Deal or no deal? - Summer 2022 Transfer gossip!

[KeyserSoze]

The trouble for anyone coming in at RWB (and it does now look like Bradley is the guy) is they have to live up to the myth of Fossey. If Bradley gets an assist in a game then Marlon would have got 3. Any time he fails to get a decent cross in it would have been a goal if Fossey had put the ball in.

This lad is very, very young. Marlon, Morley, Dapo, Johnston etc came in as "youngsters" in their 20s - 3 of the 4 were 5 years older than Bradley. Hopefully people have a bit of patience.

The aim is promotion. We aren’t trying to develop other clubs players. We will sign players Evatt thinks can lead us to promotion. And any player is judged on that. And rightly so. If he isn’t the player to do that then it’s down to the judgement call.

These aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

[BWFC_Insane]

The trouble for anyone coming in at RWB (and it does now look like Bradley is the guy) is they have to live up to the myth of Fossey. If Bradley gets an assist in a game then Marlon would have got 3. Any time he fails to get a decent cross in it would have been a goal if Fossey had put the ball in.

This lad is very, very young. Marlon, Morley, Dapo, Johnston etc came in as "youngsters" in their 20s - 3 of the 4 were 5 years older than Bradley. Hopefully people have a bit of patience.

The aim is promotion. We aren’t trying to develop other clubs players. We will sign players Evatt thinks can lead us to promotion. And any player is judged on that. And rightly so. If he isn’t the player to do that then it’s down to the judgement call.

These aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

Oh indeed. They aren’t. But we sign players we think help our aim of promotion. Or should be. Not ones that don’t improve us or aren’t ready.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Two new recruits in for the B team. Nelson Khumbeni and Lynford Sackey. A DM recently released by Norwich and a ex-Royal who plays all along the right side, respectively.

https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2022/june/b ... -check-in/

Never heard of 'em. Could be diamonds in the rough

On a serious note, good luck to 'em. Both 19 so could be drafted into the first-team squad as underage.
I have some decisions to make on the Contract Expiry thread... keep the Bs separate? Gonna assume they're all one on-year terms.

[TonyDomingos]

I have some decisions to make on the Contract Expiry thread... keep the Bs separate? Gonna assume they're all one on-year terms.

You could start a B list, but won't lads be coming and going relatively frequently, which would require constant updating? Plus, do we care (in the nicest possible sense)?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I have some decisions to make on the Contract Expiry thread... keep the Bs separate? Gonna assume they're all one on-year terms.

You could start a B list, but won't lads be coming and going relatively frequently, which would require constant updating? Plus, do we care (in the nicest possible sense)?

Fair. The contract expiry thread is really there to keep an eye on squad building, impending possibility of churn, which players we need to get extended etc. The B-boys would kinda have to force their way into the first-team picture to be of real note.

That said, I've kept an eye on the kids with pro contracts. They're all our lads. (And I don't think they'll be coming and going at a rate of knots - there'll be major churn every summer, but I can't imagine half of them leaving mid-season.)

I'm thinking a separate B list under the main one. No need for a new thread or owt.

[Prufrock]

The trouble for anyone coming in at RWB (and it does now look like Bradley is the guy) is they have to live up to the myth of Fossey. If Bradley gets an assist in a game then Marlon would have got 3. Any time he fails to get a decent cross in it would have been a goal if Fossey had put the ball in.

This lad is very, very young. Marlon, Morley, Dapo, Johnston etc came in as "youngsters" in their 20s - 3 of the 4 were 5 years older than Bradley. Hopefully people have a bit of patience.

The aim is promotion. We aren’t trying to develop other clubs players. We will sign players Evatt thinks can lead us to promotion. And any player is judged on that. And rightly so. If he isn’t the player to do that then it’s down to the judgement call.

These aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

Oh indeed. They aren’t. But we sign players we think help our aim of promotion. Or should be. Not ones that don’t improve us or aren’t ready.

I don't think anyone disagrees with that. But there's some room between don't improve us and are as good as Marlon. And there is as good as overall, and the same type of player.

There might be a difference in exactly how big that gap is, but it exists

[GhostoftheBok]

Oh indeed. They aren’t. But we sign players we think help our aim of promotion. Or should be. Not ones that don’t improve us or aren’t ready.

A player can be a good signing and still need time. They can also be a good signing and have to be judged on their own merits.

Our aim absolutely is to develop loan players. Both because we want them to get better for us over the season and because we want clubs to send us more.

Judging an 18 year old next to the myth of a 23 year old is, perhaps, unwise. Some will do it anyway.

[TonyDomingos]

BN has a piece on the link with the Liverpool lad (whose career we've all been following avidly ever since he turned out for Huyton under-11s).
The headline says we're "first in the queue" for him, but that isn't substantiated in the article.
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/2 ... er-gossip/

[GhostoftheBok]

BN has a piece on the link with the Liverpool lad (whose career we've all been following avidly ever since he turned out for Huyton under-11s).
The headline says we're "first in the queue" for him, but that isn't substantiated in the article.
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/2 ... er-gossip/

Different window this time around, you'd think. Previously we've had interest in players who've not had many (if any) other offers - at least at our level. All gets a bit tight when other clubs are interested too and you've no real money to speak of.

If there is other interest then the fact it's a loan will help. It's not like he's being offered bigger money elsewhere. If we can sell our approach to Liverpool then the chances are we'll get the player. Proximity will likely help.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Think “first in the queue” was Nixon’s phrase. Well, that and “no whitewash in the White House”.

[BWFC_Insane]

Oh indeed. They aren’t. But we sign players we think help our aim of promotion. Or should be. Not ones that don’t improve us or aren’t ready.

A player can be a good signing and still need time. They can also be a good signing and have to be judged on their own merits.

Our aim absolutely is to develop loan players. Both because we want them to get better for us over the season and because we want clubs to send us more.

Judging an 18 year old next to the myth of a 23 year old is, perhaps, unwise. Some will do it anyway.

I disagree. In the context of being a Bolton fan it’s only correct that we judge in that way. Because as a club we need to make the decisions that best prepare us for promotion. So if we sign a player for the first team regardless of their age if they aren’t the right choice then you judge that in the context of wanting the club to have got it right. It might be harsh for an 18 year old but the
fact is they aren’t the thing being judged it’s the decision making.

[TonyDomingos]

Think “first in the queue” was Nixon’s phrase. Well, that and “no whitewash in the White House”.

showing your age there, DSB (or you've got a degree in "American studies").

[GhostoftheBok]

I disagree. In the context of being a Bolton fan it’s only correct that we judge in that way. Because as a club we need to make the decisions that best prepare us for promotion. So if we sign a player for the first team regardless of their age if they aren’t the right choice then you judge that in the context of wanting the club to have got it right. It might be harsh for an 18 year old but the
fact is they aren’t the thing being judged it’s the decision making.

Sure, but how you judge a player and how quickly are what we're talking about.

What matters with these loan players is their impact over a 50+ game season, not the first few games. It's also not right to judge one player only next to another - you have to judge them in their own right. There's also no point pretending Fossey was perfect and trying to judge a new player next to that

On top of that, the club has to develop players like Trafford and (possibly) Bradley if we want to get more loans in the future.

If we loan a player and he's crap then there was no point. There's more to it than that, though.

[BWFC_Insane]

I disagree. In the context of being a Bolton fan it’s only correct that we judge in that way. Because as a club we need to make the decisions that best prepare us for promotion. So if we sign a player for the first team regardless of their age if they aren’t the right choice then you judge that in the context of wanting the club to have got it right. It might be harsh for an 18 year old but the
fact is they aren’t the thing being judged it’s the decision making.

Sure, but how you judge a player and how quickly are what we're talking about.

What matters with these loan players is their impact over a 50+ game season, not the first few games. It's also not right to judge one player only next to another - you have to judge them in their own right. There's also no point pretending Fossey was perfect and trying to judge a new player next to that

On top of that, the club has to develop players like Trafford and (possibly) Bradley if we want to get more loans in the future.

If we loan a player and he's crap then there was no point. There's more to it than that, though.

The club should only be interested in maximising it’s chances of promotion next season. Nothing else.

So recruit the best possible player for each position. End of as far as I’m concerned. Build the best team you can anything else is folly.

The thing about Fossey is that what he was good at was exactly the things we lacked. The direct pace and running power. The things you need in the team. And the things he wasn’t as good at were negated by the subsequent shift in system. His style shifted us from a sideways team into one that has an outlet in behind out wide on a consistent basis and he upped the tempo of our play.

These are the things we need players to bring in to the side. Whether it’s a direct RWB replacement or we sign a few players with those attributes, they are key for me in making us a) a far more palatable watch and b) maximising our chance of being up there come May 2023.

[GhostoftheBok]

The club should only be interested in maximising it’s chances of promotion next season. Nothing else.

So recruit the best possible player for each position. End of as far as I’m concerned. Build the best team you can anything else is folly.

Any recruitment team that does it's business based purely on the next 12 months wants sacking.

Evatt needs a squad in place that gives him a good chance of promotion. We will absolutely be working on a more long term basis, though.

[BWFC_Insane]

The club should only be interested in maximising it’s chances of promotion next season. Nothing else.

So recruit the best possible player for each position. End of as far as I’m concerned. Build the best team you can anything else is folly.

Any recruitment team that does it's business based purely on the next 12 months wants sacking.

Evatt needs a squad in place that gives him a good chance of promotion. We will absolutely be working on a more long term basis, though.

We are literally signing 12 month loan deals for players we won’t be able to sign on a longer term basis. So please don’t give me that.

Sure it’s nice to look towards the longer term. But loans from top premiership clubs are about getting a player who is the best we can possibly recruit for the here and now. If that isn’t the case then yes the recruitment team wants sacking.

[nicholaldo]

I'm really pleased to read this morning that we have an interest in Jack Tucker.

I think he's one Ghost is keen on too, if my memory serves me correctly.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Think “first in the queue” was Nixon’s phrase. Well, that and “no whitewash in the White House”.

showing your age there, DSB (or you've got a degree in "American studies").

Watergate (from which all others -gates flowed) was waaaay before my time, all of not quite two years before I emerged. But I do watch a lot of documentaries. (For the record: BA (Hons) Communication Processes, University of Humberside)

I'm really pleased to read this morning that we have an interest in Jack Tucker.

I think he's one Ghost is keen on too, if my memory serves me correctly.

Tip your memory, it's a good servant. Our youth-football expert has his knowledgable eyes on many a prize, but Ghost is/was (Tiswas) particularly taken with Tucker in the position we need most. Brommers also speaks well of him: https://bwfcanalysis.wordpress.com/2022 ... tre-backs/

[GhostoftheBok]

I'm really pleased to read this morning that we have an interest in Jack Tucker.

I think he's one Ghost is keen on too, if my memory serves me correctly.

Tucker and Iredale were both on my "best we can get" list. If we can get t'other Jack in then we've probably got the two best defensive free agents available from League One.

[nicholaldo]

Well, that was short lived - Nixon reports he's signing for McDons.