Squad for next season

[Roosterbooster]

Where do you think the squad will all be next season?
I'm personally most worried about Estève going - I don't think we have anyone to replace his pace, as good as Humphreys would be as a LCB. I think there will be a massive overhaul again this summer - mainly of the fringe players to be fair. I think alot of these players are not currently ready for the PL, and Parker will bring in some experienced heads to help out what we already do have

This isn't what I would do btw - just what I think will happen

GK
Trafford - sell
Hladky- stay
Greene - stay

CB
Beyer - stay
Worrall - stay
Estève - sell
CJER - leave
Ekdal - loan
Delcroix- sell

RB
Roberts - stay
Sonne - loan
Sambo - loan

LB
Lucas Pires - stay
Humphreys- stay
Dodgson - loan

Midfield
Brownhill - leave
Ramsey - stay
Cullen - stay
Laurent - stay
Hannibal - stay
Massengo - sell
Bauress - loan
McDermott - loan
Shelvey - leave

Wingers
Koleosho - loan
Redmond - stay
Sarmiento - back to Brighton
Edwards - stay
Benson - sell
Anthony - stay
Tresor - loan
Agyei - loan
Churlinov - sell

Forwards
Foster - stay
Flemming - stay
Amdouni - stay
Barnes - keep in some capacity, not necessarily as a player
Banel - loan
Costelloe - sell
Obafemi - leave
Hountondji - sell

[Spijed]

Unfortunately If Esteve, Trafford & Egan-Riley leave then our chances of survival are pretty much zero.

Even though it's the clubs duty to carry on recruiting, it's probably going to feel a bit pointless if our best players from this season leave.

[Roosterbooster]

I agree it'd be pretty bad to lose that part of the spine
Recruiting anything akin to like for like replacements would be very tricky

But I think its a real possibility that Trafford, CJ, Esteve and Brownhill all leave

[RVclaret]

If all 4 leave then you may as well just relegate us now. Won’t happen.

[Goliath]

Unfortunately If Esteve, Trafford & Egan-Riley leave then our chances of survival are pretty much zero.

Even though it's the clubs duty to carry on recruiting, it's probably going to feel a bit pointless if our best players from this season leave.

Replace wuth Ramsdale/Kepa on loan, Keane on a free and 1 other centre back and our survival chances aren't 0. Keane would give us a few more goals as well that's for sure

[bumba]

I agree it'd be pretty bad to lose that part of the spine
Recruiting anything akin to like for like replacements would be very tricky

But I think its a real possibility that Trafford, CJ, Esteve and Brownhill all leave

Brownhill is the one I'm least bothered about losing, fantastic in the championship but never been good enough in the premier.
If we bring back and keep Amdouni I'd be happier with two sitters and Amdouni in the 10

[Belial]

I'd imagine most of the above will be fairly accurate, although I think CJER and Brownhill will stay, and both Amdouni and Redmond will end up elsewhere

Either way even if they did stay we need a few to strengthen. I saw Coufal is being released - he would be a good fit if the price is right, plus a strong CM and striker

[jdrobbo]

Replace wuth Ramsdale/Kepa on loan, Keane on a free and 1 other centre back and our survival chances aren't 0. Keane would give us a few more goals as well that's for sure

Not the direction of travel I want us to take but a few old heads would help I think. Keane is a decent shout. Brighton will likely be looking to move Dunk on too.

[randomclaret2]

Brownhill is the one I'm least bothered about losing, fantastic in the championship but never been good enough in the premier.
If we bring back and keep Amdouni I'd be happier with two sitters and Amdouni in the 10

Brownhill is the one player who proves the gulf that now exists between Premier League and Championship

[alwaysaclaret]

Brownhill is the one I'm least bothered about losing, fantastic in the championship but never been good enough in the premier.
If we bring back and keep Amdouni I'd be happier with two sitters and Amdouni in the 10

Not been good enough in the prem because neither dyche nor kompany found his best position/role, against all the odds Parker has, and on that basis would be criminal to let him go without a fight imo, it's no coincidence that there's 5 or 6 Premier league or euro clubs that would be interested in him given he's prowess where he's played this season.
And if you're happy with amdouni in the 10 where would you have Flemming.

[ksrclaret]

You've just got to hope that by the time the spring arrives again we're still lining up with the four big hitters that everyone is speculating will leave.

Worrying about things we can't control doesn't do us any good, but it'd obviously be demoralising if we see our best players leaving when the challenge already looks almost impossible.

[Goliath]

Not the direction of travel I want us to take but a few old heads would help I think. Keane is a decent shout. Brighton will likely be looking to move Dunk on too.

Keane is only 32 and we know he's a good character. It would be a key signing and I'm not sure it's much of a drop off in quality from Egan riley, if at all.

[TheFamilyCat]

I wonder if a one-year deal with a big bonus for staying up would be a good option for Brownhill.

He'd still be in a good position to negotiate when he's OOC next summer, possibly better if he has a good PL season.

We keep our captain and an important part of this season's team.

Not great long-term planning, but could work for both parties.

[bumba]

Not been good enough in the prem because neither dyche nor kompany found his best position/role, against all the odds Parker has, and on that basis would be criminal to let him go without a fight imo, it's no coincidence that there's 5 or 6 Premier league or euro clubs that would be interested in him given he's prowess where he's played this season.
And if you're happy with amdouni in the 10 where would you have Flemming.

Same place as Parker since Parker hasn't used him as a 10 since he's been here, even Derby away Foster came on in the 10 with Flemming remaining up top.
Amdouni is a better 10 than Flemming though.
His goalscoring stats have been better this season but his performances at championship level were no better than previous seasons, he's always had a high standard at that level.
If we believe parker has unleashed a beast that suddenly going to rip up the premier league I think your slightly biased or deluded

[alwaysaclaret]

Where do you think the squad will all be next season?
I'm personally most worried about Estève going - I don't think we have anyone to replace his pace, as good as Humphreys would be as a LCB. I think there will be a massive overhaul again this summer - mainly of the fringe players to be fair. I think alot of these players are not currently ready for the PL, and Parker will bring in some experienced heads to help out what we already do have

This isn't what I would do btw - just what I think will happen

GK
Trafford - sell
Hladky- stay
Greene - stay

CB
Beyer - stay
Worrall - stay
Estève - sell
CJER - leave
Ekdal - loan
Delcroix- sell

RB
Roberts - stay
Sonne - loan
Sambo - loan

LB
Lucas Pires - stay
Humphreys- stay
Dodgson - loan

Midfield
Brownhill - leave
Ramsey - stay
Cullen - stay
Laurent - stay
Hannibal - stay
Massengo - sell
Bauress - loan
McDermott - loan
Shelvey - leave

Wingers
Koleosho - loan
Redmond - stay
Sarmiento - back to Brighton
Edwards - stay
Benson - sell
Anthony - stay
Tresor - loan
Agyei - loan
Churlinov - sell

Forwards
Foster - stay
Flemming - stay
Amdouni - stay
Barnes - keep in some capacity, not necessarily as a player
Banel - loan
Costelloe - sell
Obafemi - leave
Hountondji - sell

Picking the bones from this, we could potentially be lining up with - :
Hladky
Roberts
Worrall
Humphries
Pires
Cullen
Laurent
Hannibal /Ramsey/Amdouni
Edwards
Anthony
Flemming /Foster

Of course hope not, and very unlikely, but likely that they'll all in some way be around the starting 11 going off your list.
Admittedly we'll likely sign players in positions your expecting to leave, but that scenario won't sit well in terms of togetherness and consistency, which was the single biggest failure of vk's tenure imo, by not keeping a nucleus and having that feel good feeling going forward.
All pie in the sky atm, but imo it's imperative we do everything possible to keep that nucleus ie - :
Trafford
Roberts
CJER
Esteve
Pires/Humphries
Cullen
Brownhill
Hannibal
Flemming
Anthony

While all may not be starters, need to be no further than 2nd choice, with 3 or 4 quality signings, mainly up front.

[TsarBomba]

It would be a mistake to loan out Koleosho.

We’ll need an outlet, and he’s far more suited to playing against a defensive high line in the PL, compared to a low block in the Championship.

[claretspice]

I'd have thought Keane made sense as a potential signing particularly if Egan Riley re-signs. Assuming Ekdal and Delcroix move on permanently, we will need another centre half regardless. Someone with good Premier league experience but whose star has waned a bit so is likely to accept they'll have to fight for their place given Egan Riley's form fits the bill, particularly if they are naturally right sided (given Esteve and Humphreys are left sided and Worrall can play both sides).

I wouldn't get too hung up on who might leave. Clearly there is risk around both Egan Riley and Brownhill but everyone else is in contract. Anything is possible but I wouldn't get carried away with likely departures.

[alwaysaclaret]

Same place as Parker since Parker hasn't used him as a 10 since he's been here, even Derby away Foster came on in the 10 with Flemming remaining up top.
Amdouni is a better 10 than Flemming though.
His goalscoring stats have been better this season but his performances at championship level were no better than previous seasons, he's always had a high standard at that level.
If we believe parker has unleashed a beast that suddenly going to rip up the premier league I think your slightly biased or deluded

No way am I saying he's unleashed a beast, but Parker has got him playing the best football of he's career, and found a great captain in the bargain, so simply too good to let him go imo, in terms of Flemming as a 9 I doubt he'll cut it in the prem, so needs to be in he's most natural position imo, which was my thinking re Amdouni.

[Quickenthetempo]

Not the direction of travel I want us to take but a few old heads would help I think. Keane is a decent shout. Brighton will likely be looking to move Dunk on too.

I have asked this question a few times on this forum in various threads without a reply but
Can you name our last successful old head signing that worked on the football field?
Or even extend it to top level football?

[Goliath]

I'd have thought Keane made sense as a potential signing particularly if Egan Riley re-signs. Assuming Ekdal and Delcroix move on permanently, we will need another centre half regardless. Someone with good Premier league experience but whose star has waned a bit so is likely to accept they'll have to fight for their place given Egan Riley's form fits the bill, particularly if they are naturally right sided (given Esteve and Humphreys are left sided and Worrall can play both sides).

I wouldn't get too hung up on who might leave. Clearly there is risk around both Egan Riley and Brownhill but everyone else is in contract. Anything is possible but I wouldn't get carried away with likely departures.

Ekdal has been an absolute revelation at Gronigen by all accounts. I'd hope we were looking to keep him over Worrall

[Ric_C]

It depends on what our plan for staying in this league is tactically. I read somewhere recently that playing 3 at the back in the Prem especially for promoted teams will give you the best chance of grinding out points. This allows the two fullbacks to be less reliant on defence, but also allows to switch to a low block quite quickly.

There are a few massive decisions to be made before we bring anyone in.

GK: If Trafford leaves then we need to bring in 2 keepers, as Hladky is not good enough for the prem.

Defence: Sambo & Sonne are probably not good enough, but not sure if Sonne needs a pre-season behind him.
I'm a massive fan of Ekdal, but his injury record is a concern. Beyer is the big one for me. His injury sounded almost career threatening, and maybe a loan out would be the best option here.

I would also maybe loan out Ramsey for the same reason.

We also need to cut ties on the more flakey players in the squad. We simply cannot afford any passengers this season. So Tresor, Benson, Foster, Delcroix and Redmond all could do with leaving. Maybe even add Amdouni to this list.

Who knows who we bring in, but physicality and pace are a must. I think above everything, if we have the right players, Parker can set us up to be hard to beat.

If we can add 4-5 to this core group, we might have half a chance:

Trafford, Roberts, Humphreys, Worrall, CJER, Esteve, Pires, Cullen, Laurent, Hannibal, Brownhill, Flemming, Anthony, Edwards

[claretspice]

Ekdal has been an absolute revelation at Gronigen by all accounts. I'd hope we were looking to keep him over Worrall

Whilst I like Ekdal, Parker sent him out on loan very quickly on January and if he comes back to Burnley it's likely as back up. From a business perspective if Ekdal has pulled up trees in the Eredivise, we'd be better of capitalising on the value that will have added. Worrall was the man Parker wanted as back up/competition for the Championship and he's got some Premier league experience that Ekdal doesn't, and i suspect Parker will place a premium on that.

[Goliath]

Whilst I like Ekdal, Parker sent him out on loan very quickly on January and if he comes back to Burnley it's likely as back up. From a business perspective if Ekdal has pulled up trees in the Eredivise, we'd be better of capitalising on the value that will have added. Worrall was the man Parker wanted as back up/competition for the Championship and he's got some Premier league experience that Ekdal doesn't, and i suspect Parker will place a premium on that.

Have you seen Worrall play. He can't be playing any minutes for us next season if we want to be staying up. He's miles off it

[alwaysaclaret]

Whilst I like Ekdal, Parker sent him out on loan very quickly on January and if he comes back to Burnley it's likely as back up. From a business perspective if Ekdal has pulled up trees in the Eredivise, we'd be better of capitalising on the value that will have added. Worrall was the man Parker wanted as back up/competition for the Championship and he's got some Premier league experience that Ekdal doesn't, and i suspect Parker will place a premium on that.

I'd say it's quite likely it was thought the best way of proving his fitness after 2 lengthy spells out with injury was to send Ekdal out on loan, however I wouldn't be too happy with either in the Premier league come August.

[claretspice]

Have you seen Worrall play. He can't be playing any minutes for us next season if we want to be staying up. He's miles off it

I have seen him, yes. But he's not played enough football to judge him properly. Like most players he needs a run of games. And unlike Ekdal (who I rate) he does have experience of playing in a team that survives in the Premier League.

As for Ekdal - undoubtedly he needed the game time, but the Eredivise is no proving ground for the Premier League. Ideally, if we wanted him for the Premier League next season, we'd have got him games in the tough school of the Championship.

[NL Claret]

I’ve not seen, heard or read anything about how Ekdal has performed in a standard that might be League 1 at best.

There is a lot of sentiment about the squad of 22/23 however I’d be surprised if we see Ekdal play for Burnley again, probably similar for Bayer.

Did a search on Ekdal on here and found numerous posts criticising the decision to let Delcriox and Ekdal leave……………

[Cornwallclaret]

We’ve just been promoted, how about keeping this team together with a few experienced heads added,you can’t buy the kind of togetherness and team spirit our team has. If no lessons have been learned since the last time then why are we even bothering ? Of course everyone has their price and if a ridiculous offer comes in then what can you do..fringe players I agree get loaned out or moved on…as it stands the teams were chasing are Tottenham and Man U …it’s gonna be tough next season

[boatshed bill]

We’ve just been promoted, how about keeping this team together with a few experienced heads added,you can’t buy the kind of togetherness and team spirit our team has. If no lessons have been learned since the last time then why are we even bothering ? Of course everyone has their price and if a ridiculous offer comes in then what can you do..fringe players I agree get loaned out or moved on…as it stands the teams were chasing are Tottenham and Man U …it’s gonna be tough next season

I'm concerned that we may have to replace Esteve, Egan-Riley, Trafford and almost certainly Brownhill. A major rebuild again.

[Jakubs Tash]

Have you seen Worrall play. He can't be playing any minutes for us next season if we want to be staying up. He's miles off it

Is this opinion based on just one appearance v PNE in the cup? Probably worth noting all XI of our players were miles off it that day - including Maxime Esteve.

[Goliath]

Is this opinion based on just one appearance v PNE in the cup? Probably worth noting all XI of our players were miles off it that day - including Maxime Esteve.

No I saw him at Forest numerous times and was never impressed and was equally disappointed in the games I saw him play for us. Add that to the Rangers fans views of him which also weren't positive and I just don't think he's good enough for Premier League football. I hope I'm wrong because he seems a top guy but we have to realise what division we are in.

[claretspice]

No I saw him at Forest numerous times and was never impressed and was equally disappointed in the games I saw him play for us. Add that to the Rangers fans views of him which also weren't positive and I just don't think he's good enough for Premier League football. I hope I'm wrong because he seems a top guy but we have to realise what division we are in.

He was at Rangers 6 years ago!

Two seasons ago he was good enough to start 30 games out of 38 for Forest as they stayed up following promotion. In other words, he's pretty recently been good enough to accomplish exactly what we are hoping to achieve next season. It's not definitive evidence and perhaps it will prove that he's no longer the player he was then, but hes only 28 going on 29 so equally I'm not sure there's evidence that he won't be a useful asset this season. Certainly his record this season, given the form of Egan-Riley, gives little clue either way.

[quoonbeatz]

I’d keep Worrall over both Ekdal and Beyer. I really rate Ekdal as a defender, he reads the game very well, has got a decent pass on him and is a threat at set pieces but he’ll never have enough pace for the PL, he barely had enough for the Championship. Beyer ranged between ok and struggling in the few PL games he played - he’s lost a significant chunk of development time now and he’ll likely have more fitness struggles than he already did, which is a real shame.

[boatshed bill]

He was at Rangers 6 years ago!

Two seasons ago he was good enough to start 30 games out of 38 for Forest as they stayed up following promotion. In other words, he's pretty recently been good enough to accomplish exactly what we are hoping to achieve next season. It's not definitive evidence and perhaps it will prove that he's no longer the player he was then, but hes only 28 going on 29 so equally I'm not sure there's evidence that he won't be a useful asset this season. Certainly his record this season, given the form of Egan-Riley, gives little clue either way.

I think he would be fine in a more defencive set-up than we have used this season. In fact we will be forced to play deeper .

[Goliath]

I’d keep Worrall over both Ekdal and Beyer. I really rate Ekdal as a defender, he reads the game very well, has got a decent pass on him and is a threat at set pieces but he’ll never have enough pace for the PL, he barely had enough for the Championship. Beyer ranged between ok and struggling in the few PL games he played - he’s lost a significant chunk of development time now and he’ll likely have more fitness struggles than he already did, which is a real shame.

Can somebody arrange a race between Worrall and Ekdal. This comes up every time and I'm convinced Ekdal would win after a long drawn out affair

[NL Claret]

Rangers fans views of him

[jedi_master]

For what it’s worth, I’m going to stick my neck out and say that I think Brownhill, CJ, Esteve and Trafford will all be Burnley players next season.

I think we will only sign 4 or 5 maximum first team players this summer and will run with this seasons match day squad with swap-ins for the ones likely to be released/loaned (Redmond etc). I say this in hope, but also expectation. There were comments in MTB2 (“Who are our guys who are going to be here for 5 years?”, “We can’t keep ripping the squad up” - paraphrasing) which imply that the club knows the fundamental error when we last came up.

[quoonbeatz]

Can somebody arrange a race between Worrall and Ekdal. This comes up every time and I'm convinced Ekdal would win after a long drawn out affair

Have you been watching his games on fast forward?

[Sleeping Cat]

I would be aiming to keep the spine of the team from this year. That includes not cashing in on Trafford yet, and convincing CJER & Brownhill to sign new contracts also.

GK
Trafford - Keep
Hladky- Keep
Greene - Keep

Worral is decent experienced back up. Beyer has been out for so long I think he might need minutes so maybe a short term loan to get him back up to speed. Ekdal & Delcroix can both leave.
CB
Worrall - Keep
Estève - Keep
CJER - Keep
Beyer - Loan
Ekdal - Leave
Delcroix- Leave

Full back, keep as is but send Sambo & Dodgson out on loan.
RB
Roberts - Keep
Sonne - Keep
Sambo - Loan

LB
Lucas Pires - Keep
Humphreys- Keep
Dodgson - Loan

Think we're quite well stocked here. loan the young lads out for experience. Massengo & Shelvey can leave.
Midfield
Brownhill - Keep
Ramsey - Keep
Cullen - Keep
Laurent - Keep
Hannibal - Keep
Bauress - Loan
McDermott - Loan
Massengo - Leave
Shelvey - Leave

Edwards & Anthony are in. Koleosho I'm unsure of, but would keep as an option off the bench. I think we can improve on Sarmiento, so he can leave and a replacement be recruited. Rest can go.
Wingers
Koleosho - Keep
Edwards - Keep
Anthony - Keep
Benson - Loan
Agyei - Loan
Redmond - Leave
Sarmiento - Leave
Tresor - Leave
Churlinov - Leave

Would only keep Flemming out of the current lot.
Forwards
Flemming - Keep
Banel - Loan
Barnes - Leave
Foster - Leave
Obafemi - Leave
Amdouni - Leave
Hountondji - Leave
Costelloe - Sell

[GetIntoEm]

So rumour suggests that Trafford is eager to leave to go to Newcastle, despite our promotion giving him a hefty pay rise, he wants more, but also wants guarantee of being first choice keeper at Newcastle.

CJ is unsure, still a bit miffed that club didn't want him when Kompany in charge, maybe that's changed now.

No rumour of Steve going anywhere, unless I suspect the money is right

[TsarBomba]

For what it’s worth, I’m going to stick my neck out and say that I think Brownhill, CJ, Esteve and Trafford will all be Burnley players next season.

I think we will only sign 4 or 5 maximum first team players this summer and will run with this seasons match day squad with swap-ins for the ones likely to be released/loaned (Redmond etc). I say this in hope, but also expectation. There were comments in MTB2 (“Who are our guys who are going to be here for 5 years?”, “We can’t keep ripping the squad up” - paraphrasing) which imply that the club knows the fundamental error when we last came up.

I really, really hope this to be the case, at least in terms of not ripping up the squad again.

I’m resigned to losing Trafford at least, but it will be for silly money, and it will be another player we’ve helped develop and sell on, which is our usp and selling point for more young players to be brought in.

[jedi_master]

I really, really hope this to be the case, at least in terms of not ripping up the squad again.

I’m resigned to losing Trafford at least, but it will be for silly money, and it will be another player we’ve helped develop and sell on, which is our usp and selling point for more young players to be brought in.

Yes, I should probably caveat the 'I believe all 4 will stay' in that I mean 'If we want them to'. If we get an offer for Trafford of £40m, he will be sold and so he should be as that's too much to turn down. Likewise Esteve if in the £40m-£50m bracket. I think it'll be our decision though.

[CoolClaret]

GK
Trafford - keep
Hladky- stay (3rd choice)
Greene - sell

CB
Beyer - keep
Worrall - sell
Estève - keep
CJER - keep
Ekdal - loan
Delcroix- sell

RB
Roberts - keep
Sonne - loan
Sambo - loan

LB
Lucas Pires - keep
Humphreys- keep
Dodgson - loan

Midfield
Brownhill - keep
Ramsey - keep
Cullen - keep
Laurent - keep
Hannibal - keep
Massengo - sell
Bauress - loan
McDermott - loan
Shelvey - leave

Wingers
Koleosho - loan
Redmond - leave
Sarmiento - back to Brighton
Edwards - sign/keep
Benson - sell
Anthony - keep
Tresor - keep
Agyei - sell
Churlinov - sell

Forwards
Foster - sell
Flemming - stay
Amdouni - undecided.
Barnes - keep in some capacity, not necessarily as a player
Banel - loan
Costelloe - sell
Obafemi - sell/leave
Hountondji - sell

[LincsWoldsClaret]

For what it’s worth, I’m going to stick my neck out and say that I think Brownhill, CJ, Esteve and Trafford will all be Burnley players next season.

I think we will only sign 4 or 5 maximum first team players this summer and will run with this seasons match day squad with swap-ins for the ones likely to be released/loaned (Redmond etc). I say this in hope, but also expectation. There were comments in MTB2 (“Who are our guys who are going to be here for 5 years?”, “We can’t keep ripping the squad up” - paraphrasing) which imply that the club knows the fundamental error when we last came up.

I agree - They all want guaranteed first team PL football - they’ll get that with us, anywhere else is unknown. Added to which they are all mates and like the manager, so leaving money out of the equation - why move?

[GetIntoEm]

Glad people's view on Brownhill has changed, not long people were saying he's not good enough etc..i said at the time he's the best CAM in the championship and proved right

[Vegas Claret]

For the most part if you look at the players Parker brought in I'm confident he will get the best he can get for us and hopefully a couple for the future too

[Holtyclaret]

So rumour suggests that Trafford is eager to leave to go to Newcastle, despite our promotion giving him a hefty pay rise, he wants more, but also wants guarantee of being first choice keeper at Newcastle.

CJ is unsure, still a bit miffed that club didn't want him when Kompany in charge, maybe that's changed now.

No rumour of Steve going anywhere, unless I suspect the money is right

CJ will certainly not be miffed about anything. He’s gone from city youth player to prem starting cb during his time with us. He was never getting/expecting first team minutes in the prem under vk (far from ready and miles down pecking order) so a development loan to psv was arranged and obviously it’s done him good.

CJ , Traff and Esteve would benefit long term by another season or two with us, it’ll be interesting which will chase the dollar and leave.

I can’t see a top team wanting to guarantee Traff first choice keeper for a year or two yet. Back up to Pope might be where he’s at next year.

[Raconteur]

CJ is unsure, still a bit miffed that club didn't want him when Kompany in charge, maybe that's changed now.

Surely CJ is clever enough to understand it's down to the manager and not the club who plays.

Unless you are saying he was expecting to see Alan Pace in the changing room daily to demand that Kompany plays him.

[matttheclaret]

Surely CJ is clever enough to understand it's down to the manager and not the club who plays.

Unless you are saying he was expecting to see Alan Pace in the changing room daily to demand that Kompany plays him.

The Forest owner might have done it

[taio]

Glad people's view on Brownhill has changed, not long people were saying he's not good enough etc..i said at the time he's the best CAM in the championship and proved right

Loads of people rated Brownhill before his brilliant efforts this season. As is always the case on any subject, football related or otherwise, a small minority have a different view. I wouldn't pack yourself too much on the back for being proven right.

[Goliath]

Glad people's view on Brownhill has changed, not long people were saying he's not good enough etc..i said at the time he's the best CAM in the championship and proved right

He's the best box to box number 8, especially when playing on the right of the 3. He isn't a natural number 10.
Parker is the first manager to play him in his best position for us consistently. It allows him to come on to the ball rather than trying to receive it in tight spaces which isn't hiis forte