Like JRC it’s going to be interesting to see what NJ says about Apter. A lot of possibilities.
A very attacking RWB like Small, effectively playing as a RW.
As a 10, either competing with Carey and Berry, or two 10s as we saw vs Dartford if we move from 3-5-2 to 3-4-2-1.
Up front with freedom to drift wide, like TC, which can be in last seasons 3-5-2 but also an option in a 4-4-2 diamond.
A lot less likely, a formation change to either 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. I don’t see that being anything more than an occasional option as we’ve brought in 2 CBs, and Bell is very much a LCB in a back 3, rather than a CB in a back four.
To be fair, our business strategy has been sound. Signed promising players from League 1, and turned to experience in the Championship for our first season back.
If all our players can manage to stay fit, it's been a really good window, with time to still get better.
Assuming Apter is approx 2.5 mill as rumoured, that would put us in 6-7 million territory. Hopefully a bit more wiggle room for one more proper signing. Then we have given ourselves a real fighting chance for the coming season, exciting times 👍🏻
Personally can’t see 3-4-3 happening, Jones has always been a manger that likes to pack the middle of the pitch. Going to 2 CMs and Apter and TC out wide would be quite uncharacteristic of him. I suspect it was just a set up we used against Dartford to get all the players he wanted minutes
I think Apter will slot in to the Small role in most games. We then have Ramsay as an option there if we want to be more defensive against some of the bigger sides and then Apter might feature further forward
We are assembling a squad with Championship ambitions, focused on sustainable growth and long-term success. As NJ has stated, there is little room for emotional decisions. If players such as TC or Doc are having those anonymous moments that we know they can, we now have the squad depth to make changes.
Also, there seems to be some misunderstanding amongst some fans around transfer fees. Nowadays, deals are rarely paid in full upfront. Most are structured with instalments, performance-based clauses, and add-ons.
Like JRC it’s going to be interesting to see what NJ says about Apter. A lot of possibilities.
A very attacking RWB like Small, effectively playing as a RW.
As a 10, either competing with Carey and Berry, or two 10s as we saw vs Dartford if we move from 3-5-2 to 3-4-2-1.
Up front with freedom to drift wide, like TC, which can be in last seasons 3-5-2 but also an option in a 4-4-2 diamond.
A lot less likely, a formation change to either 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. I don’t see that being anything more than an occasional option as we’ve brought in 2 CBs, and Bell is very much a LCB in a back 3, rather than a CB in a back four.
Why not just spread out ?
As well as play with a smile on the face just like Carlos Alcaraz whether he is winning or losing 😉
For me if we've paid £2m or more for Apter than it would have been better spent on Galbraith, who to me looks like the real deal.
Maybe he just didn't want to come, but to me his credentials are far stronger than Apter's.
Still no stand out signing for me. I worry where the goals will come from in this squad. No proven championship striker, given Godden's age.
I'm still excited that it will be championship football this season though, but I suspect we will be witnessing more grind out results football from us. Hopefully we can finish 21st.
For me if we've paid £2m or more for Apter than it would have been better spent on Galbraith, who to me looks like the real deal.
Maybe he just didn't want to come, but to me his credentials are far stronger than Apter's.
Still no stand out signing for me. I worry where the goals will come from in this squad. No proven championship striker, given Godden's age.
I'm still excited that it will be championship football this season though, but I suspect we will be witnessing more grind out results football from us. Hopefully we can finish 21st.
If Godden gets a chance at any level I’d have confidence in him getting goals.
For me if we've paid £2m or more for Apter than it would have been better spent on Galbraith, who to me looks like the real deal.
Maybe he just didn't want to come, but to me his credentials are far stronger than Apter's.
Still no stand out signing for me. I worry where the goals will come from in this squad. No proven championship striker, given Godden's age.
I'm still excited that it will be championship football this season though, but I suspect we will be witnessing more grind out results football from us. Hopefully we can finish 21st.
Galbraith was never going to want to come to us realistically. Nor will pretty much anyone who also has interest from teams with playoff aspirations.
We are new to the league so therefore seen as a risk of relegation, any player will pick the established championship team over us this season, if we stay up then we can start to compete for that level of player next season
For me if we've paid £2m or more for Apter than it would have been better spent on Galbraith, who to me looks like the real deal.
Maybe he just didn't want to come, but to me his credentials are far stronger than Apter's.
Still no stand out signing for me. I worry where the goals will come from in this squad. No proven championship striker, given Godden's age.
I'm still excited that it will be championship football this season though, but I suspect we will be witnessing more grind out results football from us. Hopefully we can finish 21st.
Galbraith didn’t want to come to us so you can it would have been better spent on him as much as you like but it wasn’t realistic.
For me if we've paid £2m or more for Apter than it would have been better spent on Galbraith, who to me looks like the real deal.
Maybe he just didn't want to come, but to me his credentials are far stronger than Apter's.
Still no stand out signing for me. I worry where the goals will come from in this squad. No proven championship striker, given Godden's age.
I'm still excited that it will be championship football this season though, but I suspect we will be witnessing more grind out results football from us. Hopefully we can finish 21st.
Don't think the transfer fee was the issue with EG
For me if we've paid £2m or more for Apter than it would have been better spent on Galbraith, who to me looks like the real deal.
Maybe he just didn't want to come, but to me his credentials are far stronger than Apter's.
Still no stand out signing for me. I worry where the goals will come from in this squad. No proven championship striker, given Godden's age.
I'm still excited that it will be championship football this season though, but I suspect we will be witnessing more grind out results football from us. Hopefully we can finish 21st.
I think in this scenario we are paying for the 2* year age difference, Apters potential/sell on value is much higher than Galbraiths.
I reckon the club genuinely set a price on this ocassion knowing JRC was the back up option if it fell through with Galbraith. When you compare their ages, and experience, not a terrible decision and could be quite shrewd, especially as Galbraith is technically unproven at Champ level (I suspect he will do well though)
All I hope now is we have a one more trick up our sleeves. Still think we need a versatile forward (Keillor-Dunn is a dream) and still think we need an all action centre mid. Fingers crossed 🤞🏻
We are assembling a squad with Championship ambitions, focused on sustainable growth and long-term success. As NJ has stated, there is little room for emotional decisions. If players such as TC or Doc are having those anonymous moments that we know they can, we now have the squad depth to make changes.
Also, there seems to be some misunderstanding amongst some fans around transfer fees. Nowadays, deals are rarely paid in full upfront. Most are structured with instalments, performance-based clauses, and add-ons.
I think most are aware, the point is more we’ve spent significantly more on fees than last summer, and a lot more than many expected. How they’re structured and what clauses there are doesn’t change that point.
I really think there’s something in the DKD link too. DKD behind Tanto, Godden or Leaburn with TC and Apter out wide is in my opinion about as good as we could hope for with our budget.
For me if we've paid £2m or more for Apter than it would have been better spent on Galbraith, who to me looks like the real deal.
Maybe he just didn't want to come, but to me his credentials are far stronger than Apter's.
Still no stand out signing for me. I worry where the goals will come from in this squad. No proven championship striker, given Godden's age.
I'm still excited that it will be championship football this season though, but I suspect we will be witnessing more grind out results football from us. Hopefully we can finish 21st.
It’s unlikely to be as simple as choosing between Galbraith and Apter. Perhaps the final win meant they became very awkward to deal with as a club.
I really think there’s something in the DKD link too. DKD behind Tanto, Godden or Leaburn with TC and Apter out wide is in my opinion about as good as we could hope for with our budget.
If we sign DKD (unlikely), the board have gone massively above and beyond expectations
Some nice goals in there. Obviously his best bits and it doesn’t show the missed chances, but what sticks out for me is the composure he shows. A lot of calmly taken well placed finishes in there, looks to have a lot of potential as a goalscoring winger.
I really think there’s something in the DKD link too. DKD behind Tanto, Godden or Leaburn with TC and Apter out wide is in my opinion about as good as we could hope for with our budget.
If we sign DKD (unlikely), the board have gone massively above and beyond expectations
Spent 6M on transfer fees alone think they’ve already done that without DKD
I really think there’s something in the DKD link too. DKD behind Tanto, Godden or Leaburn with TC and Apter out wide is in my opinion about as good as we could hope for with our budget.
If we sign DKD (unlikely), the board have gone massively above and beyond expectations
Spent 6M on transfer fees alone think they’ve already done that without DKD
For me if we've paid £2m or more for Apter than it would have been better spent on Galbraith, who to me looks like the real deal.
Maybe he just didn't want to come, but to me his credentials are far stronger than Apter's.
Still no stand out signing for me. I worry where the goals will come from in this squad. No proven championship striker, given Godden's age.
I'm still excited that it will be championship football this season though, but I suspect we will be witnessing more grind out results football from us. Hopefully we can finish 21st.
I think in this scenario we are paying for the 2* year age difference, Apters potential/sell on value is much higher than Galbraiths.
I reckon the club genuinely set a price on this ocassion knowing JRC was the back up option if it fell through with Galbraith. When you compare their ages, and experience, not a terrible decision and could be quite shrewd, especially as Galbraith is technically unproven at Champ level (I suspect he will do well though)
All I hope now is we have a one more trick up our sleeves. Still think we need a versatile forward (Keillor-Dunn is a dream) and still think we need an all action centre mid. Fingers crossed 🤞🏻
Disagree with this, I think Galbraith will be playing prem football within 2 years. Plus they spent 1.5 mill on him, he will go for 10 mill plus
I really think there’s something in the DKD link too. DKD behind Tanto, Godden or Leaburn with TC and Apter out wide is in my opinion about as good as we could hope for with our budget.
If we sign DKD (unlikely), the board have gone massively above and beyond expectations
Spent 6M on transfer fees alone think they’ve already done that without DKD
I really think there’s something in the DKD link too. DKD behind Tanto, Godden or Leaburn with TC and Apter out wide is in my opinion about as good as we could hope for with our budget.
If we sign DKD (unlikely), the board have gone massively above and beyond expectations
Spent 6M on transfer fees alone think they’ve already done that without DKD
Where have you got the 6m figure from?
It’s definitely around that . Olaofe - 1.5m kaminski - 1m Costeklo -750k Burke ( not sure but I’d say 500k at a guess ) Apter - 2m-2.5m
Going to bang the xG drum so skip me if you don’t care for it.
Over the last two seasons he has massively outperformed his xG both times. This indicates towards a player who, when he gets into a scoring position, tends to find the back of the net more often than other players.
Finding a player like that is obviously good for any team but you’d think would be critical for a side expected to finish in the bottom half of the table and need to make the most out of limited attacking options against high quality opposition.
Wish I could bookmark my own posts but I would not be at all shocked to see a few 0-1 or 1-1 scores next season where R. Apter is our only goalscorer.
24/25: 8 goals from 4.83 xG in League One (69 shots total) 23/24: 12 goals from 6.57 xG in League Two (103 shots total)
From looking at some of Apter's highlights he reminds me a bit of Mark Robson being a left footed right winger. Placement rather than power with his shooting. Very slight build so may get outmuscled but appears to be pretty tenacious too.
And not being funny but some of those finishes - if it were Cole Palmer the pundits would be going mad. Lovely direct runs into the box and a calm, slotted finish. The boy has got skills. I'll allow him to join
From looking at some of Apter's highlights he reminds me a bit of Mark Robson being a left footed right winger. Placement rather than power with his shooting. Very slight build so may get outmuscled but appears to be pretty tenacious too.
And not being funny but some of those finishes - if it were Cole Palmer the pundits would be going mad. Lovely direct runs into the box and a calm, slotted finish. The boy has got skills. I'll allow him to join
He was brilliant for Tranmere on loan the season before albeit in League 2. Some nice goals in there too
Going to bang the xG drum so skip me if you don’t care for it.
Over the last seasons he has massively outperformed his xG both times. This indicates towards a player who, when he gets into a scoring position, tends to find the back of the net more often than other players.
Finding a player like that is obviously good for any team but you’d think would be critical for a side expected to finish in the bottom half of the table and need to make the most out of limited attacking options against high quality opposition.
Wish I could bookmark my own posts but I would not be at all shocked to see a few 0-1 or 1-1 scores next season where R. Apter is our only goalscorer.
24/25: 8 goals from 4.83 xG in League One (69 shots total) 23/24: 12 goals from 6.57 xG in League Two (103 shots total)
And not too dissimilar from TC's 24/25: 7 goals from 3.57xG (61 shots), similar finishes from what I can see too. Can see why NJ is interested for sure
Comments
If all our players can manage to stay fit, it's been a really good window, with time to still get better.
Assuming Apter is approx 2.5 mill as rumoured, that would put us in 6-7 million territory. Hopefully a bit more wiggle room for one more proper signing. Then we have given ourselves a real fighting chance for the coming season, exciting times 👍🏻
As well as play with a smile on the face just like Carlos Alcaraz whether he is winning or losing 😉
Maybe he just didn't want to come, but to me his credentials are far stronger than Apter's.
Still no stand out signing for me. I worry where the goals will come from in this squad. No proven championship striker, given Godden's age.
I'm still excited that it will be championship football this season though, but I suspect we will be witnessing more grind out results football from us. Hopefully we can finish 21st.
I reckon the club genuinely set a price on this ocassion knowing JRC was the back up option if it fell through with Galbraith. When you compare their ages, and experience, not a terrible decision and could be quite shrewd, especially as Galbraith is technically unproven at Champ level (I suspect he will do well though)
All I hope now is we have a one more trick up our sleeves. Still think we need a versatile forward (Keillor-Dunn is a dream) and still think we need an all action centre mid. Fingers crossed 🤞🏻
If we sign DKD (unlikely), the board have gone massively above and beyond expectations
Kaminski - 800k/1m
Apter - 2m/2.5m
JRC - 750k
Burke - guessing 300k
Its around the 6m mark
Olaofe - 1.5m
kaminski - 1m
Costeklo -750k
Burke ( not sure but I’d say 500k at a guess )
Apter - 2m-2.5m
Over the last two seasons he has massively outperformed his xG both times. This indicates towards a player who, when he gets into a scoring position, tends to find the back of the net more often than other players.
Finding a player like that is obviously good for any team but you’d think would be critical for a side expected to finish in the bottom half of the table and need to make the most out of limited attacking options against high quality opposition.
Wish I could bookmark my own posts but I would not be at all shocked to see a few 0-1 or 1-1 scores next season where R. Apter is our only goalscorer.
24/25: 8 goals from 4.83 xG in League One (69 shots total)
23/24: 12 goals from 6.57 xG in League Two (103 shots total)
And not being funny but some of those finishes - if it were Cole Palmer the pundits would be going mad. Lovely direct runs into the box and a calm, slotted finish. The boy has got skills. I'll allow him to join