49er wrote:
Although we are in a very fortunate position having two young talented players, it is also a tricky one to manage. Ashton’s contract is up this year and, if he sees he is behind both Ratchford and Thewlis, he could well go to a rival. On the other hand, if Thewlis can’t see a future because Ratchford and Ashton are blocking his path then he could a better future elsewhere. I am sure other contributors have seen more of Thewlis than I have and I have been been more than impressed but would also make the point that he is not yet 18. Hopefully, Powell can resolve this probably by using Ratchford in utility roles.
I think if Price was staying and I was Thewliss I would have gone by now. Ashton is still very raw so I can see the dilemma of playing him in critical games where he could make a mistake and lose the game for you. But I would say his potential is greater than Thewliss, who is close to a finished professional but simply lacking regular games in SL. I have some sympathy for Price in that he is under pressure to get results. He has no track record and I suspect gets bullied into some team choices. But the academy players need game time and a coach needs to carry these players to get the long term benefit. Perhaps that is another problem in that he knew he was only over here for three years.
I would guess Powell has already looked at our squad, he will in any case already know most of them very well. Presumably we will find out quite quickly who will be leaving from the core. I hope he looks carefully at the Academy players, although if they don't get any game time that might be a tad more difficult.
