Torquay Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
This is a fair point. Forest were promoted on the back of top class loans and just about still there
This is a fair point. Forest were promoted on the back of top class loans and just about still thereDefine balance. Ipswich topped off their signings with loanees. They had a pretty solid base with their L1 business - we weren’t ready to compete last year and a few loanees wouldn’t have bridged the gap.
In reality, we have a small squad that’s still behind the depth of 22/23 and teams aren’t going to loan us players to be bit part for us.
If there’s a loanee out there that improves what we have, brilliant. If not, we need to keep building our squad with our own players. So far, it’s going really well and if we have the resources to sign permanent players, the better.
Which is actually my point. In terms of numbers we still have less players than that season. The quality outside of start XI is obviously a lot higher. So we’re a good 2-3 players short of having a squad able to compete in all cup competitions and the league.The depth of 22/23? We literally flogged Vik and Hamer to death as we had nobody that could enable either to rest. As striking options we had Vik, Godden and Maguire. In the play off final our only attacking option apart from Godden on from the bench was to bring on a half fit Palmer. We had no back up left back to Bidwell. Putting out a reasonable starting 11 was dependent on loan players.
Hot take: if we don’t go up this year Robins goes and his successor gets the profits from Wright/Simms/MvE/Sheaf/whoever.
I may well be in a minority here but I honestly feel that losing the play off final was a blessing, we were nowhere near ready for the massive step up, not just the playing side of things’ I’m talking about the entire setup of the club, we were still basically being ran as a mid sized league 1 club at that time.
Promotion could well have proved to be a disaster imho and could have set the club back years, losing that game has allowed the club to grow organically, putting all the necessary building blocks in place to achieve it’s objective ‘promotion on the back of a meticulously well constructed 5 year plan.
Running before you can walk‘ usually ends with a heavy fall.
That Busanello lad would be immense.
I may well be in a minority here but I honestly feel that losing the play off final was a blessing, we were nowhere near ready for the massive step up, not just the playing side of things’ I’m talking about the entire setup of the club, we were still basically being ran as a mid sized league 1 club at that time.
Promotion could well have proved to be a disaster imho and could have set the club back years, losing that game has allowed the club to grow organically, putting all the necessary building blocks in place to achieve it’s objective ‘promotion on the back of a meticulously well constructed 5 year plan.
Running before you can walk‘ usually ends with a heavy fall.
Fewer. Sorry couldn't resist it.Which is actually my point. In terms of numbers we still have less players than that season. The quality outside of start XI is obviously a lot higher. So we’re a good 2-3 players short of having a squad able to compete in all cup competitions and the league.
2026/27 if we’re not up we may be adjusting to life post-MR, he’ll have probably decided he can’t take us that next step.
I see it as a dutyFewer. Sorry couldn't resist it.
We had to completely rebuild the squad for the following season, but we set about doing so by signing decent Championship quality players of the right age, had we won promotion we would have needed a more extensive rebuild and with higher quality players on huge contracts’ which we would still be obliged to honour following our inevitable relegation.Can’t agree because it would still have allowed us to grow organically. We’d have invested in the infrastructure and the squad as whole. We’d have inevitably been relegated but we’d be in a very strong position now to go back up.
Which is actually my point. In terms of numbers we still have less players than that season. The quality outside of start XI is obviously a lot higher. So we’re a good 2-3 players short of having a squad able to compete in all cup competitions and the league.
2026/27 if we’re not up we may be adjusting to life post-MR, he’ll have probably decided he can’t take us that next step.
From what I have seen, yes, most definitely worth it.You might be right ? I know very little about him and if we were prepared to spend 5m we must have seen something as we know we tend not to pay inflated prices.
In all honesty’ compared to us Luton were better positioned for promotion, didn’t need a massive squad rebuild and were regularly selling out their stadiumI said this at the time, you can’t be sure but it will be interesting to see how Luton perform this year
We could put two sides out of players with senior experience ?
Dovin
MvE
Thomas
Binks
Bidwell
Sheaf
Rudoni
Torp
Wright
Simms
Sakamoto
Collins
Burroughs
Latibeaudiere
Kitching
Da Silva
Eccles
Allen
Palmer
Tavares
Thomas-Asante (tbc)
Mason-Clark
That still leaves
Rodridgues
Howley
Andrews
Dausch
Obikwu
Wilson
See where you're coming from, but can't see how a hundred million + cash injection could hurt any half decently run club.
We could put two sides out of players with senior experience ?
Dovin
MvE
Thomas
Binks
Bidwell
Sheaf
Rudoni
Torp
Wright
Simms
Sakamoto
Collins
Burroughs
Latibeaudiere
Kitching
Da Silva
Eccles
Allen
Palmer
Tavares
Thomas-Asante (tbc)
Mason-Clark
That still leaves
Rodridgues
Howley
Andrews
Dausch
Obikwu
Wilson
Assuming BTA signs
We’re not competing against mid table teams anymore, our aim is promotion and there’s a good 5 players in the 2nd XI we need to improve upon.
There’s also about 3-5 players that’ll be loaned out. The squad is the best in terms of quality it has since we were a Prem team.
To demonstrate how thin the squad can be in places, refer to the Darmstadt thread. Midfield is still a concern if, for example, Sheaf and Torp are injured which isn’t a remote possibility. Even in defence, if MVE went down injured, Lati will play RB (as things stand) so who is covering Thomas if he gets injured/suspended? We won’t go with 2 left footers unless the situation is desperate.
I don’t get this pushback against our depth, Robins himself will say the team needs more quality and depth. Assuming BTA signs, we’ve just replenished our squad numbers from the outgoings of last seasons team. The same squad size Robins called out consistently since Jan.
That wasn’t the point I or Robins has made now or in the past. The benchmark was in the numbers, Robins said the squad size was ‘net’ smaller than last seasons and presumably wants a squad size on par with 22/23 if he kept referencing it. It makes sense and we’re still short in some areas. Which is why we’re still active in the transfer market with no indication that there’ll be any outgoings barring Wilson and loanees (e.g. Obikwu where Robins has said numerous times ‘there’ll be plenty of takers’).The comparator was a team that finished in the play off places, I have just demonstrated that our depth is now greater than it was then.
He's not, the scouting reports said he had a lot of promise but faded badly last season and struggles when pressed. He has a lot of potential though.You might be right ? I know very little about him and if we were prepared to spend 5m we must have seen something as we know we tend not to pay inflated prices.
About 8.45 tonight the club will tweet a video of some lovely trainers having a stroll and then leave it just long enough to be annoying before confirming.
Really like Eustace. Coventry bred too.
Define balance. Ipswich topped off their signings with loanees. They had a pretty solid base with their L1 business - we weren’t ready to compete last year and a few loanees wouldn’t have bridged the gap.
In reality, we have a small squad that’s still behind the depth of 22/23 and teams aren’t going to loan us players to be bit part for us.
If there’s a loanee out there that improves what we have, brilliant. If not, we need to keep building our squad with our own players. So far, it’s going really well and if we have the resources to sign permanent players, the better.
I'm sure we must be close to our allocated FFP as regards wages so I doubt we will see as many signings as some would like. Dovin is apparently joint top earner so that will go against usI agree about the depth, if you look at outgoings and ingoings over the past 2 or 3 seasons, we gained a goalkeeper, but we are down a CB, a DM, a Right sided midfielder and a forward.
Oddly not far off the areas we probably need more depth in, perhaps a RB rather than right sided midfielder is needed, but a CB, DM and a Forward is what we all say we need.
we are not down a cb, we play with less cbs than we did at the start of last year. Do we need a 5th cb?
If he's not announced by 5pm then fek him Doug and Robins I want a refund back on my season ticket and shirt
We could put two sides out of players with senior experience ?
Dovin
MvE
Thomas
Binks
Bidwell
Sheaf
Rudoni
Torp
Wright
Simms
Sakamoto
Collins
Burroughs
Latibeaudiere
Kitching
Da Silva
Eccles
Allen
Palmer
Tavares
Thomas-Asante (tbc)
Mason-Clark
That still leaves
Rodridgues
Howley
Andrews
Dausch
Obikwu
Wilson
Sutton Coldfield and he's a Villa fan!John Eustace was Born in Solihull, so he's a Brummie.
That wasn’t the point I or Robins has made now or in the past. The benchmark was in the numbers, Robins said the squad size was ‘net’ smaller than last seasons and presumably wants a squad size on par with 22/23 if he kept referencing it. It makes sense and we’re still short in some areas. Which is why we’re still active in the transfer market with no indication that there’ll be any outgoings barring Wilson and loanees (e.g. Obikwu where Robins has said numerous times ‘there’ll be plenty of takers’).
Our stated goal is promotion and to go deep in cup competitions, we’re not doing that the squad of of about 18-20 players we actually trust to start a run of games.
I’m not debating you on whether or not the quality of the overall squad is better because we’re in agreement there. Outside of Vik, COH, Hamer, Sheaf and Doyle… that team had no business being anywhere near the top half. Let alone being a shootout from the Prem.
I've just countered that point.In reality, we have a small squad that’s still behind the depth of 22/23 and teams aren’t going to loan us players to be bit part for us.
It’s not a 5th CB if Lati is deputising MVE at RB. If MVE gets injured, Burroughs won’t be playing RB and it’s not even a given he’ll be kept in the squad this season.we are not down a cb, we play with less cbs than we did at the start of last year. Do we need a 5th cb?
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