Ryan Stirk Departs

That’s a bit of a stretch, my memory isn’t what it was but I’d certainly put Hutchinson some way above Comley.

Can’t remember many occasions where Stirk won the ball in the second half of the season, to be fair.

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Why is everyone suddenly so down on Comley? Before his injury, he was doing very well for us.

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Probably cos he was absolutely shite when he featured this season.

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This IS Sadler after all, who thinks that both he and Flush are brilliant players!
Eagerly awaiting the latest recruits from Cowdenbeath or Clacton Rangers, all of whom he will have been watching for a long time and will be a great addition to our Prom..sorry, relegation battle to come.

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Stirk was one of the main reasons we bypassed the midfield . Terrified with the ball at his feet and never wanted the ball under pressure
We will have a better midfield without him

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Comley is a lower half league two player.

Stirk was good until he got run ragged by Sadler.

As others have said, Stirk was almost sold out by the useless style of hoof ball we employed for 5 months.

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He’s had better days, no different to Daniels who faded in his time here from injuries and wasn’t the same force as he was for all of 2023.

Agreed Comley is a serviceable player for League Two but not in a side that’s ambition is to be promoted

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Yes, we never really gave Kamwa a chance. I think we went for Albert instead, but I think we need some more pace in the team - let’s give him a go.

Where’s Martin O’Connor when you need him!!

To be fair to Sadler, he had to manage Hall’s minutes because Birmingham had the final say in how many games Hall could play. The others, yes, I agree.

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Genunine question: Did Sadler ever explicitly say that Hall’s minutes were determined by Birmingham, or is it something that Sadler supporters assumed was true as an explanation for him not being given more time on the pitch?

Hall returned after a long injury to the Birmingham City side in the Championship in February last year, and made regular sub appearances for them up until May last year.

Comley is a really limited player. The extent of his passing is a maximum of 10 yards sideways or back. If he is a regular starter in the first team we may as well of kept Kinsella

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Sadler mentioned it in the match reaction video when we drew at Doncaster away

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Hall was injured in December 2024 and was out for about 3 months with a recurrence of his hamstring injury- so, Sadler had to follow a return-to-play protocol for Hall, stipulated by the Blues. For instance, he couldn’t play more than one game a week - that’s what was reported anyway.

It’s good to see that we are not the only fan base that gets pssed off when one of their players leaves to join a rival. Liverpool fans are getting a lot of joy seeing Trent A-A having a crp debut for Real Madrid. They make us look positively moderate!!

Thanks for that, my memory is shocking.

However it does not explain why he was not used once a week as a first team regular when he first came to the club. He missed four games through a different injury in Sept/Oct, but when fit he was an unused substitute four times, and only made one start before the end of November.

You could argue that we were firing on all cylinders in Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec. The midfield 3 of Stirk, Jellis and Lakin were playing really well and looked really well-balanced. Jellis looked one of the best players in League 2, and Matt and Lowe were performing really well together: so who was Hall going to replace? It was only after Christmas that we needed to change things and Hall was injured for about 3 months at a crucial stage. If he had been available then, I think we would have been promoted.

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Anyone seen Stirk’s comments in the E&S? It’s behind a paywall, so I can’t see it.

“Watching the team when we played them, they kept the ball well, and that is something that attracted me straight away.

“It is something that I want to be involved in. A team where they keep the ball well and they move it quickly."

:face_with_monocle::grimacing:

“Throughout the season you know what it is going to take. I am experienced in this league now. I have three or four seasons where I know what it is going to take to get out of the league.”

Perhaps he should have passed this knowledge onto Sadler during the season :see_no_evil_monkey:

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