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

[BWFC_Insane]

Let’s just hope Markham gets a lot better at his job because right now he’s very very lucky to be in one as recruitment over the last few years has been very very poor.

I guess we'll find out if /how poor over the next 12 months. If Schumacher can get a good tune out of them then it won't have been very very poor. Personally I think its been a mixed bag of decent, poor and questionable. You are going to get some wrong, but for me the biggest problem is that we keep signing crocks and wonder why we have so many injured. The physio dept probably have mental health issues with the over work!

I think the signing crocks is one issue. The other is a focus on data and potential over and above ‘is this player going to help get us promoted’.

The money we’ve spent is substantial- no ways around it and I struggle to see many making their money back from the past few years.

One of the problems is that in the old days a manager built a side. And they built a side to their own judgement of needs to achieve what the club wanted to achieve. Now they are seemingly given a set of ‘components’ based on their own descriptive data points and there is little consideration as to whether it’s a coherent whole or not. I doubt Ian Marshall would have won the data raffle back in the day yet arguably that’s exactly what we need now.

[Bertie Wooster]

Let’s just hope Markham gets a lot better at his job because right now he’s very very lucky to be in one as recruitment over the last few years has been very very poor.

I guess we'll find out if /how poor over the next 12 months. If Schumacher can get a good tune out of them then it won't have been very very poor. Personally I think its been a mixed bag of decent, poor and questionable. You are going to get some wrong, but for me the biggest problem is that we keep signing crocks and wonder why we have so many injured. The physio dept probably have mental health issues with the over work!

Someone will do doubt come back and prove me wrong, but my assumption & personal view is that Markham / Evatt have got more wrong than right in regards to signings over the past 2-3 years considering the money that they have been allowed to spend, with as AT says so many of them being injury prone - I'm confident that Schumacher knows the type of player required to get out of league 1 but he will need to rip up the Markham / Evatt masterplan very quickly & Markham may not like that ?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Interesting phrase from Iles' match verdict: "January deadline day could offer some hope. The whispers from Bolton suggest anything could happen."

[jmjhb]

Haven't heard owt yet, but I'll see what tomorrow brings.

[Bertie Wooster]

I think that it will be quite busy tomorrow, I think that we may see 2 or 3 departures (Williams, Baxter or Santos, CMG loan) and a couple of incomings, maybe one permanent and another loan - hopefully a centre midfielder & a proper striker.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I think that it will be quite busy tomorrow, I think that we may see 2 or 3 departures (Williams, Baxter or Santos, CMG loan) and a couple of incomings, maybe one permanent and another loan - hopefully a centre midfielder & a proper striker.

Yeah, possibly. You imagine any new boss brought in mid-season would want a bit of room to bring in fresh blood, with the possible exception of if the team's 10pts clear and the old manager's been taken by a much bigger club. Even then, he might want some new faces.

Slightly more complicated that Schumacher is only head coach, but I'd like to think he'll be suggesting players he might be able to attract - again, maybe Stoke or Plymouth refugees - who pass the spreadsheet test.

However, all that depends on outgoings, which is a harder thing to do. I see one of the Wanderers fan accounts that loves to play the ITK game has splashed on the shock revelation that Randell Williams might leave. You wonder if there might be one or two more surprising suitcases packed.

[Bertie Wooster]

I think that it will be quite busy tomorrow, I think that we may see 2 or 3 departures (Williams, Baxter or Santos, CMG loan) and a couple of incomings, maybe one permanent and another loan - hopefully a centre midfielder & a proper striker.

Yeah, possibly. You imagine any new boss brought in mid-season would want a bit of room to bring in fresh blood, with the possible exception of if the team's 10pts clear and the old manager's been taken by a much bigger club. Even then, he might want some new faces.

Slightly more complicated that Schumacher is only head coach, but I'd like to think he'll be suggesting players he might be able to attract - again, maybe Stoke or Plymouth refugees - who pass the spreadsheet test.

However, all that depends on outgoings, which is a harder thing to do. I see one of the Wanderers fan accounts that loves to play the ITK game has splashed on the shock revelation that Randell Williams might leave. You wonder if there might be one or two more surprising suitcases packed.

Surely Schumacher wouldn't have agreed to come here if he had no say in transfers - head coach or manager I don't quite get it, but surely any incomings or outgoings will be his decision not Markham's (at least I hope so !)

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Surely Schumacher wouldn't have agreed to come here if he had no say in transfers - head coach or manager I don't quite get it, but surely any incomings or outgoings will be his decision not Markham's (at least I hope so !)

He won't have "no say" but that "head coach" desgination seems to tell a story. Iles has said he's looking into it.

I'm sure Schumacher will have a say and have some suggestions. I wonder if he'd like to sign Jordan Houghton, for example. Six-footer, defensive midfielder who's also played centre-back; says Schumacher got him playing the best football of his career, is out of contract at Plymouth in summer. He hasn't been a regular for them this season but, annoyingly, has started the last few.

[dave the minion]

Just out of interest, and a genuine question, but why is there such sentiment that Markham's transfers are poor??

Without thinking too hard about it, but looking at recent sides we've put out, I presume he was heavily involved in the signings of Southwold, Murphy, Toal, Forrester, Schon, JDC, Collins, Osei-Tutu - all of which I see as very good additions?

There is absolutely definite players in Randall and Macatee, and players like Baxter, CMG amongst others, and I'd also assume Markam is involved in the extension of contracts for the likes of Johnston, Sheehan & Charles (which enabled us to make money on selling him)?

I know there's been a fair few less effective signings, and the targeting of previously injury prone players hasn't always been a gamble that's paid off for us, but I'm honestly not seeing any evidence that his record is any worse than any other teams.

???

[BWFC_Insane]

Just out of interest, and a genuine question, but why is there such sentiment that Markham's transfers are poor??

Without thinking too hard about it, but looking at recent sides we've put out, I presume he was heavily involved in the signings of Southwold, Murphy, Toal, Forrester, Schon, JDC, Collins, Osei-Tutu - all of which I see as very good additions?

There is absolutely definite players in Randall and Macatee, and players like Baxter, CMG amongst others, and I'd also assume Markam is involved in the extension of contracts for the likes of Johnston, Sheehan & Charles (which enabled us to make money on selling him)?

I know there's been a fair few less effective signings, and the targeting of previously injury prone players hasn't always been a gamble that's paid off for us, but I'm honestly not seeing any evidence that his record is any worse than any other teams.

???

It’s relative to what has been spent. We’ve hardly assembled a team of Frandsen, Johansen and Gudjohnsen.

We’ve spent money on players who are known quantities.

The real issue is we’ve spent a lot of money on players who haven’t been very good and more critically we’ve failed to build an effective side.

[BWFC_Insane]

Can’t say I’m expecting too much tomorrow. Squad is full so we have to sell players and one might also reasonably deduce there isn’t a lot to spend unless we manage to raise something. So I’d assume it would take something like selling one of our first team choices to really see any significant inward movement.

[Bertie Wooster]

Can’t say I’m expecting too much tomorrow. Squad is full so we have to sell players and one might also reasonably deduce there isn’t a lot to spend unless we manage to raise something. So I’d assume it would take something like selling one of our first team choices to really see any significant inward movement.

If we got decent offers I wouldn't have an issue selling anyone maybe apart from Toal & Collins. I'd certainly sell Sheehan if a decent offer came in.

[BWFC_Insane]

Can’t say I’m expecting too much tomorrow. Squad is full so we have to sell players and one might also reasonably deduce there isn’t a lot to spend unless we manage to raise something. So I’d assume it would take something like selling one of our first team choices to really see any significant inward movement.

If we got decent offers I wouldn't have an issue selling anyone maybe apart from Toal & Collins. I'd certainly sell Sheehan if a decent offer came in.

Being realistic though unless something is in train in and out it’s unlikely. Schuey has been here two minutes and hasn’t had chance to assess stuff. Hes not some old wizened cynical manager who might have already lined up two of their old generals they want to bring in. Be a massive call selling a first team choice late on in the window without a clear plan to replace.

We’ve watched us a while and I think feel we need tweaks to the squad balance but it’s tough for Schumacher, and that’s without knowing how much control he has regarding transfers at this stage. It’s also not like we’ve got someone likely to go for silly money that even if you couldn’t replace tomorrow would set you up for the summer. So I suspect tomorrow will be relatively cautious. Could be completely wrong.

I do think it will take the summer to really sort us out and give us a chance at promotion.

[Bertie Wooster]

Can’t say I’m expecting too much tomorrow. Squad is full so we have to sell players and one might also reasonably deduce there isn’t a lot to spend unless we manage to raise something. So I’d assume it would take something like selling one of our first team choices to really see any significant inward movement.

If we got decent offers I wouldn't have an issue selling anyone maybe apart from Toal & Collins. I'd certainly sell Sheehan if a decent offer came in.

Being realistic though unless something is in train in and out it’s unlikely. Schuey has been here two minutes and hasn’t had chance to assess stuff. Hes not some old wizened cynical manager who might have already lined up two of their old generals they want to bring in. Be a massive call selling a first team choice late on in the window without a clear plan to replace.

We’ve watched us a while and I think feel we need tweaks to the squad balance but it’s tough for Schumacher, and that’s without knowing how much control he has regarding transfers at this stage. It’s also not like we’ve got someone likely to go for silly money that even if you couldn’t replace tomorrow would set you up for the summer. So I suspect tomorrow will be relatively cautious. Could be completely wrong.

I do think it will take the summer to really sort us out and give us a chance at promotion.

100% agree that he will need the summer and I've already given up on going up this season as I personally don't think that the current team is strong enough, wise enough, brave enough etc. - however doesn't it simply prove that our squad overall isn't as good as some think, with it being highly unlikely that any of our players will be in demand enough for any clubs to offer us decent money, that's if any at all are wanted by other clubs.

[Prufrock]

We're only out of the play offs on goal difference. And have been poorly managed for most of the season. They absolutely should be aiming to go up this year.

How much risk you take is a different question, but giving up on this year would be a dereliction of duty that I don't think they'll make

[Bertie Wooster]

We're only out of the play offs on goal difference. And have been poorly managed for most of the season. They absolutely should be aiming to go up this year.

How much risk you take is a different question, but giving up on this year would be a dereliction of duty that I don't think they'll make

I've no doubt that the club are still aiming to go up this season, but personally I don't think that as the squad stands we are good enough to go up for the reasons I mentioned in an earlier post. I honestly hope that I'm wrong, and we'll find out tomorrow whether the club will bring in a couple of good additions to give the new manager half a chance.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

100% agree that he will need the summer and I've already given up on going up this season as I personally don't think that the current team is strong enough, wise enough, brave enough etc. - however doesn't it simply prove that our squad overall isn't as good as some think, with it being highly unlikely that any of our players will be in demand enough for any clubs to offer us decent money, that's if any at all are wanted by other clubs.

The sale of Dion Charles would suggest otherwise.

The thing with January windows is that anyone lapsing this summer might be too close to the end to risk jumping now - they can hold on for more contractual control in summer. Meanhile, anyone contracted until June 2027 might well cost too much if the club doesn't wanna sell. So that means the only players really up for "sale" as such are those lapsing in 18 months - like Dion was - who the club might want to sell while they can raise cash (again, see Charles, D.).

For the record, the other players lapsing in June 2026 are Forrester, Johnston, JOT, Dempsey, CMG, Vic and Dan (plus Southwood, although with him we have a year's extra as an option). There are some decent players in there, albeit with injury and inconsistency. The players we've really wanted to keep have already been contracted beyond that summer - Toal, Sheehan, Thomason, Morley have all signed extensions to 2027.

[BWFC_Insane]

100% agree that he will need the summer and I've already given up on going up this season as I personally don't think that the current team is strong enough, wise enough, brave enough etc. - however doesn't it simply prove that our squad overall isn't as good as some think, with it being highly unlikely that any of our players will be in demand enough for any clubs to offer us decent money, that's if any at all are wanted by other clubs.

The sale of Dion Charles would suggest otherwise.

The thing with January windows is that anyone lapsing this summer might be too close to the end to risk jumping now - they can hold on for more contractual control in summer. Meanhile, anyone contracted until June 2027 might well cost too much if the club doesn't wanna sell. So that means the only players really up for "sale" as such are those lapsing in 18 months - like Dion was - who the club might want to sell while they can raise cash (again, see Charles, D.).

For the record, the other players lapsing in June 2026 are Forrester, Johnston, JOT, Dempsey, CMG, Vic and Dan (plus Southwood, although with him we have a year's extra as an option). There are some decent players in there, albeit with injury and inconsistency. The players we've really wanted to keep have already been contracted beyond that summer - Toal, Sheehan, Thomason, Morley have all signed extensions to 2027.

To an extent but wouldn’t Dion’s sale also partially back up the point that the squad isn’t as good as people suggest. Best striker certainly over the last few seasons, went to another league one club for under a million quid. That’s a far cry from say Zach Clough leaving for 3M or Madine for 6M into the league above. I know every situation is somewhat individual but I don’t think we’ve got many who are really level up for significant money sorts. Some might get a club up a level on low risk fees. But not seeing many who are definite.

[Bertie Wooster]

DSB Charles went weeks ago, he isn't one of our current players or part of our current squad which is what i said.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

To an extent but wouldn’t Dion’s sale also partially back up the point that the squad isn’t as good as people suggest. Best striker certainly over the last few seasons, went to another league one club for under a million quid. That’s a far cry from say Zach Clough leaving for 3M or Madine for 6M into the league above. I know every situation is somewhat individual but I don’t think we’ve got many who are really level up for significant money sorts. Some might get a club up a level on low risk fees. But not seeing many who are definite.

Hmm... Clough was 10 years younger than Charles and the Madine money was screwed out of a desperate Cardiff on deadline day – but even you admit those aren't really straight comparisons.

DSB Charles went weeks ago, he isn't one of our current players or part of our current squad which is what i said.

Oh, I see. I did wonder why he kept heading in the wrong direction at Huddersfield.