Am ‘shellshocked’ about the reports of the last 48 hours.
Can’t believe Hendo hasn’t rejected the offer immediately - if only to make last seasons wrongs right - but there are also some other reasons why he (and the club) should have.
Will say more about this at the weekend.
For now I just hope decisions will be made asap and we won’t wait three weeks until they produce farewell videos and documentaries for players who spontaneously decide to turn their back on the club.
We don’t need this kind of distraction during our preseason.
Looking at training photos these days is a joy to watch.
Squad more or less exactly where it should be in terms of numbers. Healthy. You don’t see one player (or a number of them, as it can usually be, so crowded) there who is surplus to requirements or who we don’t want to “carry”. All our main players + the best or most meriting talents we have right now. Main signings in early.
Ideal environment to have a quality pre-season, revive our principles, continue evolving how we finished the season, build new chemistry, get a few more leaders and turn this thing around.
For all the talk of us not replacing the players we’d let go, it always felt to me with how big the group was that more exits were likely, and almost certain to occur if we were going to make more signings. So this news seems fairly predictable.
On the travelling party - the 2 interesting pieces are Thiago being far enough along to be included and Fabs being excluded. Surprised and encouraged about the former and it’s difficult to see Fabs not leaving given the latter
Calum Scanlon, 18 year old left back signed from Birmingham in 2021. Was U18 captain at the end of last season. Extremely quick, attacking wing back.
James McConnell, 18, signed from Sunderland as a 15 year old. Central midfielder, good passer, can get goals from distance, takes set pieces. Quite similar to Tyler Morton.
Lewis Koumas, 17, centre forward. Son of Jason Koumas, came through the academy as a midfielder but the U18 coaching staff thought he’d be more effective as a striker. Responded with 15 goals and 5 assists in 25 games. Has a good all around game, not a goal poacher. Good interplay, drifts wide, holds up the ball well.
