Create your own Retained List...

Whats the prize if you get it right?

It’s difficult too say as we don’t know what length of contracts they are on and Let’s be honest it’s not as if any who were 2 year contracts are going too attract attention from other clubs and I can’t see Pools being in the financial position too cancel their contracts.

There are also youths on the list who have never been given a chance so we can’t make a decision on them, reconfigure the list with only the players who have actually played in the first team not warmed the bench.

For me any player on the list who has been with Pools and was there and played when we got relegated last season should go as obviously they are not even good enough for the current league and should not be given a new contract, maybe only Woods although he can be very inconsistent.

Plus we don’t know what wage players are on/will accept.

So for the likes of Woods and Newton I would keep, but not if they are on football league wages.

Perhaps the better players will want to be away so we will be left with the dross!

Which of the better players are still under contract next season?

We’re on a similar situation to Sunderland but on a much smaller scale. Lads like Cattermole and Featherstone have been around failure too long for instance. I’d build a National League squad on NL wages and get rid of the players on FL wages or offer them reduced terms to bring them in line. Take it or leave it. Higgy should be looking at the NL North, particularly Harrogate who have had a great season. They are pro so players should have no worries about leaving other jobs. Also see whether 1 or 2 of Spennys best players fancy a few years pro because make no mistake those lads are winners and more to the point used to being booted all over the place.

Fair enough. What I should say is that maybe both parties need a fresh start then. He would probably be ok in a decent side with players making runs for him etc and being on his wavelength

It’s a bit harsh to be ask Woods to prove his fitness he’s played 40 games this season, and his 11 goals make him one of the few who have actually earned the right to stay.

I think I only went for 6.

Loach, Donnelly, Hawkes, Woods, Cassidy and Rodney. Maybe a little harsh on one or two of the younger lads who I haven’t seen much of. The only real borderline one other than that for me was Magnay but he’s another who misses a lot of games and has been part of a losing culture.

Richardson looked good before he was crocked, I thought.

There are some good semi pro players who do not want to step up to full time,
They have jobs and family responsibilities,
Why should they step up into the unknown with maybe less security ?

Absolutely no doubt that there are many semi-pro players who will have good jobs and are happy being semi-pro, but there will also be lads itching to go full-time, especially younger lads with less commitments. Scott Fenwick gave up his engineering job to come to Pools and both Featherstone and Woods were playing semi-pro when we picked them up. Dave Tarpey, the Maidenhead goal machine went full-time with Barnet as another example away from Pools.

No.

Didn’t realise Scott Harrison has two accounts here

I dont get the lack of support for Featherstone but he looks a bit unfit.

The results appear a bit distorted as it is clearly the total number of player votes, not number of posts. So I assume if people are suggesting keeping anywhere from 5-10+ players there must have been between 73 (Hawkes has that many votes) and maybe 100 votes. As a result 80%+ are suggesting keeping Loach, Hawkes etc. Still surprising how many votes Rodney has but it is all about opinions!