Understand your position but I think you're massively underestimating how difficult recruitment is.
Every single transfer you make is a risk. There is no guaranteed successes even when buying elite talent (think Torres & Shevchenko to Chelsea, Alexis Sanchez to United etc.) but largely buying proven quality = lower risk but naturally = bigger outlays.
Clubs with less budget, such as ourselves, are trying to buy players that can compete in one of the toughest leagues in the world for very little outlay. Naturally this means that the risk on every single transfer is even greater so in truth you'd expect the majority of them to fail. Of the names you list only 3 were even signed to play at this level.
So there will always be missteps but just bagging one Sam McCallum, one Gus Hamer or one Viktor Gyökeres more than covers the outlay on the "failures" & if you look at our record under the current recruitment structure it's nothing short of exceptional that a team with so little spent on it can even compete at this level.
Do you not think it's pretty decent that a squad assembled for a total transfer fee outlay of approx. £4m can be contesting a playoff place?
Some teams in this league pay that to a single player in a year.
You are right that there are other clubs that do it well too but I guarantee you they have also made signings that haven't quite cut the mustard too & I'd wager they spent far more on them in the process.
P.S. What level is Kastaneer playing at now?
they are all on championship contracts. The wage hike across the squad was 40% before any signings this season
Jonny Ngandu is a very good player and is/was a real prospect. He has got back into the team after injury issues and is again part of our successful reserve team, I’m hoping he gets a game or two in the run up to the seasons.It always feels like I single Ngandu but the lad is 21 and has never played a league game in this country yet seems to be fit for the under 23’s, is Rus injured as he isn’t in the team today?
It is getting harder to take under 23’s from the prem and get them into our team as we are only just below some of them.
The different between the average L1 contract and the average Championship contract is more like 400%. But sure if you want to believe Josh Pask is on £12k/wk crack on.
He's u23s captain which says alot about his as a character and within the squad. But he's not made the bench once this season. I'd have loved him to get a loan out in JanJonny Ngandu is a very good player and is/was a real prospect. He has got back into the team after injury issues and is again part of our successful reserve team, I’m hoping he gets a game or two in the run up to the seasons.
He's u23s captain which says alot about his as a character and within the squad. But he's not made the bench once this season. I'd have loved him to get a loan out in Jan
im hardly saying that but all these players will have had contractual bonuses abs annual wages increases built in so players in contract will be on wages above when signed and hardly attractive to lower league clubs
So Allen stays?I think that’s where a likely big player sale will have to come in unfortunately
I'm aware of that. But why not offer a 2 year contract with an option of another year?
If we feel obliged to willingly offer 3 year contracts to signings that either no one else wants or ones with more risk attached than most, then that in itself proves the fundamental flaw I'm talking about.
Kastaneer is about to be relegated from the Dutch top flight actually. Anyone I have spoken to about him here has largely laughed when his name has come up. 25 appearances in 28 games, zero goals, zero assists. PEC Zwolle are the fodder of the league with 5 wins.
He was a shite signing and I think whilst you make some good points about the difficulties of recruitment, there is an argument to be made that many of our signings made in the last few seasons have flopped. I will probably go through the list again at the end of the season, but whilst I think you obviously need to gamble sometimes, having a budget like ours means the margin for error is very small. I think there is room for improvement in this department certainly.
Who out of the U/23s need clearing out ?
Good point, nothing in Hilssner’s career before and after CCFC says he should be in a position to command a three year deal at a Championship club. We should hold all the cards
1. How many of our squad would be in the matchday squad of a team in the top two automatic places? I venture only Moore, O'Hare and Hamer. for certain with Victor as a possible. We are only one player and a 'possible' better than last year. Therefore the rest of the team is bang average for the division and our position fairly reflects that.
@Deleted member 9744 says Godden gets into every matchday squad in the league.Moore as a back up like Wilson is for us, O’Hare no chance, Bournemouth bench Saturday had Cantwell and Jamal Lowe, Hamer no.
Gyokeres is the only one I’d say
Fair comments. I think Hyam is progressing and Jcs would be good. Not sure rose has progressed and fadz last season at the higher level so yep needs addressingI wonder whether we are deluding ourselves about how much progress we have made this year.
1. How many of our squad would be in the matchday squad of a team in the top two automatic places? I venture only Moore, O'Hare and Hamer. for certain with Victor as a possible. We are only one player and a 'possible' better than last year. Therefore the rest of the team is bang average for the division and our position fairly reflects that.
2. Much of the transfer activity has been in clearing out those clearly not up to snuff - Max, Baka and Pask for instance. But this only impacts on results when we have injury problems. It helps to have a good depth of squad but top line quality in the first team matters more. See point 1.
Although everybody bangs on about an attacking midfielder; that problem would be solved by O'Hare converting more chances (boy was I relieved that Pickering did the job for him), but the real problem is central defence. Too many avoidable goals for this level. MacFadz and Hyam are certainly sound, but slow and error prone. If we are to solidify our position further then the defence needs to be as tight as the proverbial duck's arse. And it isn't.
In which case we should not be disappointed by our position nor have excessive expectations of their worth in the market. I suspect my three would at least make the bench at Bournemouth and Fulham. O'Hare's stats are just too good to ignore.Moore as a back up like Wilson is for us, O’Hare no chance, Bournemouth bench Saturday had Cantwell and Jamal Lowe, Hamer no.
Gyokeres is the only one I’d say
In which case we should not be disappointed by our position nor have excessive expectations of their worth in the market. I suspect my three would at least make the bench at Bournemouth and Fulham. O'Hare's stats are just too good to ignore.
The same applies to a lot of our signings to be honest. The mentality throughout the club at times very much appears as one that is synonymous with a League One/Two club.
I wonder whether we are deluding ourselves about how much progress we have made this year.
1. How many of our squad would be in the matchday squad of a team in the top two automatic places? I venture only Moore, O'Hare and Hamer. for certain with Victor as a possible. We are only one player and a 'possible' better than last year. Therefore the rest of the team is bang average for the division and our position fairly reflects that.
2. Much of the transfer activity has been in clearing out those clearly not up to snuff - Max, Baka and Pask for instance. But this only impacts on results when we have injury problems. It helps to have a good depth of squad but top line quality in the first team matters more. See point 1.
Although everybody bangs on about an attacking midfielder; that problem would be solved by O'Hare converting more chances (boy was I relieved that Pickering did the job for him), but the real problem is central defence. Too many avoidable goals for this level. MacFadz and Hyam are certainly sound, but slow and error prone. If we are to solidify our position further then the defence needs to be as tight as the proverbial duck's arse. And it isn't.
Was it three years we gave Allen too? That should be for an exceptional youngster or important first team player
Their new deals expire in 2024 I think. I guess it counts as a two and a half year deal on their new salaries? Not sure I would've really committed to that personally though, on both counts.
It very much seems that we're almost deploying a Ken Dulieu tactic of giving out long term contracts to players whose value is depreciating or is relatively nominal, as the club believes it adds some kind of security to itself. However this so called 'strategy' is already backfiring badly and I can only see the repercussions worsening.
At least with Bidwell so presumably others it’s a makeweight because we can’t compete directly on wages.
It is so difficult for clubs in our financial situation. You are correct in what you say, but just to play devils advocate, the club have previously been criticized for only giving 2 year deals. Obviously, when we sign players it is in the hope they succeed. If they are on a 2 year deal and have a great first year, then the control slightly shifts to the player who is already in the final year of their contract. We all know our model is based on buying and selling players, so I imagine the club is trying to protect the assets from the start. No club gets every signing right.But overall it's a very dangerous and reckless tactic to deploy as if the signing doesn't work out then they're stuck with said player for far longer than necessary - as already shown on numerous counts.
It is so difficult for clubs in our financial situation. You are correct in what you say, but just to play devils advocate, the club have previously been criticized for only giving 2 year deals. Obviously, when we sign players it is in the hope they succeed. If they are on a 2 year deal and have a great first year, then the control slightly shifts to the player who is already in the final year of their contract. We all know our model is based on buying and selling players, so I imagine the club is trying to protect the assets from the start. No club gets every signing right.
I really hope the club is not giving out any contracts based on being worried fans will criticise them! Out of interest would you have offered Hamer and Viktor two year deals with a third year option, and then moved on if they were holding out for a straight 3 year deal? Unfortunately it can't always be the club dictating and at some point you role the dice and take a chance.Offering a two year deal with a year's option in the club's favour shouldn't be much of a deal breaker when signing players such as Kastaneer, Hilssner or Dacosta. And if it is, simply move on. Players of that ilk should be chomping at the bit at the prospect of joining a Championship club when you take into account where they were playing previously.
Equally, if the club is worried that fans will criticise them for giving a 2 year contract/2 year contract with an option of a further year in their favour to players that physically no other club wants, then that proves my point regarding a poor mentality.
I really hope the club is not giving out any contracts based on being worried fans will criticise them! Out of interest would you have offered Hamer and Viktor two year deals with a third year option, and then moved on if they were holding out for a straight 3 year deal? Unfortunately it can't always be the club dictating and at some point you role the dice and take a chance.
But you’re not freeing their wage it comes out of the same budget all at once rather than weekly. Might aswell keep themAlso, all those out of contract id let go. Even Fadz. Hes been unreal for us but you're stevie wonder if you cant see that his legs are now giving up on him since the turn of the year.
We need to find suitors for Kelly, Walker, Waghorn, Dacosta, Hillsner. Even on a free, take the hit but release their wage.
it's sort of an enabatable
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