January 2022 Transfer Thread

[BWFC_Insane]

No, he means he thinks he'd be capable of playing in our best starting eleven should the squad have a clean bill of health not the best starting eleven we could name tomorrow. It was a comment on what he think is required to properly compete at the top end of this league.

I know, which is why I said I don't agree with him and he will be disappointed by Evatt.

I understand what BWFCi is saying. That's why I don't agree with him.

If Darren Pratley strikes you as an ideal addition to this side, with what Evatt has said about how he wants to play, that's a bold call.

Which side doesn’t have a balance and does well? And how do you want to deal with the likes of Rotherham if we are always out muscled?

For me Pratley of 2017 vintage is completely and totally what we need. Someone who can do Lee’s role but with more emphasis on physicality and covering ground. If we can find one who is also technically gifted great. But adding another technically gifted but physically weak midfield player won’t improve us. So the priority has to be balancing out our qualities just like we did last January.

We are now three points off the relegation zone. Going down would be disastrous and has to be avoided at all costs. If Evatt stubbornly refuses to balance the qualities needed then it will be very frustrating if we drop for lack or some who can physically compete.

[GhostoftheBok]

At no stage have I read the posts in this thread today and thought any poster was asking for Evatt to sign big lumps who can't pass a football.

No, nobody means to.

The question is what does it realistically mean when someone wants to favour physicality above other requirements.

On free transfers, in League One, with competitors who can offer more money, you're stretching to find these guys. Insane has said that you simply have to make sacrifices on the technical ability of players. We won't drop below a certain standard in that area. Not only won't, but can't. You just break the squad in a different way by doing so. The primary requirements for an Evatt player will always be ability with a football and work rate. The bigger and stronger a lad is the less exceptional he needs to be technically to affect games, but there's a tipping point where he simply can't execute the play in midfield that Evatt needs. Pratley didn't have that ability. Sarce was cutting it very, very fine at this level (he wasn't good enough) - which is why he wasn't getting a new deal.

Maybe I am just radically missing the points people are making to me. It's always possible. I don't have to accept other people's framing of an argument, though - just as they don't have to accept mine.

[GhostoftheBok]

For me Pratley of 2017 vintage is completely and totally what we need. Someone who can do Lee’s role but with more emphasis on physicality and covering ground. If we can find one who is also technically gifted great. But adding another technically gifted but physically weak midfield player won’t improve us. So the priority has to be balancing out our qualities just like we did last January.

We are now three points off the relegation zone. Going down would be disastrous and has to be avoided at all costs. If Evatt stubbornly refuses to balance the qualities needed then it will be very frustrating if we drop for lack or some who can physically compete.

Yeah, so I did understand the argument. I just disagree.

You're asking for a completely different approach to coaching. It's not going to happen. The fundamental basis of Evatt's entire coaching style is technical, focused around ball retention, space creation and rotation. Prats can't play that way.

Not much point carrying this on, as I said before.

[GhostoftheBok]

Just for the record, were we Rotherham or Wigan fans, with their managers and our squad, you'd be right.

We're not, though.

Evatt isn't looking to influence games in the same way. I think, fundamentally, you don't believe his style of play can work - at least not at this level. If you're right, he'll be out of a job soon.

[BWFC_Insane]

For me Pratley of 2017 vintage is completely and totally what we need. Someone who can do Lee’s role but with more emphasis on physicality and covering ground. If we can find one who is also technically gifted great. But adding another technically gifted but physically weak midfield player won’t improve us. So the priority has to be balancing out our qualities just like we did last January.

We are now three points off the relegation zone. Going down would be disastrous and has to be avoided at all costs. If Evatt stubbornly refuses to balance the qualities needed then it will be very frustrating if we drop for lack or some who can physically compete.

Yeah, so I did understand the argument. I just disagree.

You're asking for a completely different approach to coaching. It's not going to happen. The fundamental basis of Evatt's entire coaching style is technical, focused around ball retention, space creation and rotation. Prats can't play that way.

Not much point carrying this on, as I said before.

No. You simply create a false in internet binary every single time with some imaginary ‘can’t do what Evatt wants’. It’s not true. Pratley would be better than most of the players we have in midfield. He can absolutely do the job required he could keep the ball and move it without being David Silva.

It also has nothing to do with styles. Wigan came to our place, played our game, high press, executed it far better than we ever have and thumped us with the same sort of football we aspire to play. The fact is they have some better players…including McClean (one Evatt told us we had better than) who are strong, and technically gifted and a strong and commanding back four. Yet they play the same sort of football we do.

Evatt recently cited Liverpool as a model. Liverpools midfield recently against Chelsea was Milner, Fabinho and Henderson. We don’t have relative to the level three players in midfield with those attributes. If he wants to play like Liverpool then we need those physical, hard running midfield players. You can’t make the system work without that.

And Lee is not going to play every game. And isn’t a physically dominating Milner or Fabinho.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Breaking news: Prufrock hands in transfer request to The-Wanderer.co.uk, due to irreconcilable differences with any forum capable of citing Darren Pratley as a role model.

"I can't believe we paid that man £14,000 a week," he sobbed.

[nicholaldo]

Pratley, while not technically brilliant, was technically sound enough to be a key component in midfield for both Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers.

The suggestion that he, or a player similar to him, would represent such a problem for Evatt and his coaching philisophy, or that he can't or shouldn't adapt our approach to accommodate such a player seems to me to be an overstatement.

I agree we couldn't sign a squad of players with all the necessary ingredients required for a promotion charge in the third tier over the few transfer windows (and not least the circumstances we were operating under) since the takeover but I don't think the argument we (or Evatt) should think about introducing those qualities into our squad now is so ridiculous to warrant outright dismissal.

[GhostoftheBok]

He can absolutely do the job required he could keep the ball and move it without being David Silva.

Again, this is a bit pointless. We've no way to test this. I don't think Prats could play Evattball. You do. Okay. Where do you want to go with that?

I also don't think every player in the side needs to be David Silva, which you seem to keep saying I insist on. Williams isn't some vaunted technician, he's just of a high standard for his position at this level. Kachunga isn't Messi, but his technical game is good enough for his work rate and other qualities to work for us - if it was all about technique for me I'd not have been saying how important I think he can be in this set up.

Kachunga we can realistically assess. Not an amazing technician, but is good enough and his work rate is really important. Williams, not an amazing technician, but holds us together in the middle at vital times. Charles won't be David Silva either, but I seem okay with us signing him. We could go on, but we don't need to.

[GhostoftheBok]

Pratley, while not technically brilliant, was technically sound enough to be a key component in midfield for both Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers.

The suggestion that he, or a player similar to him, would represent such a problem for Evatt and his coaching philisophy, or that he can't or shouldn't adapt our approach to accommodate such a player seems to me to be an overstatement.

I agree we couldn't sign a squad of players with all the necessary ingredients required for a promotion charge in the third tier over the few transfer windows (and not least the circumstances we were operating under) since the takeover but I don't think the argument we (or Evatt) should think about introducing those qualities into our squad now is so ridiculous to warrant outright dismissal.

This is another where I'm not inclined to argue about it. I like Prats, I'm not doing him down. If Prats were in this squad right now he would start. He would be a problem, though - just as Sarce was a problem. Not having Sarce is a bigger problem, because we've no alternatives; but he was a point of failure.

Rogers and Martinez both play "proper" football, but their style is not Evatt's style.

[officer_dibble]

Do you know what I’ve had a few beers and I’m struggling with the intensity of the argument. Have we re-signed Darren pratley?

[GhostoftheBok]

Do you know what I’ve had a few beers and I’m struggling with the intensity of the argument. Have we re-signed Darren pratley?

We all agreed via priivate messages to fake this discussion to wind up Pruf.

[GhostoftheBok]

To take this back to the thread topic. If it turns out we have signed Morley, what else (aside from our desperate need for Darren Pratley) do people think we need to either survive or thrive in this league?

Charles, Fossey, Morley and Xav (who is essentially a new signing due to fitness) would have been added. Waddaya want?

[nicholaldo]

He can absolutely do the job required he could keep the ball and move it without being David Silva.

Again, this is a bit pointless. We've no way to test this. I don't think Prats could play Evattball. You do. Okay. Where do you want to go with that?

I think the main disagreement between the two of you isn't whether a player like Pratley can play Evattball but that he thinks we should compromise on the idealism of Evattball to introduce the "balance" needed to compete and you don't (or at least don't think Evatt will, which, right or wrong, is a different thing).

[Bertie Wooster]

Ghost, what exactly is Evatt ball ? and what would you say is Evatt ball ?

Because based on what I've seen in the past 18 months or so the current BWFC Evatt ball (although better than Parky hoof ball by some distance) is slow & ponderous tippy tappy 'backwards & sideways' possession try & play out from the back football with absolutely no end product, its very slow transition low intensity football, not much pressing or remotely looking like we are fitter than the opposition, abysmal at set pieces both defensively & attacking.

I have yet to see any evidence of this mythical Evatt ball / Barrowcelona football we heard before he came here OR even any proof that Evatt has any idea in how to introduce this at BWFC. He has said that he did this at Barrow but why are we not seeing anything like this at BWFC - is it the much higher quality of opposition in the football league OR have we simply not got the quality of players to play this in league 1 and if so what type of player does he need to bring in to start playing Evatt ball successfully ?

By the way I didn't really rate Pratley apart from his 1st season when he was very good, energetic and all over the pitch.

[officer_dibble]

Charles, Fossey, Morley and Xav (who is essentially a new signing due to fitness) would have been added. Waddaya want?

To not see Liam Gordon play again
Keeper
Centre half
Goal scoring mid

[GhostoftheBok]

I think the main disagreement between the two of you isn't whether a player like Pratley can play Evattball but that he thinks we should compromise on the idealism of Evattball to introduce the "balance" needed to compete and you don't (or at least don't think Evatt will, which, right or wrong, is a different thing).

Yeah, basically. I think Evatt has compromised quite a bit. There's a point where Evatt's basic coaching set ups just won't work with Insane's compromises, though. Evatt isn't going to totally change how he coaches the players, nor is he going to coach them one way and then ask them to play another on a Saturday.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes.

[Prufrock]

We do not need a Darren F*cking Pratley type. We never need a Darren Pratley type ever-a-f*cking-gain. Old Toblerone boots? He'd make Sarcevic look like Djorkaeff.

Honestly, I leave you all unsupervised for a couple of hours and this is where you've got to? Christ alive. Those horrible horrible days are over.

I'm sure he was a good egg, but he was a shite footballer.

[Bertie Wooster]

To take this back to the thread topic. If it turns out we have signed Morley, what else (aside from our desperate need for Darren Pratley) do people think we need to either survive or thrive in this league?

Charles, Fossey, Morley and Xav (who is essentially a new signing due to fitness) would have been added. Waddaya want?

With all due respect to Morley I'd personally rather we sign Adrian Morley the ex rugby player as this team needs some leaders and some steel in the team, not another young midfielder with potential. Regardless of how talented this young Morley is really do need a combative midfielder (who we could make captain) to make this team tick, someone in central midfield who would battle, tackle, fight, lead and then let the likes of Dapo, Ameachi go and play.

Btw dibs I've also had a few.

[Prufrock]

Breaking news: Prufrock hands in transfer request to The-Wanderer.co.uk, due to irreconcilable differences with any forum capable of citing Darren Pratley as a role model.

"I can't believe we paid that man £14,000 a week," he sobbed.

Ha! Read me like a book. Give your heads a wobble.

[GhostoftheBok]

Ghost, what exactly is Evatt ball ? and what would you say is Evatt ball ?

Because based on what I've seen in the past 18 months or so the current BWFC Evatt ball (although better than Parky hoof ball by some distance) is slow & ponderous tippy tappy 'backwards & sideways' possession try & play out from the back football with absolutely no end product, its very slow transition low intensity football, not much pressing or remotely looking like we are fitter than the opposition, abysmal at set pieces both defensively & attacking.

I have yet to see any evidence of this mythical Evatt ball / Barrowcelona football we heard before he came here OR even any proof that Evatt has any idea in how to introduce this at BWFC. He has said that he did this at Barrow but why are we not seeing anything like this at BWFC - is it the much higher quality of opposition in the football league OR have we simply not got the quality of players to play this in league 1 and if so what type of player does he need to bring in to start playing Evatt ball successfully ?

By the way I didn't really rate Pratley apart from his 1st season when he was very good, energetic and all over the pitch.

I'm trying to figure out how to answer that without boring you to death with 6+ paragraphs, mate.