Summer 2020 transfers

[LeverEnd]

Some interesting reasons being given for exiting contracts.. https://www.bt.com/sport/news/2020/sept ... al-surface

Didn't we try to get him once?

Yep. Guess which manager.

Lennon I suppose.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

A Twitter rumour mill of questionable repute is resurfacing an old link with Ikechi Anya, the 32-year-old former Watford, Derby and Scotland left-sider.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Evatt:

It’s a work in progress. We want to make sure we get it right and we’re having to move away from the out of contract, out of work types. We don’t want to be wasting two months getting them fit and up to speed. By that time it’s Christmas, half the season has gone, and they haven’t even set foot in the first team yet.

These players, as I discussed on Saturday, have either made poor decisions themselves or they have been given bad advice by agents. There are a lot of players out of work and sometimes you have to be a realist and understand where the world is, financially, with the pandemic.

The amount of players out of contract is incredible. You are fighting for a very small number of clubs who can afford to take you. The money might not be what you want it to be but it’s where we’re at. We’re looking at good-quality loans or players who are not available or wanted at their current clubs.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... two-clash/

[GhostoftheBok]

Sounds reasonable from Evatt there.

Reeco Hackett-Fairchild is one we're reportedly trying to loan. Pompey apparently blocked a move they had formerly sanctioned, deciding they want us to contribute more of his wages. Southend and one other club in for him.

Never seen him play, as far as I am aware, but talked to a friend who knows non-league more than I do who said a number of league clubs had scouted him at D&R before Charlton picked him up and then good sides were looking at him again last season at Bromley. Pace and close control caught the eye at that level.

Seems to be a lad who has been seen as "one for the future" a couple of times and maybe as he develops physically as he gets older (he's now 22) he'll become increasingly dangerous. Could be he needs to enter the leagues at L2, rather than L1, if he's to find his way.

If we have moved on to loans now the rumour mill will probably pick up again for a while.

[TonyDomingos]

Sounds reasonable from Evatt there.

Reeco Hackett-Fairchild is one we're reportedly trying to loan. Pompey apparently blocked a move they had formerly sanctioned, deciding they want us to contribute more of his wages. Southend and one other club in for him.

Never seen him play, as far as I am aware, but talked to a friend who knows non-league more than I do who said a number of league clubs had scouted him at D&R before Charlton picked him up and then good sides were looking at him again last season at Bromley. Pace and close control caught the eye at that level.

Seems to be a lad who has been seen as "one for the future" a couple of times and maybe as he develops physically as he gets older (he's now 22) he'll become increasingly dangerous. Could be he needs to enter the leagues at L2, rather than L1, if he's to find his way.

If we have moved on to loans now the rumour mill will probably pick up again for a while.

I saw Reeco play for Bromley several times last season. Definitely a good player at that level (which is now almost all pro and, IMHO, not hugely different from L2). Would be a very useful option to have on the bench when we need a goal. Of course, now I've said that, he'll rock up on a season-long loan and turn out to be a bag of !

[GhostoftheBok]

He's supposedly similar to Dior Angus, who was with Evatt at Barrow, so he might well fit. Would be nice to see a young lad with real pace come in.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Iles says we've had to give up on David Ball. Not the Soft Cell keyboardist.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... all-chase/

[The_Gun]

Iles says we've had to give up on David Ball. Not the Soft Cell keyboardist.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... all-chase/

The positives to take from that piece are we clearly have at least one squad space left, and also a reasonable pot of cash remaining for wages. Hopefully we can put these to good use and add a real difference maker.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Iles says we've had to give up on David Ball. Not the Soft Cell keyboardist.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... all-chase/

The positives to take from that piece are we clearly have at least one squad space left, and also a reasonable pot of cash remaining for wages. Hopefully we can put these to good use and add a real difference maker.

Yes, that's true. On the flip, I'm slightly worried that the experience has burned us and Evatt's right, we're only looking at loanees now" might be an over-reaction. We need to keep examining all possibilities: contracted players are always at the mercy of their clubs, but some will want shut; free agents may still ask for too much money, but their demands will dwindle; and loanees may not become available until nearer the main 5 October deadline.

[BWFC_Insane]

Iles says we've had to give up on David Ball. Not the Soft Cell keyboardist.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... all-chase/

The positives to take from that piece are we clearly have at least one squad space left, and also a reasonable pot of cash remaining for wages. Hopefully we can put these to good use and add a real difference maker.

Yes, that's true. On the flip, I'm slightly worried that the experience has burned us and Evatt's right, we're only looking at loanees now" might be an over-reaction. We need to keep examining all possibilities: contracted players are always at the mercy of their clubs, but some will want shut; free agents may still ask for too much money, but their demands will dwindle; and loanees may not become available until nearer the main 5 October deadline.

Evatt said loanees and players contracted but not wanted at other clubs. I think his point is that someone on a free (as in not attached) now will take a long time to get up to speed. I agree with him really the time for frees has gone, get someone either who a club will release or loan. At least they'll have trained properly.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Trouble with sweeping statements is that they're always wrong.

[Bertie Wooster]

I'm 100% behind Evatt, but this waiting for David Ball for a few weeks even though he was still under contract is a bit daft - so we've put everything else on hold transfer wise & waited 2-3 weeks for a striker that we didn't know was even going to be released.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I'm 100% behind Evatt, but this waiting for David Ball for a few weeks even though he was still under contract is a bit daft - so we've put everything else on hold transfer wise & waited 2-3 weeks for a striker that we didn't know was even going to be released.

I can see both sides, Bertie. The alternative is we go too early and miss out on a proven player because we hired a "might be good" instead. It's always a risk when someone's under contract.

[LeverEnd]

I think Ian willed it to happen but the universe did not yield to his positive vibes on this occasion.
Seriously though, if it really looked like it was on I and he really wanted him, it was worth waiting for. It's not like it's deadline day already. Also we now have some spare cash.

[Bertie Wooster]

I think the lack of options from the bench yesterday outlined that we need attacking options in quickly, not wait until a few days before the window closes - this doesn't necessarily mean another centre forward, it could mean another No10 option or if he is now to play 4 at the back perhaps a winger who can run with the ball & take a man on - we need to create more chances for Doyle.

Evatt will turn this around but the owners & Tobias Phoenix need to help him with the 2 players that we are probably missing, we must have the funds available within the salary cap & squad places, as they thought they were close to getting David Ball. I really couldn't see the point of both having Lockett on the bench never mind bringing him on - unless it was a message from Evatt to the owners ?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I think the lack of options from the bench yesterday outlined that we need attacking options in quickly, not wait until a few days before the window closes - this doesn't necessarily mean another centre forward, it could mean another No10 option or if he is now to play 4 at the back perhaps a winger who can run with the ball & take a man on - we need to create more chances for Doyle.

Evatt will turn this around but the owners & Tobias Phoenix need to help him with the 2 players that we are probably missing, we must have the funds available within the salary cap & squad places, as they thought they were close to getting David Ball. I really couldn't see the point of both having Lockett on the bench never mind bringing him on - unless it was a message from Evatt to the owners ?

If we're going to switch to 4-2-3-1 – and whatever you call yesterday's system, Evatt seemed to like it - we're going to need wide attackers, and we didn't hire any of those in summer. I think that's why Lockett and Darcy (mysteriously overlooked on the afternoon) were on the bench, because they can play that role, but I suspect Evatt doesn't think either is the Right Here Right Now option.

We could play the willing Delfouneso there, or Mascoll who was his late substitute, and we seem to be morphing the right-back Hickman into a wide attacker - he has confidence, energy (if not yet stamina) and crossing ability, so that might work. But after that the cupboard is fairly bare, unless we push Gordon forward to use his pace.

The problem is I don't see any of these 'relocated' players threatening double figures for goals. It will have to be a team effort, a systemic thing, and now we've changed the system Evatt has been drilling into them for two and a half months. Hopefully though that won't matter too much - just their starting positions has changed, not their commitment to passing triangles, shuttle runs, helping each other out, etc. Theoretically, at least...

[GhostoftheBok]

After yesterday I feel like my Zona Mista thought experiment is at least close to right, given that Evatt "tweaked" his system by going from 3-at-the-back to almost exactly the system Juventus played in the 90s.

If it is, then yeah, the sensible transfers to make now would be two of a tricky forward or a central playmaker, and then another right-sided creator.

I think we are crying out for a spark in attack. That could be a playmaker, but it could also be a David Ball type of player who has tricks and feints to burn and can make things happen. We are too predictable at the minute.

[The_Gun]

After yesterday I feel like my Zona Mista thought experiment is at least close to right, given that Evatt "tweaked" his system by going from 3-at-the-back to almost exactly the system Juventus played in the 90s.

If it is, then yeah, the sensible transfers to make now would be two of a tricky forward or a central playmaker, and then another right-sided creator.

I think we are crying out for a spark in attack. That could be a playmaker, but it could also be a David Ball type of player who has tricks and feints to burn and can make things happen. We are too predictable at the minute.

Pretty sure you've just described Dennis Politic...

[BWFC_Insane]

After yesterday I feel like my Zona Mista thought experiment is at least close to right, given that Evatt "tweaked" his system by going from 3-at-the-back to almost exactly the system Juventus played in the 90s.

If it is, then yeah, the sensible transfers to make now would be two of a tricky forward or a central playmaker, and then another right-sided creator.

I think we are crying out for a spark in attack. That could be a playmaker, but it could also be a David Ball type of player who has tricks and feints to burn and can make things happen. We are too predictable at the minute.

We need wide attackers If we play that system. And probably a striker who can play the front role far better than Doyle.

We recruited for a 3 at the back and not sure we can long term play another system. We will see. We desperately need someone to make stuff halogen especially someone to beat their man out wide. Apart from Gordon’s pace and Hickmans ability to whip a ball in I don’t see any real way to get quality into the box or get behind teams and therefore we need to work out the system we want to persevere with for the majority.

[GhostoftheBok]

Doyle can play it, I think. Miller can then be his direct back up.

It means that Jones fits into the centreback picture more than competes with Hickman, as he performs as both a right back and an overlapping central defender. I'm sure there's a fancy foreign word for it, but I don't know it.

Hickman basically becomes irreplaceable, as far as we can tell thus far. He's not a player who will cope playing every game this season, very few players in the game could manage that in League Two this term. So ideally we'd see someone come in who gave us that option to rest him. Currently the option would seem to be shifting the system to focus on the left when Hickman isn't in and asking the left wing backs to play that forward role.

We are three short of having an ideal squad for that style of play. Hickman competition, Delf competition and a playmaker. Again, for me that makes the playmaker the genuine missing piece. The rest is competition and depth.

If we spend money on Zouma that complicates things, but I can see why he's wanted. We'd need to ship out a centre back though, for me.