Before I start, as a perceived happy clapper, am I ecstatic with our transfer window? No. I'd have loved a real quality striker addition. Wouldn't we all. Unfortunately they don't come cheap in fees or wages and there are very few available. But this, as in every transfer window, I read the same daft comments so can we, until next time, at least put them to bed? PAY PEANUTS I think I've posted on here that I'd like to see us make a statement, quality signing a la Winnall who we paid quite a bit of money for. I'd have been disappointed if we hadn't. We did though, paying (reportedly) in the region of 700k for Keilor-Dunn. THEY KNEW WE NEEDED STRIKERS FOR MONTHS along with WHY DO WE ALWAYS LEAVE IT TO LAST MINUTE and of course PANIC BUY and HOW FAR DOWN THE LIST ARE WE NOW, MUST BE ON PAGE THREE OR SUMMAT and WE'LL NO DOUBT BE ANNOUNCING HIM AS OUR NUMBER ONE TARGET. It's well known we've been after DKD all summer. We were reportedly looking at Humphrys weeks ago. There's little doubt DKD has been one of if not THE number one target all along. We stuck with it all through the window and, unsurprisingly, Mansfield were never going to let him go cheap or without a fight which meant that it was always going to go to the last minute as we don't have the money just to blow them out of the water. Nevertheless we stuck with it, increased our offer and got him. Humphrys has said he left his decision to the last minute to see what the best offer was in terms of salary and ambition. That turned out to be us. Now whether he's going to be a replacement for Cole's goals...quite possibly not though I'm pretty sure he'll adequately replace Cole's contribution from the second half of last season. So there you go. Not panic buys. Not the very bottom of our target list etc, etc. We even agreed personal terms with Edvardson which would have been an excellent signing, You don't get a cap for Sweden for being useless. Are the players we've brought in the right ones? In the right positions? Who knows? Ask me in May. Have we got all our top targets? Of course not. Hardly any club ever does. The only club in our division who probably came near that are Birmingham whose brand of chequebook football will hopefully fail. In the meantime could we possibly lay off the two bob and a blackies egg rubbish for a while?
So basically you’ve put in a “nice way” that you are “ok” with the window but would have liked that prolific goal scorer. No different to those who are saying the same but perceived in a negative manner but with more elements added to their arguments to kind of “back it up” and getting slated on here for saying so. My thoughts are exactly the same albeit worded differently in another thread and have kind of got slated for it as I’ve added reasons why I think we lack firepower but have kind of got slated amongst a few others. I love the BBS tho.
No, I'm categorically not saying what the others have said because I thought I'd politely made it clear that the type of statements I was quoting are ridiculous. We didn't deliberately leave stuff to the last minute, we didn't pay peanuts and we didn't panic buy players last minute because we'd missed out on sheet after sheet of our main targets.
We did miss out on targets. Clarke has stated this. We did leave some till the last minute (last day of window) We missed out on a lad the day before the window. Humphrey’s could have been done weeks ago. Don’t tell me we have tracked him all summer. It does seem a bit of a panic buy although I do think he is a good addition. Clarke said he wanted 3 in. We got 2. Am I happy with the window “yes in a way” Could it have been better “yes”. Am I happy with what we have available up top “No” Do I think we have replaced the goals that Cole & McAtee had last season. “No”. Do I hope I’m wrong? “YES!!!”
Much has been said in recent weeks and days about the need to replace the Cole and McAtee goals, and since the window closed that this has not been accomplished. Yet looking back people weren’t exactly doing cart wheels over the resigning of Devante and there were some who were a bit sniffy about McAtee as well. Our collective patience at the moment is rightly stretched over how the club is being run but let’s at least give these guys some room to make their mark
OK. Humphrys seems to have been on our list for weeks but said he deliberately left it to the last minute to pick the best option. We missed out on Edvardson the day before the window closed despite agreeing personal terms because he changed his mind last minute . I specifically said we can't possibly get all our targets. It's not realistic to expect we would. Yes Clarke may have wanted another striker in. We all would. That doesn't mean we weren't trying to and he said himself he wanted improvements not just bodies for the sake of it. Am I saying it's been a perfect window? No. Maybe time will prove it to be good or bad. Who knows. What I am saying is that the club seem to have had a decent strategy with the cash available and followed through on that strategy as opposed to the constant accusations of dereliction of duty, lack of ambition, inaction and downright lying.
