Think the fact he’s been offered another contract is a bit of a red herring as Wednesday will have known an embargo was coming and been keen to tie down whoever they can
Even ones that can’t play or are not good enough ! Nonsense
Well it’s that or field loads of academy players who definitely won’t be ready
Think the fact he’s been offered another contract is a bit of a red herring as Wednesday will have known an embargo was coming and been keen to tie down whoever they can
Even ones that can’t play or are not good enough ! Nonsense
Well it’s that or field loads of academy players who definitely won’t be ready
But he’s always injured apparently
He had an injury last season but the one before that he played 39 matches which doesn't scream always injured to me
I see hundred and hundred of player requests from clubs all over the world. The single largest specific position I see desired is a “left footed centre back”.
that’s not just in Europe it’s globally. Good ones are as rare as a rocking horse poo and highly sought after.
It gives a side balance. And if they can fill in at left back too (the hardest position to find usually) then it’s a big bonus.
I would imagine that if the interest is genuine then he'd be viewed primarily as a back up option. It's hardly ideal but trying to find a CB who is 1. Left-footed, 2. Injury free AND 3. Available for a decent price is going to be really tricky. Some compromise might be needed.
I would imagine that if the interest is genuine then he'd be viewed primarily as a back up option. It's hardly ideal but trying to find a CB who is 1. Left-footed, 2. Injury free AND 3. Available for a decent price is going to be really tricky. Some compromise might be needed.
The trouble is there is no compromise when it comes to injury. I would rather, especially if he is a back up player, that we find someone who can play there even if it isn't his natural position but who doesn't have a history of missing more than half a season (twice) in recent times. Because the chances are that if he were to receive say a three-year contract he will be missing for a chunk of that and we end up paying wages for someone to sit in the stand and still looking for a left sided, injury free and available defender.
It's not a position that we are desperate to fill at this stage is it? We have Gillesphey, Jones, Alex Mitchell, Zach Mitchell and Ramsay. It would mean offloading one of those for a player that only started 11 games last season.
I would prefer us to spend all our time and resources searching out those midfield and attacking players that are going to make the difference.
As a left footer he’d be a replacement for McIntyre. I’d say it’s a gap we need to fill, otherwise Gillesphey will be our only option in the LCB position.
But Edwards can (and has) played in that position...
It's not a position that we are desperate to fill at this stage is it? We have Gillesphey, Jones, Alex Mitchell, Zach Mitchell and Ramsay. It would mean offloading one of those for a player that only started 11 games last season.
I would prefer us to spend all our time and resources searching out those midfield and attacking players that are going to make the difference.
As a left footer he’d be a replacement for McIntyre. I’d say it’s a gap we need to fill, otherwise Gillesphey will be our only option in the LCB position.
But Edwards can (and has) played in that position...
Occasionally during a game after subs have come on, but if moves there we don’t have a replacement LWB.
It's not a position that we are desperate to fill at this stage is it? We have Gillesphey, Jones, Alex Mitchell, Zach Mitchell and Ramsay. It would mean offloading one of those for a player that only started 11 games last season.
I would prefer us to spend all our time and resources searching out those midfield and attacking players that are going to make the difference.
As a left footer he’d be a replacement for McIntyre. I’d say it’s a gap we need to fill, otherwise Gillesphey will be our only option in the LCB position.
But Edwards can (and has) played in that position...
Occasionally during a game after subs have come on, but if moves there we don’t have a replacement LWB.
It's not a position that we are desperate to fill at this stage is it? We have Gillesphey, Jones, Alex Mitchell, Zach Mitchell and Ramsay. It would mean offloading one of those for a player that only started 11 games last season.
I would prefer us to spend all our time and resources searching out those midfield and attacking players that are going to make the difference.
I'm not sold on Famewo mostly because I'm worried about the injuries he's had and how it's affected him. But this absolutely does not mean we need to offload someone. In the championship you need a proper squad with depth in every position, you cannot get away with smaller squads like you can in League 1. We need numbers and depth like we haven't had for a long time.
We should be aiming for 2 on every position so that's 6 across the back 3. Depends on NJ's view of Zach whether he's in the 6 or has to force his way into the 6.
We treat the back 3 like specialist positions so need a dedicated LCB to compete with Gilly
Agreed that's two serious injuries he's had in the last three seasons - 6 months out between August 2022 and not again 'til January 2023 (17 appearances) and then another 5 months out last season (13 appearances). We've been here before haven't we? And it's no use saying that he passed all the relevant tests now because at any given time Chuks might pass a fitness test.
Equally you can't, financially, have an infinite squad. Does the fact that we play three CBs when others play two means that we have to have two more players in our squad than those other clubs? I would rather we went for someone with proven fitness and who can double up at LCB and LWB. What's Hermann doing these days?
All good points but you must surely take into consideration that Sheffield Wednesday who have a very decent manager and assistant have seen fit to offer him another contract. They must surely feel that his injuries are at least manageable and that he’s good enough for The Championship.
It's a gamble though. Are we in a position where we can or should gamble? Are there no other left sided CBs around of that calibre? Ones that might double up as a LB. Or, God forbid, someone who is actually comfortable playing on either the right or the left?
It drives me absolutely bonkers to think that we are in an age where a position has become so specialised that we are looking to sign a player that fits the same criteria that we would ask of a keeper i.e. that he is a specialist in one position and that one position only i.e. a left sided CB. Are we saying that an intelligent footballer like Zach couldn't do that? I can understand creative players like a Ferenc Puskas, a Liam Brady or Andy Reid being so one footed because they had wands for a left foot. Anthony Barness, though, could play both sides as could Dennis Irwin. Defenders didn't know which way to go when playing against Ginola because he was so good on both sides.
But I still come back to this one thing. Why are we the club that always has to gamble? I thought those days were long gone.
Has there ever been a player transfer that isn't a gamble, I mean for anyone, anywhere? Some work out. Some don't. All you can do is try to minimise the risk of failure, not eliminate it.
It's not a position that we are desperate to fill at this stage is it? We have Gillesphey, Jones, Alex Mitchell, Zach Mitchell and Ramsay. It would mean offloading one of those for a player that only started 11 games last season.
I would prefer us to spend all our time and resources searching out those midfield and attacking players that are going to make the difference.
As a left footer he’d be a replacement for McIntyre. I’d say it’s a gap we need to fill, otherwise Gillesphey will be our only option in the LCB position.
But Edwards can (and has) played in that position...
Occasionally during a game after subs have come on, but if moves there we don’t have a replacement LWB.
We will need a LWB replacement anyway won't we?
Exactly, you don’t want to overly rely on versatility to cover positions.
It’ll be interesting to see if Asiimwe or Enslin are considered ready to cover, if they go on loan or stay around as 3rd choice. From what I’ve seen I think they would have been fine as squad pliers in L1, but will probably be seen as too big a gamble in the Championship. A lot depends on how big our budget is I think.
It's not a position that we are desperate to fill at this stage is it? We have Gillesphey, Jones, Alex Mitchell, Zach Mitchell and Ramsay. It would mean offloading one of those for a player that only started 11 games last season.
I would prefer us to spend all our time and resources searching out those midfield and attacking players that are going to make the difference.
I'm not sold on Famewo mostly because I'm worried about the injuries he's had and how it's affected him. But this absolutely does not mean we need to offload someone. In the championship you need a proper squad with depth in every position, you cannot get away with smaller squads like you can in League 1. We need numbers and depth like we haven't had for a long time.
We should be aiming for 2 on every position so that's 6 across the back 3. Depends on NJ's view of Zach whether he's in the 6 or has to force his way into the 6.
We treat the back 3 like specialist positions so need a dedicated LCB to compete with Gilly
Agreed that's two serious injuries he's had in the last three seasons - 6 months out between August 2022 and not again 'til January 2023 (17 appearances) and then another 5 months out last season (13 appearances). We've been here before haven't we? And it's no use saying that he passed all the relevant tests now because at any given time Chuks might pass a fitness test.
Equally you can't, financially, have an infinite squad. Does the fact that we play three CBs when others play two means that we have to have two more players in our squad than those other clubs? I would rather we went for someone with proven fitness and who can double up at LCB and LWB. What's Hermann doing these days?
All good points but you must surely take into consideration that Sheffield Wednesday who have a very decent manager and assistant have seen fit to offer him another contract. They must surely feel that his injuries are at least manageable and that he’s good enough for The Championship.
It's a gamble though. Are we in a position where we can or should gamble? Are there no other left sided CBs around of that calibre? Ones that might double up as a LB. Or, God forbid, someone who is actually comfortable playing on either the right or the left?
It drives me absolutely bonkers to think that we are in an age where a position has become so specialised that we are looking to sign a player that fits the same criteria that we would ask of a keeper i.e. that he is a specialist in one position and that one position only i.e. a left sided CB. Are we saying that an intelligent footballer like Zach couldn't do that? I can understand creative players like a Ferenc Puskas, a Liam Brady or Andy Reid being so one footed because they had wands for a left foot. Anthony Barness, though, could play both sides as could Dennis Irwin. Defenders didn't know which way to go when playing against Ginola because he was so good on both sides.
But I still come back to this one thing. Why are we the club that always has to gamble? I thought those days were long gone.
Has there ever been a player transfer that isn't a gamble, I mean for anyone, anywhere? Some work out. Some don't. All you can do is try to minimise the risk of failure, not eliminate it.
But you do your due dilligence to assess that risk. If someone has a history of injury then that is a big red flag. It's the old Chuks argument in giving him a three-year contract the second time around - "we knew exactly what we were getting". Someone who could play for 20 minutes and potentially change a game when fit. With the greatest of respect to Famewo he isn't that player.
Having said that, if NJ and the medical staff consider it is a gamble worth taking and there is nothing around anywhere, here or abroad, that can play as a back up LCB then so be it. It's on their heads to make that decision and doesn't matter one jot what I think. It's up to them and they are more qualified. I'm just a bit tainted by seeing the teams I support doing it on a regular basis - Kent signed an injury prone fast bowler 18 months ago. His contract runs out at the end of this season and he hasn't bowled a single ball. Kent still has to pay him as well as another player they've had to bring in to perform that role.
He looked ok in a 2 with Inniss for about 8 games then got injured for half a season and looked naff for the remainder of the campaign & the following one, albeit he was playing alongside some criminally bad footballers. He’s not an upgrade on Gillesphey and he missed a lot of games last season, the 22/23 season and the 20/21 season. Would be incredibly underwhelmed if we do sign him.
Ethan Pye is the left footed CB that I'd be looking at. (Stockport)
Wouldn’t surprise me if players like him are higher up our list, Famewo feels more like a player to do a job and fight for his place. Pye’s younger so if we signed him, it would probably be on a longer contract than we’d offer Famewo, and we’d expect to develop him more.
Ethan Pye is the left footed CB that I'd be looking at. (Stockport)
They’re going to demand millions for him. I can understand injury concerns with famewo but I don’t get why people would turn the opportunity for someone who when fit is a regular starter for a midtable championship side
Until a few months ago Gillesphey wasn't thought as a good enough to be part of a team challenging for promotion. He was let go by Plymouth who didn't fancy him for the Championship.
He's suddenly a club legend here and potentially first choice in the Championship over a player who's been first choice for a club playing there the last couple of seasons when fit, fans would rather keep, and who's been offered a new contract there.
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that’s not just in Europe it’s globally. Good ones are as rare as a rocking horse poo and highly sought after.
It’ll be interesting to see if Asiimwe or Enslin are considered ready to cover, if they go on loan or stay around as 3rd choice. From what I’ve seen I think they would have been fine as squad pliers in L1, but will probably be seen as too big a gamble in the Championship. A lot depends on how big our budget is I think.
Having said that, if NJ and the medical staff consider it is a gamble worth taking and there is nothing around anywhere, here or abroad, that can play as a back up LCB then so be it. It's on their heads to make that decision and doesn't matter one jot what I think. It's up to them and they are more qualified. I'm just a bit tainted by seeing the teams I support doing it on a regular basis - Kent signed an injury prone fast bowler 18 months ago. His contract runs out at the end of this season and he hasn't bowled a single ball. Kent still has to pay him as well as another player they've had to bring in to perform that role.
What other left sided CBs have stood out in L1?
Gillesphey and Jones know they aren't fast, so they make up for it in their positioning.
Ramsay is fast, so doesn't worry so much about positioning, as he relies on his pace to recover at times.
Famewo has neither the positioning prowess nor the pace to make up for it.
He's suddenly a club legend here and potentially first choice in the Championship over a player who's been first choice for a club playing there the last couple of seasons when fit, fans would rather keep, and who's been offered a new contract there.
Funny old game indeed.