Ten go in Albion clearout (From The Argus)

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Ten go in Albion clearout

4:32pm Tuesday 6th May 2008

comment Comments (38) Have your say »

By Andy Naylor »

Albion have confirmed an end-of-season clear-out after narrowly missing out on the League One play-offs.

Long serving trio Kerry Mayo, Gary Hart and Guy Butters head a list of TEN players released by the club. The others are Paul Reid, Sam Rents, David Martot, Shane McFaul, Sonny Cobbs, Chris Winterton and Lloyd Skinner. John Sullivan, Doug Loft, Wes Fogden and Sam Gargan have all been offered one-year deals and Scott Chamberlain six months.

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john, newhaven says...
5:39pm Tue 6 May 08

sam rents you are unlucky i bet that comes back to haunt us

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Phil Mcunt, Rustington says...
5:50pm Tue 6 May 08

Great news....the dead wood is going(apart from Loft)well done Mr Knight and Mr Wilkins

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mr betting man, brighton says...
5:53pm Tue 6 May 08

there seems to be a mane omitted from this list, whats happening to hinshlewood, think rents and cobbs have been treated poorly, lets see how many games loft starts next season, can someone tell me where he is going to play? dean better get some players in, or the fans will turn if we are not top 6, lets hope forster stays injurie free,

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seagull sam, brighton says...
6:06pm Tue 6 May 08

Loft another year??
WHAT?, WHY? can someone please explain on what basis this decision was made?

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Alan, Brighton says...
6:11pm Tue 6 May 08

How can we release Martot and keep Loft???? Cobbs and Rents a surprise the others... not really. I hope we have some money to spent now. I assume Richards will sign full time, otherwise we are in serious trouble at the back.

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Shaun, Brighton says...
6:23pm Tue 6 May 08

How can we justify giving Loft a new deal - he is rubbish!!. He was given a new deal last year in the view that he must improve this season - well he hasn't. He has only started one game, Swansea, and he looked out of his depth and pants!!.
I can only assume that he is incredibly cheap and would make more money litter picking!

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Tommo, southwick says...
6:29pm Tue 6 May 08

JUST HAD AN AWFUL NIGHTMARE.I DREAMPT WE RELEASED SAM RENTS & DAVID MARTOT AND OFFERED DOUG LOFT A NEW CONTRACT,GONNA WAKE UP IN A MINUTE !!!

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Loz, Bude says...
6:33pm Tue 6 May 08

Excellent decision on most, surprised by Cobbs considering the good reviews on him and the fact he can play left back which we now have none of? equally surprised about Loft but hopefully we will all be surprised by him next season.
Now need to make a few additions in the form of a center midfielder, winger , left back (richards) with perhaps more competition for a striker as well. This is a MINIMUM.
Up the albion!

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Loz, Bude says...
6:36pm Tue 6 May 08

Considering we'v kept on gargen and fogden though, i expect we won't be getting any new ones. =

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ali g, staines says...
6:45pm Tue 6 May 08

what exactly does dean white bring to the table? hastings united non-legend loft (again - sigh) plus two bargain buckets with extra fries.

loft is another reason for the kfc kid to go. it's just a shame wilkins and knight have gone along with the decision to keep loft, even if he's not the top earner at the club. he wouldn't get in the lewes or eastbourne borough squad!

rents and particularly cobbs must be gutted. i hope they go on to prove our management wrong in a big way. they might not see it this way yet but it might do them good to play for a club whose manager appreciates their undoubted talent.

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eager, up at falmer, digging says...
6:47pm Tue 6 May 08

yep, strange one giving loft another year. He's physically stronger than Martot and did play his heart out against Swansea (his second start, first against Cheltenham in the tin pot cup), but obviously knowing that if he did play hard he'd get another year.

Shame about Rents and Cobbs. We've got no left back except Lynch as cover. The Richards deal must be close unless there's someone else.

I'm suspecting that with ex Albion Kevin Keeham now at Lewes, the dripping pan will become the Albion's feeder team.

Wot do yous lot reckon?

Nice clearout otherwise. Butters should have been offered coaching role though.

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kevin sampson, bognor regis says...
6:53pm Tue 6 May 08

lets hope someone has long arms and very deep pockets in the summer to get some new players in.shame about rents and loft should have gone.lets hope rents dont come back and haunt us

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Gilo, Oxford says...
6:57pm Tue 6 May 08

Id just like to thank Gary Hart, Kerry Mayo and Guy Butters for some great memories.

I for one will treasure some special Albion moments with those three.

Agree with the club that the grey heads had to go, but let's thank them for their hard work.

Gary, you were my favourite Albion player and I'm going to miss singing that song.

I hjope the club gives you a testimonial - you deserve it.

Guy - legend. Albion vs Swindon play off semi-final second leg. Say no more.

Kerry - Hereford v Brighton all those years ago!

Cheers, chaps.

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mike, brighton says...
7:04pm Tue 6 May 08

the loft contract is a shame when you consider rents can play left mid, clearly a white choice. not sure where loft is going to figure? clearly from sats performance he struggles at this level, anyway onwards and upwards. lets hope elphick does not go to wolves.

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James, Brighton says...
7:08pm today Tue 6 May 08

apparently hart will get hos testimonial in the summer, its a shame to see mayo, hart and butters go but i think it was a right move, should have kept rents and cobbs i think that could come back to haunt us in the future and a big surprise at keeping loft surely this has got to be his last chance to prove himself?

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anon, says...
7:21pm Tue 6 May 08

im not a brighton supporter but having lived in sussex for 4 years i always looked out for their results. sam rents should not have got released. what about over rated players like jake robinson??!!

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chris, telford says...
7:23pm Tue 6 May 08

i think that hart should have stayed but i think its the right descision to let mayo and butters go. letting paul reid and rents is a huge mistake. never saw mcfaul really play. although he is possibly too old currie is up for free and also alexis bertin is up for grabs to. i think we could do with another striker. sam parkin is also up for not much and he scored enough against us so hopefully we can sign westlake, richards, parkin, currie, bertin and a few more players

UP THE ALBION!!

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Dave, Upstairs says...
7:26pm Tue 6 May 08

Good decision on Loft in my opinion. He looked assured on Saturday against Swansea and showed some nice touches and good potential. Out of them all he was the one to keep.

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Martyn, says...
7:26pm Tue 6 May 08

Why offer Loft another contract? How many more chances is he going to get to prove himself! Of the ten who have been released only Cobbs and Rents can count themselves unlucky!

Of the players retained only Kuipers, El-Abd and Fraser really warrant another contract. Sullivan, Fogden, Chamberlain, Loft, Gargan, Dixon, Gatting and Hinshelwood can count themselves lucky to still be at the club!

Although we have released ten players we only need four new signings as the other six hardly played for the first team!

1) Richards
2) Westlake
3) A reserve keeper to challenge Kuipers for #1 goalkeeper
4) A striker to keep Murray and Forster on their toes.

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sarah g, says...
7:26pm Tue 6 May 08

anon wrote:
im not a brighton supporter but having lived in sussex for 4 years i always looked out for their results. sam rents should not have got released. what about over rated players like jake robinson??!!

jake has another year on his contract. i like him and hope he does well enough next year to earn another 1. he's not perfect but he's done a lot more than most of our players have ever done by the age of 21.

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chirs, telford says...
7:27pm Tue 6 May 08

eager wrote:
yep, strange one giving loft another year. He\'s physically stronger than Martot and did play his heart out against Swansea (his second start, first against Cheltenham in the tin pot cup), but obviously knowing that if he did play hard he\'d get another year. Shame about Rents and Cobbs. We\'ve got no left back except Lynch as cover. The Richards deal must be close unless there\'s someone else. I\'m suspecting that with ex Albion Kevin Keeham now at Lewes, the dripping pan will become the Albion\'s feeder team. Wot do yous lot reckon? Nice clearout otherwise. Butters should have been offered coaching role though.

actually his first start this season was against SWANSEA in the johnstons paint trophy. and martot showed against leeds and forest he was easily good enough. loft did excelant and deserved a new contract he has been unluky with injurys but is good enough

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Martyn, says...
7:35pm Tue 6 May 08

Jake gets a hard time from supporters which is grossly unfair. He played 39 times for the first team and only El-Abd, Elphick, Cox, Forster, Whing and Kuipers played more! He has played 136 times for the first team at the age of 21 which is not bad going considering that Sullivan, who is only a year younger, has yet to appear for the first team.

He deserves to be here more than Hinshelwood, Loft, Sullivan, Fogden, Chamberlain, Gargan, Gatting and Dixon who have made six starts between them this season!

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rosakema, kent says...
7:43pm Tue 6 May 08

Martyn - you really are becoming quite booooooooooring and so repetetive - get a real life !!!!

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Phil, Tadcaster says...
7:48pm Tue 6 May 08

Keeping Loft is a strange one but the other decisions seems sound. Martot played well in some games but was never consistent enough. The big question now is why we are keeping Gatting when he's too slow to cut it even at conference level, and Hinsh when his dodgy knees have kept him out for two years. Perhaps there's more bloodletting to come yet....

And yes, thanks to Gary and Kerry for some great memories. Can we please sign someone else whose name rhymes with tart?

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Paul, Worksop says...
7:54pm Tue 6 May 08

Thanks for the football ,and best wishes for the future,i hope The Albion do not regret letting some of them go,Already looking forward to the new season

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Helen, Hurst says...
8:29pm Tue 6 May 08

Many thanks to Gary Hart for all he has done for the Albion over these last few years. He will be remembered fondly. Is it too late to give Rents another contract, those who have seen him play rate him highly.

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deb, sussex says...
8:30pm Tue 6 May 08

Alan wrote:
How can we release Martot and keep Loft???? Cobbs and Rents a surprise the others... not really. I hope we have some money to spent now. I assume Richards will sign full time, otherwise we are in serious trouble at the back.

martot was not our he was loan

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Martyn, says...
8:46pm Tue 6 May 08

How can you offer Loft who made just two starts all season the same length contract as Tommy Fraser who made twenty one starts?

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Big Ears, Portslade says...
8:53pm Tue 6 May 08

Let the Albion ten play for Worthing next year, then the Rebels will win promotion!

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Big Jon, london says...
9:10pm Tue 6 May 08

I would echo the sentiment about Mayo, Hart and Butters.....great servants to the club BUT the right decision to let them go at this point. I would like to see Butters back as defensive coach at some point. I think Lynch and Elphick have a debt to him.
Sorry to see Rents go but he was a little out of his depth over Richards absence at Christmas. Totally agree about Loft. What an odd decision.

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aaron, brighton says...
10:01pm Tue 6 May 08

can anyone tell me why chamberlin has been given anoter 6 months?

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Martyn, says...
10:23pm Tue 6 May 08

I agree with you Aaron but why have Sullivan and Loft been given another year?

To be frank there are still eight players (Sullivan, Hinshelwood, Loft, Fogden, Chamberlain, Dixon, Gatting and Gargan) in this squad who have hardly featured for the first team this season and who probably don't deserve to be here!

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simon, west sussex says...
10:29pm Tue 6 May 08

good luck to the young lads, don't give up!! Ginger Prince & OGH, Albion legends

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Bored, says...
10:35pm Tue 6 May 08

Have another beer Simon and get a life.

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James, Brighton says...
12:20am Wed 7 May 08

Martyn,the eight players you listed have been retained for the same reason,they are cheap,so its same again next season.Its bound to give Lewes gates a boost.

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Dave, Long way from home says...
12:22pm Wed 7 May 08

Sorry to see Harty and Kerry go but was the right thing to do. Big thanks to both of them and best wishes for the future.

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never wrong dave, Brighton says...
6:13pm Wed 7 May 08

Martyn wrote:
I agree with you Aaron but why have Sullivan and Loft been given another year? To be frank there are still eight players (Sullivan, Hinshelwood, Loft, Fogden, Chamberlain, Dixon, Gatting and Gargan) in this squad who have hardly featured for the first team this season and who probably don't deserve to be here!

Very good post Martyn.Lets face it there parents are all very good friends with the Chairman,and have money.Please note there is no sign of King Wombat on these posts,or should i say Doug Loft.Take from me Wombat is Mr,Loft.

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Martyn, says...
6:48pm Wed 7 May 08

James - The reason they are cheap is because they are no bloody good!

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