Quote: DannyT "I wonder what they really think of O’Neill when we resort to Shorrocks and stick with Powell? There’s a core of the team that have been there through the back end of the Wane era and then the Lam shambles who we need to get ruthless with. Powell and Isa for example are products of a squad we can’t sustain if we want to progress. Then there’s Partington, Shorrocks, Byrne, Smithies and Smith who although young just seem stale already due to the large number of games they were exposed to. I’m not sure what we do to rectify some of that lot being overpaid as per the comments last year about ‘rewarding’ young players with what I think are silly contracts. The club system just seems to produce the same carbon copies at the moment.'"
I'm a big fan of both Smithies and Byrne tbh.
I'd have no problem with Smithies being the bench cover, or replacements for Faz or Bateman - like everyone says "you need players like that". In an ideal world, Bateman isn't performing and he'd be rotated out for Smithies. You'd be happy with that, if it was done alongside us having a big 13 in the side. Sadly it isn't and guys like Smithies are being questioned when in reality it isn't there fault.
Likewise, I have no issues with Byrne being our 5th choice lad & actually can't think of many 5th choice, 23yr olds better than him. The issue is that Singleton has been a complete dud of a signing and, like the above with Smithies, that has a negative impact further down the pecking order. If Singleton isn't softening them up, then that makes Byrne's job even harder.