Pretty under whirling.
Presumably those still under discussion have been offered deals of some sort - which means less available for some new blood.

Canned predictive text - under whelming not whirling

Pretty much what I expected apart from I thought Magnay would be released. I’m also surprised Catterick has been retained, I don’t see the point in keeping someone who isn’t going to play for the first team he’s not big enough.

I suppose a few of those in talks could still leave if they have had other offers. The summer is more about getting the right players in than getting rid of everyone, quality over quantity.

Must be April 1st. No way is that the retained list for a team that had its worst season ever. No club in their right mind would want to give new contracts to players who are past it or injury prone.

Oh the old ‘worst season ever line’ (which is a bit of nonsense really) and none of them have been given contracts yet, I’d imagine a fair few will leave still. The form from the point Hignett took over wasn’t a million miles off the play offs in terms of points per game. I am little surprised with one or two but it’s about time we gave a manager time to do his job.

Magnay is looking at an offer of a new contract after missing an average of 20 league games a season for the last 4 seasons at Pools? Unbelievable Jeff!

Fucking hell, I'm surprised he hasn't had Hignett's hand off.

Is what it is. Some good positives in there - like keeping Hawkes for another year, or at least guaranteeing a fee, and the resigning of Kioso too.

People will immediately see that only four are fully out of the club and complain, but when all the senior players have been offered reduced deals we might be able to keep a bit of quality on the cheap - i.e. Donaldson, Featherstone, Anderson etc. In the end it will probably end up being 7/8 gone with a fair bit of room made to sign others, can't complain.

Would have expected Magnay to leave, would have hoped Kitching would too.

People saying we are keeping a team that has constantly failed are ludicrous though; we've only had most of the players a year and apart from Featherstone who was here when we dropped from League 2? People seem to think that just because we've failed as a club for a decade that defacto everyone who's played for us in that time is a failure.

We are trying to keep players like featherstone who have 5 or 6 decent games a season. No matter how many points hignett picked up we still finished 17th in the non league. The midfield thats been over run for the last 5 to 10 seasons will continue to be over run with the featherstones next season too.

I'd have thought a deal for Holohan would have been all tied up by now. Disappointing that money has been offered to squad players when getting the strongest possible starting eleven should be the first priority.

I’d have moved on from Featherstone myself but always thought he’d be offered something as the manager rates him. Get the right midfielder alongside him a proper defensive midfielder who can press, break up play and get him on the ball then you might get the best out of him.

Been in touch with Wren to get Kitchin refitted into a decent player

Ideally next season I’d like to see:

Loach
Kioso
Kerr
New CB
New LB

Featherstone
Holohan
Williams

James
New LW
Kabamba

Another striker and winger as well and 3 meat-head players

In the last 23 matches this squad has won just 7 times. To offer virtually every single one of them new terms is an insult to 3000 season ticket holders. No wonder we cant compete with the mighty wrexhams and fyldes of this league.

Spot on Billers, what a spineless, dog-shit of a retained list drafted by Hignett. Yet another opportunity to get rid of the dross that have dragged the club down to the level where it currently stands is spurned. Personally I would rather have seen the likes of McLaughlin and Hawkins retained than several of the no-hopers that club have taken up options on. I can only think they are being paid absolute peanuts. Cue a serious challenge for National League North 19-20 methinks.

Not too long ago Hignett was regularly spouting the old ‘were not a million fillums miles away’ chestnut - now he is saying ‘we’ve a long way to go’. Wtf is on? Hardly the best way to attract potential new quality signings, nor to convince season ticket fence sitters that this year is going to be any better than the last ten. Sorry, but at this stage I am most definitely OUT.

No ‘this squad’ didn’t really the team changed significantly at Harrogate game which was Money’s last. That is about as selective as it gets to fit your agenda. Hignett won 6 out of the last 16 from the point he took over, 5 draws, 5 defeats not fantastic but top ten form and a bit of a platform to work on and improve. We won 4 out of the last 5 home games as well including wins against 2 of the top four, the Solihull defeat in the middle of that might help in terms of the additions required to help us build and improve that bit extra that is required.

Bye then.

Featherstone n Magnay will stay when Tickle Rovers decide to sign 2 better players.

No ‘this squad’ didn’t really the team changed significantly at Harrogate game which was Money’s last. That is about as selective as it gets to fit your agenda. Hignett won 6 out of the last 16 from the point he took over, 5 draws, 5 defeats not fantastic but top ten form and a bit of a platform to work on and improve. We won 4 out of the last 5 home games as well including wins against 2 of the top four, the Solihull defeat in the middle of that might help in terms of the additions required to help us build and improve that bit extra that is required.[/quote]

Exactly PJ. And the Solihull game showing the kind of players we need to mix it with the more physical sides. It’s not about who he releases, it’s about who he brings in. 2-3 National League cloggers will compliment and improve what we already have IMO

No ‘this squad’ didn’t really the team changed significantly at Harrogate game which was Money’s last. That is about as selective as it gets to fit your agenda. Hignett won 6 out of the last 16 from the point he took over, 5 draws, 5 defeats not fantastic but top ten form and a bit of a platform to work on and improve. We won 4 out of the last 5 home games as well including wins against 2 of the top four, the Solihull defeat in the middle of that might help in terms of the additions required to help us build and improve that bit extra that is required.[/quote]It's 23 games half a season. Its ok saying the team changed since harrogate very true but one or two of them have gone and the team changes pretty constantly anyway, through the season because they arent good enough. We are going back to the magnays, featherstones, muirs once again two of them who for one reason or another have been a part of serial losing culture.
Their is no agenda, statistics don't lie. 17th in the national league our worst position ever. Beaten in a cup game by a national league north team fairly comfortably. We can go with 16 games it would still over a season see us lose at least 15 times. Their is no doubting since hignett arrived its been better, a better watch, however Hignett has said though, he will be sacked probobly if we dont make the play offs. I suggest if you waste the budget on that shower, then you deserve it if we miss out again. Time and time again we do not learn by our previous mistakes, i can understand we may not have the greatest budget, i don't even expect us to win the league but if we cant put together a team better than 75% of this league with 3000 season ticket holders, 18 quid on the gate with our stature as a big club in this league to pull players,then their is something seriously wrong.

I wish people would stop equating the Solihull players with the word 'cloggers'. Admittedly I only saw them once but their midfield was superior to ours in EVERY department, especially effort and technique. We can't Barcelona our way out of this division with Featherstone and Noble, they just don't work hard enough. Some people say Featherstone would be great with X, Y or Z beside him, but for far too many seasons he's weighed down Pools midfield like an anchor regardless of who's been alongside him. He is a tidy player, but that on it's own is nowhere near enough.

[quote="Bossa Nova"]I wish people would stop equating the Solihull players with the word 'cloggers'.
these cloggers were fitter, bigger and a better attitude thats all. need more like that than having some that go missing in parts of a game and prefer to pass side ways rather than forward.

Being pedantic but it's worth saying because I keep seeing this line trotted out that it was our worst ever position, it wasn't. After the club were formed in 1908 we are effectively in the Northern League until we got a place in the League. So it's a comment that isn't true and isn't fair on the people currently at the club. We are rebuilding a mess, from years of neglect and decline. None of that is at the door of the new owners, the staff and the vast majority of the playing squad. It was a disappointing season on the field, but things look to be improving off it and the club is in a better place than last year. Whether we finished 11th or 17th (nothing in it points wise, we actually got more points than last season) doesn't really make any difference in terms of what we have to do going forward. From the point Hignett took over performances and results were better and it looked like we do have something to build on.


Also I really don't get the comment that we 'don't learn from previous mistakes' It suggests that we have retained the same players and stuck with the same manager through our decline. When you take a step back that couldn't actually be further from the truth. In reality the complete lack of stability both player wise and especially with managers has compounded everything. What we actually need to do is to back and stick with a manager, add the right type of players to the decent ones we already have and actually start build a team that can win games at this level, we have had a huge turnover of players (and managers 4 in the National League, 3 the season before that) in the last few years so what you are effectively doing is throwing your toys out of the pram because a couple of players you would have released haven't been. I said the same about Magnay and Featherstone but I'm not the manager and I trust he knows what we need to improve more than I do, plus both could still leave. Lets see how things play out.

To be fair though how many matches did we win under Higgy when we came from behind? Must have some decent mentality somewhere to do that.

Being pedantic but it's worth saying because I keep seeing this line trotted out that it was our worst ever position, it wasn't. After the club were formed in 1908 we are effectively in the Northern League until we got a place in the League. So it's a comment that isn't true and isn't fair on the people currently at the club. We are rebuilding a mess, from years of neglect and decline. None of that is at the door of the new owners, the staff and the vast majority of the playing squad. It was a disappointing season on the field, but things look to be improving off it and the club is in a better place than last year. Whether we finished 11th or 17th (nothing in it points wise, we actually got more points than last season) doesn't really make any difference in terms of what we have to do going forward. From the point Hignett took over performances and results were better and it looked like we do have something to build on.


Also I really don't get the comment that we 'don't learn from previous mistakes' It suggests that we have retained the same players and stuck with the same manager through our decline. When you take a step back that couldn't actually be further from the truth. In reality the complete lack of stability both player wise and especially with managers has compounded everything. What we actually need to do is to back and stick with a manager, add the right type of players to the decent ones we already have and actually start build a team that can win games at this level, we have had a huge turnover of players (and managers 4 in the National League, 3 the season before that) in the last few years so what you are effectively doing is throwing your toys out of the pram because a couple of players you would have released haven't been. I said the same about Magnay and Featherstone but I'm not the manager and I trust he knows what we need to improve more than I do, plus both could still leave. Lets see how things play out.[/quote]
Nobody is throwing their toys out their pram, what some people is saying is that the same set of players will once again let down the same fans and they will let hignett down as well. For the last week all we have heard is how far behind we now are, how we cant compete with the big clubs in this league, well not freeing up budget isnt going to help. The barrow game once agained showed how far we are from a top side in this league. That game should of set alarm bells ringing around the club. In a years time we will probobly have the same conversation.

Hopefully you have learnt to post quotes by then

I don't think Hignett said that we can't compete with anyone, and playing down the budget shouldn't be read into too much it is what it is.

I'm sure games like Barrow and Solihull are in mind when recruiting but games against Wrexham and Salford should as well, I'm sure some of the players on the still in talks will have been offered reduced or incentive based conracts, I'm sure a few will still leave and I'm sure the team will look different by August to what it was in April.

Maybe the error message that keeps popping up saying i can't submit the message with quotes in is preventing me lol. Lets hope we sign some good players or season ticket sales will take a hit after that retained list.

Really throws me off too.

I keep reading the post n thinking wait there i've already read that.

Being pedantic but it's worth saying because I keep seeing this line trotted out that it was our worst ever position, it wasn't. After the club were formed in 1908 we are effectively in the Northern League until we got a place in the League. So it's a comment that isn't true and isn't fair on the people currently at the club. We are rebuilding a mess, from years of neglect and decline. None of that is at the door of the new owners, the staff and the vast majority of the playing squad. It was a disappointing season on the field, but things look to be improving off it and the club is in a better place than last year. Whether we finished 11th or 17th (nothing in it points wise, we actually got more points than last season) doesn't really make any difference in terms of what we have to do going forward. From the point Hignett took over performances and results were better and it looked like we do have something to build on.


Also I really don't get the comment that we 'don't learn from previous mistakes' It suggests that we have retained the same players and stuck with the same manager through our decline. When you take a step back that couldn't actually be further from the truth. In reality the complete lack of stability both player wise and especially with managers has compounded everything. What we actually need to do is to back and stick with a manager, add the right type of players to the decent ones we already have and actually start build a team that can win games at this level, we have had a huge turnover of players (and managers 4 in the National League, 3 the season before that) in the last few years so what you are effectively doing is throwing your toys out of the pram because a couple of players you would have released haven't been. I said the same about Magnay and Featherstone but I'm not the manager and I trust he knows what we need to improve more than I do, plus both could still leave. Lets see how things play out.[/quote]

What's with all the perspective and common sense?! Don't you know the idea is to pick one or two players and bang on relentlessly about how sh!te they are until they leave. You then pick someone else and repeat ad infinitum.

I screwed up the quote bracket there... bugger.

Bang on about how shite they are? You mean the same ones that have been apart of 4 or 5 years of rubbish?Have they not been here long enough? No doubt come the winter time, when we are 16th again and being over run by a telford or blyth in the micky mouse cup, it might hit home they could be a large part of the problem.

Bang on about how shite they are? You mean the same ones that have been apart of 4 or 5 years of rubbish?Have they not been here long enough? No doubt come the winter time, when we are 16th again and being over run by a telford or blyth in the micky mouse cup, it might hit home they could be a large part of the problem.

How many players have been at our club 4 or 5 years?

I’ll answer for you, two. The ones already mentioned. Our longest serving player after Featherstone and Magnay is Kenton Richardson, a young lad who made his debut a little more than two years ago. Apart from previous spells for James and Donaldson they are the only three who played in the Football League for us. We have had a huge turnover of players. We have had no stability for a couple of reasons, no building of a team. Maybe we are learning from our mistakes by not changing most of the team?

Signings in key areas , quality not quantity, players with the right mentality for this League is the way to improve and challenge.

stop talking sense.

What's with all the perspective and common sense?! Don't you know the idea is to pick one or two players and bang on relentlessly about how sh!te they are until they leave. You then pick someone else and repeat ad infinitum.[/quote]

Instead of being positive you need to create a Facebook group, fake profiles and fake forum accounts to spread your negative messages far and wide.

THE CLUB NEEDS MORE NEGATIVE VIDEOS


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The way I see it we have released 5 players, (probably at least 2 were on a decent wage) and probably offered reduced terms to the others. They all wont sign for us so it will probably be 7/8/9 in total who come off the wage bill.

We already had a team that could beat and compete with the best teams in the league, so if were say bringing in 4 or 5 players who are better than those they are replacing then I dont see any problem.

Releasing 15 players thus leaving us with 4 players and having to go and sign 15 players is hardly a recipe for success.

" releasing 15 and keeping 4 is hardly a recipe for success "
Macclesfield won the league the previous season after releasing 24 and signing 23 - it's the ingredients that are important !

Including loan signings this season we had 19 new players through the door one way or another. I think the retained list was about right not wrong enough to make me shout in a rage. Still expect a few others to leave Noble and Magnay possibly.

Seriously where do people get some of this stuff from!!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40098303

You have to remember that only a privileged few have access to that interweb thingy and can look stuff up - everyone else uses 'pub facts.' It's much quicker.

" where do people get this stuff from - Some of this stuff was basically confirmed by the manager :
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... n-14559438

Is there a part of that article that we can’t see that basically confirms Macclesfield released 24 players? I doubt they even had a squad of 24 players. They released 5. It says at the start of the summer they had 3 players signed up, we released 5 the other day and at that point only had 10 signed up for next season, it’s now up to 12.

The 4th paragraph - the word "exodus".
Then look at the Cambridge dictionary definition of exodus.

Not really getting anywhere here am I

I am aware of the meaning of the word exodus without looking it up thanks and the word doesn’t even appear in a quote from the manager!! They released five and offered contracts to 8 and without checking I know Danny Whittaker stayed as he’s still there. So that is down to a maximum of 12 leaving, half of 24. The word exodus actually implies a few chose contracts elsewhere and like I said when we only have ten outfield players committed to next season as things stand ignoring all the drama queening nonsense about the retained list.

Start using block capitals to shout numbers and I can see you being headhunted by the Mail.

Three of the eight offered contracts stayed, three chose contracts at Chester (that went well Macclesfield Champions, Chester relegated!) one joined Barnet (relegated!) and Ollie Norburn went to Tranmere so did ok!

So ten left the club not twenty four, we could quite easily see ten leave by the end of negotiations.

further evidence - but the important point is that it's who you recruit that's important - not how many.
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/maccles ... lpos=&w_s=
Over and out

Further evidence than the actual retained list and the telling you how many stayed and went from those offered contracts

Yes it’s not how many it’s who that is exactly what a few of us were saying before your 24 released claim!!

What Macclesfield had was stability in terms of the manager who had a five year spell in charge and what they showed is you don’t need pots of cash at this level just the right ingredients to consistently win games. It’s case that should give us hope they also came from outside of the play offs the previous season to Champions like The Orient last year so it also proves it’s a tough league to predict.