IT is hard to argue with the fact that new Newport County boss Terry Butcher has ensured manifested scrutiny and scepticism over his tenure before a ball has even been kicked.

Football is a results business, not a sentimental one, but it was still nothing short of startling, let alone surprising, to see Rodney Parade turned into a departure gate last week, with more individuals concentrating on getting to their next destination than you'd find at the Passport Office at the start of the summer holidays.

Twelve releases, Adam Chapman choosing Mansfield, Darren Jones choosing Forest Green Rovers, the jury at least for now seemingly still out for Ryan Jackson and Andrew Hughes, with the former surely a long shot to remain in League Two.

It was less a trimming of the group, of refinement, than it was wielding an almighty axe, Butcher carving up the County squad like his old foe Maradona carved up the English defence in the 1986 World Cup. From Mexico to Malpas, viva la revolucion.

There are two schools of thought on County's very own clearance sale, where absolutely everyone must go, and neither is without merit.

The first is simple. Butcher has made a massive mistake in virtually decimating the previous regime's squad. Not trimming, decimating.

Only Joe Day, Mark Byrne, Yan Klukowski and Kevin Feely are contracted for next term out of this season's senior players, and on paper that is remarkable, bearing in mind the previous campaign.

The Exiles, lest we forget, contended for promotion for much of the season, defying the fact they are still relative new boys in the Football League and certainly exceeding the expectations of the vast majority of their fanbase. A ninth placed finish, bereft of goals from attack all term and suffering the loss of a long-serving manager, was a splendid effort.

Each supporter would doubtless have individual views on which players were and were not disposable, but I highly doubt any Rodney Parade regular would have crossed out a dozen names from the current squad. The likes of Lee Minshull, Robbie Willmott and Ismail Yakubu have been incredibly consistent performers and Jamie Stephens, for example, seems like an especially risky release, bearing in mind his wage consideration was minimal by comparison, around £20,000-a-year from the mysterious budget.

We don't know and I fancy we will never know, to what extent Butcher was responsible for each and every player release in terms of how much money played a part versus not rating the player. Because we are yet to get the true story on to what degree County's budget has been cut. I was briefed we were talking about something around the £1 million mark (around a £300,000 reduction), but recent indications are that it is less.

All of which harks back to last week and griping about a lack of clarity and communication from board level. But I seem to be banging my head on that one.

It is hard to make a case to say that Butcher was in an ideal position to judge the players individually, bearing in mind he's entirely new to the club, but it still seems rash to dismantle a group that had relative success over a sustained period.

I also think the Exiles as a club – nothing to do with Butcher - totally underestimated the prospect of Darren Jones leaving. He joined last year with a squad almost full and made the sacrifice to come back to his hometown club on less money than he'd earned previously in the Football League, and indeed, at AFC Wimbledon.

To be offered reduced terms and then an improved offer that was no better than this season, after a highly successful campaign, seems a little miserly and with the chance of a 33% pay rise elsewhere, it is hardly surprising Jones instead opted for a return to the Conference with Forest Green. We wish him well.

As a side note, how FGR will continue to pay the wages they do, on limited attendances, if or when they achieve promotion, bearing in mind the Football League regulations on wages, remains a mystery.

And that's the case for the glass half full viewpoint, that disaster awaits the Exiles.

The other side of the coin is also one with merit.

Namely, County were in need of a clean sweep, that a new manager needs to live or die by his players, his choices and his personnel.

For every high performing released player, there is something in mitigation against them. For the likes of Yakubu, Willmott, Max Porter or Aaron O'Connor it is a poor injury record, whereas age and wage will have been a key consideration with the likes of Andy Sandell, Michael Flynn or Minshull.

It is easy for me to praise Stephens as an affordable and reliable number two goalkeeper, but who is to say Butcher hasn't lined up someone cheaper and better?

He’s backing his own knowledge across the board and that shows tremendous and encouraging levels of self belief.

When we look at attackers, O'Connor earned a good Football League wage by scoring 20 goals in the Conference - injury hit as well - but Butcher could sign three 21-year old prospects on the same money and leave himself change. League Two clubs live in an increasingly Moneyball* world and that is no bad thing.

* If you don't know the story of Billy Beane and his Oakland Athletics, it is well worth five minutes on Google.**

** Other search engines are available.

Butcher is a new manager and now, from day one, from the first game of next term, he will be a boss working with his squad. Players who want to play for him, players that believe in his vision.

After so many departures and so much to digest, it will be welcome in the coming days and weeks to see some incomings to Rodney Parade.

New staff, one would imagine a minimum of 14 or 15 players to arrive over the next ten weeks or so. No rest for the wicked at our end or yours.

It is going to be fascinating and it is going to be exciting to find out how Butcher's gamble is going to pay off.

He rolled the dice and bet it all in his very first week at the club. Let's hope fortune favours the brave.

FINALLY and it's not just the player departures worth noting from the Exiles.

Farewell to Ryan Mackerness, a goalkeeping coach who can only have enhanced his CV immeasurably during his County tenure.

The performances of Lenny Pidgeley and Joe Day in particular were of the highest standard under Ryan's watch and he will hopefully continue to climb the ladder.

And County owe an even bigger debt to Tony James, a real unsung hero.

The veteran never expressed any grievances when he was in my opinion prematurely put out to pasture at the start of last season and instead attacked with relish a new role as a fitness coach with the club.

The entire squad speaks well of James as a coach, but it was as a defensive leader that he'll rightly be best remembered by the Rodney Parade faithful.

James reminds me of another County favourite, John Brough, in that he became absolutely indispensible, playing 44 times and earning the title of your Argus player of the season in the campaign which saw Newport promoted to the Football League.

He played every second of the play-offs and even as a 34-year old, turned out 16 times in eight-and-a-half weeks in County's insane end of season schedule due to several postponements in the division after an especially rough winter. All the more remarkable as Tony's father died at this time as well.

It is sad to see the likes of Jones and James, hometown boys (James is from Cwmbran, Jones Newport) depart and it would be nice if a role is found for Flynn and Byron Anthony within the current regime.

However, based on his first week in charge, it seems highly unlikely local boys and sentimentality will come into the reckoning of County's Butcher.