Tom Winters Released

[Boogie]

Concerned that JS does not have room in his squad for a youth player with flair. OK I haven't seen him play recently but when I have he showed great promise and didn't I read he caught the eye against Banbury?

[Baboo]

Very pissed off with this.
What the **** is going on?
If anyone of those who played at Banbury deserved to be knocking on the first team door it was TW.

[Kernow Yellow]

Also disappointed at this. Mainly because of memories of his performance in the 'dead' game against Rochdale, where he looked like the best winger we've had for many a year. Well, since Beauchamp/Powell, anyway.

Where exactly is the width coming from this season? From wing-backs by the looks of things...

[Frank]

Pissed off with this is an understatement in the extreme.

I think JS has lost it.

Looking forward to reading what the &quotrose tinted&quot - &quotJS is god brigade&quot are going to say about this.

[Matt D]

Also disappointed at this. Mainly because of memories of his performance in the 'dead' game against Rochdale, where he looked like the best winger we've had for many a year. Well, since Beauchamp/Powell, anyway.

Where exactly is the width coming from this season? From wing-backs by the looks of things...

exactly the game i was thinking of kernow yellow.

i don't watch the reserves, but i remember at the time saying that that performance had been the one glimmer of hope at the end of another sh**ty season.

best of luck to him, what's the betting he's our next 'sam ricketts'?

very, very, disappointing news.

[Matt D]

sorry, and another thing: why offer him a three month contract at all if you're not going to let him play a first-team game and have a chance to prove himself? nothing's changed, the transfer deadline is where it was when the contract was offered.

i really don't understand this thinking.

[Ancient Colin]

That seems really bad - when he first came on he looked a real fresh breeze - good basic skills, able to use both feet, creative, prepared to shoot, able to cross. OK, he's been injured for much of the rest of the time, but unless there are permanent problems of which we are unaware, it seems incredibly short sighted to let him go - particularly compared to the donkeys already on the books.

[GodalmingYellow]

That seems really bad - when he first came on he looked a real fresh breeze - good basic skills, able to use both feet, creative, prepared to shoot, able to cross. OK, he's been injured for much of the rest of the time, but unless there are permanent problems of which we are unaware, it seems incredibly short sighted to let him go - particularly compared to the donkeys already on the books.

Agreed it seems a little short sighted, but I just wonder if we are trying to make room in the wage cap for a particular striker.

[Frank]

Agreed it seems a little short sighted, but I just wonder if we are trying to make room in the wage cap for a particular striker.

Ignoring the fact I am still pissed off with JS for letting Jamie go, this appears short-sighted in the extreme - unless, of course, there is more too it, but if there is, please continue the good recent PR and tell us.

If we are sacrificing TW's salary in order to allow us to buy another player (god know's we need a striker!), I would strongly suggest there could have been more creative ways of finding the money.

I would also like to have seen the reaction about this had Talbot released him like this.

JS is a legend, but that doesn't mean his decisions are necessarily right all of the time and shouldn't be questioned.

Roll on the 12th and 3 points!

[Isaac]

Have to say I'm not too bothered about Winters leaving and I'm a bit surprised by the outrage - he never looked anything other than a promising youth player to me, he's been at the club for years and never broke into the first team (1 appearance and 5 subs in his time here, which is shocking really)- for instance he played his first game in 2003/2004 and now he's 21 so there's been no sign of progression whatsoever. I expect to see him at slough or didcot shortly.

Also, an out and out left winger doesn't really fit into the 3-5-2 formation, so it makes some sense to have him out of the club rather than paying him to turn out for the reserves all season.

[Mally]

I think I have to agree with Isaac on this one. At 21 he should have already made it at first team level if he was going to. He played in the Didcot game and was completely anonymous, so anonymous that I had to check the official site report to confirm he actually played, Rage Online completely ignored his presence in that game.

[boris]

Not completely - if you look at our Pre-season page, he's listed in the first-half line up.

[Frank]

I agree that at 21 he should have been at 1st team level - but part of that comes from the manager(s) and esp. big-nose Talbot not putting any faith in him (and others) and bringing in overweight/unfit players ahead of players who WANT to play for the club.

ALso agree with Matt D about the contract offer. If he was good enough then and he has not been given a chance to prove it, seems odd.

Anyway, all the best to him and look forward to him tearing us apart one day!

[Mooro]

Don't forget, we only get to see the players in games, the management see them in training every day, which is a far better basis on which to make a decision about a players' attitude.

Also, In the past, giving a player a 3 month deal rather than 1year have often been an indication that there is a potential issue which the player has to go away over the summer and think about/work on. If they come back and little has changed, then that may indicate a lack of commitment which the manager doesn't need.

As for doing it now, rather than giving him the full 3 months - on one hand it may have been a simple decision that did not need the full period, but on the other hand the transfer deadline is a bit of a red herring because if the contract ends, then he could still move to another club anyway couldn't he?

[Baboo]

Also, an out and out left winger doesn't really fit into the 3-5-2 formation, so it makes some sense to have him out of the club rather than paying him to turn out for the reserves all season.

A fair point but I think he had the ability to play in other positions across the midfield.

He was also very unlucky with injury and illness and perhaps not given a fair chance when raring to go as a youngster by previous conservative managers.