January Transfer Window.

[Ossydave]

7 minutes ago, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

Andy Todd would have been arrested in our changing room.

I'd do time myself for a hard bastard like Todd in this team, maybe it's because I played midfield myself but I absolutely love an enforcer in there. I know he was a defender but still.

[ben_the_beast]

Watched couple of clips of Porteous on YouTube. The most insightful of which was this one. He's mic'd up in a friendly game and directing half the team. You can tell he's a real leader at the back. 

 

[Wing Wizard Windy Miller]

We are the outlier in the top 6- which now looks much more how most would have expected at the start of the season.  

We've blown our little cushion over the last 4 weeks. 

To have the slightest chance of staying around the play offs we need a minimum of 3 experienced, first team ready players. 

 

The fact we are  still only looking at signing young players, tells you all you need to know about the club's ambition. 

We'll sign a couple of young players, finish around 12th and repeat again next season. 

 

[Darrenbot]

We know how these things go,we spend 2 days getting exited that we may actually sign someone then it fizzles out and we get to 29th with nobody brought in

[ageoftherover]

15 minutes ago, Ossydave said:

I'd do time myself for a hard bastard like Todd in this team, maybe it's because I played midfield myself but I absolutely love an enforcer in there. I know he was a defender but still.

Its so important, and one of the ways you can tell who's played a fair bit (at any level) and who's mostly watched or played FM is how much value they place on it. Blokes who can (legally) throw their weight around, getting the opposition to back out of anything 50/50 are irreplaceable. You can see how much were missing that atm.

Edited January 15, 2023 by ageoftherover

[K-Hod]

51 minutes ago, ben_the_beast said:

Having listened to the GB podcast this type of signing makes sense. I'm pleased too. It's about time the club did some proper forward planning. 

It's clear Ayala won't see another season with us. He'd need replacing. If this fella is good, then centre back is absolutely sorted for years to come. 

Myself included, fans seem to look very short term. Every season we say, "the championship has never been this weak, this is a golden opportunity". If I'm being realistic, regardless of our league position, I don't think we have the quality to be promoted this season. So even though centre back isn't the priority today, in 6 months time it would be. 

I'm sure at time Brentford fans had their frustrations. They sold Maupay, Ollie Watkins, Benrhama. Others too I'm sure. The key was forward planning and a process. They knew if they didn't win promotion in one particular season, they were well placed to do it the next season.

Our conundrum in this is that we need to start selling our assets when they have value. If we could sell Diaz this window and be confident that we have a quality replacement lined up, then I'd do it. I think most on here feel promotion this season is unlikely, we need to have half an eye on next season already.

We were well placed last season and bottled it. We were well placed this season and whilst still in the play off picture, I don’t have much confidence we will stay there. When we lose, we get battered.

Clubs shouldn’t want to get promoted in their own time, it should be as soon as possible. If we’ve the opportunity, why not go for it right away? Otherwise, what’s the point?

[roverandout]

Why would porteous come here. Hes being looked at by clubs in Italy. Also is he really Any better than hyam ayala or Wharton?

Edited January 15, 2023 by roverandout

[Guest]

1 minute ago, K-Hod said:

We were well placed last season and bottled it. We were well placed this season and whilst still in the play off picture, I don’t have much confidence we will stay there. When we lost, we get battered.

Clubs shouldn’t want to get promoted in their own time, it should be as soon as possible. If we’ve the opportunity, why not go for it right away? Otherwise, what’s the point?

The point I’m starting to realise is that I think I’m order to start looking like a top 6 team, we’d need circa 5-6million spent this window. Then I’d look at the squad and say ‘yeah, this squad can make top 6’. That performance yday is a reminder of what life without BBD could look like for us. This squad is nowhere near top 6 level, it’s a miracle we are fifth. 

[Ossydave]

3 minutes ago, ageoftherover said:

Its so important, and one of the ways you can tell who's played a fair bit (at any level) and who's mostly watched or played FM is how much value they place on it. Blokes who can (legally) throw their weight around, getting the opposition to back out of anything 50/50 are irreplaceable. You can see how much were missing that atm.

I've had fractured skulls, dislocated shoulders and multiple scars all over, would I change anything? Absolutely not, I still think I'd Marshall our midfield at 41. And that is exactly what this team needs. 

[ben_the_beast]

1 minute ago, K-Hod said:

We were well placed last season and bottled it. We were well placed this season and whilst still in the play off picture, I don’t have much confidence we will stay there. When we lost, we get battered.

Clubs shouldn’t want to get promoted in their own time, it should be as soon as possible. If we’ve the opportunity, why not go for it right away? Otherwise, what’s the point?

I don't totally disagree. Considering our position this season, promotion should be the aim. But not at the expense of having glaring holes in our squad next season. 

Nobody predicted we'd be in this position when the season began. I don't want us to be facing a similar situation next season. If the right player comes along, at the right price, for a position we have a need for, then we should be doing it. 

[Butty]

9 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Why would porteous come here. Hes being looked at by clubs in Italy. Also is he really Aby better than hyam ayala or Wharton?

Ayala isn’t getting any younger and Wharton has been miles off it for ages. Porteous would be an upgrade on both. 

[47er]

6 minutes ago, ben_the_beast said:

Nobody predicted we'd be in this position when the season began.

But plenty forecast we would fall away halfway through when we did get to this position---top---third----fifth etc.

[ben_the_beast]

Let's say we want to win promotion within the next 3 years. Which having listened to what GB and JDT have been saying, seems as though it is pretty in line with the clubs ambitions.

If that is the case, then if we see players who we belive are of top 6 quality come available for reasonable fees, then we should be signing them to build that squad. Even in this instance where it looks like we're planning for next season without Ayala.

Spending 5-6 million this transfer window on players with inflated price tags or expensive loans to try and go for it this season, leaves us in the same old position next year. 

Again, I think we should be doing all we can to achieve top 6 this year. But it shouldn't be the sole focus and there needs to be a clear criteria whereby any players we bring in, benefit the club long term.. 

[Exiled_Rover]

57 minutes ago, goozburger said:

Then Pickering is being used wrongly because we rarely see him getting forward.

His cross for Dack yesterday was great. We need that repeatedly during every game. Once or twice is nowhere near good enough. You only play a wing-back system if you feel that the wing-backs are going to create chances. Ours rarely do.

You can't send him forward because he doesn't have the pace to get back.

Realistically this system needs a Brittain at LB as well as RB - two FBs that can get up and down the flanks and deliver crosses.

[Mattyblue]

PL ambitions? How will a club that doesn’t want to sign  experienced midfielders ever going to get out of a league as relentless as this?

They either know they won’t so all this ‘established PL club’ stuff is just a sop to fans and/or the owners or they really are naive enough to think a load of teenagers could possibly lead to promotion…

Edited January 15, 2023 by Mattyblue

[Sweaty Gussets]

Can someone link me the Broughton podcast please. I can't find it. cheers. 

edit - found it. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by Sweaty Gussets

[rigger]

1 hour ago, ben_the_beast said:

Having listened to the GB podcast this type of signing makes sense. I'm pleased too. It's about time the club did some proper forward planning. 

It's clear Ayala won't see another season with us. He'd need replacing. If this fella is good, then centre back is absolutely sorted for years to come. 

Myself included, fans seem to look very short term. Every season we say, "the championship has never been this weak, this is a golden opportunity". If I'm being realistic, regardless of our league position, I don't think we have the quality to be promoted this season. So even though centre back isn't the priority today, in 6 months time it would be. 

I'm sure at time Brentford fans had their frustrations. They sold Maupay, Ollie Watkins, Benrhama. Others too I'm sure. The key was forward planning and a process. They knew if they didn't win promotion in one particular season, they were well placed to do it the next season.

Our conundrum in this is that we need to start selling our assets when they have value. If we could sell Diaz this window and be confident that we have an quality replacement lined up, then I'd do it. I think most on here feel promotion this season is unlikely, we need to have half an eye on next season already.

In six months time, if Ayala is no longer available, we will have, Hyam, Wharton, Phillips, Barnes and Carter  for two starting places and one on the bench. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by rigger

[CambridgeRover]

Do you think there is any chance a club would buy Gallagher, I feel he needs to be moved on very quickly. Huge wage and useless 

[RTM08]

Am I missing something about this Gelhardt? 3 goals in 50 apps doesn't exactly scream to me that he's the answer to our problems, or anyone elses for that matter? I'd much rather go for someone with some actual experience of putting the ball in the net, even if that's only 10 goals a season. 

Same with the links to the likes of Kilkenny and Cantwell - does this actually solve any of the problems we have? Adding more flair players to a powder puff midfield isn't going to make it any harder to bypass. 

The links I'm seeing so far are major red flags for me in terms of what we're looking at, and I fully expect us to pull in a bunch of inexperienced loans on deadline day, continue to get pumped by awful teams who have worked out how to counter us, and for us to fall down the table. 

That said, the Hibs defender looks decent enough, I just don't see CB as a priority at the moment. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

6 minutes ago, rigger said:

In six months time, if Ayala is no longer available, we will have, Hyam, Wharton, Phillips, Barnes and Carter  for two starting places and one on the bench. 

You need 4 centre halves as a minimum, 5 if the plan is to play with 3 centre halves. You usually can count on at least 1 being injured/suspended.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, CambridgeRover said:

Do you think there is any chance a club would buy Gallagher, I feel he needs to be moved on very quickly. Huge wage and useless 

Would you buy him ? What I don’t understand is we had a good look at him the first time - he was nothing special. He goes to Big Club and doesn’t do much. Then he goes back to Southampton and does even less. Inexplicable.

[rigger]

1 minute ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

You need 4 centre halves as a minimum, 5 if the plan is to play with 3 centre halves. You usually can count on at least 1 being injured/suspended.

I named 5 ?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, rigger said:

I named 5 ?

Barnes is a complete unknown quantity.

[RTM08]

Just now, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Would you buy him ? What I don’t understand is we had a good look at him the first time - he was nothing special. He goes to Big Club and doesn’t do much. Then he goes back to Southampton and does even less. Inexplicable.

I think he was actually fine under Coyle, 11 goals that season isn't phenomenal but for his age and in such an awful team was a good return. However, paying £5m for him was criminal. £1m or under and we're probably having a different conversation. 

[rigger]

1 minute ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Barnes is a complete unknown quantity.

So is whether Ayala will still be playing, or that someone gets injured or suspended.

Barnes as an unknown quantity could equally become a good player, as a bad one.

I would say, in the financial position we are in, we have to take a chance on our players were we have potential, and strengthen from outside, in areas where we lack potential.