January 2023 Transfer Window

[GhostoftheBok]

Not physically there for the Championship but he would be for League One? Not really sure what he means by that.

General feeling is that the Championship has more "Premier League type" athletes in it. 6'+, muscular and quick.

Williams is like shit off a shovel, but there are enough quick fullbacks in the Championship who are stronger than him to give him a hard time.

Fullbacks who can run fast, are strong and can play a bit don't tend to last long at League One level.

That's been the view of 'ull folk I've asked, anyway.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

My take on it is that if Evatt simply doesn't rate him [Beck] then he should go back. If he's a player Evatt is okay playing against the lesser lights, but not against the top sides, he still have utility - especially if he will improve game-on-game.

Aren't those the teams that we should be front-foot and hoping Randell will tear them apart, especially if they sit deep?

I like most of what I've seen of Beck, which isn't much, but we definitely solidified when Iredale came back in - barring that late Shrewsbury clusterf*ck. The thing is that we have replaced Iredale (effectively a LB) with Williams (effectively a LW) so we no longer have that 'solid' option, which as BWFCi says you might want for the tougher games. Unless it's dear old Gethin, with Toal brought in at RCB? (Assuming Gethin eventually retakes that position – again, could be horses for courses there.)

Anyway. Priorities for me? I nod thoughtfully at the Prufrock idea of "best available" – I'd still take a wunderkind striker if offered - but that's skirting the issue. Mostly I'd like a tough box-to-box ball-winner, but of course he'd have to be good on the ball too, which makes him a bit of a unicorn. Again, I think they're out there, perhaps languishing underused in someone's reserves or outgrowing a Big Academy side.

One other thing - the BN/Iles word that we're after two attacking players - does that include Randell Williams, despite the intention to play him at LWB?

[GhostoftheBok]

Aren't those the teams that we should be front-foot and hoping Randell will tear them apart, especially if they sit deep?

so we no longer have that 'solid' option, which as BWFCi says you might want for the tougher games.

One other thing - the BN/Iles word that we're after two attacking players - does that include Randell Williams, despite the intention to play him at LWB?

Yes, those are the teams you'd want torn apart, but it's probably optimistic to think Randell can play every game. If we have to pick and chose, you'd expect him to play more of the big games as he will be our best LWB by a distance. You can make tactical arguments about solidity and I'm all here for that, but ultimately he'll be in the best 11.

I agree with Insane that Iredale being out really hits our tactical options.

No, I don't think Randell is the other forward - but I could be wrong. Evatt has basically said that the issue he's identified is the obvious one, we've gone into the season assuming Dapo and Dempsey will match previous season's dribbling numbers and they've not got close. I think Randell and Nlundulu are both here to fix that side of things. Yes, they can hopefully both score some too, but I think Markham's magic number machine spat those two out as solutions to creativity issues cause by crap dribbling numbers in the final third. That might (I'm guessing, as ever) mean we still want someone who will kick the ball very hard into the net over and over.

Our top scorer is Charles, who has scored a good number of goals, but who has also missed so many sitters you start to wonder if he sometimes puts his boots on the wrong feet. Evatt made a comment to the effect of "Yes, Charles has scored, but we need to look at how many he has missed." That might indicate there's room for a "natural goal scorer" sort of player. Dunno.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Our top scorer is Charles, who has scored a good number of goals, but who has also missed so many sitters you start to wonder if he sometimes puts his boots on the wrong feet. Evatt made a comment to the effect of "Yes, Charles has scored, but we need to look at how many he has missed." That might indicate there's room for a "natural goal scorer" sort of player. Dunno.

Quite possibly. I like Dion a lot - he works extremely hard, and I can't remember seeing a player run at such pace for so long in apparently lost causes - and he could well nudge 20 goals this season, but if we look deeper into that 11-goal record... 3 of them are in cups, 4 were penalties. Yes, someone has to score them, but let's separate signal from noise.

His remaining 4 league goals - from 19 league starts and 2 subs - were against teams who at kick-off were 18th (Oxford), 15th (Bristol Rovers), 13th (Shrewsbury) and 13th (Exeter). No goals in 77 minutes at Ipswich, 28 (as sub) v Sheff Wed, 90 at Plymouth, 75 home to Barnsley, 79 v Derby, 72 at Barnsley (barring the penalty, which was very welcome and made me punch the air, but isn't quite what we're talking about here).

Wasn't dissimilar last season. Barring the marvellously freakish Sunderland game - again, very welcome - he scored against teams we started in 18th, 11th, 15th, 19th and 20th. He got nothing in 67 minutes at Wycombe, 70 v Ipswich, 78 at Oxford, 90 at MK, 72 v Plymouth, 64 at Wigan, 90 v Pompey, 90 v Sheff Wed. Props again for his Sunderland display - 2 goals, 1 assist - but again, it really is an outlier.

What I'm driving at is that Dion is a useful third-division striker. I like him, I admire his attitude, and he'll score. All his goals were welcome - some of them were glorious - and such goals can be the bedrock upon which promotions are built, but successful seasons tend to be decided in games against the better teams, and he just hasn't been doing that.

Perhaps that's because - and here we slide from stats into opinion - he seems to need three chances to score one goal, and you don't often get three chances against the best teams. Maybe one day I'll be bored enough to dig into shots per goal, etc, but it's notable that even the manager is talking about the ones he's missed. And they are sometimes surprising. I was at Gillingham last season and he slapped wide a chance so simple that every manjack in the away end threw their hands to their heads and turned to each other asking "How the...?" As if to demonstrate, he then did it again. As it happens we won comfortably, thanks to other strikers and a daft home red, but again you don't keep getting such chances in the biggest games.

One more time. I like him. I'd keep him, for now. I would also dearly love him to score tomorrow, and then repeat the trick against Pompey and Derby and Posh and all of them. But I wouldn't be surprised if we were looking to upgrade. We have to, in all positions, and certainly up at the sharp end.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

The prick is three weeks younger than me. How did that happen?

Imagine the wtf in another 10-20 years

[TANGODANCER]

Maybe least qualified in live attendance knowledge, but I've always trusted what I know and my instincts. I also love a player who keeps at it come what may. I was proud to always cheer on Kev Davies when other supporter were ever ready to down him. Charles is such a player. For my own reasons I'd have Dion Charles as first name on the sheet every week, closely followed by Jon Dadi. Feel free to boo if you wish. I also believe in fairy tales ans Sonic's kettle.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Maybe least qualified in live attendance knowledge, but I've always trusted what I know and my instincts. I also love a player who keeps at it come what may. I was proud to always cheer on Kev Davies when other supporter were ever ready to down him. Charles is such a player. For my own reasons I'd have Dion Charles as first name on the sheet every week, closely followed by Jon Dadi. Feel free to boo if you wish. I also believe in fairy tales ans Sonic's kettle.

Oh I love him dearly as a player, and he sets the tone – always harrying, never giving in. Then again, same could be said about Kachunga, and we've got better since he left the starting XI.

If we got an upgrade, it would still be a pleasure to see Dion come on - imagine the poor buggers in their defence getting run ragged - and he could start against weaker teams, because he'll score. I'm just saying if we need to kick on, we need a more reliable main scorer.

[jmjhb]

On a slightly related note, and perhaps better suited to the other thread, which players with contracts expiring in June would you offer a new contract to by summer?

[jmjhb]

My take on it is that if Evatt simply doesn't rate him [Beck] then he should go back. If he's a player Evatt is okay playing against the lesser lights, but not against the top sides, he still have utility - especially if he will improve game-on-game.

Aren't those the teams that we should be front-foot and hoping Randell will tear them apart, especially if they sit deep?

I like most of what I've seen of Beck, which isn't much, but we definitely solidified when Iredale came back in - barring that late Shrewsbury clusterf*ck. The thing is that we have replaced Iredale (effectively a LB) with Williams (effectively a LW) so we no longer have that 'solid' option, which as BWFCi says you might want for the tougher games. Unless it's dear old Gethin, with Toal brought in at RCB? (Assuming Gethin eventually retakes that position – again, could be horses for courses there.)

Anyway. Priorities for me? I nod thoughtfully at the Prufrock idea of "best available" – I'd still take a wunderkind striker if offered - but that's skirting the issue. Mostly I'd like a tough box-to-box ball-winner, but of course he'd have to be good on the ball too, which makes him a bit of a unicorn. Again, I think they're out there, perhaps languishing underused in someone's reserves or outgrowing a Big Academy side.

One other thing - the BN/Iles word that we're after two attacking players - does that include Randell Williams, despite the intention to play him at LWB?

Jay Matete fits the bill but it looks like he is going to tomorrow's opponents.

[The_Gun]

On a slightly related note, and perhaps better suited to the other thread, which players would you offer a new contract to by summer?

Do you mean those with contracts expiring this year? If so, I’d offer Lee another year, JDB and MJ two years each.

[Worthy4England]

The prick is three weeks younger than me. How did that happen?

Imagine the wtf in another 10-20 years

Yeah, I've got shoes older than Kieran.

[jmjhb]

On a slightly related note, and perhaps better suited to the other thread, which players would you offer a new contract to by summer?

Do you mean those with contracts expiring this year? If so, I’d offer Lee another year, JDB and MJ two years each.

Yes, sorry, it wasn't clear

[officer_dibble]

I know the Kit man at 'ull and he told me this..

"got a lot of ability but for numerous reasons he's not really had a chance with us. Should be a good player in league 1 but he's not physically there for the Championship.

He's fast and got a good left foot"

Great ITK

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

On a slightly related note, and perhaps better suited to the other thread, which players would you offer a new contract to by summer?

Do you mean those with contracts expiring this year? If so, I’d offer Lee another year, JDB and MJ two years each.

These are they:
Joel Dixon (9/12/93)
Will Aimson (3/6/94)
MJ Williams (6/11/95)
Kieran Lee (22/6/88)
Josh Sheehan (30/3/95)
Lloyd Isgrove (12/1/93)
Elias Kachunga (22/4/92)
Amadou Bakayoko (1/1/96)
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (25/5/92)

It rather depends which division we're in. Some of these could do a job in D3, but D2 might be a stretch.

I've left the DOBs on because Bod will be 31 in summer – in fact, a few days before the play-off final. He's a good lad but I'm not sure I'd offer him two years. One, perhaps - if he'd take it.

Aimson is also a good bloke, but is that enough? He might get a year – which would take him to his 30th birthday – as a Good Bloke Behind The Scenes... but with all other centre-backs (Santos/Iredale/Johnston/Toal/Jones) locked in for longer, if Evatt wants to upgrade in that department then Aimson is his only chance of contractual "natural wastage".

MJ does a job nobody else does. Unless we're confident we can get one or two upgrades on his type of player, I can see him getting a year or two - depending on which division we're in.

Sexy Kieran has been ace and still leads from the front. Probably a medical call on him but i can see his staying for a year for the experience – perhaps, unlike others here, especially if we go up.

Sheehan has a lot to prove and four months to prove it. Isgrove has done well but is running out of road. Kachunga seems a model pro but we need better. Baka, that decision might be made this month. And Dixon, well, let's just assume right now we need to hire two keepers next summer - it's tempting to try to get one now but they don't tend to move much mid-season.

[officer_dibble]

I think Aimson deserves to go and be number one (or five!) centre half somewhere. He’s a very good defender and he’s filled in really well for us this season.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I can check tomorrow but does anybody know how close we are to the EFL squad limit? That relatively disappointing summer may have left some gaps… although that’s not the same as staying within budget.

League One squad limit is 22 excluding goalkeepers and U21s.

Taking out Dixon (GK), Thomason (underage, for the final season) and the three loanees (all underage), we have these:

CONTRACTED TO JUNE 2023: 8
Will Aimson (3/6/94)
MJ Williams (6/11/95)
Kieran Lee (22/6/88)
Josh Sheehan (30/3/95)
Lloyd Isgrove (12/1/93)
Elias Kachunga (22/4/92)
Amadou Bakayoko (1/1/96)
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (25/5/92)

JUNE 2024: 6
Gethin Jones (13/10/95)
George Johnston (1/9/98)
Declan John (30/6/95)
Kyle Dempsey (17/9/95)
Kieran Sadlier (14/9/94)
Dapo Afolayan (11/9/97)

JUNE 2025: 6
Ricardo Santos (18/6/95)
Eoin Toal (15/2/99)
Jack Iredale (2/5/96)
Aaron Morley (27/2/00)
Randell Williams (30/12/96)
Dion Charles (7/10/95)

...8+6+6=20, so we're still two under the limit. Nlundulu will make it 21. One more space before outgoings.

[brommers95]

My take on it is that if Evatt simply doesn't rate him [Beck] then he should go back. If he's a player Evatt is okay playing against the lesser lights, but not against the top sides, he still have utility - especially if he will improve game-on-game.

Aren't those the teams that we should be front-foot and hoping Randell will tear them apart, especially if they sit deep?

I like most of what I've seen of Beck, which isn't much, but we definitely solidified when Iredale came back in - barring that late Shrewsbury clusterf*ck. The thing is that we have replaced Iredale (effectively a LB) with Williams (effectively a LW) so we no longer have that 'solid' option, which as BWFCi says you might want for the tougher games. Unless it's dear old Gethin, with Toal brought in at RCB? (Assuming Gethin eventually retakes that position – again, could be horses for courses there.)

Anyway. Priorities for me? I nod thoughtfully at the Prufrock idea of "best available" – I'd still take a wunderkind striker if offered - but that's skirting the issue. Mostly I'd like a tough box-to-box ball-winner, but of course he'd have to be good on the ball too, which makes him a bit of a unicorn. Again, I think they're out there, perhaps languishing underused in someone's reserves or outgrowing a Big Academy side.

One other thing - the BN/Iles word that we're after two attacking players - does that include Randell Williams, despite the intention to play him at LWB?

Jay Matete fits the bill but it looks like he is going to tomorrow's opponents.

Now confirmed. Hopefully they didn’t get the paperwork done in time for him to feature tomorrow.

[GhostoftheBok]

Plymouth are top of the league and signing players we'd have seen as hugely improving our squad.

That can't be good.

[GhostoftheBok]

On Dion - I am there with DSB on this one. Love him as a player and right now I'd like to be able to see him and Dad Bod start every match. He's missing too many, though. We have Dad Bod and Charles up there who are terrific, hard-working players. Kachunga, Baka, Dapo, etc...they all work their socks off. Yet we're not scoring enough goals and the best chances are being missed by Dion.

How you solve that issue I don't know. In the best of all possible worlds Dion finds his shooting boots and becomes a Championship-level striker almost immediately. Anyone who can run and harass like that AND finishes well is worth a go at that level.

I get the KD comparison, but I don't recall KD missing as many sitters - he simply didn't get as many chances as he was there to create space for others to score. And others did score. Dion is supposed to be scoring loads of goals in this system and isn't.

He can be part of a terrific League One side. I want him to be part of a terrific League One side. Evatt may look at another option, though; if only to try and make sure Dion feels that positive pressure on his position that might get him to improve.

What may happen is that the arrival of these (statistically) superior dribbling players offers us lots more simple chances, Dion stops snatching at things and suddenly starts banging them in for fun. I think we'd all be happy to see that, because he's a very popular player. That may be the Evatt plan, having spent money on Dion and backing him to be that guy.

If Dion remain the future of that position for us I'd expect a proper '10' to arrive. Part of me does expect a striker, though.

Dion's finishing. Dapo's ability to play the current system. Dempsey's consistency and fitness. Those are, for me, the lingering issues that have to be addressed. If Dion started to finish his chances, Dapo was suddenly the '10' we were told he could be and Dempsey found form...what a side that is with the new arrivals. Lack of a magic wand means we're unlikely to see all those come to fruition.

*edit* You could, of course, put Dion next to a Shearer and that problem is different - we signed Nlundulu, though. If he comes in for Dad Bod and hammers them in then Dion is suddenly once again just an excellent tactical option whose profligacy can be forgiven.

[Bruce Rioja]

What's the "priority" for everyone now? Not my usual thing of "what might Evatt do?"

I wonder when Evatt's going to address the goalkeeping situation, and his record in this department to date (with the notable exception of Trafford) is shocking. Is he even capable of addressing it? We've seen for years now how it's not a position he prioritises, however, surely he can now see the difference between a Crellin and a Trafford - not just in terms of actually stopping the ball crossing the line, but the difference a good keeper makes to the entire team.

I mean, right now we're in a position whereby we don't even have adequate cover to cover a player who isn't even ours. Very risky.

So yes, I'd love to see us bring in a capable young keeper who can train with Trafford for the remainder of this season, who'll be capable of taking over for 23/24.