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

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I think Evatt said they were looking to switch Khumbeini up to a better loan.

EDIT on Jan 6 he said “There is interest in Nelson – some permanent and some loan. Again, we’ll have conversations behind the scenes over the next week and make the best decision for us and him.”

[Worthy4England]

Strategy at it's finest. Land a guy who you get firing 20 goals in. Buy some random toys, no clue how to get them all working together. Sell the one that was working, until you fcuked it up. We might end up with McAtee and Collins firing them in, but for all Dion's misses, this feels like a fcuk-up, currently.

Jesus wept.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Conor Carty permanent exit to St Pat's confirmed by BWFC.

Pete O'Rourke saying Dion's having his medical now, so maybe he fails it and we keep him, if that's what folks want.

[Prufrock]

I haven't written off McAtee, or any of the summer arrivals bar Airfield, though I worry Tutu and Forino are crocks. They've come into a nightmare, and it's hard to shine when you're new to a team, and that team is struggling, chopping changing and it's toxic. Obviously ideally they'd have (Szabi) shone enough that we wouldn't be here, but I think there's plenty quality there if used properly.

I think it's pretty common ground that he's trying to get L1 players to do things they can't, but there are more specific/subtle things in there too.

Firstly the entire premise of trying to be a press high/possession team with a 352 is flawed, for reasons I've banged on about for years. We mitigated those flaws for a while, partly due to sheer work rate from Dion/Vic but even then it wasn't enough to get us up.

We're playing a back 5 rather than 4 because he wanted more defensive security. Well that's clearly gone well.

On the ball, we want to be all modern but we have nothing to hit. They squeeze and sit on us and we don't have the pace, the physically, or the high width to get out. The way we set up is a dream to press, you can go and get after us and know worse case we aren't going to hurt you.

Then on the press we don't have the numbers, so it's easy to play through with even a little quality. It's like watching Croatia England in the semi forever. As long you can get out from one side to the other we're knackered.

So much could be fixed with a back four. Your press is better as they don't have the easy out to the full backs. On the ball your high width makes the space you want to play out, and if they still press gives you an actual threat.

And you don't have to mitigate all that by getting the front two and midfield to kill themselves constantly, meaning you don't *have* to make certain pre-planned changes every single game, meaning you get more consistency, more ability to manage games, and you don't need 15 players if first team quality fit to play in every single game.

[Mar]

Strategy at it's finest. Land a guy who you get firing 20 goals in. Buy some random toys, no clue how to get them all working together. Sell the one that was working, until you fcuked it up. We might end up with McAtee and Collins firing them in, but for all Dion's misses, this feels like a fcuk-up, currently.

Jesus wept.

It seems like a massive misstep.

I can't understand the thinking behind letting him go for that price (when we're turning down bids for Adeboyejo for £1m), let alone selling him to a promotion rival.

I can only imagine that we brought in signings and decided what would be a good sell on fee.

£320k for Charles, sell for 2x, make profit.

Perhaps Vic's fee wasn't a good enough multiplier, but lets be realistic, these increases are based upon performances and we're not seeing that from other players yet, so we're sort of left with underperforming players with valuations that are dropping.

[Worthy4England]

Strategy at it's finest. Land a guy who you get firing 20 goals in. Buy some random toys, no clue how to get them all working together. Sell the one that was working, until you fcuked it up. We might end up with McAtee and Collins firing them in, but for all Dion's misses, this feels like a fcuk-up, currently.

Jesus wept.

It seems like a massive misstep.

I can't understand the thinking behind letting him go for that price (when we're turning down bids for Adeboyejo for £1m), let alone selling him to a promotion rival.

I can only imagine that we brought in signings and decided what would be a good sell on fee.

£320k for Charles, sell for 2x, make profit.

Perhaps Vic's fee wasn't a good enough multiplier, but lets be realistic, these increases are based upon performances and we're not seeing that from other players yet, so we're sort of left with underperforming players with valuations that are dropping.

There is a case that we're not selling them to a promotion rival, currently!

But seriously, it's been fairly obvious that Charles was frozen out of the starting places - I dunno whether that was on him or Evatt, either way good managers try and find a way to keep all the troops happy.

I don't think McAtee and Collins give us (currently) anything like the press that had Charles in it, in the right bit of the field, yet that was touted as our strength and the reason this shite way of playing football works. Emperor's new clothes.

[GhostoftheBok]

Conor Carty permanent exit to St Pat's confirmed by BWFC.

Pete O'Rourke saying Dion's having his medical now, so maybe he fails it and we keep him, if that's what folks want.

One lad on Twitter said something like "All our strikers are shit and this clown sells the best one!"

Had to laugh

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I can't understand the thinking behind letting him go for that price (when we're turning down bids for Adeboyejo for £1m), let alone selling him to a promotion rival.

I strongly suspect if any passing Turk offered £1m for Vic now we'd accept, even having sold Dion.

@Pru - if we played 4-3-3 (or 4-2-3-1) now, who would you put where? (Not a trick question, I enjoy the theory)

[GhostoftheBok]

We can blame Evatt for loads this season, but I'm not sure Dion's one of them to be honest.

The lad wrecked his own personal life and has looked a shadow of himself since that came out.

If a lad at work knocked up some bird, got a daft new haircut and started phoning it in on the job you'd say, "Bit early for your midlife crisis, isn't it?"

He looks like he needs a massive jolt and a move might do it.

[Worthy4England]

That bit where you say "Bit early for the midlife crisis, isn't it?" That's verging on "management"....

[GhostoftheBok]

That bit where you say "Bit early for the midlife crisis, isn't it?" That's verging on "management"....

Aye, but we've clearly stuck with Dion for a while and eventually you have to at least get effort back. It is a two way street.

We're getting more from Huddersfield than Birmingham paid for May and Dion's form is nowhere near as good. May's older, but Dion's resale value will be pretty low.

The issue, obviously, is that Evatt is prime cause #1 at the minute. If a new manager came in and did the same deal I'd not have any serious issue with it at this stage - bar some "eek" factor around selling to a team you could meet in the play-offs.

Collins is scoring for fun right now. Macca is one of the hardest workers on the pitch. So the problem players are Vic and Dion. We've sold the one we got a concrete offer for.

[The_Gun]

I can't understand the thinking behind letting him go for that price (when we're turning down bids for Adeboyejo for £1m), let alone selling him to a promotion rival.

I strongly suspect if any passing Turk offered £1m for Vic now we'd accept, even having sold Dion.

@Pru - if we played 4-3-3 (or 4-2-3-1) now, who would you put where? (Not a trick question, I enjoy the theory)

Baxter (just)

JDC Santos Toal Schön

Matete Sheehan Morley

Tutu Collins CMG


Trying to put a 4-3-3 together makes it fairly clear we don’t really have the players for that system, although I’d still be absolutely in favour of trying it over whatever it is we’re doing now.

[boltonboris]

Can I join in?

Players we know are fit and available now

------------Baxter (Southwood hot on his heels, by the way! Think he may pass him soon)
Tutu, Santos, Forrester, Johnston
------Thomason, Morley
------------Randall
--Collins, McAtee, Schon

McAtee and Collins can swap around - We need a proper RB for Collins to come in off the line

[GhostoftheBok]

Ian has said we expect another player in this week - dunno if that got a mentioned earlier in the thread.

Iles may or may not be hinting it's Terry Taylor, the injury-plagued but talented midfielder who recently fell out with Nathan Jones.

More talk of Morley heading down south.

[jimbo]

I don’t get to go very often with busy life factors, but I’ve got a 5 and 7 year old desperate to go again soon. I’ve been putting it off for the last month as I don’t really want them around a toxic atmosphere. I worry it would affect their long term love of going to games hearing the place turn angry. Also, trying to bring them up to be kind and supportive kids gets trickier when people stand up and scream at Gethin the second he misplaces his first pass. I think this is the saddest part of our current situation for me.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Can I join in?

Please do, the more the merrier...

[Spartan2]

Dion was our best forward by a mile, a press monster, a goal scorer with a decent bit of pace and good on the ball, good at shithousing and winning free kicks. In fact, thinking about it, he was probably our best player. Let's compare that to our other forwards, from best to worst.

1M Collins, a talented fairy who jogs around giving zero effort, knows where the goal is, no pace.
.5M? McAtee wouldn't look out of place in League 2, no pace.
.5M Adeboyejo can't hold the ball up, can't play as a target man, can't run in behind, can't finish, can't pass, the first touch of a rapist, one of the worst players of Evatt's tenure, no pace.
250K Dan Nlundulu, lol.

Evatt's a fecking donkey.

[boltonboris]

I don’t get to go very often with busy life factors, but I’ve got a 5 and 7 year old desperate to go again soon. I’ve been putting it off for the last month as I don’t really want them around a toxic atmosphere. I worry it would affect their long term love of going to games hearing the place turn angry. Also, trying to bring them up to be kind and supportive kids gets trickier when people stand up and scream at Gethin the second he misplaces his first pass. I think this is the saddest part of our current situation for me.

Sod that, get them in there and let them hear it, see it, feel it. Even when things are going well, we have that element anyway. I wouldn't let it stop me taking mine.

[Mar]

Ian has said we expect another player in this week - dunno if that got a mentioned earlier in the thread.

Iles may or may not be hinting it's Terry Taylor, the injury-plagued but talented midfielder who recently fell out with Nathan Jones.

More talk of Morley heading down south.

If we're able to get rid of Charles, then you've got to expect Morley not to be far behind. That whole not helping out other teams in the league goes out of the window, so it's only a matter of time till they hit our price point or we accept theirs.

[Prufrock]

I can't understand the thinking behind letting him go for that price (when we're turning down bids for Adeboyejo for £1m), let alone selling him to a promotion rival.

I strongly suspect if any passing Turk offered £1m for Vic now we'd accept, even having sold Dion.

@Pru - if we played 4-3-3 (or 4-2-3-1) now, who would you put where? (Not a trick question, I enjoy the theory)

Left back the only real gap for me now. I think Schon has been one of the bright sparks, I wonder if he could play RW with his bustle and energy.

Ignoring keepers, who are both good.

RB: Tutu ideally, with JDC back up. Jones I'd get rid but he's probably fine as second choice too (or even third given Desmond's issues. All naturals in that position.

CB: perm two from Santos, Toal, Johnstone, Forrester or Forino. Only Johnstone a question mark there in a two.

LB: maybe Schon. Maybe Conway. Otherwise a signing.

CM: I'd pick Morley, Sheehan and Randell. But with Matete, Think and Lolos you have options and configurations.

RW: Randy, CMG (maybe Schon). First two it's their natural position.

LW: Collins (or CMG). He'd be unplayable in his natural position.

CF: McAtee/Vic. Both give you that physicality. Wouldn't be against another but a hard running front three with quality isn't hard to pick from what we have.