In, Out, Shake It All About: January 2025 Transfer Window

[TANGODANCER]

Ian's been talking about the window.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/2 ... n-success/

Sadly I'm not quite sure what he's on about (in much)

Fixed..

[GhostoftheBok]

In terms of going back to "maybe we need a lefty centre back", that's more about whether what we do to the back line has to happen on the left or not.

Johnston, understandably, isn't having the best of seasons. He's our only left-footed option in the back three.

That seems to be a fairly pressing matter. Maybe we'll completely rip up the script in January and sign 6-8 players, but you have to assume it'll be a more sane and economical January and we'll get 3 or so.

If we could get someone like Richard Taylor from St Mirren it might not be the radical overhaul many would like, but it would improve the squad and give us that tactical option back.

Yes, there's more going on than just tactics and whether we have a lefty in the back three; but it does seem to be a priority.

Is Taylor a scarred veteran with 400 games under his belt who wakes up and downs a double vodka before punching a hole in the wall? No. He does have a rep for aggressively attacking anything that comes near his 18-yard-box, though.

[irie Cee Bee]

We must sign a central defender as the first order of business. We have numbers: Toal, Forino, Jones, Santos, Forrester, Johnston, but they cant stay fit and we leak goals like a broken pipe. Evatt wants defenders who first can play like midfielders to suit his system. That's the first problem. I would prefer to have defenders who are strong, physical, tackle and head the ball. Which one of our current defenders have those attributes? Maybe Santos only comes closest. We need one of those in our team. May have to sell one to get one in, but to me thats the first order of business.

Against Wycombe, we went to basic... rough and tumble basic and we kept a clean sheet. Evatt has to decide, a Beckenbauer type to play his system or a Baresi take no prisoners type. I would pick the latter.

[irie Cee Bee]

The second order of business is our midfield. We have Thomason, Sheehan, Matete, Sonny Sharples who can play #6, and Dempsey and Arfield #8. We have no # 10. Lolos and McAtee are not #10's. We are very weak in this area of the pitch and aggressive teams dominate us. We do not have a player who can take the ball under pressure and create. Every team wants such a player. Evatt's system needs such a player. One of the main reasons why we look a worse team than last year is that Maghoma has not been replaced and don't have a Dapo like coming in from the wing as we do not play that system.

Signing that type of #10 is critical to our making the playoffs. Teams wont commit too much forward with that skillful player behind the press who can hurt them.

PS..Also, Evatt training methods must be adjusted, because it causes every new players to break-down.

[irie Cee Bee]

The third order of business is a #9, someone who can hold up the ball and bring others into the game, and who also can head, allowing him to play in both boxes. When defending and when attacking. Our wing backs generally have to cross on the ground when they attack because our forwards can't head. Neither Charles or Victor control the ball well. Collins is creatively good and would thrive playing off a # 9 and also McAtee who is a willing runner as well as Charles. But we need a physical # 9. Victor has the size but cant jump, or have close control to hold it up. He needs replacement. I am amazed we refused the offer for him in the summer. We are seeing how that worked out. In fact, because of the chopping and changing up front, all our forwards seem to have gotten worse as the season goes on.

If we have the funds after selling Victor or Charles, we should get in a #9. If not, play Lolos as a #9. He looks like he could do well in that position.

[officer_dibble]

I’ve written sonny sharpies off - I saw Cogley came on in midfield instead of him the other day. I’m guessing he’s shite. Or at least Evatt thinks he is. So he won’t get any game time this season.

[GhostoftheBok]

Huddersfield aren't messing about. Just signed a Dutch top-flight leftback who is well-regarded over there. Tricky and attacking.

As ever, we need to sign just to stand still and standing still isn't anywhere close to enough right now.

[Prufrock]

We need to sack off shite 5 at the back. Everything comes back to the inherent contradiction at heart. And copy what I saw on motd isn't cutting it.

Ultimately I don't think he's good enough, but if you're going to go down, do it properly committing. Sign a left back and a winger. Rip the arm off anyone willing to pay for Vic. And another CM as well as Morley back.

Having thought Lolos looked irredeemably shite, he took his goal very well on Sat. They're not bad players.

[GhostoftheBok]

They're not bad players.

None of them are, bar a half-arsed Arfield and he could be decent if he had any commitment.

By League One standards this is a top quality group of players and that's why the results over the last year are so damning for Evatt.

Now we can question whether the whole would be as good as the sum of its parts under any manager, that's fine and reasonable. It hasn't been under Evatt for nearly 12 months now and it could be that (even if it once could have been a good team) this group is no longer workable.

We're unlikely to find out, so we have to see what can be done in the window.

With better "luck" (it's not luck) with injuries we'd probably be fairly well placed in the play-off spots.

It's now about how Evatt could, in theory, turn it around - regardless of whether we believe he will.

Every single one of these players, whether it's the boo-boys favourite targets or the popular ones, would be important and consistent players at other League One clubs. Most of them would start for teams higher up the table than we now are.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

We need to sack off shite 5 at the back. Everything comes back to the inherent contradiction at heart. And copy what I saw on motd isn't cutting it.

Ultimately I don't think he's good enough, but if you're going to go down, do it properly committing. Sign a left back and a winger. Rip the arm off anyone willing to pay for Vic. And another CM as well as Morley back.

Having thought Lolos looked irredeemably shite, he took his goal very well on Sat. They're not bad players.

Upon which note... interesting Jonathan Wilson column saying the age of the tactical ideologue is over, that the modern game needs more flexibility, etc. Be nice if our gaffer got that memo. https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -guardiola

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

They're not bad players.

None of them are, bar a half-arsed Arfield and he could be decent if he had any commitment.

By League One standards this is a top quality group of players and that's why the results over the last year are so damning for Evatt.

Now we can question whether the whole would be as good as the sum of its parts under any manager, that's fine and reasonable. It hasn't been under Evatt for nearly 12 months now and it could be that (even if it once could have been a good team) this group is no longer workable.

We're unlikely to find out, so we have to see what can be done in the window.

With better "luck" (it's not luck) with injuries we'd probably be fairly well placed in the play-off spots.

It's now about how Evatt could, in theory, turn it around - regardless of whether we believe he will.

Every single one of these players, whether it's the boo-boys favourite targets or the popular ones, would be important and consistent players at other League One clubs. Most of them would start for teams higher up the table than we now are.

See, I agree with the idea that this group of players - while not perfect, because no group ever is - should certainly be higher than 10th.

I also refuse to lose sight of the fact that "well placed in the play-offs" (while better than what we have) would still be underperforming on the expectations set by manager and board, not to mention fans, after the horror show at Wembley. Even 3rd place would not be progress. 3rd place is currently 14 points away and occupied by a team who were in the 4th division last season, while the other two automatically-promoted teams are also above us. They're progressing. We are not.

In the last five games we've drawn with a team in the relegation zone, managed a comeback home win only after the oppo went down to 10 men, then got 1pt from the following 3 games, two of which were at home. None of it smells of promotion. Sharon and the board are sitting on their hands out of loyalty and hope rather than expectation, and every poor result makes clear the scale of this absolute abdication of responsibility.

[HMX]

Very well put

[GhostoftheBok]

I do enjoy Jon's ability to mix similar sounding stats to try and reinforce a dodgy position.

Man City conceded '7' to fast breaks last season, this season it's worse because they've allowed '25' chances on fast breaks...those are difference numbers.

Someone had to write the "Pep is dead" piece, I suppose.

Man City "just about coped" with Haaland by winning the treble.

[GhostoftheBok]

See, I agree with the idea that this group of players - while not perfect, because no group ever is - should certainly be higher than 10th.

I also refuse to lose sight of the fact that "well placed in the play-offs" (while better than what we have) would still be underperforming on the expectations set by manager and board, not to mention fans, after the horror show at Wembley. Even 3rd place would not be progress. 3rd place is currently 14 places away and occupied by a team who were in the 4th division last season, while the other two automatically-promoted teams are also above us. They're progressing. We are not.

In the last five games we've drawn with a team in the relegation zone, managed a comeback home win only after the oppo went down to 10 men, then got 1pt from the following 3 games, two of which were at home. None of it smells of promotion. Sharon and the board are sitting on their hands out of loyalty and hope rather than expectation, and every poor result makes clear the scale of this absolute abdication of responsibility.

The main and abiding problem this season season has been how the manager has used the group. Absolutely no doubt there.

There's very little reason to believe he will magically turn it around by adding 2-4 new faces.

We have a squad that should be pushing the top two and is instead 16 points adrift.

We have had injuries and other issues, but even then we should be within "hoping" distance (if not touching distance) of the autos.

Evatt had to have a blinding season to be able to regain his credibility with the fans. Instead he's got worse.

[BWFC_Insane]

We need to sack off shite 5 at the back. Everything comes back to the inherent contradiction at heart. And copy what I saw on motd isn't cutting it.

Ultimately I don't think he's good enough, but if you're going to go down, do it properly committing. Sign a left back and a winger. Rip the arm off anyone willing to pay for Vic. And another CM as well as Morley back.

Having thought Lolos looked irredeemably shite, he took his goal very well on Sat. They're not bad players.

And we only play 5 at the back because Evatt doesn’t want to move santos on or get a grip of him and teach him how to defend properly.

[GhostoftheBok]

We don't just play this system for Santos. Evatt has said before it's also about getting the best from Dion and allowing us to play more technical midfielders.

We need a system that let's us play a front two with technical mids who don't cover a centre back pairing as well.

You can fundamentally not like and it also not use it as a stick to beat your favourite target.

[Bertie Wooster]

We need to sack off shite 5 at the back. Everything comes back to the inherent contradiction at heart. And copy what I saw on motd isn't cutting it.

Ultimately I don't think he's good enough, but if you're going to go down, do it properly committing. Sign a left back and a winger. Rip the arm off anyone willing to pay for Vic. And another CM as well as Morley back.

Having thought Lolos looked irredeemably shite, he took his goal very well on Sat. They're not bad players.

And we only play 5 at the back because Evatt doesn’t want to move santos on or get a grip of him and teach him how to defend properly.

What a load of absolute utter rubbish....

[BWFC_Insane]

We don't just play this system for Santos. Evatt has said before it's also about getting the best from Dion and allowing us to play more technical midfielders.

We need a system that let's us play a front two with technical mids who don't cover a centre back pairing as well.

You can fundamentally not like and it also not use it as a stick to beat your favourite target.

We are playing it as it lets you play two forwards…..which I’m guessing is why Evatt decided to stick with 3 at the back and one up front at the start of this season. Sure!

3 at the back should be played when you have the quality in your wing backs to negate the lack of wingers and you have a striker pairing that makes it make sense.

My issue is that we rarely have had the wing back quality and there are other systems that would suit us more.

The question would be whether santos can do a normal centre half job in a back four - and we know that was primarily why we went to a back three as he was not doing so in this league.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

The thing is, we don't really have a midfield...or at least one that can cope.

Mr neat n tidy
Mr carry the ball well but give it away a lot
Mr headless chicken
Mr injured a lot
Mr where did I leave my slippers

We then have Lolos who doesn't look a midfielder or a striker and McAtee who definitely isn't a midfielder. That leaves us with JDC, who is a decent full back, but definitely shouldn't be a midfielder even as a guest star.

It would be huge for us if we could have a League 1 Gary Speed in there. Gets up and down, tackles properly, passes competently, and doesn't give the ball away 50% of the time.

If our midfielders are technical, how is it they can't pass the ball for shit?

[GhostoftheBok]

If our midfielders are technical, how is it they can't pass the ball for shit?

We've tried to transition into more combative players (Thommo, Matete, etc) and yeah, it's been an issue at times.

Sheehan very obviously can pass. As can Morley.

Thommo also can, but he's in poor form at the minute.

Our main issue is we've tried to play a system that only needs 2 mids, fecked it up and now need 3. Injury and selection issues mean we've been playing forwards in midfield roles and getting our arses torn out as a result.

It's a proper balls-up of a season.