Out of contract players this summer

[E10rifle]

Craig Clay is no longer out of contract having penned a new 2-year deal. I assume his signature was a bit ropey as he’ll have been signing it as it was coming out of Martin Ling’s printer.

 

[valefan16]

Although in contract, huge news at Vale Park for us... Tom Conlon has signed a 3 year extension which should ward off any likely interest from higher up the pyramid.

Absolutely buzzing as thought we'd lose him.

 

[Soz]

yeah thats big news for us

gives us a lot more negotiating power if someone does come in for him, makes total sense to protect our assets like this. the amount of times we've had our best players leave on free transfers over the years is crazy.

 

[Soz]

and we get to see a few more absolute fucking worldies too.

 

[BarraMatt]

Shinned that one against us, if he struck it cleanly it wouldn't have gone in. Pure fluke.

 

[chipmunx]

Yeah you're right m8, as well as accidentally dicking you with a volley from the half way line, he routinely bangs in a shitload of 30 yard volleys and free kicks for us just by pure fluke.

some good goals - although you should be docked points for playing in what looks like a Forest Green kit in the match against Exeter

 

[Chris FGR]

I genuinely expect Vale to live up to the hype next season. Everything seems to be pointing in the right direction there which is what you need to build momentum.

 

[Indian Dan]

I’ve tipped Cambridge for 2 seasons before last season when I was hot for Vale. I seem to put the mockers on anyone I tip.

Sadly, Orient have my seal of approval for the coming season.

 

[valefan16]

some good goals - although you should be docked points for playing in what looks like a Forest Green kit in the match against Exeter

We wore that against you guys!

 

[valefan16]

Shinned that one against us, if he struck it cleanly it wouldn't have gone in. Pure fluke.

He tried it a few weeks earlier from a dead ball free kick out wide and just went over, think it was against Southend.

He's an odd one, he was ok for the first couple of years, didnt really get in the XI last season until Taylor got injured and came in and looked very good playing further forward. This season hes gone to another level and been in most team of the season's.

3 more years of the Porthill Pirlo is excellent news and he has set up an academy with Smith giving back to local communities so all looking positive.

 

[valefan16]

I genuinely expect Vale to live up to the hype next season. Everything seems to be pointing in the right direction there which is what you need to build momentum.

It was last season and went to pot so early days, we've only got 9 players at the moment so a long way to go. Financially we look set to invest and push on from the investment in the winter with the backroom but we've been burnt this season so wont get too carried away.

 

[shoddycollins]

Yeah you're right m8, as well as accidentally dicking you with a volley from the half way line, he routinely bangs in a shitload of 30 yard volleys and free kicks for us just by pure fluke.

Reminds me of Danny Grainger, every time he got into his favourite shooting position and lashed the ball into the top corner you'd see opposition fans saying 'he'll never score another goal like that in his life'.

 

[valefan16]

That Yeovil goal was incredible and cant believe it wasnt in the running for goal of the season that year. Not just the strike by Hannant's flick to set it up, a stunning goal.

 

[BarraMatt]

Yeah you're right m8, as well as accidentally dicking you with a volley from the half way line, he routinely bangs in a shitload of 30 yard volleys and free kicks for us just by pure fluke.

Didn't take long!

 

[kieran_vale]

Excellent news about Conlon and impressed the club got this done with little to no fuss. Means from our perspective we are going to be guaranteed some very good money for him if or when a bigger club does come for him at some point.

In the meantime Conlon is someone you can build a whole team around. May be one or two others am missing but basically him and Sheehan at Newport are two midfielders who just seem like the game in front of them runs in slow motion and can control a game themselves. Wonder if we might try the same with Smith and maybe an extra year for Worrall also though the latter is in his thirties so might need a little extra thought.

 

[Moomin]

Can’t pretend I know too much about Conlon but I note he was signed from Stevenage? Was it a free transfer? If so, it just shows there are some absolute bargains out there. Same with Mullin who would have been long odds for the golden boot winner…

It highlights the need for excellent scouting rather than throwing money at players who will command big wages.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

If there's one league where you don't necessarily need investment to get out of it the right way, it's this one.

There's no point forking out big money for journeymen here as, very rarely, will former PL/former top Championship players drop this low down the pyramid. League One is the lowest a lot of them go, certainly not League Two. All you're left paying big wages for are players who failed in the Championship like your Eoin Doyle's (excellent for L2 level mind) and injury prone players like Nicky Maynard who are way past their primes.

Young and hungry squads are key. Sure, you need some experience in your side. But shelling out big signing on fees, agents fees and big wages to 10 or 15 journeymen just because they once played in the Championship or top end of League One isn't the way forward. It's why Mansfield and Salford are still in this division despite the big budgets they've had for years.

3 of the 4 who go up this season will surely have had bottom half budgets and, if Morecambe are victorious next Monday, that'll be the team with the lowest budget in the division going up. So money at this level really isn't everything.

 

[kieran_vale]

Can’t pretend I know too much about Conlon but I note he was signed from Stevenage? Was it a free transfer? If so, it just shows there are some absolute bargains out there. Same with Mullin who would have been long odds for the golden boot winner…

It highlights the need for excellent scouting rather than throwing money at players who will command big wages.

Yeah he was released from Stevenage and came to us on a trial and got signed by Aspin after doing alright. At first he was more someone who just went flying into tackles but then when Askey came in he started to slowly develop other parts of his game not least his shooting from distance and taken another step since being given the captaincy.

 

[valefan16]

Yeah he was released from Stevenage and came to us on a trial and got signed by Aspin after doing alright. At first he was more someone who just went flying into tackles but then when Askey came in he started to slowly develop other parts of his game not least his shooting from distance and taken another step since being given the captaincy.

Yeah once he got back into the side Askey played him further forward and told him not to be so defensive didn’t he? (Aspin being Uber defensive) and that left him free to push on.

Up until this past season he hasn’t really set the world alight, in fact the trio of Jake Taylor, Scott Burgess and Luke Joyce nailed the three central spots under Askey until Jake got injured.

When we were struggling though he pushed on led by example and his stats are ridiculously good. One positive from this season I guess.

Doesn’t like a tap in either, three cracking free kicks, one at Exeter and two against Walsall on top of the worldie against Barrow.

Thought we’d lose him but now clubs will have a to pay big to get him and we could likely keep them at bay for a year and still make big money if we failed to go up next season for example.

Under Smurf we’d have flogged him on the cheap so he could get a new Tesla.

 

[valefan16]

If there's one league where you don't necessarily need investment to get out of it the right way, it's this one.

There's no point forking out big money for journeymen here as, very rarely, will former PL/former top Championship players drop this low down the pyramid. League One is the lowest a lot of them go, certainly not League Two. All you're left paying big wages for are players who failed in the Championship like your Eoin Doyle's (excellent for L2 level mind) and injury prone players like Nicky Maynard who are way past their primes.

Young and hungry squads are key. Sure, you need some experience in your side. But shelling out big signing on fees, agents fees and big wages to 10 or 15 journeymen just because they once played in the Championship or top end of League One isn't the way forward. It's why Mansfield and Salford are still in this division despite the big budgets they've had for years.

3 of the 4 who go up this season will surely have had bottom half budgets and, if Morecambe are victorious next Monday, that'll be the team with the lowest budget in the division going up. So money at this level really isn't everything.

It’s true and good points, Salford have obviously spent on relatively big names but can they do it on the mud of Newport in a sodden February? Mansfield obviously have struggled the past two seasons despite big investment and Notts of course went down.

Need the standard hair arsed bog standard battling centre halves and target men etc to deal with it at this level really.

Morecambe have done very well being relatively unspectacular but solid. Newport down the years the same, all be it maybe less so this season.

It’s a tough league, no one would have predicted Cambridge, Morecambe and Newport to be up there.

 

[Boz]

Morecambe are probably bottom third budget-wise, but thought they had some investment this season so doubt they’d be lowest budget in L2. However, it’s encouraging that it’s not all down to money at this level.

 

[Si Robin]

As alluded to on a number of occasions - our budget was 17th in the League apparently.

 

[Moomin]

As alluded to on a number of occasions - our budget was 17th in the League apparently.

Seriously? I would’ve thought the likes of Sercombe and May would be on a good wedge?

 

[Si Robin]

We've used location a lot with out signings. Matty Blair for example is from Warwickshire, so we're less than an hour away. When we signed Luke Varney a couple of years back, it was because he lived in Worcester. Blackpool offered him more than double what we did apparently.

That's the best thing to do with experienced players at this level. By the time they're reaching their late 20s/early 30s they've got kids and have settled down. A shorter commute and more time at home is more important than a couple of hundred quid a week. Especially if they've made a decent wedge already.

That's not to say Sercombe and May aren't being paid well, it's just well within our relatively low budget.

 

[Soz]

totally agree that budgets are not everything. a smaller budget will almost focus the mind a bit when it comes to recruitment. askey is a prime example, he gets a brililant tune out of a squad with no money, give him a bit more money and he wasn't really comfortable with it at all, signs a load of injury prone players or ends up throwing cash at theo robinson who was our 3rd choice target at best.

and as for enormous salford-esque budgets, i'm not surprised at all they've struggled to live up to expectations in the football league now. i said before on here i think, how can you possibly keep a squad happy when you were the highest paid player 12 months ago but now you are on the bench and the new highest paid player has dropped from the top of league 1 or even championship and is likely on twice what you are. it's a bit of a poisoned chalice really.

I'd be interested to see if the budget of salford compared to bolton, as bolton's recruitment just felt so much better really, they signed a couple of big money players last summer that you just knew were just proven top league 2 players, like sarcevic and doyle. Salford going out and signing preston's captain just never really felt like it was going to work, even if he was getting on a bit, there's only one reason he dropped to league 2. and it's not like they can persevere with promising youngsters like devante rodney in their position. you can't justify him playing when you can go out and sign anyone you want below the championship.

 

[SVH]

Apparently our budget was 18th.

 

[shoddycollins]

Seriously? I would’ve thought the likes of Sercombe and May would be on a good wedge?

That's why Chris Beech was always convinced Cheltenham had a bit of money.

 

[shoddycollins]

We've used location a lot with out signings. Matty Blair for example is from Warwickshire, so we're less than an hour away. When we signed Luke Varney a couple of years back, it was because he lived in Worcester. Blackpool offered him more than double what we did apparently.

That's the best thing to do with experienced players at this level. By the time they're reaching their late 20s/early 30s they've got kids and have settled down. A shorter commute and more time at home is more important than a couple of hundred quid a week. Especially if they've made a decent wedge already.

That's not to say Sercombe and May aren't being paid well, it's just well within our relatively low budget.

Cheltenham are pretty good location wise, despite being in the south west, its a densely populated part of it and well connected to places like Birmingham, Bristol, South Wales and even London isn't too far.

We have totally the opposite situation.

 

[Si Robin]

Yeah - we're not more than 2-2 and half hours from most places. Bristol and Birmingham can be done in 45 mins, London in under 2 hours if you're lucky with traffic (and towing it, like I used to when I drove to away games).

 

[Crewelad87]

Northampton Town manager Jon Brady has announced the following retained list at the conclusion of the 2020/21 season.

PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT FOR 2021/22
Michael Harriman
Fraser Horsfall
Joseph Mills
Jack Sowerby
Shaun McWilliams
Sam Hoskins
Harry Smith
Benny Ashley-Seal
Danny Rose
Caleb Chukwuemeka

OUT OF CONTRACT BUT OFFERED NEW TERMS
Lloyd Jones
Ryan Watson
Scott Pollock

ACADEMY PLAYERS OFFERED PROFESSIONAL CONTRACTS
Max Dyche
Liam Cross
Josh Flanagan

OUT OF CONTRACT AND NOT OFFERED NEW TERMS
Steve Arnold
Alan Sheehan
Mark Marshall
Ricky Korboa
Matt Warburton
Ethan Johnston

LOAN PLAYERS WHO HAVE RETURNED TO THEIR PARENT CLUBS
Jonathan Mitchell
Peter Kioso
Bryn Morris
Mickel Miller
Ryan Edmondson

Morgan Roberts and Alex Jones have been invited to train with the squad in pre-season while Cian Bolger has an option in his contract and the club are awaiting the player's decision.

We’re being linked with both Lloyd Jones and Ryan Watson, Watson I believe is from Crewe. Must have been one that slipped the net for us as a kid. Are they any good cobblers fans?