January Transfer window 2022

[Crimpshrine]

 

I'd like to see us sign an experienced midfield bruiser for the run in. David Batty / Vinnie Jones type with presence, leadership and a lot of bite. 

I admire Travis for is endeavour but he's not great defensively and adds nothing going forward. I think a bit of experience in midfield will be a big help in games like yesterday when we were under the cosh a little.

Not sure who is available who could fill that role.

[Vilesinner]

1 hour ago, BigBar said:

This is spot on and very fair and measured. I said recently I was fond of Gally but I get the critism and I don't see it as scapegoating. Yesterday I felt he was awful, I will him to be better because he looks the part, I always remind myself of that beast of a run at deepdale in recent times where he won the penalty. Prob a bad sign that I actually can name the one time he did that.

I can't see how anyone throught he was useful yesterday, could of cost us.

Yesterday I thought he was good. The team definitely improved when he came on. 

[Vilesinner]

Just now, Crimpshrine said:

 

I'd like to see us sign an experienced midfield bruiser for the run in. David Batty / Vinnie Jones type with presence, leadership and a lot of bite. 

I admire Travis for is endeavour but he's not great defensively and adds nothing going forward. I think a bit of experience in midfield will be a big help in games like yesterday when we were under the cosh a little.

Not sure who is available who could fill that role.

Travis is excellent defensively. Cleared the ball off the line yesterday. He just was a bit sloppy with his passing in that game, like all are midfielders and forwards. 

[tomphil]

I thought Travis was excellent yesterday to be honest, again i think people are looking for something that you don't get at this level - great all round midfielders.

He's a bitty player and that's not a criticism - he does a bit of everything and that's what this system needs. Breaks up play, short passes, the odd good forward pass, tackles, shithouses, leaves a foot in at times, commits the same niggly fouls we are usually on the receiving end of.

He's like a lower level Sherwood for me although doesn't threaten the opposition box enough.  Sadly although we'd all love one the days of midfield enforcers are gone. Having him though enables Rovers to play the way they do now imo.

If we were still carrying Evans and loaning in the likes of Trybull and Holtby we wouldn't be playing this way, we'd be playing like the last 2 seasons 😶

Edited January 16, 2022 by tomphil

[had.e.nuff]

I think travis is one of those players that split opinion a bit like mark atkins did but you need the workers in midfield to let the flair ones play

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, tomphil said:

I thought Travis was excellent yesterday to be honest, again i think people are looking for something that you don't get at this level - great all round midfielders.

He's a bitty player and that's not a criticism - he does a bit of everything and that's what this system needs. Breaks up play, short passes, the odd good forward pass, tackles, shithouses, leaves a foot in at times, commits the same niggly fouls we are usually on the receiving end of.

He's like a lower level Sherwood for me although doesn't threaten the opposition box enough.  Sadly although we'd all love one the days of midfield enforcers are gone. Having him though enables Rovers to play the way they do now imo.

If we were still carrying Evans and loaning in the likes of Trybull and Holtby we wouldn't be playing this way, we'd be playing like the last 2 seasons 😶

Agreed Travis was superb. Many blocks and closing down, which although is his job, he did it very well.

[skous18]

What about Barry Bannan anyone? We were linked with him some years ago if I remember correctly. Travis hasn’t really been up to level since that injury he got so Id be tempted to get Bannan for a season or two

[Gav]

3 minutes ago, skous18 said:

What about Barry Bannan anyone? We were linked with him some years ago if I remember correctly. Travis hasn’t really been up to level since that injury he got so Id be tempted to get Bannan for a season or two

Bannan is a very good player, pulls all the strings at Wednesday, far to similar to Dack though for me.

Good shout though skous.

[jones_rover]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Travis is the least of our worries.

Our main problems are going to be injuries, suspension and the like. Lenihan and Buckley are only a few yellows from a 2 match suspension and then at that point things start to look stretched. 

We don't need lots of bodies for the sake of it though, a couple of quality additions to add immediate depth are more important I reckon. For example, Zefuik slotting in with Nyambe out is ideal.

Hopefully we can get Markanday sorted and then priorities for me would be a striker and a CM.

Maja on loan with an option would be ideal for the former, but unsure what options are out there on the CM front.

[jones_rover]

I do forget that Dack will hopefully be back involved soon, maybe him and JRC together will solve the lack of depth in midfield.

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

I don't see or expect us to paying that sort of cash for a striker at this minute. Is this striker to play the same way our current forwards? 

Never mention a big lump but a number 9 striker is someone who leads the line like Solanke or Maja do. Maja isn't the type of striker to play the role we asked our 2 forwards to do. 

I can understand about mixing it up but I would do that with our current squad by switch formations to 4-3-3 and playing Brereton or Gallagher in the 9 role and Brereton(if he not playing the striker role) or Khadra on the left with Dolan or Markanday on the right 

Its not his crossing ability but his final ball or final decision that Nyambe need to improve if he going to be wing back. Full back is similar different but I do think Nyambe would be very decent/good as right centre back in a back 3 also. 

Neither do I but I said it would be a proper genuine sign of ambition from the owners. So it obviously wont happen.

Solanke definitely WOULD be ideal but is obviously unattainable. We still do play 2 forwards and he has the pace and mobility to do that whilst offering a goal threat. We need this mystery loan to buy to score goals and someone who is an actual striker as we will have enough small, flighty winger types who are good but you wouldnt want 2 playing at once.

I wouldnt be switching formations. My worry is if we dont sign a 5th centre back then we are a couple of injuries away from being forced to.

[chaddyrovers]

6 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Neither do I but I said it would be a proper genuine sign of ambition from the owners. So it obviously wont happen.

not for me. Signing a Luton striker is a sign of ambition now

6 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

We still do play 2 forwards and he has the pace and mobility to do that whilst offering a goal threat. We need this mystery loan to buy to score goals and someone who is an actual striker as we will have enough small, flighty winger types who are good but you wouldnt want 2 playing at once.

Yes we do but they also defend. Not sure a Maja would do that. 

I don't see Dolan or Khadra as small, flighty winger types either and if we had to play both for a game or 2 then so be it. 

It will be interesting to see who this mystery striker loan is 

[Exiled in Toronto]

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

I thought Travis was excellent yesterday to be honest, again i think people are looking for something that you don't get at this level - great all round midfielders.

He's a bitty player and that's not a criticism - he does a bit of everything and that's what this system needs. Breaks up play, short passes, the odd good forward pass, tackles, shithouses, leaves a foot in at times, commits the same niggly fouls we are usually on the receiving end of.

He's like a lower level Sherwood for me although doesn't threaten the opposition box enough.  Sadly although we'd all love one the days of midfield enforcers are gone. Having him though enables Rovers to play the way they do now imo.

If we were still carrying Evans and loaning in the likes of Trybull and Holtby we wouldn't be playing this way, we'd be playing like the last 2 seasons 😶

I’ve taken to closely watching the movement of our midfielders when we don’t have the ball and Travis is by far the best at seeing opponents movement and passing options and cutting them off through his movement. Buckley does it somewhat when he’s not leading the press and Rothwell is the most static when we are out of possession and it’s in the middle of the park. But then he’s the most mobile when we do have it.

[garnersfags]

54 minutes ago, jones_rover said:

I do forget that Dack will hopefully be back involved soon, maybe him and JRC together will solve the lack of depth in midfield.

Prob for a different thread, but I really worry that Dack will be unable to do the unseen, vital hard yards which have made us impossible to beat for 10 games. We may need a Johnson in to cover for this, and which 2 players are we going to drop for this to happen? I know injuries will help make these decisions, but TM has hit on a winning formula and his only hope of promotion is to stick to this.

Having said this, the formula only works if BBD is firing, as we have seen in the flattening out of our performances, as we have become gritty and hard to beat, rather than dominant and overwhelming. 

Ben has looked less likely to score since the 2nd half of the Barnsley game, so I'm looking for this to change at the KC and the sunshine stadium. 

[roversfan99]

Dack does work hard to be fair and he would give us another dimension with the additional goal threat from that position.

[Torgeir]

10 hours ago, tomphil said:

Since the Barnsley game the opposition sides have upped their tempo against us and gone for the physical approach. A lot of our success this season has been the intense worktate and desire so that won't have gone unoticed.

Teams are upping the ante and it'll be like that for the rest of the season, so there'll be more games like yesterday than us rolling teams over now i expect.

Something we have to get used to.

Pitch quality has deteriorated as well, more misplaced passes and difficult to counter as efficiently as we have been doing. We will have bad patches but this crop has a lot of belief and won't stop running, so we can pick up points against most teams even on a bad day.

[Torgeir]

I can see Lenihan, Rothwell and possibly Nyambe waiting out their deals unless a good PL offer (or top foreign league) comes in. If we win promotion we'll be able to offer better terms and they'll be more than happy to stay. 

[jones_rover]

35 minutes ago, garnersfags said:

Prob for a different thread, but I really worry that Dack will be unable to do the unseen, vital hard yards which have made us impossible to beat for 10 games. We may need a Johnson in to cover for this, and which 2 players are we going to drop for this to happen? I know injuries will help make these decisions, but TM has hit on a winning formula and his only hope of promotion is to stick to this.

Having said this, the formula only works if BBD is firing, as we have seen in the flattening out of our performances, as we have become gritty and hard to beat, rather than dominant and overwhelming. 

Ben has looked less likely to score since the 2nd half of the Barnsley game, so I'm looking for this to change at the KC and the sunshine stadium. 

Agreed that we'll lose some athleticism if Dack comes back in when compared to Buckley/ Rothwell, but like roversfan says, hopefully he would make up for this with his goal threat.

33 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Dack does work hard to be fair and he would give us another dimension with the additional goal threat from that position.

 

[tomphil]

59 minutes ago, garnersfags said:

Prob for a different thread, but I really worry that Dack will be unable to do the unseen, vital hard yards which have made us impossible to beat for 10 games. We may need a Johnson in to cover for this, and which 2 players are we going to drop for this to happen? I know injuries will help make these decisions, but TM has hit on a winning formula and his only hope of promotion is to stick to this.

Having said this, the formula only works if BBD is firing, as we have seen in the flattening out of our performances, as we have become gritty and hard to beat, rather than dominant and overwhelming. 

Ben has looked less likely to score since the 2nd half of the Barnsley game, so I'm looking for this to change at the KC and the sunshine stadium. 

That's what i was thinking in regards to Dack and i don't want to see the system altered just to fit him in. He's got to find a way to fit himself in but i reckon impact sub is the way to go when he's fit, for now. Quite a few times recently it's needed someone to come on and unlock or pick a good pass on the break. 

Thing is though we are doing ok as we are but killing teams off and getting a vital second goal is going to be needed as we enter the next phase.

Great problem to have though and will take a bit of pressure off BBD.

Edited January 16, 2022 by tomphil

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

4 hours ago, BigBar said:

This is spot on and very fair and measured. I said recently I was fond of Gally but I get the critism and I don't see it as scapegoating. Yesterday I felt he was awful, I will him to be better because he looks the part, I always remind myself of that beast of a run at deepdale in recent times where he won the penalty. Prob a bad sign that I actually can name the one time he did that.

I can't see how anyone throught he was useful yesterday, could of cost us.

There’s only one role for Gally that I can see. Chasing long balls out into the channels and up the middle.  He can’t play hold up football in spite of his size. He just hasn’t got it.

[47er]

6 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

There’s only one role for Gally that I can see. Chasing long balls out into the channels and up the middle.  He can’t play hold up football in spite of his size. He just hasn’t got it.

The only one to be given an acceptable new contract! You couldn't make it up.😭

[Vilesinner]

2 hours ago, skous18 said:

What about Barry Bannan anyone? We were linked with him some years ago if I remember correctly. Travis hasn’t really been up to level since that injury he got so Id be tempted to get Bannan for a season or two

Are you mad? Trav has been excellent this season. He cleared the ball off the line on Saturday for flip sake. 

[Butty]

2 hours ago, Gav said:

Bannan is a very good player, pulls all the strings at Wednesday, far to similar to Dack though for me.

Good shout though skous.

For me personally Bannan and Dack are completely different players! Both very good like. 

[Gav]

4 minutes ago, Butty said:

For me personally Bannan and Dack are completely different players! Both very good like. 

I’d be interested to know why you think they’re completely different Butty?

[47er]

A pretty clear evaluation of Wharton's value to us from Lancs Live:

Wharton's unbeaten streak

In the 104 league fixtures that Scott Wharton has played in his career (including play-off fixtures), the defender has lost just 22. Note that this includes loan spells at Cambridge United, Bury, Lincoln City and Northampton Town. It's staggering.

Since returning to Rovers following his successful stint with Northampton, the team have not lost any one of the 17 league matches Wharton's participated in. The fixture against Brentford in December 2020 had the potential to tarnish that record as he was stretchered off with an Achilles fracture but even on that occasion, Jacob Davenport's rescue act ensured this phenomenal streak remains intact today.

Besides just his winning mentality, Wharton's presence has fast become an imperative feature in the success of this Rovers side. He brings a balance to the defensive unit and his ability to slide a pass when Rovers are operating in their own third is crucial to alleviating pressure. It doesn't matter whether it's 15-yards through the needle to a forward or a 50-yard switch, Wharton's got the pass in his locker.