Has it been a week?

So what were you doing this time last week?

Tremendous wasn’t it. My screen time has been off the charts this week. I have watched every video, zoomed in on every photo and read every article. As the song goes…. I just can’t get enough.

This commentary from the Terry and Greg will stay will me a very long time:

I wanted to live in the moment this week and not have my mind drift off to next season, but the club quickly put out the list of players offered contracts and those not. We knew of course that whatever division we ended up in there would be major changes. It has become the way under the short-termism of Duchatelet’s ownership.

In other seasons players have disappeared as quick as they’ve arrived, often unannounced and unwelcome. None of those made any lasting impression on me. Yet all those that have worn the shirt this season will always hold a special place our hearts.

The loan players for example have been exceptional. Refreshingly, and I’m sure it was a huge negotiation with the owner, but Gallen and Bowyer were allowed to bring in the right kind of loan players. Those with hunger, desire and wanting to learn. Even Chris Maxwell’s attitude had to be so important in the dressing room, as disappointed as he must have been to not have played once.

Arsenal and West Ham have to be ecstatic with how Bielik and Cullen have matured and improved under Bowyer and Jacko. Purrington, who plays under the radar, a 7 every week Bow described him as when he signed. He was fantastically consistent, and that goal is better every time I re-watch it.

Josh Parker has done himself no harm absolutely buying into the style of play, teamwork and hard work that Bowyer insists on. That 50-yard chase back at Doncaster in the 1st leg was awe-inspiring and epitomized the non-stop application demanded by the manager. I witnessed that and I thought, how can this team not succeed.

Off the four offered new contracts, it is more than possible that only Jake Forster-Caskey begins pre-season. There’s a slim chance Patrick Bauer will stay, a less than skeleton chance that the heavily pursued Joe Aribo will.

Tarique Fosu’s name on the list was an initial surprise, but it’s become apparent the fundamental reason for that is that we will get compensation when he moves on. Fosu has ability and pace, attributes that can glow in The Championship, but his attitude and selfishness does not sit well with Bowyer.

The players moving on, Bowyer said, each had their own unique reasons. In Nicky Ajose that is obvious. Igor, cult hero that he became, has had terrible injury problems. Bowyer and Gallen’s budget will allow them to carry no one. Mark Marshall and Ben Reeves were always Karl Robinson’s players. Reeves was described as the best player in League One by Robinson and we pursued him like, well like he was Joe Aribo. Marshall, and Reeves in particular, never lived up to the hype.

Marshall, Reeves, Ajose and Vetokele also have to top the salary list and every penny is important as whilst we still wallow in that glorious day a week a go today, Steve Gallen gets to work.

Bow was very honest, as we’ve come to expect, about the future of Jonny Williams. The Welshman has clearly enjoyed his time in SE7 and will, I’m sure. acknowledge how the club, and the coaching and medical staff, and re-vitalized his career. Money will play a part of course, but possibly he will put stability and locale above that. Williams is a Championship player.

Anyway Lee is on his lake in France with his fishing rod in the water and I am still wallowing in victory. I’m in no rush to stop watching the re-runs.

Allez, Allez, Allez.