Snog, Marry, Avoid: Summer 2023 Transfer Window

[BWFC_Insane]

Best of luck to the new lads. Hopefully the club will sort out the 'Teams' section on the website before the start of the season, because it's not up to scratch at the moment.

It'd be nice to at least get a Georgie J contract extension announced this afternoon if nothing else. I have to say that I'm not feeling overly positive about the squad with our first pre-season game coming up tomorrow.

I don't think you are alone Gun, I think the majority of supporters are quite underwhelmed at the moment with the summer recruitment - we can only hope that there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to bring in a couple of quality additions to improve us enough to challenge for the top 2. Currently the squad is no different to last season, possibly even slightly weaker ?

Underwhelmed is a fair word. We certainly haven't seen the sorts of improvements needed yet.

[GhostoftheBok]

Underwhelmed is a fair word. We certainly haven't seen the sorts of improvements needed yet.

Yeah, there are two ways to be underwhelmed - one sort of reasonable and one not.

If people are underwhelmed by the business we've actually done then I'd say that's a bit odd. Every player we've signed is an excellent addition for the role they've come here to play.

If people are underwhelmed because they wanted to see us get key roles sorted that we've not touched yet, that's fair enough. I'd say it's a bit early to be any form of whelmed, but that's up to the individual. If you got your hopes up massively and they've been dashed then I can understand that.

If you'd offered me the business we've done for keeper, #2, RCB option, RWB competition and second forward I'd have taken that before the window started. We've just not done the really important outfield business.

I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense to judge players we've signed (for roles we badly needed to fill) negatively just because we've not done other work yet, but arguing against an emotional response is a bit pointless.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I think for some, the Nlundulu signing tipped the scales of whelmage.

• Baxter – could be great, could be a crock.
• Coleman - presumably a back-up goalkeeper - nobody's burning pitchforks or booking the Town Hall steps.
• Dacres-Cogley - as you say, "RWB competition" - but the week he signed he was very much second fiddle to Kane Wilson.

Then Wilson fell through. And Baccus. And Flick. And then...

• Nlundulu - could be good, but (let's face it) wasn't, at least not consistently, last season. I get your point about waiting to see who else we sign, but I can't blame people for being underwhelmed with Dan signing again.
• Forrester - could be good, but is, let's face it, a young Port Vale player - and a centre-back, which is neither the sexiest position nor the biggest hole we need to plug.

So yeah. I can see it from both sides. I'm still hopeful, but perhaps not "excited". Not yet.

[Worthy4England]

There is also the notion of who might constitute "whelmed." To use Wilson, Baccus and Fluck as case in points, I have bugger all idea how good they are/aren't and even less idea as to whether they'd be good for us...

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

There is also the notion of who might constitute "whelmed." To use Wilson, Baccus and Fluck as case in points, I have bugger all idea how good they are/aren't and even less idea as to whether they'd be good for us...

Baccus & Flick I'll admit I'd never heard of. Wilson did feel like a great idea though. Course, you can never tell how signings will work out but that one did feel a perfect fit.

[Worthy4England]

There is also the notion of who might constitute "whelmed." To use Wilson, Baccus and Fluck as case in points, I have bugger all idea how good they are/aren't and even less idea as to whether they'd be good for us...

Baccus & Flick I'll admit I'd never heard of. Wilson did feel like a great idea though. Course, you can never tell how signings will work out but that one did feel a perfect fit.

I guess, I'm in the might have worked great (but I wouldn't have described myself as excited/whelmed by it)

[BWFC_Insane]

Underwhelmed is a fair word. We certainly haven't seen the sorts of improvements needed yet.

Yeah, there are two ways to be underwhelmed - one sort of reasonable and one not.

If people are underwhelmed by the business we've actually done then I'd say that's a bit odd. Every player we've signed is an excellent addition for the role they've come here to play.

If people are underwhelmed because they wanted to see us get key roles sorted that we've not touched yet, that's fair enough. I'd say it's a bit early to be any form of whelmed, but that's up to the individual. If you got your hopes up massively and they've been dashed then I can understand that.

If you'd offered me the business we've done for keeper, #2, RCB option, RWB competition and second forward I'd have taken that before the window started. We've just not done the really important outfield business.

I'm not sure it makes a lot of sense to judge players we've signed (for roles we badly needed to fill) negatively just because we've not done other work yet, but arguing against an emotional response is a bit pointless.

It’s purely whether I feel we have improved to close the gap. For me and I think most we haven’t. There is still time. But we need quality ready to deliver now.

I was encouraged by Wilson and Baccus the levels they had played at albeit lightly in Wilson’s case and the fact they offered solutions to our weaknesses.

I think we need that calibre of player and whilst signing some ‘maybe they will come good in time’ sorts might be good business sense it won’t be much use when Evatt is bemoaning defeats against sides with better players.

[Worthy4England]

It won't be too long before "we've signed x" and they're not as good as Wilson/Baccus/Flick would've been. Can't wait.

[BWFC_Insane]

It won't be too long before "we've signed x" and they're not as good as Wilson/Baccus/Flick would've been. Can't wait.

I mean it will be about the pedigree of player we sign for me. What their record is and also if they are the right sort we need to fill the gaps we need.

Thus far we have replaced Trafford got a second choice rwb from Tranmere and signed prospects for development.

That to me leaves us weaker than last season and we need to be stronger with better players in key areas.

I don’t think that it’s controversial to say this. Most fans seem to think the same.

[Worthy4England]

It won't be too long before "we've signed x" and they're not as good as Wilson/Baccus/Flick would've been. Can't wait.

I mean it will be about the pedigree of player we sign for me. What their record is and also if they are the right sort we need to fill the gaps we need.

Thus far we have replaced Trafford got a second choice rwb from Tranmere and signed prospects for development.

That to me leaves us weaker than last season and we need to be stronger with better players in key areas.

I don’t think that it’s controversial to say this. Most fans seem to think the same.

Cogley-Dacre. Better than Bradley or worse? Dunno here, he's not kicked a ball for us?

Are we getting service into Vic so he can spin 13 goals in half a season or not? Dunno yet.

We going to keep a barely used Dad Bod fit? Dunno yet...

Etc...

[irie Cee Bee]

Underwhelmed .... at this point I am nowhere near that feeling as I have no idea how good or bad our signings are until I see them play. What I do know is that we have signed players who seem to be capable and we have paid fees for them rather than depend on freebie. That, in and of itself, is a big plus. After all, when we signed loaners for Trafford, I had never heard of him and I was fed with a diet of how bad he was at Accry, too young etc..... and Bradley?? Who??? What about Fossey.. how could we let him get away and replaced with a teenager?? etc.. They were our best players last season. Maybe Dacres-Cogley will be a fantastic player in our system. Who knows?? What I do know is that we need to sign some midfield steal which I am sure will be addressed by Evatt.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Underwhelmed .... at this point I am nowhere near that feeling as I have no idea how good or bad our signings are until I see them play. What I do know is that we have signed players who seem to be capable and we have paid fees for them rather than depend on freebie. That, in and of itself, is a big plus. After all, when we signed loaners for Trafford, I had never heard of him and I was fed with a diet of how bad he was at Accry, too young etc..... and Bradley?? Who??? What about Fossey.. how could we let him get away and replaced with a teenager?? etc.. They were our best players last season. Maybe Dacres-Cogley will be a fantastic player in our system. Who knows?? What I do know is that we need to sign some midfield steal which I am sure will be addressed by Evatt.

Aye, Trafford had previously failed, Bradley had next to zero men's experience.

Interesting to see Iles report that Dacres-Cogley "has already caught the eye on the training ground since the players returned, the athleticism which has been a big part of his game as a full-back helping him hit the front of Bolton’s pre-season running drills." So it sounds like he may have energy levels comparable to Bradley. As you say, who knows? I've seen fans underwhelmed by signings like Eidur Gudjohnsen ("A crock!") and Kevin Davies ("Burger boy!") and massively overexcited by signings who did nowt (Marcus Maddison being just one name). So let's see...

[BWFC_Insane]

It won't be too long before "we've signed x" and they're not as good as Wilson/Baccus/Flick would've been. Can't wait.

I mean it will be about the pedigree of player we sign for me. What their record is and also if they are the right sort we need to fill the gaps we need.

Thus far we have replaced Trafford got a second choice rwb from Tranmere and signed prospects for development.

That to me leaves us weaker than last season and we need to be stronger with better players in key areas.

I don’t think that it’s controversial to say this. Most fans seem to think the same.

Cogley-Dacre. Better than Bradley or worse? Dunno here, he's not kicked a ball for us?

Are we getting service into Vic so he can spin 13 goals in half a season or not? Dunno yet.

We going to keep a barely used Dad Bod fit? Dunno yet...

Etc...

My guess is that a 27 year old from Tranmere probably won’t be as good as a full international from Liverpool.

I get that he might rip up trees here and hope he does. But it’s clear the plan was to also sign Wilson which obviously shows we need some more proven quality at rwb.

I don’t see how we will magically be better than last season as it stands. I don’t see where the squad is stronger. And this narrative about improving players is fine but generally in my experience the gap between where we were and where we want to go needs plugging with better quality players. We are short of that genuine proven quality. In my view. And yes we could hope it comes together but I’d rather we went and made it happen as far as possible within a budget than sat back hoping that Bid stays fit and Vic doesn’t look like a fridge.

[Worthy4England]

We added 8 points on last season where some thought summer business could have been better and Jan business this year that many thought was very mediocre (as it turned out). Despite apparently losing some star quality like Flossie, Dapo etc. Etc.

Like you, I think we're still a little light and I'm not going to turn down any obviously quality signings. Who would?

Neither as I going to write us off as can't possibly, if they don't happen, without us kicking a ball. The improvement narrative is little different than. "Evatt's not got plans," "Evatt should be fired if he misses out on the playoffs," "this is a must win (in January/February)" and the like that we'll hear all next season, like we did this, regardless of who we've signed, unless we're mathematically promoted by end of Feb.

All this, despite us improving, winning a cup and missing out by the odd goal in the play off semis...

[BWFC_Insane]

We added 8 points on last season where some thought summer business could have been better and Jan business this year that many thought was very mediocre (as it turned out). Despite apparently losing some star quality like Flossie, Dapo etc. Etc.

Like you, I think we're still a little light and I'm not going to turn down any obviously quality signings. Who would?

Neither as I going to write us off as can't possibly, if they don't happen, without us kicking a ball. The improvement narrative is little different than. "Evatt's not got plans," "Evatt should be fired if he misses out on the playoffs," "this is a must win (in January/February)" and the like that we'll hear all next season, like we did this, regardless of who we've signed, unless we're mathematically promoted by end of Feb.

All this, despite us improving, winning a cup and missing out by the odd goal in the play off semis...

Right now I’m underwhelmed not screaming into the abyss of despair.

Underwhelmed as I thought we’d be getting the likes of Wilson and Baccus with their pedigrees filling key positions. Baccus a full international playing in the SPL and Wilson more just the exact type we need in that role.

But we haven’t.

I’m far from thinking it’s all a disaster. But I do believe we must get some better players in this window if we seriously want to challenge. That’s an opinion. A summer opinion. I don’t think it’s impossible to go up with what we’ve got but I think it’s unlikely. We still have too many areas with a lack of quality for me and weaknesses in key positions.

But we are better off than we were last summer. I think it’s two or three serious signings away from people being pretty excited. But right now I’m a bit underwhelmed.

[Worthy4England]

I hear you, mate, but just for a bit of fun, what if I described Wilson as, a mistake/gamble buy, by Brizzle, who played about an hour over 5 games as sub, in the Champo, with the rest of his life being decent L2 and less than a season's worth in L1 (where the loaning Clubs didn't think he was worth buying)...weighed against 23 games where Josh Dacre-Cogley played for Brum in the Champo, which is just the sort of ex champo boost we're looking for.

Oh and Baccus spent most of his life playing in the outback, before progressing to Pub League team who want to get shut after 12 months.

I mean Wilson/JDC, at least we've likely seen 'em play, I guess.

[GhostoftheBok]

If the window slammed shut tomorrow I'd be underwhelmed, but it's barely started.

In that sense of course you're underwhelmed if you're judging the entire window on the work done by the start of July.

Sex would be pretty underwhelming if all you did was buy a woman a drink in a bar and then say goodnight.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Sex would be pretty underwhelming if all you did was buy a woman a drink in a bar and then say goodnight.

Yeah but she still married you

[GhostoftheBok]

Yeah but she still married you

Always pay for the drinks, gentlemen...

In other news, Pan Camara is available on loan from Ipswich. Rumours link him with Pompey. He's presumably cost a loan fee and good wages, but he's the sort.

[Worthy4England]

^^ where's his rating on the whelmed scale? I'm at "who?" But he might gain a flickering interest for the name. I've read his bio.