Nwankwo/Sweeney/Byrne/Mucka released

[Pablo]

According to the echo...................and more to come

Pity about Nwankwo i like him as a player. He's going back to Nigeria

Time for quality not quantity though

[tiktok]

from www.breakingnews.ie

Cork City to release up to five players

Cork City wiill release four or five of the first team squad next week, today's Evening Echo newspaper reported. Club chairman Brian Lennox confirmed he had no option but to trim his sails and reduce the existing 33-man squad, 16 of whom are professionals.

“We need to streamline things, cut back a little and several players will be released over the next few days,” he said.

The players under most threat would appear to be Brendan Sweeney, Michael Mulconry, Willie Byrne, Greg O’Halloran and Michael Nwankwo who intents to go back to Nigeria.
Sweeney has been linked with Galway, Byrne with Cobh Ramblers and O’Halloran with both Waterford and Shamrock Rovers.
Mulconry has already stepped down and is considering his future with old club Avondale the most likely suitor.

“I still think people’s expectations were too high again this season and while we did well in the Intertoto Cup, we are left with nothing on the domesticfront.
“I wanted a top two finish and, perhaps, carry the title off next year and with Shelbourne doing so well, the ball is in our court to do it next season,” Lennox said today.
“I believe that we are still short three players, before we can challenge for anything and we will have them in place for the kick-off to the new season.
“Again we have to tell the fans to be patient and the success will come. I still think we have an outside chance of making the top two but I must admit, it was disappointing to lose out in both cup competitions,” added Lennox.

The unexpected Intertoto Cup run, while exciting and money-making at the time, resulted in a back-log of fixtures which proved costly in the end.
“It was a confusing season for us and the fixture congestion didn’t help. But I am annoyed with the league too as they did not help us.
“We had to play three games in eight days at one stage. We were pushed into games that we did not want and now we don’t have a home game for three weeks. What was all the rush about? There’s something wrong there and no sense of balance or fairness.
"The base line for us this year is European qualification again ut we have work to do,” he added.

Cork City will be back in full training on Monday. They go to a one-day training camp in Limerick on Friday week and then play a friendly fixture in Skibbereen as part of the late Dave Wigginton’s link with the club before a return to competitive action away to Shamrock on Friday, September
10 at Richmond Park.

[jofyisgod]

Sweeney-already?What a waste!If anyone should be going its players who have actually been given a chance and failed, i won't name names, thats not the point. Why release untested players?Mucka-came on against Derry, inspired the team, let's release him
Byrne was a shíte signing to begin with so there's no loss there.
However, Nwankwo is a handy player, but if he wants to go home, he's an abvious player to be released i guess.

[Colm]

“I still think people’s expectations were too high again this season"

He's spot on there. The reason many people are being so negative now is becuase they set their expectations too high in the first place.

“I believe that we are still short three players, before we can challenge for anything and we will have them in place for the kick-off to the new season.

Glen Crowe and Kevin Hunt are out of contract at the end of the season.
I think the releasing of so many players is to free up money to pay the wages of a few very big signings.

[thecorner]

Glen Crowe and Kevin Hunt are out of contract at the end of the season.
.

would love to see these players coming down here

all we are signing at present is potential

why sign potential if the money is there to pay the finished article

they day we sign big players from dublin clubs is the day we can honestly say that the balance of power is shifting

[patsh]

Sweeny, Mucka and Nwanko were never given a proper chance.

Behan, Byrne can go, Billy can retire, Greg will not get a game again so might as well move on.

7 players,
Mickey D,
Cockney rebel,
Benno,
George,
J O'F,
Fenn,
Doyler,
Kearney,
Colin
are the only definites we should have for next season.

Dan needs to prove his worth before the season ends.
Gamble would need to be in the team for the rest of the season to show whether his opinion of himself is accurate, if not, bye bye.
Steve O'Flynn really needs to get a run of games to how his stuff, Hoggie as well.
Providing all works out we have those 11 players and
Lordan, Nolan and all the current u-21s who must stay.

If 3 new players come in, we would have a starting 11, 3 subs and all the under-21 players.

Derek should surely be given a shot, he could be good back up.

While I'm sad to see some players go, I'm glad Lennox has done this, it shows us, and Dolan, who is boss, and if its not working, fix it straight away.

[SSS]

[QUOTE=patsh]
Steve O'Flynn really needs to get a run of games to how his stuff, Hoggie as well.
Providing all works out we have those 11 players and
QUOTE]

Suggesting that Hoggie needs to "show his stuff" prove his worth to the team is a bit like Mick McCarthy telling Irwin to prove himself. In all fairness, he's the best right back in the country.

[SSS]

[QUOTE=Colm]He's spot on there. The reason many people are being so negative now is becuase they set their expectations too high in the first place.
QUOTE]
Before the week of the first Malmo game, City had gone on a 13 match unbeaten domestic run. That certainly created some expectation, but hardly unrealistic expectation - there was a strong run to suggest we could do well this season. The inter-toto run only cemented that belief. The team's performance since has been very poor and has led directly to the squad cull. Finishing below second (based on current form that will be the case) and going out of both cups at the first hurdle - that must be considered underachievement in what is Year 2 (not year one as someone else has posted) of a three year plan.

[patsh]

[QUOTE=SSS]

Steve O'Flynn really needs to get a run of games to how his stuff, Hoggie as well.
Providing all works out we have those 11 players and
QUOTE]

Suggesting that Hoggie needs to "show his stuff" prove his worth to the team is a bit like Mick McCarthy telling Irwin to prove himself. In all fairness, he's the best right back in the country.

OK, read the sentence again. You picked out "show his stuff". How come you did not pickout "needs to get a run of games" ?
I may not have phrased it well, but I meant that Hoggie needs games.

[Yoda01]

"Glen Crowe and Kevin Hunt are out of contract at the end of the season"

$hel$ already have very discreet pre contract agreements with these 2, so we've no chance of signing them.

[tiktok]

$hel$ already have very discreet pre contract agreements with these 2, so we've no chance of signing them.

obviously not that discreet

[Colm]

$hel$ already have very discreet pre contract agreements with these 2, so we've no chance of signing them.

Where exactly did you hear this??

I heard that Shels had an interest in signing Crowe and Hawkins alright but nothing about Hunt.

[Cosmo]

Drogs put in a bid for hunt during the week

[Neil]

Drogs put in a bid for hunt during the week

Nice one!

[pete]

I think Hunt is a spent force but Crowe can still do the business.

Good enough to stay fulltime: (16)

Devine
Murphy
Bennet
Murray
George
Doyle
Fenn
O'Flynn 1
O'Flynn 1 - potential
Kearney
Gamble - potential
Colin
Lordan
Greg - maybe more chance of staying in trimmed squad.
McNulty?
Hoggie

Young players (part-time) as long as can play with 21 too.

Nolan
Kevin Murray

Add 3-4 good players & be ok...

[niamh]

I think Lennox is absolutely correct in triming a squad of 33 players, some of whom are simply not good enough for the club.
I agree we are shortly 2/3 quality players but if you asked me where I thought City would finish at the end of the season, I would have hoped for Europe and a decent Cup run.
As it stands I am disappointed with the recent weeks of the season because the team are capable of more, and to quote David O'Leary - "if they are good enough, they are ready"

[jmc105]

glad to see lennox taking action. i'd be sorry to see nwankwo leave too, altho with kearney and woods (and maybe stephen o'flynn, or am i wrong in thinking he's left-footed) in the squad we've good cover on the left.

it'll be interesting to see who comes in - hopefully we'll strengthen the midfield and defence, don't think we need another striker...

[thecorner]

"Glen Crowe and Kevin Hunt are out of contract at the end of the season"

$hel$ already have very discreet pre contract agreements with these 2, so we've no chance of signing them.

source?????????????????????????????

[patsh]

If it's true that $h£l$ want Crowe, Hunt and Honker, it sort of proves the argument that by them getting access to lots of money, they will buy the league and keep winning it for years.

Hardly a good thing for the eL........
Bohs would be crazy to let Crowe and Hunt go, if they do, thye must be in deeper doo doo than anyone thought.
Of course, this could be complete cobblers, like us buying Hunt every season....

[Sheridan]

If it's true that $h£l$ want Crowe, Hunt and Honker, it sort of proves the argument that by them getting access to lots of money, they will buy the league and keep winning it for years.

I don't think it proves anything of the sort, myself. Crowe and Hunt are both out of contract soon, and Bohs fans have been worried about losing them to Shels, who already pay the highest wages in the league, for ages. Don't see why Fenlon would want them. Maybe Crowe, if he offloaded Byrne first. Stuey Byrne has performed better than Hunt this season. The Hawkins signing is pretty much signed, sealed and delivered, I understand (it'll go through at the end of the season.) Not a smart move, I've never known anyone to be so past it so young.

If I were Fenlon, I'd concentrate on strengthening the squad for their UEFA Cup campaign in the short time left before the transfer window snaps shut. Crowe, Hunt and Hawkins are all cup-tied in Europe.