Attention: Please take a moment to consider our terms and conditions before posting.
Summer Window 2026 - Rumours and Discussion
Comments
-
Yes it's early days, but playing 4 at the back in the first two games of preseason, and for both halves despite changing the entire 11, does suggest it'll be more than just an occasional plan b option.
Mesik seems more of a LB than a wingback, so would suit a 4. The next transfers may give us more of a clue which formation we'll be playing0 -
I reckon we'll play 4231 more than 352 this season, based on this too.killerandflash said:Yes it's early days, but playing 4 at the back in the first two games of preseason, and for both halves despite changing the entire 11, does suggest it'll be more than just an occasional plan b option.
Mesik seems more of a LB than a wingback, so would suit a 4. The next transfers may give us more of a clue which formation we'll be playing
It's all gone quiet on the Rubén Sánchez front, I wonder if there's any interest there still for the right back berth0 -
-
Wasn’t Dykes contract with cafc finished at the end of June?1
-
Aha, in that case, no.Sword65pf said:
Was a genuine question for discussion.ElfsborgAddick said:
I was responding to @I-SAW-POUSO-PLAYSword65pf said:
Is he what we are after anyway?ElfsborgAddick said:I-SAW-POUSO-PLAY said:Jamie Donley available still? Also how about bringing back Karlan?
Ahearne-Grant is surely on a wedge way beyond what we can afford.1 -
Did he also mention a time frame, was it within five years? People seem to be still holding out for us to splash the cash, but Carter has already indicated that’s not going to happen. Steady and sustainable growth, which sounds like the right way to do it. it’s not exciting but anything to avoid a return to L1.Henry Irving said:
Carter said we were looking to be in the 3rd rather than 4th quartile for spending ie from 13th to 18th in the spending league.msomerton said:
last season, according to N Jones we were the second lowest spenders in the Championship on our squad. Only Sheffield Wednesday below us. So will the spending be a lot higher than that this season.Sword65pf said:
Never enough for a lot of our fanbase🤷🏻♂️blackpool72 said:
We obviously ain't skint as 2 of our owners are billionaires.Sword65pf said:
Oh FFS are we skint again!!!, why didn’t someone say?SouthLincsAddick said:I’d imagine we couldn’t afford Dykes’s wage demands, that’s why he’s gone elsewhere. All these people saying we can do better, but with what money if we can’t afford Dykes.
How much they are willing to spend is another matter
How we were to achieve that wasn't spelt out but increased commercial income was mentioned.0 -
We agree👍ElfsborgAddick said:
Aha, in that case, no.Sword65pf said:
Was a genuine question for discussion.ElfsborgAddick said:
I was responding to @I-SAW-POUSO-PLAYSword65pf said:
Is he what we are after anyway?ElfsborgAddick said:I-SAW-POUSO-PLAY said:Jamie Donley available still? Also how about bringing back Karlan?
Ahearne-Grant is surely on a wedge way beyond what we can afford.0 -
May still be a wait and see considering we don’t have a RWB at present nor are Edwards Mbick Godden and Sichenje fit which could change shape.killerandflash said:Yes it's early days, but playing 4 at the back in the first two games of preseason, and for both halves despite changing the entire 11, does suggest it'll be more than just an occasional plan b option.
Mesik seems more of a LB than a wingback, so would suit a 4. The next transfers may give us more of a clue which formation we'll be playingMy only thinking is if we wanted to play 4231 why offer both Godden and Dykes new deals means we’d have Leaburn Kelman Godden Dykes Mbick and Kanu which is 6 players for one position otherwise we’d only need 30 -
Mbick seems unlikely to get a L1 loan with six weeks or so until the window shuts. I havent even heard he is back on grass.0
-
Honestly could care less about what formation we are gonna play if we don't sort out the midfield 2 with proper upgrades.7
-
Sponsored links:
-
Probably a good way to get your face slapped.Clem_Snide said:
I prefer to put my finger in them2121 said:Cant believe any of us would turn our noses up to dykes1 -
It's great seeing all the positivity on here.14
-
Agreed commercial is not going to pay the bills. Apart from the boxes most hospitality sales are on a match-by-match basis, so you won't see pre-season sales figures. As an example, in the Club 1905 lounge, if you strip out the tables for the match and shirt sponsors (24 places maybe), the probable freebies (Keith Peacock's table, the Manager's wife's table), there were less than 90 seasonal places sold last season. Let's call that £300k less VAT, less the caterers slice which must be a very high percentage, less the cost of Peter Garland's suit, less the cost of the commercial staff, there ain't much left to spend on players!DamoNorthStand said:
Yeah that’s right - I remember that interview.Henry Irving said:
Carter said we were looking to be in the 3rd rather than 4th quartile for spending ie from 13th to 18th in the spending league.msomerton said:
last season, according to N Jones we were the second lowest spenders in the Championship on our squad. Only Sheffield Wednesday below us. So will the spending be a lot higher than that this season.Sword65pf said:
Never enough for a lot of our fanbase🤷🏻♂️blackpool72 said:
We obviously ain't skint as 2 of our owners are billionaires.Sword65pf said:
Oh FFS are we skint again!!!, why didn’t someone say?SouthLincsAddick said:I’d imagine we couldn’t afford Dykes’s wage demands, that’s why he’s gone elsewhere. All these people saying we can do better, but with what money if we can’t afford Dykes.
How much they are willing to spend is another matter
How we were to achieve that wasn't spelt out but increased commercial income was mentioned.The issue is that you’re gonna need a hell of an increase in commercial revenue and outside of things like hospitality (haven’t seen any numbers on sales) we are still rooted to the bottom of the league in terms of shirt sponsor value by a stretch. Relative to the increase in transfer spend - commercial revenue is a tiny amount.
We are a Championship football club and whilst it’s always lovely to see fans of the club paying for front of shirt it’s usually because nothing else is on the table. Championship shirt deals can now head up towards £800k-£1m and we are nowhere near that.2 -
@DamoNorthStand You've mentioned the shirt sponsorship a few times.DamoNorthStand said:
Yeah that’s right - I remember that interview.Henry Irving said:
Carter said we were looking to be in the 3rd rather than 4th quartile for spending ie from 13th to 18th in the spending league.msomerton said:
last season, according to N Jones we were the second lowest spenders in the Championship on our squad. Only Sheffield Wednesday below us. So will the spending be a lot higher than that this season.Sword65pf said:
Never enough for a lot of our fanbase🤷🏻♂️blackpool72 said:
We obviously ain't skint as 2 of our owners are billionaires.Sword65pf said:
Oh FFS are we skint again!!!, why didn’t someone say?SouthLincsAddick said:I’d imagine we couldn’t afford Dykes’s wage demands, that’s why he’s gone elsewhere. All these people saying we can do better, but with what money if we can’t afford Dykes.
How much they are willing to spend is another matter
How we were to achieve that wasn't spelt out but increased commercial income was mentioned.The issue is that you’re gonna need a hell of an increase in commercial revenue and outside of things like hospitality (haven’t seen any numbers on sales) we are still rooted to the bottom of the league in terms of shirt sponsor value by a stretch. Relative to the increase in transfer spend - commercial revenue is a tiny amount.
We are a Championship football club and whilst it’s always lovely to see fans of the club paying for front of shirt it’s usually because nothing else is on the table. Championship shirt deals can now head up towards £800k-£1m and we are nowhere near that.
Are you saying that the club tried to find a different, more lucrative, main sponsor but failed and so had to revert to RSK?
I imagine RSK got a good deal when we were in league one but I would hope there were clauses that saw increases in what they paid us in the Championship and now in the WSL?2 -
I genuinely don’t know how hard we tried in terms of a new sponsor but it’s safe to say we had conversations (I think it’s common knowledge we were very advanced with another sponsor) and then for whatever reason it didn’t happen.Henry Irving said:
@DamoNorthStand You've mentioned the shirt sponsorship a few times.DamoNorthStand said:
Yeah that’s right - I remember that interview.Henry Irving said:
Carter said we were looking to be in the 3rd rather than 4th quartile for spending ie from 13th to 18th in the spending league.msomerton said:
last season, according to N Jones we were the second lowest spenders in the Championship on our squad. Only Sheffield Wednesday below us. So will the spending be a lot higher than that this season.Sword65pf said:
Never enough for a lot of our fanbase🤷🏻♂️blackpool72 said:
We obviously ain't skint as 2 of our owners are billionaires.Sword65pf said:
Oh FFS are we skint again!!!, why didn’t someone say?SouthLincsAddick said:I’d imagine we couldn’t afford Dykes’s wage demands, that’s why he’s gone elsewhere. All these people saying we can do better, but with what money if we can’t afford Dykes.
How much they are willing to spend is another matter
How we were to achieve that wasn't spelt out but increased commercial income was mentioned.The issue is that you’re gonna need a hell of an increase in commercial revenue and outside of things like hospitality (haven’t seen any numbers on sales) we are still rooted to the bottom of the league in terms of shirt sponsor value by a stretch. Relative to the increase in transfer spend - commercial revenue is a tiny amount.
We are a Championship football club and whilst it’s always lovely to see fans of the club paying for front of shirt it’s usually because nothing else is on the table. Championship shirt deals can now head up towards £800k-£1m and we are nowhere near that.
Are you saying that the club tried to find a different, more lucrative, main sponsor but failed and so had to revert to RSK?
I imagine RSK got a good deal when we were in league one but I would hope there were clauses that saw increases in what they paid us in the Championship and now in the WSL?
Personally - I think RSK would be a brilliant stadium partner. I know people get funny about it but if it were the RSK Valley and they had massive signage and a big narrative around creating a sustainable sports venue then I personally think that’s a better deal for them anyway as broadcast eyeballs are more of a consumer play.
Of course the key to making that work is to identify other brand sectors that our club can appeal to…. To cover off front of shirt. Betting / gambling is the easy win for clubs at our level and if you don’t want to do that (it would certainly not be the choice of the fanbase) then that means you look elsewhere.
But you have to get a concrete reason for a brand to speak to you that aren’t endemic to football / betting related.7 -
But how many Championship clubs get a good sponsor now? Only one that’s been successful at this level is the Coventry/Monzo partnership, but you aren’t going to get a company with the marketing ability of Monzo that easily, and I don’t think they paid massive money anyway?
0 -
Feels like with the Championship it's betting companies galore , with the Prem ban coming in there's probably even more looking for deals.
2 -
Give us something to be positive about.redbuttle said:It's great seeing all the positivity on here.2 -
Thanks, not sure it is common knowledge but can see the rational.DamoNorthStand said:
I genuinely don’t know how hard we tried in terms of a new sponsor but it’s safe to say we had conversations (I think it’s common knowledge we were very advanced with another sponsor) and then for whatever reason it didn’t happen.Henry Irving said:
@DamoNorthStand You've mentioned the shirt sponsorship a few times.DamoNorthStand said:
Yeah that’s right - I remember that interview.Henry Irving said:
Carter said we were looking to be in the 3rd rather than 4th quartile for spending ie from 13th to 18th in the spending league.msomerton said:
last season, according to N Jones we were the second lowest spenders in the Championship on our squad. Only Sheffield Wednesday below us. So will the spending be a lot higher than that this season.Sword65pf said:
Never enough for a lot of our fanbase🤷🏻♂️blackpool72 said:
We obviously ain't skint as 2 of our owners are billionaires.Sword65pf said:
Oh FFS are we skint again!!!, why didn’t someone say?SouthLincsAddick said:I’d imagine we couldn’t afford Dykes’s wage demands, that’s why he’s gone elsewhere. All these people saying we can do better, but with what money if we can’t afford Dykes.
How much they are willing to spend is another matter
How we were to achieve that wasn't spelt out but increased commercial income was mentioned.The issue is that you’re gonna need a hell of an increase in commercial revenue and outside of things like hospitality (haven’t seen any numbers on sales) we are still rooted to the bottom of the league in terms of shirt sponsor value by a stretch. Relative to the increase in transfer spend - commercial revenue is a tiny amount.
We are a Championship football club and whilst it’s always lovely to see fans of the club paying for front of shirt it’s usually because nothing else is on the table. Championship shirt deals can now head up towards £800k-£1m and we are nowhere near that.
Are you saying that the club tried to find a different, more lucrative, main sponsor but failed and so had to revert to RSK?
I imagine RSK got a good deal when we were in league one but I would hope there were clauses that saw increases in what they paid us in the Championship and now in the WSL?
Personally - I think RSK would be a brilliant stadium partner. I know people get funny about it but if it were the RSK Valley and they had massive signage and a big narrative around creating a sustainable sports venue then I personally think that’s a better deal for them anyway as broadcast eyeballs are more of a consumer play.
Of course the key to making that work is to identify other brand sectors that our club can appeal to…. To cover off front of shirt. Betting / gambling is the easy win for clubs at our level and if you don’t want to do that (it would certainly not be the choice of the fanbase) then that means you look elsewhere.
But you have to get a concrete reason for a brand to speak to you that aren’t endemic to football / betting related.
I wouldn't have a problem with "the RSK Valley" and as you say it would be a good fit as a sustainable stadium.
I would have a problem (like anyone cares what I think) with a betting company especially an offshore online firm.
9 -
That we are still in the championship and have quite a while to sign players before the season starts. Also. the majority of our fans are actually behind the team and the manager. You only have to go to games to see that.DennisBooth said:
Give us something to be positive about.redbuttle said:It's great seeing all the positivity on here.25 -
Sponsored links:
-
Yep definitely- this summer and next in particular are going to see some big money deals (by champ standards) taking place from the betting sector, though a lot will depend on how many games are broadcast in their active marketsMarcusH26 said:Feels like with the Championship it's betting companies galore , with the Prem ban coming in there's probably even more looking for deals.1 -
If you put aside the morals of the thing it just seems so short sighted. Anyone who signs a multi year deal basically signals to their fans “we aren’t expecting to go up in the next X years”. So now it’s a potential double PR issue. If the deal is worth under £1m and so probably a few hundred thousand more than a non betting company the question is, is it worth the potential PR headache caused by the seeming lack of ambition AND the moral issues. That’s before you get to things like kit manufacturers not being happy with ugly betting logosDamoNorthStand said:
Yep definitely- this summer and next in particular are going to see some big money deals (by champ standards) taking place from the betting sector, though a lot will depend on how many games are broadcast in their active marketsMarcusH26 said:Feels like with the Championship it's betting companies galore , with the Prem ban coming in there's probably even more looking for deals.2 -
Personally I'd rather be relegated than have abetting leech logo on our shirt.23
-
And betting sponsors means kids can’t get the same shirts as the players, and that’s never liked4
-
Also sums up where the EFL is, that for all the bluster, they as a league can’t get a non betting sponsors3
-
Possibly the worse take on anything I've ever readGisappointed said:Personally I'd rather be relegated than have abetting leech logo on our shirt.25 -
FFS….. 🤦🏻♂️Gisappointed said:Personally I'd rather be relegated than have abetting leech logo on our shirt.3 -
blackpool72 said:
Possibly the worse take on anything I've ever readGisappointed said:Personally I'd rather be relegated than have abetting leech logo on our shirt.
You need to read his/her post on the Ken Bates thread mate.
0 -
I wouldn't go as far as wanting relegation, but I find betting sponsorship icky and nasty, and I don't think you can be a club like us, with the brand around community and inclusion, and have a gambling firm on the shirt.24
