We may not have yet.. you know how the club likes to hold one or two things back if the fans have been naughty.. You could get a..'oh we forgot' right up to three o'clock today
Looks like a good window to me given the fees involved. Ideally it would have been good to bring a central defender in with more experience at a higher level, but I understand that the Kitching deal was probably holding out till the last minute to call their bluff and get the most money possible. Attack and midfield look strong now, but I think it's asking too much though for promotion this season with this defence unless Collins can work wonders getting them quickly drilled together as a unit. Unless we can keep in touch of the playoffs and use the Jan window to strengthen again with some of our new money.
Less body's but stronger up front, mid-field strong as always.. top keeper, good attacking wing backs.. The question mark is the defence.. And it's up to them to prove all the doubters wrong. This league is weaker than last season.. some will say so are we.. but the fact is this squard of players should get top six..
The team looks weaker than one we ended last season with “We have always been at war with Eurasia” “Best Transfer window ever”. “the creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which”. We sold some good players. Bought a punt or two. Ended up with 3 centre halves who have played 5 league games between them. Defence weakened considerably. Midfield improved slightly due to Styles return. Forwards hard to say at this stage. A mixed bag. Not a disaster but trying to big it up as a success is just odd. Will the team we send out to Cheltenham be stronger or weaker than the one that we sent out at Wembley? That’s the only way to judge. To me very much weaker
100% and surely non of them can be worse than Mads that first season looked totally lost out of his depth but look how that turned out. Kitching was a thug I was just waiting for him to do something stupid. Thick end of 8 million we have sold them two for just a bit patience is another season in league one the end of the world. I believe we have enough to challenge especially if we can get Luca back and most of all the clubs stable which to me is most important thing.
You may be proven right but at least give them a chance to kick a ball before coming to a conclusion.
May I add.. when Collins finds his best 11 if they can get up a head of steam.. then top two. Cos this league is wide open.
The back three is the only area of concern for me. The fees we've managed to bring in for Mads & Kitching were above anything I would've ever expected, but I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for a defender a bit more inspiring than the McCart signing.
The single act of holding out for money for a player that is almost universally regarded by fans as a good amount- rather than the first substantial offer that comes in- is a landmark moment in a transfer window for us.
I don’t necessarily agree with your conclusions but top marks for the humour and literary references.
I agree. We’ve finally had a bit of backbone and not had our pants down. The Mads deal suggested this and the Kitching one proves it. Also turned down low bids for Styles saying he’s only available at his release clause, not a penny less. I won’t go as far as saying it’s a good window, though not disastrous. As the thread I started says, I think we really should have brought in one experienced head at the back to help the young signings. Non league, French lower league, whatever - they all may come good. Eventually. But they surely need a bit of help. One bit of nous and leadership. All other areas of the pitch look more than ok though to be fair. Best midfield options in the league I’d say, forwards and wide areas look good, the keeper looks great.
This is what "the plan" is all about. Now for it to work through we have to shed our affection for Aldi and start shopping in Tesco.
Disagree completely. Players develop at this level and squads get stronger as the season goes on before upheavel in the summer. We should be asking how this squad compares with what we had on the 1st September last year. For me we are solid in goal, stronger in attack with 4 options with large potential at this level, much stronger in midfield with Connell and Phillips bedded in and Russell and Styles added, stronger at wingback, but of course weaker at centre back. What's going to make the difference is the manager, is he as good as Duff and can he get a tune out of our new defence? I trust the recruitment team under the current model. Look at last summers recruitment for example: Cotter: 20k worth a punt Cadden: Free, amazing business Cundy: Free, haven't seen his full potential yet Connell: Free, amazing business McCarthy: Dury is out a little, but been hampered by injury Norwood: Did a job for us, made a profit We have to trust that some of this years intake will also be a success.
When does the loan window shut ? Usually later from memory could see us further decimated! Are the new signings eligible today?
