Players Leaving Debate

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 04/08/2000

The Players Leaving Debate

David Peasgood this week finds Bert and Fred are digesting the end of season staff changes at Blundell Park.
Hear their views and YOU decide in our latest 'fishy' poll.

The Players Leaving Debate

FRED:
I'll be sorry to see Mark Lever go.

BERT:
Me too. He's been a great servant but I can see the club not wanting to give him a new long contract. Once Richard Smith and Handyside are back we won't need him, plus we have Bloomer and Groves as back up.

FRED:
Correct me if I'm wrong but that's how we started last year. Who is to say Handyside will come back good as new and Smithy could easily be out a lot longer. If we hadn't had Lever we'd have been relegated.

BERT:
He's a good defender and header of the ball but he lacks ball control and ability to distribute. He wouldn't beat Smith or Handyside into the team, and it's long term I'm thinking of. Maybe he'd get a lot of games next year but what of the year after or the year after that. He'd be a substitute most of the time.

FRED:
Long term thoughts are valuable but we MUST stay up next year and will need the likes of Lever. You could equally say that long term we could sell him to a lower division club after he started to lose his place. At least then we'd get some money for him too. At present he leaves for nothing on a Bosnian. I say keep him. Apart from anything he's a fans favourite.

BERT:
Yes those are good points but it's out of our hands.

FRED:
Maybe it is, but we could have an influence if enough folk shout for him to stay.

BERT:
What about Ashcroft then. He wants to go too.

FRED:
I'd let him go. There is clearly something going on between him and the Manager and I don't want to know what, except it doesn't sound healthy for the club or his performances. Take away his penalties and he hasn't been that great for what he cost.

BERT:
The money wasn't that much in todays terms for a division one player. One of our problems is that Grimsby folk expect a genius for half a million quid, when all it buys you these days is an average player.

FRED:
Well whatever, but if we can get something back for him then we can buy a better striker. Someone a bit taller than him to lay the ball off to Clare and Allen.

BERT:
We certainly need one But if we go through this close season like the last with no activity of note then there could be trouble. Season ticket sales will drop and we'll be starting off where we left off this season. Five goals in fifteen games or thereabouts.

FRED:
Then lets hope for some transfer activity from the Manager. Why are you laughing Bert?

Now for the vote...

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