Interesting reaction on here to this window

A month ago, everyone was saying how much we needed experience. That we were light at centre half, both full backs, out wide & up front.

Since then, we've not signed another full back (instead losing Wabara), not signed another centre half, signed an unknown striker from the Conference & a youth loan from Man Utd, lost Hammill and not got another winger.

What we have done is basically fill our U21 squad. I can't imagine any of the lads announced yesterday are anywhere near ready for the first team yet and we've had injuries to Hammill, Williams, Nyatanga, Mawson & White. If one of Winnall or Hourihane get injured then we're in for a tough ride.

I'm all for folk getting giddy & the run we've been on is exceptional. If it turns out that we've really turned a corner and the **** first couple of months has turned our lads into men then that's great news, however, I wouldn't say we're out of the woods yet & the best we can really hope for this season is a mid table finish with a proper, proper look at it next year instead (when we sign some experience).

 

We didnt really need much.

Ideally a proven forward to play alongside Winnall would have been nice but obviously they've seen something in Shaun Tuton. He's going to have to go straight into the first team squad as our 3 other strikers are all starting.

In terms of experience I think Conor Hourihane is now acting and playing like the leader we've been missing. His game has developed so much and he's sacrificed goals from his own game to help the team. Really impressed with Conor this season he's shown what a professional he is and that attitude will take him far.

 

Hard to get experienced pro's in during a January transfer window. Best bet is to act early in the summer & recruit the best free agents available to us.

I've no idea about any of our new signings. I just hope these 2 clean sheets aren't flukes & that Hammill is back soon.

Think you're right about injuries. Only really centre back where we've got any real depth

 

They're not flukes. We've kept 3 clean sheets in the last 4 and limited the opposition to any real chance.

The only way I can see us conceding at the minute is set piece or individual error.

 

If we wanted to sign an experienced and established player on transfer deadline day I think we'd have to pay silly money.

 

It's simply because we're winning games, had we been on a lean run, this place would have exploded at 11pm yesterday given the nature of our influx. Echo what Marc says about Long, we need him, or someone like him to organise our back line. That organisation breeds confidence throughout the rest of the team.

 

I think as much as anything

We're taking action now to stop wholesale changes in the summer. The lads brought in now have a chance to acclimatise and develop, hopefully along with Harry White etc and George Williams to form the basis of a squad for next year.

IF - we could secure the likes of Kevin Long as well, then we may also be not as reliant on a million loan signings.

That's my positive take anyway.

 

Re: I think as much as anything

I think it's a good step and I imagine if we'd have still been bottom 4 then we might have gone for an experienced pro or two to try and turn it around. It feels like there's some sensible business in terms of maintaining mid table this year followed by getting the lads in early now to acclimatise like you mention but it doesn't strike me as a great window as many have said. Sensible, yes, but not great for now.

 

Re: I think as much as anything

Sensible = great imho. Especially if we need to be less reliant on Patrick's wallet.

 

Re: I think as much as anything

Yeah, fair point.

 

Re: I think as much as anything

Aren't people describing it as 'great' because we haven't sold anyone of note rather than our buying activities? Not selling Winnall, Hourihane and Hammill is far more important that any signings we were ever going to make.

 

Central Defence might be a problem when Long goes back , the young lads for development squad are obviously unknown quantities but does it mean we haven't much at 18 yr age group coming through ?? Tuton at 24 yrs is a punt I hope it works out for him

 

Re: I think as much as anything

Absolutely.

 

Re: I think as much as anything

It just goes to show how easy it is to make incorrect snap judgements.

 

Before any of the recent transfer activity, and once it was confirmed that Wabara and Pearson were leaving, I reckoned we needed a right back, a left back, a centre half, a central midfield player, a couple of wingers, a forward and some experience in at least some of those positions. Almost a full team.

Turns out we already had a decent right back as cover/competition for Bree in George Williams.

We brought in Aidy White at left back and then signed him up for the rest of the season.

We got Long in at centre half.

Hammill was signed to play on the wing and then his contract was extended until the end of the season. Isgrove's performances steadily improved and his loan was extended until the end of the season.

In central midfield we've got Brownhill until the end of the season and signed McCourt. Plus, Scowen is now coming back from injury.

Up front, Marley Watkins is now showing that we already had a good striker, plus we've brought in Fletcher for the rest of the season.

Long, Hammill and White are providing the experience.

As an added bonus we're no longer weighed down with loan players. We have just four. When Hammill, Williams and Scowen are all fully fit, the only loan player we would actually rely on is Long. The only disappointment from the transfer window is that we have been unable to secure Long's services until the end of the season. I have no doubt the club tried their damnedest, but I guess Burnley still require him as cover. But if he does return, we have two vacant loan slots if Johnson doesn't believe Nyatanga or Roberts can fill the gap. Earlier in the season they couldn't, but we've seen an improvement from a number of players this season, so there's no reason why Nyatanga and Roberts can't be two more.

As far as the injuries you mention are concerned, none of them are long term, with the possible exception of Williams, but as he hasn't played all season any way, we're not going to miss him. I don't believe we should be recruiting because a player is out for a few weeks. That's why we have a squad. It allows those on the fringes to step up. Like George Williams for instance, who has shown over the last few weeks we do have a player on the books who is more than capable.

As for all the kids we've brought in, I don't expect any of them to be in the team this season. If they prove themselves good enough in training and get the chance then great, but as far as I'm concerned they're for the future. Personally, I think this is a much better plan and shows a lot more forward thinking than relying on youth loans from other teams. Chances are they won't all make it, but if we can get half of them to be regular first team players in the future then it's a sound model we're adopting.

The best bit of business we've done is signing Hammill up for the rest of the season. He's been the talisman. Johnson always said that he can teach them all the right things in training but once they got out on the field it was up to them. We didn't have anyone out there to marshal the team and because they were all so young, confidence quickly evaporated when things went wrong. Hammill became that man and because he's so outrageously gifted as a player the rest of the team could see if we got the ball to him there's a good chance we're going to win the game. Passes stopped going sideways and backwards and started going forwards to Hammill. Once you get that belief you're going to win, it's hard to shake off.

The second best thing to happen is that we kept Hourihane and Winnall. They're good players and you need good players to play good football.

I know this is controversial, but the next big piece of the jigsaw was not signing Ben Pearson. I'm not surprised in the slightest that our results have improved since he's gone. He had some very good games, but he had just as many when he cost us a goal. I'm sure he'll go on to be a good player, but for us, in the majority of his games, he had very little influence on the match. I wouldn't necessarily blame him. He was given a pivotal role in our team and he just wasn't ready. He didn't have the experience. We have players who, at the moment, can do the job better. In another year I would imagine Ben Pearson would be a fantastic player in that position at this level, but he wasn't during the time we had him.

IMHO the team and squad right now are ten times what they were when we kicked off in August. I have no idea how the rest of the season will pan out, but I'm pretty sure we won't get relegated. Back in August, I thought we were nailed on for it.

There is a worry, but it's not for this season. Long's contract with us is up in February. Hammill and White are only signed on until the end of the season. Brownhill, Isgrove and Fletcher will all return to their parent clubs in May. We will receive offers for both Winnall and Hourihane in the summer if they carry on their form. We could be having to start again from scratch. So, we better get promoted so everyone signs back on with us.

 

I agree with most of what you have written. A month ago I was hoping that we would acquire a solid, experienced backbone to our team consisting of a big strong target man, a combative central midfield general and an experienced central defender to help Mawson. What we have acquired instead are a load of players that I have never heard of and who are very much a work in progress. Now I will take my time to judge them, and I will hope that they will develop into good players, but there is nothing there that helps us in the short term.

Of course, the January window is the wrong time to buy and the right time to sell. It is a particularly bad time to begin making long term adjustments and to start any major rebuilding process. The loan window still offers us an opportunity to top up if we get any injuries to important players between now and March. The type of signings that we have made suggests that we are still planning for the long term. I look forward to what will be happening over the summer, when I expect the major re-building process to continue. The signings this month have in the main been concerned with the construction of a squad of development players.