Pre-season, 2024(/25)

[Bertie Wooster]

It's all a bit Meh....same old, same old at the moment. Pre season to date has been flat and following the Wembley debacle hasn't lifted the apathy and mood amongst many fans. The injuries, lack of quality signings (i.e. definite starters) hasn't helped. IMO the club hasn't read the room - the fans need a lift, something to get excited about as few are looking forward to the new season & not many are predicting promotion this season with the current squad.

The fans (not all before someone pipes up !) need / needed a lift after the play off final to get them up for the new season & IMO to date there hasn't been anything to lift the mood - let's hope something happens this week.

If we have a slow start it will turn toxic very very quickly amongst many fans, therefore they have to be ready from day 1.

[officer_dibble]

Yeah agreed on that last bit. And I do think some of the noises out of the club have been right and there is some recognition of what we lack. Plus the window is open until end of August - but can we recover if we start slowly? It will get toxic quickly this time.

[Bertie Wooster]

Yeah agreed on that last bit. And I do think some of the noises out of the club have been right and there is some recognition of what we lack. Plus the window is open until end of August - but can we recover if we start slowly? It will get toxic quickly this time.

At it stands I don't think that we can afford to wait until the end of August, we have 4No league games in August and if we only have 3 or 4 points after those 4 games and sit 10th/11th etc. the fans will start to turn even so early in the season. After Wembley the goodwill has gone, the patience has gone - the discontent is bubbling under the surface, believe me. The fans need to see that something has changed & lessons learned.

Noises out of the club & acknowledgement of what we lack is fine, but talk is cheap - its action that fans need to see, I'm still not convinced that the club appreciate how deeply damaging Wembley was with the fans, we really do need to come out of the blocks fast from day 1, we can't wait until Sept for a few last day of the window loans to bed in - however, I appreciate that many on here will disagree.

[officer_dibble]

Honestly mate when you look at the cash Birmingham have spent we’re all fighting for one space and the play offs - as it stands we’ll struggle for top 6 IMO. As it stands.

The view on yesterday is that first XI held their own but the kids are miles off. We need first team signings for wing back, captain, and centre mid. I’d love us to get our skates on but I would rather the right player with right mental qualities now - so if we have to wait so be it. I’m not sure it’s on the signing radar but we can only judge 1st September.

[BWFC_Insane]

Don’t subscribe to the fans need a lift stuff. Next season is a simple equation. Next season is purely judged on promotion out of this league. It’s crazy that Evatt gets yet another chance. Luckiest man on earth. But he has one - and has to realise how insanely lucky he is to even be here. He needs to build a team that are consistent and able to repeat results week in week out under all circumstances.

It doesn’t need stars it needs more players who can perform at 7/8 out of ten each week and don’t fall apart when under pressure.

We all know the targets are in the 90’s points wise and we have to maintain that sort of ppg from the off. No excuses. No room for slip ups or poor runs.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Honestly mate when you look at the cash Birmingham have spent we’re all fighting for one space and the play offs - as it stands we’ll struggle for top 6 IMO. As it stands.

The view on yesterday is that first XI held their own but the kids are miles off. We need first team signings for wing back, captain, and centre mid. I’d love us to get our skates on but I would rather the right player with right mental qualities now - so if we have to wait so be it. I’m not sure it’s on the signing radar but we can only judge 1st September.

We can hire who we want, I still don't think we've got a cat in hell's chance of finishing above Middlesbrough

[irie Cee Bee]

At the moment we are looking mid table at best without the sighning of at least 3 first team recruits who are automatic starters to improve the team. We actually need about 5 more new players to compensate for the inevitable squad injury list. I am feeling very uninspired at the moment but hoping that the club has some spending money in the bank to lift my spirits from Wembley.

[The_Gun]

Certainly feels like we’re going to have to nail the loan market, à la 22/23, if we’re going to challenge again this season.

I’d be reasonably surprised if we don’t bring at least one loanee wing back in.

[officer_dibble]

Looks like we are currently at “Don’t worry it’s just that the players we want are so good the clubs don’t want to release them yet” point of the transfer window (https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/2 ... sfer-wait/).

I don’t think we’re too far from ‘don’t want to bankrupt the club’ and of course final destination of ‘go with what we’ve got’

[Worthy4England]

Worse than that, mate. He's seen "positives" from a spanking!

[dave the minion]

Worse than that, mate. He's seen "positives" from a spanking!

Well, who are we to judge? Some people are quite into that sort of thing......

[Worthy4England]

Worse than that, mate. He's seen "positives" from a spanking!

Well, who are we to judge? Some people are quite into that sort of thing......

Fair comment!

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Worse than that, mate. He's seen "positives" from a spanking!

Well, who are we to judge? Some people are quite into that sort of thing......

A man of experience

[Mar]

Not sure what to make of our current transfer dealings.

Lolos, Southwood, Forino, Arfield, all look like they may be heading in the right direction, but have we improved on last season?

Feels like we're really missing backup for LB and missing a replacement for Maghoma.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Not sure what to make of our current transfer dealings.

Lolos, Southwood, Forino, Arfield, all look like they may be heading in the right direction, but have we improved on last season?

Feels like we're really missing backup for LB and missing a replacement for Maghoma.

Am right there with you. For all different reasons, none of these are quite the mic-drop moment - which is not to say they're bad ideas.

Lolos is a "see how good he can get" signing from a lower division. Fair enough.
Southwood should address a huge, arguably promotion-crushing problem last season.
Forino is another 'potential' signing. Plenty were asking for a unit, a tackler.
Arfield is kinda the opposite to Lolos - he's been 'up there' so we know how good he can be. Or has been? Also: the rolled-sleeve battler many were asking for.

However, none of these feel like The Saviour. Which is clearly a problem both tactically and spiritually...

[BWFC_Insane]

The saviour is whoever is 2024 Bruuuuuuuuuce.

[Bertie Wooster]

We will be fine once we get these 2 or 3 marquee signings that we have offers in for, once the selling clubs decide whether or not we can have their players that they don't want to sell.

[Worthy4England]

Not sure what to make of our current transfer dealings.

Lolos, Southwood, Forino, Arfield, all look like they may be heading in the right direction, but have we improved on last season?

Feels like we're really missing backup for LB and missing a replacement for Maghoma.

Am right there with you. For all different reasons, none of these are quite the mic-drop moment - which is not to say they're bad ideas.

Lolos is a "see how good he can get" signing from a lower division. Fair enough.
Southwood should address a huge, arguably promotion-crushing problem last season.
Forino is another 'potential' signing. Plenty were asking for a unit, a tackler.
Arfield is kinda the opposite to Lolos - he's been 'up there' so we know how good he can be. Or has been? Also: the rolled-sleeve battler many were asking for.

However, none of these feel like The Saviour. Which is clearly a problem both tactically and spiritually...

Regarding Southwood/Coleman - you could certainly make a case that we dropped points with Coleman in goal. I'm not sure how many we'd put down to "Coleman in goal" as opposed to any other naff performances when he wasn't or other's poor defending when he was....Sorta felt a bit convenient...You'd be hard pressed, for me, to blame him for a 4-1 dicking at Blackpool, the 2-2 at Barnsley, the 0-1 at Wigan, the 0-1 at Derby...

[Mar]

Not sure what to make of our current transfer dealings.

Lolos, Southwood, Forino, Arfield, all look like they may be heading in the right direction, but have we improved on last season?

Feels like we're really missing backup for LB and missing a replacement for Maghoma.

Am right there with you. For all different reasons, none of these are quite the mic-drop moment - which is not to say they're bad ideas.

Lolos is a "see how good he can get" signing from a lower division. Fair enough.
Southwood should address a huge, arguably promotion-crushing problem last season.
Forino is another 'potential' signing. Plenty were asking for a unit, a tackler.
Arfield is kinda the opposite to Lolos - he's been 'up there' so we know how good he can be. Or has been? Also: the rolled-sleeve battler many were asking for.

However, none of these feel like The Saviour. Which is clearly a problem both tactically and spiritually...

Regarding Southwood/Coleman - you could certainly make a case that we dropped points with Coleman in goal. I'm not sure how many we'd put down to "Coleman in goal" as opposed to any other naff performances when he wasn't or other's poor defending when he was....Sorta felt a bit convenient...You'd be hard pressed, for me, to blame him for a 4-1 dicking at Blackpool, the 2-2 at Barnsley, the 0-1 at Wigan, the 0-1 at Derby...

Not wanting to kick a guy when he's down but I suspect there's a case for lapses in concentration, or panicky moments from the players being directly attributable to not knowing what the goalkeeper is going to do.

Can't blame Coleman for all the points dropped, but he clearly had an impact on our results and clearly impacted those around him to the detriment of our squad.

If Southwood's an improvement on that then great. Coleman looked decent in the latter half of his season, but if the Middlesbrough friendly is anything to go off, we're likely to have more mad moments from him.

[BWFC_Insane]

Not sure what to make of our current transfer dealings.

Lolos, Southwood, Forino, Arfield, all look like they may be heading in the right direction, but have we improved on last season?

Feels like we're really missing backup for LB and missing a replacement for Maghoma.

Am right there with you. For all different reasons, none of these are quite the mic-drop moment - which is not to say they're bad ideas.

Lolos is a "see how good he can get" signing from a lower division. Fair enough.
Southwood should address a huge, arguably promotion-crushing problem last season.
Forino is another 'potential' signing. Plenty were asking for a unit, a tackler.
Arfield is kinda the opposite to Lolos - he's been 'up there' so we know how good he can be. Or has been? Also: the rolled-sleeve battler many were asking for.

However, none of these feel like The Saviour. Which is clearly a problem both tactically and spiritually...

Regarding Southwood/Coleman - you could certainly make a case that we dropped points with Coleman in goal. I'm not sure how many we'd put down to "Coleman in goal" as opposed to any other naff performances when he wasn't or other's poor defending when he was....Sorta felt a bit convenient...You'd be hard pressed, for me, to blame him for a 4-1 dicking at Blackpool, the 2-2 at Barnsley, the 0-1 at Wigan, the 0-1 at Derby...

Not wanting to kick a guy when he's down but I suspect there's a case for lapses in concentration, or panicky moments from the players being directly attributable to not knowing what the goalkeeper is going to do.

Can't blame Coleman for all the points dropped, but he clearly had an impact on our results and clearly impacted those around him to the detriment of our squad.

If Southwood's an improvement on that then great. Coleman looked decent in the latter half of his season, but if the Middlesbrough friendly is anything to go off, we're likely to have more mad moments from him.

Baxter was awful in the final. The problem is less the keepers and more what’s in front of them. No leaders and no proper head it and kick it defenders. When mistakes happen they spread like wildfire through the side.