CJ + Virtue Seasons Are Over | Vital Football

CJ + Virtue Seasons Are Over

I worry Virtue is going to be one of them who will never stay fully fit for long periods and sadly something will always come up when he’s hitting form ala Keith Southern.

Hopefully I’m wrong as he’s clearly a talented player, just hope injuries don’t get the better of him as he’s still young isn’t he.
 
Letting Kemp go/not replacing him in January is looking a bit sillier by the day.

Fortunately I do think we have one of the deeper squads in the division, but even so we've got so many more games left to play.

We'll be back playing Turton in CM by the end of the season.
 
Letting Kemp go/not replacing him in January is looking a bit sillier by the day.

Fortunately I do think we have one of the deeper squads in the division, but even so we've got so many more games left to play.

We'll be back playing Turton in CM by the end of the season.


I liked Kemp, very decent player with good potential. There's been some strange decisions to say the least.
At least he's playing for the only London club I like..
 
I liked Kemp, very decent player with good potential. There's been some strange decisions to say the least.
At least he's playing for the only London club I like..
Totally agree on all of that. Scored a decent goal yesterday. He would definitely have been with a point on a permanent signing. Perhaps he was homesick?
 
Totally agree on all of that. Scored a decent goal yesterday. He would definitely have been with a point on a permanent signing. Perhaps he was homesick?

Don't think he was homesick. But if you get offered a two and half year contract to secure your immediate future and cut to the chase for guaranteed football then you're going to go for it. West Ham made it clear they had a recall on him so was maybe something that was a possibility before he came here.

With him gone and Hamilton done for season pretty much since January then they've got to find value now in having given Mitchell a contract after a trial at left back, but then dropping him when someone shinier came along in Garbutt.

You can be unfortunate with injuries, it's a contact sport. And you can take punts on players who arrive with pre-existing issues by chancing your arm on paying less to get more and hoping it doesn't catch up on them (like Anderson). And the workload of a disrupted end to last season and the condensed nature of this one, where you can't trust your home pitch or where covid will strike next will all amplify it. But long term I'd be thinking about how the players are prepared on the strength and conditioning, recovery side to try to help mitigate the risk of training ground and on pitch injury in future. How intensive the pressing and passing game is on their bodies. If they're having to work harder to disrupt the opponent then it's surely going to be a factor.
 
As some of you know, I really like my NFL and ACL injuries there are fairly common. Although they can take a long time to recover from, you can certainly recover from them. However, you are then at a much higher risk of injuring the ACL in your other knee.

Looking at the recovery time, if we're still in L1 next season then it poses us a bit of a problem given the squad limit drops from 22 to 20 players (for non U21s). Do we just not register him until the January window?
 
As some of you know, I really like my NFL and ACL injuries there are fairly common. Although they can take a long time to recover from, you can certainly recover from them. However, you are then at a much higher risk of injuring the ACL in your other knee.

Looking at the recovery time, if we're still in L1 next season then it poses us a bit of a problem given the squad limit drops from 22 to 20 players (for non U21s). Do we just not register him until the January window?
I think so, even a very best case you are looking at December, but even then it would only be sub appearances as he was getting back up to speed.

20 players for next year would be a real challenge, we’d have to look at getting some genuine u-20s in because they would be so valuable.
 
I think so, even a very best case you are looking at December, but even then it would only be sub appearances as he was getting back up to speed.

20 players for next year would be a real challenge, we’d have to look at getting some genuine u-20s in because they would be so valuable.
A player who turns 21 this calendar year is counted as a U21 which does allow a tiny little bit more flexibility but we're still up against it - we'd definitely have to ship out the likes of Howe, Thorniley and Sarkic to a) comply with the rule and b) give us the flexibility to sign some players who aren't U21. It also shows the renewed importance of developing our youth academy I guess.

I do find the 20 player rule bizarre. It's 22 this season with the salary cap (which gets dropped next season), so why not just leave it at 22 next season as that, effectively, gives you the flexibility to have 2 players per position?

Meanwhile it's a 25 player limit in the Championship which widens the gulf between that league and L1 (and if you get relegated from the Championship the squad cap immediately goes from 25 to 22, and then 20 the season after).

We may even end up with someone like Ward being a victim of the cap.
 
A player who turns 21 this calendar year is counted as a U21 which does allow a tiny little bit more flexibility but we're still up against it - we'd definitely have to ship out the likes of Howe, Thorniley and Sarkic to a) comply with the rule and b) give us the flexibility to sign some players who aren't U21. It also shows the renewed importance of developing our youth academy I guess.

I do find the 20 player rule bizarre. It's 22 this season with the salary cap (which gets dropped next season), so why not just leave it at 22 next season as that, effectively, gives you the flexibility to have 2 players per position?

Meanwhile it's a 25 player limit in the Championship which widens the gulf between that league and L1 (and if you get relegated from the Championship the squad cap immediately goes from 25 to 22, and then 20 the season after).

We may even end up with someone like Ward being a victim of the cap.

I don't see why they don't just scrap that cap now and let clubs decide what's best for them. It's surely going to be engrained in the thinking now that everyone has to operate smarter anyway. Not really the best term for this thread but just feels like a kneejerk reaction.
 
A player who turns 21 this calendar year is counted as a U21 which does allow a tiny little bit more flexibility but we're still up against it - we'd definitely have to ship out the likes of Howe, Thorniley and Sarkic to a) comply with the rule and b) give us the flexibility to sign some players who aren't U21. It also shows the renewed importance of developing our youth academy I guess.

I do find the 20 player rule bizarre. It's 22 this season with the salary cap (which gets dropped next season), so why not just leave it at 22 next season as that, effectively, gives you the flexibility to have 2 players per position?

Meanwhile it's a 25 player limit in the Championship which widens the gulf between that league and L1 (and if you get relegated from the Championship the squad cap immediately goes from 25 to 22, and then 20 the season after).

We may even end up with someone like Ward being a victim of the cap.

Husband is another one who i'm doubtful we'll actually be able to fit into 20. If Garbutt stays, then can you afford 2 "older" LBs? Or you have to consider Husband as true CB which i'd be a bit worried about.

Ward has improved as the season has gone on imo, I think people like Anderson and Robson are more at risk.

Ship Out
Howe
Thorniley
Sarkic
Anderson (harsh, but he didn't do enough)

At Risk
Lubala (somethings obviously gone on, if you're not gonna play him then stick him out on loan or flog him)
Husband (as above, he's good enough but I think only 1 of him and Garbutt will stay - and i'd rather Garbutt)
Robson (Also think he's fine for league 1, but he's the sort of player we should be looking to replace with an u-21).
Kaikai (Big money, inconsistent, wouldn't be adverse to him staying)

Whether we go up or stay in league 1, re-signing the likes of Madine, Garbutt and Stewart should be a priority.