Gomis loan terminated

Can't say he did anything to impress me whilst here.

https://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/news/2021/january/gomis-returns-to-forest/

I look forward to his name popping up in the ex players thread as he strikes for Hucknall Town. Or someone in the French sixth division. You get the jist.

Forgot he was here to be honest

Squad pruning continues.

Yep, the purge of the excrement must continue, No Holloway players (Morais aside) here by the time we start next season in the conference.  

Just Terry Taylor left of loanees to go. Think Preston will stay.

Still a long list of squad players to be sent out on loan or paid up.
Not sure what will happen re perpetual injured duo.

Another one bites the dust, probably the worse of the lot and that really is quite an achievement

Quoted from IlkleyMariner

Just Terry Taylor left of loanees to go. Think Preston will stay.

Still a long list of squad players to be sent out on loan or paid up.
Not sure what will happen re perpetual injured duo.

You can add Bennet to that too..

Bennet can go as well, i dont rate him at all, too lightweight,easilly gets knocked off the ball, no killer pass in him, hardly runs, and is shite at taking corners, he has a couple of good moments, but it proved a point when he came on as sub on his debut and was substituted later on in the game.... i,ll get me coat.

When he was signed I said he should at least be able to trap a ball and pass it accurately over 10 yards. Incorrect. Apologies to all.

Again, when Holloway signed 7 loan players despite us only being allowed 5 in the match day squad, did it not occur to anyone in the office to say “err..hold on a minute”?

Quoted from ska face

When he was signed I said he should at least be able to trap a ball and pass it accurately over 10 yards. Incorrect. Apologies to all.

Again, when Holloway signed 7 loan players despite us only being allowed 5 in the match day squad, did it not occur to anyone in the office to say “err..hold on a minute”?

They couldn’t get hold of him. His phone was melting.

Quoted from dicko995

Bennet can go as well, i dont rate him at all, too lightweight,easilly gets knocked off the ball, no killer pass in him, hardly runs, and is shite at taking corners, he has a couple of good moments, but it proved a point when he came on as sub on his debut and was substituted later on in the game.... i,ll get me coat.

Suspect Bristol Rovers don’t want him back and may have done a non return season load deal with our previous manager.

If PH can get inside his head there is a decent player still there.

Is Taylor injured? He may be worth holding onto as I think he has potential that Hurst may be able to realise. Bennett too, although I understand why people wouldn’t be fussed if he went.

Spoke to a Bristol City fan down here and seems the recalls of Moreton and Edwards may have been genuinely that as they are down to the bare bones with injuries.

It was almost as bad a loan spell as Mickaël Antoine-Curier had.

Gomis is clearly completely excrement and should never have been near our first team.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

It was almost as bad a loan spell as Mickaël Antoine-Curier had.

Gomis is clearly completely excrement and should never have been near our first team.

No! MAC got into the first team and humiliated himself and us publicly, you can't say that about Gomis.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

No! MAC got into the first team and humiliated himself and us publicly, you can't say that about Gomis.

The other humiliation of course being the fact that he managed to tear us to bits when he played against us before he signed.

Quoted from pontoonlew

The other humiliation of course being the fact that he managed to tear us to bits when he played against us before he signed.

Ha! Yes, I saw him play at Notts Cty against us on a skating rink and scared the life out of us. Reputedly Fenty introduced him to the rest of the squad as the man who was going to save our season or be the answer to all our payers or some such tosh.

Quoted from ska face

When he was signed I said he should at least be able to trap a ball and pass it accurately over 10 yards. Incorrect. Apologies to all.

Again, when Holloway signed 7 loan players despite us only being allowed 5 in the match day squad, did it not occur to anyone in the office to say “err..hold on a minute”?

You say that like it’s a problem. We could select 71.4% of those loanees. Our total pro squad was 34 players, so we could only have 52.9% of them in any match day squad. So we could get better value from those loanees than the squad as a whole.

Quoted from IlkleyMariner

Suspect Bristol Rovers don’t want him back and may have done a non return season load deal with our previous manager.

If PH can get inside his head there is a decent player still there.

Not according to many Bristol Rovers fans.

Imagine being a Championship striker and going out on loan to a team at the bottom of League Two and they can't score for toffee, however despite that you can't even make the match day squad.

You would imagine his confidence is rock bottom after his experience at Town, but when you look at his record he has been loaned to Braintree, Notts County, Macclesfield and us and in that time he has scored 1 in 31 games, so you have to imagine what Holloway was even thinking when he brought him in. Seems like another blind decision to me.

I never saw a game he played in but I can imagine if he was any good he would have at least had a sniff.

MAC signed on a short-term deal rather than a loan, I think. Remember him setting up a goal in that crazy 4-4 draw at Chesterfield.

Did you know he played for SIX clubs that season?

Started it at Oldham - even scored a couple early on - then got released; played one game for Kiddy on non-contract terms in L2; by the end of September he'd signed for Rochdale; then, at the end of November he was signed by Wednesday (then in L1), played just once before being released in Feb; then signed for Notts Co, where he scored against us; he was released mid-March, which is when Nicky Law brought him to us.

Also seem to remember him being brought on as a sub, and then being subbed off, in one of his few appearances for us. Strange, strange season.

Seem to remember he did alright in Scotland after a spell in Norway.

Quoted from RichMariner

MAC signed on a short-term deal rather than a loan, I think. Remember him setting up a goal in that crazy 4-4 draw at Chesterfield.

Did you know he played for SIX clubs that season?

Started it at Oldham - even scored a couple early on - then got released; played one game for Kiddy on non-contract terms in L2; by the end of September he'd signed for Rochdale; then, at the end of November he was signed by Wednesday (then in L1), played just once before being released in Feb; then signed for Notts Co, where he scored against us; he was released mid-March, which is when Nicky Law brought him to us.

Also seem to remember him being brought on as a sub, and then being subbed off, in one of his few appearances for us. Strange, strange season.

Seem to remember he did alright in Scotland after a spell in Norway.

Yeah MAC was in that glut of players Nicky Law brought in, none of which were successful and weren't here for very long. Alan Fettis, Paul Warhurst, John Thorrington, Jamie Lawrence spring to mind.

Was very much successful in Scotland especially at Dundee and Hamilton.

Was one of those players who had we had him a little later in his career he would have been pretty good. Wiki describes him as a 22 club journeyman.

Why do we excel in bringing out the worst in player? Hom many times have we got a supposedly bright prospect only to turn him into a lethargic player with two left feet. Our coaching staff must take responsibility for this,

One of the worst loan signings in 20 years

[quote=1506]Why do we excel in bringing out the worst in player? Hom many times have we got a supposedly bright prospect only to turn him into a lethargic player with two left feet. Our coaching staff must take responsibility for this,[/quote

we dont, they are not good enough in the first place, Russell Slade had a whole powerpoint presentatiion on this, his word was his bond

That was a waste of time. Another player who has drifted through BP without leaving a mark, along with hundreds of others.

Quoted from RichMariner

MAC signed on a short-term deal rather than a loan, I think. Remember him setting up a goal in that crazy 4-4 draw at Chesterfield.

Did you know he played for SIX clubs that season?

Started it at Oldham - even scored a couple early on - then got released; played one game for Kiddy on non-contract terms in L2; by the end of September he'd signed for Rochdale; then, at the end of November he was signed by Wednesday (then in L1), played just once before being released in Feb; then signed for Notts Co, where he scored against us; he was released mid-March, which is when Nicky Law brought him to us.

Also seem to remember him being brought on as a sub, and then being subbed off, in one of his few appearances for us. Strange, strange season.

Seem to remember he did alright in Scotland after a spell in Norway.

I had forgotten about Nicky Law.....thanks very f*cking much.......that's ruined my afternoon......

Quoted from realist

Why do we excel in bringing out the worst in player? Hom many times have we got a supposedly bright prospect only to turn him into a lethargic player with two left feet. Our coaching staff must take responsibility for this,

And some have questioned why we need an analyst.......

Quoted from RichMariner

MAC signed on a short-term deal rather than a loan, I think. Remember him setting up a goal in that crazy 4-4 draw at Chesterfield.

Did you know he played for SIX clubs that season?

Started it at Oldham - even scored a couple early on - then got released; played one game for Kiddy on non-contract terms in L2; by the end of September he'd signed for Rochdale; then, at the end of November he was signed by Wednesday (then in L1), played just once before being released in Feb; then signed for Notts Co, where he scored against us; he was released mid-March, which is when Nicky Law brought him to us.

Also seem to remember him being brought on as a sub, and then being subbed off, in one of his few appearances for us. Strange, strange season.

Seem to remember he did alright in Scotland after a spell in Norway.

I remember him starting up front with Paul Warhurst at home to Blackpool on Easter Monday. The best thing he did was get subbed to the loudest (and possibly only) cheer of the day and I think that was that.

I suppose we don't expect every signing to shine, but the sheer volume of players that have passed through our club is a sign of the times and the pressures each manager has had to work under.

I always cite our squad of 97/98 as an example of working with a small squad that could still cope with 68 games in a season.

However, I accept the game has changed since then — if other clubs build huge squads so they can rotate players and keep them fresh, then a squad like ours in 97/98 simply wouldn't be able to compete over a full season in the way it did as we'd get outrun by fresher (if not more talented) legs.

Sadly, Gomis and plenty of other players we signed in the summer will forever be associated with Holloway and a particularly low point for us. Here's hoping that Hurst can trim the waste, add a little more quality and improve what we have.

a sad, sad loss  

Windsor signed for Newport . Did he have something we didn't see ? No I didn't think so!

Another one gone, few more to go, as for Windsor he looked average, very left footed, not fussed really.

Quoted from RichMariner

I suppose we don't expect every signing to shine, but the sheer volume of players that have passed through our club is a sign of the times and the pressures each manager has had to work under.

I always cite our squad of 97/98 as an example of working with a small squad that could still cope with 68 games in a season.

However, I accept the game has changed since then — if other clubs build huge squads so they can rotate players and keep them fresh, then a squad like ours in 97/98 simply wouldn't be able to compete over a full season in the way it did as we'd get outrun by fresher (if not more talented) legs.

Sadly, Gomis and plenty of other players we signed in the summer will forever be associated with Holloway and a particularly low point for us. Here's hoping that Hurst can trim the waste, add a little more quality and improve what we have.

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997%E2%80%9398_Grimsby_Town_F.C._season#Squad[/url]

The 1997/98 squad wasn't as thin as most people think, but I suppose Buckley depended heavily on his favourites over a massively long season. What an absolute brilliant set of players that was.

What I would do to have some of them right now in their prime. Even the youngsters in that team ended up doing well for themselves (Lester, Butterfield, Clare and I suppose Wrack and Bloomer to a degree), not one of those players really flaked off other than maybe Fickling.

Different times like you say. Loaning in players back then certainly with us wasn't as haphazard as it is now, I know the limits have changed but when we signed someone back then they put in a good slog more times than not. Nowadays we just get scraps and kids like we've raided a bargain bin in Lidl's and in Holloway's case he filled the basket.

Quoted from Gainsbro_Mariner

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997%E2%80%9398_Grimsby_Town_F.C._season#Squad[/url]

The 1997/98 squad wasn't as thin as most people think, but I suppose Buckley depended heavily on his favourites over a massively long season. What an absolute brilliant set of players that was.

What I would do to have some of them right now in their prime. Even the youngsters in that team ended up doing well for themselves (Lester, Butterfield, Clare and I suppose Wrack and Bloomer to a degree), not one of those players really flaked off other than maybe Fickling.

Different times like you say. Loaning in players back then certainly with us wasn't as haphazard as it is now, I know the limits have changed but when we signed someone back then they put in a good slog more times than not. Nowadays we just get scraps and kids like we've raided a bargain bin in Lidl's and in Holloway's case he filled the basket.

Very good point, didn't realise we used as many players as we did... but still, we had 11 players who played 50+ games. Has that ever been achieved since? Aided by the fact we had three good cup runs (and three play-off games), so they had an advantage, of sorts.

Sounds like Hurst is quickly getting to grips with pruning the squad.

Not a player we really needed even when he signed. Didn't look interested either when he did make an appearance so I doubt we'll miss him anytime soon.

Gomis is gone, a nice symmetry about it.

Quoted from GrimRob

Gomis is gone, a nice symmetry about it.

Gomis can go miss somewhere else?

i'll get my coat

I drove down cheapside the other morning. I have never seen so many in training, it was more like an Aussie rules football team.

Quoted from realist

I drove down cheapside the other morning. I have never seen so many in training, it was more like an Aussie rules football team.

On the couple of times I went down to Cheapside to speak with Ollie, I also noticed the large number of players in attendance, but there only ever used to be half a dozen maximum ever fitness training with Greg Howard. Short sprints. Stretches. Nothing else. Other than that, they used to play a practise match where everybody was on the half size pitch, apart from 8 players who rotated who run the lines keeping the ball in play as much as possible. I could never understand how having 24+ players playing a match on half a pitch was of any use to anybody. No time on the ball. No chance to run with the ball and/or shoot. Very odd training.

Oh hang on. Now I understand how we played the way we did!!!

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

And some have questioned why we need an analyst.......

Because most players don’t know their ar5e from their elbow


Oh, analyst. Sorry read it wrong 🤦🏻‍♂️😅

Quoted from Gainsbro_Mariner

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997%E2%80%9398_Grimsby_Town_F.C._season#Squad[/url]

The 1997/98 squad wasn't as thin as most people think, but I suppose Buckley depended heavily on his favourites over a massively long season. What an absolute brilliant set of players that was.

What I would do to have some of them right now in their prime. Even the youngsters in that team ended up doing well for themselves (Lester, Butterfield, Clare and I suppose Wrack and Bloomer to a degree), not one of those players really flaked off other than maybe Fickling.

Different times like you say. Loaning in players back then certainly with us wasn't as haphazard as it is now, I know the limits have changed but when we signed someone back then they put in a good slog more times than not. Nowadays we just get scraps and kids like we've raided a bargain bin in Lidl's and in Holloway's case he filled the basket.

That's the crux of it really.  The 97/98 squad was just packed with quality, allowing it to fight battles on so many fronts - hence the 68 games in a season.

Even looking at the lads who came in to do a job here and there.  Jason Pearcey was absolutely solid in those 5 games, to the point we never lost and only conceded one goal.  Darren Wrack and Nicky Southall were deemed, ultimately, to not be good enough by Buckley for his first 11, the careers that both went onto have gives you an indication of the depth of quality we had.

Then the old guard types like Neil Woods and Graham Rodger, they and the names listed above would absolutely walk into our team now.  Jim Dobbin too.  I remember Buckley purposely bringing Dobbin back to captain the reserves because he recognised he had a fair amount of promising youngsters and wanted someone to just school them in the ways of the professional game. How we lack that now!

Look at the number of goals we scored across the team too.  Yeah, over a long season but Donovan on 21, two guys in double figures and a further two on 9, then a decent smattering of guys with a handful.   Even if you exclude Donovan (who played as a winger in a 4 man midfield for all but one game), the other 3 places in that time contributed to 24 goals over the course of the season  (14 in the league).  

Excuse me, I'm just off to cry in a corner.

I share your pain. I had forgotten that watching football could be a pleasing experience

Oh that team, even if we went one down you always knew that we would score at least one or more goals per game, so never panicking about the final outcome.

That 97/98 squad didn't come cheap. It cost around £1m to put together and I imagine a few of them were on a decent wage.

The point is that success on the pitch won't come our way while we mop up free players on cheap wages. There is a reason they are free and cheap.

We need to spend. Wisely, obviously. Bur spend nevertheless. I hope that message has finally got through.  

Over the last so many years we have had a dozen or more new signings as well as loans in and out.

When we have been successful the new signings added up to three at the most.

A settled side with a settled squad means they are doing something right.

Quoted from grimsby pete

Over the last so many years we have had a dozen or more new signings as well as loans in and out.

When we have been successful the new signings added up to three at the most.

A settled side with a settled squad means they are doing something right.

Can't disagree with that Pete! A good squad is always tweaked but the core of it stays together for a few years. It will be interesting to see how Hurst goes about recruitment in the summer.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

Can't disagree with that Pete! A good squad is always tweaked but the core of it stays together for a few years. It will be interesting to see how Hurst goes about recruitment in the summer.

I imagine we'll be starting from virtually scratch again next season. If he then stays for a period you'd imagine he'd try and keep a structure of a side together and incrementally improve around the edges in subsequent seasons.

The plan, for now, is cobbling together just enough quality to stay up. If that is achieved then there should still be a big clearout and replaced with quality virtually everywhere.

Quoted from Gainsbro_Mariner

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997%E2%80%9398_Grimsby_Town_F.C._season#Squad[/url]

The 1997/98 squad wasn't as thin as most people think, but I suppose Buckley depended heavily on his favourites over a massively long season. What an absolute brilliant set of players that was.

What I would do to have some of them right now in their prime. Even the youngsters in that team ended up doing well for themselves (Lester, Butterfield, Clare and I suppose Wrack and Bloomer to a degree), not one of those players really flaked off other than maybe Fickling.

Different times like you say. Loaning in players back then certainly with us wasn't as haphazard as it is now, I know the limits have changed but when we signed someone back then they put in a good slog more times than not. Nowadays we just get scraps and kids like we've raided a bargain bin in Lidl's and in Holloway's case he filled the basket.

27 players used across 68 games. So far this season we've used 35 over 25 games.

That's an absolutely huge gulf in ratio and says a lot about the frankly negligent approach taken to recruitment and selection.

Quoted from Mariner_09

I imagine we'll be starting from virtually scratch again next season. If he then stays for a period you'd imagine he'd try and keep a structure of a side together and incrementally improve around the edges in subsequent seasons.

The plan, for now, is cobbling together just enough quality to stay up. If that is achieved then there should still be a big clearout and replaced with quality virtually everywhere.

It will be telling who stays and you can then imagine a few of them staying longer term. Big overhaul in the summer and then hopefully just a few summer signings after that!

Quoted from RonMariner

That 97/98 squad didn't come cheap. It cost around £1m to put together and I imagine a few of them were on a decent wage.

The point is that success on the pitch won't come our way while we mop up free players on cheap wages. There is a reason they are free and cheap.

We need to spend. Wisely, obviously. Bur spend nevertheless. I hope that message has finally got through.  

And we benefited from the best part of £2.5 million from the sales of John Oster and Clive Mendonca.  Reinvesting any profits is always going to be a way that a club of our size and standing benefits.  Latching onto another thread about Pollock...we may lose him, but what's important is that we benefit from the sale.