Gutted...

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neilw
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Gutted...

Post by neilw »

Can't believe what I'm reading. Tell me it's not true ...
GodalmingYellow
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Re: Gutted...

Post by GodalmingYellow »

Me neither.

That's a genuine shock.

There can't be many would prefer to play in League 2 than League 1, unless he feels he has found his level at League 2, or Luton have offered way over the odds.

Time for some decent signings up front please Mr A and Mr E.
theox
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Re: Gutted...

Post by theox »

Sad news indeed ( http://www.oufc.co.uk/news/article/oxfo ... 30856.aspx ).

Presumably Luton are paying more (Appleton references Hylton having a family to think of) and perhaps Appleton also told him that first team chances might be limited at the higher level.

Thank you Danny for 2 seasons of fun and also for the terrific success you contributed to.
Roo
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Re: Gutted...

Post by Roo »

Shocked!

Particularly after learning that the offer he rejected from us was an improved one. We will never actually find out, of course, how 'improved' the offer was or indeed his much more 'improved' the offer from Luton was, but I sincerely hope that we tried hard to keep Hylton..... Without going overboard financially.

I trust that the board and management have a well resourced backup plan so that this doesn't come back to bite us.


Good luck Danny and thanks for the memories, you certainly changed my opinion of you from the one I had when I heard about your signing.

Onwards And Upwards!
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Gutted...

Post by Kernow Yellow »

Reading between the lines I reckon we only offered him a 1-year deal, and Luton offered 2 years, presumably on similar terms.

If so I think he deserved better than that.

I'm not that surprised that he's left, as I thought he would have signed up much sooner if our offer had been what he was looking for. But yes, I'm gutted - Danny's been the real hero of the last 2 years imo.
Hog
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Re: Gutted...

Post by Hog »

Shocked and immensely disappointed about this. An absolute star for us. But not an Appleton signing. We must have someone special lined up to replace him.
neilw
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Re: Gutted...

Post by neilw »

Had we really wanted him to stay, we'd never had let his contract run down. He's been made to feel more wanted / valued elsewhere. I think Appleton always had concerns about his ability to link up with others, especially at a higher level. His whole hearted, never give up, style is one admired more by fans than managers. Regardless of whom we get in, we've lost a good old-fashioned cult hero. Not easy to replace those.
GodalmingYellow
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Re: Gutted...

Post by GodalmingYellow »

neilw wrote:Had we really wanted him to stay, we'd never had let his contract run down. He's been made to feel more wanted / valued elsewhere. I think Appleton always had concerns about his ability to link up with others, especially at a higher level. His whole hearted, never give up, style is one admired more by fans than managers. Regardless of whom we get in, we've lost a good old-fashioned cult hero. Not easy to replace those.
If we think about Appleton's previously stated future planning, he targets players who are going to help with promotion and be able to play after promotion.

I reckon Luton have splashed the cash and offered a high paying 2 year deal against our (likely) 1 year offer.

Luton are desperate for promotion and it seems they are going to try to buy it. You have to hand it to them, Mulls and Hylts are excellent signings at League 2 level, but I hope for their sake that they have learned lessons of the past about overspending.
Werthers Original
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Re: Gutted...

Post by Werthers Original »

I'm gutted but not totally surprised. Danny would have been useful in Div 3 but Appleton obvs wants players who can push on to the top of that league and hopefully the one after.
recordmeister
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Re: Gutted...

Post by recordmeister »

I'm gutted as I was gutted when Beano left, but it was for the betterment of the club.

MApp built a squad that was probably 50% L1 standard, 40% L2 standard and 10% youth. This was enough to get us over the line on the very last day of the season. We didn't romp home with weeks to spare. If like to think he's thinking the same but with 60% Champ level players, 30% L1 level players and 10% youth in our next set up...
ty cobb
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Re: Gutted...

Post by ty cobb »

Can't say I'm too upset about this. I'm still baffled how he got fans player of the season with 14 goals as a striker when Roofe got 26 as a midfielder/striker. Ok he runs around a lot and annoys defenders but that is not the main attribute a league one striker needs.

Let's face it 14 goals from the main striker of a promotion winning team is unlikely to make you the main striker in the league above.

He did really well for us, but if we were in a bidding war with Luton I'd rather we spent our money elsewhere. My only concern is the managements record for picking top quality strikers is not the best (Roofe is more of a midfielder/winger), lets hope they put that right.

Now the dust has settled I'm more frustrated Mullins has gone. He was a integral part of our best team for years - 51 apperances, more than any other centre back. I would argue that over the course of the season he was first choice and would push both Wright and Dunks hard next season. Takes a while to build up an understanding at the back - anyone new coming in will have to do that, probably from the bench as Dunks did which meant it took him a little while to settle. Unless of course we are looking at a significant upgrade...........
YF Dan
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Re: Gutted...

Post by YF Dan »

I liked Hylton but, like Ty, I'm not overly gutted nor surprised that he's gone. He wasn't a great goal scorer, nor a great athlete, and was only ever an eagle-eyed official away from a sending-off.

He was effort, occasional genius, but equally infuriating. I'd have been pleased if he'd stayed for another season, but I doubt he'd have been a regular. And I'm pretty sure he's not the kind of fella who's happy to be a bench-warmer.

Of course, the acid test will be who replaces him next year. If we get someone better, the loss of Hylton will be soon forgotten.

As regards Mullins' replacements, there's an interesting rumour on twitter about Gabby Zakuani, who I've kept an eye on since his Orient days (my Mrs used to work for the O's). A brilliant, ball-playing centre-back in his day and by all accounts a great bloke and team man. He's good value on twitter too, regularly holding Q&As for the fans and fronting up win or loss. Worth a follow whether we sign him or not.

I've not seen him play for ages, so I've no idea if age has caught up with him or not, but the Peterborough fans were in mourning when it was announced he was being released. Would he come in as a third choice though?
joepoolman
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Re: Gutted...

Post by joepoolman »

Gutted to see Hylton leave, and I can't understand why some people are confident he couldn't have been an important player in League 1 given the amount of times he tore up L2 defences this year, especially in the last couple of months of the season when he was immense.

I also feel a tad frustrated because the anticipated rise in season ticket prices was justified by the money going into transfers, only to see a key player leave to accept a better offer from a L2 club.
ty cobb
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Re: Gutted...

Post by ty cobb »

Tore up defenses - ha! Lionel Messi tears up defenses, Hylton pokes and prods but was rarely the reason we won a game.

He scored 3 goals in the last 13 games of the season (2 of which were scored in a losing game) - immense indeed.

He was a good league 2 player (good not brilliant) and his career stats back that up. If he had any ambition he'd have wanted to prove himself at a higher level, a better contract was the bigger draw for him, as it was for Beano. In this case however, we've not been outbid by a non league outfit so I'm quite comfortable if Luton want to blow their load on Hylts - I think, as wasn't the case for Beano, we can get better.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Gutted...

Post by Kernow Yellow »

ty cobb wrote: I think, as wasn't the case for Beano, we can get better.
Hahaha - we did get better than Beano, significantly better. His name was Danny Hylton. It's not all about goals scored - watch the 20 minute video on youtube of all our goals this season and see how many Danny Hylton made a significant contribution to, particularly during the crucial run-in. His touch could be sublime at times and he was very unselfish. And our attacks didn't regularly break down because he was standing offside.

Now of course it is true that he wasn't always clinical in front of goal (though I'd put more money on him than Beano if both were running through one-on-one), but he just seemed to be the heartbeat that made the team tick a lot of the time. I'm not worried about replacing his goals, as we now have a team that doesn't rely on a big-scoring centre-forward. It's the all-round energy that I worry we'll miss.

Anyway, this isn't a dig at the club - I trust them to get a decent replacement and look forward to seeing who we get in now. But I do think they're being a bit disingenuous with the repeated claims that he 'rejected an improved contract'. A one-year deal in not an improvement on a two-year one! And for Appleton to say he is 'disappointed' that Hylton turned it down is very unfair. OUFC weren't bothered about hanging on to him, and so he's gone. A familiar story in football, but not one that should be spun differently by the club or fans.
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