Deal or no deal? - Summer 2022 Transfer gossip!

[The_Gun]

Slightly unfair on Dapo - he’s not the quickest but he’s a fantastic dribbler at this level. I haven’t seen Bradley yet either but I can’t imagine he’s a slouch. Santos is pretty quick as well which helps with the high press.

Where do you think the lack of speed hurts us? Centre mid?

Dapo isn't slow, but he's not particularly quick for his position either. If he were fast I think he'd be in the PL. Santos is fast for a 6'5 bloke.

I don't think it necessarily hurts us, but going forward we don't really have anyone who's going to go past defenders on the outside with pace. I think when this could become an issue is when teams are sitting deep against us and we don't have a Fossey type who can go by fullbacks.

In midfield we don't have anyone who can cover a lot ground and recover quickly when we lose the ball.

[GhostoftheBok]

Pace and power are both issues, but our recruitment clearly focuses on getting lads who are slightly above the normal technical level for the their position at this level, which means compromising on other attributes. Ordinarily (not always) a guy who is very fast and technically proficient won't be available to a League One club. Those players typically come into League One via development pathways.

Fossey was a bit of an aberration, due to his horrendous injury record. Maybe a loan will come available who can help out with that side of things.

Until the window slams shut there is room to get things done.

[BWFC_Insane]

Slightly unfair on Dapo - he’s not the quickest but he’s a fantastic dribbler at this level. I haven’t seen Bradley yet either but I can’t imagine he’s a slouch. Santos is pretty quick as well which helps with the high press.

Where do you think the lack of speed hurts us? Centre mid?

Dapo isn't slow, but he's not particularly quick for his position either. If he were fast I think he'd be in the PL. Santos is fast for a 6'5 bloke.

I don't think it necessarily hurts us, but going forward we don't really have anyone who's going to go past defenders on the outside with pace. I think when this could become an issue is when teams are sitting deep against us and we don't have a Fossey type who can go by fullbacks.

In midfield we don't have anyone who can cover a lot ground and recover quickly when we lose the ball.

I’ve been saying both things for a long time yet was told it was nonsense and we didn’t need Fossey…

The pace and directness he brought really did transform us and I worry about a cutting edge without it as we were definitely less able to open teams up once he’d got injured and our play was more pedestrian.

Lee also was a loss in that regard.

I feel someone like Fossey in a wing back role and a Muamba type in midfield would leave us really in a place we could take this league by storm.

[Worthy4England]

You're doing that internet binary thing again. I think most, myself included would've taken Fossey (uninjured) on the right deal for us. We don't need Fossey, that's a bit different. We will adapt without him. Until we've seen how Bradley fits in, properly, it's difficult to tell whether he's the answer.

[The_Gun]

Yes, to be clear, I wasn't saying that we need Fossey or even that's necessary for us to recruit faster players in order to be successful. The relative lack of pace was just something that jumped out at me when looking at the squad.

[TANGODANCER]

Yes, to be clear, I wasn't saying that we need Fossey or even that's necessary for us to recruit faster players in order to be successful. The relative lack of pace was just something that jumped out at me when looking at the squad.

Younger and faster seems to be what football's about today. Maybe the F.A should promote a new " 30 plus league " to employ more senior players and stave off the dread of age. Might even be a Wednesday League with evening games. Scrub the B Teams andit would also open up avenues for more youngsters and put a ceiling on earnings and transfer fees and be better value for the supporters.

[GhostoftheBok]

We're just lacking a couple of tools in the tool belt. In most games we will probably look very good, but it's the top sides who will show us our deficiencies - along with those sides who want a proper dust up.

If the top sides step up on us then the fact a number of them have defenders who can match or beat our forwards for pace will see us struggle. Those sides who can out run us in the middle will be able to press us and shut down our natural game - as we lack the runners and power to exploit the gaps they leave. Those sides who sit deep won't worry too much about any of our lot picking them apart with unpredictable creative work.

The sides that are okay at everything will probably lose to us more times than not and we will likely paste the dross. The difference between top 6-8 and top 1-2 will be beating other top sides. At the minute we look to be behind a few in terms of quality. I'd rather we weren't.

We have a lot to worry teams - our work rate may well be even more impactful with more subs next season, for example - and I'm not down in the dumps. I anticipate a fun season. I do think Evatt needs more help if he's to have a fair chance of going up, though.

[GhostoftheBok]

I've intentionally not mentioned our defensive (especially set-piece) issues in that post because, yeah....that's another ball of wax.

[BWFC_Insane]

Not sure this is about Evatt needing help. He is making the calls. Seems happy with the budget and the plan.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Not sure this is about Evatt needing help. He is making the calls. Seems happy with the budget and the plan.

Not sure he'll be ecstatic about losing targets to MK Dons (Tucker) and Plymouth (Butcher). It's possible in either case that geography was more important than wage - they're both southerners, even if Butcher had been lent to Lancashire for two years - but it'll be doubly wounding that both went to teams we can expect to be promotion rivals. Same perhaps for Barkhuizen.

Evatt makes all the right noises about budget and I suspect we are a long long way from him publicly howling "what can I do if our budget is shit?" – and I'm grateful for that, for a number of reasons. But it doesn't mean that he isn't privately frustrated.

[BWFC_Insane]

Not sure this is about Evatt needing help. He is making the calls. Seems happy with the budget and the plan.

Not sure he'll be ecstatic about losing targets to MK Dons (Tucker) and Plymouth (Butcher). It's possible in either case that geography was more important than wage - they're both southerners, even if Butcher had been lent to Lancashire for two years - but it'll be doubly wounding that both went to teams we can expect to be promotion rivals. Same perhaps for Barkhuizen.

Evatt makes all the right noises about budget and I suspect we are a long long way from him publicly howling "what can I do if our budget is shit?" – and I'm grateful for that, for a number of reasons. But it doesn't mean that he isn't privately frustrated.

I don’t think he has any right to be. He’s been given a huge job, been allowed to rip up and start again two januarys in a row (a luxury I can’t imagine anyone else having) been well backed to bring in players in those periods and has been allowed to build a competitive league one squad.

He repeats time and time again he’s the one saying no if prices escalate.

If he is frustrated then use that to work on those details that will make us better. If this season every detail is maximised and we miss out by a point for the want of one great signing then I would say he has a right, but at this moment he needs to prove he can get the details and work right to absolutely maximise his resources…he’s not done that as of yet,,,

[The_Gun]

I feel like we’ll get one more in before the window closes, probably right at the end when players and clubs have a better idea of where they stand for the season.

It would also be great to get shot of Kachunga, but unfortunately that seems incredibly unlikely.

[GhostoftheBok]

I typed out a full thing, but again I don't think the nitty gritty matters.

What we seem to have wanted was: Trafford, Fossey, Tucker, Iredale, Butcher, Barkhuizen and possibly Assal.
What we have is: Trafford, Bradley, Toal and Iredale.

When you compare what we wanted to give Evatt for a promotion run against what he has got so far, there's a bit of a gap. That gap wants closing.

[Mar]

I feel like we’ll get one more in before the window closes, probably right at the end when players and clubs have a better idea of where they stand for the season.

It would also be great to get shot of Kachunga, but unfortunately that seems incredibly unlikely.

Not sure I'd agree with that sentiment. He's been our top scorer in preseason I think.

[GhostoftheBok]

Not sure I'd agree with that sentiment. He's been our top scorer in preseason I think.

Kachunga was our best player in a couple of games when he was fully fit, he just wasn't fit often enough. Hopefully he can stay fit with a full preseason and we can make a proper assessment.

In other news, a buzzard just landed on my window, screeched at me and buggered off. So I'm assuming the gods are angry with me for my lack of faith and we will obviously now win the league.

[BWFC_Insane]

Kachunga is obviously a clever player I just don’t see how he fits into an Evatt side especially in a 352. However I suspect he has vision that could benefit a Charles. So I’d say give him till January and see how he has gone. I think he has to play up front in this system or maybe occasionally a number 10. Depends what chances he gets.

[Mar]

Maybe the point of having Kachuga is to give us options other than a 3-5-2. I think Kachunga provides a decent option without being a finished article, like most of our players. We've got plenty of variety in the squad.

I just hope we don't end up with players with a seeming lack of effort like Delf. Variety is fine but the effort and desire would see us do well.

[Worthy4England]

and we will obviously now win the league.

Waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy too early for giddy!

[GhostoftheBok]

Waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy too early for giddy!

Hey, man, take it up with the bird.

[Worthy4England]

I typed out a full thing, but again I don't think the nitty gritty matters.

What we seem to have wanted was: Trafford, Fossey, Tucker, Iredale, Butcher, Barkhuizen and possibly Assal.
What we have is: Trafford, Bradley, Toal and Iredale.

When you compare what we wanted to give Evatt for a promotion run against what he has got so far, there's a bit of a gap. That gap wants closing.

I suspect we might have wanted De Bruyne too. This list. How does it work, will they have done enough homework to suggest that they're all "realistic?" - I mean Fossey is a classic example, unless there's something we don't know, he shouldn't have been on the list, because we were never going to pay what he was asking for (or maybe what Fulham wanted)....