| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? 13:59 - Jun 29 with 3564 views | Dubtractor |
Followed by signing players significantly less impressive?
Last time we came up we seemed to be linked with any number of good players, before ultimately ending up with a squad nowhere near the level needed.
A few links already this summer seem a bit improbable in the scheme of things, Lloyd Kelly and the Brazilian lad being prime examples, and I wonder if we'll see the same thing play out again. Hopefully not!
It's obviously good to aim high for player signings, but equally we need to be realistic. |  |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:05 - Jun 29 with 2779 views | Gary_Knows |
But you’re not making contact with these players/agents/clubs if you e not had encouragement that they wouldn’t join. It’s not about being unrealistic. |  |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:16 - Jun 29 with 2690 views | LA_Tractor_Boy |
Similarly, last summer Ashton talked about signing players with the pace, power and athleticism to step up to the PL. And we ended up signing players like Akpom. |  | | |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:19 - Jun 29 with 2655 views | pablo_canooga |
EADT have reported a link with Folarin Balogun (givemesport.com) but have poo-poo'd it. Ambitious. |  | | |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:19 - Jun 29 with 2637 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:16 - Jun 29 by LA_Tractor_Boy |
Similarly, last summer Ashton talked about signing players with the pace, power and athleticism to step up to the PL. And we ended up signing players like Akpom. |
He had all of those things
when he played for middlesborough |  |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:20 - Jun 29 with 2624 views | hoppy |
But at least, as Bloots said earlier, Ben Godfrey has gone to Rangers. |  |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:26 - Jun 29 with 2540 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:16 - Jun 29 by LA_Tractor_Boy |
Similarly, last summer Ashton talked about signing players with the pace, power and athleticism to step up to the PL. And we ended up signing players like Akpom. |
Yep, he really needs to remember that interview this summer.
A 6'3 Brazilian who is good in duels would be a good start. |  |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:30 - Jun 29 with 2502 views | fabian_illness |
So we're after a Brazilian footballer, but we're more likely to end up with a footballer with a Brazilian. |  | | |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:31 - Jun 29 with 2482 views | lowhouseblue |
spoil sport. i want my disappointment to come as a surprise. is a few weeks pretending it's not on its way too much to ask. |  |
| And so as the loose-bowelled pigeon of time swoops low over the unsuspecting tourist of destiny, and the flatulent skunk of fate wanders into the air-conditioning system of eternity, I notice it's the end of the show |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:34 - Jun 29 with 2446 views | BloomBlue |
Brazilian players should be easy to get, even Norwich got one last week, however getting a decent one is difficult. |  | | |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:37 - Jun 29 with 2412 views | Dubtractor |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:05 - Jun 29 by Gary_Knows |
But you’re not making contact with these players/agents/clubs if you e not had encouragement that they wouldn’t join. It’s not about being unrealistic. |
I think my point (if you can call it that) isn't that the players wouldn't come to us, if we were the only option on the table, more that there will inevitably be better offers available to them. | |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 15:09 - Jun 29 with 2201 views | PioneerBlue |
Yes to links (endless) but unless you ask there is probably no solid way of knowing realism for a whole range of players. We know that clubs and agents will at times use any little interest to their own ends. If we are doing our job in searching, this will include benchmarking fees and players for bottom end and top end of our budget, its then unlikely we avoid some links being out there. | |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 15:20 - Jun 29 with 2144 views | ronnyd |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:26 - Jun 29 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Yep, he really needs to remember that interview this summer.
A 6'3 Brazilian who is good in duels would be a good start. |
Can he walk 10 paces and turn on a sixpence? | | | |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 16:05 - Jun 29 with 2001 views | Garv |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:16 - Jun 29 by LA_Tractor_Boy |
Similarly, last summer Ashton talked about signing players with the pace, power and athleticism to step up to the PL. And we ended up signing players like Akpom. |
I still maintain that all the "the physicality in the Premier League surprised us" comments is pretty mental and actually a bit neglectful if I'm being really hyperbolic. I think even McKenna referenced it which is odd considering he'd coached there before.
Anyone off the street who watches football can see the standard of football and quality isn't that much different throughout the league, apart from maybe the top three or four. The difference is the physicality and fitness (and coaching) and it's been like that a while. |  |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 16:31 - Jun 29 with 1899 views | Hermann_eats_puffin |
I think that yes it's going to be a summer of hearing lots of very unrealistic links but that's just the way that the media, and social media in particular, work especially when you're a PL team.
A lot of the names we hear as being linked with Town will be put into the public domain to suit somebody else's agenda whether that be the players agent, the selling club trying to drum up interest or simply someone on social media looking for clicks and engagement from Town fans even though there isn't the remotest prospect of Town realistically signing such a player of a certain stature or fame plus other links will be put out there despite the fact that Town haven't the remotest interest whatsoever in such a player.
The kind of player signings I think I'm more excited about are the players that as of this moment I don't know much about but who turn out to be brilliant for us next season hopefully.
For example I can't say that I'd heard of Robin Roefs before Sunderland signed him last summer and he turned out to be absolutely fantastic for them last season.
If we can unearth some similar gems from the European leagues for similar fees that Sunderland paid for Roefs (somewhere between €10m to €11m I think) I'll be over the moon because that will mean that we actually have got our scouting department up & running and working in different markets rather than just saying that's what we're doing.
Regarding players the club is actually trying to sign a stumbling block might still be wages because it's not all about the transfer fee we're willing to pay.
There was a good recent Kings of Anglia podcast with the football finance expert Kieran Maguire on Ipswich's return to the PL and how the new SCR rules will affect the club. But in this he mentioned wages and how established PL clubs will pay higher wages than us. You'd have to subscribe to watch it but listening to it as a podcast is free:-
https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/2
If you're a player & the players agent and you're hoping for a move to the PL you're probably hoping for the highest wage you can probably get and whilst we might be paying wages in a similar ballpark to the other newly promoted clubs if a player/players agent thinks they have a chance of a move to a club higher up the food chain than Town in the PL they might hold out for that as long as possible hoping for a bigger wage. And if that move higher up the food chain doesn't materialise then they might sign for Town which we as fans won't like but that is the reality of how the football world works. So this combined with the world cup may also delay signings until later in the summer.
Related to this it's one reason why I wish that Ashton wouldn't say things like we are well down the road with making signings because it just creates fan expectations that a few signings are imminently about to walk through the door which they probably aren't. I'd much rather he just said something like we're working as hard as we can on making the right signings and then we wait until they're through the door and featured in one of the media team videos. [Post edited 29 Jun 16:48]
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 16:49 - Jun 29 with 1798 views | bluebud |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 15:20 - Jun 29 by ronnyd |
Can he walk 10 paces and turn on a sixpence? |
..tbh we really need a good Jouster first |  | | |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 17:01 - Jun 29 with 1749 views | hoppy |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 15:20 - Jun 29 by ronnyd |
Can he walk 10 paces and turn on a sixpence? |
A bit like Jonathan Douglas, you mean? Admittedly, 10 paces was often beyond him. | |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 17:28 - Jun 29 with 1630 views | NthQldITFC |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:19 - Jun 29 by pablo_canooga |
EADT have reported a link with Folarin Balogun (givemesport.com) but have poo-poo'd it. Ambitious. |
I've never been sure whether you poo-poo something, or pooh-pooh it - I'm pretty sure it's pooh-pooh, but please feel free to poo-poo me on that. |  |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 17:30 - Jun 29 with 1619 views | TheBoyBlue |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 17:28 - Jun 29 by NthQldITFC |
I've never been sure whether you poo-poo something, or pooh-pooh it - I'm pretty sure it's pooh-pooh, but please feel free to poo-poo me on that. |
Don't poo-poo the pooh-pooh. | |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 17:34 - Jun 29 with 1565 views | DarkBrandon |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 14:37 - Jun 29 by Dubtractor |
I think my point (if you can call it that) isn't that the players wouldn't come to us, if we were the only option on the table, more that there will inevitably be better offers available to them. |
I think what we saw last time round will probably play out. How can it be any other way?
You have to start with your most ambitious targets and work down the list. You can’t start at the bottom and work up. |  | | |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 17:54 - Jun 29 with 1496 views | WolfieAtTheBack |
I look at it like this, 4 years ago we were signing Joe Piglet so it's all fun and games to have a Brazilian on the front page of TWTD we have been linked with. |  | | |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 17:55 - Jun 29 with 1490 views | WolfieAtTheBack |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 17:01 - Jun 29 by hoppy |
A bit like Jonathan Douglas, you mean? Admittedly, 10 paces was often beyond him. |
Good lad Dougie. | | | |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 18:00 - Jun 29 with 1454 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 17:55 - Jun 29 by WolfieAtTheBack |
Good lad Dougie. |
Should have a goal against Norwich | |
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| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 18:03 - Jun 29 with 1442 views | WolfieAtTheBack |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 18:00 - Jun 29 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Should have a goal against Norwich |
Newcastle away when we got pumped 3-0 and he stood on the spot pointing . Those Were The Days | | | |
| Is it going to be another summer of links with unrealistic signings? on 18:10 - Jun 29 with 1407 views | Mullet |
This is the football equivalent of a Brexit post frankly. |  |
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