| Lessons from last year 15:24 - Jul 18 with 922 views | greyhound |
One of the key messages from last year was our transfer business was to late. With that I almost expected an early deluge of signings and us to know where we would be with a fairly over inflated squad going on the training camp.
There's a lot floating about around our lack of business, joe meanwhile has rightly pointed out we have a squad size of 28 which is problematic from a registration perspective. However of those 28 we have to many goalkeepers, not enough forwards and are imminently going to lose 2 fairly key people from the last 2 campaigns.
Is it going to be another summer which leaves us gelling into October, i don't know, I'm just concerned that the squad won't be settled in a situation where we all have hopes of a return to the prem with better capability.
The business model was always set out to buy players and sell for profit so im not overly concerned about the loss of delap and Hutchinson, I would just like those roles replaced with their new counterparts sooner rather than later.
For instance Al hamadi and hirst is an extremely concerning forward line. Injuries, aside I don't think there's the goals we need between them. |  | | |  |
| Lessons from last year on 15:34 - Jul 18 with 842 views | Steve_M |
Yep. although I think it's worth noting that it won't be quite so hard to get the team to gel in the Championship as it was last season. It is a bit concerning at the moment though, the players we have bought in so far merely filling gaps that have opened up since the end of the season.
We needed two central midfielders and two strikers when the season finished and we still do. That can't have been the plan three weeks from the start of the season.
Yes, we're being ambitious with some of our targets and it might be worth waiting but it's three seasons in a row now we've seen the transfer window close with us a striker short. |  |
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| Lessons from last year on 15:43 - Jul 18 with 736 views | Herbivore |
I think what will emerge as our best XI will only contain two players who weren't here last season (the two CMs), possibly a Hutch replacement but we can field a three behind the striker of Philogene, Szmodics, and Clarke and still have Chaplin, Ogbene, Broadhead, and Burns in reserve. What we're seeing is probably lower than average squad turnover for a newly relegated side, but it's churn we've not been that used to necessarily. Appreciate CM is a key area so not being flippant about the level of change, and no doubt the squad will be bolstered in other areas, but I don't think we should be unduly concerned. Other relegated sides in recent years have had WAY more upheaval than we're experiencing and still gone up, or at least finished top 3. |  |
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| Lessons from last year on 15:45 - Jul 18 with 693 views | jayessess |
think there's some truth to this but also not.
By the time we'd finished last Summer's transfer windoww we had bought a new player for every single position on the pitch. Although it didn't actually pan out as such in the end, it's likely that the intention behind our transfer business was that 8 of our 11 regular starters would be new recruits (Muric, Johnson, O'Shea, Greaves, Phillips, Cajuste, Szmodics, Ogbene, Delap).
This season, it's more like 2 of our 11 regular starters are going to be new and we've acquired one of those already (Matusiwa).
We need a number 8. We'll want to reinforce our bench. But it isn't the same magnitude of problem. Only 5 transfers by the end of July killed us last season. 5 transfers by the end of the July would probably be close to job done. |  |
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| Lessons from last year on 15:45 - Jul 18 with 689 views | tractorboy1978 |
| Lessons from last year on 15:34 - Jul 18 by Steve_M |
Yep. although I think it's worth noting that it won't be quite so hard to get the team to gel in the Championship as it was last season. It is a bit concerning at the moment though, the players we have bought in so far merely filling gaps that have opened up since the end of the season.
We needed two central midfielders and two strikers when the season finished and we still do. That can't have been the plan three weeks from the start of the season.
Yes, we're being ambitious with some of our targets and it might be worth waiting but it's three seasons in a row now we've seen the transfer window close with us a striker short. |
We don't have an easy start either. Two automatic promotion rivals - arguably it doesn't come harder than Birmingham away under the lights and then Southampton. Not games we can 'phone it in' at 75%, we will have to be right at it.
We really need to get deals over the line for one more CM and a striker as a real priority for me. | | | |
| Lessons from last year on 15:56 - Jul 18 with 560 views | pointofblue |
| Lessons from last year on 15:43 - Jul 18 by Herbivore |
I think what will emerge as our best XI will only contain two players who weren't here last season (the two CMs), possibly a Hutch replacement but we can field a three behind the striker of Philogene, Szmodics, and Clarke and still have Chaplin, Ogbene, Broadhead, and Burns in reserve. What we're seeing is probably lower than average squad turnover for a newly relegated side, but it's churn we've not been that used to necessarily. Appreciate CM is a key area so not being flippant about the level of change, and no doubt the squad will be bolstered in other areas, but I don't think we should be unduly concerned. Other relegated sides in recent years have had WAY more upheaval than we're experiencing and still gone up, or at least finished top 3. |
I think we're four players short - three central midfielders (to replace Cajuste and Morsy, plus additional cover) and a striker in lieu of Delap. Every other area seems well stocked right now.
Loan out Baggott and Humphreys whilst selling Hutchinson plus one of three keepers and we should be well set numbers wise. | |
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| Lessons from last year on 15:58 - Jul 18 with 552 views | Guthrum |
| Lessons from last year on 15:56 - Jul 18 by pointofblue |
I think we're four players short - three central midfielders (to replace Cajuste and Morsy, plus additional cover) and a striker in lieu of Delap. Every other area seems well stocked right now.
Loan out Baggott and Humphreys whilst selling Hutchinson plus one of three keepers and we should be well set numbers wise. |
I'd have Humphreys instead of one of those midfielders. Now is the time for him to break through. |  |
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| Lessons from last year on 16:02 - Jul 18 with 484 views | Herbivore |
| Lessons from last year on 15:56 - Jul 18 by pointofblue |
I think we're four players short - three central midfielders (to replace Cajuste and Morsy, plus additional cover) and a striker in lieu of Delap. Every other area seems well stocked right now.
Loan out Baggott and Humphreys whilst selling Hutchinson plus one of three keepers and we should be well set numbers wise. |
Can't see three more CMs coming in. If we bring in two more that's three newbies plus Taylor competing for two spots. We might keep Humphreys for cover, as he can cover other positions too, Johnson is also capable of covering in the midfield if needed. I think having four new CMs plus Taylor, you aren't going to be able to keep them all happy unless one is a 30+ player on the way down who is coming in to add a bit of experience and doing their badges at the same time, but not sure we'd want to go down that route. | |
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| Lessons from last year on 16:04 - Jul 18 with 439 views | jayessess |
| Lessons from last year on 16:02 - Jul 18 by Herbivore |
Can't see three more CMs coming in. If we bring in two more that's three newbies plus Taylor competing for two spots. We might keep Humphreys for cover, as he can cover other positions too, Johnson is also capable of covering in the midfield if needed. I think having four new CMs plus Taylor, you aren't going to be able to keep them all happy unless one is a 30+ player on the way down who is coming in to add a bit of experience and doing their badges at the same time, but not sure we'd want to go down that route. |
Humphreys is still going to be U21, so keeping him as a 5th midfielder probably necessary to make the squad limit. | |
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| Lessons from last year on 16:08 - Jul 18 with 388 views | Herbivore |
| Lessons from last year on 16:04 - Jul 18 by jayessess |
Humphreys is still going to be U21, so keeping him as a 5th midfielder probably necessary to make the squad limit. |
He can also cover LB and the number 10 roles of need be, good versatility. The ideal would be to get him a season of regular Championship football on loan but staying with us and getting 15-20 appearances (probably off the bench mainly) wouldn't be bad for his development. | |
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| Lessons from last year on 16:13 - Jul 18 with 343 views | Pique |
| Lessons from last year on 15:34 - Jul 18 by Steve_M |
Yep. although I think it's worth noting that it won't be quite so hard to get the team to gel in the Championship as it was last season. It is a bit concerning at the moment though, the players we have bought in so far merely filling gaps that have opened up since the end of the season.
We needed two central midfielders and two strikers when the season finished and we still do. That can't have been the plan three weeks from the start of the season.
Yes, we're being ambitious with some of our targets and it might be worth waiting but it's three seasons in a row now we've seen the transfer window close with us a striker short. |
The striker thing is critical and a lesson we must learn. For the last two seasons we've had a winter striker problem due to Hirst injuries.
Last year we spent every game in December praying Delap wouldn't get injured or suspended (and when he did inevitably get suspended had to play Szmodics up front, which didn't work). The year before was even worse - Broadhead as a false 9 (which also didn't work) until we could get Moore and Al Hamadi in.
Can't take a third year of that personally. Two decent strikers in and Al Hamadi out should be the aim. |  | | |
| Lessons from last year on 16:22 - Jul 18 with 282 views | surreyblue |
| Lessons from last year on 16:04 - Jul 18 by jayessess |
Humphreys is still going to be U21, so keeping him as a 5th midfielder probably necessary to make the squad limit. |
Unfortunately he won't - from the EFL regulations:
"‘Under 21 Player’ means a Player under the age of 21 as at the 1 January in the year in
which the Season concerned commences.
For Season 2025/26 an Under 21 Player is someone born on or after 1 January 2005."
Cam was born in 2003, so wouldn't have made the cut last year, let alone this year.
Edit: it seems that the PL has different rules and judges "under 21" from a year earlier. So last season Cam would have been classed as an under 21 in the prem but not in the championship.
"What constitutes an Under-21 player?
For the 2025/26 Premier League season, Under-21 players will have been born on or after 1 January 2004." [Post edited 18 Jul 16:26]
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| Lessons from last year on 16:41 - Jul 18 with 167 views | FrimleyBlue |
You can have a dodgy august/sept in the championship
You can't in the prem |  |
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