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Mid Season Squad Evalution
The month of December was a time that Jules needed to make a number of decisions on his squad composition, not only for the rest of the current season, but also for future seasons and the various permutations that brought. Jules’ view was that with its current makeup and a couple of reinforcements, Willebroek could look towards promotion to the second division within 3 years and hopefully even earlier than that. That being the case, all decisions made regarding playing personnel needed to be made with that goal and expectation in mind.
Existing Squad
As virtually all player contracts expired at the end of the season, Jules needed to make a number of decisions with regards to which players were to be offered contract extensions and for how long. He felt confident that after 13 league and 4 cup matches, he was in a good position to evaluate players and their long term futures and his notes as drawn up prior to the winter transfer window were as follows:
Goalkeepers
Johnny Lebegge, GK, 26. Clear cut first choice keeper and appeared to be one of the better keepers in the division. Was likely to be able to make the step-up to a higher level and even if he wasn’t, he would at worse be a decent backup at a higher level. Offer a 2 year extension on current contract.
Gilles Berckmoes, GK, 21. Current primary backup keeper. Had the basic skills to be a decent keeper at the current level and may have some potential for further improvement. Coaches seem to be enthusiastic about his potential so offer him a 2 year extension.
Thomas van Collie, GK, 21. Had hands of stone and didn’t always appear motivated to improve himself. One of those players who appeared happy to play football as a hobby but wasn’t determined enough to take the steps necessary to take a shot at being a professional footballer. Try to trade in the winter break.
Gert Vanasselberghs, GK, 17. A youngster Jules had picked up as a free transfer from Lierge where he had been part of their academy. Even at his young age, he seemed to be the equal of Thomas van Collie and he had more room for improvement. Currently on a 3 year contract as a trainee so no changes are needed.
Defenders
Frank Rits, D RC, DM, MR, 26. Frank had been a fixture in the first team over the first half of the season and Jules was pleased with his performances. However, it was unlikely that the player had much scope for further improvement and his lack of pace was a handicap at times against speedy wingers. Jules decided to offer Frank an extra year on his contract and hoped to find a better replacement before his contract expired.
Laurens Melotte, D LC, 20. Laurens had proved to be one of the stars of the first half of the season. His pace and determination allowed him to recover quickly from any errors his inexperience and any skills shortcomings. Jules had high-hopes for Laurens and so 2 year extension was offered.
Jelle Geerits, DC, 27. Jelle had proved to be exactly what Jules had expectedl He was the anchor of the team which allowed other central defenders to be fitted in around him depending on availability and matchups. While he was never going to be a highly skilled player, his strengths were exactly what a team like Willebroeks needed and a 2 year contract extension was no more than he deserved.
Carl Meseure, DC, DM, 36. Carl was the perfect veteran presence a team like Willebroek A key bench presence and primary backup at the DC position however the question was how long he could keep going. While Jules had no intention of shopping Carl around, he was hesitant in offering him any extension until the end of the season when a better assessment could be made of his role in a hopefully strengthened Willebroek squad.
Sebastian Ressart, DC, DM, 26. Sebastian had proven to be exactly what Jules had intended when he bought him at the start of the season. A physical presence in both the DC and DM roles, his only negative thus far had been that he had suffered a bad injury which had kept him out for 6 weeks and and it was likely that he would be out for another month or more. As he was already signed up for another 3 years, no action was required on his contract.
Sven van der Heyden, utility defender, 23. While Sven had occupied a regular position on the Willebroek bench, his performances were nothing to write home about and Jules had decided that the player was unlikely to develop significantly to make retaining his services worthwhile. The decision was therefore made to try to dispose of his services and to see if a suitable replacement as backup defender could be found.
Joeri Schouppe, DC, DM, AM C, 24. Joeri had proven to be exactly what Jules expected when he signed him at the beginning of the season. A useful and versatile backup but lacking quality to be anything more than a spot starter. As his contract ran to the end of the next season, no action was required.
Stefan Blommaert, D/WB L, ML, 22. Stefan had been a fixture in the squad at left-back during the early part of the season. However, a torn calf muscle had kept him out for the past 8 weeks. While a risk as the player lacked paced, Jules decided to offer him a 2 year contract extension as he had shown that when healthy, his performances outstripped his skills and physical talents.
Midfielders
Tommy Meire, DM, 30. Tommy had proven to be exactly what Jules had expected of him, namely useless. Even with a number of injuries in the squad, Jules hadn’t felt the need to utilise his services in the first team and the general feeling amongst staff and supporters was the sooner he was an ex-Willebroek player, the better. This was one player that would be actively shopped before the transfer window.
Dennis Odoi, DM, 17. Dennis was a player whom Jules had taken a flyer on as a free transfer and to now he had performed to expectations. He wasn’t a part of the first team squad but when called upon in the match against Cercle Brugge when Jules started his reserves, he hadn’t disgraced himself. With a contract until the end of the following season, there was enough time to evaluate the youngster before any action was required.
Luc de Smet, ML, 23. Luc was one of those people who always had the ability to get under Jules’ skin. Whether that was in his former life as a high flying entrepreneur or in his new life as a football manager. The player had both pace and talent but seemed to be totally unmotivated to do anything with those natural advantages, instead, expecting to coast through life with his god-given talents. Jules was determined that that coasting would not be with the Willebroek squad in the future. While Jules decided not to shop Luc before and during the upcoming transfer window due to the lack of depth in the Willebroek squad on the left side of the pitch, he would not be offering the player any extension to his existing contract.
Hugo Zeghers, MC, 18. Hugo had done well in the first half of the season for a player primarily signed as a backup. He had proven to be an effective starter in central midfield when called upon, and while nothing special, even at this young age he was proving to be a player who was unlikely to lose a match for his team. Jules was pleased with his decision to sign the youngster to an initial 3 year deal and hoped to see further improvement as the season progressed. While Hugo was not likely to be a full-time starter for a number of years yet, he was good value as a key reserve and occasional starter.
Tom de Craeke, AM RL,26. Tom had proven to be everything Jules had expected. He was team captain and had maintained his performances all year despite playing out of position on the left wing. With his combination of skill, talent and relative youth, Jules was convinced that a team from a higher level would make a play for the winger before the season was over as there had been a number of scouts to have a look at the player. Either way, Jules was determined to keep Tom as long as he could and therefore decided to offer him a 3 year extension to his contract.
Murat Kocat, AM RC, 19. Murat was one of those players most teams had, someone with skill and talent who promised much more however the youngster had shown nothing on the practice field in competitive matches thus far and Jules was open to offers for the youngster. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, Jules decided to shop the youngster around to see if he could get something for him before he was eligible to sign as a free transfer for another team.
Alex Vergeylen, AM RC, FC, 26. Alex had proven to be one of the surprises of the season for Jules. He had taken the starting right wing position on the first day of the season and hadn’t relinquished it yet. While unlikely to be mistaken for a powerhouse, his pace and trickery had delivered 3 goals and 6 assists to date. This was one player who had very definitely earned his offer of a contract extension.
Pascal vande Gucht, AMC, 29. Pascal had been one of the standout players for Willebroek during the first half of the season. While lacking great skills or pace, his physical qualities and feel for the game together with being a very competent freekick proponent had seen the player being voted the MOM 4 times to date while contributing 6 goals and 5 assists. In this case, a lucrative contract extension was the minimum reward for his services. Even with a possible raise in standard in the next couple of years due to a likely promotion, Jules was convinced the player could make the grade and if not, he would be a serviceable backup.
Forwards
Kevin Stukens, AM R, ST, 25. Kevin had been one of the surprises of the season to date. Initially Jules had expected him to be a sparkplug off the bench but the whole team seemed to operate better when he was promoted to a starting position at the expense of Gilles de Bilde. His pace and feel for the ball was the perfect compliment to the more physical and predatory game of Jan Huygens as attested by his return of 10 goals and 2 assists to date. Jules felt it was essential to offer Kevin a 2 year contract extension in order to keep the player for Willebroek.
Gilles de Bilde, AM L, FC, 34. Jules had been a disappointment to Jules Jackson thus far. At the beginning of the season Jules had felt that Gilles was the best player in the squad by a fair margin. However that assessment was not borne out by the results on the field. An early injury hampered his progress but Gilles further harmed his cause by never really being 100 fit. This meant that he always needed to be substituted if he started which reduced Jules’ squad management options. If a buyer could be found, Jules would happily see the back of de Bilde, in the interim, he served as a nice option off the bench.
Jan Huygens, AM/F C, 29. Jan Huygens was the star of the first half of the season. He started out quickly and if anything accelerated after that. His returns of 16 goals and 6 assists in 16 matches was phenomenal, even at this low level. At the beginning of the year Jules had felt that he was possible starter but never expected the performances displayed by the player. Despite recently turning 29, Jules felt that Jan had a least a couple more good years in him and a two year contract extension was deserved.
Peter Smolders, ST, 20. Peter was one of the players in the squad that exceeded expectations. While he still often had to give up his bench spot to Gilles de Bilde, he had made optimal use of the limited opportunities he had received scoring 2 goals in 6 substitute appearance. Jules was confident that if he managed to dispose of de Bilde in the winter transfer window, Peter would be able to fill the role of super-sub late in games. The offer of a contract extension had been earned by the youngster.
After the review of his squad, Jules Jackson once more gave thanks to his predecessor. He had asked around on a couple of occasions but hadn’t really received any direct reasons why the job had been vacant when he applied. Whatever the qualities of the man he replaced, he did have an eye for talent at this level. With the future of his current squad mapped out, Jules turned his eye towards his future needs. With the possible departure of Gilles de Bilde and a number of lesser lights, Jules decided to revise his shopping list to the following:
1)a third striker capable of being an immediate part of the starting forward rotation;
2)a young midfielder capable of playing both wings;
3)a creative midfielder to counterbalance the existing defensive midfielders in the team;
4)a third starting quality central defender to allow Melotte to concentrate on the full back role.
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