Esoterica
Well-Known Member
If we'd signed Ostigaard and James but consequently had to retain Biamou and Bakayoko as our back up strikers then I really would feel we've been treading water.
We've reached somewhere near our budget ceiling and we're still transitioning from a L1 club to a Championship - it was always going to be tight, regardless of COVID, and not as exciting as the rapid ascent we've got used to in the last 3 seasons. I think Hyam will look much better at RCB too so if we are able to get a LCB in and 1 as cover then all good there too.
Next summer I expect our remaining older players like Godden, Kelly and McFadzean will unsentimentally get moved on with the remaining deadwood we haven't been able to shift like Mason, Jobello, Hilsner. But Rose, Hyam, Sheaf, Gyokeres, Walker etc will all have 2 seasons of Championship football under their belts and will start to become the core of the team that we build around rather than the fill ins around key players.
1 or 2 of Jones, Eccles, Burroughs, Howley will also break through this season and feel like new signings. With the disrupted pre-season and players like Bright, Godden and Jones who will take several weeks to get up to speed, I expect the season to have a similiar trajectory as the last and we'll be a much better team by the end of the season than at the start.
We've reached somewhere near our budget ceiling and we're still transitioning from a L1 club to a Championship - it was always going to be tight, regardless of COVID, and not as exciting as the rapid ascent we've got used to in the last 3 seasons. I think Hyam will look much better at RCB too so if we are able to get a LCB in and 1 as cover then all good there too.
Next summer I expect our remaining older players like Godden, Kelly and McFadzean will unsentimentally get moved on with the remaining deadwood we haven't been able to shift like Mason, Jobello, Hilsner. But Rose, Hyam, Sheaf, Gyokeres, Walker etc will all have 2 seasons of Championship football under their belts and will start to become the core of the team that we build around rather than the fill ins around key players.
1 or 2 of Jones, Eccles, Burroughs, Howley will also break through this season and feel like new signings. With the disrupted pre-season and players like Bright, Godden and Jones who will take several weeks to get up to speed, I expect the season to have a similiar trajectory as the last and we'll be a much better team by the end of the season than at the start.