Priorities for the summer

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 minute ago, roverandout said:

Dom hyam first call up for Scotland 

Well deserved. The lad is a class act.

[Sweaty Gussets]

3 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

delighted by this news. 

I rated him very highly 

 

 

Good to have another young gunslinger signed up for a few years. 

Carter next please. 

[chaddyrovers]

2 minutes ago, roverandout said:

Dom hyam first call up for Scotland 

He has been excellent since he signed here. Well deserved for Dom Hyam

[Tugayisgod]

JPVH looking increasingly likely to leave Brighton in the summer.

Didn't think I'd ever say this but are we as desperate for him as we maybe once were? Centre back not a priority for me even if Ayala leaves with Carter stepping up so well .

Striker (or two), CM and cover perhaps at LB the priorities, but doesn't need a complete overhaul this summer imo

Also JRC and Carter new contract after the news about Garrett today👍🫰

Edited March 21, 2023 by Tugayisgod

[Admiral Nelsen]

45 minutes ago, Tugayisgod said:

JPVH looking increasingly likely to leave Brighton in the summer.

Didn't think I'd ever say this but are we as desperate for him as we maybe once were? Centre back not a priority for me even if Ayala leaves with Carter stepping up so well .

Striker (or two), CM and cover perhaps at LB the priorities, but doesn't need a complete overhaul this summer imo

Also JRC and Carter new contract after the news about Garrett today👍🫰

 

He'll be a top player for somebody, but it's the area of the pitch where we least need reinforcements. The only caveat is if JDT would prefer to go with three at the back. 

[Sweaty Gussets]

If he's on a free JPVH would be a quality signing. If we're 'building a club' the you can't have enough quality players....and we also can't afford to turn down big bids for our players. Other clubs might well be looking at Carter, Hyam, Phillips etc. 

[G Somerset Rover]

7 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

If he's on a free JPVH would be a quality signing. If we're 'building a club' the you can't have enough quality players....and we also can't afford to turn down big bids for our players. Other clubs might well be looking at Carter, Hyam, Phillips etc. 

Will he be a free, or will Brighton be entitled to some decent compensation? If the former, we need to be all over it. He clearly loved it here and I can't see too many PL clubs coming in, certainly not who can offer him first team football.

Edit: ignore the above, I've just read that Brighton will exercise a year's extension on his deal.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Gavlar Somerset Rover!

[Admiral Nelsen]

As good as his is, the only circumstances in which I'd take Van Hecke is if the money involved is ridiculously low. Someone will get a bargain, but we're so much better stocked at centre back than anywhere else on the pitch (apart from possibly in goal, ridiculously).

Something else worth considering is that whilst he was very impressive, he was also playing in a back three. I suspect that had he been playing in a four, then his ultra-positive approach to defending may have backfired a bit more when he didn't have two mates covering for him. 

If we have plans to play a back thee again - then that's a different story and a five of Van Hecke, Hyam, S. Wharton, Carter and Phillips would be the envy of the league. But if we're sticking to a back four, that's too much when we're struggling to get enough quality elsewhere in the squad.

 

Even if he is on a free (which I seriously doubt) he'll be on a half decent Championship wage. Not insignificant when we need to bring in a Brereton replacement AND another first team quality forward. 

[Sweaty Gussets]

11 minutes ago, Gavlar Somerset Rover! said:

Will he be a free, or will Brighton be entitled to some decent compensation? If the former, we need to be all over it. He clearly loved it here and I can't see too many PL clubs coming in, certainly not who can offer him first team football.

Edit: ignore the above, I've just read that Brighton will exercise a year's extension on his deal.

He's also open to a transfer.........time we kicked off the Summer transfer thread!

[Armchair supporter supremo]

9 hours ago, Tugayisgod said:

JPVH looking increasingly likely to leave Brighton in the summer.

Didn't think I'd ever say this but are we as desperate for him as we maybe once were? Centre back not a priority for me even if Ayala leaves with Carter stepping up so well .

Striker (or two), CM and cover perhaps at LB the priorities, but doesn't need a complete overhaul this summer imo

Also JRC and Carter new contract after the news about Garrett today👍🫰

I agree it's not currently looking like a priority area, but Anel Ahmedhodžić at shef united is showing what a difference having a Premier league class defender and leader at the club can add to the team! I don't think they'd be doing anywhere near as well without him

Edited March 21, 2023 by Armchair supporter supremo

[Sweaty Gussets]

Just now, Armchair supporter supremo said:

I agree it's not currently looking like a priority area, but Anel Ahmedhodžić at shef united is showing what a difference have a Premier league class defender and leader at the club can add yo the team! I dont think theyd be doinflg anywhere near as well without him

Yes, he looked a class act. 

[joey_big_nose]

Garrett signing is good. Great in the tackle, and not got a bad left foot, but also games seem to pass him by a bit. 

With our absolutely insane schedule in April coming up I dare say both he and Adam Wharton will get a lot of game time.

[Bohinen1983]

I'm alarmed Carter and JRC's contracts have been allowed to get to where they have given how many players we've lost for nothing in recent years.  Good to know we've learnt from our mistakes.

[Sweaty Gussets]

3 minutes ago, Bohinen1983 said:

I'm alarmed Carter and JRC's contracts have been allowed to get to where they have given how many players we've lost for nothing in recent years.  Good to know we've learnt from our mistakes.

Harsh. JRC was out on his ear 2 months ago, injury prone and struggling to get in the team. Nobody saw this turnaround in his fortunes. 

I'd be amazed if contract talks weren't going on with those two.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

33 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Yes, he looked a class act. 

Yeah, you could see he was a top player. Like a lot of Eastern European defenders - he was ruthless when he had to be.

[Admiral Nelsen]

17 minutes ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Harsh. JRC was out on his ear 2 months ago, injury prone and struggling to get in the team. Nobody saw this turnaround in his fortunes. 

I'd be amazed if contract talks weren't going on with those two.

 

I'd imagine they would both be straightforward. 

JRC - has been excellent but he won't have forgotten where he was a few months ago, and other clubs won't have forgotten about his fitness record. A new deal here will surely suit all parties.

 

Carter - slightly different in that he'll want to make sure that he is actually playing games now that he's got in the side. Ayala on his way out means that there should be a gap for him and Wharton to compete over. He might want to make sure that he doesn't suddenly end up as a fourth choice player before signing a long term deal, but I don't expect that will be a problem that materialises. 

[Sweaty Gussets]

2 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Yeah, you could see he was a top player. Like a lot of Eastern European defenders - he was ruthless when he had to be.

Considering what we now know, it's very galling we appear to have missed out on him due to SU offering better wages.

[BigBar]

Need a midfielder desperately if not two. Trav has been impressive in recent games so hopefully that continues. Sammie been excellent when played imo  The rest are below standard and we need to get someone in. 

Need a striker too. Unfortunately Gally has shown the last while he is useful at some things but putting the ball in the back of the net is not natural to him. If we lose BBD then we probably need two.

Pickering has been ok recently but we should still look to upgrade. Fine as back up.

[rovers11]

Priorities for the summer presuming we're still a championship club:

Striker, CM, LB, Sorba, Diaz replacement. 

If we achieve the dream of reaching the prem league then we'd need a very busy summer. Not many are good enough for the prem. Maybe the centre halves and that's it. 

[Admiral Nelsen]

1 minute ago, BigBar said:

Need a midfielder desperately if not two. Trav has been impressive in recent games so hopefully that continues. Sammie been excellent when played imo  The rest are below standard and we need to get someone in. 

Need a striker too. Unfortunately Gally has shown the last while he is useful at some things but putting the ball in the back of the net is not natural to him. If we lose BBD then we probably need two.

Pickering has been ok recently but we should still look to upgrade. Fine as back up.

 

Morton is going and we're already short on first teamers there, so I agree that we'll need another option there (and ideally an upgrade on Morton). I'd say we just need the one though. We've got a difference of opinion on Buckley, but even putting that aside there'll be an expectation that A. Wharton and Garrett will become more important too, unless they get loaned out.

 

I agree too that we need two forwards if/when Brereton goes. I like Gally, but he's shown that when we're struggling for goals elsewhere, he can't be the main man that we rely upon. It's going to be interesting to see how we go about this. They don't necessarily both need to be prolific out and out goal scorers - getting a left sided winger a la Thomas and bringing in a goal scoring number 9 would be interesting, but one way or another this is the area that needs urgent strengthening for me.

 

Everything else is a bonus for me. We could well sell one of our keepers now that Pears has shown himself to be ready for first team football - so we might need a replacement there. Signing Thomas permanently is pretty important too come to think of it, but hopefully that should be straightforward given Huddersfield's problems just now. 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

1 hour ago, Admiral Nelsen said:

 

Morton is going and we're already short on first teamers there, so I agree that we'll need another option there (and ideally an upgrade on Morton). I'd say we just need the one though. We've got a difference of opinion on Buckley, but even putting that aside there'll be an expectation that A. Wharton and Garrett will become more important too, unless they get loaned out.

 

I agree too that we need two forwards if/when Brereton goes. I like Gally, but he's shown that when we're struggling for goals elsewhere, he can't be the main man that we rely upon. It's going to be interesting to see how we go about this. They don't necessarily both need to be prolific out and out goal scorers - getting a left sided winger a la Thomas and bringing in a goal scoring number 9 would be interesting, but one way or another this is the area that needs urgent strengthening for me.

 

Everything else is a bonus for me. We could well sell one of our keepers now that Pears has shown himself to be ready for first team football - so we might need a replacement there. Signing Thomas permanently is pretty important too come to think of it, but hopefully that should be straightforward given Huddersfield's problems just now. 

I never pretend to be “ in the know “ because I’m not. I bumped into a guy I’d never met before last Friday at a gig. He found out I was a Rovers fan and he told me he was very close to one of our fringe players. No names. We got to chatting about the team . One thing the lad told him that Thomas wasn’t popular with some of the other players on account of him giving it “ large “ and being “ the big I am “. Going on about being at the last World Cup etc. Given he was playing non league not that long ago it hasn’t gone down too well. Take it or leave it.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Mike E]

1 hour ago, rovers11 said:

Priorities for the summer presuming we're still a championship club:

Striker, CM, LB, Sorba, Diaz replacement. 

If we achieve the dream of reaching the prem league then we'd need a very busy summer. Not many are good enough for the prem. Maybe the centre halves and that's it. 

Personally feel Dolan could take BBD's place, with Thomas taking the right wing, and Hedges able to deputise for either.

LB I would be reasonably confident of Batty competing with (or even superceding) Pickering.

To that end, I agree with your assessment that Striker and CM are our priorities, with anything else needing to be an easy upgrade after selling.

[Mike E]

20 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I never pretend to be “ in the know “ because I’m not. I bumped into a guy I’d never met before last Friday at a gig. He found out I was a Rovers fan and he told me he was very close to one of our fringe players. No names. We got to chatting about the team . One thing the lad told him that Thomas wasn’t popular with the other players on account of him giving it “ large “ and being “ the big I am “. Going on about being at the last World Cup etc. Given he was playing non league not that long ago it hasn’t gone down well. Take it or leave it.

I can imagine that going sown like a lead balloon given Hedges' popularity in the squad and being left out of the same WC squad.

With that being said, it doesn't sound like something that can't be overcome, and it's good to have a player that both improves our squad, our style of play, and is ambitious.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Mike E

[Admiral Nelsen]

18 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I never pretend to be “ in the know “ because I’m not. I bumped into a guy I’d never met before last Friday at a gig. He found out I was a Rovers fan and he told me he was very close to one of our fringe players. No names. We got to chatting about the team . One thing the lad told him that Thomas wasn’t popular with some of the other players on account of him giving it “ large “ and being “ the big I am “. Going on about being at the last World Cup etc. Given he was playing non league not that long ago it hasn’t gone down too well. Take it or leave it.

 

Fairly or otherwise, I can believe that. He clearly didn't fancy being in the trenches when the going got tough at Huddersfield. 

 

Like most, I don't mind having players who rub people up the wrong way provided that they do the business. Thomas is no Bellamy in that respect, but he has definitely added another dimension to us with his pace and delivery. I trust JDT entirely to make the call about whether he is worth it or not. When you've played at the level he has with some of the egos that he will have shared a dressing room with, I can't imagine that he would lose much sleep about division two footballers. 

[Bbrovers2288]

1 hour ago, Sweaty Gussets said:

Considering what we now know, it's very galling we appear to have missed out on him due to SU offering better wages.

I didn’t have an opinion on sheff Utd until this season but feels like they have cheated here so I now dislike them as a club.

they nicked our top target when they didn’t have the money to pay for it, it’s fraud. Could be the difference between us and them going up. Giving them an embargo afterwards seems like a futile punishment , but hey when has the efl ever looked out or done us a favour , just really annoying