The Summer Transfer Window (Press Submit)

[Forever Blue]

With a new head of recruitment coming in, it’s just as plausible to suggest the staff leaving are going where they are wanted. The new head of recruitment might want his own scouts in place. 
 

It’s not really an issue unless they aren’t replaced, which none of us know isn’t going to happen. 

[wilsdenrover]

3 hours ago, Forever Blue said:

Totally agree. Our Academy, over the past few years, has become very good at  producing players for the level of first team football we are at. You’d probably need to go back to the 50s or 60s to see a greater % of homegrown players in the first team squad, and probably not even then.

As for cost, I read a couple of years ago that it costs £3m a year to run the Academy, but that the club also gets a grant that covers more than half of it. So, to answer your question, Wharton has paid for the Academy for at least the next 10 years. 

 

1 hour ago, Exiled_Rover said:

The Academy more than washes it's own face.

The frustration comes from Premier League clubs cherry picking the exceptional ones at will. Phillips (signed a v favourable deal and Spurs took advantage), Finneran and Tyjon have suitors, Man City stole Chigwada etc etc.

The ones that keep the club ticking over in the Championship stay (and we've always produced lots of those). The ones that could help the club kick on leave - and our recruitment isn't good enough to make up the difference.

These two things are connected.

[JHRover]

4 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

We don't even what our transfer budget even is and what the plan is. 

Yes developing our own players is part of the plan and surely that why we keep academy then we can develop our own players and bring through our own players. I have no problems with us developing our own players along signing good quality players who will help in junction pushing us up the league 

Unfortunately I doubt anyone in the UK knows what our transfer budget or plan is.

Essentially it will either be what % of the cash brought in recently will the owners allow to be spent on new players, or whether the owners are going to tip some more in from India (probably unable and unwilling to do so).

Also unfortunately I think we will only come to realise that it is the same old story after season ticket renewal deadline by which time the majority of season ticket renewals have committed their money and signed up to it. Then the shenanigans start again and people realise that nothing has actually changed - same owners, same board, same agenda, same rubbish, new season.

[martonrover]

38 minutes ago, Forever Blue said:

With a new head of recruitment coming in, it’s just as plausible to suggest the staff leaving are going where they are wanted. The new head of recruitment might want his own scouts in place. 
 

It’s not really an issue unless they aren’t replaced, which none of us know isn’t going to happen. 

I hope / think you are probably right about the first part.

The issue is that this is just the latest reboot, and we will probably have another one in a couple of years time.

Also, will the new recruitment team be given more than a tube of Smarties to work with?

[Mercer]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

 

I think we will spend some money on transfers fees. Around the 5 mil mark I think

There is a better chance of me having dinner with Taylor Swift and persuading her to buy Rovers.

What world do you live in!?

[MarkBRFC]

6 minutes ago, Mercer said:

There is a better chance of me having dinner with Taylor Swift and persuading her to buy Rovers.

What world do you live in!?

He's slowly whittling it down though, he thought we would spend £7m last month.

Penny will drop at some point you would think.

[Forever Blue]

17 minutes ago, Mercer said:

There is a better chance of me having dinner with Taylor Swift and persuading her to buy Rovers.

What world do you live in!?

I’m not sure £5m is that far fetched. We spent £4.5m two summers ago. If the funding issue is sorted as the club have said, allied to the fact we are owed money for Wharton and Raya, then £5m seems a reasonable guess. 

[Exiled_Rover]

1 hour ago, Wing Wizard Windy Miller said:

Didn't see much in Moran to suggest he'd have a decent prem career.  Doesn't have much physicality, not particularly quick.  Didn't seem to have the vision/ability of Harvey Elliott. Thought Khadra offered more in his spell here and he's not set the world alight. 

But then what do I know, I also thought Branthwaite was a proper clogger. 

He never got to play in his preferred role (cos Szmodics was there scoring 30+ goals). He also totally bottled it after Christmas. The ability is there.

[Forever Blue]

26 minutes ago, martonrover said:

I hope / think you are probably right about the first part.

The issue is that this is just the latest reboot, and we will probably have another one in a couple of years time.

Also, will the new recruitment team be given more than a tube of Smarties to work with?

Agree on the latest reboot, the club appears dysfunctional so a measured plan involving a DoF and a technically gifted head coach who knew his worth was never going to last. So they’re going to try a new ‘model’ and split the DoF into 2 roles. That will probably last another couple of years and then rinse and repeat….

I actually think Eustace has shown enough to suggest he can get results. I think if he’s backed with a few £m on attacking areas we might be in for a better season than many think. It’s the hope that kills you etc!

[Bohinen1983]

5m in todays market just isn't competitive. If we were holding on to our young talent and then supplementing it with 5m per season I've no doubt we'd be challenging.

Raya
Pickering
Wharton
Phillips

Brittain
Trondstadt

Wharton

Costello

Hedges

Dolan

Szmodics

 

That's a really decent side in my opinion.  Phillips, Wharton and Raya were all sold way too cheap- Raya's one of the best keepers in the world and Phillips and Wharton have massive potential too..   Did we get 30m for all three of them?

I think we need at least 10, if not 15m  of investment- more chance of seeing pigs fly.

GK, DC, AML, AMR, MC, MC, ST, ST

A few freebies and some shit loans I'm saying

[roversfan99]

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

He was Derby County first choice keeper who kept 20 clean sheets last season. Derby haven't renew his contract so I wonder if Rovers might be interest given he is 28 years old. 

We don't even what our transfer budget even is and what the plan is. 

Yes developing our own players is part of the plan and surely that why we keep academy then we can develop our own players and bring through our own players. I have no problems with us developing our own players along signing good quality players who will help in junction pushing us up the league 

 

2 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Their money covers our annual losses the club makes every season. So to have any wriggle room for transfers we need to self generate transfers meaning the owners have to put less in then allowing to spend. We have the Adam Wharton coming into the club over the season plus Raya money and maybe other possible transfer cash. 

I think we will spend some money on transfers fees. Around the 5 mil mark I think but even if we don't there is some good free transfers who would improve our squad and getting the right loans in would help aswell 

The "plan" to use the academy players is actually just to cut costs. Over reliance on academy graduates means less money spent on bringing players in. In the last 2 years, we have not signed players "to not block the pathways" of Batty, Vale and Garrett as 3 examples who unfortunately werent up to the standard.

If we are reliant on frees this summer having received a club record fee for Wharton and with the Raya sell on and likely Szmodics sale, then it wouldnt be something to be excited about and we would be heading one way.

The free agent pool especially domestically is a limited pool. In the main those released are because they either arent good enough, are too injury prone or too old. Any rare exceptions will be able to demand high wages. You see the names mentioned, people like Wildsmith and Murphy who have had a decent spell in League 1 but struggled in the Championship before,  or players like Tyrese Campbell and Docherty who was linked, players that average Championship sides decided weren't worth keeping. They are unlikely to make a significant difference.

[Hasta]

10 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

or players like Tyrese Campbell and Docherty who was linked, players that average Championship sides decided weren't worth keeping. They are unlikely to make a significant difference.

Depends what they are making the difference to.

Someone like Docherty is just a championship also-ran and isn't going to push us to to challenging for the play offs. But if we are relying on last years squads and freebies / loans, players like that might be the difference between 21st and 22nd in the league. Don't get me wrong that's depressing but where I see us currently at.

I'm normally an advocate that we should only usually be bringing in players better than the starting XI, but the squad is so piss weak that it also needs squad players too. As @Exiled_Rover accurately put in the ST thread "I'm not sitting through another 20+ matches of us being blown away as soon as teams turn to their benches. "

 

 

Edited May 31 by Hasta

[47er]

1 hour ago, Mercer said:

There is a better chance of me having dinner with Taylor Swift and persuading her to buy Rovers.

What world do you live in!?

If we were to spend £5M it might keep us in the Championship.

We need more than that to be a serious contender.

Not a season to look forward to.

[RoversClitheroe]

If it were football manager and we actually were good at player trading my moves would be

• Pickering sold and replaced
• Hyam sold and replaced
• Pears sold and replaced 
• Wahlstedt sold and replaced 
• Garrett sold and replaced 
• Sigursson sold and replaced 
• Gallagher sold and replaced 
• Markanday sold and replaced 
• Telalovi sold and replaced
• Hedges sold and replaced

I don't rate any of the above players - so need replacing.

Then bring in additionally:

• 1 RB
• 2 CMs
• 2 RW
• 1 LW
• 2 ST

Just to actually make this a championship squad

Edited May 31 by RoversClitheroe

[KentExile]

1 hour ago, Bohinen1983 said:

5m in todays market just isn't competitive
 

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/championship/einnahmenausgaben/wettbewerb/GB2

Based on this, it is

Figures are in Euros, but only 3 Championship clubs spent at least €5M more than what they brought in from player sales, and half of the division spent less than €5M in total.

So £5M is, at worst, a middling Championship transfer budget, and at best, a top 6 budget.  Depending upon if you are looking at total or net spend.

That being said, I would be amazed if Rovers have a middling Championship transfer budget this season, regardless of sales

Edited May 31 by KentExile

[Moptop1]

31 minutes ago, RoversClitheroe said:

If it were football manager and we actually were good at player trading my moves would be

• Pickering sold and replaced
• Hyam sold and replaced
• Pears sold and replaced 
• Wahlstedt sold and replaced 
• Garrett sold and replaced 
• Sigursson sold and replaced 
• Gallagher sold and replaced 
• Markanday sold and replaced 
• Telalovi sold and replaced
• Hedges sold and replaced

I don't rate any of the above players - so need replacing.

Then bring in additionally:

• 1 RB
• 2 CMs
• 2 RW
• 1 LW
• 2 ST

Just to actually make this a championship squad

I think you need to add a couple of GK’s to that list. You’ve just sold both of ours!

[superniko]

1 hour ago, MarkBRFC said:

He's slowly whittling it down though, he thought we would spend £7m last month.

Penny will drop at some point you would think.

End of the window after Rovers loan in 3 17 year olds and sign a 56 year old on a free: "It was a really strong window in my opinion, considering our hands were tied, confident we'll finish mid-table whilst Burnley will finish bottom. I'll be attending every match" Chadtster.

Edited May 31 by superniko

[superniko]

edit: double post.

Edited May 31 by superniko

[K-Hod]

It’s all well and good bringing academy players in, (and I’m all for it, believe me!) but if we’re bringing them in too quickly and they aren’t ready, it only ends one way and that isn’t promotion…..

[superniko]

22 minutes ago, Moptop1 said:

I think you need to add a couple of GK’s to that list. You’ve just sold both of ours!

"and replaced"

[roversfan99]

2 minutes ago, Hasta said:

Depends what they are making the difference to.

Someone like Docherty is just a championship also-ran and isn't going to push us to to challenging for the play offs. But if we are relying on last years squads and freebies / loans, players like that might be the difference between 21st and 22nd in the league. Don't get me wrong that's depressing but where I see us currently at.

I'm normally an advocate that we should only usually be bringing in players better than the starting XI, but the squad is so piss weak that it also needs squad players too. As @Exiled_Rover put in the ST thread "I'm not sitting through another 20+ matches of us being blown away as soon as teams turn to their benches. "

 

 

I totally agree that the depth is a big issue. Thats a symptom of cost cutting, and an over reliance on the academy. Whoever is in the club at any time has tried to make out as if its not financial but part of a plan as to why our squad (which contoniously dips in form towards the end of seasons) is so thin, an example would be Broughton last summer saying we didnt sign a left back to not block Batty's pathway, a kid who had never played senior football. The result was that Batty was found not to be anywhere near and that position was then covered by an out of position Brittain before having to get a cheap loan in January.

Players of the calibre mentioned to help to bulk the squad out in addition to buying some first teamers, that is fine. But if we do sell Szmodics and are primarily reliant on the freebie market, and dont make a conscious effort to make the squad deeper, then its a huge issue. 

The hope would be that some of our current first teamers (the likes of Dolan, an injury prone Hedges, Gallagher if he stays, Brittain, Pears etc) can become squad players and we can bring in first teamers above that. Sadly we wont have the finances or ambition to do that.

[Rover8T4]

Wonder if Jo savage is on his way to Rovers? 

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, RoversClitheroe said:

If it were football manager and we actually were good at player trading my moves would be

• Pickering sold and replaced
• Hyam sold and replaced
• Pears sold and replaced 
• Wahlstedt sold and replaced 
• Garrett sold and replaced 
• Sigursson sold and replaced 
• Gallagher sold and replaced 
• Markanday sold and replaced 
• Telalovi sold and replaced
• Hedges sold and replaced

I don't rate any of the above players - so need replacing.

Then bring in additionally:

• 1 RB
• 2 CMs
• 2 RW
• 1 LW
• 2 ST

Just to actually make this a championship squad

Pickering, Hedges, Hyam, even Gallagher as back up and maybe even as a back up Pears is ok, they are Championship players, to varying levels. The first 3 in particular are definitely Championship standard and have proven that.

We need more players ASWELL as those, not instead of. 

[BankEnd Rover]

[rigger]

Another center-half

4 minutes ago, BankEnd Rover said:

Another center-half, just what we need.