January 2023 Transfer Window

[BWFC_Insane]

So, again (as nobody answered the first time): given finite finances, do we sign lots of not so good players or one or two good ones?

Given finite finances I’d have suggested we keep the 4 strikers we had until we got to the point we had secured better within the budget.

As it is we’ve sold two of the four. For around £550K and had one injury. Leaving us with three out of four gone. And one in.

I might be pretty average at maths but given those very basic numbers we are two down on where we need to be. And where Evatt wanted us start of the season.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

So, again (as nobody answered the first time): given finite finances, do we sign lots of not so good players or one or two good ones?

Signing lots of not so good players sounds like a pretty poor option.

Given that we are already paying 25 players, fewer good ones.

All perfectly reasonable. So which positions do we not strengthen then?

Nobody disputes we need another striker or two. To me our shallowest position is now central midfield, where MJ and Sheehan are insufficient backups for Morley and (nee-naw) Dempsey. If central midfield doesn't work, the team doesn't.

But some are also calling for more centre-backs. And wingbacks. Meanwhile, none of us dare mention the goalkeeping situation.

It's possible we might shed an Isgrove, but I doubt his salary is in the top two-thirds. Saves us a space, but wage-wise doesn't free much. Our problem is that we have lost two regular starters and we still have to pay them.

Me? I would be tempted to go with what we have at centre-back, and possibly wingback too. I would be searching for another 8 in midfield (and hoping Shola is good enough at 10 to allow Lee to offer some cover, if only for part of a game). And with January goalkeeper moves rare, I would be praying to God above that Trafford doesn't get injured.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

So, again (as nobody answered the first time): given finite finances, do we sign lots of not so good players or one or two good ones?

Given finite finances I’d have suggested we keep the 4 strikers we had until we got to the point we had secured better within the budget.

As it is we’ve sold two of the four. For around £550K and had one injury. Leaving us with three out of four gone. And one in.

I might be pretty average at maths but given those very basic numbers we are two down on where we need to be. And where Evatt wanted us start of the season.

That's not an answer, it's a hindsight-written complaint. Try again. Commit yourself to an answer. Which department would you leave unstrengthened?

[GhostoftheBok]

And it’s why we had four strikers in the squad on top of him.

We didn't, though - by your reckoning of Kacha not being one. Dapo started more games in other positions than he did as a striker. Evatt was fairly clear that he believed he could adapt to play as a 10. Kachunga has played more games as a striker this season than has Dapo.

So if we went into the season "with 4 strikers" then Kacha was one of them.

Principle example of that would be early in the season when we played Plymouth. We started Kachunga and Charles up front with Dempsey in behind. When the subs came, Dapo came on to play 10 and Baka for Kacha.

Like I say, it's fine for you to say "I wish Kachunga wasn't part of the squad", but he is.

[BWFC_Insane]

So, again (as nobody answered the first time): given finite finances, do we sign lots of not so good players or one or two good ones?

Given finite finances I’d have suggested we keep the 4 strikers we had until we got to the point we had secured better within the budget.

As it is we’ve sold two of the four. For around £550K and had one injury. Leaving us with three out of four gone. And one in.

I might be pretty average at maths but given those very basic numbers we are two down on where we need to be. And where Evatt wanted us start of the season.

That's not an answer, it's a hindsight-written complaint. Try again. Commit yourself to an answer. Which department would you leave unstrengthened?

We’ve put ourselves in a position where we need two strikers. I think that means we need two strikers and don’t have the luxury of strengthening elsewhere now. I don’t think from the noises being made that we are seriously looking at midfield anyway. Maybe a defender.

For me it’s not hindsight. If you have 4 strikers and sell two you need to replace them. The fact we haven’t as yet is concerning. We should have had the players ready to join.

[GhostoftheBok]

The reality is that both Kacha and Dapo were signed to play in a different system and we are now shifting the squad to the new system as quickly as we can.

I don't think Kacha will be here next season and I don't think Evatt would sign him now, for this system, if he were doing it again.

Evatt has played to his strengths, though. Which is why our PPG with Kacha in the team is pretty good.

The fact Kacha has come in for one system and has played an important role in an entirely different one is testament to why managers like him.

[BWFC_Insane]

And it’s why we had four strikers in the squad on top of him.

We didn't, though - by your reckoning of Kacha not being one. Dapo started more games in other positions than he did as a striker. Evatt was fairly clear that he believed he could adapt to play as a 10. Kachunga has played more games as a striker this season than has Dapo.

So if we went into the season "with 4 strikers" then Kacha was one of them.

Principle example of that would be early in the season when we played Plymouth. We started Kachunga and Charles up front with Dempsey in behind. When the subs came, Dapo came on to play 10 and Baka for Kacha.

Like I say, it's fine for you to say "I wish Kachunga wasn't part of the squad", but he is.

We’d ditched the Dapo at number ten experiment and hence Dapos largest volume of starts have been up front. And I’d note that he was ahead of Kachunga up front before his suspension. As was Bod.

It’s nothing to do with wishing. If he’s part of the squad and a striker then he’s demonstrably terrible. And if he’s the man to fire us to promotion then fine. But again the call and outcome is all on Evatts head and he will be judged by the crowd on the results. If he believes Kachunga is the man to score the goals then good luck to him. But no excuses. It’s his judgement on the line.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

We’ve put ourselves in a position where we need two strikers. I think that means we need two strikers and don’t have the luxury of strengthening elsewhere now. I don’t think from the noises being made that we are seriously looking at midfield anyway. Maybe a defender.

For me it’s not hindsight. If you have 4 strikers and sell two you need to replace them. The fact we haven’t as yet is concerning. We should have had the players ready to join.

Still doesn't sound like an answer to the question I asked. I don't want to know what you make of the noises. I want to know what you'd do in this situation.

Also, didn't you say you hadn't seen Dapo for three months? Struggling to recall, too, where you enthused about Baka and the massive hole he would leave in the squad.

It's obvious to the point of fatuousness that it's always better to get your replacements in before shedding players. But it's not always possible. And it's always an extra financial risk. What happens if we sign Player X to replace Player A, then Player A gets injured - as clearly happens? Answer: Lumbered with wage.

[GhostoftheBok]

We’d ditched the Dapo at number ten experiment and hence Dapos largest volume of starts have been up front.

So you accept that we did come into the season with Kacha as a striker? Meaning the "We came into the season with 4 strikers and 3 have gone" argument is dead, right? Which is why I thought you were crazy in the summer when you said our strike force would terrify teams at this level and couldn't understand why you acted as though I was being weird asking for another striker.

Awesome. We're done with that issue then.

So we have two of the "strikers" we came into the season with, have signed one and claim to be actively after another.

In an ideal world you would like us to replace Kachunga with a goalscorer. I think most people would agree that would be ideal. It would have been ideal in the summer, but we couldn't get it done then and circumstances make it even harder now.

[GhostoftheBok]

The maths at the minute seems to be...

Dapo for Shoretire
Baka for Nlundulu
Dad Bod injured

We wanted to cover the lack of goals from Kacha by stretching the budgets to another striker, but with Dad Bod out the new boy just becomes a replacement, rather than augmentation. The finances remain just as tight, because we're still paying the big man.

A richer club would almost certainly try and buy two more strikers. If we could find a second one in budget then I daresay we might do it. I don't think you can go off on one about the manager making bad choices if we don't, though. It's not "his judgement on the line", it's the realities of our finances.

As to "do we choose between a defender or a striker?"...that's probably not a choice. Strikers are typically paid vastly more and cost more in fees too. So it's probably more likely to be "Do we get a defender or not do anything else?"

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Is it just me worried about midfield depth?

[BWFC_Insane]

The lens through which the Dapo sale is examined changes once you know Bod is out for the season. And we’ve known that for a week.

So whilst it’s hindsight for me it’s not for Evatt.

We’ve left ourselves short. As Evatt has said this week. He’s also said we didn’t need the Dapo money to sign our striker. So….

[BWFC_Insane]

We’d ditched the Dapo at number ten experiment and hence Dapos largest volume of starts have been up front.

So you accept that we did come into the season with Kacha as a striker? Meaning the "We came into the season with 4 strikers and 3 have gone" argument is dead, right? Which is why I thought you were crazy in the summer when you said our strike force would terrify teams at this level and couldn't understand why you acted as though I was being weird asking for another striker.

Awesome. We're done with that issue then.

So we have two of the "strikers" we came into the season with, have signed one and claim to be actively after another.

In an ideal world you would like us to replace Kachunga with a goalscorer. I think most people would agree that would be ideal. It would have been ideal in the summer, but we couldn't get it done then and circumstances make it even harder now.

What are you talking about? Dapo started the season UP FRONT. We didn’t have Charles or Bod available but neither had long term injuries.

We came into the season with Dapo playing up front. We had on the books Dapo, Baka, Bod and Charles.

Kachunga was a weird extra who could cover a number of roles ineptly in all cases.

If your argument was that Kachunga was ahead of those 4 as a striker it’s not borne out in reality. He hasn’t been picked ahead of those options when they are fit other than in rotation.

If Kachunga was ahead of Dapo as a striker he would have started the season there. He did not.

We had flexibility only because the system was not set in stone early days. It is now.

[GhostoftheBok]

Is it just me worried about midfield depth?

In terms of quality/suitability, no - it isn't just you.

We have plenty of bodies, but it's the Kachunga/Sadlier issue. Sheehan and Williams don't really fit that well into what we want to be doing now.

Again, though, what do we do about it? If we fix all the fairly obvious issues and can't shift lads on we'll have a 30 man squad.

[GhostoftheBok]

What are you talking about? Dapo started the season UP FRONT. We didn’t have Charles or Bod available but neither had long term injuries.

We came into the season with Dapo playing up front. We had on the books Dapo, Baka, Bod and Charles.

Kachunga was a weird extra who could cover a number of roles ineptly in all cases.

If your argument was that Kachunga was ahead of those 4 as a striker it’s not borne out in reality. He hasn’t been picked ahead of those options when they are fit other than in rotation.

If Kachunga was ahead of Dapo as a striker he would have started the season there. He did not.

We had flexibility only because the system was not set in stone early days. It is now.

Evatt has said he wanted Dapo to adapt to play 10.

The "Dapo was a striker from the start" is, I assume, relying on the Wycombe and Wednesday games where Evatt wanted combativeness in midfield but still needed a dribbler. The other games it was Baka, Charles or Kacha - or a 4-3-3 for a brief moment.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Is this still the Dapo that was said to be invisible for three months?

[GhostoftheBok]

It's worth noting we're all basically talking a bit of bollocks here, because Evatt was (at that time) trying to build a hybrid squad - so neither Dapo nor Kacha were actually "strikers" to Evatt. Just like Sadlier wasn't really a wingback to Evatt. All three are arguably victims of that dead policy.

I mean, I assume that project is dead now; but I could be wrong.

[Prufrock]

Is it just me worried about midfield depth?

No. But if it helps slightly ease that issue, there's more chance of BWFCi coming out of this window tipping us to win the league then Dempsey disappearing for, ahem, legal issues any time soon. He's only just appeared in the Mags to plead.

In a properly functioning criminal justice system that trial would still be over 6 months away. Now? I think the most likely option will be "do you remember when Kyle Dempsey played for us? We'll he's just had his trial and..."

[Worthy4England]

This is a nonsense, to me, in many ways.

We've sold 2 players. Both scored a good few last season, but one, Baka, has missed a shedload from 6 yards out this and Dapo has 3 in the league, so let's hypothesize that N'lundulu is Baka's replacement for goals - you'd hope he could manage one, so no worse off, he might manage a few

That means we've only lost one other player from what we had, through sales, which is Dapo, about whom the following was posted "4 games unbeaten without Dapo btw. 0 conceded and 7 scored. Just saying like. When I said I didn’t think we’d miss him on his ban I didn’t expect it to go this well. But in fairness I don’t think he’s done enough this season for his ability. ..."

Every squad gets injuries. we're no different, they don't all go out and try and buy two additional strikers, to cover for the one that's got injured (as most times it's not in the window). We've unloaded 4 League goals - and Eoin Toal has got more than Baka, this season. As yet, we've not seen enough of any of our new signings (or I haven't) to see if they're actually any good. One of them hasn't pulled a shirt on yet.

I've been told we've got the "10" we were after, I'll wait and see - that's neither a positive nor a negative - I just duuno TBF. He looked lively at times in the PJT.

So I'm at 2 out, 3 in, in terms of squad. Baka, Dapo out, LWB, No 10, additional forward in. Subconsciously, I have that as N'lundulu for Baka, Shortire for Dapo (who everyone has said was playing out of position and not a 10) and a LWB who prior to the window people were screaming out for. Like most, I'll judge any further "outs" as/if they occur.

So to Dad Bod. Mins per goal pretty good, but he's still only added 3 this season and one of those was a gimmie off a faulty back pass.

And the world is falling in....It might, but I'll give it a chance...

[TANGODANCER]

Just a shout for a man who's become our "Mr Reliable" up front. There every game and willing to play ninety minutes on the run every match. I'm talking Dion Charles of course who happens to be our best scoring outlet to boot. Asset..too right. Go Dion...