BRFCS Discusses...

[J*B]

We're trialling a new weekly feature - BRFCS Discusses - where a discussion point is started every week to be discussed on the forum. If it works the topic could be anything we've taken from reading the forum the previous week, a statement, a question or a poll. The topic won't represent BRFCS or the person who posts it - it'll be a point we've seen on the forum that we think will create discussion.

So, the inaugural BRFCS Discusses is... 

... with hindsight, where did we go wrong in the January transfer window?

[DeeCee]

By not signing anyone perhaps? 

[Don Said]

1) We simply had to improve the squad for the here and now but probably weren’t able to as we spunked a lot of money on the wrong kind of investment - one for the distant future, rather than one(s) for the first XI to drag us through now.

 

2) The type of signings we needed (leadership/defence) were GLARINGLY obvious come January. For whatever reason we didn’t address it in the slightest, adding nothing of the type, and it’s bitten us. Never mind January we’ve not signed a leader in years.

[Parsonblue]

Not signing anyone who could go straight into the team and improve it.  With ten players moving out on loan and two long term injuries, it meant we would be short if we suffered injuries or suspensions - which we have.  

[Ewood Ace]

1. Not signing a striker and a centre back. 

2. Needlessly letting players go out on loan.

 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

The same problem as what happened the season following 1995....we didn't strengthen from a position of advantage.

[blueboy3333]

Spunking £7m on Brereton and not signing a CB or two instead for a lot less money. 

[Pedro]

Letting Downing go, not adding a bit of experience to help us kick on and believe we could get in the play offs.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

13 minutes ago, Pedro said:

Letting Downing go, not adding a bit of experience to help us kick on and believe we could get in the play offs.

When I saw Downing was going out on loan I thought that must mean we're bringing in a better centre half. Well I got that one wrong and so did Mowbray !

Quite a few people on here told me at the time I complained  " We're good for centre halves, we need to blow him out ! " Well How good are we now ? Centre halves are more vulnerable to injuries ( well they bloody should be ) and suspension. Every team plays two, some play three. Plus one on the bench. Letting Downing go without a replacement being brought in as well as allowing Wharton and Platt to go out on loan was the height of idiocy !

Edited March 3, 2019 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[K-Hod]

We could have had a play off push with how we were playing at the time if we’d strengthened. 

As it happens, we didn’t, we play two converted midfielders at centre half and we have two centre halves out on loan.

With how our defence is at the moment, would playing a young player in there be any worse? We ship goals at an alarming rate. Most frustratingly, close to when we’ve just scored as well.

[Tom]

Mowbrays loyalty and passion for decency potentially undid us along with some inopportune timing.

We had our best run of the season and Travis and Nuttall did well enough to assure the manager that they could do a job rather than bring anybody in.

With Travis that seems fair but Nuttall is now back to the fringe and would have been best for all if he went on loan and a striker brought in.

The fact that money was there but Mowbray wasn’t keen to spend it was odd but I wonder if the fact that Brereton hasn’t been any sort of success yet has made him overly cautious about another expensive spree. 

A manager that spends more comes under closer scrutiny than one that can claim to have done it on a shoestring  

[bazza]

Letting our only 3 centre backs go out on loan was lunacy. Lenihan, Mulgrew and Rodwell are midfielders; square pegs in round hole.

[Herbie6590]

We now have the benefit of hindsight of course but following a poor December the window was seen as an opportunity to re-calibrate what might be possible this season. A series of impressive results really cranked up the optimism and rumours abounded of Harry Chapman, Sam Gallagher, Britt Assombalonga et al.

That only Chapman arrived and he was evidently some way off match fitness was, in the end, anti climactic.

A disastrous February seems to have highlighted that our squad depth isn’t what we might have hoped, our fringe players aren’t putting the pressure on the 1st XI that you’d hope, our senior players seem to have lost their mojo, our tactics seem to change within game and from game to game with no discernible improvement in performance and our defence is as fragile as a Theresa May promise.

Downing is earmarked as surplus to requirements, Wharton sent out on loan and so the permutations in defence involve rotating the same cast, with no discernible improvement in performance.

A “beast” of a centre half used to organising those around him....including the keeper...a strong, “ball holding up” centre forward, perhaps even a loan keeper of calibre to keep Raya on his toes...and who knows where we might have ended up ? 

Hindsight...the perfect science....but let’s learn the lesson in July eh chaps ? 

 

[Stuart]

I think @Parsonblue has nailed it.

Mowbray seems so keen to buy players for the future that he seems to have take his eye off the now.

Its no coincidence that our form has fallen off a cliff since the window closed. The better players in the team must also feel that we should have strengthened and have either lost a little faith or now feel Mowbray has signed-off on this season so they will too.

Edited March 3, 2019 by Stuart

[RV Blue]

Signing a player who “isn’t even fit enough to go out on loan” (Mowbray’s words).

[Husky]

It simply has to be the bizarre signings.

As already noted. 70% of the transfer budget wasted on a novice carthorse. Then the one about the one that's allegedly less fit than the present day Dunn and unlikely to play until 2020.

The only thing stopping a complete tin foil hat meltdown is that the surnames of said siginings don't include any Santos, Gomes, or Alves.

Get that agent on the blower.

Edited March 3, 2019 by Husky

[Miller11]

Doesn’t really require any hindsight, and the anomaly that was the now seemingly very distant purple patch we had in January never really masked the fact our defence isn’t up to it.

This is nothing fresh though, it’s been an issue throughout the entire Venky era. Scott Dann (a panic buy resulting from NZonzi having to start as a centre back) aside, there has been a complete reluctance to sign defenders for anything above a nominal fee. Evidently in January it was mistakenly decided we weren’t in dire need of reinforcements in that area, so much so that we loaned out players leaving us woefully inadequate in terms of cover. 

Mowbray is now publicly stating that we need actual centre backs who can actually perform the basic duties required in that position. Surely he knew this all along though, so rather than lamenting the fact this glaringly obvious weekness wasn’t addressed, we should be asking why.

[tomphil]

They got Duffy here for not much initial fee and they made money on him he was a bit ropey at first but ok by the end before he turned into an utter twohat therefore thee are players to be had out there if they make a proper effort to look.  It really needn't always cost millions and they should really have stumped up a few hundred grand for the lad from Charlton and got him here this season.

Very poor planning and I still the club will still only bring in players presented to them via certain channels, not good as isn't Mowbrays reliance on players he's had before.

[JacknOry]

Think its all been said. Were told money would be made available to spend in January if we were there or thereabouts to the playoffs. We managed it but for some reason decided against signing anyone in priority positions. We have now plummeted and its difficult to see where the next win will come from. We should be looking over our shoulders now.

[jw_]

17 hours ago, J*B said:

... with hindsight, where did we go wrong in the January transfer window?

Clearly we simply did not use the opportunity to strengthen the squad and push on for  at least a play off chance, the bigger question though is WHY ?

[Bigdoggsteel]

Not even bringing in a loan or 2 to freshen things up was frankly criminal 

[roversfan99]

January was just a 4th opportunity wasted in a constant neglect in regards to our defence. Signing a top class striker wouldnt have solved it. The fact that we seemingly wanted a striker shows what Mowbrays attitude is towards our defensive woes. We will make do. 

[Leonard Venkhater]

4 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

January was just a 4th opportunity wasted in a constant neglect in regards to our defence. Signing a top class striker wouldnt have solved it. The fact that we seemingly wanted a striker shows what Mowbrays attitude is towards our defensive woes. We will make do. 

Pattern of neglect, associated with "the others"....

[Mercer]

The well run clubs improve the quality of their team from a position of strength.

We were ticking over nicely in January and Mowbray should have made his move.  Come the summer, given we now seem to be in freefall, I think we will be a far less attractive proposition.

Mowbray said there was money there.  Was there really?  Seems that Mowbray couldn't spend the money fast enough when it was there at the end of August making a huge financial commitment on Brereton based on, In his words the other week in Blues, the lad's performance against us at Forest two years ago when, as someone has advised, our left side opposition to Brereton was Feeney and Williams!!!

I think the window was a wasted opportunity and it's incredulous to think that any half decent manager couldn't improve our starting eleven even working on a very modest budget.

[philipl]

Not signing a beast of a central defender.

We need one now, yesterday and for the future.