The Rest of League One 23/24

[GhostoftheBok]

My in-laws next door neighbour was on loan there in 2019 from Norwich.. Will try and find out about him

Ian knows Caleb pretty well. Get him to send the gaffer a brief

[boltonboris]

Does he! His Dad reckons we were in for him back in League 2 but I was never convinced - Not sure where Evatt and Caleb's paths would have crossed

Surprisingly signed a new deal at Kiddie despite a decent offers from Tranmere and Hartlepool

[GhostoftheBok]

Not sure where Evatt and Caleb's paths would have crossed

Blackpool. Caleb was coming through as a youngster and training with the first team defenders when Evatt was still there.

[boltonboris]

Not sure where Evatt and Caleb's paths would have crossed

Blackpool. Caleb was coming through as a youngster and training with the first team defenders when Evatt was still there.

No, couldn't have been. Evatt left Blackpool in 2013, when Caleb would have been 12/13 years old

[GhostoftheBok]

No, couldn't have been. Evatt left Blackpool in 2013, when Caleb would have been 12/13 years old

Really? I had this conversation with someone when Evatt first rocked up. I've never bothered to check how old Caleb was, I just took it at face value.

Feel like a right idiot now

[boltonboris]

Yeah he's just turned 24. He needs a good season this time round to get a move into the FL, as he can't be considered a 'prospect' for much longer.

He's a very fit, solid and dependable player who hardly misses a game, but Kidderminster do play quite cautiously and base their game on clean sheets. He needs some shackles removing so he can catch the eye. Ultimately, though, he'll do exactly as he's told and does enjoy it there

[officer_dibble]

Barnsley - https://t.co/3DJwmBKSr8

No docking of points but charged with multiple issues on the owner. Not sure who it is?

[boltonboris]

Very vague this.. It sounds as though they have transferred ownership without EFL Approval and the EFL have bot been able to vet the new owner as a result.

That is pretty serious

[Worthy4England]

Very vague this.. It sounds as though they have transferred ownership without EFL Approval and the EFL have bot been able to vet the new owner as a result.

That is pretty serious

Yeah I'd be docking them at least 12.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Barnsley - https://t.co/3DJwmBKSr8

No docking of points but charged with multiple issues on the owner. Not sure who it is?

From what I remember - I've slept since - these charges relate to the two former co-owners, who are now not on the board of directors but do still own around 40% of the club.

[boltonboris]

But the club did not inform the EFL over transfer of ownership.. I think

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

But the club did not inform the EFL over transfer of ownership.. I think

Yeah it's definitely Barnsley's problem. But as the BBC write-up notes in paragraph 2, "The charges relate to the period the League One club was under the ownership of Paul Conway and Chien Lee between 2017 and 2022."

Them's the two former co-chairmen that were voted off the board in July 2022, along with two other directors. They're part of the Pacific Media Group football operation that also owns slices of clubs in Denmark (Esbjerg), France (Nancy), Belgium (Oostende), Holland (Den Bosch), Switzerland (Thun) and Germany (Kaiserslauten). Possibly more since I started writing this post – I know they were looking in Poland too.

[GhostoftheBok]

Wigan look set to lose Will Keane for a minimal fee due to their failure to pay wages in a timely manner constituting breach of contract.

That helps.

[GhostoftheBok]

Balagizi has joined Wigan on loan from Liverpool. Wigan are operating on quite a low budget, but they've signed some decent players.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Balagizi has joined Wigan on loan from Liverpool. Wigan are operating on quite a low budget, but they've signed some decent players.

Weirdly I was just looking at him yesterday.

I figured that if we signed him, he'd be described as a wet-eared kid who'd get beaten up in the primary school playground by Shola Shoretire.

Perhaps now he'll be described as a wunderkind we should've gone for.

[GhostoftheBok]

Weirdly I was just looking at him yesterday.

I figured that if we signed him, he'd be described as a wet-eared kid who'd get beaten up in the primary school playground by Shola Shoretire.

Perhaps now he'll be described as a wunderkind we should've gone for.

I don't think I'd have signed any of the lads they've picked up, but given the fact their new model seems to be to head towards "break even" as quickly as possible I think they're doing alright.

I'm not sure we're seeing the "billionaire with an open chequebook" that their fans expected.

[Worthy4England]

Balagizi has joined Wigan on loan from Liverpool. Wigan are operating on quite a low budget, but they've signed some decent players.

Weirdly I was just looking at him yesterday.

I figured that if we signed him, he'd be described as a wet-eared kid who'd get beaten up in the primary school playground by Shola Shoretire.

Perhaps now he'll be described as a wunderkind we should've gone for.

I think there's a difference between the view we have of Bradley and Trafford, and the view we had of Shola, Mbete and Beck. Of course some folks would judge such a signing based entirely on the view that "it's a kid," for sure. But I don't think there's any major problem with "a kid that can hack it" - just the ones that don't.

If he shows himself to be a wunderkind, I'm sure you're correct, that people will ask why we didn't. I mean that's why you have scouts, analysts and the like. Shola looked future talented, but not ready for week in, week out rough and tumble for me...

[BWFC_Insane]

Balagizi has joined Wigan on loan from Liverpool. Wigan are operating on quite a low budget, but they've signed some decent players.

Weirdly I was just looking at him yesterday.

I figured that if we signed him, he'd be described as a wet-eared kid who'd get beaten up in the primary school playground by Shola Shoretire.

Perhaps now he'll be described as a wunderkind we should've gone for.

Physically a big lad and has some league two experience doesn't he?

I mean he's not one that would have got the pulses racing but I guess he has potential to do well at Wigan.

He's probably a bit further on that Shoretire was.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

See?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I think there's a difference between the view we have of Bradley and Trafford, and the view we had of Shola, Mbete and Beck.

Worthy, I don't think there's such a thing as a (singular) "view we have/had".

Although when we signed Trafford, who had a similar number of games as Balazigi but a league higher (at Accy), pretty much everyone from Bertie to Brommers worried that an inexperienced goalkeeper wasn't what we needed.

When we signed Bradley, very many people wondered how this kid with absolutely zero league experience would be anywhere near as good as Fossey.

But he was, so when we got his mate Beck, we had reason to be cheerful.

When we got Shola, who was described as the most exciting United kid reasonably available, people had reason to hope for another success story.

Mbete was a rush signing to cover Aimson departure & Johnston injury, a double absence which was expected by some to make us sieve-leaky.

Maybe the thing we've learnt is to expect the opposite of expectations.