caldwell, Novakovich, Vastšuk, etc. If not a little surprising.

Maybe we brought in Novakovich knowing we were always going to release Ugwu? (Unless I've missed the gist of your post!)

[andrew1957]

If Tish were to go, worry. This can be explained, and Samuel, Tanner, Caldwell, Novakovich, Vastšuk, etc. If not a little surprising.

I am not sure about this. I expected him to be given another year to prove himself one way or the other.

I think it either means that finances are even worse than we have thought or are in reality a lot better. Of the youngsters above I think I am right in saying that Cardwell and Novakovich are both just 17 so I think it very unlikely we would see either in a first team squad next season unless they are exceptional. Samuel is long term injured right now - who is to say if he will recover. Vastuk looked poor in the youth game I saw him play which just leaves Tanner - who is more of an off the main striker type player.

Then we will offload Pog if we can and I fully expect us to cash in on ALF so we could be left with an injured Samuel and Tanner as our only striking options so as I say this either means things are desperate or else that we intend to bring in a number of strikers to replace those that go (for example Sharp).

[gazzer, loyal royal]

Not sure why people are so surprised. At 22 you'd expecting him to be pushing to get in the first tram squad, yet he can barely get a game at Shrewsbury. Look at where gylfi, jem, Pearce, long, McCarthy etc were at 22 and ugwu is a long way behind now

[West Stand Flash]

Reading fans moaning Ugwu has been released when 90% won't have ever seen him play. Idiots

Injury prone & never done anything when on loan. Ta'da.