Full retained list announced today

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father · **Joined:** Wed May 11, 2011 4:25 pm **Posts:** 4198

Hignett telling the players after training at Maiden Castle. Sounds like the media will have the list later this afternoon.

thebigdog · **Joined:** Sat Aug 10, 2013 6:49 pm **Posts:** 1278

Released
Peter Denton
Scott Fenwick
Scott Harrison
Ebby Nelson-Addy
Kudus Oyenuga
Harry Worley

Everyone at Hartlepool United would like to thank all of the players for their service to the Club and wish them every success in the future.

The Club is pleased to announce that they have exercised the options on the following players who are delighted to remain at Victoria Park for the 2016/17 campaign.

Matthew Bates
Jake Carroll
Kieran Green
Carl Magnay
Rhys Oates
Billy Paynter
Jordan Richards
Connor Smith
Brad Walker

Discussions are ongoing with other remaining First Team players and more information will be made available in due course.

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father · **Joined:** Wed May 11, 2011 4:25 pm **Posts:** 4198

Michael Woods
Michael Duckworth
Rakish Bingham
Dan Jones
Rob Jones

All missing from the two lists in the announcement - as is Josh Laurent (edited 1 time blah blah blah)

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father · **Joined:** Wed May 11, 2011 4:25 pm **Posts:** 4198

Hopefully Woods and Duckworth will sign; I imagine there's a few been offered reduced terms (but not Woodsy surely?)

HonestPoolie · **Joined:** Mon Dec 08, 2014 3:46 pm **Posts:** 663

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father wrote:

Michael Woods
Michael Duckworth
Rakish Bingham
Dan Jones
Rob Jones

All missing from the two lists in the announcement.

Presumably they are all being offered something.

I know he said we only needed 3 or 4 quality additions but I thought he'd be letting more go than he has

misterb2001 · **Posted:** Thu May 05, 2016 5:02 pm

The only 2 I'm surprised about are Richards and Walker but both are young and presumably on low wages.

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father · **Joined:** Wed May 11, 2011 4:25 pm **Posts:** 4198

Yet another make or break season coming up for Brad Walker - he's getting to be like the cat with 9 lives.

Hignett also trying to sort out a deal with Jackson/Middlesbrough.

tREE_wiTH_hAMStER · **Joined:** Sat May 19, 2007 11:00 am **Posts:** 20758

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father wrote:

Michael Woods
Michael Duckworth
Rakish Bingham
Dan Jones
Rob Jones

All missing from the two lists in the announcement.

Could they not simply have time left on their current deals?

roadrunner · **Joined:** Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:32 pm **Posts:** 266

Think Josh Laurent is also missing from list?

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father · **Joined:** Wed May 11, 2011 4:25 pm **Posts:** 4198

See above - I'd reedited the list!

HonestPoolie · **Joined:** Mon Dec 08, 2014 3:46 pm **Posts:** 663

misterb2001 wrote:

The only 2 I'm surprised about are Richards and Walker but both are young and presumably on low wages.

When does Richards stop being classed as young? He's 23 which is older than Harrison

thebigdog · **Joined:** Sat Aug 10, 2013 6:49 pm **Posts:** 1278

I feel like Walker might have been kept on considering there was talk of a bid from Wolves...

Pirlo's Beard. · **Joined:** Sun Feb 01, 2015 1:09 pm **Posts:** 300

In light of Brad Walker managing to sustain a career as a professional footballer, I thought I'd offer some constructive criticism ahead of next season.

misterb2001 · **Posted:** Thu May 05, 2016 5:27 pm

HonestPoolie wrote:

misterb2001 wrote:

The only 2 I'm surprised about are Richards and Walker but both are young and presumably on low wages.

When does Richards stop being classed as young? He's 23 which is older than Harrison

Fucking hell really?

Crikey.

RichyHpool · **Posted:** Thu May 05, 2016 5:29 pm

Cant believe Richards has been offered a deal, the lads had plenty of chances and never improved at all, plus we have two right backs anyway. Hopefully Walker is getting a new deal so wolves have to pay for him, though why anyone would want him is beyond me, got to be the laziest player ive seen in a long time.

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father · **Joined:** Wed May 11, 2011 4:25 pm **Posts:** 4198

He's had trials, there's been talk, there's no bid. Enough said.

PJPoolie · **Joined:** Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:28 pm **Posts:** 15342

RichyHpool wrote:

Cant believe Richards has been offered a deal, the lads had plenty of chances and never improved at all, plus we have two right backs anyway. Hopefully Walker is getting a new deal so wolves have to pay for him, though why anyone would want him is beyond me, got to be the laziest player ive seen in a long time.

Neither have been offered new deals.

PJPoolie · **Joined:** Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:28 pm **Posts:** 15342

I'm also assuming talks are ongoing with Jordan Mellish seen as he's not mentioned. I hope these are at an advanced stage as this is dragging on too long.

RichyHpool · **Posted:** Thu May 05, 2016 5:37 pm

OK then, the club has taken up the option of keeping them, stop nit picking!

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father · **Joined:** Wed May 11, 2011 4:25 pm **Posts:** 4198

tREE_wiTH_hAMStER wrote:

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father wrote:

Michael Woods
Michael Duckworth
Rakish Bingham
Dan Jones
Rob Jones
Josh Laurent

All missing from the two lists in the announcement.

Could they not simply have time left on their current deals?

When Rob Jones signed I'm sure it was a contract till the end of the season.

"Discussions are ongoing with other remaining First Team players" might be ambiguous -it doesn't say ALL remaining first team players - but who out of that lot would have got a 2 year contract rather than an option on a second year? Rakish maybe? Woods and Duckworth both had their share of injuries last season, can't see either of them being on a 2 year deal.

roadrunner · **Joined:** Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:32 pm **Posts:** 266

Just a point about Wolves interest in Walker wasn't that Kenny Jacket? and didn't he get the sack?

PJPoolie · **Joined:** Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:28 pm **Posts:** 15342

RichyHpool wrote:

OK then, the club has taken up the option of keeping them, stop nit picking!

It's not nit picking I think it's an important thing to consider, especially in Brad Walkers case. You couldn't justify offering him a new deal in a million years he has done virtually nothing to justify it this season even though last season he was a major disappointment he still chipped in with some important goals, this year you can't defend a single aspect of his performances. But from Hignett's point of view he knows theirs a player somewhere in him and probably backs himself to make whatever is missing click, so he probably thinks he's worth another year.

Richards I tend to agree with you, he's started 34 games in five years as a professional. He's not good enough for me and I'm underwhelmed at us retaining a player of his limited ability. But Hignett probably sees him as a cheap cover in a few positions.

dav9337 · **Joined:** Sun Feb 01, 2015 12:40 pm **Posts:** 113

HonestPoolie wrote:

misterb2001 wrote:

The only 2 I'm surprised about are Richards and Walker but both are young and presumably on low wages.

When does Richards stop being classed as young? He's 23 which is older than Harrison

Richards has been at the club since 2011. Does this make him our current longest serving player in the squad? Odd decision to give him a deal.

Yubep · **Joined:** Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:35 pm **Posts:** 25266

Just need to sign another right back n the squads looking about right

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shilts · **Joined:** Tue Sep 03, 2013 9:32 pm **Posts:** 1575

Surprised Harrison has gone. Surely he's worth a squad place? I appreciate he doesn't have the class of Jackson for example and if Hignett's trying to make us the next Exeter of League Two (but more successful obviosuly) then fair enough because Harrison isn't that type of player but he's hardly crap and still young.....and who else are we going to get?

Would be surprised if Rob Jones gets another deal and it would be criminal if Duckworth left.

I loved Bingham when he first came to us but he's just a completely different player now. Probably devoid of any confidence whatsoever. If Hignett can sort him out, he could be a great player.

PJPoolie · **Joined:** Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:28 pm **Posts:** 15342

Harrison has been appalling this season, staggeringly shit for a player with promise and I get the feeling that it's not all down to his on the field performances why he's getting realised. He's good mates with Walker as well isn't maybe one of them had to go for the benefit of the other?

To think as well I and plenty of others were advocating making him captain this time last year after the season he'd had, now I'm not losing any sleep about him getting realised.

sam collin's ugly brother · **Joined:** Wed May 09, 2012 3:57 pm **Posts:** 734

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father wrote:

tREE_wiTH_hAMStER wrote:

Malcolm Dawes Knew My Father wrote:

Michael Woods
Michael Duckworth
Rakish Bingham
Dan Jones
Rob Jones
Josh Laurent

All missing from the two lists in the announcement.

Could they not simply have time left on their current deals?

When Rob Jones signed I'm sure it was a contract till the end of the season.

"Discussions are ongoing with other remaining First Team players" might be ambiguous -it doesn't say ALL remaining first team players - but who out of that lot would have got a 2 year contract rather than an option on a second year? Rakish maybe? Woods and Duckworth both had their share of injuries last season, can't see either of them being on a 2 year deal.

Duckworth and woods are both out of contract. We exercised option to extend last season

Chesssington · **Joined:** Fri Oct 31, 2014 6:36 pm **Posts:** 900

PJPoolie wrote:

Harrison has been appalling this season, staggeringly shit for a player with promise and I get the feeling that it's not all down to his on the field performances why he's getting realised. He's good mates with Walker as well isn't maybe one of them had to go for the benefit of the other?

To think as well I and plenty of others were advocating making him captain this time last year after the season he'd had, now I'm not losing any sleep about him getting realised.

I also got it totally wrong with Harrison, he was outstanding with mirfin beside him last season but has looked like a fish out of water whenever I've seen him this year and from the reports I've read. He even looked very average when I saw him play for the reserves a month ago.

MutleyRules · **Posted:** Fri May 06, 2016 1:01 am

misterb2001 wrote:

The only 2 I'm surprised about are Richards and Walker but both are young and presumably on low wages.

Walker hasbeen a 'young' prospect for years now....let Wolves have him....waste of time....waste of space in a Pools squad!!!!

Yubep · **Joined:** Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:35 pm **Posts:** 25266

I'll miss having random little loans next season.

Atkinson was my fav.

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Joe Mac · **Posted:** Fri May 06, 2016 9:17 am

Couldn't agree more with that. He has been frustrating but people forget that he is young, he seems older as he has been involved in the first team since he was 17. If Hignett can sort him out then we have a superb talent on our hands.

monkeybutt · **Posted:** Fri May 06, 2016 9:20 am

MadJohn wrote:

MutleyRules wrote:

misterb2001 wrote:

The only 2 I'm surprised about are Richards and Walker but both are young and presumably on low wages.

Walker hasbeen a 'young' prospect for years now....let Wolves have him....waste of time....waste of space in a Pools squad!!!!

I'd be reluctant to give up on a young player who clearly has talent. We've been there with Adam Boyd, another player who looked to have bags of talent as a teenager but didn't really kick on. In that case like in this there was talk of poor attitude, poor fitness. Many were happy to cut our losses when he went to Boston at 21.

Walker has only just turned 20. He's younger than Josh Nearney and Dan Jones, only a few months older than Connor Smith. When Lewis Hawkins was Walker's age he had played just 62 minutes of league football. Three years on and he's a first team regular, and many (me included) would still consider him to be a young prospect.

Walker is talented, but by christ there is something that needs sorting. Maybe Hignett/Fleming think they are the ones to get him right, just like Neale Cooper was with Boyd. Got to me worth a try IMO. If it doesn't work then he'll be released next year, but if it does work, we've got a player on our hands.

Hawkins would have played a lot more if we had Managers who don`t have pickled onions for eyes, you don`t suddenly become decent IMHO.

PoolieTom · **Joined:** Tue Aug 31, 2010 2:30 am **Posts:** 779

The problem is, to be a good league player you can't be as slow and immobile as Walker is. Simon Walton, although very good in some aspects of the game, struggled badly against the good teams because they have quicker and more agile players. And Brad is even slower than Walton.

Walker is destined to be an okay player in a poor League 2/Conference team, but if you have aspirations of pushing up the leagues, he isn't a player you can afford to spend too much time with, as ultimately, you can't easily make yourself more agile

Joe Mac · **Posted:** Fri May 06, 2016 11:06 am

I think it's harsh to write off a 20 year old lad as "destined to be an okay player in a poor League 2/Conference team". We have seen glimpses of what he is capable of, Hignett/Fleming must be seeing something from him in training for them to give him one last chance with us.

Lord_of_Stranton · **Joined:** Sun Mar 13, 2011 4:48 pm **Posts:** 1852

Last time Brad Walker had a pre-season with Craig Hignett he went on to have a superb season.

Might sound cut-throat but I think we'll know by November as to whether he's gonna have a successful career with us.

Joe Mac · **Posted:** Fri May 06, 2016 11:27 am

Exactly, Walker needs coaching and the majority of this season and last season was under Ronnie Moore and it's pretty clear that little to no coaching was done under him. Hignett is doing something right with the players, Jake Carroll being a perfect example of that.

PoolieTom · **Joined:** Tue Aug 31, 2010 2:30 am **Posts:** 779

The one thing he has going for him is that he can score goals from midfield, which is something we have been lacking. There is no way he is going to become a successful player between now and November, and I don't think he will be good enough to be a regular in a team at the top of this league, but if he chips in with a couple of goals from the bench that will do me.

Joe Mac · **Posted:** Fri May 06, 2016 12:09 pm

Why is there no way he is going to become a successful player between now and November?

Yubep · **Joined:** Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:35 pm **Posts:** 25266

Has he gone till november?

ElvisC · **Joined:** Mon Aug 15, 2011 9:55 am **Posts:** 4504

Gone till November.

Lord_of_Stranton · **Joined:** Sun Mar 13, 2011 4:48 pm **Posts:** 1852

Wake him up when November ends.

PoolieTom · **Joined:** Tue Aug 31, 2010 2:30 am **Posts:** 779

Joe Mac wrote:

Why is there no way he is going to become a successful player between now and November?

I don't think 3 months of playing is enough to decide whether someone is going to have a successful career or not as someone mentioned earlier in the thread

Lord_of_Stranton · **Joined:** Sun Mar 13, 2011 4:48 pm **Posts:** 1852

PoolieTom wrote:

I don't think 3 months of playing is enough to decide whether someone is going to have a successful career or not as someone mentioned earlier in the thread

Brad Walker has been regressing for two seasons now. Something clearly needs to change for him to be a success with us.

If the arrival of a manager who helped oversee his best times in a Pools shirt isn't going to do it then I struggle to see what will.

So, I think November is a reasonable estimate to see whether the pre-season and first few months of the season with Hignett and Fleming has revitalised him as a player, or whether he's going to need a fresh start.

PJPoolie · **Joined:** Wed Mar 06, 2013 6:28 pm **Posts:** 15342

We have that link up with the club in Finland don't we? The season there is over the summer send him on loan get him match fit and confident coming back for pre season. He hardly needs a break from first team football does he? It will also get him out of his comfort zone and away from his mates and lads holidays.

yloop · **Posted:** Fri May 06, 2016 4:28 pm

Walker is a strange one. If he had even half a brain I reckon he'd be playing in the Championship by now. Sadly I don't think he has the intelligence to make it, happy to be proven wrong.

Chesssington · **Joined:** Fri Oct 31, 2014 6:36 pm **Posts:** 900

We were shit when walker got his chance at 17 and looked a good prospect.

Has he gone backwards or have we been just a little critical expecting too much from the lad.

The problem is, can pools afford to persevere and if so, for how long.

He has shown enough at 17 that he has something but if he isn't starting in August, ship him out to spenny or wherever and he'll then sink or swim.

MutleyRules · **Posted:** Fri May 06, 2016 11:42 pm

PoolieTom wrote:

The one thing he has going for him is that he can score goals from midfield, which is something we have been lacking. There is no way he is going to become a successful player between now and November, and I don't think he will be good enough to be a regular in a team at the top of this league, but if he chips in with a couple of goals from the bench that will do me.

How many goals hes he actually scored for Pools from midfield....how many times has he actually looked like scoring in recent times????

A waste of a wage!!!!

kevin pooles gloves · **Joined:** Tue Oct 07, 2014 2:28 pm **Posts:** 9765

A bit surprised with some off the players kept on.
But still remain optimistic enuf for Coxall n Higgy to build us a team to hit the top 7.
Come on you mighty blues.

pooliecrab · **Joined:** Tue Dec 16, 2014 9:31 pm **Posts:** 6028

Chesssington wrote:

The problem is, can pools afford to persevere and if so, for how long.

There's also the argument can we afford not to. He looked like he had the potential to become a million pound player for us. It's not worked out so far but given the right coaching who knows? Won't be on a massive wedge so worth a one year deal, if he's not showing signs of improvement before Jan ship him out on loan. That in itself could be the shock he needs similar to what it took for Boyd to come good.

Chesssington · **Joined:** Fri Oct 31, 2014 6:36 pm **Posts:** 900

pooliecrab wrote:

Chesssington wrote:

The problem is, can pools afford to persevere and if so, for how long.

There's also the argument can we afford not to. He looked like he had the potential to become a million pound player for us. It's not worked out so far but given the right coaching who knows? Won't be on a massive wedge so worth a one year deal, if he's not showing signs of improvement before Jan ship him out on loan. That in itself could be the shock he needs similar to what it took for Boyd to come good.

100% agree. He was played too much when clearly he wasn't ready which can't have done his confidence any good. He's still young enough to come good. How fabulous would it be to have a mobile, 6ft + midfield goalscorer in the side. He seems some way off that currently mind.

Full retained list announced today

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