Expecting Bad News........

[Top of the JES]

Today or maybe Tomorrow that Ruel and Marvin have left for pastures new. Hope I'm wrong but think they are both off.

[Bergen]

Really sad if Ruel leaves, but I think we can replace Marvin.

[ComeOnYouOs]

Think you could be right. both at this moment, are not contracted to the club, and have had several weeks to do so.
Both will be a major loss to the club, but especially Ruel. Ive made no secret, that i think this lad, could really be something special , and to have him up front for a season ( or two), would have made our promotion prospects much improved.
Im peeved, because Ross ( or Ling), didnt play him until fairly recently, and Alabi was ahead of him in the pecking order, for the last two years, which is IMO ridiculous.

[Rich Tea Wellin]

Huge losses imo if true.

At the very least, I hope it opens up a squad place and some wages for a proven goalscorer, something we massively lack right now.

[Smendrick Feaselberg]

Yes, huge losses but in this environment tricky to give a higher offer to try to keep them.

Can understand Ekpiteta running his contract down and wanting to move on but we at least we got a promotion out of him and ideally should have looked to cash in sooner. The Sotiriou situation is just plain bad asset management unless we always knew he would never sign a new deal going back to when he first broke into the squad.

[Long slender neck]

Should do everything we can to keep both.

If Ruel signs for a higher league club he probably won't play, his career could stall like many others.

[Bergen]

Can Ruel leave on a free if he signs for a club in Cyprus?

I think Sandro Semedo did something like that in 2017.

[Smendrick Feaselberg]

Can Ruel leave on a free if he signs for a club in Cyprus?

I think Sandro Semedo did something like that in 2017.

Compensation doesn't apply for those moving overseas, so that's a yes.

[PoundhillO]

Think you could be right. both at this moment, are not contracted to the club, and have had several weeks to do so.
Both will be a major loss to the club, but especially Ruel. Ive made no secret, that i think this lad, could really be something special , and to have him up front for a season ( or two), would have made our promotion prospects much improved.
Im peeved, because Ross ( or Ling), didnt play him until fairly recently, and Alabi was ahead of him in the pecking order, for the last two years, which is IMO ridiculous.

Unforgivable mistake playing Alibi rather than Ruel, heads must roll !

[Bergen]

Can Ruel leave on a free if he signs for a club in Cyprus?

I think Sandro Semedo did something like that in 2017.

Compensation doesn't apply for those moving overseas, so that's a yes.

I feared that

[Currywurst and Chips]

I suspect Ruel's agent is "hawking" him around to other clubs, to see if he can get a "better" deal elsewhere

I suppose that is an agents job, but there must be a time limit, and I'd have thought its well past that now

Ross needs to know soon, so he can buy another young Cypriot striker (or two) if indeed he will be signing elsewhere

[Currywurst and Chips]

I suspect Marvin's agent is hawking him around to other clubs, to see if he can get a "better" deal elsewhere

I suppose that is an agents job, but there must be a time limit, and I'd have thought its well past that now

Ross needs to know soon, so he can buy another young lump (or two) if indeed he will be signing elsewhere

[Bluecap]

Not very exciting playing for this Coaching staff is it.
Both can do better.
We as always will accept it and watch them join a club who will not play them and loan them out.
We will then look at someone like Southend and look at their list and get someone around 29 or 30 who cant get a game and sign them.
Have a good day.

[POSHO]

As far as I'm concerned all 4 have gone, could be proved wrong, but with no football until September possibly October, why rush to keep these players or sign more. We can start the season now as we have 20

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Think you could be right. both at this moment, are not contracted to the club, and have had several weeks to do so.
Both will be a major loss to the club, but especially Ruel. Ive made no secret, that i think this lad, could really be something special , and to have him up front for a season ( or two), would have made our promotion prospects much improved.
Im peeved, because Ross ( or Ling), didnt play him until fairly recently, and Alabi was ahead of him in the pecking order, for the last two years, which is IMO ridiculous.

Unforgivable mistake playing Alibi rather than Ruel, heads must roll !

Definitely will have had an impact on his decision.

As will the prospect of another season or two under Ross.

[AckneyAwks]

Would love to hear from the manager on why Sotiriou was held back in preference to Alabi or any of the other forwards in fact, as none of them were actually pulling up trees. I know he seems them in training and works with them everyday but it is what they do on matchday that really counts. I'm sure if you asked any fan what forward they want to see most next season without doubt they would say Sotiriou.
I remember fans on here saying yeah loan him out he's not ready etc. My argument was always, were only in the second division not the bloody Premiership or LaLiga!
Let's hope he does sign and if he does, let's make sure we have a contract in place that when he eventually does leave we get a good fee and sell on in place.

[Adz]

Can't really think of a time a player has waited this long and then re-signed with us, so expect they're gone

[Smendrick Feaselberg]

Would love to hear from the manager on why Sotiriou was held back in preference to Alabi or any of the other forwards in fact, as none of them were actually pulling up trees. I know he seems them in training and works with them everyday but it is what they do on matchday that really counts. I'm sure if you asked any fan what forward they want to see most next season without doubt they would say Sotiriou.
I remember fans on here saying yeah loan him out he's not ready etc. My argument was always, were only in the second division not the bloody Premiership or LaLiga!
Let's hope he does sign and if he does, let's make sure we have a contract in place that when he eventually does leave we get a good fee and sell on in place.

Only thing I can think of was trying to showcase Alabi to make it easier to move him on.

Mind you, given he was the poorest forward we've had in a long time showcasing him probably made it harder to move him on (especially for any scouts that saw him miss from 1 yard out)

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Would love to hear from the manager on why Sotiriou was held back in preference to Alabi or any of the other forwards in fact, as none of them were actually pulling up trees. I know he seems them in training and works with them everyday but it is what they do on matchday that really counts. I'm sure if you asked any fan what forward they want to see most next season without doubt they would say Sotiriou.
I remember fans on here saying yeah loan him out he's not ready etc. My argument was always, were only in the second division not the bloody Premiership or LaLiga!
Let's hope he does sign and if he does, let's make sure we have a contract in place that when he eventually does leave we get a good fee and sell on in place.

Ross has a habit of opting for experience over youth (as did Justin).

I can understand this to a certain extent, especially when we were struggling, and Ross didn’t want to take a gamble on him. But he called it wrong - it turned out Ruel was absolutely ready. He should have been given some chances earlier.

[Ronnie Hotdogs]

Can't really think of a time a player has waited this long and then re-signed with us, so expect they're gone

Agree with this in normal times and yeah, he clearly wants out. But given current climate, he might not get as many offers as he normally would, if any, so may stay by default.

[Smendrick Feaselberg]

Would love to hear from the manager on why Sotiriou was held back in preference to Alabi or any of the other forwards in fact, as none of them were actually pulling up trees. I know he seems them in training and works with them everyday but it is what they do on matchday that really counts. I'm sure if you asked any fan what forward they want to see most next season without doubt they would say Sotiriou.
I remember fans on here saying yeah loan him out he's not ready etc. My argument was always, were only in the second division not the bloody Premiership or LaLiga!
Let's hope he does sign and if he does, let's make sure we have a contract in place that when he eventually does leave we get a good fee and sell on in place.

Ross has a habit of opting for experience over youth (as did Justin).

I can understand this to a certain extent, especially when we were struggling, and Ross didn’t want to take a gamble on him. But he called it wrong - it turned out Ruel was absolutely ready. He should have been given some chances earlier.

Yep. Even if he hadn't thought he was ready at the start but sent him on loan to an NL team in August we'd have got more use out of him when he returned/potentially a better deal than we'll get now.

Though this doesn't get around the obvious problem of when players show huge promise (or have a career year) during the last year of their contract and hold all the aces as far as their next contract goes.

[Hedmans Header]

Let’s remember that whilst we were being humiliated in the cup
against Maldon, Ruel was scoring the winner for Dover against
Southend in the same competition..
Whilst we renew the contracts of two right backs both of whom can’t
get in the side due to an on loan midfielder who’s being converted to
a right back and the long term injured are fixed up with new contracts
we can’t get any thing out of the club on a young prospect who’s scored a few
goals since breaking into the team ...

[Constanza]

We need a decent loan manager, like Carl Fletcher.

[Top of the JES]

I think Ruel has been out on loan Seven times in the last two years, for me he gives us pace and a directness we haven't got in any other forward players. The error I think was made last season only giving him a years contract. Surely the coaching staff could have seen enough in him to give him 2 or 3 years. Resigning Alabi and not giving Ruel a longer contract looked a bad idea at the time and I suspect getting farmed out again to Dover and having a manager in Hessanthaler who believed in him opened his eyes a bit.

Be very surprised if he stays. Marvin as said elsewhere is replaceable possibly a bit part player in a League One squad at best.

[AckneyAwks]

HH those facts really do highlight bad management calls and i prefer to go with a promising youngster who is home bred as against seasoned players who have shown average form for years. These days i think you need people in management who are either brave or have great man management skills. Plodding along will get us nowhere.