January Transfer Deadline Day 2022

[bluebruce]

21 minutes ago, Ghost7 said:

It just seems very, very unusual to me that our budget wasn't increased slightly considering we're 2nd in the league. What a huge opportunity missed to get a few more permanent players in while the club was looking so attractive. I expected quite a bit more and I bet the players were hoping for it too.

Hedges was a target for a team that finished 15th last year. Hope he does well but it's hardly inspiring, he was coming for free in the summer anyway.

Zeefuik and Giles are good signings but not really what was needed, so that is a bit disjointed. An odd window overall given our position, and it started so positively! I would like to know who is responsible for us being totally unable to sign a striker in any transfer window, someone is hindering us (Manager? Owners? CEO? Scouts? )...

Overall a 6/10.

It really will be something special if we go up!

This is my biggest concern too, the lost opportunity in being far more attractive to players, as even Waggott said. If we don't go up - which looks more likely now we haven't made a modest gamble with the budget to cover areas for inevitable injuries etc, whilst Bournemouth have - I think we are in a bit of a predicament.

Zeefuik, Khadra, Giles and Van Hecke will be gone. Rothwell will be gone. Nyambe and Lenihan may be gone. Diaz will likely be sold, and this should allow us to fill some of those positions adequately but we know a lot of that sale probably won't be made available. That's up to 8 key players in the team (I'm assuming Zeefuik and Giles become that, they seem good signings for the few months that we have them...and I'm assuming we won't have the 2-3 millionish touted for Zeefuik, as, well, look at us, we don't spend 3 mill on a RB). Even some squad fillers, like Chapman, Butterworth and Davenport are out of contract too.

A few important players will also stand to be out of contract the summer after, and we have shown we don't offer enough to necessarily keep our own players. Their values will start to drop. These include Kaminski, Brereton if not sold..I may be forgetting some other fairly important player.

We don't seem to have the funds, particularly in the wages department, to go and recruit that level of quality in all those areas. The time to spend was now, whilst we sit 2nd and can lure better players, possibly for better value wages, than we are going to be able to do in the summer if we have lost or missed out on the playoffs. It made sense to spend now because the spend may result in a promotion worth nearly 200 million, and it made sense to spend now to better bolster for next season and beyond if that doesn't happen. We will have to spend anyway, after all.

Even beyond the 8-man gap impending next season, we have gaps now. More then one absent central defender and we are seriously scraping the barrel there (a big worry as it's our main strength right now). An injury or suspension to Kaminski and we have oil-hands Pears in goal. Travis' backup are Davenport (not trusted by the manager) and Johnson (far less mobile, nowhere near as useful). We will see about Rothwell's commitment, but if he's out or out of form nobody can do what he does. The same goes for Buckley really, nobody else with that range of passing in the middle. Apart from Dack, who may take a while to be up to speed, nobody outside of the usual three is close to being as good as them.

Unlike others I'm not too worried about the striking options as long as BBD stays fit and available of course. And in form. But I think our season was always going to depend on that - strikers scoring even close to as many goals as him aren't cheap at all either. We also have a deluge of players returning soon for the attacking end of the pitch, and Hedges already available, hopefully Khadra and BBD too (I do wonder if TM will say he is jetlagged and match tired or whatever). I feel the other positions could probably have been filled for 500k-1 mill each for the most part, and that's why this is such a disappointment. 2-3 shrewd signings in those areas and this would have been a great window.

Looking forward to seeing Giles and Zeefuik in action though. Hopefully the injury doesn't prevent Markanday turning into a talent for us, and we will just see what Hedges brings.

[Vilesinner]

51 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Yes I was thinking that. Surely he'll be first choice, Pickering number 2 and Edun (who I thinks been a poor signing) number 3?

Giles will move to his favoured midfield when Pickering is back.

[Vilesinner]

50 minutes ago, roverandout said:

How do u know Bournemouth don't have complete togetherness?

Because many of them haven't met yet..

[bluebruce]

5 hours ago, Vilesinner said:

We have 4 excellent CBs..

I would like us to sign an old experienced Gk though. 

Yes, 4. We need 3 available at all times, as we play with 3. A good rule of thumb for a football squad is 2 players for each position. Since we play with 3 CBs that would mean we need 6, but since they're interchangeable if need be (though the left footer does bring us good balance), 5 makes sense.

We have 4 excellent CBs as you say. After that we get desperate. That's quite the leap, from excellent to desperate. Imagine Ayala gets injured (I know, imagine...) and then one of Wharton, Van Hecke and Lenihan is injured (Wharton and Lenihan have form for injury), has to isolate, or is suspended (Van Hecke and Lenihan a bit heavy handed). Just like that we have to scrape around, with our only options players who aren't CBs, or kids. Risking changing our strongest area of the pitch into our weakest. Another alternative is to change our entire formation, which has brought unprecedented success.

[Vilesinner]

Giles, Zeefulk, Hedges and the young lad from Spurs. Pretty happy with our signings..

So much versatility in the squad now. 🙂

[yankfan]

1 hour ago, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

I’m in a critical mood tonight but it can’t just be me who thinks we never seem to have plan B’s lined up. It was Maja or nothing in the summer and seemingly Dembele or nobody today. 

 

The other way to look at is plan B went for a price above where we valued. Not everyone is for sale and certainly not at the price we’re interested in buying. Don’t want to buy a team full of Gallaghers. 

[sparky12]

1 hour ago, ItsRoverZ said:

Sturridge still without a club? Yes im test desperate for a striker 

Sturridge has been stealing a living at Perth Glory for the last 3 months. About 25 mins game time albeit with a lot of covid disruptions. 

[skous18]

When we needed defenders, Mowbray was adding attackers, now when need creativity and some options in attack we added 3 out of 4 defensive players. Great! Its been a bad window in my opinion and I can unfortunately  see us fall behind the likes of Bournemouth and QPR 😞

[neophox]

Not sure TM will be here next season if we aren’t promoted.

[joey_big_nose]

13 minutes ago, neophox said:

Not sure TM will be here next season if we aren’t promoted.

Yes - his stock will have gone seriously up after this season barring a catastrophic fall out of the playoffs.

Dont think he will be short of offers.

[joey_big_nose]

3 hours ago, skous18 said:

When we needed defenders, Mowbray was adding attackers, now when need creativity and some options in attack we added 3 out of 4 defensive players. Great! Its been a bad window in my opinion and I can unfortunately  see us fall behind the likes of Bournemouth and QPR 😞

He signed two attackers (Markanday, Hedges) an attacking wing back (Zeefuik) and a versatile left back midfielder (Giles)....?

Could have done with another striker given Markanday's injury, but we haven't signed defensive players.

[Ossydave]

If we're looking at the window as a whole I'd say it's been very good. Deadline day was the usual damp squib we should know to expect now though. I'm including Markanday in my very good assessment though and he's obviously crocked now. With Butterworth going I'd say we're walking a pretty thin tightrope and will now wince every time BBD goes down under a heavy challenge. Can only assume we're also gambling a bit on Dack coming back into the 1st team relatively soon....

You have to remember the current squad got us to 2nd, with the additions its capable of keeping us there, but only if we have an easy ride with injuries. A worry I'd rather be without but it is what it is now!

[DeeCee]

Can see the scenario, we've had a bid accepted for Dembele but he thought the £8000 a week wasn't just quite good enough 🤦‍♂️

[Paul Mani]

7 hours ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

Time isn't a commodity we have though. 

We can't put any stock in Dack this season.  Could easily break down and bound to pull something when he does start after such a long time out.  

Gallagher: extent of injury unkown but if it's a recurrence of his punctured lung, it could be a while.

Khadra -Hammy?  Could resolve itself.  May go again and be long term. 

Dolan: 3 weeks. Welcome bench player but not been setting the world alight.

Hedges - may be fine. Know nothing about him. 

Any kind of injury to Buckley/Diaz and we are totally screwed.

And we let 2 fit bench players leave on loan. 

I know you're a positive guy and I'm glass half empty.

But that's a crap situation for a team that needs points now to stay in the top 6.

A lot of ifs and buts there mate. We could’ve signed one or two and they then got injured like the unfortunate Markanday and we end up relying on the rest anyway…

Having five or six if you include Giles, for the two wide forward positions and then two for the one (false 9) position is adequate. If / when all fit, we’re still going to be disappointing 5 of this group who won’t be starting the game.

The two we let go are neither here nor there. Butterworth has been like playing with 10 players when he’s come on and Chapman is never trusted anyway.

Outside of those top three positions we are adequately stocked in the defensive and wing back areas. I do worry about our ability to cope without Travis and Rothwell because I don’t rate Johnson or Davenport. I’m hoping Edun and Garrett can step up there.

Overall, we’ll be hoping and praying we can keep our first 11 on the pitch as much as possible. But we have kept the side that’s got us to 2nd in tact and added depth and quality with 5 signings.

One last thing - I’m REALLY looking forwards to see which of our young guns step forward in the second half of the season…will it be Garrett who comes in for a suspended Travis and blows us all away? Will it be Adam Wharton who breaks through and leads us to think ‘Joe who?’ Does Ash Phillips get thrust in and end up playing the last 5 games with MOTM performances to propel us to the Premier League?!

Its all possible pal - If we only believe!! 😊🔥

Edited February 1, 2022 by Paul Mani

[DanielMB]

What ever happened to the striker from abroad? 

[JBiz]

https://youtu.be/Zylxybs4m3E

Got a Cross on him

All assists in a struggling team, certainly think he may make a big impact.

[cesus]

Just now, JBiz said:

https://youtu.be/Zylxybs4m3E

Got a Cross on him

All assists in a struggling team, certainly think he may make a big impact.

Completely agree, we would be very strong going forwards if our big centre halves started getting onto corners and free kicks at the other end. If we can pick up an extra 5-8 goals from those guys until the season ends it could be huge.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

Interesting to view this window - I think people's opinions are somewhat tainted by Bournemouth's parachute payment fueled attempt at promotion. They can obviously only play 11 players - but they now have great strength in depth. Will they be able to get the balance  and team spirit though - only time will tell.

For us, we have been unlucky with the Markanday injury, otherwise I think it would be viewed as a good window. But for those that criticise the owners - keeping the team together has cost the club millions in potential lost transfer fees for those players towards the end of their contracts.

[CrouchingNunhiddenCucumber]

On the face of it a disappointing end to the window but overall a successful one for me. Kept all of our players and bought in some decent competition for places. Bournemouth went mad as they can afford it and we clearly struggle to get players in with our wage structure and the dynamic Mr Waggott involved in negotiations. If Venkys weren't going to break our wage structure now; they never will.

I think we're a little short for the top two but if we get Diaz back from South America, not Brereton, then we'll definitely make plays off. And who the fuck would've thought that at the start of the season! Going to try and enjoy the last 17 games as much as possible as who knows when we'll be in this position again. 

[Ossydave]

Had Hedges been played more as a striker at all previously do we know?

Going off his build alone he doesn't look like typical winger does he?

He's a big lad (Tony's favourite) and looks to have a shot on him too, I'm only going off short clips though so could be way off the mark.

[Bbrovers2288]

Hedges can play up top too, albeit not very well and despite his build he is easily knocked off the ball. 
 

I agree with folk that are saying that it only looks like a ooor window when you are compairing it to others namely Bournemouth. We were never going to be able to find that type of splurging.

it’s disappointing but not overly surprising, just need to get behind the team now and hope we can continue this miracle. My hopes pre season were survival, dreamland was top 6 and my expectations now are top 6 so really I can’t complain. 

[ben_the_beast]

Unlike some I'm not too concerned with us not adding an attacker. I'm quite pleased with our recruitment this window. There is one glaring hole in my opinion though and that is centre midfield. We desperately needed another body in there. The drop off down to Bradley Johnson is enormous. 

Anybody know if Giles can play in there once Pickering is back?

[Claytons Left Boot]

6 hours ago, bluebruce said:

If we don't go up…

Zeefuik, Khadra, Giles and Van Hecke will be gone. Rothwell will be gone. Nyambe and Lenihan may be gone. Diaz will likely be sold, and this should allow us to fill some of those positions adequately but we know a lot of that sale probably won't be made available. That's up to 8 key players in the team (I'm assuming Zeefuik and Giles become that, they seem good signings for the few months that we have them...and I'm assuming we won't have the 2-3 millionish touted for Zeefuik, as, well, look at us, we don't spend 3 mill on a RB). Even some squad fillers, like Chapman, Butterworth and Davenport are out of contract too.

 

Your post is a very good assessment and this part of it is enough to fill anyone with dread for what next season could look like.

[Mattyblue]

Could’ve been better, the bare bones we ended up with at Luton tells tells us that.

However, part of the good/bad/indifferent chat is often skewed over when you did you business.

If it’d been quiet through January but then yesterday announced Giles, Hedges, Markanday and Zeefuik whilst keeping all our key men, we’d be thinking, not a bad window that. You drip feed it through the month and then a quiet deadline day and folk skew to thinking it was poor.

[RoverDom]

Positive spin time, the squad isn't a disaster

GK - Kaminski was injured and we kept clean sheets with pears in goal, just got to keep a solid defence in front of him. FA Cup aside he wasn't a disaster. 

RB - happy 2 decent option 

CB - 4 quality options for 3 slots

LB - when pickering is back we have two decent options again

Midfield of Johnson, Rothwell, Travis Buckley Davenport could have done with an extra body so we're praying no one gets injured and Dack can be useful this season 

Attackers - BBD, Gally, Hedges, khadra, dolan

 

For the promotion run in we need a slice of luck on injuries but happy with the XI and 3 or 4 potential alternatives. If we don't go up though, we're on a journey up shits creek with loans going back and out of contracts + those going into the last year of their contract. 

 

Also I wonder if the venkys think they've backed us this window. With the money we could have got for the 3 out of contracts that's conceivably £5m they've missed out on, so from their point of view they're going to have to put £5m in to plug the gap at some point maybe their version of backing the squad is keeping it together?