January Transfer Window.

[Sweaty Gussets]

We've done a deal with Cavani. Superb signing.

[Sweaty Gussets]

 

[arbitro]

1 minute ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

We've done a deal with Cavani. Superb signing.

Suits you Sir.

[ben_the_beast]

I imagine the club are in a state of serious limbo regarding our transfer strategy this window. Brereton leaving for a fee could totally change the complexion of the players we are looking at. And we're working with our hands tied behind our back due to his contract situation and apparent interest in moving abroad.

Logically, the time to judge will be once the window closes. His situation can't be used as an excuse. However it can't be easy to navigate. 

[Guest]

Seems very much like the 'plan'/'strategy' won't be deferred from, despite our promising league position. 

Not OVERLY against it, however it does look like another season of frustration. 

If we managed to get a second choice keeper and starting CB in the building now for a combined £500,000, that's a headstart on Summer's transfer window. Some will rightly complain that it's not enough in the here and now. 

But I don't mind seeing some form of plan.

[Devon Rover]

8 minutes ago, Mellor Rover said:

Seems very much like the 'plan'/'strategy' won't be deferred from, despite our promising league position. 

Not OVERLY against it, however it does look like another season of frustration. 

If we managed to get a second choice keeper and starting CB in the building now for a combined £500,000, that's a headstart on Summer's transfer window. Some will rightly complain that it's not enough in the here and now. 

But I don't mind seeing some form of plan.

Out of interest, what do you think the plan is? This has become less and less clear to me as the months, and this transfer window, have ticked by.

If the plan doesn't involve strengthening up front and central midfield, as a minimum, then I might as well stop listening out for any scores between now and May.

[roversfan99]

It's small change when our main player and asset is being allowed to run his deal down and we are seemingly in the hunt for more loanees!

Not consistent with focusing on next season.

[Danny O.Brien]

Just imagine if he'd of scored 20 goals by Christmas like he did last season. They'd be queing up to take him to the premier league. As it is his form has dropped considerably over the last few months, at exactly the worst time and as already said left us in limbo.

[lraC]

26 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

We've done a deal with Cavani. Superb signing.

I've heard he is pants

[tomphil]

45 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Sign him on a free, sell Kaminski for £10m.

#TheModel

Nothing wrong with that if the guy coming in is any good and oven ready.

That is the Brentford style we so obviously aren't managing to follow yet so i won't hold my breath.

[lraC]

1 minute ago, tomphil said:

Nothing wrong with that if the guy coming in is any good and oven ready.

That is the Brentford style we so obviously aren't managing to follow yet so i won't hold my breath.

I see what you did there. Oven ready and we are owned by Chicken farmers.

[bluebruce]

22 minutes ago, lraC said:

I've heard he is pants

Don't get shirty about him or I'll cuff you! He's a shoe in for a starting role.

[Sweaty Gussets]

2 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

Don't get shirty about him or I'll cuff you! He's a shoe in for a starting role.

He's already trousered the money so I doubt he cares we think he's pants.

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, Devon Rover said:

Out of interest, what do you think the plan is? This has become less and less clear to me as the months, and this transfer window, have ticked by.

If the plan doesn't involve strengthening up front and central midfield, as a minimum, then I might as well stop listening out for any scores between now and May.

It looks like we're trying to be savvy with transfer deals and sell for profit/not leave ourselves in the Lenihan, Nyambe, Rothwell, Brereton situation. We all know we aren't good enough to go up now, realistically. 

We need to build the club up, Ryan Porteous for £500,000, leaves potential of a 6-8x return on investment. Same with Brittain and Hyam. Buckley, 2 x Wharton, Phillips, Trav, Kaminski, Barnes etc. all tied up to deals.

For me, we'd need to invest circa £6million to leave the squad in a position where we realistically think we can achieve that top 6 spot. The management of the club, similar to me, don't seem to be too willing to spend that in a January window on expensive loans/panic buys to try and get that spot. If it didn't work, with FFP to worry about we'd be fucked for another 12 months.

It's frustrating as a fan, I'll be the first to ask questions if we don't sign a CM and a striker this window. But we're currently an unsustainable business model and I'd rather not risk another league one relegation whilst gambling on promotion.

[roverandout]

48 minutes ago, lraC said:

I've heard he is pants

He gets in good pockets of space. He's iron clad in front of goal.  He's also seamless in transition 

[RoversClitheroe]

1 hour ago, Paul Mani said:

I think the keeper has been linked because Pears wants some first team football and our 3rd & 4th choices are likely getting released in the summer.

Start next season with TK, Haikan and Pears - that’s what having a plan is all about 👍🏼

What a silly comment.

A plan would be having our key players not leaving for free.

[bluebruce]

19 minutes ago, Mellor Rover said:

It looks like we're trying to be savvy with transfer deals and sell for profit/not leave ourselves in the Lenihan, Nyambe, Rothwell, Brereton situation. We all know we aren't good enough to go up now, realistically. 

We need to build the club up, Ryan Porteous for £500,000, leaves potential of a 6-8x return on investment. Same with Brittain and Hyam. Buckley, 2 x Wharton, Phillips, Trav, Kaminski, Barnes etc. all tied up to deals.

For me, we'd need to invest circa £6million to leave the squad in a position where we realistically think we can achieve that top 6 spot. The management of the club, similar to me, don't seem to be too willing to spend that in a January window on expensive loans/panic buys to try and get that spot. If it didn't work, with FFP to worry about we'd be fucked for another 12 months.

It's frustrating as a fan, I'll be the first to ask questions if we don't sign a CM and a striker this window. But we're currently an unsustainable business model and I'd rather not risk another league one relegation whilst gambling on promotion.

I rate Hyam, but due to his age profile I don't envision us making a 6-8X profit on him, and due to Brittain's injury proneness, I can't see it for him either. It would need Premiership money for that to happen with either, and I don't see why Prem clubs would put 9-12 million into injury prone or (by then) ageing Championship defenders. A more likely scenario is we have them for a couple of seasons and then sell them for perhaps double what we paid.

The youth player deals for those who haven't hit the heights yet are a lot easier to do than players like Brereton (which the current regime already failed to nail to a contract so must bare some of the responsibility), Lenihan and Rothwell (at the time we looked to extend it...admittedly it may have been far easier if we had done it far sooner). Not knocking getting those contracts signed, but I can't take from it that we won't repeat the scenario. We lack either the funding, the backing or the will/ambition to get expensive contracts over the line. We need to be starting discussions at 18-24 months remaining on all deals, and selling with 12 months left if it hasn't been signed. And that approach provides its own instabilities too.

[bluebruce]

3 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

What a silly comment.

A plan would be having our key players not leaving for free.

I also don't think a plan involves having three first-team goalkeepers when our wage budget is small and our main keeper is fit for 95% of the season.

[roversfan99]

Hyam is out for 3 or 4 weeks. Huge blow and puts emphasis on getting a deal for Porteous done.

[RoryRoversIreland]

Any chance we can get over the players leaving for free thing. It happens. Chelsea lost 2 centre backs on a free. Pogba left United for free. It’s happens. People would have loaned if we sold Ben in August too. 

[roversfan99]

Just now, RoryRoversIreland said:

Any chance we can get over the players leaving for free thing. It happens. Chelsea lost 2 centre backs on a free. Pogba left United for free. It’s happens. People would have loaned if we sold Ben in August too. 

They aren't on a similarly tight budget like we are.

This "people would have moaned" argument is constant yet it should play no part whatsoever. 

[davulsukur]

7 minutes ago, RoryRoversIreland said:

Any chance we can get over the players leaving for free thing. It happens. Chelsea lost 2 centre backs on a free. Pogba left United for free. It’s happens. People would have loaned if we sold Ben in August too. 

The comparison between us and those 2 clubs is ridiculous. Both of those clubs can and have gone out and spent astonishing amounts of money on replacements.

[Exiled_Rover]

22 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

What a silly comment.

A plan would be having our key players not leaving for free.

What are you suggesting? Putting a gun to his head?

[bluebruce]

16 minutes ago, RoryRoversIreland said:

Any chance we can get over the players leaving for free thing. It happens. Chelsea lost 2 centre backs on a free. Pogba left United for free. It’s happens. People would have loaned if we sold Ben in August too. 

Show me a club of our level or above that lost 4 key players for free in two summers. If you can find any it won't be many. These things don't 'just happen', not on this scale, they happen due to incompetence.

[bluebruce]

8 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

What are you suggesting? Putting a gun to his head?

I don't want to speak for him, but I imagine it's more likely he is advocating proper planning and negotiation skills.