Deal or no deal? - Summer 2022 Transfer gossip!

[brommers95]

I saw a tweet tonight claiming we are signing Nathan Bishop, a young goalkeeper from Manchester United, on a season-long loan.

It was only one tweet and I would normally just ignore it, but:

1. The person tweeting was a Mansfield Town supporter, the club Bishop played for last season

2. His Twitter account seems genuine (as opposed to the innumerable bullshit transfer rumour merchants) and it would seem a strange thing to make up

3. He (Bishop) at first glance appears to fit the mould; young, England youth international, local, currently at a "big club", ready to step up to the third tier

4. I think, but stand to be corrected, we might've been linked with him last season

Perhaps there's something in it?

Certainly has a lot of logic to it with him being at a local academy and United wanting to test him at a higher level.

However, I can't help feel like we need a bit of continuity at the position or a bit more experience via an older head if we want to be up the right end of the division next season.

Still praying we can get Trafford back

[GhostoftheBok]

I saw a tweet tonight claiming we are signing Nathan Bishop, a young goalkeeper from Manchester United

We will be talking to a number of players, you'd imagine. I'd be disappointed if we were not touching base with half a dozen players for every position we need to fill.

I know next to nothing about Bishop, other than being told he's a decent prospect. He fits Evatt's profile, though. England youth international etc.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

ISTR Bishop was linked with us in January before Traf landed. Could be wrong though.

EDIT - it was actually Jan 2021.

viewtopic.php?p=1098559#p1098559

viewtopic.php?p=1098744#p1098744

[Mar]

Would be nice to get some certainty in the goalkeeping department rather than starting the season wondering whether or not the new goalkeeper will be competent enough to do a job. Slightly got that impression at the start of this season with Gilks but alas was not to be.

Wonder if as a club we'd be getting paid to train up these young goalkeepers as a feeding ground for the bigger teams.

[boltonboris]

Would be nice to get some certainty in the goalkeeping department rather than starting the season wondering whether or not the new goalkeeper will be competent enough to do a job. Slightly got that impression at the start of this season with Gilks but alas was not to be.

Wonder if as a club we'd be getting paid to train up these young goalkeepers as a feeding ground for the bigger teams.

I don't think we'll be getting paid, but I do think we'll be possibly getting loans without having to cover any wages / agents fees etc

[BWFC_Insane]

Be a bit gutting if Traf doesn’t come back as he was the perfect choice for an Evatt side and had an air of calm that I think helped massively. People underestimate how much a keeper being in control of themselves and the back line makes a difference.

Again I thought he would be back given the nature of his development and how well we suit him.

[Mar]

Would be nice to get some certainty in the goalkeeping department rather than starting the season wondering whether or not the new goalkeeper will be competent enough to do a job. Slightly got that impression at the start of this season with Gilks but alas was not to be.

Wonder if as a club we'd be getting paid to train up these young goalkeepers as a feeding ground for the bigger teams.

I don't think we'll be getting paid, but I do think we'll be possibly getting loans without having to cover any wages / agents fees etc

Seems a reasonable assessment given our predicament, especially if we're looking at bringing in another loanee for that role. Don't suspect that it would've been our first choice to loan to keep the wages down, given that we brought in Dixon last season.

Be interesting to see what happens with Dixon. Pre-season is a chance to start fresh and possibly get back in contention.

[BWFC_Insane]

Would be nice to get some certainty in the goalkeeping department rather than starting the season wondering whether or not the new goalkeeper will be competent enough to do a job. Slightly got that impression at the start of this season with Gilks but alas was not to be.

Wonder if as a club we'd be getting paid to train up these young goalkeepers as a feeding ground for the bigger teams.

I don't think we'll be getting paid, but I do think we'll be possibly getting loans without having to cover any wages / agents fees etc

Seems a reasonable assessment given our predicament, especially if we're looking at bringing in another loanee for that role. Don't suspect that it would've been our first choice to loan to keep the wages down, given that we brought in Dixon last season.

Be interesting to see what happens with Dixon. Pre-season is a chance to start fresh and possibly get back in contention.

If we start the season with Dixon then we aren’t setting ourselves up for a serious push at promotion.

A lower level league two keeper at best. It’s a key position. The gulf between him and Trafford was and is enormous.

You can’t hide a struggling keeper and Dixon simply is not good enough.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

If we start the season with Dixon then we aren’t setting ourselves up for a serious push at promotion.

A lower level league two keeper at best. It’s a key position. The gulf between him and Trafford was and is enormous.

You can’t hide a struggling keeper and Dixon simply is not good enough.

You and I have disagreed on many things, and I have often accused you of overstatement. But here I think I'm more or less right behind you.

Dixon isn't Crellin bad, but he's not very good. He was hired because he's comfortable on the ball, but some of his key goalkeeping stats last season were indeed in the bottom six of the bottom division, so even with other extenuating circumstances it's no great shock to note that we were bottom-six form with him in the team. I bear Dicko no ill will at all but I would also be amazed if he were to be part of a third-tier promotion team.

To repeat myself, I also worry that he's a prime example of Evatt not exactly scouring the earth for goalkeepers: he's hired his old Blackpool team-mate, a kid his old Blackpool team-mate suggested, his old Barrow goalkeeper he inherited in non-league, and a loanee kid from the local champions. Hopefully Markham will be serving up better suggestions.

[Mar]

If we start the season with Dixon then we aren’t setting ourselves up for a serious push at promotion.

A lower level league two keeper at best. It’s a key position. The gulf between him and Trafford was and is enormous.

You can’t hide a struggling keeper and Dixon simply is not good enough.

You and I have disagreed on many things, and I have often accused you of overstatement. But here I think I'm more or less right behind you.

Dixon isn't Crellin bad, but he's not very good. He was hired because he's comfortable on the ball, but some of his key goalkeeping stats last season were indeed in the bottom six of the bottom division, so even with other extenuating circumstances it's no great shock to note that we were bottom-six form with him in the team. I bear Dicko no ill will at all but I would also be amazed if he were to be part of a third-tier promotion team.

To repeat myself, I also worry that he's a prime example of Evatt not exactly scouring the earth for goalkeepers: he's hired his old Blackpool team-mate, a kid his old Blackpool team-mate suggested, his old Barrow goalkeeper he inherited in non-league, and a loanee kid from the local champions. Hopefully Markham will be serving up better suggestions.

Might simply be a case of Evatt not knowing what qualifies as a good goalkeeper. Certainly Evatt has a style of play that is befitting of someone who is good with their feet but I think our side needs more than that and it's a level of composure that is needed when things aren't working out. I'm sure Dixon would've benefitted from launching the ball up field against Evatt's instructions at times, but the whole panicking at the back ended up costing us.

It's not going to be an easy position to fill given what Evatt requires and our desire to play out from the back. Maybe time out of the first team squad has helped Dixon to progress. Heck Crellin managed to get a move to Everton.

[Worthy4England]

But isn't that sort of why you have a team around you, to help you ratify your thinking and in some cases provide that expertise around any slightly blind spots you might have? I guess with Crellin, that might have been more to do with Phoenix, but by the time we get to Dixon, we're firmly in Evatt/Markham territory and he was certainly disappointing first half of last season....

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Maybe time out of the first team squad has helped Dixon to progress. Heck Crellin managed to get a move to Everton.

Crellin came to us having just turned 20. Dixon's 28 and didn't play a league game until he was 26.

[Prufrock]

I broadly agree it looks a blind spot but a bit of advocacy for Satan:

Crellin - made sense on paper, a sort of League Two Trafford, young, highly rated (England youth appearances) came recommended by Gilks. Obviously he was shite but that can happen

Gilks - fixed the Crellin issue. I still wasn't really convinced but he was part of a team that had a full half season of title winning form in L2. So can see why we stuck with him. Think he had Covid over the summer, obviously struggled, b nightmare against McDons and that was that.

Dixon - we were clearly on much more of a budget last summer. Think he was signed as a number 1.5. Probably to be backup to Gilks but hopefully would push him. He started pretty well but yeah, not good enough. I think he's an adequate back up but wholeheartedly agree we aren't going up if he's number 1 next year.

Trafford - pretty unmitigated success. An upgrade on the Crellin template.

The next one matters though, and I'm worried about a kid. I can see the appeal, and if it's (another) Trafford then great, but if they sink we're back to Joel and... That could be that for the season. It would be a risky approach.

[BWFC_Insane]

Trafford was a good keeper. And he for me would be first choice. If it’s not possible I’d like us to go and sign a permanent established keeper. You can’t keep borrowing kids because some will sink and some swim but as I say keeper is too specialist a role to just hide a struggling one.

It’s such a crucial position. How many games did we lose due to a dodgy bit of keeping and how many did we lose because the other keeper pulled off two or three great saves to keep us out?

In an Evatt side they need to be calm and composed and good on the ball. Not many about like that. But I think trying out kids is not right. If we get it wrong it’s half a season and likely promotion gone.

EDIT: Pru and I just cross posted and more or less are saying the same thing. What a day.

[Prufrock]

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

[Worthy4England]

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

[officer_dibble]

We have less players to sign this summer - I’d be looking at the Plymouth keeper who got in last seasons team of the season over the lad from Portsmouth if we can’t sort Trafford.

[bw@bw]

We have less players to sign this summer - I’d be looking at the Plymouth keeper who got in last seasons team of the season over the lad from Portsmouth if we can’t sort Trafford.

Is the Pompey keeper not another City loanee? One place above Trafford in their pecking order

[brommers95]

Looks like Bazunu is off to Southampton. Potentially £10m

[BWFC_Insane]

Yeah I think some getting a bit carried away with that suggestion.

Trafford or a proper experienced keeper for this level. I’d like to see this happen quickly as it’s essential they have time to get used to the defence.