| My take on our squad state and the Summer transfer window (so far) 18:21 - Aug 2 with 5757 views | Dubtractor |
I know, what's the need to read ANOTHER thread on this? I've barely made any new threads recently though, so I think I'm due my turn!
I'm broadly comfortable with where we are right now. Clearly we need to strengthen (both numbers and quality) at the back, and another striker wouldn't hurt, but otherwise we're not in too bad a shape at all. Critically there is still another month to go before the transfer window shuts, and so lets judge it at that point. That's not to write off the games between now and then, but I think we've got enough about us to pick up points.
Part of the issue with some of us feeling less happy with things currently is expectation, and obviously a lot of that has come from the club, but I'd hope that we're all smart enough to take what Ashton says with a pinch of salt. He has hyped us all up, but he's a salesman really and it has worked as we've been filling the stadium for the last 6 months, and will be again all of this season.
Realistically a top half finish* would be a really good first season back for us, and being brutally honest I'm not sure that back to back promotions would leave us well prepared for the premier league anyway. Sure it's great to be ambitious and aim for the stars, but I think we've probably got a bit carried away after the second half of last season, and we may get a bit of a rude awakening in some games - lets not forget that half (or more) of league one last season was pretty crap teams just aiming to spoil games.
This isn't about managing down expectations in light of a perceived disappointing Summer, just being pragmatic about what is realistic to expect.
*Observant posters may note that I predict 6th place for us in the prediction league, but that's just me being bullish about things and I don't genuinely expect that to be the case. [Post edited 2 Aug 2023 18:31]
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| My take on our squad state and the Summer transfer window (so far) on 18:20 - Aug 3 with 300 views | FrimleyBlue |
My take is the starting 11 should do well. But the squad overall isn't that strong.
On the transfer front
As a town fan you could say it's gone OK in regards to getting back players who helped us win promotion and a couple new lads.
From outside. We are a promoted league 1 side. Who have signed two players that were unwanted by their parent sides who were here last season.
One on his first senior loan and one who's never played in the championship.
We've not really given Burns proper competition on the right.
We haven't got a good enough lcb.
We've only 2 strikers who are similar in style
I don't personally see that we have improved the squad yet. [Post edited 3 Aug 2023 18:22]
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| My take on our squad state and the Summer transfer window (so far) on 18:20 - Aug 3 with 300 views | pointofblue |
| My take on our squad state and the Summer transfer window (so far) on 18:02 - Aug 3 by jayessess |
It's not FFP (which also applies in L1), we just aren't really attempting to shop in the same markets.
In January we signed 4 players who'd been at Championship clubs for the first half of the season. Hirst and Luongo hadn't been involved at Blackburn or Boro, Alex Neil basically said he didn't want any of Stoke's loanees to stay after January and Wigan were basically half way relegated and skint when we went after Broadhead.
In the Summer 2022 the Championship players we got were Ball (released by QPR), Keogh (virtually released by Blackpool), TJJ, Davis (never really broke into the first team during loan spells at Blackpool and Bournemouth), Harness, Leigh, Ahadme and Camara were all L1 players.
The players who we seem to have missed out on this Summer - Simms, Trusty, McNally - are all of the same type, young players, owned by Premier League teams, off the back of recent successful loan spells in the Championship, where they started the majority of games. We've not, to my knowledge, gone to much lengths to look at players unwanted by other Championship teams (well, Hirst, I suppose) or players whose recent Championship loans were mixed. |
If I'm honest, if we managed to sign players of the calibre and experience of Walton, Clarke, Edmundson, Morsy, Luongo or Broadhead in this window I would be very happy. |  |
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| My take on our squad state and the Summer transfer window (so far) on 18:34 - Aug 3 with 257 views | jayessess |
| My take on our squad state and the Summer transfer window (so far) on 18:20 - Aug 3 by pointofblue |
If I'm honest, if we managed to sign players of the calibre and experience of Walton, Clarke, Edmundson, Morsy, Luongo or Broadhead in this window I would be very happy. |
Well, Taylor and Hirst are of that sort of pedigree really. It might be that we raised our sights a bit quickly in terms of realistic targets (or that we're working our way through a list that started with the Trusty/Simms/McNally types but has more getable targets on it too) |  |
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| My take on our squad state and the Summer transfer window (so far) on 18:38 - Aug 3 with 252 views | pointofblue |
| My take on our squad state and the Summer transfer window (so far) on 18:34 - Aug 3 by jayessess |
Well, Taylor and Hirst are of that sort of pedigree really. It might be that we raised our sights a bit quickly in terms of realistic targets (or that we're working our way through a list that started with the Trusty/Simms/McNally types but has more getable targets on it too) |
It feels like the reported McNally rejection has shaken a few fans, including myself, for whatever reason. Get a centre back and a striker of the right calibre through the door and that will be a good return from the transfer window. | |
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