If carlsberg did transfer threads.....This would be it!

[Bruce Rioja]

Can't understand why we don't have any wages available when u look at the players that left some on huge amounts

You're not an Accountant, are you?

[cmbfc_90]

No I'm not, just can't figure it out

[Enoch]

I'll give it's a tough one.

Got me flummoxed!

[Mar]

Can someone please provide a quick recap of the ins and outs this summer, as I haven't really been paying attention and to be perfectly frank, 63 pages, I cannot be arsed.

All I've picked up is that Bogdan has left and ALF will not return. Shame.

IN:
Amos
Madine
Osede
Lussey

OUT:
Bogdan
Andrews
Beckford
Cravies
Iliev
Lester
Lonergan
Mills
Woodland
Gudjohnsen
Baptiste
Odelusi
Other miscellaneous yoof players

Don't think I've missed anyone off the top of my head?

This is really disappointing. Yet another season where the outgoing players are worse than the incoming players. It's been so long since we've actually had a summer transfer window where we've actually improved the squad.

EDIT: I know theres still time but I don't think anyones expecting us to actually improve in this transfer window.

[Enoch]

This is really disappointing. Yet another season where the outgoing players are worse than the incoming players.

Seems like a plan to me.

[malcd1]

This is really disappointing. Yet another season where the outgoing players are worse than the incoming players. It's been so long since we've actually had a summer transfer window where we've actually improved the squad.

EDIT: I know theres still time but I don't think anyones expecting us to actually improve in this transfer window.

Did you get those the wrong way round?

[bobo the clown]

Just keeping the squad even marginally fit, plus the maturing of Vela and Clough added to a manager who can at least motivate all should help.

[thebish]

This is really disappointing. Yet another season where the outgoing players are worse than the incoming players. It's been so long since we've actually had a summer transfer window where we've actually improved the squad.

EDIT: I know theres still time but I don't think anyones expecting us to actually improve in this transfer window.

people were at one stage expecting us to improve this transfer window - weren't they?? Maybe now the cold truth is sinking in - but there were some optimistic voices about Lenny knowing what he was doing and bringing in some gems at one time.. (not least Plymouth, funnily enough! )

[jetsetwilly]

Given that we almost went down last year, this makes for frightening reading. If we have even half the injuries we had last year, we are left with a side not much better than that of Blackpool last season

[Mar]

Heh, would seem people got the gist despite my inability to type what I meant.


I think a lot of people were cautiously optimistic about Lennon's ability. But I think its gotten to the stage of the transfers aren't being done by Lennon so we can't expect his hopefuls to come off. Maybe we'll see a few gems in the coming weeks but its doubtful. Amos is the signing i'm most happy with so far and even that is offset by the loss of Bogdan.

As an aside it almost seems like players we were happy at getting are set to make way for more of the same freeing up budget for a gradual decline in player quality.

[ChrisC]

How can Eddie just sit back and let this happen now? Yes he has given a lot to the club, but you cant just sit back now and let everything collapse because you suddenly decide you have had enough! He is just as much to blame as anybody else for allowing the over spending of the club.

We are becoming less and less attractive to any potential investor/buyer and more in danger of falling down the leagues. Eddie should be giving Lennon money to buy sensible players. As long as the wages are in line then Eddie takes the hit on the transfer fee. He might not like it, but the ride is still going and he hasn't got off yet. The squad is in major need of investment and something needs to be done about it.

At this rate, we will end up being run like Blackpool with loans r us every season and not having a settled team.

I can see fan protests coming before to long.

[officer_dibble]

Eddie might be ill, at a stage where he is planning for his families long term future, his other companies might be on the rocks etc etc. you dont know.

Anyway FFP dictates what we can spend.

[ChrisC]

Eddie might be ill, at a stage where he is planning for his families long term future, his other companies might be on the rocks etc etc. you dont know.

Anyway FFP dictates what we can spend.

If his plan was to look out for his family, then he should have got out a long time ago really.

The likes of Middlesborough have just spend 5 mil plus on Stuart Downing. I am sure we would be fine to get a few low cost signings in rather than scraping the barrel for cast offs. Especially with the amount we have cut from the wage bill.

[cmbfc_90]

Known that Eddie is never going to get the 170 million he's invested surely the best option is to sell the club cheap recoup a good amount of the money back rather than invest 10 million plus to keep the club going, which is a stupid option. Either that or try and invest and improve the squad and go for promotion!

[Prufrock]

We're defo at the stage of owner trying to save costs rather than spend his maximum FFP allocation.

On the raising fund: remember the West Brom - Tim Ream £2.5m rumour?

"He's just won player of the year again so we won't take a penny less than half".

That's two Alfs!

[ChrisC]

We're defo at the stage of owner trying to save costs rather than spend his maximum FFP allocation.

On the raising fund: remember the West Brom - Tim Ream £2.5m rumour?

"He's just won player of the year again so we won't take a penny less than half".

That's two Alfs!

You are spot on Pru regarding Eddie's situation. I just think its a bit shit. To just draw a line and say that's your lot is hard to take.

[LeverEnd]

Given that we almost went down last year, this makes for frightening reading. If we have even half the injuries we had last year, we are left with a side not much better than that of Blackpool last season

I think we are a fair bit better than Blackpool were. But then again so were Wigan and Wolves and they went.
Bad luck with injuries again and it's not looking good. I think having a manager of Lennons character will just about tip the balance and keep us up but I've yet to see any evidence he can set up a team to be defensively solid. He's never had to before, and he's working with a below-average squad for the division. I know that makes it tough for any manager but we've got to be harder to beat than we've seen in the last 6 months.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

This is really disappointing. Yet another season where the incoming players are worse than the outgoing players.

An intriguing quote, this. I've taken the liberty of correcting it to what you meant, Mar, but I'm not sure I agree. Let's have a look at throwawayboltonian's list:

IN:
Amos
Osede
Lussey
Ceberio
Madine

OUT:
Bogdan
Lonergan
Mills
Gudjohnsen
Cravies
Andrews
Beckford
Baptiste
Odelusi
Iliev
Lester
Woodland
Other miscellaneous yoof players

There's three lots of outgoings there. In bold are those who were anything like regular first-teamers. In italics are players we've long exiled and mostly wanted shut of - has anybody ever cried out in anguish "Oh God, if only we had Alex Baptiste back?" And then there's the kids, who might or might not have made it.

Looking at the five bolded players - the first-teamers:
* Bogdan and Lonergan are goalkeepers, and in Amos we've got an extremely promising replacement. (True, we might want two, but an expensive benchwarmer is a luxury we can't afford.)
* Mills is a centre-back whom I frankly didn't trust or like, and who was on a large wage; Derik Osede may or may not be a good young player, but he's certainly got potential resale value.
* Eidur we will always love, and is to some extent irreplaceable - but we couldn't compete with Chinese wages, and one might argue that young Zach plays in the same place.
* Cravies was a willing worker but never really convinced. Would I swap him back for Madine? No.

We always knew there would be a summer clearout. We might have hoped for more replacements, but frankly we had the sort of over-full squad you get with three managers in three years. And how often, really, have we got signings done early? Allardyce was all about the brinksmanship in order to maximise the money; seems Lennon has to do the same.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

We need full backs more than anything. Anything else is more would like than must have. I'd feel happier with another striker, but that back line is the scariest place right now.

[bobo the clown]

We need full backs more than anything. Anything else is more would like than must have. I'd feel happier with another striker, but that back line is the scariest place right now.

Yep. Agreed.

But how poor IS Moxey ? At this level he should cut the mustard I'd have thought ... and Kellet has to come through this season or he'll be on that list next year. I think we should view the Stretford thing as a bit of a red-herring but the Pymouth loan got reviews silar to Vela's at Notts Co.

Lenin let Joe Riley go who most of us felt offered something if he could ever get fit. He also decided that McNaughton wasn't right for him ... odd as he'd seemed pretty decent to me albeit of the Paul Robinson school of speed.

Others will arrive, I just hope they offer more than we'd have got from those we let go.

My real fear is him returning to 3 C/H's without the right players to play it.