Contract or Expand

From the Rage Online newsdesk Sunday, May 21st, 2000  

So all of United’s out-of-contract players have been offered new terms, except Pål Lundin, Eddie Newton and Nigel Jemson, all of whom have already been released. Newton had a job to go to in China, Jemson was just no use to us, and Lundin allegedly had an expletiveful encounter with Denis Smith after being left out of the squad for the Scunthorpe game.

But what of the other eight players whose contracts expire on June 30th? There probably aren’t many United supporters who would argue with Rob Folland being offered new terms. In fact Rage Online would go so far as to suggest that he should have been offered vastly improved terms in order to ensure that he stays at the Manor. He is under 24, as are Jon Shepheard and Jamie Cook, and so United could demand a fee for him if another club wanted to sign him, but we feel that in Folland’s case the player is preferable to the money. United’s defence is the main area where improvements are required next season and Folland could be key, alongside Ross Weatherstone.

We are less keen on the retention of many of the other out-of-contract defenders. Shepheard, although young and capable of improvement, doesn’t seem to add anything to a sub-standard squad. If anyone else offers anything for him United should accept it and look elsewhere for defensive cover. Steve Davis puts in the occasional excellent performance but is generally too slow and resorts to cynical fouls to avoid being beaten. His experience could be valuable in some circumstances, although whether he could offer anything that Mickey Lewis couldn’t is debatable. He has expressed a desire to do some coaching, but has no training or qualifications and Rage Online feels that he should have been released.

Phil Whelan is another centre-back who we would like not to have to witness playing for United next season. He has the turning circle of an oil tanker but without the saving grace of bringing liquid gold to United’s back line. He was responsible for conceding needless goals on several occasions, notably against Notts County and at Cambridge, and he fails to inspire confidence. He was also reputedly the highest earner at the club and he did little to demonstrate that he was worth what was being paid. Similarly Les Robinson has had a season too many at the Manor (some might say two seasons too many) and Rage Online can see no reason why he was offered a new contract. He is beaten for pace by just about every half-fit striker in the division and his distribution, never his strong point, has deteriorated to the point of embarrassment. As club captain he seems to provide none of the necessary leadership on the field that is required, especially in a relegation struggle, and we feel that it is time that he was allowed to move on to more gentle pastures, as befits a long-term servant of the club. We assume, with no evidence to do so, that he would have been offered worse terms than he is on currently, but there is still a danger that he might see staying with Oxford as the easy option and we are seriously concerned that he will fail to perform for a third successive season, since winning the Player of the Season award.

The remaining out-of-contract defender is Mark Watson. Rage Online would like to see him remain at United and on better terms than he is currently. He is our outstanding centre-back and is the one player in whom we have utmost confidence. The worry is that his international duties will mean that he will be unable to offer Oxford his full concentration and ability, but we feel that half a Watson is better than none and it would leave a serious gap were he to move on elsewhere. Of all of the players available on a Bosman, he is the one we most want to see stay at the Manor.

The other out-of-contract players are both midfielders: Cook and Joey Beauchamp. Cook has the potential to be a fine left sided attacking player and should we sell Paul Powell we will certainly need to hold onto young Jamie. He is a lightweight, in the Bobby Ford mould, but when he is on form he has the ability to compensate for that. Sadly he doesn’t show that form often enough, but we feel that Oxford should persevere with him for a bit longer in the expectation that his potential will be realised. Joey is an enigma. He is undoubtedly one of the most talented and creative players we have at the Manor, and he is also one of the most frustrating. On his day he can probably beat any full-back in the division, and most in the other divisions too, but sadly his day is getting less and less frequent. However he is certainly Oxford to the core and is associated with United in much the same way as Steve Bull is with Wolves. He still has the ability to go past players and cross the ball which is something that many of his colleagues lack and he has the potential to be a vital component to a successful United side. Rage Online hopes that the new contract he was offered will be good enough to prevent Joey from signing with one of the other clubs reputedly interested in him.

At least the club has had the sense to offer a contract to Richard Knight, available on a Bosman from Derby. We just hope that Oxford has not been stingy with the signing on fee and other terms and that Knight’s stint at the Manor has convinced him that United is a preferable option to the other teams that have reputedly shown an interest in him, especially swindon of course. Let us also hope that the striker that Smith has apparently identified is someone who is not going to be as shot-shy as the current forwards in the squad, and that his shots are generally on target. Well, we can but pray…


This entry was posted on Sunday, May 21st, 2000 at 12:00 am and appears under Comment. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

© Rage Online 1998 - 2024 All rights reserved. If you want to copy stuff, please quote the source

another fine mash from ox9encoding