Snog, Marry, Avoid: Summer 2023 Transfer Window

[The_Gun]

I know feck all about Ashworth, other than that his dad is a top operator. Maybe (hopefully) this spells the end of Declan John’s time here.

[sonicthewhite]

Could also solve the problem of being able to let John bugger off now.

[officer_dibble]

That could well be that for Dec John then?

[TonyDomingos]

Clinton Baptiste here: does this spell the end of Declan John? Just a feeling I'm getting.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Could also solve the problem of being able to let John bugger off now.

That could well be that for Dec John then?

As Worthy noted, feels like Dec has been hailing a taxi for the last two or three windows. I was hoping Wrexham might throw money at him and us, but they're clearly not rushing.

What I would say is that losing Declan John because we've loaned a 20-year-old with 18 League appearances is only going to increase the divide between the two tribes of Trust The Process and What The F*ck.

[GhostoftheBok]

As Worthy noted, feels like Dec has been hailing a taxi for the last two or three windows. I was hoping Wrexham might throw money at him and us, but they're clearly not rushing.

What I would say is that losing Declan John because we've loaned a 20-year-old with 18 League appearances is only going to increase the divide between the two tribes of Trust The Process and What The F*ck.

The "WTF!?" crowd would have a point.

We are now back to 4 for the left defensive positions and 4 for the right.

Forrester, Jones, Cogley, Sadlier
Iredale, Ashworth, Williams, John

Ashworth's versatility would allow us to let John go now, if we had an offer; but he'd still need replacing. Same goes for Sadlier down the right. Jones gives us cover, but we couldn't leave the window without replacing Sads.

[Mar]

As Worthy noted, feels like Dec has been hailing a taxi for the last two or three windows. I was hoping Wrexham might throw money at him and us, but they're clearly not rushing.

What I would say is that losing Declan John because we've loaned a 20-year-old with 18 League appearances is only going to increase the divide between the two tribes of Trust The Process and What The F*ck.

The "WTF!?" crowd would have a point.

We are now back to 4 for the left defensive positions and 4 for the right.

Forrester, Jones, Cogley, Sadlier
Iredale, Ashworth, Williams, John

Ashworth's versatility would allow us to let John go now, if we had an offer; but he'd still need replacing. Same goes for Sadlier down the right. Jones gives us cover, but we couldn't leave the window without replacing Sads.

Ashworth sounds like he could be a decent acquisition given we've presumably signed him to be fourth choice left back ala Beck from last season.

Presumably were just easing financial burdens on WBA whilst securing a bit of squad depth. Can't imagine him being ahead of John in the pecking order.


As for Dack, why not. If the finances work and we're able to deal with it then sure. Decent signing if he can play at the standards he used to. That being said it might just be another Jan Kirchoff esque transfer.

[BWFC_Insane]

As Worthy noted, feels like Dec has been hailing a taxi for the last two or three windows. I was hoping Wrexham might throw money at him and us, but they're clearly not rushing.

What I would say is that losing Declan John because we've loaned a 20-year-old with 18 League appearances is only going to increase the divide between the two tribes of Trust The Process and What The F*ck.

The "WTF!?" crowd would have a point.

We are now back to 4 for the left defensive positions and 4 for the right.

Forrester, Jones, Cogley, Sadlier
Iredale, Ashworth, Williams, John

Ashworth's versatility would allow us to let John go now, if we had an offer; but he'd still need replacing. Same goes for Sadlier down the right. Jones gives us cover, but we couldn't leave the window without replacing Sads.

Ashworth sounds like he could be a decent acquisition given we've presumably signed him to be fourth choice left back ala Beck from last season.

Presumably were just easing financial burdens on WBA whilst securing a bit of squad depth. Can't imagine him being ahead of John in the pecking order.


As for Dack, why not. If the finances work and we're able to deal with it then sure. Decent signing if he can play at the standards he used to. That being said it might just be another Jan Kirchoff esque transfer.

He’s been brought in as cover for a variety of positions but I don’t think a 20 year old with experience at this level comes on loan to sit on the bench so I suspect he plays more often than not. It might just be he plays LWB, centre mid and left centre back as required.

I’m not adverse to John going but if we add Ashworth and then John goes it means we’ve not really built in that flexibility or extra squad depth.

The question still remains as to where the quality and established star signings required to kick us on are? It’s all very much filling holes rather than making improvements. Evatt promised us permanent cash signings that would improve us yet we are sat here discussing a loan and potentially a free. It very much feels like we didn’t have much of a plan beyond the early targets that we didn’t sign.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

He’s been brought in as cover for a variety of positions but I don’t think a 20 year old with experience at this level comes on loan to sit on the bench so I suspect he plays more often than not. It might just be he plays LWB, centre mid and left centre back as required.

I’m not adverse to John going but if we add Ashworth and then John goes it means we’ve not really built in that flexibility or extra squad depth.

The question still remains as to where the quality and established star signings required to kick us on are? It’s all very much filling holes rather than making improvements. Evatt promised us permanent cash signings that would improve us yet we are sat here discussing a loan and potentially a free. It very much feels like we didn’t have much of a plan beyond the early targets that we didn’t sign.

Well, yes and no - or perhaps no and yes. If the lad can, as advertised, play LWB, LCB, 6 and 8 then that's a lot more flexibility than Dec, who in recent times has only played LWB (or actually, given his distaste for tracking back, more like LW). Agree that one-in, one-out doesn't give us more depth numerically, although if the fella's a Swiss Army Knife it allows for more changes, including in-game.

But yeah, much of your final par rings true. Ashworth is promising but not the finished article, and we were promised finished articles. I don't agree that the absence of newcomers necessarily means "we didn't have much of a plan beyond" Wilson/Baccus – as the old military saw has it, no plan survives first contact with the enemy, and we have plenty of enemies for the type of players we want. But another old military saw notes that while plans are worthless, planning is everything, and this feels like a plan for the future as well as this season. It's the sort of signing that would get a hopeful nod of the head if coming after a Big Name - but as Pru says, you can't always get them in the order you want.

TL,DR: Not a signing to empty out Camp Underwhelmed, and I understand that.

[Worthy4England]

I agree there will be plenty of plans - cunning or otherwise - and you can't always get what you want, when you want. Where I have some difficulty is the "work in progress" tag (it has other names) which is applied as a mitigation or at the very least a reason why the cunning plan might not have worked. For me all teams are pretty much always works in progress which has some nuances maybe when you do a fire sale on relegation or a bit of a splurge when you get promoted but stay up on the last day. As with any sports team, outside of purely social, you're always seeking improvement and sometimes you lose a player you'd rather not, too.

I think for the first three/four years, we rightly gave plenty of leeway, on the basis that we started from signing anyone who had boots. I don't think it's necessarily too controversial to suggest that a good few folks (I'll not say we), think we probably hit a workable baseline over the course of last season. One that we needed to improve and build on for the stated aim of getting to the Champo.

I'm still in the camp of "Leave it to the management," because despite things like we've sold Aimson, North West counties here we come, the progress, has been decent and last year probably hit most folks levels of expectation. I suspect some folks stopped thinking top 2, by Christmas, then we had a bit of a wobble on top 6.

I'm less sure how forgiving people would have been had we finished 7th and I think the season would maybe have been viewed somewhat differently. This season, I think there's a problem, if say we had a really lacklustre start. Probably the first time I've thought this under Evatt's reign. I don't think "couldn't quite get who we wanted so we saved the dosh" after a £4.5m bond issue will carry the same weight.

Here's to hoping.

[GhostoftheBok]

You can't have a bigger budget, in a supposedly weaker league, and finish lower than you did the season before. Not if you want to maintain the mystique of being a Premier League manager in the making.

That part of the conversation isn't really that difficult.

[Worthy4England]

You can't have a bigger budget, in a supposedly weaker league, and finish lower than you did the season before. Not if you want to maintain the mystique of being a Premier League manager in the making.

That part of the conversation isn't really that difficult.

Lovely summation.

[Bertie Wooster]

Just for entertainment, it's now gone from Dack to Carlos Mendes Gomes.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Leaving it late for the 5pm Dack unveiling

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Just for entertainment, it's now gone from Dack to Carlos Mendes Gomes.

Interesting, as I think CMG might be just what we're after, performing as a winger cosplaying as a wingback

I mean, he's not Dack, but he's decent

[BWFC_Insane]

Just for entertainment, it's now gone from Dack to Carlos Mendes Gomes.

Interesting, as I think CMG might be just what we're after, performing as a winger cosplaying as a wingback

I mean, he's not Dack, but he's decent

I’d be happy with CMG so long as Evatt just let him play as that high wing back and let him cause havoc.

[GhostoftheBok]

Gomes is an interesting one as I could just as easily see him playing 10 as RWB.

Given the noise north of the border about Strain I'd guess 10, but I mentioned him to Insane before as a "thinking outside the box" RWB, so I'll take either.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Gomes is an interesting one as I could just as easily see him playing 10 as RWB.

Given the noise north of the border about Strain I'd guess 10, but I mentioned him to Insane before as a "thinking outside the box" RWB, so I'll take either.

Aye, like Ashworth he's another flexible player who you could move during the game as needs be. If he starts at 10 and we're chasing a goal, you move him to RWB and bring on a third forward, etc and so on

[BWFC_Insane]

Gomes is an interesting one as I could just as easily see him playing 10 as RWB.

Given the noise north of the border about Strain I'd guess 10, but I mentioned him to Insane before as a "thinking outside the box" RWB, so I'll take either.

He’s another who I don’t think works in an Evatt system as number 10. He’s quick. He needs some space to work with. You might see him there in a counter attacking team. But I don’t see him as the sort of clever pressed and prober we need with how Evatt plays. Unless we are trying to become a transitional team and worry much less about possession.

[GhostoftheBok]

He’s another who I don’t think works in an Evatt system as number 10. He’s quick. He needs some space to work with. You might see him there in a counter attacking team. But I don’t see him as the sort of clever pressed and prober we need with how Evatt plays. Unless we are trying to become a transitional team and worry much less about possession.

Not sure I agree with that after what we saw of him at Fleetwood. However, I'd be happy to see him down the flank, at 10 or even as a striker.

He's just a very good attacker for the level, with phenomenal work rate for such a skilful player.