[Official Site] Tom Bradshaw Joins Millwall FC

The stumbling block ain’t identifying them it,s signing them.

 

I like Bradshaw, one of the best "first touch" finishers I've seen. In some respects, similar sort of player to Andy Payton, needs good service in the box to deliver goals and not as effective out of it. If you remember, we sold Payton to our rivals Huddersfield after he'd scored 20 goals for us the previous season. I genuinely wish Bradshaw all the best.

Disappointed to see him leave, and whilst it would be nice to have a similar quality replacement lined up, I can only place my trust in the regime at the club. Perhaps they are confident we have a replacement lined up? From inside or outside of the club? Not sure how easy or practical it is to get a replacement lined up at the point we sell, presumably the club we are considering buying or loaning from would need to have someone lined up too and so on. Fully accept that a replacement in place is the ideal situation though.

I'd just ask that regardless of what our opinions are of the club on this sale that the support for those turning out on the pitch at Scunthorpe isn't affected. I don't see a catastrophe unfolding in front of us, disappointing though the sale is.

 

**** him

 

Don't really have a problem with how the club have gone on this mostly, if......and only if, replacements are brought in of a similar standard or better asap. Imho we needed a striker and a winger even with Bradshaw in the building so we now need two strikers and a winger.

My only worry is the statement from GG about signings being "identified" - wasn't that what he said the day of or day after relegation and it then took the best part of 3 months to get the only one we've made over the line!

 

Millwall - massive ambition and goals.... ******* hell they've sold him one there..

 

I agree with a lot of what you've put there. BUT....... Andy Payton is one of the best strikers I've ever seen play for us. Scored tap ins, individual goals, scorchers from outside the box. Strong, fast, brilliant with his back to goal, frightening when running at defenders. 41 goals in 108 games for us, one every 2.6 matches. 200 in 508 professional matches, almost all at second tier or Scottish Premier level (when the standard there was far better than it is today). Bradshaw - 1 goal every 4.6 matches for us, including penalties and a goal which was never his in a million years. I don't think the two players are remotely comparable.

 

Yes, fair comments, and would have to concede that Payton carried more threat outside of the box, now remembering his goals v Grimsby and Huddersfield. The comparison was more around their ability to convert good delivery into goals with only one touch, be that head or foot.

Now I look back, one of the more remarkable things about Payton's record for us was that I think he had his longest career drought during his second season with us, something like 16 or 17 games without a goal, which ended with a hat trick v Grimsby on Boxing Day.

 

I don't remember the drought at all! We were playing really well as a team though, with plenty of goals from all areas of the field - Redfearn, Liddell, and Rammell were all scoring quite freely in the first half of that season IIRC. Remember the Grimsby match though, a brilliant hat-trick to put us 4th in the league against a very good Grimsby side. We were extremely unlucky to miss out on the playoffs that season, despite finishing 6th.

 

We don't know what exactly is going on behind the scenes, but it is disappointing that we haven't sealed a replacement signing THEN allowed Tom to leave. The real meaning of the club's words will become clear on September the 1st. It may be a deal is close now but they don't want to look like clowns by telling us that publicly only for it to fall through. It may be they're nowhere near and we're going to have to panic buy some point in the next 10 days.

I can't remember when we've ever signed the replacement for a key player prior to allowing them to leave. Anyone? Lee Jones prior to Hignett going to Blackburn if we're being extremely loose with the term 'replacement'?

 

It was a good side with goals from a few sources as you say. That drought was just so strange for someone like Payton (early Sept too Boxing Day). Flip side is that either side of that drought his conversion rate was pretty much 1 in 2. And I don't think he took any penalties either.

 

Millwank paying a million for the first time ever. Breaking their 29 year old transfer record. For a guy just involved in a relegation season he hardly scored in. Who's got one more transfer window before he can leave for nothing. We also retain a future interest.

It's great business but we need someone in desperately for our next home game.

 

If we can bring in a suitable replacement then it could be good business, if we don't then it's terrible business by the club particularly with the timing being so s**t.

 

I'm not saying that Conor Chaplin is the answer but I read that Pompey are keeping hold of him until they have a replacement lined up. That seems very sensible to me.

 

I just hope it doesn't turn out to be another example of doing exactly the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. We all know what happens, we've been here before many times.

 

Timings ****.
We needed at least one more up top any way before this.

In all honesty I'm in the Meh camp about tom.

Would I prefer he stayed yes. But if my 1st 2 lines weren't "True" I wouldn't be fussed.

Yes he helped lead the line and defend from the front.

Could we get better. Yes I suppose. But now the window is closed except for loans... not sure.

The only truly disappointing and thing I'm most cheesed with. Is the fact it's that wanky place of a club he's gone to.

We can do better (eventuality) but extremely risky if we havent got someone already tapped up ready

 

I was with you there all the way until “very good Grimsby side...”

 

I spoke to Andy during that period. I have never seen anyone both so distraught about not scoring. He took it as a personal affront that he didn’t understand. He apologised about 14 times in a 5 minute conversation but told me it didn’t impact him on the pitch but he did think about it off.

 

Jeez!! Are some of the posters one here (fans??) suffering from bi-polar disorder! A fantastic start to the season and some talking like we have won the Champions league. We let one player ONE player leave and it is the end of the world, the club has stuffed us, we have ruined our season, "woe and thrice woe " Admittedly, only having seen a few games I never saw Bradshaw as a 'game changer' although he did have a lot of energy and drive. Ask where most of the 10 goals have come from so far?
Can I remind said MMs that football is a TEAM GAME and the reason for the good start is that the management has got Barnsley playing as a team. We are no longer on reliant on a single player to provide the goals. It doesn't say much for some of the fans on here if they have so little trust in DS or the rest of team that losing one player means all his plans go out of the window. It is NOT the same situation as when PH lost the whole spine of the team that January!
Is there something in the water in Barnsley these days? The board is full of 'moaning minnies'. Opinions are one thing but the unjustified negativity is overwhelming. Some of you need to get a grip!

I await the usual slagging offs from the usual suspects!