Jack Payne - July 2024 signed for Colchester (p14)

Leuth said:

'I'm a bit suspicious of all these people who can play football. Strikes me we need someone who will boot it out of play'

I’d love 11 Claus Jensens too . 

Cafc43v3r said:

paulfox said:

Lewis Coaches said:

paulfox said:

Lewis Coaches said:

Sillybilly said:

I don’t know what to think. We wanted a clear out. We’re getting one. We wanted some goals from midfield. On the face of it Jack helps here. But the niggling feeling that we’re recruiting a bunch of league 2 players haunts me. Welcome aboard the good ship Swindo, sorry CAFC Jack. I hope you are a ray of light. 

Just remind me Swindon finished in 6th position in Division 2 last season and now it’s expected that these same players push us on to The Championship.

Come on, it is three of them isn’t it? what will you be saying if they all step up?, we don’t know yet do we?. Admittedly it could go tits up, but we need to give this new team a chance. I’m probably slightly more concerned about some we have retained.

Plus manager and his right hand man thats five at least.
Pulling players out of Division 2 is not going to get us to the championship any day soon.

Not sure what people like yourself want, as it stands we are a mid table third tier club, who are trying to build from an extremely shitty foundation due to reasons we all know about. What would your strategy be and how would it differ from what the club are doing? As personally I don’t know what else could be done, unless ridiculous unsustainable fees are paid, although we could offer the earth for players but they would still not come because we are division 3. As much as it’s not what you appear to want( not only you by the way) we are having to be realistic and cut the cloth accordingly.

We weren't a midtable league 1 team this time last season.  As someone else said we are probably a year behind MK Dons now, we were a year ahead of them last summer.

What is the strategy?  We seem to have gone through all of them in the last 3 or 4 windows, then completley changed course come the next one.  I think it is fair to say none of them have been cheap, or until now, remotely successful.

If this window is capped off with 2 or 3 young premiership loans, of the class of Maatsen, Dasilva, Millar, Cullen etc and maybe one cash signing that has growth potential.  I think most people would be happy.

If this window is capped off with the last minute loan signings of the Arters, Lees and Lekos of this world.  Most people wont be.

There does appear to be more of a plan of signing players to play in a system, that's been lacking over the previous 18 months but even that's no good if you only have 80% of a squad/team.

Encouraging, yes.  Finished, certainly not.

Progress is quite a deceptive thing to judge at Football League level though. A team can have a good season, look ready to kick on and then lose key personnel or just their momentum and then look completely different the next year despite seemingly not having a summer collapse. It happened to us with our summer last year, but it wouldn't massively surprise me if MK Dons aren't looking so advanced next season. The manager is still there but they've lost some key players up front and at the back, and if they don't replace Twine's goals they might be in trouble. Similarly Barnsley were on the cusp of promotion to the Premier League two years ago, getting knocked back in the Play-Offs and then proceeded to finish bottom the next season and now they live with us. Russell Slade's Leyton Orient finished third in L1, lost in the Play-off final and then got relegated the next season (side note, their frontline that season was insane. How did they have Kevin Lisbie, Dave Mooney - who scored 19 goals?! - and Jayden Stockley in the same squad? Did they have a time machine??),  If you don't achieve in the season you are doing alright then your future can completely collapse before your eyes the following one. Will be interesting to see if MK reach the heights of last season.

IAgree said:

Garrymanilow said:

IAgree said:

FFS! Another very average league two Swindon signing!

Is the plan to get Swindon promoted to league one player by player?!?

If Derby had picked Payne up like they tried to right before he signed for us then you'd be pissing your pants about how Sandgaard won't pay the going rate and ruing us missing out on another target. Teams constantly, constantly sign the best players from the league below when putting together a decent team. Payne, O'Connell and Sessegnon all have L1 experience. Wollacott is Ghana's goalkeeper. Egbo was a highly rated player rebuilding his career while still quite young. These aren't just random lower league players, they have potential and decent pedigree. But by all means we can just look at where they came from and weep, it's not like Charlton have ever succeeded buying players from teams below them.

Yeah but all of them? Seriously do you believe this is good recruitment ? 

We won’t be attractive to decent Championship players or even be able to afford them. The good quality League one players are looking at Championship moves. I’d rather the cream from league two than journeyman league one signings. We are where we are. I think the recruitment has been actually damned good and it’s not finished yet.

.

Callumcafc said:

The whole purpose of using data to find the hidden gems is that they're going to be exactly that, hidden gems. You likely won't have heard of them, and you won't be impressed by their track records or previous clubs for the most part.

The point is that they should come together to form a team capable of challenging at the top end. We don't know whether that is or isn't the case until we play a few games. Until then when we can start making proper judgements, I find all the negativity a bit boring.

Amazing how all the hidden gems play for or used to play for Swindon!

But not amazing that more people that Garner views as hidden gems used to play for Swindon. 

Club and their best signing so far (based on my very limited knowledge of clubs outside of Charlton): 

Accrington: 
Shaun Whalley 5 years ago would have been good at this level. 

Barnsley:
Conor McCarthy a decent quality punt. 

Bolton:
Jack Iredale - Not bad, should be hitting his prime

Bristol:
Rossiter or Marquis - Neither are promotion material. 

Burton:
Adeboyejo is probably their best signing, released from a club dropped to this level though. 

Cambridge:
Haunstrup from Killy is probably their best, not phenomenal in any sense. 

Charlton:
Jack Payne is probably the most exciting of our business. 

Cheltenham:
No one of note that I think will shine at this level. 

Wayne Rooney's Derby County:
Probably Mendez Laing or Barkhuizen are their best signings

Exeter:
Literally signed no one. 

Fleetwood:
Vela was a very good signing for Fleetwood imo. 

Forest Green:
Kyle McAllister is a good signing, can he do it down here though?

Ipswich:
Ladapo a very, very good signing at this level. 

Lincoln:
No one of note that I think will shine at this level. 

MK Dons:
Either Barry or Tucker really, probably the former. 

Morecambe:
No one of note that I think will shine at this level. 

Oxford:
Brown will be their best signing so far - He's their only signing mind you. 

Peterborough:
Ben Thompson is a great option. 

Plymouth:
No one of note that I think will shine at this level. 

Portsmouth:
Pack or Piggott

Port Vale:
Funso Ojo is actually relatively decent. 

Wednesday:
Several shrewd signings. Vaulks, Smith, Ihiekwe and James should all be good enough for a L1 play off position. 

Shrewsbury:
Dunkley or O'Brien probably the pick. 

Wycombe:
No one of note that I think will shine at this level. 

paulfox said:

IAgree said:

As for the negativity being boring I find the relentless mindless optimism baffling but what yer gonna do? I won’t post on the subject again however

Good!!👍

Thanks that’s really nice of you to say 

Cafc43v3r said:

Callumcafc said:

The whole purpose of using data to find the hidden gems is that they're going to be exactly that, hidden gems. You likely won't have heard of them, and you won't be impressed by their track records or previous clubs for the most part.

The point is that they should come together to form a team capable of challenging at the top end. We don't know whether that is or isn't the case until we play a few games. Until then when we can start making proper judgements, I find all the negativity a bit boring.

So we used data and half the answers happened to be at Swindon and one of the others is hardly a hidden gem, has been in the England age group set up for years.

There has been multiple changes of tact, does that matter if they eventually get it right?  Probably not.  

It's not a finished job, yet, everyone knows that, it wasn't a finished job last year either.  Many, like me, expected them to get it right then.  They didn't put a cherry on the top, they destroyed the whole cake.

Blind optimism as as boring as blind negativity.  It's a great start, but that's all it is.  

It's not blind optimism on my part, I think you missed the part of my post where I said it SHOULD work. As in the intention is to be successful. We don't know the reality until it plays out in front of us. In the mean time, you can choose to be optimistic or you can choose to be pessimistic.

I understand there are risks and not every signing will come good - that's a fact of transfer windows no matter how you approach scouting. All I'm saying is give the players a chance before writing them off.

Why on earth would anyone be negative before anyone's kicked a ball in a competitive match? It makes no sense.

Apparently it's a problem that four of our players came out of the league below. Now that that's been rebuffed, it's instead a problem that three players have come from the manager's previous club. I don't understand that one either personally.

Callumcafc said:

Cafc43v3r said:

Callumcafc said:

The whole purpose of using data to find the hidden gems is that they're going to be exactly that, hidden gems. You likely won't have heard of them, and you won't be impressed by their track records or previous clubs for the most part.

The point is that they should come together to form a team capable of challenging at the top end. We don't know whether that is or isn't the case until we play a few games. Until then when we can start making proper judgements, I find all the negativity a bit boring.

So we used data and half the answers happened to be at Swindon and one of the others is hardly a hidden gem, has been in the England age group set up for years.

There has been multiple changes of tact, does that matter if they eventually get it right?  Probably not.  

It's not a finished job, yet, everyone knows that, it wasn't a finished job last year either.  Many, like me, expected them to get it right then.  They didn't put a cherry on the top, they destroyed the whole cake.

Blind optimism as as boring as blind negativity.  It's a great start, but that's all it is.  

It's not blind optimism on my part, I think you missed the part of my post where I said it SHOULD work. As in the intention is to be successful. We don't know the reality until it plays out in front of us. In the mean time, you can choose to be optimistic or you can choose to be pessimistic.

I understand there are risks and not every signing will come good - that's a fact of transfer windows no matter how you approach scouting. All I'm saying is give the players a chance before writing them off.

Why on earth would anyone be negative before anyone's kicked a ball in a competitive match? It makes no sense.

Apparently it's a problem that four of our players came out of the league below. Now that that's been rebuffed, it's instead a problem that three players have come from the manager's previous club. I don't understand that one either personally.

I haven't written off anyone mate.  Like I said it's a good start.  But thats all it is.

I'll take each signing on its own merits and at least 3, maybe even 4, give me the tingle.  The others I'll judge when they play a proper match, or 10.

Saying that there are still, as last year, more holes in our squad than a Swiss cheese.  Until that's sorted we won't get promoted, or get close.  

This time last year I firmly believed they would be.  This year I will believe it when I see it/wait and see depending on how full (or empty) your glass is.

The attitude of they are all free/league 2 players is as equally ridiculous as the "it will be alright for reasons, if you just believe".  Wanting it enough, or believing in it enough won't make it happen.  Neither will writting if of before a ball is kicked prevent it happening.

Some people need to realise a fat, balding, middle aged man (speaking purley about my self  other descriptions may apply) arguing about it on a form has bugger all to do with the happens on the pitch.