Snog, Marry, Avoid: Summer 2023 Transfer Window

[Prufrock]

I mean what on earth do you expect him to say when we're still trying to sign players ?

"Oh aye yeah we're minted, loads of money, don't injure what to do with it but we need to spend it somehow"

[BWFC_Insane]

I mean what on earth do you expect him to say when we're still trying to sign players ?

"Oh aye yeah we're minted, loads of money, don't injure what to do with it but we need to spend it somehow"

What normal managers would say. We need to build up our back room and also make investments in the squad to make sure we are better than last season.

Last season he was offered ‘exceptional players’ but didn’t sign them cos he didn’t want to ‘upset the balance’ or whatever. I would have liked some exceptional players and maybe with them we’d not have failed against Barnsley.

[Worthy4England]

I'm trying to find the "exceptional players" quotes he's made, because the similar quotes he made around last deadline day, paraphrasing, had a bit more to it, that ran something akin to "on rockstar money"

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

So much flapping, I’m wondering how we can harness it to the National Grid.

Manager constantly derided for underperforming from set pieces says he might hire a set piece expert. Suddenly it’s assumed we’re selling Dion and a floodlight to afford it…

[Worthy4England]

You know how much we'd save in leccy bills with one less floodlight? It'll pay for itself by October.

[BWFC_Insane]

So much flapping, I’m wondering how we can harness it to the National Grid.

Manager constantly derided for underperforming from set pieces says he might hire a set piece expert. Suddenly it’s assumed we’re selling Dion and a floodlight to afford it…

The point is we need both better players and the set piece specialists.

[Bertie Wooster]

Perhaps if we had better players we wouldn't need a set piece coach, as the better players would be better at set pieces ?

Also, I have to question this requirement for a set piece coach or specialist - surely Evatt and his coaching team should be capable of coaching set pieces, it's basic stuff you learn as a kid. Can they not teach players how to beat the 1st man at corners & have players attacking the ball instead of being static on delivery (on the odd occasion that they beat the 1st man).

[BWFC_Insane]

Perhaps if we had better players we wouldn't need a set piece coach, as the better players would be better at set pieces ?

Also, I have to question this requirement for a set piece coach or specialist - surely Evatt and his coaching team should be capable of coaching set pieces, it's basic stuff you learn as a kid. Can they not teach players how to beat the 1st man at corners & have players attacking the ball instead of being static on delivery (on the odd occasion that they beat the 1st man).

I think an analyst who looks at opposition attacking and defensive set pieces is good. Ideally then someone who can coach solutions to it. It’s about capacity isn’t it? Evatt and coaches can only do so much. Specialists for me make sense.

But the key is firstly having the players able to execute and we don’t have anyone who can consistently take a corner.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

So much flapping, I’m wondering how we can harness it to the National Grid.

Manager constantly derided for underperforming from set pieces says he might hire a set piece expert. Suddenly it’s assumed we’re selling Dion and a floodlight to afford it…

The point is we need both better players and the set piece specialists.

I agree. I dare say Evatt does. Did he say anywhere that he's not going to sign any more players?

Or did he just say he won't pay over the odds?

Do you want him to pay over the odds?

Didn't you just say he'd done that for Nlundulu?

Also, I have to question this requirement for a set piece coach or specialist - surely Evatt and his coaching team should be capable of coaching set pieces, it's basic stuff you learn as a kid.

Thing is Bertie, there's another team on the pitch, and they've also been learning since they were kids – how to defend set pieces.

Almost all top-flight clubs have set-piece specialists in the back room. Liverpool were derided for hiring a throw-in analyst until it got them about 10 extra goals in the first season.

A new analyst/coach is buttons compared to a player. Evatt won't be blowing his budget on analysts, he's just using some of it to make a sensible hire in an area that even Evatt-lovers have said w've underperformed in.

I know it's summer and the signings have slowed, but this is such a story about nothing it's almost Seinfeld.

[BWFC_Insane]

So much flapping, I’m wondering how we can harness it to the National Grid.

Manager constantly derided for underperforming from set pieces says he might hire a set piece expert. Suddenly it’s assumed we’re selling Dion and a floodlight to afford it…

The point is we need both better players and the set piece specialists.

I agree. I dare say Evatt does. Did he say anywhere that he's not going to sign any more players?

Or did he just say he won't pay over the odds?

Do you want him to pay over the odds?

Didn't you just say he'd done that for Nlundulu?

Also, I have to question this requirement for a set piece coach or specialist - surely Evatt and his coaching team should be capable of coaching set pieces, it's basic stuff you learn as a kid.

Thing is Bertie, there's another team on the pitch, and they've also been learning since they were kids – how to defend set pieces.

Almost all top-flight clubs have set-piece specialists in the back room. Liverpool were derided for hiring a throw-in analyst until it got them about 10 extra goals in the first season.

A new analyst/coach is buttons compared to a player. Evatt won't be blowing his budget on analysts, he's just using some of it to make a sensible hire in an area that even Evatt-lovers have said w've underperformed in.

I know it's summer and the signings have slowed, but this is such a story about nothing it's almost Seinfeld.

To go up we need better players. As most think we are weaker than last season. So we need to see improvements in quality in key areas in the squad. I’m not sure I believe you can achieve improvements if you don’t want to invest more wages into those players as generally you will get what you pay for.

We aren’t going to be spending millions - nobody expects that. But it’s concerning that we had two players in for medical who we haven’t signed and then these comments come out. At least to me. Cos it’s last summer on repeat in how it sounds. Plymouth didn’t break the bank but did sign players from higher levels. Yes loans. But also Matete and Wright…

I feel we need the best set of players possible and that means spending more. That was the suggestions we were given earlier in the summer. I’ve seen more than enough in this league to know that you don’t go up with marginal improvements. You go up by having better players.

You don’t need to spend the most but you do need to improve the squad. And that will mean spending money. Not trying to just find cheap players we hope come good. If you don’t want to support a top two ambition they never should have claimed that as the aim for the season.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Still looking for the bit where he said he didn't want to sign any players.

[GhostoftheBok]

The suggestion we've not signed Wilson because Evatt, the manager who just tried to buy him, "bottled" managing him is the funniest thing I've ever read on a forum and possibly ever about football.

At what stage are we imagining the reality struck Evatt about having to work with the legendary football icon that is Kane fecking Wilson?

Did he wake up sweating on signing day and cry into his pillow?

"I thought I could handle it, but is League Two's player of the year for 21/22 just too big for me to cope with!?"

Jesus wept.

[Worthy4England]

It's just drama for drama's sake. We're on what? Just starting week 3? Of the transfer window...

Next we'll be getting posts 10 minutes into a game telling us we've fcked it coz they've scored. Or "must wins" in Jan...

[irie Cee Bee]

We complained that we were poor at set pieces, both attacking and defending last couple of seasons, missing the Beaver twins. Evatt says he wants to fix that. We were minutes away from going into oblivion after Sam and Eddie broke the bank to get us into the Premiere League. We had joy but we almost died in the long run. Evatt doesn't want that to happen again and says he will not sign players who demand over the top wages.

Does saying these things means that Evatt is bottling things and we we wont get promoted? I don't get it. Yes we want better players but I don't see how his comments speak to not having the guts to get them. To me, he is simply saying, if you want to come to Bolton, stay within our cost structure and dont be greedy. We have to be strategic.

[truewhite15]

I'm astounded at the level of panic fannying going on here. We're a month off the start of the season. I find it highly unlikely that Evatt, Markham and the rest are sat on their thumbs, turning down former Ballon d'Or winners because Evatt's a bottler. We'll be working on new signings, but these things take time.

People have been bitching for three years about Evatt being "too stubborn" to change his approach on set pieces. Now he's bringing in a set piece coach, he's bottling the promotion aim because he's not spunking that money on the first player with dodgy knees through the door? Give your heads a f*cking wobble.

[BWFC_Insane]

Still looking for the bit where he said he didn't want to sign any players.

It’s not about just signing anyone. It’s about the best players possible and competing with the top sides in this league for them.

[Worthy4England]

^^ It's a much better level of panic fancying on the cricket thread. Gawd bless the MCC!

[truewhite15]

Still looking for the bit where he said he didn't want to sign any players.

It’s not about just signing anyone. It’s about the best players possible and competing with the top sides in this league for them.

And where has he said that this isn't happening?

[Worthy4England]

Still looking for the bit where he said he didn't want to sign any players.

It’s not about just signing anyone. It’s about the best players possible and competing with the top sides in this league for them.

He hasn't said he's not getting the best players possible either. He has pointed out there's a budget and not unreasonably that fitting the team culture is important to him. I'm sure we wouldn't want a great player that takes out of the equation 3 of the starting XI by being a cnut.

[GhostoftheBok]

He hasn't said he's not getting the best players possible either. He has pointed out there's a budget and not unreasonably that fitting the team culture is important to him. I'm sure we wouldn't want a great player that takes out of the equation 3 of the starting XI by being a cnut.

We shouldn't be buying Nlundulu for £250k plus add-ons, Worthy.

We should be buying Jonson Clarke-Harris for £250k plus add-ons.

That's how football transfers work.