Summer Transfer Summary - Poll

[Stuart]

So with the window now closed and a steward’s inquiry over the Mulgrew exit our Summer dealings look like this:

Incoming

Stewart Downing

Bradley Johnson

Sam Gallagher

Tosin Adarabioyo (loan)

Christian Walton (loan)

Greg Cunningham (loan)

Tom White (U23s)

 

Outgoing

Wharton (loan)

Magloire (loan)

Mulgrew (loan)*

Paul Downing 

Joe Nuttall

Harrison Reed (end of loan)

Craig Conway

Jack Rodwell

David Raya

 

Pretty much one-for-one.

Better or worse?

Edited August 9, 2019 by Stuart

[DE.]

Had to vote bad due to our meagre strength of depth across the defence. Midfield & Attack are strengthened, but they weren't exactly our weak points last year. Johnson is a decent signing to come in ahead of Evans, no qualms with that. Gallagher may come good as well but I think we overpaid for him and it also pushes Brereton down the pecking order which surely isn't going to help his development. 

Good signings - Johnson, Cunningham

Unproven/unnecessary/questionable signings - Gallagher (mainly the fee), Downing, Walton, Tosin - these could all come good but it's a wait and see scenario.

No 'bad' signings as such, but lack of defensive quality as a whole is a huge concern for me. 

[Ewood Ace]

When Derrick Williams ends up being one of your first choice centre backs then you know its been an awful window.

[chaddyrovers]

5.5 out of 10

[Tom]

A transfer window sets the tone for the season, after this I doubt many people are  looking upwards, at best we’ve marginally improved, at worst it could lead to a scrap to stay up should we get an injury or two.

[Exiled_Rover]

You missed Raya off the outgoings. 

The final bit of business today (shipping out Mulgrew and bringing in Cunningham) pushes it to a good transfer window for me.

We pretty much washed our face and improved our defence and midfield from last year. I'm not a big fan of Gallager, but he'll see a lot of action this season so time will tell. 

I'm keen to see how Magliore gets on at Rochdale and how much time the vaunted U23 starlets get as the season progresses.

[roversfan99]

Overall, has to be considered a failure. The primary objective was to fix the defence and we lack both quality and quantity there even after the window.

In goal, underwhelming. Sold a prospect who always made me feel nervous, replaced him with what seems to be a very similar keeper with the same flaws on a temporary deal.

Defence, left back was a big area that needed improving so I am delighted with the Cunningham deal and wish it was permanent. Centre back, we are horribly light, with the rash Lenihan, very average Williams and Adarabioyo who has very minimal first team CB experience as our only 3 options. He for me doesnt fit the remit of what we needed from a centre back. Right back has been neglected due to the managers total blind spot towards a player who is neither a right back nor Championship quality, but will now be captain.

Johnson is a huge boost in midfield, very impressed by that signing although Reed will be a huge loss. Downing is a very underwhelming signing and I feel his arrival is going to halt a key player in Rothwell in his tracks.

My main gripe with Gallagher is his price tag but hes not a player I particularly rate anyway and hes a lazy and average addition for a big fee.

Allocation of money is a concern too, firstly Waggott was proved to be talking shite when saying we had a similar budget to last year. The defensive signings are short term sticky plasters and the only long term deal was for a player who I dont rate and one where we already have a supposed prospect thats going to break through this season.

Either 3 or 4 out of 10 for me.

[jw_]

I rated it bad mainly because it had incompetence written all over it and I suspect that the wages bill played a controlling part in all transactions.

It's obviously hard to tell if the newcomers to the squad will perform better only time will tell but if the team do start winning Mowbray has got to stop chopping and changing because of his fear of the opposition. 

[bluebruce]

I wavered between neither good nor bad, and bad, for a while. I've opted for bad in the end, and the more I think about it the more I think that's right.

It could still all work out well. But if it does I think that'll be more due to luck than design, as our transfer strategy and approach has seemed very unbalanced and often illogical. The priorities have been all wrong and I believe that has stopped us getting better players in the right positions.

On the plus side...if Tosin and Walton work out well, it has probably actually been a pretty good window. Much hinges on that, as well as whether Gallagher has developed enough and, if he hasn't, whether we will persist in playing him, possibly out of position, to the detriment of others who could break through.

Cunningham appears to be a good signing we can rely on to improve us.

We overpaid for Gallagher, by about 2 million. It also wasn't the right place to spend big fees.

We are very thin on the ground at CB when Lenihan inevitably picks up an injury. I don't feel Mulgrew is good enough anymore, but shipping him and Magloire out today without bringing another CB in is madness. We are going to need to ride our luck at CB in many ways and this is the biggest failing of this window.

We appear to have been misled about the budget, considering the 3.75 million of sales and 5 million fee spend. This raised expectations.

Our European scouting 'network' hasn't yielded any dividends yet.

We look overloaded in most midfield and attack areas. I suspect a career or two will wither away as a result. Or move away. Despite this, we looked a bit toothless against a poor but organised Charlton team. Time for this to click though. We also have 4 left backs, the same as we have for CBs (one of whom has mostly played LB for us, one of whom has mostly played RB for us). This not counting Grayson, who I don't think is ready. Only one of those LBs is good. Hart needs to go out on loan again.

We haven't shifted enough deadwood. TM's reluctance to actively get rid of players has hampered us there I suspect. In turn, this has hampered our ability to manage the fees and wages for new players who can improve us.

We have absolutely no backup worthy of the name for Walton if he isn't good enough, loses form, or gets injured. This backup was one of our main stated objectives all along. As another minor fallout of this, Fisher surely won't go out on loan.

I have no issue as such with using loans. I think they can be a great way to temporarily plug gaps. In our case this window though, the big problem is we have loaded all our loans into one area of the pitch - the defensive unit. This isn't really using loans to plug a gap, but more like to fill a canyon.

Two main issues with it. One is that next summer, we need to do it all again. We will still need, just to tread water, a goalie, a CB and a LB. Really, we are a goalie and a CB, at least, light already. Probably an RB too. So next season many of us may feel we need 2 goalies, 2 CBs, an LB and an RB. Maybe 2 RBs if the marginalisation of Nyambe continues and he leaves. Bell is out of contract too, so potentially two LBs. That's terrifying. It may also be in the context of trimming back our budget to meet FFP. Academy players may grow to fill a bit of that, but still. And that's likely to still be a risk even a year down the line unless someone proves themselves in a huge way this season.

The other issue with all the defensive signings being loans is that a defence, probably more than any other area of the pitch, needs time to gel and understand each other. Fine, permanent players would have needed that too, sure. But permanent players wouldn't have needed to do that all over again next year, as our new recruits will. Given the numbers I said we may need in that area next year to truly fix the problem, that could become an even bigger ask.

With all of this considered, I can only conclude this was a bad window conducted with an apparent lack of direction and vision. I concede it may end up looking good for this season if a few key signings do well and CB injuries are mininal, but even then there will be long-term issues still, some of which could have been fixed now. I can't envision it looking good enough this season for promotion, which is the only thing that will make those long-term issues less onerous next season.

[Exiled in Toronto]

For me, a bad window would be one or two so-so signings then someone steals your best player on the last day. No question in my mind we are stronger than before; not as strong as many hoped, but hope under Venky’s is wasted effort.

[DeeCee]

Not over or underwhelmed, I must be whelmed.

[BlackburnEnd75]

I'll post this here that I wrote in the other thread.

If we pick up another centre back on a free transfer then I think we have done okay this transfer window. A lot depends on how good Walton is in place of Raya and whether Tosin turns out to be the starting centre back that we desperately crave alongside Lenihan and I will have to wait and see.

Getting rid of last seasons 2nd highest earner of the books who was in my mind at least our 4th best centre back, is very injury prone and was a liability defensively is a big positive and shows a bit of hope that Mowbray can kill his darlings after all.

Cunningham is good signing and improves the first team as is Johnson. Downing is a decent option for us and Gallagher is a player I like albeit i'm still not convinced we should've spent all our money on him. Mowbray has so much riding on Brereton and Gallagher coming good.

Our window isn't done yet, we still need to get Smallwood and Samuel off the wage bill with a loan move to league 1, and as i mentioned above we need that other centre half on a free transfer, and maybe get another of the young lads some game time out on loan. Maybe even a backup keeper on a free if one is available.

At the moment average but it could either way.

[Roverthechimp]

Tricky one to judge. Was expecting Williams to CB after last season so a good leftback is a plus. Mulgrew leaving weakens the squad but might improve the team if that makes sense.

Midfield is improved with Johnson whilst Downing adds some flexibility and experience - potentially in defence, midfield and attack.

Gallagher - undecided but does improve the squad/team on paper.

Walton - key to if this was a good or bad window. Not seen enough yet to judge.

 

[Bigdoggsteel]

If this guy from City is a quality centre half, then it will move the window from average to good imo. 

[Andrewd2805]

We have undoubtedly improved.

Front line is better with Gallagher, midfield better with Johnson and Downing 

will Tosin be better than Mulgrew....got to hope so.

and stronger at LB with Cunningham.

we are a CB short, but still think we will bring one in on a free. 

 

 

[JacknOry]

Outgoing

Wharton (loan)

Magloire (loan)

Mulgrew (loan)*

Paul Downing

Jack Rodwell

 

Incoming

Tosin Adarabioyo (loan)

Greg Cunningham (loan)

 

That is a stat that worries me a little. 5 defenders out and 2 in when we were already short. Hope we at least get a freebie in.

[Ewood Ace]

54 minutes ago, JacknOry said:

Outgoing

Wharton (loan)

Magloire (loan)

Mulgrew (loan)*

Paul Downing

Jack Rodwell

 

Incoming

Tosin Adarabioyo (loan)

Greg Cunningham (loan)

 

That is a stat that worries me a little. 5 defenders out and 2 in when we were already short. Hope we at least get a freebie in.

Defenders are going.

[Roverthechimp]

1 hour ago, JacknOry said:

Outgoing

Wharton (loan)

Magloire (loan)

Mulgrew (loan)*

Paul Downing

Jack Rodwell

 

Incoming

Tosin Adarabioyo (loan)

Greg Cunningham (loan)

 

That is a stat that worries me a little. 5 defenders out and 2 in when we were already short. Hope we at least get a freebie in.

Agree in principle (mainly because i think Downing could have been good backup) but in practice few of us wanted Rodwell or Mulgrew. Wharton and Magloire are probably better off playing regularly though I think TM doesn't rate Wharton (rightly or wrongly)

A freebie would remove the final worries though...

[Displaced Rover]

I struggle to see how 60% believe it's an average or above window.

Unless Tosin turns out to be a good starting Championship level centre back, we have utterly failed to address the issues that were plain for all (except Tony apparently) to see last season.

Money has been totally wasted on areas of the team that weren't an issue. Long season ahead methinks.

[JacknOry]

1 hour ago, Roverthechimp said:

Agree in principle (mainly because i think Downing could have been good backup) but in practice few of us wanted Rodwell or Mulgrew. Wharton and Magloire are probably better off playing regularly though I think TM doesn't rate Wharton (rightly or wrongly)

A freebie would remove the final worries though...

My point was about strength in depth. I do not argue that most wanted Mulgrew out of the starting 11 but i dont think many called for him to sent out on loan and not replaced. Rodwell again, although he has shown he is not worth the hassle anymore, he is another number at the back alongside the two lads that went out.

An injury to Lenihan or Williams (or even both) and we could be in the deep stuff. 

[DE.]

1 hour ago, Displaced Rover said:

I struggle to see how 60% believe it's an average or above window.

Unless Tosin turns out to be a good starting Championship level centre back, we have utterly failed to address the issues that were plain for all (except Tony apparently) to see last season.

Money has been totally wasted on areas of the team that weren't an issue. Long season ahead methinks.

To be fair I wavered between 'neither good or bad' and 'bad' before deciding to go with bad. I can understand people considering it average on the basis we haven't really signed any 'bad' players and we've kept all of our better players whilst adding some firepower in Gallagher and a solid CM to replace Evans in Johnson.

Whether it falls down to bad I think depends on how highly you rate the defenders we have. I'm of the opinion we're one or two injuries away from having a shocking defence, which is what tipped it to bad for me. I also think the goalkeeper situation was dealt with really poorly. We're no stronger in that position (imo) and our replacement for Raya isn't even ours, he's just a loan. If he gets injured we'll have Leutwiler between the sticks, so, that ain't good either. I think we needed much better at the back and have given ourselves a much more difficult job in January & next summer to really improve this team. The current window has left us largely standing still at best, when it was supposed to be a window that helped us push on and do better than last season. For that reason alone I have to consider it a failure.

[rigger]

I voted good on the deals we have actually done, not ones that we haven’t done 

[Mike E]

If we're basing it purely on incomings it's good imo, but the outgoings make it average.

I feel like the squad is stronger as a whole, but I'm yet to be convinced we'll put out a stronger first eleven. We'll see.

I believe there is every chance we can flirt with 6th place, but it needs EVERYTHING to align perfectly. I think we have no more than a solid mid table side, unless the defence turns out to be better without Mulgrew being a first pick.

Certainly think that

Cunningham-Williams-Lenihan-Nyambe

looks stronger than

Williams-Mulgrew-Lenihan-Nyambe.

Edited August 9, 2019 by Mike E

[Blue blood]

Voted neither good nor bad. On paper the team looks better but the squad very unbalanced. 

It obviously does depend how the new signings do but I can't remember a season where it so desperately hinged on a couple of signings doing well. If Tosin and Gally do well.in the short term we are in a better position. If either turn out to be duds however we are totally stuffed. 

[Stuart]

2 hours ago, Displaced Rover said:

I struggle to see how 60% believe it's an average or above window.

Unless Tosin turns out to be a good starting Championship level centre back, we have utterly failed to address the issues that were plain for all (except Tony apparently) to see last season.

Money has been totally wasted on areas of the team that weren't an issue. Long season ahead methinks.

To be fair, 80% think it’s been an average or below window.

It certainly isn’t a window that has generated any enthusiasm.