We are interested in an Aneke loan from what I’ve heard. Think he’s pissed off with the lack of minutes.
id be surprised if we kept Arter unless we have to. If there is an option to return I’d expect us to take it
Well that cat got let out rather easily.
I had spoken to a few people about the Aneke interest and anticipated the club wanted it kept quiet as a number of other clubs (near the top of the league) have also kept tabs. We have the links, of course, and I hope it’s one we manage to pull off.
Love to see him back. Much better option off the bench than Davison.
However, we could get Harry Kane AND Mo Salah in & we still wouldnt make the play offs.
This season is a write off. Adkins not being fired soon enough & very poor recruitment has meant a wasted season & yet another season in this god forsaken League for 22/23.
Apart from Kirk (who at the time most people thought was a great signing) and Arter who else did we sign in the summer that was very poor recruitment?
Stockley, Craig Mac, Famewo, Clare, Dobson, Lavelle and Lee have all been good. CBT has done ok. Souare average but hasn't really played much. Leko hasn't really got going but again most people were happy with him signing.
So that's 2 duds out of 12, which isn't bad going really and certainly not what i'd call 'very poor'. Even Man City sign players who don't perform as expected.
Our recruitment in the summer was both good to very good and a fucking disaster.
We signed some very good, some good, some alright and some ordinary players.
We started with 4 really hard games, if you look at the players we had available I don't think any formation or manager would have got more than 3 or 4 points out if that. Then you bring in 4 or 5 players that aren't match fit, you have to change something, then you have to change it again because they aren't match fit and your playing Tuesday Saturday. Rinse and repeat. It's the same mess Bowyer got in last season.
We got it quite alright in the end but by the time we got it right it was too late and it was wrong for what we then needed.
I think, in hindsight, last January was the same as well.
Still too early to judge the sumner window as a whole and the individual ability of the signings. Clearly some are looking a lot better now than under Adkins and the end of the season will show how good it was.
Hard to disagree that even with Adkins we didn’t leave it a bit late but either way really not helped by how poor we were playing.
I don't know why we didn't move quickly to secure Scott Twine last summer, I hope we're a bit more on it in the next couple of windows.
I'm sure Cawley confirmed Twine wasn't a target of ours.
Utterly mental that he wasn't. Now 6 months later we are playing a formation where we have one player in our entire squad (on loan) who can play his position. His next move will be for a hefty seven figure fee.
I don't know why we didn't move quickly to secure Scott Twine last summer, I hope we're a bit more on it in the next couple of windows.
I'm sure Cawley confirmed Twine wasn't a target of ours.
Utterly mental that he wasn't. Now 6 months later we are playing a formation where we have one player in our entire squad (on loan) who can play his position. His next move will be for a hefty seven figure fee.
I don't know why we didn't move quickly to secure Scott Twine last summer, I hope we're a bit more on it in the next couple of windows.
I'm sure Cawley confirmed Twine wasn't a target of ours.
Utterly mental that he wasn't. Now 6 months later we are playing a formation where we have one player in our entire squad (on loan) who can play his position. His next move will be for a hefty seven figure fee.
Our problem was not the players, it was the fact we didn't get rid of Adkins a month earlier.
He could've gone after the Cheltenham game and certainly should've gone after the Bolton game.
So this I find an interesting observation and one I agree with.
I used to under estimate the importance of the manager and naively assumed that good players should be able to ‘sort themselves out’. I had always thought the professional nature of footballers and the mix of experience and youth should mean they can collectively organise themselves.
But what was proven under RD and again with Adkins is how important and specific that role is and can’t just be left to the same group of players.
This season is done so it’s all about building for next season IMO.
Perfect for me would be Dempsey as a rotated CM and Dion Charles up top to compete with CW & JS. Much more depth then. If not Charles then Jamil Matt would be great but unlikely.
Both quality and young, both out of contract this summer so possibly good value. Gills are broke and Dion fallen out with Accy.
Icing on the cake would be a proper RWB and I’d take the FGR lad Kane Wilson or Josh Key at Exeter (but I think he’d be expensive)
More likely I’d two loans from the the Championship reserves. Let’s hope the ‘Black Box’ is working.
Our problem was not the players, it was the fact we didn't get rid of Adkins a month earlier.
He could've gone after the Cheltenham game and certainly should've gone after the Bolton game.
So this I find an interesting observation and one I agree with.
I used to under estimate the importance of the manager and naively assumed that good players should be able to ‘sort themselves out’. I had always thought the professional nature of footballers and the mix of experience and youth should mean they can collectively organise themselves.
But what was proven under RD and again with Adkins is how important and specific that role is and can’t just be left to the same group of players.
It is quite ironic, as the players that are doing well now are the same players, a few of them twice have decided to down tools on there manager, Bowyer and then Adkins. I wonder what it would take for Jacko to piss them off and repeat the dose!!. Obviously I’m hoping it’s not the case, but does show that the players have to be professional and take responsibility aswell, as no matter how good the manager the players seem to decide there future ultimately.
I don't know why we didn't move quickly to secure Scott Twine last summer, I hope we're a bit more on it in the next couple of windows.
I'm sure Cawley confirmed Twine wasn't a target of ours.
Utterly mental that he wasn't. Now 6 months later we are playing a formation where we have one player in our entire squad (on loan) who can play his position. His next move will be for a hefty seven figure fee.
Who Arter?
Lee
Yes, completely agree with this, it worries me a lot. He's dropped off a bit the last couple of games but overall he's been very good.
When he plays a bit deeper, sometimes he starts as a 10 and sometimes more of an 8, Morgan could in theory play that role. Albie didn't look good as a 10 but has looked good as an 8 in the past. The problem is, Albie hasn't looked good this season. But to be fair to him, he also hasn't played in a performing, functioning team either.
Still, i think striker and a 10 (or 8 1/2, a playmaler basically) should be our priorities in January. Those are of course two of the most sought after positions in this League, in most leagues really. And January is usually a better time to be selling rather than buying.
We are interested in an Aneke loan from what I’ve heard. Think he’s pissed off with the lack of minutes.
id be surprised if we kept Arter unless we have to. If there is an option to return I’d expect us to take it
Well that cat got let out rather easily.
I had spoken to a few people about the Aneke interest and anticipated the club wanted it kept quiet as a number of other clubs (near the top of the league) have also kept tabs. We have the links, of course, and I hope it’s one we manage to pull off.
Love to see him back. Much better option off the bench than Davison.
However, we could get Harry Kane AND Mo Salah in & we still wouldnt make the play offs.
This season is a write off. Adkins not being fired soon enough & very poor recruitment has meant a wasted season & yet another season in this god forsaken League for 22/23.
Apart from Kirk (who at the time most people thought was a great signing) and Arter who else did we sign in the summer that was very poor recruitment?
Stockley, Craig Mac, Famewo, Clare, Dobson, Lavelle and Lee have all been good. CBT has done ok. Souare average but hasn't really played much. Leko hasn't really got going but again most people were happy with him signing.
So that's 2 duds out of 12, which isn't bad going really and certainly not what i'd call 'very poor'. Even Man City sign players who don't perform as expected.
So......
We didnt replace Aneke.
We started the season with no fit left back & so played a right back there.
Eventually when we did bring in a left back he hadnt played competitively for 2 years.
We were short on numbers & panicked towards the end of the transfer window by loaning players who (like the left back) weren't match fit.
And to cap it all, a week after the transfer window ends when we cant bring anyone in, we release one of our strikers leaving us with just 3 - 1 of which (Davison) is still young & inexperienced and frankly isnt up to much (so much so we are now asking an even younger player (18 year old Burstow) to step up.
So yes.....I'd say that was pretty poor recruitment, wouldn't you.
Never mind though because we can just go through the same rigmorole in the summer.
TS talks of Gallens excellent negotiating skills and how he spends club money like his own. I like those traits.
I do also wonder if it has seen Gallen push transfers back generally to the last minute (like a game of poker) which worked so well the year we were promoted but has not done so well since.
Maybe that is one area he needs to look at but I equally appreciate it is easy to say so behind a keyboard without knowing first hand how the transfer market really works and what our budget is/has been.
Our problem was not the players, it was the fact we didn't get rid of Adkins a month earlier.
He could've gone after the Cheltenham game and certainly should've gone after the Bolton game.
It was partly other things than just Adkins though. If we played Oxford MK Dons and Wigan again without Purrington, Lee, Gilbey and Leko, a half fit Inniss we probably wouldn't get many points. Then you have lost 3 of your first 5 and your already struggling. That's the difference, well one of them, between a good manager and a great one. Curbs was fantastic at resetting mid season. Bowyer and Adkins couldn't.
To Nick's point there is some blame on the players, if you look at our players (or the Man United and Spurs ones where the data is more visible in the media) and the amount of effort they suddenly put in with a change of manager. Did Adkins (and OGS and Nuno) tell them not to run?
I've arbitrarily graded our signings from last summer. Interesting how the change of manager improved the fortunes for so many of them that had been written off, it goes to show how good performances go beyond just the player, coaching and management play a key role.
I really do hope, this will be the last of the really shit panicky loan signings we see for a long time, surely there is no reason to go down that route again and lessons have been learnt.
Costa was 29. I also didn't know a) the frankly ridiculous circumstances of him signing for us, b) that he only played 24 league games for us (but WHAT games!) and c) that he went on to win a league, a domestic cup, a UEFA cup and a Champions League within two years of leaving us, and all that after scoring for the USA in the World Cup too (which I did remember)
Comments
He could've gone after the Cheltenham game and certainly should've gone after the Bolton game.
Perfect for me would be Dempsey as a rotated CM and Dion Charles up top to compete with CW & JS. Much more depth then. If not Charles then Jamil Matt would be great but unlikely.
Both quality and young, both out of contract this summer so possibly good value. Gills are broke and Dion fallen out with Accy.
Icing on the cake would be a proper RWB and I’d take the FGR lad Kane Wilson or Josh Key at Exeter (but I think he’d be expensive)
More likely I’d two loans from the the Championship reserves. Let’s hope the ‘Black Box’ is working.
When he plays a bit deeper, sometimes he starts as a 10 and sometimes more of an 8, Morgan could in theory play that role. Albie didn't look good as a 10 but has looked good as an 8 in the past. The problem is, Albie hasn't looked good this season. But to be fair to him, he also hasn't played in a performing, functioning team either.
Still, i think striker and a 10 (or 8 1/2, a playmaler basically) should be our priorities in January. Those are of course two of the most sought after positions in this League, in most leagues really. And January is usually a better time to be selling rather than buying.
We didnt replace Aneke.
We started the season with no fit left back & so played a right back there.
Eventually when we did bring in a left back he hadnt played competitively for 2 years.
We were short on numbers & panicked towards the end of the transfer window by loaning players who (like the left back) weren't match fit.
And to cap it all, a week after the transfer window ends when we cant bring anyone in, we release one of our strikers leaving us with just 3 - 1 of which (Davison) is still young & inexperienced and frankly isnt up to much (so much so we are now asking an even younger player (18 year old Burstow) to step up.
So yes.....I'd say that was pretty poor recruitment, wouldn't you.
Never mind though because we can just go through the same rigmorole in the summer.
I do also wonder if it has seen Gallen push transfers back generally to the last minute (like a game of poker) which worked so well the year we were promoted but has not done so well since.
Maybe that is one area he needs to look at but I equally appreciate it is easy to say so behind a keyboard without knowing first hand how the transfer market really works and what our budget is/has been.
To Nick's point there is some blame on the players, if you look at our players (or the Man United and Spurs ones where the data is more visible in the media) and the amount of effort they suddenly put in with a change of manager. Did Adkins (and OGS and Nuno) tell them not to run?
https://southnorwoodaddick.com/2021/12/29/summer-2021-signings-revisited-ranked/
It's these past-it mercenaries we need to avoid. Alou Diarra is the only one who was any good and he'd played in a World Cup final fgs