Is this our most important transfer window?

[reddogkev]

It's fair to say that the squad needs a massive overhaul as we are still far too short of decent numbers.

Several of our key players are here on loan, and without them, we lack quality in most key areas.

LJ and Ashton have their work cut out for them.

I'd say we need at least 7 players coming in, but how many players do we need to offload?  Agard? Reid?

With the stadium complete, and the need to grow our attendances crucial to our future development, then Summer 2016 is a whopper!

How many players would you look to bring in, and depending on finding a buyer, who would you sell?

[Super]

Needs a massive change, we are a poor team really luckily there are 3 worse teams than us.

[BCFC_Dan]

Ideally we need to sign all 4 of the current first-team loanees or players of similar quality just to stand still.

Surplus to requirements would be Williams, Ayling, Little and Agard and we might consider selling any of Fielding, Freeman and Reid if it raised sufficient cash.

Currently I think we have a reasonable mid-table side so signing the 4 loanees would constitute a good summer's business, but if we want to move on further we'd need more on top of that. Certainly a better central midfielder and a quick and clinical striker are needed to really challenge.

We probably won't get everyone we need on permanent deals and that's fine. Season-long loans are a perfectly good way of adding the quality we need. The changes to the emergency loan system mean we really can't afford to screw it up though.

['Orns]

Had the chat on the way home with @Fordy62 last night

I'd love us to keep Matthews & Baker, Fordy not a fan of the latter

Odemwingie, same as Baker, I suspect, too expensive. Tomlin I would think will get better offers from bigger clubs

Heard a rumour last night that two players have been told they have no future, and one that he needs to step up.....

We could see a dramatic overhaul, which although needed as @Super says, worries me a little in terms of a lot of players to bed down quickly

Will be an interesting summer, that's fa shizzle

[Major Isewater]

Jeez Reddog can we just see out this pig of a season before forecasting who we may or may not need for the next .

We are n't even sure what division we'll be in .

[Phileas Fogg]

13 minutes ago, Woodsy said:

Had the chat on the way home with @Fordy62 last night

I'd love us to keep Matthews & Baker, Fordy not a fan of the latter

Odemwingie, same as Baker, I suspect, too expensive. Tomlin I would think will get better offers from bigger clubs

Heard a rumour last night that two players have been told they have no future, and one that he needs to step up.....

We could see a dramatic overhaul, which although needed as @Super says, worries me a little in terms of a lot of players to bed down quickly

Will be an interesting summer, that's fa shizzle

Wonder who those two are.. If it's not the likes of El-Abd who I assume is a formality. Who hasn't played much under Johnson? Derrick Williams? Mark Little? Agard?

It's a hugely important window but I'd argue last summer was possibly more important and we failed miserably. I'm sure though, Johnson will recieve greater backing than Cotterill did last summer. 

[Vincent Vega]

For me I'd offload Agard ,  Little , and Freeman.

[Phileas Fogg]

1 minute ago, Doozerchris said:

For me I'd offload Agard ,  Little , and Freeman.

Agree about the first two. I'd persevere with Freeman though, he can improve. I'd like to see him after Johnson has a bit more time to mould him.

[Vincent Vega]

2 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Agree about the first two. I'd persevere with Freeman though, he can improve. I'd like to see him after Johnson has a bit more time to mould him.

He frustrates me more than any other player , he's had almost a full season and if I'm honest I don't see a improvement in his performances.  But like you say give LJ a chance with him I suppose as he certainly has the ability. Contact wise how long is Freeman tied down for ?

[Super]

6 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Agree about the first two. I'd persevere with Freeman though, he can improve. I'd like to see him after Johnson has a bit more time to mould him.

Johnson has given up on him he will be gone in the summer, Had a shocking season.

[Ciderhead433]

Will there be any good players left after the 3 prem teams have taken the cream looking like Villa NUFC and SAC rest will fighting for the scrapes.

[reddogkev]

16 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

Jeez Reddog can we just see out this pig of a season before forecasting who we may or may not need for the next .

We are n't even sure what division we'll be in .

I'm sure we'll be in the Championship, reckon we can safely rule out a late dash to the play offs now.  Shame we didn't pick up the 18 points on offer for a win yesterday.

[Phileas Fogg]

2 minutes ago, Super said:

Johnson has given up on him he will be gone in the summer, Had a shocking season.

Have you heard that somewhere or just a hunch? Johnson has been positive about Freeman whilst he's been here.. can't remember which game it was. Don't think he's given up on him just yet. His dead ball delivery, especially from corners, can still be very good. Very poor season compared to last season though.

5 minutes ago, Doozerchris said:

He frustrates me more than any other player , he's had almost a full season and if I'm honest I don't see a improvement in his performances.  But like you say give LJ a chance with him I suppose as he certainly has the ability. Contact wise how long is Freeman tied down for ?

According to the BP he signed a 3 year deal with us when he joined. (http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BREAKING-NEWS-Bristol-City-land-winger-Luke/story-21295713-detail/story.html) I don't think he's signed an extension with us like Flint and Bryan did though. Contract up next summer then. 

I would like to see LJ given more time with Freeman, if he still thinks he can improve. I don't think he's a championship standard central player like he was playing in the 3-5-2, he just looked good there and played well in a good team in 14/15. I would like to see him given more of a go as a left winger, which I see as his natural position .

If there's an opportunity to bring in someone like Dan Crowey from Arsenal on a season long loan, that might be the end for Freeman. Lee Johnson described him as "the best 18 year old he's ever worked with" when on loan at Barnsley.

[Phileas Fogg]

3 minutes ago, Ciderhead433 said:

Will there be any good players left after the 3 prem teams have taken the cream looking like Villa NUFC and SAC rest will fighting for the scrapes.

They can't buy everyone. Let them buy big and spend big wages on the likes of Lewis Cook, Tomas Hemed, Ross McCormack, Alan Judge, Abel Hernandez etc.

Let us go for foreign players and exciting youngsters for a fraction of the cost. 

[Vincent Vega]

4 minutes ago, Phileas Fogg said:

Have you heard that somewhere or just a hunch? Johnson has been positive about Freeman whilst he's been here.. can't remember which game it was. Don't think he's given up on him just yet. His dead ball delivery, especially from corners, can still be very good. Very poor season compared to last season though.

According to the BP he signed a 3 year deal with us when he joined. (http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BREAKING-NEWS-Bristol-City-land-winger-Luke/story-21295713-detail/story.html) I don't think he's signed an extension with us like Flint and Bryan did though. Contract up next summer then. 

I would like to see LJ given more time with Freeman, if he still thinks he can improve. I don't think he's a championship standard central player like he was playing in the 3-5-2, he just looked good there and played well in a good team in 14/15. I would like to see him given more of a go as a left winger, which I see as his natural position .

If there's an opportunity to bring in someone like Dan Crowey from Arsenal on a season long loan, that might be the end for Freeman. Lee Johnson described him as "the best 18 year old he's ever worked with" when on loan at Barnsley.

Definitely not a number 10 in this league .

[reddogkev]

30 minutes ago, BCFC_Dan said:

Ideally we need to sign all 4 of the current first-team loanees or players of similar quality just to stand still.

Surplus to requirements would be Williams, Ayling, Little and Agard and we might consider selling any of Fielding, Freeman and Reid if it raised sufficient cash.

I'd retain Ayling, would love to see him develop into our first choice r/b.  And I'd look to keep Freeman, on his day, he is an extremely talented player.

[brad blit]

Yes Freeman has had a poor season compared to last year, but so has the team as a whole and to dismiss his talents that easily is ridiculous. We need to build a squad for this division and he can still be a valuable member of the team so needs to be kept. 

The likes of Reid, Little and Ayling are probably backups/competition and could be sold but not until they are replaced by better players. We have a small squad and need to concentrate on incomings rather than outgoing 

[BCFC_Dan]

15 minutes ago, reddogkev said:

I'd retain Ayling, would love to see him develop into our first choice r/b.  And I'd look to keep Freeman, on his day, he is an extremely talented player.

I'd not get rid of either just for the sake of it but I'd listen to offers and if I needed to sell to free up money for new signings then they'd be on the expendable list.

If Lee is anything like his dad then I can't see Freeman being the sort of player he likes. He's clearly very talented but he doesn't "affect the game" enough. 

[Lrrr]

Given emergency loans are stopping next season, yes this is a massive window for us. Selling Williams and Ayling? People are aware they're our CB back up? If we can't keep Baker one of them comes in. Think we will need to get players in before we can think of selling.

[EnderMB]

In my opinion, the following should be sold:

• Little
• Williams
• El-Abd
• Agard
• O'Leary
• Reid
• Osborne

They all have something to offer, but I think we're in the position we're at right now because the squad isn't strong enough. Also, and this is the big one for me, the squad has been so limited this season that I don't have confidence in our first-team to consistently be able to fight relegation. A relegation battle is draining, and no team can fight it for multiple years.

This means that we'll need to drastically boost our squad, and make every player fight for their place. I think we need at least three big permanent signings this time around and at least four season long loans. This will bring the squad up to 19 players, so I'd chuck another two or three players in where needed.

Currently, we're a bottom table team. While I like the spine of our current squad, I don't think it's strong enough for what we require at this level, so I would sign players that are ultimately looking to replace that spine and force the manager to ask questions.

A good start would be picking the incoming Aston Villa team apart. They'll want to clear out their squad significantly, and I think that there are a few gems in that squad that we could get on the cheap.

[Shtanley]

The last summer was supposed to be crucial and we ballsed it up and we've done alright. Get burns a new deal and Reid too. Get a 4th striker because Agard should be leaving. Some more attacking midfielders/wingers if Odemwingie and Tomlin won't sign. 1 more central midfielder to cover Smith and Pack. Ayling back up CB to Flint and someone who isn't baker, probably Mawson. 

[Ivorguy]

We need a centre half, a centre forward, a creative midfielder to supplement what we have, and replacements for any of our loanees who leave.  Optimistically also a winger (Albert?), a right back and a left back.

[LondonBristolian]

 I think we have to listen to offers for anyone who is not playing regularly.  I think for me I'd keep ROD, Flint, Golbourne, Smith, Pack, Bryan and Kodjia, sign Matthews, Tomlin and Baker if they want to come plus Odemwingie if his wage demands aren't too insane.  We know Wilbraham is staying and beyond that I'd consider reasonable offers for anyone. I can't see how it's in Agard's interests to stay and, much as I love Ayling, Williams and Little for what they did last season, I don't think we should deny them a chance of first-team football if we can't offer it (which we shouldn't).  Freeman is a tough one.  Certainly he needs to prove between now and the end of the season that he can do it at this level. 

[ciderbeans]

Take Leicester. Not spent big but have hard working players played in the right positions that just keep doing what they know ad it works.

we need to recruit energetic hard working players that will do a similar job working around one or two flair players who can create. No good having 4/5 flair players that don't work for the team.

matthews and baker would be a good start at the back for solidity and experience. Midfield needs a dramatic overhaul to be built around smith. Sorry but pack is too lightweight along with Reid, freeman et al.

tomlin may be a good buy but his work rate isn't great and for the money it may cost, is it worth it? Yes he has provided that bit extra to stave off relegation hopefully but is there a better fit out there for the 'team'?

kodjia if not sold would remain our flair player but we need that cards type striker who has pace as doesn't stop running as well as being able to score. Quite specific criteria but surely there is someone out there to fit the bill. Agard, wilbraham and odemwingie are nothing he answer IMO.  The latter just being a stop gap like tomlin to consolidate our position.

will be very interesting to see what happens

[Phileas Fogg]

5 minutes ago, ciderbeans said:

Take Leicester. Not spent big but have hard working players played in the right positions that just keep doing what they know ad it works.

we need to recruit energetic hard working players that will do a similar job working around one or two flair players who can create. No good having 4/5 flair players that don't work for the team. We won't be recruiting "4 or 5" flair players, no team has that except for the likes of Barcelona, Bayern, Real Madrid etc who have world class talent.

matthews and baker would be a good start at the back for solidity and experience. Midfield needs a dramatic overhaul to be built around smith. Sorry but pack is too lightweight along with Reid, freeman et al. Pack isn't lightweight. Besides, physicality isn't necessarily a prerequisite to a quality midfield. 

tomlin may be a good buy but his work rate isn't great and for the money it may cost, is it worth it? Yes he has provided that bit extra to stave off relegation hopefully but is there a better fit out there for the 'team'? He's our most creative player, we need to be in the market for him. Johnson has basically said you can afford a player like him if the rest of the team work hard. He also called him a 'genius'. Think it's fair to say we are very interested in getting him permanently. 

kodjia if not sold would remain our flair player but we need that cards type striker who has pace as doesn't stop running as well as being able to score. Quite specific criteria but surely there is someone out there to fit the bill. Agard, wilbraham and odemwingie are nothing he answer IMO.  The latter just being a stop gap like tomlin to consolidate our position. It's rare that a striker is the "flair" player - it's usually a winger or attacking midfielder. Kodjia, whilst possessing great dribbling skills and unpredictability does also do the running and chasing down that you mention. Odemwingie's experience and ability have been valuable, I hope we have a go at bringing him in. Wilbraham is here next season now too, even if he doesn't play every game. Tomlin is far too good to be seen as a "stop gap", he's brilliant.

will be very interesting to see what happens

 

[MigratedRobin]

No time for sentiment in the next transfer window! If the player has shown this season that he is not really up to it then he should be out the door. We probably need to offload about 6-8 players and we need to replace them with quality, from wherever we can.

[RedM]

@ciderbeansI'm not going to go through all your post as it's been done pretty well by @Phileas Foggbut I would argue totally against your comments about Pack and Tomlin.

The transfer window will be Lee's first real opportunity to stamp his mark on the team, he speaks well and I know for certain plans are in place for next season regarding the players. I firmly believe that the Johnson/Ashton combination looks far more productive in attracting players than the Cotterill/Burt one did less than a year ago.

I was coming home in the car last night and missed the exact words but didn't Lee say something about changes/being able to change and players being given a chance and if they can't then we simply change the personnel? I think Lee has a lot of intelligence, he talks calmly and fairly. He certainly notices things and looks like he will address them the right way. 

I did like Cotterill and wanted it to go right for him, but we said last night when listening to the interview that Cotts would have had a right sulk and been snappy to the point of rudeness in that interview. Very different managerial styles I would think, and like us the players are probably still adjusting. 

[Super]

The trouble with some fans is that they are still thinking about how good last season was, it needs to be forgotten. Freeman is clearly not up to this level and needs to go. Will we be a successful championship team with marlon pack no is the answer. Lee needs to be ruthless otherwise we will be in a worse position next year than we are now.

[BCFC_Dan]

Tomlin is a player who can create goals out of nothing. That is always, always worth having, especially when there aren't many goals elsewhere in the team.

The best teams usually have a player like that as a secondary source of goals rather than primary but if you think about our successful teams, most of them have had a player who isn't always on it but is unstoppable when he is: Goodridge, Noble, Trundle, JET - all were important but not key elements of promotion (or near-promotion) sides.

Ideally we'd have a player like Andre Gray or Dwight Gayle in the side who'd get 20+ goals a season from "traditional" methods: crosses, long balls behind the defence etc. but we don't have one and last summer showed how hard it is to get one of those. With luck, Kodjia might become one but he has some way to go. If we have one then a player like Tomlin becomes a useful option in the games where we need a plan B. If we don't get one he becomes and absolute necessity because the strikers we have at the moment need too many good chances to get the required goals and the midfield doesn't provide enough of those chances.

[richwwtk]

Can't remember who said it now, but on RB last night prior to kickoff someone said they had asked LJ if the next transfer window would enable him to put together the team he wanted. His reply was it would take at least three windows!