Who stays and who goes..?

It’s the biggest day of the close season, aside from the fixture release, for both players and fans alike – the day of the retained and released list. For Barnet though, it seemed a little strange, obviously still with no manager in place. The decision to oversee matters was left with Paul Fairclough. With no real news of note the last couple of weeks on the club’s official website, it was refreshing to finally see something of such importance. Like any other club, rumours circulated on Twitter, before the club announced who was staying and who was going. Prior to the story online, Sam Cox tweeted: “Just received a letter… didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that was coming!!!”, and later on today went on to say: “Unfortunately got the news that I won't be at Barnet FC next season...Firstly I want to just thank all the fans for always supporting me... & believing me throughout my 2 year period at the club...It's unfortunate I never really got a decent run in the side but I can say that... I gave 100% every time I stepped on the pitch/training field...I'm happy to say that during my time I made some gd friendships on and off” (@TheSamCox).

It wasn’t only Barnet players tweeting – the Gillingham players released only found out via Twitter that their services were no longer required. Former Bee, Simon King tweeted: “disappointed to find out on Twitter that I had been released, but I don’t want that to leave a sour not for me ‘cause I have had a quality time at the Gills and met some lifelong friends” as well as “obviously very disappointed to b leaving, felt I was over my injury nightmare and thought I still had a lot to give” (@s_kingy05). Injury or not, I’d love to see Kingy back at Underhill. Other than the defenders we’ve had on loan – the likes of Hector and Saville – I believe since his departure, the defence has really been lacking, and we need a player like him. I always thought he was a great defender that deserved to be playing higher, but the injuries have certainly hindered this. I say sign him up – everyone would welcome him back with open arms!

Now onto our retained and released list. Firstly it’s goodbye to the following: Dean Brill, Sam Cox, Darren Dennehy, Mark Marshall, Izale McLeod, Alassane N’Diaye, and Jordan Parkes.

A lot of the names on that list will come as no real surprise to some. Parkes, despite having a decent first season with the club (after a successful loan spell in 2008), barely featured last season, also having an unsuccessful loan spell at Farnborough Town. It is a shame it didn’t work out for him, because there was a lot of promise when he joined from Watford – over the two years he found himself drop in the pecking order, and when the loanees joined, it was obvious he would have no real future.

N’Diaye, too, didn’t feature an awful lot for the first team, despite coming off the bench on numerous occasions. I didn’t personally rate him; he didn’t really add much to the team, and the fact that fans from his previous clubs have said a similar thing, speaks volumes.

With the FA finally giving the verdict on the Mark Marshall drug case and banning him from all competitive football for two years, it was no surprise to anyone that the club have terminated his contract – not much else to say on that matter!

Dennehy, too, has seen most of last season from the sidelines with injury. He also missed most of the previous season, after retaining a foot injury, back in Septemeber 2010. He made his comeback against Colchester in the JPT, but was soon ruled out again. Injury aside, he was a decent defender, and Gillingham (where he spent a period on-loan) fans sing his praises. It will be interesting to see where he ends up, and hopefully can stay injury-free. Like a couple of the others, he took to Twitter, tweeting: “Would like to thank my boys at Barnet Fc for ther friendships the past couple seasons, thank the fans for there support even thou I was injured and couldn't perform every week, hopefully my boys will do well for ye next season..! Pre season at another club will feel strange but hopefully return to play against my friends soon.. :) #bees #friendship” (@DDennehy5)

Finally to McLeod – everyone knew he would be leaving at the end of the season. Fans from other clubs seem so shocked that we’ve let him go, what with being joint-top scorer for League Two, but it was plain to see his mind’s been elsewhere – ever since the January transfer window. He wasn’t the same player he was in the first half of the season, and after the speculation of “will he, won’t he” the goals dried up and his performances dramatically changed. Although it is plain to see he is a natural goal scorer, his ‘bigger than the club’ attitude and ego didn’t do much to win him over with fans. At the same time, wherever he ends up, he will continue to be a success. The club didn’t sell him in January, obviously because they wanted to retain his services for the rest of the season, but in the end, we didn’t really need him – with the likes of Holmes, May, Hughes etc…

I was shocked, however, to see Brill released. He wasn’t a bad keeper at all, and I’d have him as my first choice over the likes of O’Brien all day long. In my opinion the first job of the manager, when he is decided upon, is to find a first choice keeper – somebody with League experience at our level, and of a decent calibre.

Now onto the players we’ve managed to keep hold of: Mark Byrne, Ricky Holmes, Elliot Johnson, Steve Kabba, Clovis Kamdjo, Liam O’Brien, Mauro Vilhete and Andy Yiadom.

The pick of the bunch there, for me, obviously has to be Byrne and Holmes. I’m also oddly happy to see Kamdjo sign on for another year. For me, he has to be the most improved player of last season – his new role in the centre of midfield suits his own skills and attributes better. Kabba too, has clearly been a great influence on the younger squad members because of his experience, and despite not playing because of injury, he deserves to stay. Hopefully next season will see him back in an amber shirt, and he can remain injury free. The younger players constantly sing his praises; Sam Cox, in particular, never has a bad word to say about him.

Three players are still undergoing contract negotiations: Sam Deering, Mark Hughes and Jack Saville. The sooner all three can put pen to paper, the better. All three are big players that were crucial on survival last season. The official site states: “the future of Mark will lie in the hands of our new manager. The future of Sam is dependent on talks with Sam and his agent”.

With that first bit of news out of the way, I’m hoping the three that haven’t yet committed their futures to the club, do so. The next bit of news really needs to be the decision of the manager, as once that has cleared up we can get on signing new players ready for pre-season.

Pre-Dagenham thoughts (20.03.12)

Following on from the Look Black n Amber exclusive earlier in the week, here’s the next piece from my portfolio, found in the Matchday Programme on Tuesday night. The opponents: Dagenham + Redbridge.

“Good evening.

Saturday’s game against Morecambe was a real game of two halves. At the end of the match we were very disappointed to come away with nothing. First half playing down the slope I thought we really took the game to them; we passed it around well and created enough chances to have it wrapped up by half time. As is the case at the moment, it only took Morecambe one opportunity to score at the end of the first 45 minutes. From our point of view, it was another sloppy goal to give away, and at the end of the day, that one mistake really cost us.

From going goals behind in the past, we’ve had the ability to turn it around and when you have attacking players of our quality, there is always a threat there. When Morecambe got their second though, it was simply a case of game over. At full time we were all aware that our second half performance wasn’t good enough – despite Morecambe defending well, we were too flat – and we simply can’t be making those kind of errors anymore. We now need to put that match behind us and move forward and what better opportunity than in front of the home crowd tonight in a six pointer against Dagenham and Redbridge.

Six of our final nine games including tonight are at home, and despite our away performances being better this season, we need to somehow turn that around and give our fans something to shout about at Underhill. We all know we need to make home advantage count, as every point at this stage of the season is vital. We went out with that mindset on Saturday and weren’t able to deliver the goods, so tonight is a good opportunity to put things right. I can’t put my finger on why our away performances have been better, but it started back earlier in the season with our cup runs. The fact is, we do need to do better at home, and like I said, what better time than tonight – at this stage of the season, one good result can turn our luck around and with the fans behind us, we can gain momentum.

As I’ve said in previous notes, playing well for 45 minutes doesn’t count for anything when we leave games without a point; we need to start playing consistently well for the entire match, take our chances and ultimately cut out any silly mistakes, particularly when defending.

Our next two games are huge: tonight against Dagenham and then Macclesfield away on Friday night. Depending how we fare points-wise at the end of the week, it’s fair to say those results alone will either make it a lot easier or a lot more difficult in terms of our scrap down the bottom. Our situation at present is a lot better than it was earlier in the season – we’ve not been in the bottom two for a while, and there are a lot more teams struggling this year. That alone gives us the confidence to press on, and with such a young side, we know we really need to push away from the wrong end of the table. We need to be the top side in the bottom six or seven – it’s almost like a mini-league down there!

We’re expecting a tough test tonight from Dagenham, because of course they are down there too, and scrapping for their lives. They won at the weekend, so I’m sure that’ll give them confidence going into tonight’s game. We have to not let that bother us, and although it’s bound to be a scrappy and hard-fought game, we have to go into it with a positive attitude. We have a new threat in Ben up front and I’m sure they’ll be aware of him and his presence. He’s another option for us – on Saturday he showed how good he is in the air. Going forward we look dangerous, so really need to cause problems for the Dagenham defenders, but of course it will be a case of taking chances.

I’m aware at the moment that the fans come away from games as disappointed as us players, but we really need everyone to get behind us. We know we aren’t the worst, or even second worst side in the League and we can get out of it again – with the support of everyone at the ground. I’ve said it before, but the positivity and support during the game really do affect the lads on the pitch and can make all the difference so please continue to back us. By sticking together, we will turn it around, beginning tonight, which is a massive game for everybody concerned.

Enjoy the game”

Mark Hughes was talking to Lucy Waldon

Pre-Morecambe thoughts (17.03.12)

So for those of you that don’t know, from time to time I get the opportunity to interview the Barnet captain to get his thoughts leading up to our next home game. It’s been a great chance to showcase some of the skills I learnt whilst studying for a journalism degree, as well as doing something that not only interests me, but is also a passion of mine. I started helping out last season, when our captain was Glen Southam. This season, our captain is Mark Hughes. Here is my first instalment for Look Black n Amber – seen in the match day programme for the Morecambe game last Saturday.

"It seems a while since we played Rotherham at home, with a couple of away games in the meantime. I thought we started that game well, creating chances and we got the early goal through Byrner. At the end of the first half though, having such a narrow lead always means you’re prone to throw that away, and had we been further ahead at the break, I think we would have got all three points. With Ricky and Izale in the side, always going forward, we had a fair few opportunities to extend our lead. As it was, Rotherham had a good spell in the second half, getting that equalising goal, and once we got reduced to ten men the game clearly swung in their favour. It was definitely a game of two halves. At the end of it though, I think we were all happy to get a point – they put us under the cosh a fair bit – but I think we played well with a man down, especially given the way we capitulated against Bradford previously.

We went into the Gillingham game the following Tuesday feeling positive and confident. Again, I believe we started well and created chances – when you have players of our quality going forward, you’re always more than capable of getting goals! Again we went into the break with a narrow one-goal lead, despite having chances to kill the game off before half time. Gillingham are a good side going forward, and there always seems to be a hatful of goals in their games. Once they got their equaliser quickly in the second half, we flapped a bit. Our heads didn’t drop when they got their second, but after scoring a third in quick succession it was definitely game over! Like the rest of the squad, I was frustrated at the end of the game because we hadn’t played badly, in fact I think it was one of our better performances of late – the scoreline definitely didn’t reflect the way we played!

We went into Saturday’s game against Port Vale knowing we needed to forget about the defeat at Priestfield, and if we played half as well as that, would be likely to get a result. We hadn’t been in good form, so to win our first game since the end of January was such a relief, and a real confidence boost for the boys! It’s always nice to score a winner in the final minutes of a match, and given the manner we have been conceding recently, it was good to finally have that little bit of luck. Ben scored on his debut, but I’d like to say congratulations to Andy for getting his first goal for the club – he came off the bench and was in the right place at the right time, with his first touch of the game! Hopefully now they’ll both get a couple more goals as well.

With Ben in the side now, and a couple of the youngsters coming off the bench, there is definitely competition in the side for places. We didn’t know until Friday that Ben was joining us – I’m not sure how long he’d known either. He was on the bench on Wednesday for Stevenage, so it was a case of White Hart Lane to Vale Park in four days. But we were all delighted he managed to get on the score sheet in his first game, and I’m sure he was as well – particularly on his birthday! He just wants to get the opportunity to play first team football.

We are expecting a test today against Morecambe; they’re a big, strong side with tonnes of experience, whereas we are a much younger side with players wanting to prove themselves. That doesn’t make them better than us though. We won 1-0 in the reverse fixture so I’m sure they’ll be looking to put one over on us this afternoon. Hopefully Pricey doesn’t cause us too many problems after Obita scored for Gillingham in that midweek game, although he’ll be wanting to show what the club missed out on! Going into games, we always look at how we fared in the previous match, so to win and ‘do the double’ over Morecambe would be very pleasing. A win would see us hit the 40 point marker, which would also drag a couple of teams back into the scrap again.

Enjoy the game"

Mark Hughes was talking to Lucy Waldon

Where are they now? – Part five

There has been somewhat of a delay with the final part of ‘where are they now’ – with the season previews, the new season and everything else. But part five sees the team that managed to preserve League status for second consecutive season, after a 1-0 win at Underhill against Port Vale on the final day of the season. Of course, as is usually the case, we were relying on other results to go our way – and they did with Lincoln losing at home to Aldershot 3-0.

Sam Walker

Young goalkeeper Sam Walker joined Barnet on loan in March of last season, to cover the numerous injuries in that position. He made seven appearances before returning back to his parent club, Chelsea. He’s back on loan for the duration of this season – this time at fellow League 2 club, Northampton Town.

Clovis Kamdjo

Clovis spent his youth career at Reading, and joined the Bees in 2009 after a trial with the club. He made his professional debut in August of the same year, and featured regularly, whilst deputising in the centre of defence for the countless injuries we has during the 2009/10 season. At the end of that same season, he signed an extension on his contract and is still a regular in the heart of the defence.

Daniel Leach

Australian Daniel joined Barnet in 2009 after playing in American University football and moving to England for a trial – and impressing. He joined Non-League Dover Athletic on-loan for a month at the beginning of 2010. When Ian Hendon was sacked at the end of the 2009/10 season, he was released; however, he impressed Mark Stimson whilst on trial and secured himself a new deal. Unfortunately, appearances have been few and far between with long-term injuries; Daniel is still on the club’s books.

Joe Devera

Joe joined the Bees first team squad after being a member of the Protec Youth system. He quickly cemented his place in the squad and over six seasons with the Bees racked up just under 200 appearances. He also won the Player of the Year title for two seasons, firstly in 2007/08 and most recently in 2010/11. He rejected a contract at the end of the season and consequently joined recently relegated, Swindon Town.

Jordan Parkes

Jordan spent most of his career at Watford, but playing on-loan at other clubs including Brentford and Barnet, where he made 10 appearances in 2008. After being released by the Hornets in 2010, he joined the Bees again and has definitely cemented his position in the back four, ever since.

Mark Marshall

Marshall joined Barnet last season, after being released by Swindon Town. Coming through the ranks at non-league Carshalton Athletic, he also played for non-league outfits Grays Athletic and Eastleigh. Since joining the Bees, Marshall has become a popular face in the side and has well warranted his place on the wing – his tricky runs and distribution from crosses being a personal highlight.

Sam Deering

‘Little Sammy Deering’ joined Barnet on loan from fellow League 2 side, Oxford United where he spent the majority of his career; joining them as a youth player in 2006. A loan spell in 2010 and a release from Oxford at the end of the season forced him into a permanent move with the Bees at the end of last season. Like Marshall, LSD is a popular player with fans and his domination of defenders is something to look forward come match time.

Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes joined Barnet in 2009, from Chester City, where he was a regular starter with the club. He’s managed to continue that feat with the Bees and is now, an integral member of the midfield. As well as appearances for the Northern Ireland under 19 team, he has also two full international caps to his name. He is still with the Bees and was the first member of the squad to put his name to paper and commit his future to the club last month.

Mark Byrne

Mark Byrne spent two spells on loan with the Bees last season – joining from parent club Nottingham Forest. He first joined at the start of the season and became a regular face in the midfield line – scoring five times in all competitions (making him the club’s top scorer at the time). Unfortunately his time was cut short, due to injury and he was sent back to the Tricky Trees. However, once fit again he rejoined the club, in March of this year and remained on-loan until the end of the season. After being released by Forest at the end of the season, he joined a two-year deal with Barnet.

Izale McLeod

Probably most well known for his time at MK Dons, where he managed a goal ratio of one every two games – as well as a player of the year award and golden boot award in League 2 for the 2006/07 campaign – Izale McLeod is Barnet’s 23. A million pound move to Charlton in 2007 but countless injuries plagued his time in South London – despite loan spells with Colchester, Millwall and Peterborough. His contract was consequently cancelled in 2010 and unsuccessful trials at the beginning of last season led him to Underhill. He signed a new one-year deal in order to say thanks to the club for getting him back into the game – and it’s safe to say, he could well be back to his best!

Jack Midson

Another loanee from last season was Jack Midson, who like Sam, joined from Oxford United. Only with the club for the last month or so of the season, Jack only made five appearances – the majority of these off the substitutes’ bench. He now plays for newly promoted to the Football League AFC Wimbledon, where he’s made a flying start netting three goals in four games.

Where are they now? – Part four

This installment of 'Where are they now?' looks at the team that managed to preserve League status for another season, after beating already promoted Rochdale 1-0 at Underhill. Of course it was also with thanks to Burton Albion who smashed Grimsby (the only other team threatened with relegation) at the Pirelli stadium.

Jake Cole

Jake joined from QPR after never starting for the then-Championship side. He quickly cemented himself as the Bees first choice goalkeeper, pulling off many a match-winning save! After January of this year, following a hip injury he fell out of favour with the manager – rumour has it there was a bust-up of some form, and it was probably understandable, yet unfortunate he left at the end of last season. Considering the defence in front of him over his time with the club, Jake was definitely a fan's favourite, and wasn't usually to blame for any of the silly and unnecessary goals conceded. At the time of writing, he is currently having a trial at recently relegated Plymouth Argyle, yet to seal a contract anywhere.

Joe Devera

Joe joined the Bees first team squad after being a member of the Protec Youth system. He quickly cemented his place in the squad and over six seasons with the Bees racked up just under 200 appearances. He also won the Player of the Year title for two seasons, firstly in 2007/08 and most recently in 2010/11. He rejected a contract at the end of the season and consequently joined recently relegated, Swindon Town.

Gary Breen

Former Republic of Ireland defender, Gary Breen ended his career with Barnet after appearances with many clubs, most notably Sunderland and Coventry City; as well as playing in the 2002 World Cup. He joined the Bees in 2008, where he signed as player/coach and the following season signed on as a player/assistant manager to Ian Hendon – leaving in June 2010, when he hung up his boots.

Kenny Gillet

French left back Kenny joined Barnet back in 2007 after a year at Caen which saw him never play. He lasted three seasons before being released in 2010; however when new manager Mark Stimson took over, he offered the previously released players contracts. Kenny rejected the offer and ended up joining SPL club Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Ahmed Deen

Sierra Leone international, Ahmed Deen joined Barnet in 2009 after being released by Macclesfield Town. Despite signing a two-year deal, he only lasted a season before being released at the end of his first year at the club. After leaving the Bees he joined Hayes and Yeading, in 2010 and lasted six months – he now plays for Dulwich Hamlets, a side in the Isthmian League Division One South (the eighth tier of football).

Albert Adomah

Albert was a much-loved member of the squad in his two years with the club. His tricks were something special and his performances were the highlight of what was, a terrible season. He always played with a smile on his face and his runs and flair were unpredictable – the majority of the time he was double marked by opponents, but he always managed to get passed them! He left the Bees in 2010, and now plays for Bristol City where he features regularly. Glad he’s been given the chance to play at a higher level, and he can only go on to bigger and better things!

Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes joined Barnet in 2009, from Chester City, where he was a regular starter with the club. He’s managed to continue that feat with the Bees and is now, an integral member of the midfield. As well as appearances for the Northern Ireland under 19 team, he has also two full international caps to his name. He is still with the Bees and was the first member of the squad to put his name to paper and commit his future to the club last month.

Micah Hyde

Jamaican International, Micah Hyde has been in the game for just under twenty years and will probably be best known for his days Cambridge United, Watford and Burnley. He joined the Bees in the 2009/10 season at the age of 35, and only lasted a year before being released. Now at the age of 37, he’s at Billericay Town.

Ed Upson

Ed joined on loan from Ipswich Town where he never made an appearance for the club. After a largely unsuccessful loan at Stevenage in the previous season, Ed only made nine appearances, scoring a solitary goal. After returning to his parent club, he was released at Portman Road and snapped up by Yeovil Town where he continues to play.

John O'Flynn

JOF was a definite fan’s favourite and joined after spending six years at Cork City, his home town club. It’s fair to say he definitely lived up the number nine shirt, racking up the goals in his two years at Underhill. He rejected a £100,000 offer to join Shrewsbury which was to the delight of the majority of fans. However, the elation turned to disappointment when he left, after rejecting a contract at the end of the 2009/10 season. He went on trial with Bristol City, but was unsuccessful; consequently joining Exeter City where he remains today.

Mauro Vilhete

Young, hot prospect, Mauro Vilhete was a result of the club’s youth system – he joined in 2009, after rejecting a scholarship from Aston Villa. A tricky winger/forward, Mauro was called up to the first team that same season, but only ever made the substitutes’ bench. However, he broke through to the first team last season, becoming the club’s youngest ever player, at the age of 17. He’s still with the club, and will hopefully continue to progress!

Next week’s ‘where are they now’ will look at the players involved in the most recent great escape of 2010/11 – the starting XI that managed to beat Port Vale in the final game of the season to preserve League status.

If there are any squads from yesteryear you would like to see included in this feature - whether it be from a season, or particular match – don’t hesitate to let me know.

Send suggestions / comments to my Facebook or Twitter.

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