retained list

[Winging It]

Will be interesting to see if Hilliard stays or goes? Murray said before Xmas that he was a "real talent".

He shows in flashes that he's skillful & a scorer of spectacular goals.  He's definitely an enigma who goes AWOL to often. Can AM get any more out of him, would he be more effective in a more advanced role. Or should he be on his way ?

I would go for Hilliard as the better choice to keep over Chapman, who has failed to live up to his billing of 'best midfielder in this league'.  Lewis could still progress, whereas could Chapman ?  All we can do is trust the managers judgement until we see how next season pans out, from then on, no excuses.

I think Chapman could be the surprise next season with a full pre season and fitness levels up. After watching him this season were do think his biggest weaknesses are?

i think it's been unfair criticism. the bloke gets bigged up by the manager and then is expected to drop straight into a team that's been losing and orchestrate a massive upturn. not a real expectation in my opinion. next season will be a much better judge of how good or otherwise he really is.

Then, it must be the managers fault then for wrongly bigging him up ?? Guess it would be fair to say that the criticism here should be shared between a player that has failed to live up to his billing, and the manager who gave him this said billing.  I hope you are right and that he will improve next season.

[The Third Twin]

Will be interesting to see if Hilliard stays or goes? Murray said before Xmas that he was a "real talent".

He shows in flashes that he's skillful & a scorer of spectacular goals.  He's definitely an enigma who goes AWOL to often. Can AM get any more out of him, would he be more effective in a more advanced role. Or should he be on his way ?

I would go for Hilliard as the better choice to keep over Chapman, who has failed to live up to his billing of 'best midfielder in this league'.  Lewis could still progress, whereas could Chapman ?  All we can do is trust the managers judgement until we see how next season pans out, from then on, no excuses.

I think Chapman could be the surprise next season with a full pre season and fitness levels up. After watching him this season were do think his biggest weaknesses are?

i think it's been unfair criticism. the bloke gets bigged up by the manager and then is expected to drop straight into a team that's been losing and orchestrate a massive upturn. not a real expectation in my opinion. next season will be a much better judge of how good or otherwise he really is.

Then, it must be the managers fault then for wrongly bigging him up ?? Guess it would be fair to say that the criticism here should be shared between a player that has failed to live up to his billing, and the manager who gave him this said billing.  I hope you are right and that he will improve next season.

  I have to agree about the manager's comments being the problem. IMO, AM would have been better off seeing how he fitted and played in before labelling him "the best...". To me it put a highlight and target directly onto his shoulders. Now i'm not saying he is best midfielder we've ever had, and IMO he's having issues picking up the pace of the game, but i think AM's comments automatically make it harder for him. At the end of the day, if he isn't up to it, then time will tell, but from a winning team perspective, lets hope not.

[green hats mate]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but all of the players released so far (apart from the loans returning to their parent clubs) have been Dennis Greene signings. I'm not convinced that all of Murray's own signings pulled any trees up, so it does worry me a little bit that all of his own men still seem to be here. If we've true play-off ambitions for next season then we need a manager who isn't going to show favouritism to his own signings - putting the Adam Chapman debate to one side, has Colby Bishop really done enough during his games for us to indicate that he is the required standard?

Yes all of the players released so far were DG signings. However, there will be no favouritism from Murray to anybody. He will do whatever is best for BUFC. The players he brought in late season were tasked to keep us up! At that stage of the season you are severely limited as to what players are  available.   

AM said on Saturday Eve that most of the Squad would go. He will be ruthless & would have no qualms letting any player go once the survival job was done. As regards Chapman staying cos they are pals - nonsense! Murray's much to professional for that. He had no problem releasing Chapman from Mansfield last September.

The vital test in football is points on the board ,     in Adams first 7 games in charge with the team  mainly Greene signings we collected 11 points .  equal to 66 points a season .

With the arrival of Adam Chapman for the last 15 games of the season we collected 15 points ,  equal to 42 points a season .

Maybe Champs next year can explain how with Chapman in the team we had a fairly dramatic drop in points return ,  as opposed to a team containing Greenes dross .?

[Champs next year]

11 points from any 7 games leaves 105 points to play for so it would always be tough to say what would happen in the other 35 games. Just as 15 points from 15 games doesn't reflect what's gone on points wise in the previous 27 games.

For any team you would also have to consider it's opposition. In Murray's first seven games we played gboro twice & BPA.  of the next 15 games we played the top 9 clubs in the league.

For me the shoring up of the team began when Batch came in at centre half along side Josh Rob with Gatter holding midfield. Gatter did well for half a dozen games then Murray went for experience & brought Chapman in.

I've never referred to Greene's dross or looked at the team as being composed of two parties: Greene signings v Murray's players. It's divisive but we all know it's going to continue.

As BUFC fans there are likely to be 3 camps: those who just want the best for the club. Those who are gonna to continue to be angry at DG's departure & The Murray fans.

We had 3 excellent seasons with DG. In that time he only had to replace 3-4 players each season & the signings were excellent. When he lost most of the squad last June he was tested. 13 or so signings & the budget pushed to the max. The realists saw it as a massive rebuilding job.

Many saw Greene as being hounded out. His housing benefits do turned fans against him & the knobhead slant. If he could have shunned social media & avoided personal spats with fans he may have got a fairer shot this season. But the social media war was ramped up by both parties & it was evident he was losing heart in the job.

I hope as a loyal fan base we can Unite behind the boys this season. Of course there's gonna be a comparison of managers. Murray is in a very similar position to what Greene was last year after another exodus.

[green hats mate]

11 points from any 7 games leaves 105 points to play for so it would always be tough to say what would happen in the other 35 games. Just as 15 points from 15 games doesn't reflect what's gone on points wise in the previous 27 games.

For any team you would also have to consider it's opposition. In Murray's first seven games we played gboro twice & BPA.  of the next 15 games we played the top 9 clubs in the league.

For me the shoring up of the team began when Batch came in at centre half along side Josh Rob with Gatter holding midfield. Gatter did well for half a dozen games then Murray went for experience & brought Chapman in.

I've never referred to Greene's dross or looked at the team as being composed of two parties: Greene signings v Murray's players. It's divisive but we all know it's going to continue.

As BUFC fans there are likely to be 3 camps: those who just want the best for the club. Those who are gonna to continue to be angry at DG's departure & The Murray fans.

We had 3 excellent seasons with DG. In that time he only had to replace 3-4 players each season & the signings were excellent. When he lost most of the squad last June he was tested. 13 or so signings & the budget pushed to the max. The realists saw it as a massive rebuilding job.

Many saw Greene as being hounded out. His housing benefits do turned fans against him & the knobhead slant. If he could have shunned social media & avoided personal spats with fans he may have got a fairer shot this season. But the social media war was ramped up by both parties & it was evident he was losing heart in the job.

I hope as a loyal fan base we can Unite behind the boys this season. Of course there's gonna be a comparison of managers. Murray is in a very similar position to what Greene was last year after another exodus.

A  longish response Cny  to my request on the performance of the team with v without Adam Chapman .
You have your opinion on the team DG left but I considered it dross compared to the teams he put out the previous 3 seasons .
I have no interest in , nor want to hear scandal about what managers /players do/or do not do in their private lives .
I have had much abuse over the years backing managers ,  if you refer back to AM arrival thread you will note he had my backing .
I only wanted a response to actual games played that I listed ,  not speculation on games that might have been .

Can you put your finger on why ?,   in AMs first 7 games the team obtained 11 points ,  inc  games against P/O candidates Stockport and Tamworth and Curzon who came to YS on the back of some outstanding cup wins .

Why after the arrival of AC did we only obtain 15 points in 15 games including home defeat against bottom club Alty and relegation candidates Nuneaton,  other matches involved relegation candidates  Worcester , Alfreton, and Telford and concluded with a good spanking from a now poor Curzon team .     Doesn't look to me that he lifted the teams game .

[Champs next year]

I think u need to look at the fixtures again GHM re Murray's first 7 games.
We lost to tamworh & Stockport. Hilliard scored 2 corkers v curzon + 4 PTS off gboro + 3 BPA.

Of the 14 games Chapman played 9 were v top 9 in the league. (He missed brackley)

[father Ted]

Well AM should be about to get in the new signings for 2017/18 , if what he said at the forum was right .

[youngchubby69]

We just all need to move on,and put last season down as a non event.
Things have happened that were just strange or pure bad luck.
The hate campaign waged on social media against DG has put a black mark against the club.
We need to learn from that and not let certain individuals get away with it, I was sat near this individual and what he said was disgusting and vile, if it had been in the street he would have been arrested.
I think Adam Chapman did a good job, and I hope he stays with us.

[Bostonshire]

Its always hard to judge the abilities of a player from the AM of the season gone, The team he put together was a team of players made up of players he thinks can play the way he wants to going forward next season and players he needed to pull the club out of trouble, so some could say it was a team of mis match that was put together to complete the job with one eye on some of those for next season.. If chapman stays it be better to judge him in the full team that AM builds to play the style he wants going forward and not the style he was forced to play to get us out the rut we was in

[The Big M]

I think u need to look at the fixtures again GHM re Murray's first 7 games.
We lost to tamworh & Stockport. Hilliard scored 2 corkers v curzon + 4 PTS off gboro + 3 BPA.

Of the 14 games Chapman played 9 were v top 9 in the league. (He missed brackley)

How dare you come onto patter with facts. Disgusting

[Champs next year]

I think u need to look at the fixtures again GHM re Murray's first 7 games.
We lost to tamworh & Stockport. Hilliard scored 2 corkers v curzon + 4 PTS off gboro + 3 BPA.

Of the 14 games Chapman played 9 were v top 9 in the league. (He missed brackley)

How dare you come onto patter with facts. Disgusting

Good point. Facts don't mean anything:

5 out of 6 Scientists think Russian Roulette is safe.

[green hats mate]

I think u need to look at the fixtures again GHM re Murray's first 7 games.
We lost to tamworh & Stockport. Hilliard scored 2 corkers v curzon + 4 PTS off gboro + 3 BPA.

Of the 14 games Chapman played 9 were v top 9 in the league. (He missed brackley)

I did look at the fixtures Cny .   
Sorry for missing Chapman did not play v Brackley game .
The amended stats say with Chapman it was 14 games and 14 points = 42 points season .
Murrays first 7 games obtained 11 points  = 62 points season .

[The Big M]

I think u need to look at the fixtures again GHM re Murray's first 7 games.
We lost to tamworh & Stockport. Hilliard scored 2 corkers v curzon + 4 PTS off gboro + 3 BPA.

Of the 14 games Chapman played 9 were v top 9 in the league. (He missed brackley)

How dare you come onto patter with facts. Disgusting

Good point. Facts don't mean anything:

5 out of 6 Scientists think Russian Roulette is safe.

I can guarantee you wouldn't want to be no6

[lonegunman]

Next season is a fresh start. New team, all his own men, we will see how it goes in August.

[green hats mate]

Next season is a fresh start. New team, all is own men, we will see how it goes in August.

That's all we can do now , wait and see .    Could do with an early impressive signing to encourage fans to renew season tickets .