Cook Swings The Axe

Last updated : 17 May 2016 By Jim Bonner

Brian Murphy has been released from Portsmouth Football Club whilst Adam McGurk, Kal Naismith and Matt Tubbs have all been transfer listed.

Talks are ongoing to extend the contracts of Ben Davies and Danny Hollands but youngsters Chad Field and Snorre Nilsen have been let go. However, Adam May, Ben Close and Ben Tollitt have had their contracts extended by a year.

The decisions are hardly surprising although Naismith may feel disappointed to be transfer listed as he was just starting to settle in and had scored a couple of goals in his last two league games. It seems like Paul Cook believes it was too little, too late.

On the other hand, Murphy simply hasn't been good enough, Tubbs doesn't fit Cook's system and didn't perform particularly well at Eastleigh, either. Barring a stunning strike at Oxford, McGurk has had no impact on the team and has been disappointing. These players should be wished well in the future but they won't be missed.

Hopefully Davies and Hollands will sign extensions soon. The former was arguably Portsmouth's best player this season whilst the latter's absence was felt not just at Plymouth on Sunday but during January too when Pompey went through a poor run of form.

It won't be long before the transfer speculation begins as to who the manager would like to bring in to the club as he certainly hasn't wasted any time in getting rid of the dead wood.