Deal or no deal? - Summer 2022 Transfer gossip!

[dave the minion]

I couldn't give a monkey's where he says he thinks we should finish when judging success this season.

Even leaving aside that he's a gobshite generally (*our* gobshite, mind) he's all into the management pseudo-bollocks on setting high standards and pressure being a privilege and all that.

I'd have us in the "behind the top 2, better than the rest" pack along with MK Dons, Plymouth, Peterborough, Barnsley, Wycombe and maybe Oxford, Portsmouth and Derby.

That's a top ten there. I think top two would be a fab achievement. Top six - good, slightly better than par. Top 8 - ok, slightly below par. Top 10 frustrating and disappointing. Outside top 10, failure.

100% where I am. I'll bet you an internet pound that we finish 7th - not quite "good, slightly better enough than par", but a bit better than "OK".
At that point, assuming we keep the core of a team, then I think we can realistically class anything the following season less than top 6 a failure.
Just because Evatt wants us to be Prem in 5 years doesn't mean we have a right to be and anything less is failure. I mean, I "want" to not have to work my nuts off 5 days a week, but I don't consider the fact I have to to pay the mortgage a failure!!!

[BWFC_Insane]

I couldn't give a monkey's where he says he thinks we should finish when judging success this season.

Even leaving aside that he's a gobshite generally (*our* gobshite, mind) he's all into the management pseudo-bollocks on setting high standards and pressure being a privilege and all that.

I'd have us in the "behind the top 2, better than the rest" pack along with MK Dons, Plymouth, Peterborough, Barnsley, Wycombe and maybe Oxford, Portsmouth and Derby.

That's a top ten there. I think top two would be a fab achievement. Top six - good, slightly better than par. Top 8 - ok, slightly below par. Top 10 frustrating and disappointing. Outside top 10, failure.

100% where I am. I'll bet you an internet pound that we finish 7th - not quite "good, slightly better enough than par", but a bit better than "OK".
At that point, assuming we keep the core of a team, then I think we can realistically class anything the following season less than top 6 a failure.
Just because Evatt wants us to be Prem in 5 years doesn't mean we have a right to be and anything less is failure. I mean, I "want" to not have to work my nuts off 5 days a week, but I don't consider the fact I have to to pay the mortgage a failure!!!

Why would keeping the same group together and finishing 7th then necessarily lead to the season after being a failure if top 6 was missed? The form we showed with this group second half was top 6 possibly even better. We’ve added some improvements to the squad in that we have better backup defensive options at the very least.

So I don’t really see why we’d not be thinking of seriously challenging the top 6. And if we aren’t I’d question how we ever would given that I doubt we will significantly improve on the group of attacking players we currently have at our disposal. And a future season would likely be a rebuild after we had to sell one or two.

[LeverEnd]

Given how different we were pre and post Jan, failing to make playoffs would definitely be a failure.
We've just had 6 months of playoff form. To not make them would be a backwards step.
Not necessarily a sackable one, but definitely a step back.

[Worthy4England]

^^ He better not lose to Salford on Tuesday...

[BWFC_Insane]

^^ He better not lose to Salford on Tuesday...

A week Tuesday….

[Worthy4England]

^^ He better not lose to Salford on Tuesday...

A week Tuesday….

Yeah, I had us playing Ipswich last Tuesday...Must buck up.

[The_Gun]

One time Bolton target Anthony Hartigan signs for......... Mansfield.

Perhaps not the move he was hoping for.

[sonicthewhite]

One time Bolton target Anthony Hartigan signs for......... Mansfield.

Perhaps not the move he was hoping for.

Oh dear, nevermind. Has Fossey rocked up anywhere yet?

[irie Cee Bee]

One time Bolton target Anthony Hartigan signs for......... Mansfield.

Perhaps not the move he was hoping for.

Oh dear, nevermind. Has Fossey rocked up anywhere yet?

To my knowledge he is in the Premier League with Fulham

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

One time Bolton target Anthony Hartigan signs for......... Mansfield.

Perhaps not the move he was hoping for.

Mansfield were also after Ryan Broom, who did well for Plymouth on loan from Peterborough last season. He refused to speak to them. Perhaps he's been.

[Worthy4England]

One time Bolton target Anthony Hartigan signs for......... Mansfield.

Perhaps not the move he was hoping for.

Oh dear, nevermind. Has Fossey rocked up anywhere yet?

To my knowledge he is in the Premier League with Fulham

Something a bit strange, have his twitter/Snapchat accounts been closed or did I imagine that?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Has Fossey rocked up anywhere yet?

To my knowledge he is in the Premier League with Fulham

Something a bit strange, have his twitter/Snapchat accounts been closed or did I imagine that?

You’re not wrong - Twitter account @marlonfossey_ is down. Dunno about Snap.

[knobpolisher]

Interesting after todays match as to people's thoughts on Fossey v Bradley.

I loved watching fossey last year , electric pace but slightly suspect defensively.
Bradley from watching him today is clearly a cut above, I was surprised when IE stated earlier that Bradley was always the number one pick back in January but now I see why.

Young Conor will never be our player, neither will Trafford, but would we give up a Bradley loan for a Fossey permanent?
The team is trying to advance up the football pyramid and there is no doubt that should we achieve our promotion aim half a dozen of the current squad would be moved on next year. When we as a team are in transition then players like Bradley and Trafford are invaluable in our quest for advancement, who knows next year if championship football is achieved we could be signing real quality players of our own.

[Worthy4England]

Loans are part and parcel. Not like we never had any in the Prem, Sturridge and Wilshere spring to mind, but there were others where it's less certain they were a huge improvement. I'm sure we'd all like players to be "ours" but from the first two games Bradley looks to be a decent fit, drawing the pengy last week and assist for the first, this. Given we had some doubts about Fossey's fitness and for whatever reason the contractuals (which we'd been told were pretty much "done" by Feb) fell over. I'm happy enough that we have what looks to be a good 'un.

[Bruce Rioja]

Indeed, but for evey Sturridge and Wilshire, there's an Ostomebor, a Boyata and a Miyaichi.

[Worthy4England]

Indeed, but for evey Sturridge and Wilshire, there's an Ostomebor, a Boyata and a Miyaichi.

Yeah, there was a reason I didn't start the "WTF loans list"

[BWFC_Insane]

Interesting after todays match as to people's thoughts on Fossey v Bradley.

I loved watching fossey last year , electric pace but slightly suspect defensively.
Bradley from watching him today is clearly a cut above, I was surprised when IE stated earlier that Bradley was always the number one pick back in January but now I see why.

Young Conor will never be our player, neither will Trafford, but would we give up a Bradley loan for a Fossey permanent?
The team is trying to advance up the football pyramid and there is no doubt that should we achieve our promotion aim half a dozen of the current squad would be moved on next year. When we as a team are in transition then players like Bradley and Trafford are invaluable in our quest for advancement, who knows next year if championship football is achieved we could be signing real quality players of our own.

Bradley is obviously a very good player and will be a better player than Fossey in his career.

I think with the injuries it’s safer to have Bradley. In any given situation who do I think would be more effective for us? Probably Fossey as he has that pace and running power that is very hard to deal with.

But that’s how it is. And the hint from Evatt is that his injury perhaps persists this summer and is why he is still at Fulham.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Loans are crucial to a side wanting promotion. I haven't got time for a deep dive but Wigan borrowed two defenders who gave them half a season each; Rotherham got 82 games out of three loanees; Sheff Wed an astonishing 167 out of their nine. We simply can't afford - competitively or financially - not to examine those kind of options.

As I've said, there are two types of loans: wunderkinder we're unlikely to keep unless their ideal career trajectory dips (Bradley, Trafford), and slightly older ones for whom that's already happened (Dapo, Fossey). I hope we can pick up a couple of the latter this month and/or Jan, because they can become financial assets. There is a risk in being a shop window – we managed to keep Dapo but clearly Fossey fancied gearing up a division - but it's the main way I can see our financial plan working.

[Bruce Rioja]

Indeed, but for evey Sturridge and Wilshire, there's an Ostomebor, a Boyata and a Miyaichi.

Yeah, there was a reason I didn't start the "WTF loans list"

We should do that.

John Gregory
Mike Ring
Martin Pike

[Worthy4England]

Moreno, Ballista, Big Mario (rather than Super Mario), the Premier League's first Mexican..