January 2022 Transfer Thread

[GhostoftheBok]

Really shouldn't be underestimating that these are local lads with connections to/at the club.

Same with Dempsey. Markham has worked with him before and he's mates with Gethin from their time at Fleetwood.

A lot of issues with new transfers is not planning properly for their role and them not settling.

I think we've a better than average chance of success.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Really shouldn't be underestimating that these are local lads with connections to/at the club.

Same with Dempsey. Markham has worked with him before and he's mates with Gethin from their time at Fleetwood.

A lot of issues with new transfers is not planning properly for their role and them not settling.

I think we've a better than average chance of success.

Good points - hadn't thought of Geth @ Fleetwood.

Define success?

[GhostoftheBok]

Define success?

Positive contributions from players to the point where we only have to move them on due to cashing in and not because they're preventing us doing well on the pitch.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Define success?

Positive contributions from players to the point where we only have to move them on due to cashing in and not because they're preventing us doing well on the pitch.

Reasonable.

[GhostoftheBok]

Interesting quote from Evatt in the BN:

“The search is done, we know who we want. We are just waiting for the players to become available."

[officer_dibble]

I hope the search was for the right players. He talked about both boxes last night which suggests he is aware. Will he drop captain Santos?

[BWFC_Insane]

I hope the search was for the right players. He talked about both boxes last night which suggests he is aware. Will he drop captain Santos?

Santos has a bad attitude. Stands there blaming others waving his arms round yet is a non league donkey. Completely fed up. We shunted Sarcevic out who was a leader and could play at this level. Yet we have to watch that absolute donkey play his half hearted soft as shite game at centre half week in week out. And naming him as captain is a complete insult to the club.

People claimed we didn’t need a centre half. Yet it’s the biggest priority. Evatt’s judgement has to be questioned given how poor we are there.

[LeverEnd]

Agreed he was a poor choice as captain. He's not the only one of last year's successes to turn to crap though. John annoys me more probably. Awful half-arsed attitude. Losing faith in Lee too.

[BWFC_Insane]

Agreed he was a poor choice as captain. He's not the only one of last year's successes to turn to crap though. John annoys me more probably. Awful half-arsed attitude. Losing faith in Lee too.

I agree. John looks like he can’t be arsed. Thought Lee was ok last night. Certainly not the worst of the three in midfield. But apart from MJ who didn’t have his best game the balance in there is all wrong. Wycombe physical and strong and we have nothing in midfield to counter that. We let them bully us all over the pitch.

Just going back to John I said at half time we need a new left back. I stand by that. Awful.

[Bertie Wooster]

MEN saying that we are close to signing young city keeper James Trafford on loan. He may be a fantastic young keeper with a great career ahead of him, but surely we need an older more experienced keeper to take over the No1 spot not a youngster unless the young lad is very vocal & an organiser ?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

MEN saying that we are close to signing young city keeper James Trafford on loan. He may be a fantastic young keeper with a great career ahead of him, but surely we need an older more experienced keeper to take over the No1 spot not a youngster unless the young lad is very vocal & an organiser ?

Yeah but "Young Trafford" is a great nickname, esp for a Citeh player

Personally I agree Bertie but if he's the choice, let's not damn the lad before he gets here

MEN link: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... n-22719735

[GhostoftheBok]

MEN saying that we are close to signing young city keeper James Trafford on loan. He may be a fantastic young keeper with a great career ahead of him, but surely we need an older more experienced keeper to take over the No1 spot not a youngster unless the young lad is very vocal & an organiser ?

Yeah, but again isn't this one of those "He ticks the playing boxes a bit, but also the financial ones" sort of transfers? He signed pro terms in August 2020 and it looks like that deal expires this summer. With Bazunu looking the more likely to be retained it might be we feel he will stay on ala Dapo and give us resale value. Unless he's signed a new deal I have missed. That means low wages now and a chance to gain an asset.

Finding an experienced, commanding keeper who can play with his feet isn't easy, either. Nor cheap.

We may be paying out some fees, but these are still budget-friendly transfers we are looking at.

I think 95% of fans will agree with you, but I also think this was predictable as a type.

[Prufrock]

MEN saying that we are close to signing young city keeper James Trafford on loan. He may be a fantastic young keeper with a great career ahead of him, but surely we need an older more experienced keeper to take over the No1 spot not a youngster unless the young lad is very vocal & an organiser ?

Yeah, but again isn't this one of those "He ticks the playing boxes a bit, but also the financial ones" sort of transfers? He signed pro terms in August 2020 and it looks like that deal expires this summer. With Bazunu looking the more likely to be retained it might be we feel he will stay on ala Dapo and give us resale value. Unless he's signed a new deal I have missed. That means low wages now and a chance to gain an asset.

Finding an experienced, commanding keeper who can play with his feet isn't easy, either. Nor cheap.

We may be paying out some fees, but these are still budget-friendly transfers we are looking at.

I think 95% of fans will agree with you, but I also think this was predictable as a type.

I'm not sure. If he's an as well as, fine, but not if he's an instead of. It's a really important part of the pitch and I don't think it's a good sign if at the same time we're spending 6 figures elsewhere we're still relying on a free transfer from Barrow, signed at best to compete with our semi-retired coach, who has had a couple of howlers and let's be honest isn't great with his feet either.

We talked on defenders about the sine qua nons of Evatt players, and obviously we're not going to sign a pre-backpass rule Toblerone boots in net. But I think the benchmark is not piss yourself when it's passed to you, move it ten yards and when pressed be able to hit the right third of the pitch. I could be wrong, but I'm v unlikely to believe there isn't a keeper out there who's a big improvement on Dixon without breaking the bank. Trafford strikes me as the right sort we should be signing, good potential, education etc. But he's got 11 senior games under his belt, after which he was dropped. I think to be polite Dixon needs stronger "competition" than that.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I'm not sure. If he's an as well as, fine, but not if he's an instead of. It's a really important part of the pitch and I don't think it's a good sign if at the same time we're spending 6 figures elsewhere we're still relying on a free transfer from Barrow, signed at best to compete with our semi-retired coach, who has had a couple of howlers and let's be honest isn't great with his feet either.

We talked on defenders about the sine qua nons of Evatt players, and obviously we're not going to sign a pre-backpass rule Toblerone boots in net. But I think the benchmark is not piss yourself when it's passed to you, move it ten yards and when pressed be able to hit the right third of the pitch. I could be wrong, but I'm v unlikely to believe there isn't a keeper out there who's a big improvement on Dixon without breaking the bank. Trafford strikes me as the right sort we should be signing, good potential, education etc. But he's got 11 senior games under his belt, after which he was dropped. I think to be polite Dixon needs stronger "competition" than that.

It's interesting. Gilks is not, IMO, a sweeper-keeper, but Crellin got so bad that Evatt was happy to wheel the old fella out – and not really replace him the January window (Jensen was clearly only ever cover). Maybe that was needs-must, and I don't think Dixon has got Crellin-bad (yet?), but it shows that Evatt will bend where necessary. Maybe he doesn't see it as necessary. Hmm.

Obvious but keeper is a key position. I wonder if Evatt thinks Dixon is good enough, or if he doesn't want to spend (wage/fee) on the position, or if he doesn't think he can get a good sweeper-keeper (this month? ever?), or what?

[Prufrock]

That's the bit that worries me

Crellin was a big gamble. Gilks looked like a stop gap but we started the season with him as #1. Dixon looked like he was back-up/competition but is now #1 with only a kid for competition. And is baaaad.

I'd be v surprised of any of those were anything other than a proportionally low budget option compared to average spend on that area. Looks like it's a blind spot and disproportionately deprioritised.

Assuming that a Trafford type is the only keeper we're signing.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

That's the bit that worries me

Crellin was a big gamble. Gilks looked like a stop gap but we started the season with him as #1. Dixon looked like he was back-up/competition but is now #1 with only a kid for competition. And is baaaad.

I'd be v surprised of any of those were anything other than a proportionally low budget option compared to average spend on that area. Looks like it's a blind spot and disproportionately deprioritised.

Assuming that a Trafford type is the only keeper we're signing.

While it's always risky reading into the manager's word-waterfall, I think it's a safe assumption that if Trafford happens, we won't also hire an older 'un. When Hutchinson came back from his loan the manager said he thought the lad was "ready to come in and compete for that number one jersey with Joel ". I can't see us rolling with four goalkeepers – although of course he has the right to change his mind and send Hutch out again.

[GhostoftheBok]

I completely agree there are experienced 'keepers out there better than Dixon. I'm not sure they're the 'types' Evatt would view as ideal, nor the types Markham is looking at from a commercial stand-point.

I think Markham was hoping we'd be doing well enough to attract Alex Smithies in the summer, or at least there's rumblings we have touched base with his reps a few times. That doesn't look likely now.

We tried to stop-gap too many areas of the squad for financial reasons. I get why, but it has cost us.

Trafford, regardless of anything else (and from what I've seen he's a talent), got dropped by Accy after conceding 3, 4 and 5 in consecutive games. He was replaced by another kid.

Reasonable to ask questions.

[brommers95]

I'm really not sure Trafford would add anything more than Dixon (or even Hutchinson for that matter).

He was poor at Stanley, so I'm not really convinced he'll do any better here in a defence that looks very low on confidence.

[GhostoftheBok]

I'm really not sure Trafford would add anything more than Dixon (or even Hutchinson for that matter).

He was poor at Stanley, so I'm not really convinced he'll do any better here in a defence that looks very low on confidence.

Very much Stanley's Billy Crellin this season.

[officer_dibble]

Oh good! This doesn’t make me think Evatt has a blind spot with keepers at all! Only thing is he’s a young lad still - but you can bet the next employer of Billy Crellin will say that as well.