January Transfer Window

[Redditch Fox]

We are doing way better than any reasonable expectations held at the start of the season.

I think that the January transfer window is generally a bad time to bring in players apart from a decent loanee - but that's difficult for obvious reasons.

MM doesn't spend big money in the transfer market anyway - and isn't likely too now, but he tends to pay bigger than higher wages than most in this division.

If we are still in the play off race come Easter then people should be more than pleased.

 

[markyp224]

Dont think we do pay top wages. I think not making the play offs will be a disappointment now. We do need one/two new faces for sure. The squad is a bit stagnant and need freshning up. Need to get players pushin themselves to get into the side

 

[Profondo Rosso]

How come our players have been good enough for the play-offs first half, but won't be good enough for the play-offs second half?

Have to agree with Miles_Away here, nobody apart from the top 3 is that good in this league. Not saying we will definitely finish in them, but being so certain we won't when this current group of players have shown they could do it over the first half of the season is quite ridiculous overly defeatist.

 

[fitz]

Have to agree with Miles_Away here, nobody apart from the top 3 is that good in this league. Not saying we will definitely finish in them, but being so certain we won't when this current group of players have shown they could do it over the first half of the season is quite ridiculous overly defeatist.

Personally (and I already can feel the backlash) I think one thing that could stop us performing the task of getting in the playoffs is one or two positions in the squad that are just dire.

Our right wing spot is a trouble position as Oakley and Gallagher are clearly shite at it, but are chosen ahead of players who would claim this is their profession.

Left back should be perhaps our best strength with Berner, but when he is crocked we have to play a player who Junior Lewis and John Curtis probably laugh themselves to sleep at night over his ability

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Personally (and I already can feel the backlash) I think one thing that could stop us performing the task of getting in the playoffs is one or two positions in the squad that are just dire.

Our right wing spot is a trouble position as Oakley and Gallagher are clearly shite at it, but are chosen ahead of players who would claim this is their profession.

Left back should be perhaps our best strength with Berner, but when he is crocked we have to play a player who Junior Lewis and John Curtis probably laugh themselves to sleep at night over his ability

I understand what you're saying, but again, I don't think that particularly makes us worse than anyone else outside the top 3.

On another (general football) forum there are Swansea fans complaining about lack of creativity, goals or a clinical striker and Sheffield United fans moaning about lacking in several positions as well.

 

[camberwell fox]

I understand what you're saying, but again, I don't think that particularly makes us worse than anyone else outside the top 3.

On another (general football) forum there are Swansea fans complaining about lack of creativity, goals or a clinical striker and Sheffield United fans moaning about lacking in several positions as well.

I don't give a rats ass what the teams are like around us. We should be aiming to do better than them, we are not better than them and in my opinion we are a lot worse than WBA, Newcastle and F*r*s*, and these 3 are not the only ones, just the obvious selections.

I watched WBA -V- Newcastle last night and they are streets ahead of us - and before anyone points out parachute payments; i am aware of this.

We are and have been lacking quality at full back and on the wings, not to mention over the past few games creativity in midfield.

We don't seem to know our best system and if we do know we aim to play players out of position as a means to an end, Oakley on the wing, Gally on the wing and so on.

The long punt is predictable, boring and we have been sussed. Put wingers on the wing, leave midfielders in midfield. Our strikers are good enough at this level - they just need service. We will not get out of this rabid league playing hoofball - especially as we have been sussed. If we are going to lose games, let's at least play it on the deck and lose rather then hoofing the fecker the full length of the pitch into no mans land.

McGivern is young and needs to gain experience - but not in our 1st team - we can't afford the luxury. He is by no means the only culprit, just as before the most obvious.

We need quality NOW to give us IMPETUS NOW, otherwise the season could become a bit of a damp squib - that's not to say of course that we shouldn't settle for a mid-table obscurity compared to previous seasons.

 

[Lako42]

The vote for most boring transfer window in history goes to........

 

[Redditch Fox]

We will not get out of this rabid league playing hoofball - especially as we have been sussed.

I don't see why not - I guess that more teams have achieved promotion from this division playing "hoofball" as you put it (one man's hoofball is another man's direct style) than trying to play 'good' football. A well-organised and very physical long ball team would probably have as good a chance as any.

However, I take your point about being "sussed". There is always a likelihood that a new team to a division will enjoy a bit of a bonus until the word goes round about negating its strengths and exploiting its weaknesses.

 

[FOX Franks]

I don't give a rats ass what the teams are like around us. We should be aiming to do better than them, we are not better than them and in my opinion we are a lot worse than WBA, Newcastle and F*r*s*, and these 3 are not the only ones, just the obvious selections.

I watched WBA -V- Newcastle last night and they are streets ahead of us - and before anyone points out parachute payments; i am aware of this.

We are and have been lacking quality at full back and on the wings, not to mention over the past few games creativity in midfield.

We don't seem to know our best system and if we do know we aim to play players out of position as a means to an end, Oakley on the wing, Gally on the wing and so on.

The long punt is predictable, boring and we have been sussed. Put wingers on the wing, leave midfielders in midfield. Our strikers are good enough at this level - they just need service. We will not get out of this rabid league playing hoofball - especially as we have been sussed. If we are going to lose games, let's at least play it on the deck and lose rather then hoofing the fecker the full length of the pitch into no mans land.

McGivern is young and needs to gain experience - but not in our 1st team - we can't afford the luxury. He is by no means the only culprit, just as before the most obvious.

We need quality NOW to give us IMPETUS NOW, otherw*s* the season could become a bit of a damp squib - that's not to say of course that we shouldn't settle for a mid-table obscurity compared to previous seasons.

Cannot comprehend where all this is coming from- and totally agree with earlier reflections that other than the top three, most of this league is just about as average as the others.

Can see no reason why we can't maintain a playoff finish- 7th with a game in hand! It's well known this league is totally unpredictable anyway, and in all fairness most of our players still have improvement to make.

Considering the Andy King thread and the point that he needs time to be judged, it's completely unfair that we're judging N'guessan- he's just come up from League 2 football, and not getting many games. Deserves a chance, especially when the cross for Fryatt against QPR is considered as it was sublime. We'll be in the playoffs methinks when we get tunchypants back :icon_bigg


(just read it properly, agree other than the desperate need for quality- the team is not perfect but we didn't spend 5mil like forest)

 

[The Old Fox]

When you talk of promotion, I think that, instead of comparing us to mediocre championship sides, we should be looking as to whether we have even the beginnings of a team that could cope in the Premiership. Newcastle and WBA are in this division because they weren't able so to do and yet, we are trying to gain promotion, whilst accepting that such teams are too good for us!

Getting into the Premiership via the back door will lead to tears before bedtime: any player with quality will be lured away to other Premiership strugglers whilst we will sign over rated players on exaggerated wages. After the inevitable tumble back to the Championship, financial difficulties will follow as certainly as day follows night.

Making a Premiership team is not something that can be done overnight.

 

[Miles Away]

When you talk of promotion, I think that, instead of comparing us to mediocre championship sides, we should be looking as to whether we have even the beginnings of a team that could cope in the Premiership. Newcastle and WBA are in this division because they weren't able so to do and yet, we are trying to gain promotion, whilst accepting that such teams are too good for us!

Getting into the Premiership via the back door will lead to tears before bedtime: any player with quality will be lured away to other Premiership strugglers whilst we will sign over rated players on exaggerated wages. After the inevitable tumble back to the Championship, financial difficulties will follow as certainly as day follows night.

Making a Premiership team is not something that can be done overnight.

There are a number of teams that looked completely outmatched at first glance when getting promoted to the premier league and have done well. In fact, backdooring it is exactly what we did in 95, and we seemed to do alright then.

 

[Jeff]

In fact, backdooring it is exactly what we did in 95, and we seemed to do alright then.

We were relegated in 95.

 

[Miles Away]

We were relegated in 95.

Cheers Jeff! I suppose I meant the 95-96 season?

 

[Jeff]

Cheers Jeff! I suppose I meant the 95-96 season?

I suppose you did.

But we'd recently been in the premier league so there was more top level experience in the team, and more money to spend on players.


I think the way Burnley are handling their promotion is the sensible thing to do. They haven't spent a fortune so if they do get relegated they won't have the debt problems other teams have had in similar situations.

 

[Miles Away]

I suppose you did.

But we'd recently been in the premier league so there was more top level experience in the team, and more money to spend on players.


I think the way Burnley are handling their promotion is the sensible thing to do. They haven't spent a fortune so if they do get relegated they won't have the debt problems other teams have had in similar situations.

Agree entirely with the Burnley method, and the Stoke one which I think is similar. Get up there, be sensible with your money and make your team hard to beat.

Do well at home, get to 40 points, and then, if you fancy it, you can expand your squad that summer with some quality from the teams that went down.

If you go down that first season, you do it with a squad that has been competing at premier level and will be ready for the slog of the championship.

 

[Redditch Fox]

When you talk of promotion, I think that, instead of comparing us to mediocre championship sides, we should be looking as to whether we have even the beginnings of a team that could cope in the Premiership. Newcastle and WBA are in this division because they weren't able so to do and yet, we are trying to gain promotion, whilst accepting that such teams are too good for us!

Getting into the Premiership via the back door will lead to tears before bedtime: any player with quality will be lured away to other Premiership strugglers whilst we will sign over rated players on exaggerated wages. After the inevitable tumble back to the Championship, financial difficulties will follow as certainly as day follows night.

Making a Premiership team is not something that can be done overnight.

Possibly......but, your hypotheses are dependant on two unknown factors: firstly, although we would certainly be red hot favourites for instant promotion, we just don't know what would happen. Stranger things have happened than a team like Leicester managing to survive against the odds for those first crucial couple of seasons. Secondly, it all depends on the quality of management decisions. It's well known that the side promoted through the play offs has an enormously difficult task in bringing in quality signings. But you don't have to throw money at inferiour players.

In my view, the financial benefits of promotion massively outweigh the risks and consequences. Also I just don't think your implication that it takes time to build applies these days. The masive financial gap between clubs in the Premiership and in our division means that you are much more likely to lose your better players if you don't get promoted than if you do or even if you are relegated with parachute monies. Building teams in a long term, methodical way sometimes used to work up to the 1990's - but it's a long gone option now....unfortunately.

 

[Redditch Fox]

I meant 'red hot favourites for relegation' (not promotion)...obviously.

 

[camberwell fox]

Cannot comprehend where all this is coming from- and totally agree with earlier reflections that other than the top three, most of this league is just about as average as the others.

Can see no reason why we can't maintain a playoff finish- 7th with a game in hand! It's well known this league is totally unpredictable anyway, and in all fairness most of our players still have improvement to make.

Considering the Andy King thread and the point that he needs time to be judged, it's completely unfair that we're judging N'guessan- he's just come up from League 2 football, and not getting many games. Deserves a chance, especially when the cross for Fryatt against QPR is considered as it was sublime. We'll be in the playoffs methinks when we get tunchypants back :icon_bigg


(just read it properly, agree other than the desperate need for quality- the team is not perfect but we didn't spend 5mil like forest)

I don't think we necessarily need to spend big, just wisely, a decent midfielder and a full back and then hey presto!

 

[FoxCovert]

I thought Gradel was due back this week. Would like to see him given a run after doing well at Leeds.

 

[fox58]

I thought Gradel was due back this week. Would like to see him given a run after doing well at Leeds.

he started 2 games for Leeds and came on as sub in 10 games, surly if he was doing that well he would have started more games.