Release / Retain List | Vital Football

Release / Retain List

SeasideEssexXile

SeasideEssexXile

Vital Football Legend
As it stands these are our contracted players:

Keeper
Grimshaw

Defenders
Gabriel
Lyons
Sassi
Casey
Pennington
Thompson

Midfielders
Norburn
Morgan
Finnigan
Apter

Forwards
CJ
Kouassi
Beesley
Joseph


Players whose option is up at this time:
Keepers
O'Donnell
Chapman
Midfielders
Carey
Forward
Daniels

I'd take up O'Donnell and Careys options. Chapman will probably be kept on as he will be dirt cheap, Daniels - not going to cut it I would release to no doubt a flurry of outraged 🏳️‍🌈 groups.
 
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Despite the oft expressed view that the players are not good enough quite a few of them were with us when we got 60 points in the Championship. We came close to the play offs and but for some silly points dropped with the squad we have. In my opinion we only need to bring in a couple of high quality players capable of inspiring the team...catalysts if you will. That is assuming we sign Rhodes and Byers. I would like to re sign Marv and Husband too but if they haven't already signed I doubt we will see them again. Coulsen has good feet but seems a bit slow at times. Fine if we sign him but not a tragedy if we don't. If someone came in for Norburn I would get him off our wage bill but hope he comes good if he does stay.
 
I fear another season of dropping points especially away from home against the lower teams due to poor starting team selections. My view being to always start a game with your best fit and on form eleven players.
 
Sick of saying the same thing over and over again, but here goes . . . The best signing we could make is a wise old no.2 for Critchley seeing as though it seems Sadler wants to keep him. Something positive to say about the🐍 . . . we did at times look good. There, I said it!!!

But . . . and there are lots!

The forwards became "strikers" ie they went on strike 2nd half of the season! I'm worried getting Rhodes because he too went missing after his amazing start but didn't manage a single goal in his subsequent 12 games either side of his injuries. I'm not convinced Joseph will ever make a goalscorer, never will he trouble a barn door. Lavery and Koussi are terrible which leaves Beesley who I actually think could do OK as a 2nd striker.

As for the players out of contract we need to keep Carey. O'Donnell as a back up is OK but (and Roy Keane wouldn't like this - I don't know if he sings or does card tricks?) as a character he is very important to morale etc. For example Keogh was a big influence on Marv. Rhodes seems to have brought on Beesley, they were going good together before his injuries. Then we have Shitburn . . . he is everything we don't need. He disrupts the team, he is lazy, negative, a bottle merchant and thankfully injury prone! Never in any parallel universe would you make him captain. What a bad example that sets. Without looking I'd like to know when was the last time we won 4 on the bounce? Years and years? A feat achieved whilst he was out!!!

All of the should we bin or keep is irrelevant though if we persist with Shitburn and the negative try not to lose tactics away from home. We concede and there is no way back. We go in front and go more negative and lose! Wake TFU Critchley!!!
 
Layton_Seasider said:
Sick of saying the same thing over and over again, but here goes . . . The best signing we could make is a wise old no.2 for Critchley seeing as though it seems Sadler wants to keep him. Something positive to say about the🐍 . . . we did at times look good. There, I said it!!!

But . . . and there are lots!

The forwards became "strikers" ie they went on strike 2nd half of the season! I'm worried getting Rhodes because he too went missing after his amazing start but didn't manage a single goal in his subsequent 12 games either side of his injuries. I'm not convinced Joseph will ever make a goalscorer, never will he trouble a barn door. Lavery and Koussi are terrible which leaves Beesley who I actually think could do OK as a 2nd striker.

As for the players out of contract we need to keep Carey. O'Donnell as a back up is OK but (and Roy Keane wouldn't like this - I don't know if he sings or does card tricks?) as a character he is very important to morale etc. For example Keogh was a big influence on Marv. Rhodes seems to have brought on Beesley, they were going good together before his injuries. Then we have Shitburn . . . he is everything we don't need. He disrupts the team, he is lazy, negative, a bottle merchant and thankfully injury prone! Never in any parallel universe would you make him captain. What a bad example that sets. Without looking I'd like to know when was the last time we won 4 on the bounce? Years and years? A feat achieved whilst he was out!!!

All of the should we bin or keep is irrelevant though if we persist with Shitburn and the negative try not to lose tactics away from home. We concede and there is no way back. We go in front and go more negative and lose! Wake TFU Critchley!!!
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I have to agree, but I feel nothing much is going to change. A negative vein runs through the club and we know deep down that all's not well. I sense more misery to come, I wasn't optimistic at the start of the season I'm even less so now. Sorry but Its like flogging a dead horse for me. I can't be doing with it anymore, the whole thing bores the life out of me.
 
Aaron Hayden has been released by Wrexham. 27 year old centre back. Scored 19 goals in 77 appearances for Wrexham - could be a useful addition if we lose Marv for example.
 
Wreckscum reject? I do like a CB with an eye for goal but......

How many of those appearances were in the EFL though?
 
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BobHatton said:
Aaron Hayden has been released by Wrexham. 27 year old centre back. Scored 19 goals in 77 appearances for Wrexham - could be a useful addition if we lose Marv for example.
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If I suggested a CB from else where that played 12 times last season and has never played above L2 and has just been promoted (and released) you’d be moaning like hell it was a dreadful signing…..
 

RETAINED LIST CONFIRMED​


Blackpool Football Club can now confirm its retained list following the conclusion of the 2023/24 season.
Options have been activated to extend the contracts of Sonny Carey, Richard O'Donnell, Jack Moore, Jake Daniels and Harvey Bardsley by a further 12 months. However, Marvin Ekpiteta, Callum Connolly, Shayne Lavery, and Matty Virtue are among those who will be leaving the Club when their contracts expire in June. Academy scholar, Tyler Hill, has been offered a professional contract.
Remaining under contract:
  • Rob Apter
  • Jake Beesley
  • Oliver Casey
  • Kwaku Donkor
  • Zak Emmerson
  • Ryan Finnigan
  • Jordan Gabriel
  • Dan Grimshaw
  • CJ Hamilton
  • Jaden Jones
  • Kyle Joseph
  • Kylian Kouassi
  • Alex Lankshear
  • Andy Lyons
  • Josh Miles
  • Owen Moffat
  • Albie Morgan
  • Oliver Norburn
  • Johnson Opawole
  • Matt Pennington
  • Dan Sassi
  • Dom Thompson
Contract options exercised on:
  • Harvey Bardsley
  • Sonny Carey
  • Jake Daniels
  • Jack Moore
  • Richard O'Donnell
In contract discussions with:
  • James Husband
Offered professional terms:
  • Tyler Hill
Players leaving the Club:
  • Mackenzie Chapman
  • Callum Connolly
  • Marvin Ekpiteta
  • Dannen Francis
  • Brad Holmes
  • Shayne Lavery
  • Donovan Lescott
  • Luke Mariette
  • Will Squires
  • Tayt Trusty
  • Matty Virtue
Loan players returning to parent Clubs:
  • George Byers (Sheffield Wednesday)
  • Hayden Coulson (Middlesbrough)
  • Karamoko Dembele (Stade Brestois)
  • Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield Town)
Neil Critchley said:
“I would like to thank all of those who are leaving us this summer for their contributions during their time at Blackpool.
“Football has a natural cycle, and a number of those leaving the Club this summer were players that I inherited or brought to the Club during my time here. In particular, Matty Virtue, Marvin Ekpiteta, Callum Connolly and Shayne Lavery have played key roles at Bloomfield Road over the past few years, and I’d like to thank them for all of their hard-work and commitment to the Club. I’d also like to thank the loan players for their efforts during their time with us this season.
“We now have an opportunity to refresh the squad and I look forward to an exciting summer at Bloomfield Road as we continue our preparations for the 2024/25 season."
 
Marvs the biggest loss.
No @rsed about Lavery / Virtue.
Always thought Holmes / Trusty were never going to make it.
Daniels - boxes ticked.
Lescott has always looked whenever when I've seen him.
 
No real surprises, hopefully Husband will stay and I’d like to see Rhodes, Byers & Coulson return, obviously no chance of Dembele coming back next season.

Not sure I’d have taken Carey’s option to be honest, we keep hoping he will push on but he never does. Unless we are selling him of course, can’t imagine there’s a massive queue for his services though.
 
My retained list. I know little of the young players

Remaining under contract:
Rob Apter ✅️
Jake Beesley ✅️
Oliver Casey ✅️
Kwaku Donkor?
Zak Emmerson?
Ryan Finnigan?
Jordan Gabriel✅️
Dan Grimshaw✅️
CJ Hamilton✅️
Jaden Jones?
Kyle Joseph❌️
Kylian Kouassi❌️
Alex Lankshear
Andy Lyons✅️
Josh Miles?
Owen Moffat?
Albie Morgan✅️
Oliver Norburn❌️
Johnson Opawole?
Matt Pennington✅️
Dan Sassi?
Dom Thompson❌️

Contract options exercised on:
Harvey Bardsley?
Sonny Carey✅️
Jake Daniels?
Jack Moore?
Richard O'Donnell✅️

In contract discussions with:
James Husband❌️

Offered professional terms:
Tyler Hill?

Players leaving the Club:
Mackenzie Chapman❌️
Callum Connolly❌️
Marvin Ekpiteta❌️
Dannen Francis❌️
Brad Holmes❌️
Shayne Lavery❌️
Donovan Lescott❌️
Luke Mariette❌️
Will Squires❌️
Tayt Trusty❌️
Matty Virtue❌️
 
Finnigan is the kid we signed in Jan - injured.
Interesting to see Wright play a leading role in Plymuffs team. He was given 4mths here.
Out of the kids Lanksheers shown some promise. Daniels is in the Holmes / Trusty bracket for me - never going g to make it.
Lescott had always looked tricky when I've seen him.
 
Struggle to argue with any of those really.

Marvin will have turned down a deal, not a lot we can do there. Personally I would prefer Casey to be playing, I don't think he deserved to be dropped when he was but Marv is a good player all the same.

Lavery and Virtue can (and probably will) both go elsewhere in League 1 and do well. But they both have injury issues and need to play regularly, and we need to improve on both of those positions to goodbye.

None of the youngsters really jumped out to me, couple of them had moments but they've all been given opportunities outside the club on loan to perform and none of those released have completely shone. It shouldn't be seen as a failure of the development squad, there will always be a natural level of turnover each season.
 
As for Connolly - he more than did a job for us in the championship, but he needs to be play in a fixed position that allows him to then be the leader that he is. If I was Charlie Adam i'd be making him the centre of my Fleetwood Team next season.
 
CC was too versatile. Should have bIled down 1 spot but his back of pace was clear for everyone to see.
Reminded me of Turton.
Marvs the big loss. I can see him.going back to Orient but have a sneaky feeling he will end up at Charlton. He turned down 2 new contracts as did Lavery.
Laverys hamstrings cost him.
Virtue - came on as a sub 84mins. Oppo left back ran past him and left him standing - despite having been on the pitch since kick off....
 
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