SO....HOW IS IT LOOKING?
THERE could still be plenty of transfer activity to come, but here is the current state of play with the Rhyl squad for 2008/09.
GOALKEEPERS
Lee Kendall: Signed a new four-year deal and remains arguably the league's finest keeper. Presumably some cover is on the way following John Gann's departure?
DEFENDERS
George Horan: Re-signed until 2010 this week after fears he could be TNS bound. Kingpin of the league's meanest defence last season and is still among very best around at this level.
Paul O'Neill: Will he get the opportunity to consistently play in his best position of central defence this season? The best of him could be yet to come.
Matthew Holt: The chance is there to really make his mark this season. Hasn't let anyone down so far, but another major defensive signing could put him in the shade. Would have benefited from playing in Europe instead of Ruffer.
Chris Roberts: Versatile operator down the left. Another who has not let the team down and deserves an opportunity of a run in the side.
MIDFIELD
Gareth Owen: Age is not on his side at 36 but whenever he's played against Rhyl in the past couple of seasons he has excelled. Could become a pivotal figure amongst an energetic midfield this term.
Gareth Wilson: As he proved in European games he is still one of the most enthusiastic and determined midfielders around. Will be hard to dislodge.
Mark Connolly: Pure class against Bohemian and scored plenty of goals last term. Operating alongside the likes of Owen could really benefit him.
Jimmy Kelly: Needs games under his belt. Is he fully recovered from long-standing knee injury? If he can get near to the form he showed when he first arrived at Belle Vue he could be a big player in the season ahead.
Greg Stones: Many expected him to move on in the summer shake-up but he remains at Rhyl. Was he as good last season as he was in his previous stint at Rhyl? Could be one of those players on the fringe, but on best form he can play a major role.
Craig Garside: Another who did not have the best of luck with injuries last term and his lack of goals became a cause for concern. Has started to show glimpses of best form and not to be written off yet.
Craig Jones: Remains one of Rhyl's biggest assets but needs to be used correctly next season, causing havoc down the flanks.
STRIKERS
Neil Roberts: Proven pedigree with his Wrexham and Wigan background. Many eyes will be upon him, if all goes well he could become one of Rhyl's best ever signings.
Jamie Reed: This lad has real class, in the right team he can become a star and that team could be Rhyl. Although other signings have attracted more attention this one could prove a real diamond.
Chris Sharp: After long injury lay-off began to show snatches of his best form towards the end of last season. Remember those two crackers against Port Talbot? What is his future at Rhyl on the back of the new signings?
Marc Lloyd Williams: The goals began to flow at the back end of the last campaign. Needs the service if he is to remain the poacher everyone knows he is. His partnership with Sharp in that Port Talbot game looked good. Possible 'super sub' role in 2008/09? Remains to be seen but Allan Bickerstaff rates him highly.
Michael White: Where is he? The forgotten man of the squad undoubtedly has the talent but his future at the club remains unclear.
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Isn't anyone ready to step up from the reserves yet? Mikey Roose, Joe Ahern and young Tom Roberts must be worth a look at to see if they are ready.
Paddy you're a man after me own heart. Tom Roberts was in the squad for the two Intertoto ties, why not give him a chance for 10 minutes at least, especially as Ruffer wanted to be somewhere else. Roose, Ahern and Roberts all deserve a go but I bet a pound to a penny they won't get it as with the new signings it appears to me the local lads will be pushed further and further out of the picture this season. I know Bickerstaff is a local man and is keen to encourage youngsters, though, so all might not be lost.
Dave, it's a good idea to take stock of the current situation and although as you say more changes may be afoot let's look at things as they are.
From reading your assessment, it is obvious we need more defenders, as cover at least, certainly at left back to replace the rock solid Graves.
Midfield looks fine, I'd see Stones, Kelly and Garside as the players on the verges while Owen, Wilson, Connolly and Jones should be the regulars.
Up front we've got to go with Neil Roberts for starters and I think Reed might be worth a place alongside. That would leave Lloyd-Williams and Sharp as subs, but plenty of scope for rotation.
It is with interest I survey Mr O'Connors team selection, the defence looks fine with the addition of cover for central defence and a quality attacking left wing back. But hold on Toss your midfield selection frightens the life out of me with the exception of Connolly and Jones we are looking at Stones and Garside - sorry for me reserve team standard and three 30+ central midfielders granted with bags of experience but will their ageing legs last the season. Up front not a lot of choice at present Roberts picks himself and I would definately go with Reed, seen this lad play, looks the part and can score goals. That leaves Lloyd-Williams and Sharp to vie for the bench on a weekly basis.
Fair points as always JDH so you reckon we need fresh young blood in the midfield?
I see Owen as the brains and Conno and Jones as his "legs". Maybe I'm putting too much faith in Owen but I'm a confirmed fan. I think Wilson will last a season but not so sure about Kelly.
Roberts and Reed are worth a go up front which gives us top class subs in Jiws and Sharp who will undoubtedly get their chances. I like the way the squad is shaping up.
Just need a reserve GK, a left back, a left winger and maybe a right back now.
I feel strongly that there has been a tendancy over the last couple of seasons to bring in extra squad members because they are available rather than because they are what is needed to strengthen weaknesses in the squad - not just the loads of journeymen midfielders but all over the shop. Result has been damaging in that current squad members have been unsettles and considered moving on , and also in that reserves see little chance of moving up. With a couple of exceptions, I reckon that bringing in any extra players now will do more harm than good unless they are obviously much better than what we have and that a corresponding number of the current squad move on.
Last year we had 5 Centre-backs which was one too many even allowing for injury. Result was unsettling and we lost two rather than one. I'd be quite happy with the 3 we have and briong on any extra cover from the reserves. O'Neill and Horan will obviously be first-choice but Matty Holt is going to see a lot of action not just as cover, but also occasionally as FB and also in giving us the option at times of playing 3 at the back. All kept happy, and I have confidence in all of them.
Same way we had 5 strikers last season - too many and maybe this contributed to our losing 3 of them within 3 months. Llewelyn would have been too good not to pursue, but it would now be good to stick with the four we have or otherwise we are going to shoot ourselves in the foot and lose Sharpy to bangor if Stott moves on. We can accommodate the four we have. Sharpy and Roberts have been prone to injury, Jiws will not start every game and Reed needs to break through. So they will all get a chance - unless we unsettle them by bringing in someone else. If so, he'd better be so good as to be worth the risk.
In midfield, we've all said that a creative midfielder was the no. 1 priority but Gareth owen has now been brought in, so there's absolutely no room for anyone else unless 2 or 3 of the current 7 or 8 move on (Owen, Craigy J, Garside, Willo, Stones, White, Conno, Kelly - not too mention Chrissy Roberts recently also). The main feature of the championship-winning 2003/4 side was that it was settled. No more midfielders unless they are amazing.
Jon got it spot-on in his post on Dave's blog as to what we need. Very simply - a reserve GK to replace Ganny, a FB to replace Stuey Graves and maybe a replacement for White if he's AWOL.
Even confining it to these numbers means very little chance of the reserves breaking through - so no more signings other than those two unless they are amazing.
Even that would give us a squad currently then of approx 19 not counting anyone from the reserves - not counting them cos they're not going to get a chance. Let's not make it more of a problem - unless of course the signings are amazing.
can't argue with that ioio. option of pushing craig j forward on the wing and sharpy on the other (along with roberts & reed up front)frighten most defences to death in the WPL; we could go 3 at the back. white too lightweight for me anyway (granted he has bags of skill) and stones shadow of the player he was, so maybe room for a young & hungry midfielder.
Always room for a better midfielder, but my point is that some would have to move on to accommodate a new arrival.
Wouldn't want to confine Sharpy to the wing. Hopefully he now fills the gap left by Lee Hunt as a spearhead for the strike-force and that, injuries behind him, he'll move up a gear this season.
just feel the pace of craig j , reed & sharpe will terrorise defences, this is all hypothetical until bickerstafff / osian show their favoured hand, just hope rhyl go for teams from the off. looks to me like PP is going all out to win the title then a solitary victory in the CL would recoup all £££ spent and make rhyl a more attractive proposition for players who are deterred from joining for geographical and / or league standard concerns.
All last season I 'banged' on about the desperate need for a creative centre midfielder, someone who could put his foot on the ball, slow the game down, look up and pick out a willing runner. So what have we got?
Greg Stones - such a shame, how can a players career go backwards so quickly? a shadow of the player he was, will struggle to hold down a place.
Craig Garside - no mobility, no skill and no hope!
Gareth Wilson - has been a great servant to the club and at his best, breaks up play but
passing is woeful never lifts his head. Sorry Gareth your best days are behind you.
Jimmy Kelly - undoubted ability played at high level, has the creative passing abilty, but can he keep injuries at bay for a whole season, think not.
Gareth Owen - again great experience at his height in the red of Wrexham covered acres of turf, put in endless tackles, but sorry as in the case of Wilson, Garside, Stones & Co no 'creative' side to his game
thought we wud have been in for venables and what about fowler @ carmarthen? edwards from farrar road wud have been good. don't think it's as bleak as you paint jdh. conno?? admittedly kelly may had 1 bad injury too much, but he was outstanding home to haka. if he only plays 2/3 of games, if he plays to that standard, should prove invaluable. stones may return to form? i'd have gaz wilson in me team every week. ok, garside aint beckham, but seen much worse knocking around wpl. owen should be able to boss the midfield. we probably do need a young pair of legs in there, but let's just wait and see eh?
JDH, no-one would dispute the value of a creative midfielder but they are thin on the ground. Unless we find one of real quality, there's no point adding to the present quantity. Harsh words for the Gareths and Stones. Greg hardly got in enough games for us to judge much long-term, and Willo's best days are not behind him judging from the display against Haka. The creative footballer need not necessarily be a midfielder. Your description of holding up play, looking up and seeing a pass for a runner was a good description of how Moran played for us in the latter years. Neil Roberts should have the experience to do the sam,e.
there's a thought - the return of andy moran to play behind the front 2!?! by all accounts, he hasn't made much of an impact at fleetwood.
The return of Moran would be a disaster for this club. For one thing, he had reached his peak for Rhyl long before he left. Secondly, regardless of whether he was innocent or not, his eight-month ban in 2004 for being found with nandrolone in his system tarnished Rhyl's treble-winning achievement of 2003/04 and will forever cloud it, giving the likes of Bangor fans ammunition for their "druggie" and "smackhead" jibes for years, pathetic though those jealous fools are as they continue to lag behind us.
Point about Moran was that he could turn it on against the better quality opposition. Moran and Kelly were responsible for us tearing Haka apart at home. Moran certainly did not do it consistently enough. Point was maybe we should be looking further forward than midfield for this role of setting up attacking moves - and maybe Neil Roberts can do that for us.
My sources at the Racecourse tell me that Roberts days as an out and out goalscorer are long gone, however apparently he looked comfortable as a holding midfielder setting up attacks in the later part of a dismal Robins season.
Roberts supplying two out of Sharp, Reed and Jiws could be promising. Bet Hulsey would have played him on the wing !
Roberts scored 50+ goals in 220 league appearances, hardly prolific, but proof he knows where the goal is. I agree with JDH - excellent holding attacking midfielder (if you know what I mean!). A work colleague's lad is at Wrexham and the general concensus among the players was surprise Little let him go. Our gain me thinks. Now, if only Little would let C Murtagh out on loan.....
Wasn't seriously suggesting the return of Moran. He spent last season trying to hit the Tuck Shop (or Vet's as it is now).