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Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 7:08 am
by JE93
Full retained list released.

https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/quakers ... ained-list

Good to see the option exercised on Lambert. But I didn't realise Mondal already had a contract for next year.

It's largely the released list I expected to see:
Brandon Taylor
George Smith
Joe Wheatley
Lexus Beeden
Alex Storey
Danny Ellis
Jake Cassidy
James Beauchamp

As always thanks to the players who will be leaving the club and all the best for the future apart from if they come back to play against us of course.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 7:12 am
by MB86DFC
JE93 wrote:
Wed May 11, 2022 7:08 am
Full retained list released.

https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/quakers ... ained-list

Good to see the option exercised on Lambert. But I didn't realise Mondal already had a contract for next year.

It's largely the released list I expected to see:
Brandon Taylor
George Smith
Joe Wheatley
Lexus Beeden
Alex Storey
Danny Ellis
Jake Cassidy
James Beauchamp

As always thanks to the players who will be leaving the club and all the best for the future apart from if they come back to play against us of course.
Although Lowe and Rose have headed back to their parent clubs I expect we’re in negotiations to bring them back.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 7:15 am
by MinistryOfSillyWalks
I hope we do get Lowe back, he grew and grew into the team and useful at set pieces too.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 7:21 am
by PierremontQuaker03
Only surprise for me is Cassidy as Alun has always praised him, the rest I am not surprised. With Ellis its his age. I see Tyrone O'Neill is still contracted to Scunthorpe next season, he might get a chance to play their now that they are in the National League.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 7:37 am
by eddie-rowles
Also surprised about Cassidy as AA has continually praised him despite the winter /spring goal drought, unless he has someone similar in mind.
Don't believe Rivers & mondal performances this season justified being retained hope it is on reduced terms as expect both to be squad players with Mondal likely going back on loan to Marske if we can attract a couple of decent fit forwards(Nelson maybe fit by Xmas?)
KDS is worth keeping another season we know he has a wonder goal in him but the simple tap in or decent crossing needs alot of work if he wants to play at a higher level.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 7:41 am
by 50 years
I would have liked to see Jake Cassidy retained simply for his physicality and also as cover for centre half. AA must have faith that Wheater being able to get fully fit, but we do need cover now at centre half.

Given what happend last season with AA waiting before signing players, wonder if he will move earlier and get additional players signed or if he is content if we can get Rose and Lowe in addition to Hazel..

Interesting times ahead

"Up the Quakers"

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 8:00 am
by super_les_mcjannet
eddie-rowles wrote:
Wed May 11, 2022 7:37 am
Don't believe Rivers & mondal performances this season justified being retained hope it is on reduced terms as expect both to be squad players with Mondal likely going back on loan to Marske if we can attract a couple of decent fit forwards(Nelson maybe fit by Xmas?)
Rivers and Mondal haven't signed a new contract though, so not sure how you reduce terms. Could always pay them up and ask them to leave but that would waste a chunk of budget. Basically they have a year left or have hit triggers which extended the contracts.

Initial thought was that Nelson won't make this season, not sure that will change.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 8:05 am
by super_les_mcjannet
I'm not surprised Cassidy with 5 goals in 39 appearances has been released, I actually quite like his physicality and maybe alongside a decent strike partner he could have worked better.

However with Hazel in the bag, I can see why we look elsewhere for another frontman, as always it all depends on what AA brings in. If we can get 15 goals from Hazel and 10/15 from another striker then no one will worry about Cassidy.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 8:07 am
by JE93
I see Danny Ellis has been unveiled as Guiseley's new Manager this morning. Good luck to him.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 8:14 am
by darlo2001uk
I'm sad to see Cassidy and Wheatley go.

Cassidy drew mixed responses from most fans. If you judge him by goals scored then he wasn't a hit, and I guess goals are what most people judge forwards by. But for me his work rate was immense and he brought a different dimension to our team.

I don't know what happened with Wheatley - perhaps off-field situations affected his on-field performances. But I have a gut feeling he will end up somewhere at our level and do a good job

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 8:16 am
by LoidLucan
See Danny Ellis is the new Guiseley manager. Good opportunity for him. But it won't be an easy job trying to get out of that league.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 8:35 am
by Old Git
Sorry to see Cassidy leave. I would definitely have retained him as at least cover for Hazel and as an emergency centre half. Who knows he might have been able to form a decent partnership with Hazel and have helped him to score goals. For me both Rivers and Mondal need to show more if they are going to play much of a part next season, based on what they have done recently.
Everyone will have their own ideas, and AA is the man in charge and it is his opinion that ultimately counts. Good luck to Danny Ellis at Guiesley. Hope he does well, you never know he could be a future Darlo manager one day.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 8:43 am
by dfcdfcdfc
I wonder if he has Jimmy Spencer lined up as Cassidy replacement :?:

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 8:45 am
by bga
Am I missing something no Hazell on the Contracted players list? Perhaps just being cautious until FA approval comes through.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 8:54 am
by bga
Cassidy a very strange one. Notwithstanding all the debate about his goal scoring record, the fact he played 39 games last season suggests he was one of the first names on the team sheet. Strange.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 9:05 am
by e4sby
bga wrote:
Wed May 11, 2022 8:54 am
Cassidy a very strange one. Notwithstanding all the debate about his goal scoring record, the fact he played 39 games last season suggests he was one of the first names on the team sheet. Strange.
I would imagine he came in as one of the top earners last season, AA has offered him a new contract on reduced terms and he's simply turned it down

Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 9:07 am
by Darlogramps
The three “debatable” departures are Cassidy, Smith and Storey. I do think the last few weeks of the season convinced AA he might need to mix things up a bit more than he initially planned.

It is a shame with Cassidy as he did offer us something we badly missed in previous campaigns. But that’ll be where AA looks now I’d presume, a physical forward who is an upgrade on Cassidy.

We know he’s speaking to Rose and Lowe, so we probably need one forward and at least one centre back as cover.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 9:09 am
by LoidLucan
bga wrote:
Wed May 11, 2022 8:54 am
Cassidy a very strange one. Notwithstanding all the debate about his goal scoring record, the fact he played 39 games last season suggests he was one of the first names on the team sheet. Strange.
Clearly AA has looked at the whole picture. That will include his lack of goals and whether that is likely to improve, his overall contribution, whether he thinks Cassidy will work well with Hazel and what other/better strikers are realistically available.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 9:10 am
by Ghost_Of_1883
To be honest I think that Mondal and Rivers are lucky that they're already contracted for next season otherwise I'd fancy that they'd have been released.

A bit sad to see Smith, Ellis and Cassidy go. It may be a case that we would have kept Ellis but he had the chance to go into management, so all the best to him as he did the required job of shoring up the defence with experience when he came in. Smith always looked decent but had far too many injuries, and Cassidy might feel unlucky now we've brought a goal scorer in.

No surprises with the rest, some may miss Wheatley but for me he was an over rated liability.

Interesting to see we're negotiating with Hope, so clearly AA thinks he is one for the future.

A decent core left of Taylor, Martin, Hedley, Wheater, Lawlor, Moke, Purver, Lambert, Dos Santos, Mondal, Rivers, Hazel - so 12 already with hopefully Grifiths, Rose and Hope to be added soon. That'd take us to 15, then we can be really picky about the final 3-5 players.

Providing we get Griffiths, Rose and Hope I'd say we need another full back, central defender, midfielder (maybe Lowe) and 2 strikers (I'd be happy to see us get O'Neill as the Cassidy replacement, plus one other).

Though maybe we'd only need one striker if AA goes back to his favoured 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation as you'd have just Hazel up front with say Lambert and Mondal in support as wide strikers/wingers.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 9:42 am
by al_quaker
Ghost_Of_1883 wrote:
Wed May 11, 2022 9:10 am
To be honest I think that Mondal and Rivers are lucky that they're already contracted for next season otherwise I'd fancy that they'd have been released.

A bit sad to see Smith, Ellis and Cassidy go. It may be a case that we would have kept Ellis but he had the chance to go into management, so all the best to him as he did the required job of shoring up the defence with experience when he came in. Smith always looked decent but had far too many injuries, and Cassidy might feel unlucky now we've brought a goal scorer in.

No surprises with the rest, some may miss Wheatley but for me he was an over rated liability.

Interesting to see we're negotiating with Hope, so clearly AA thinks he is one for the future.

A decent core left of Taylor, Martin, Hedley, Wheater, Lawlor, Moke, Purver, Lambert, Dos Santos, Mondal, Rivers, Hazel - so 12 already with hopefully Grifiths, Rose and Hope to be added soon. That'd take us to 15, then we can be really picky about the final 3-5 players.

Providing we get Griffiths, Rose and Hope I'd say we need another full back, central defender, midfielder (maybe Lowe) and 2 strikers (I'd be happy to see us get O'Neill as the Cassidy replacement, plus one other).

Though maybe we'd only need one striker if AA goes back to his favoured 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation as you'd have just Hazel up front with say Lambert and Mondal in support as wide strikers/wingers.
This probably sums up most of my thoughts really. Shame about Wheatley as he never really developed from when he first joined in my opinion.

Cassidy is a frustrating one - all round play very good, but just didn't take enough chances which came his way. Be interesting to see who we are after to replace him as a physical option. Wouldn't surprise me if we go in for Beck again if available.

I'd want to see us go after a winger/wide striker too - maybe KDS or Lambert can take a step forwards next season, but I don't think we are conistently threatening enough out wide.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 10:09 am
by theoriginalfatcat
bga wrote:
Wed May 11, 2022 8:54 am
Cassidy a very strange one. Notwithstanding all the debate about his goal scoring record, the fact he played 39 games last season suggests he was one of the first names on the team sheet. Strange.
Charman leaving seemed to be the turning point for Cassidy, up until then I thought he was a great asset, with his work rate and (as you point out) his dependability. Charman and Cassidy worked well together, and to go one stage further and to drift off thread, if Charman had stayed surely we would have made the playoffs.

I understand why players leave but if we just could have kept Charman and Hatfield onboard we would have had a good opportunity to progress. It's the way it is but it's frustrating.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 10:46 am
by Darlogramps
Ghost_Of_1883 wrote:To be honest I think that Mondal and Rivers are lucky that they're already contracted for next season otherwise I'd fancy that they'd have been released.
Certainly Mondal would’ve gone, and I suspect AA may send him on loan at some stage this season, particularly if he gets the players he wants in the summer.

Rivers is slightly different as he works with the academy as I understand it, although like you I have my doubts about him “on-the-pitch”.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 11:14 am
by Spyman
As already said a multitude of times, Cassidy probably the biggest surprise. I'd have liked to have seen Ellis stay but if he's moving into management so be it.

Perhaps securing Hazell so early has allowed Armstrong to keep his options open a little more than he might've, and so he's taking a gamble on letting Cassidy go knowing that if he doesn't find an upgrade straight away it's not a disaster as we've still got Hazell supported by Mondal, Lambert, Rivers and Dos Santos.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 12:06 pm
by darlo2001uk
I come on this forum to read and discuss DFC viewpoints.

Arguments are part and parcel of that - it makes for interesting debate.

But today two threads have been completely ruined by ridiculous arguments that have nothing to do with DFC.

For the sake of users who frequent this board to read and discuss matters involving DFC, please take your personal arguments elsewhere. People are not interested.

Thank you.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 12:58 pm
by MinistryOfSillyWalks
Above perfectly sums up what I was thinking.

I'm a long term viewer of this board and rarely post, but recently pretty much every thread ends up completely away from the original post and into pointless pedantic bickering. It really is annoying.

Debate about the subject at hand are part of the parcel of a forum, but the constant personal digs at people away from the subject matter are simply not needed or welcomed!

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 3:58 pm
by uncovered
Deleted some of the comments here. A good subject unfortunately derailed slightly


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 4:14 pm
by darlo2001uk
uncovered wrote:
Wed May 11, 2022 3:58 pm
Deleted some of the comments here. A good subject unfortunately derailed slightly


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thank you.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 4:27 pm
by Geordie Quaker
Have to say I am not overly fussed about any of those departing. I think the number gone allows us to improve key areas (hopefully) but avoids the need for a full summer rebuild again.

Rose and Lowe would be superb signings, and all of a sudden there would be a pretty robust looking spine there, which is stagering when you think we lost our two best players during the season.

I think the most important area is out wide (as Al says above). Much of this comes down to whether AA wants to go 4-4-2 or the 4-5-1/4-3-3 model, but for me we simply did not have anywhere near enough quality out wide last season. I was not too keen on Cassidy, but he certainly did not get the regular service that a player of his ilk needs.

Re: Retained list

Posted: Wed May 11, 2022 7:49 pm
by D_F_C
Assuming that Griffiths, Hope, Rose & Lowe sign:

GK
Taylor
(Martin)

LB
Need one
(Hope)

RB
Hedley
(Griffiths)

CB
Wheater
Lawlor
(Need one)
(Need one)


CM
Rose
Moke
(Lowe)
(Purver)

Wide Midfielders
Lambert
KDS
(Rivers)
Need one

Strikers
Hazel
(Mondal)
Need one
Need one

I'd guess it'd be something close to this

Re: Retained list

Posted: Thu May 12, 2022 3:57 am
by Maurice_Peddelty
D_F_C, do you think that the budget would support 22 players to start the season? I think it would be closer to 18 players.