Re: Taufua signs : Fri Jul 08, 2022 2:17 pm
vastman wrote:
We are going to have to be canny with Lineham and Gaskell.
Lineham is a waste of space at SL level but he might do ok in the lower leagues on loan. They won't pay his full salary but they may take some of the sting away from it.
Same with Gaskell, but he has more ability and may well appeal as a playmaker to a championship side, who in turn may take up much of his salary if taken on loan.
If not make him Reserve captain in the hope that he can pass on some of his undoubted skills to some of the younger players.
Shame really, and although they are not on the silly money I've heard mentioned they still take up a good chunk.
Lineham is a waste of space at SL level but he might do ok in the lower leagues on loan. They won't pay his full salary but they may take some of the sting away from it.
Same with Gaskell, but he has more ability and may well appeal as a playmaker to a championship side, who in turn may take up much of his salary if taken on loan.
If not make him Reserve captain in the hope that he can pass on some of his undoubted skills to some of the younger players.
Shame really, and although they are not on the silly money I've heard mentioned they still take up a good chunk.
Personally I think the days of bulky wingmen like Lineham are a thing of the past. The game has moved on to more athletic and speed based outside backs. Ryan Hall and Tom Lineham are pretty much two of the old style wingers that are left remaining.
I think Chester really made an error with that. He seemed to believe that we required some big yardage out of the danger zone and that a big winger was the way to go. He was simply wrong.
I found it a strange signing as we had Kershaw who was playing better than Lineham, TJ and a promising winger in Murphy but here we are. I guess it’s the length that surprised me.
I don’t think Lineham is a bad player. I just think his style no longer suits the top level game. See Charnley, same applies.
I would be looking to loan Lineham out if possible. That said I thought he was solid vs Hull and Wire but Salford he really struggled. Admittedly his two solid performances he had Batch inside him who is much better defensively that Minns and Croft.
Gaskell as you say has more utility value in him so I can take that a bit more. But I’m hindsight and at the time i think Hampshire offered more. I still maintain Gaskell is a plsyer that looks all class but on the inside just isn’t able to produce it with anything remotely consistent. A club like ours need consistency especially in key positions. Again I would look to loan him out. Fev have just lost Kerrelah. He would be an ideal short term solution for them and we could keep an eye on his progress.