Let the strengthening commence:

So, going by the general rule of thumb of having two strong players competing for each position (or potential position) on the pitch, plus a bit of selfishness thrown in for good meaasure, I think we'll be looking at the following squad next season:

GK:
Ruddy - Definitely Number 1 choice.
Bunn - Proved that he is adequate cover in the event of another Ruddy injury.
Camp - Seems content to stay, not going to find many better keepers who are prepared to be third choice. If he doesn't extend his stay though, it seems that:
Rudd - has done well on loan at Preston so he may be an option (would prefer him to go out on loan again though).

RB:
R. Martin - Still a solid right back and has benefitted from competition from:
Whittaker - Has been unlucky with injuries but he looks good. In general, we have bigger fish to fry than a new RB.

LB:
Garrido - I believe the deal to keep him permanently hinged on us staying up. Think we should retain him.
NEW - I think Tierney falls short of the standard required at this level. Martin Olsson has been mentioned, could be a good value signing.

CB:
Bassong - The man could become our best ever CB.
Turner - After a (very) shaky start he really grew into the season and formed a good partnership with Seb.
R. Bennett - The last few games have shown glimpses of why we spent so much on him. Deserves to fight it out next season with Turner and:
NEW - Ward and Ayala haven't shown enough on loan. Ayala is young and may have some potential but Hughton seems focused on finding another CB to add to the mix, in particular Curtis Davies.

RM:
Snodgrass - Near the top of the pile for POTS this year.
NEW - I think we need to aim higher than Elliott Bennett. He is basically the opposite of the Murphy twins, in that he probably has the pace and ability to take people on, but will usually play the easy pass instead. He does a job for the team defensively when he plays but he needs to show more at the other end of the park. Hence, new player required.

LM:
Pilkington - Good player on his day. Would have prefered him to have his day more often but should remain in the squad.
NEW - Whilst Snodgrass, Bennett and Pilkington are all capable of playing on opposite wings, I think most would agree that only Pilkington operates more effectively from that side. Need another option if Surman (remember him?) doesn't ever recover from injury...

CM:
Johnson - Had a great season, looks like he could run all day and has added some steel and bite to our midfield.
Howson - More games like yesterday and he'll be fine.
Tettey - Not the most assured on the ball but a good tenacious option.
NEW - We need to find that player who can combine athleticism with creativity and guile. Not going to be cheap but hey, we're loaded.

AM:
Hoolahan - Still our most gifted player with the ball at his feet (well, left foot perhaps). Needs to be in the squad even if not starting every game.
NEW - Howson could arguably move further up the field and perform this role. Butterfield doesn't seem to have done enough... I'm being selfish and want another option.

FW:
RVW - Let's hope he can be the main man.
Holt - A lot of this comes down to his attitude. If he can pull himself together then great. Some of his challenges in the last few months have been utterly ridiculous and he was verging on a liability.
Becchio - Will probably stay, just to spare him the indignity of being sold after 6 months.
NEW - Jackson isn't up to it. Need another quick option to work alongside RVW.

So, all told, Dog's shopping list:

1 New LB
1 New CB
1 New RM
1 New LM
1 New CM
1 New AM
1 New FW

(Plus 2 others to make it a Wroth-friendly 9 new players)

Posted By: Dog, May 13, 12:55:16