TOWN on TOUR! Bradford Park Avenue

Don't Scarborough pay big money though?

I am sorry but have to say that there is a great deal of unnecessary criticism going on about the management and team, current and youth players. Re youth we need to give these young lads an opportunity to play senior football at some point or else how do they develop and what is the point of us having an academy if we don't identify future potential. God help these young lads if and when they do pull on a first team shirt, the stick they will get from some fans I dread to think. All that is wrong with English football throughout . Re the existing team we have some very good players for this league or else we wouldn't be where we are, and moaning about losing our two best players well I can only say yes we lost Knowles, but Platt was always only a loan player and never ever our player. Re management, trust them for goodness sake, it's not easy to get the players you want you can't just wave a magic wand and hey presto the hit list comes together and we get every one we want. Strikers and good ones in particular are hard to come by. Lets get behind the team we are still in with a chance and I myself am looking forward to the rest of the season. My glass is half full not half empty!

Superfan - I agree we have an above average squad when players are played in the correct positions........When players are played out of position, well we may as well cut the wage bill and bring in players with less ability...........If you watched last night and your glass is still half full then it is obvious your liquid is still bloody frozen so regardless will stay half full!

Yes, Last nights performance was poor I was there, and yes unusually we seemed to revert to long ball rather than our usual pass and move style. That's just one game and the tactics to play that way was probably down to the state of the pitch, which was terrible, am sure that we will revert back to a passing game on Saturday . You can't just right off the season and slag off the management and team just after last nights game, you need to get things into perspective. We Are still in play off position why not look at the positives Upthetown

BTW while were talking about the team i was at railway at the weekend and Creig was there watching the football with his mates because our game was called off... but he was having a freindly chat with a guy in a Harrogate Town tracksuit (dont know the mans name... maybe he posts on here )

anyway they were talking about Leeds United and how they were impressd but saw creig as slightly too small (they want 6 foot 2 and Creig is 6 ft 1) but creig seemed very relaxed about moving and said he was happy at harrogate:D maybe this is a positive for us and he might stay

Craig aint going anywhere, he guaranteed that over the last few weeks with his attempts to catch from a few corners..... And Superfan - these days it isn't unusual for us to resort to long ball...Sat is simple, if Adam plays and Chibs plays right mid then we will play the long ball......If Adam is dropped and Chibs plays up front then there is no reason why we wont pass it...Afterall our SELF created problems could be put right!!! That is my point here..If I can see what is going on during a game then surely management can too.

I have said what I wanted, I will either return at 6pm Saturday acknowledging Weaver either took on board the advice or disappointed us yet again.

Superfan100 lets get things in perspective, if these young players where brought in at the beginning of the season then yes every one would say good young players for the future but and here is the crux of the matter it is the clubs fault by announcing strait after our two best players leave they have signed three players giving the impression that they are replacements for the ones that left, the club knew we would lose these two players but failed to sign instant experienced replacements, that could come strait into the team, these youth players could become great signings in a couple of years. at the moment our strikers are shotshy and this might lose us a playoff position as all the teams challenging with us have far better stikers wno are scoring on a regular basis

Range rider I agree totally, these young players really should have been introduced early in the season, or wait to introduce them pre season. There is too much riding on the season whilst we are still in contention for a play off position and thus too much pressure on say an unproven 17 year old. However it really isn't easy to sign quality players at short notice and within budget constraints i am sure weaver tried, but who realistically of any real quality was free to sign by deadline day. It's just too easy to criticise when we don't know what is going on behind the scenes.

Superfan i would have agreed with you about the lack of quality being able to sign on deadline day until i saw the list that Neil put on regarding players out of contract. A young lad out of an academy could have proven useful and maybe even done a Knowles and used us as a platform but then left at the end of the season giving us time to replace him.

this is the problem with loan signings they can be recalled at anytime, if York had not sacked their manager we might still have had Platt so you should have contingency plans for any event, none of the clubs chasing the playoffs have lost any of their top players except us in fact they have added to their team, we had no choice in keeping these players every Town supporter knows that so you plan ahead something the club failed to do, i hope our forwards find their scoring touch again if not the season will fizzle out if it has not done so already, i noticed on the website that when we win we get maybe three quotes from the players/manager but after Mondays loss only one quote from Chib, come on Simon the silence is deafening

And here is something else.

I would rather players like Knowles only play for the club if they are prepared to sign a contract..Having a player on the books on non contract terms is misleading..One minute he is playing and is scoring the next he is gone and it leaves us in the situation like now. Having players just use Harrogate for a springboard into the league is fine if we are financially rewarded, but having that player use harrogate to move on and we are not rewarded doesn't benefit us in the slightest, in fact it disrupts the team, club. fans.

i agree totally

Totally agree on this one. It's a win win situation for the player as he uses the club to get game time and put himself in the shop window on non contract terms and then gets contract with league club. Do we get any compensation or monetary reward for him going to Burton seems a bit unfair if we don't. On the other side f the argument, the likes of these players probably wouldn't have come to Town or similar non league club if they had to be under contract. Are we in the same situation with Woods is he on non contract tens looking to use us as a sring board back into league football?

I imagine we wont get any financial reward and it wouldn't suprise me if Woods is playing on similar terms to Knowles, possibly even Craig. I can see the perks for both parties but it dosn't bring any stability to the club. I doubt this will change because as you rightly say good players wont play in this league.

I believe it was on the website a while ago that Craig signed a 2yr deal?

Woods will be on N/C terms, but if he wants to get back into the Pro ranks, he needs to step his game up. I look at him and find it hard to believe that it is the same player that cost several million quid in compensation several years ago.

I have been really impressed with Adam Bolder this season. If I had to choose the best player this season, it's a toss up between him and Craig.

I really hope that Bolder signs for next season, as in my opinion, he should be the club captain, as to me, this season, he has led by example.

Hopefully Bolder can see beyond the pitch problems this season....I should imagine he must be settled with his football/ worklife balance so reckon he will stick around...defiantly player of the season for me alongside merris

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But North Ferriby coming up and that is where he lives? I hope so too, he is a class act, proud to sponsor him this season

Having a player on non-contract terms also benefits the club as if they turn out to be of little use then the club can let them go very easily. So it's a double edged sword. And risky for both parties.

You have to ask yourselves why players are put on non-contract terms.

In Woods case, I totally agree with TheNeil29 that he's not turned out to be anything like the player he should have been. I'd jettison him now frankly as an irrelevance. He's not up to this level.

Regarding player of the season, I'd give it to Merris purely for the total consistency he's shown this season. There are other players (Killock, MacGillivray) who run him close though.

Craig's on a two year deal, town would get compensation if he were to go. I doubt a club would bit at end of this season though they would probably let him ride next season out and sign him for free then.

trevdee wrote:And here is something else.

I would rather players like Knowles only play for the club if they are prepared to sign a contract..Having a player on the books on non contract terms is misleading..One minute he is playing and is scoring the next he is gone and it leaves us in the situation like now. Having players just use Harrogate for a springboard into the league is fine if we are financially rewarded, but having that player use harrogate to move on and we are not rewarded doesn't benefit us in the slightest, in fact it disrupts the team, club. fans.

Well, this may be of interest to you, as Burton are claiming Knowles has signed on a Non-Contract Basis:

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I know he wanted to get back into F/T football, but on a non-contract basis?

Comments from Burton Mail.

God damn you Adam Bolder! You could have told them he was crap!!! lol!!

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So there is a good chance he may not get a perm contract since 4 strikers are ahead of him in the pecking order...Doubt he would come back if he didn't

Port Vale 7 Burton Albion 1
Just saying ..........

Innocent Bystander wrote:Port Vale 7 Burton Albion 1
Just saying ..........

Gone for a Burton then !

S.