HLR Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 These past two transfer windows cannot be deemed a success - we all know that neither have gone the way we would have hoped - giving us a 50/50 chance of staying up this season. All these shenanigans got me looking at contracts that are due to expire this summer & to my horror we will be left with just 13 players. An even worse predicament than our situation this time around! Now, if we are still in The Championship then Mr Ashton and Co are really going to have to pull off something remarkable to avoid the exact same scenario that we have faced this season, if not worse. We needed a solid year this year to cement our place in this division & make ourselves a more attractive proposition going forward - I think it is fair to say we haven't achieved that goal. It has been difficult to pull players here permanently this season as we have seen, can't see it being any easier next year at this rate. I sincerely hope we stay up this season, but it does worry me we could well be in for another bumpy ride if we scrape survival this season. Let's hope for a strong end to the season, we get a decent goal scorer in on loan, current loan signings are impressed enough to stick around in the summer & we can then hopefully kick on and do it properly. We always seem to do it the hard way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCFC_Dan Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 The Summer window was bad but January went really well all things considered. The only position that wasn't truly filled was striker and we still got Tomlin in. The loan window is still to come so that's not over yet. January is not for making permanent signings. It never is. It's for teams who buggered up the Summer to make short-term fixes and those who might win something to give themselves an extra boost. That's it. Nobody reshapes their squads with half a dozen permanent signings in January. They bring in loans to patch up holes and wait for Summer. I'm also not sure that only having 13 players under contract is a disaster when we barely had 16 on board before this window. Replacing 3 players seems perfectly manageable to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 I certainly deem this one a success. Low risk, genuine quality, value for money signings complimented with a bit of flair and undoubted tekkers in a player like Tomlin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HLR Posted February 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 4 minutes ago, BCFC_Dan said: The Summer window was bad but January went really well all things considered. The only position that wasn't truly filled was striker and we still got Tomlin in. The loan window is still to come so that's not over yet. January is not for making permanent signings. It never is. It's for teams who buggered up the Summer to make short-term fixes and those who might win something to give themselves an extra boost. That's it. Nobody reshapes their squads with half a dozen permanent signings in January. They bring in loans to patch up holes and wait for Summer. I'm also not sure that only having 13 players under contract is a disaster when we barely had 16 on board before this window. Replacing 3 players seems perfectly manageable to me. Just want us to be in a position to build, hopefully the coming summer will be done right, and we won't have to utilise the loan market like we have had to this season. Like you say, loans are short term fixes, fingers crossed in the summer we can pick off our targets nice and early and really kick on from there. I do agree that the additions made January are reasons to be optimistic, Tomlin & Golbourne are especially high calibre additions indeed and I feel we will have enough now to get us over the line to safety this season. I get your point about the 16 players on our squad list come the start of the month, but to me that is unforgivable anyway, you wouldn't see any other team in the league let that happen. Regardless, there will be a lot of rebuilding needing doing over the summer to give us a healthy compliment of players - lets hope SL is happy to get his cheque book out as will be an expensive summer potential with fair amount spent on signing on fees / agent fees / transfer fees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCFC_Dan Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 14 minutes ago, HLR said: Just want us to be in a position to build, hopefully the coming summer will be done right, and we won't have to utilise the loan market like we have had to this season. Like you say, loans are short term fixes, fingers crossed in the summer we can pick off our targets nice and early and really kick on from there. Yes. If this Summer goes like last Summer then we have reasons to worry but things turned round on the transfer front after Cotterill left so there's no reason to suppose they would do, so long as they don't go too far in the opposite direction and bring in players who aren't good enough just because they can. Quote I do agree that the additions made January are reasons to be optimistic, Tomlin & Golbourne are especially high calibre additions indeed and I feel we will have enough now to get us over the line to safety this season. So better than 50/50 then? Quote I get your point about the 16 players on our squad list come the start of the month, but to me that is unforgivable anyway, you wouldn't see any other team in the league let that happen. Chelsea won the league with a squad of 16 players (>= 5 appearances) last year. Our problem wasn't exclusively a lack of numbers it was a lack of quality and balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Dawe Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 38 minutes ago, BCFC_Dan said: . Replacing 3 players seems perfectly manageable to me. Good to see hope springs eternal amongst some of our fans! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HLR Posted February 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 9 minutes ago, BCFC_Dan said: So better than 50/50 then? For what it's worth, I personally think we will stay up (just). However without a proven goal scorer at this level and a defensive midfielder as cover if Korey/Marlon get injured (which is abundantly clear were positions that needed strengthening), it is conceivable we could still go down. So yeah, it is still in the balance - regardless of additions, hence why some will believe we are still far from home & dry. Anyway, my original debate was about our squad depth going into next year - 13 players, including O'Leary & El-Abd leaves us with a lot of work to do, that's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCFC_Dan Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 5 minutes ago, HLR said: Anyway, my original debate was about our squad depth going into next year - 13 players, including O'Leary & El-Abd leaves us with a lot of work to do, that's all. I can't argue with that, but I'd be very disappointed if next Summer turns out like last Summer. The turnaround in transfer business since Cotterill left and Ashton arrived gives me hope that it will be better. Add to that the fact that surviving (assuming we do; the entire problem changes if we don't) our first season in the Championship and completing the stadium upgrade makes us a more attractive prospect and we should be able to start adding the players we need to be competitive at this level. Maybe not the ones that will win promotion, but the next step on the ladder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnderMB Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 On its own, this transfer window wasn't bad. However, we've played half a season and put ourselves in the relegation zone by having such a poor window before. This good window has purely fixed the problems from the start of the season. They've not built on any meaningful foundations. It's like being ill, and then getting treatment six months later. Sure, you might feel better, but leaving it that long has done you no favours, and it might be too late for you to get 100% better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlintWonderwall Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Who are the out of contract players? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HLR Posted February 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 4 minutes ago, FlintWonderwall said: Who are the out of contract players? Williams, Wagstaff, Reid, Wilbraham, Burns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlintWonderwall Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Wouldn't mind losing wagstaff or Wilbraham but should keep the others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad blit Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 I was having the same conversation with my brother about player contracts on Saturday. Of those names above only Williams is one I would keep, Burns & Reid have few months to prove if they can cut it at this level and Wilbs has been great but let's get a younger version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shtanley Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 I think considering what happened in the summer last year we should be keeping Reid and Burns. They're still relatively young and can 100% be sound squad players next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 1 hour ago, HLR said: Williams, Wagstaff, Reid, Wilbraham, Burns Williams - Providing he is happy is worth an extra 18 month- 2 years Wagstaff - Has been a back up player for too long now. Providing we stay up would be best for him to leave. Reid - Just coming into the team now, but is that due to the lack of depth/quality we have? I think give it until Easter to see how he gets on, but how long do you class him as "one for the future"? That isn't meant as a knock at all, but younger players have gone on to make a name for themselves by the time they're Bobbys age. Burns - Definitely worth 2 years, has come in this season and looked good. Still a way to go, but if we can get the better players in, he will pick up bits from them. Wilbraham - As much as I love the guy, and as good as he was last season, not sure if he has the legs for this level now (others who have seen him more than me this season will be better placed to judge). I wouldn't be surprised if he was to retire, but then I also wouldn't be surprised if he was to take on a coaching role (like Elliott). That being said though, we still have a very young team and his experience is something you can't buy. Maybe a year as a player/coach? To be fair, with any of the above it could all come down to which league we are in next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Wilbs has a clause that triggers another year if he reaches 30 appearances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FForbes Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Don't forget Karleigh Osborne !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanterne Rouge Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 9 minutes ago, Doozerchris said: Wilbs has a clause that triggers another year if he reaches 30 appearances. If he wants it. I`ve got my doubts he will TBH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aipearcey Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 3 minutes ago, Red Right Hand said: If he wants it. I`ve got my doubts he will TBH. Did anyone see him putting his shirt on at the Birmingham match? His back was strapped up as well as his thighs. Surely he must be in some discomfort Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishRed Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 I don't believe he does have that clause, I think that was for this season - I ,of course, could be wrong. In any case I think we have seen that this level is now too much for him. Time stands still for none of us, sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TETBURY MASSIVE Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 7 minutes ago, ScottishRed said: I don't believe he does have that clause, I think that was for this season - I ,of course, could be wrong. In any case I think we have seen that this level is now too much for him. Time stands still for none of us, sadly. I wouldn't bet against that if I was you.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishRed Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Mmm, nothing would surprise me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 3 hours ago, FForbes said: Don't forget Karleigh Osborne !! Do you know what, until I loaded up Fifa 16 just before Christmas, I had completely forgotten about him!!! Thought someone had forgotten to take him out before the release!!! Strange one is Osborne, had that injury in Botswana and that seemed to be the end of him here. Up until that point he had finished the season before last pretty strong, and remember people thinking we were in trouble because he would miss the beginning of the season. It just never seemed to happen for him after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnderMB Posted February 3, 2016 Report Share Posted February 3, 2016 Speaking of out of contract players, it seems our board have zero experience in actually selling players. I can't remember the last time we sold a player for a decent profit, or made a team really fight to land one of our players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Dawe Posted February 3, 2016 Report Share Posted February 3, 2016 9 minutes ago, EnderMB said: Speaking of out of contract players, it seems our board have zero experience in actually selling players. I can't remember the last time we sold a player for a decent profit, or made a team really fight to land one of our players. Sam Baldock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCFC_Dan Posted February 3, 2016 Report Share Posted February 3, 2016 1 hour ago, EnderMB said: Speaking of out of contract players, it seems our board have zero experience in actually selling players. I can't remember the last time we sold a player for a decent profit, or made a team really fight to land one of our players. That's because we've seldom had any players that other clubs want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nogbad the Bad Posted February 3, 2016 Report Share Posted February 3, 2016 2 hours ago, EnderMB said: Speaking of out of contract players, it seems our board have zero experience in actually selling players. I can't remember the last time we sold a player for a decent profit, or made a team really fight to land one of our players. Albert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2016 Report Share Posted February 3, 2016 Paul Anderson: okay that was a swap deal for JET, but I think we did better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristolcityyatton Posted February 3, 2016 Report Share Posted February 3, 2016 18 hours ago, HLR said: Williams, Wagstaff, Reid, Wilbraham, Burns the club have an option for another year with Reid and Burns http://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/article/20140620-trionewdeals-1650590.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnderMB Posted February 3, 2016 Report Share Posted February 3, 2016 2 hours ago, Jack Dawe said: Sam Baldock? He went for less than a million when he was worth far more. 53 minutes ago, Nogbad the Bad said: Albert. We didn't really have a choice, since we went down, but again he went for far cheaper than he should have. 1 hour ago, BCFC_Dan said: That's because we've seldom had any players that other clubs want. Therein lies one of our biggest problems. If this is the case, whoever is authorising these signings needs to be punished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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