I think we have 12-14 quality players who are either good enough for a top six team or at least a top six squad. If Buyens, Bulot and Gudmundsson stay then I agree with a few posters above who suggested we need six more quality players.
I believe RD can afford and source those six simply because last summer they brought in 20 players between us and Liege. I don't know how many of the ten at Liege succeeded but we certainly know that the mix of free agents, Liege loans, Vetokele (fee) and Gomez (academy) did a job last time.
For those showing signs of panic, I would simply say that we are not Blackpool. Nor are we Millwall with a squad average age of 28 and unable / unwilling to attract quality.
No we need c. Six to complete the squad and the board has the money and track record to secure those players. With FFP loss limits doubling and FAPL money up I think it makes more sense to secure the three midfielders asap, ie, Gudmundsson, Buyens and Bulot.
We will have to wait and see but perhaps not so long? Last summer the departures and arrivals were concluded by June. Dervite, Hamer and Poyet declined offers and went elsewhere but most acknowledge that we ended up with a better squad overall.
This summer the challenge is different - less bodies needed but of a higher calibre. And that might prove challenging / expensive.
The prize is twofold - a crack at the play-offs and our current squad increasing in value. How much will our u24 players be worth if we can challenge in the top eight?
For me that is the rational business case and which is why I suggest that it's more likely than not that the budget and ambition are in place.
Milos Veljkovic is the Spurs 19 year old who only played a couple of game for us before getting the bad shoulder injury. Astrit Ajdarevic is the lad we had on loan from Standard with two good feet, good in the air, but who run out of puff if he played more than 25 minutes.
Don't think we need Spurs defensive midfielder. Think Jordan's shown its his position we need a creative midfielder either yoni back or better if we can afford better.
We don’t know the detail of the reasoning – but if it was felt that Eagles and Johnson were short of what we need – that is a positive for next season.
We don’t know the detail of the reasoning – but if it was felt that Eagles and Johnson were short of what we need – that is a positive for next season.
Wages probably, and in the case of the former, a dodgy surname,
We don’t know the detail of the reasoning – but if it was felt that Eagles and Johnson were short of what we need – that is a positive for next season.
Wages probably, and in the case of the former, a dodgy surname,
They did ok for us but hardly looked like they were of the level needed for a play-off push. I think it could well have been down to their performances rather than wages.
Eagles was at Blackpool before us, couldn't have been earning much there. I think they'll be doing well if they get a contract at a Championship club.
Massively disagree with Bikey Johnson and TBH were better than him
I really liked the physicality he brought to games. I think it is an asset but I appreciate I rate him a lot higher than many do- including possibly the manager. But he has to be a decent bench option at the very least.
Massively disagree with Bikey Johnson and TBH were better than him
Wouldn't do it to his face if I was you
It seems that Johnson is keen to have a last very well paid hurrah in the U S of A, otherwise I suspect he might well have signed for us, but equally, Luzon might just not have wanted him at any price .. Eagles ? I like him but can see why he was not retained .. I'm busting to see who comes in .. however, I reckon we will not know until late June -early August .. a lot depends on the J B Good, Bulot, Buyens puzzle .. so long as we can keep Henderson, we won't do too badly ((:>)
Massively disagree with Bikey Johnson and TBH were better than him
Wouldn't do it to his face if I was you
It seems that Johnson is keen to have a last very well paid hurrah in the U S of A, otherwise I suspect he might well have signed for us, but equally, Luzon might just not have wanted him at any price .. Eagles ? I like him but can see why he was not retained .. I'm busting to see who comes in .. however, I reckon we will not know until late June -early August .. a lot depends on the J B Good, Bulot, Buyens puzzle .. so long as we can keep Henderson, we won't do too badly ((:>)
Keeper Hendo. (But in last yr of his contract) Pope as number 2
RB Solly ?
LB Wiggins ?
CB Gomez -in demand ? ? ?
LW ? Bulot -not ours! Or Hariott back up if Luzon can get the best out of him
RW JBG -in demand/last yr of contract ?
CM Cousins - will be in demand and last yr of contract ? Diarra as back up ?
Striker Watt ? Vet as back up ?
So 10 new players and re-sign Bulot plus retain 3 players in the last year of their contracts and Gomez. We are a long way from top half let alone top 6 at the moment.
Keeper Hendo. (But in last yr of his contract) Pope as number 2
RB Solly ?
LB Wiggins ?
CB Gomez -in demand ? ? ?
LW ? Bulot -not ours! Or Hariott back up if Luzon can get the best out of him
RW JBG -in demand/last yr of contract ?
CM Cousins - will be in demand and last yr of contract ? Diarra as back up ?
Striker Watt ? Vet as back up ?
So 10 new players and re-sign Bulot plus retain 3 players in the last year of their contracts and Gomez. We are a long way from top half let alone top 6 at the moment.
Fox LB with wiggins... I'm told we have a young RB who could bring rotated with Solly. .. so nine players in plus replacements for whoever we lose.. still a big ask!
Don't think we will miss any of them too much, and can't see any of them moving onwards and upwards.
Does leave us short at centre back but I'm sure we can pick up two throughout the summer.
Obviously a lot depends on who stays and goes but assuming contracted players stay and the loans don't I would say we need:
2 x centre back 1 right back 1 creative centre midfielder 1 left midfielder 1 similar to CE (could play wide or off the front) 1 striker (2 if KAG and Pigott aren't in his plans for next season)
Moussa could potentially fill the 'CE' role if he's ever fit again, could be a good squad player.
I'm actually feeling optimistic that we'll bring in some decent players a build a squad capable of challenging for the top 6. Nothing but a gut feeling to back this up though.
Hopefully, after having to endure watching Bournemouth lording it up in our garden, Rolly will be thinking to himself "hey, I wouldn't mind a bit of that action, huh?"..............
I've read a few times the opinion that goes something like "well, it depends on whether Roland gets his cheque book out or not". I don't think it is anywhere near as simple as that though. There are warm feelings and cold feelings for me at the moment. And, it's not just based on whether JBG and Gomez stay or go. If either or both go, there may well be some money about to spend.
The warm feeling comes from the fact that we do have some decent Championship players and if, having released the likes of TBH, Johnson and Eagles, it means that better players are brought in we might well be there or thereabouts next season. The cold feeling comes from the fact that the newbies may or may not work. Whilst they may worse than the players departing, they look better on paper but when it comes to the crunch don't fit in/become injury prone/lose form etc.
So, posts that are of the ilk "it depends on Roland" are off mark. Players who look good enough may still not work just as players that don't look good enough might work well. It will depend whether they fit in with the manager's style, fit in the with the club and play to their potential. As I and others have said before, it's not necessarily the best 11 individuals that make a good team, it's how the jigsaw fits together.
I do worry about the turnover of players, although it does seem to be the way of the football world nowadays. Whether the new arrivals will see us challenging the leaders or scraping around the bottom of the table remains to be seen. Something tells me it will in the middle somewhere.
Keeper Hendo. (But in last yr of his contract) Pope as number 2
RB Solly ?
LB Wiggins ?
CB Gomez -in demand ? ? ?
LW ? Bulot -not ours! Or Hariott back up if Luzon can get the best out of him
RW JBG -in demand/last yr of contract ?
CM Cousins - will be in demand and last yr of contract ? Diarra as back up ?
Striker Watt ? Vet as back up ?
So 10 new players and re-sign Bulot plus retain 3 players in the last year of their contracts and Gomez. We are a long way from top half let alone top 6 at the moment.
I completely agree with this. The fact you've singled out Diarra and Vetokele as back up is exactly how management should be thinking. Question marks over Vetokele's injury, but on evidence of the 2nd half of this season, sub striker, def not a starter if he continues in same way.
The good thing is the clear out. We can only assume that given the clear out, plans are in place for these 10 new players. I would go further and end our association with PP, Reza, Nego etc, free up more space/wages.
The most significant player we need to sign is the Talismanic one. Maybe I mean a captain in the Kinsella mould, maybe I mean a player in the Yann mould. The nearest we have to being prepared to die for the cause is Jordan Cousins, but I want a player than can drag us from the abyss in games and do stuff, score a goal as well as set an example, as well as be a leader...be a Talisman. If I could wave a magic wand it would be a younger Jacko, but we need a player that other supporters say, 'Oh yeah, Charlton, (insert name)' such as we might say 'Oh yeah Watford...Deeney', or 'Oh yeah Forest...Antonio'. Hope you get my drift on all this, but we need a larger than life player, because when we are at our worse we are rather an insipid team.
I think we need three big signings – a centre half, a central midfielder and a striker who offers a different dynamic (height). Of course this is assuming other areas are not weakened, but if we can bring the right players into these positions, we could be very strong next season. That would be easier said than done but possible, especially if we were able to spend what is required to bring in the right players. If there is genuine interest in Gomez now, we could maybe keep him on loan and bring in a couple of the right sort of players on season long loans as part of the deal. Look at the effect Pritchard and Banford have had for Brentford and Boro respectively.
The most significant player we need to sign is the Talismanic one. Maybe I mean a captain in the Kinsella mould, maybe I mean a player in the Yann mould. The nearest we have to being prepared to die for the cause is Jordan Cousins, but I want a player than can drag us from the abyss in games and do stuff, score a goal as well as set an example, as well as be a leader...be a Talisman. If I could wave a magic wand it would be a younger Jacko, but we need a player that other supporters say, 'Oh yeah, Charlton, (insert name)' such as we might say 'Oh yeah Watford...Deeney', or 'Oh yeah Forest...Antonio'. Hope you get my drift on all this, but we need a larger than life player, because when we are at our worse we are rather an insipid team.
Agreed, it does not have to be the best footballer in the team, but a never say die hero who will rally the troops and scare the opposition
The only part of the spine we have right is Henderson. Who will be the strong experience CB alongside Gomez( Stay Joe for one more season) Cousins is progressing nicely now he's in CM, but not sure if his close control will take him higher than CAFC (back handed compliment Sam) We need the creative mid fielder who can tackle along side Jordan. And is the Pope a Catholic ? We need a number 9 who can head, hold up play, have decent feet and can score 12 to 15 goals while assisting Tony Watt and Igor to get in double fingers as well. Why have we retired the number 9 shirt ? Has someone died ?
Off load Pete and Reza, and realise this is a priority. If too soon still for KAG to be the 4th striker then we need a speedy forward with stamina because all the other championship side seem to have the option of pace and a target man in their 4 strikers.
I know it's not easy, but getting the right blend up front is the key.
Totally disagree about Cousins. His touch can suffer from his workrate and endeavour but he has a complete game which has been evidenced this season in certain matches in particular. I think if you put another industrious player in there with him, we could have a very dynamic midfield next season.
Comments
I believe RD can afford and source those six simply because last summer they brought in 20 players between us and Liege. I don't know how many of the ten at Liege succeeded but we certainly know that the mix of free agents, Liege loans, Vetokele (fee) and Gomez (academy) did a job last time.
For those showing signs of panic, I would simply say that we are not Blackpool. Nor are we Millwall with a squad average age of 28 and unable / unwilling to attract quality.
No we need c. Six to complete the squad and the board has the money and track record to secure those players. With FFP loss limits doubling and FAPL money up I think it makes more sense to secure the three midfielders asap, ie, Gudmundsson, Buyens and Bulot.
We will have to wait and see but perhaps not so long? Last summer the departures and arrivals were concluded by June. Dervite, Hamer and Poyet declined offers and went elsewhere but most acknowledge that we ended up with a better squad overall.
This summer the challenge is different - less bodies needed but of a higher calibre. And that might prove challenging / expensive.
The prize is twofold - a crack at the play-offs and our current squad increasing in value. How much will our u24 players be worth if we can challenge in the top eight?
For me that is the rational business case and which is why I suggest that it's more likely than not that the budget and ambition are in place.
Astrit Ajdarevic is the lad we had on loan from Standard with two good feet,
good in the air, but who run out of puff if he played more than 25 minutes.
Definates: Henderson, Solly, Gomez, Cousins, JBG, Watt, Vetokele - Possibles: Wiggins, Bikey, Diarra, Bulot (If retained), Buyens (if retained)
Johnson and TBH were better than him
Eagles was at Blackpool before us, couldn't have been earning much there. I think they'll be doing well if they get a contract at a Championship club.
Keeper
Hendo. (But in last yr of his contract)
Pope as number 2
RB
Solly
?
LB
Wiggins
?
CB
Gomez -in demand
?
?
?
LW
?
Bulot -not ours! Or Hariott back up if Luzon can get the best out of him
RW
JBG -in demand/last yr of contract
?
CM
Cousins - will be in demand and last yr of contract
?
Diarra as back up
?
Striker
Watt
?
Vet as back up
?
So 10 new players and re-sign Bulot plus retain 3 players in the last year of their contracts and Gomez. We are a long way from top half let alone top 6 at the moment.
Does leave us short at centre back but I'm sure we can pick up two throughout the summer.
Obviously a lot depends on who stays and goes but assuming contracted players stay and the loans don't I would say we need:
2 x centre back
1 right back
1 creative centre midfielder
1 left midfielder
1 similar to CE (could play wide or off the front)
1 striker (2 if KAG and Pigott aren't in his plans for next season)
Moussa could potentially fill the 'CE' role if he's ever fit again, could be a good squad player.
Hopefully, after having to endure watching Bournemouth lording it up in our garden, Rolly will be thinking to himself "hey, I wouldn't mind a bit of that action, huh?"..............
The warm feeling comes from the fact that we do have some decent Championship players and if, having released the likes of TBH, Johnson and Eagles, it means that better players are brought in we might well be there or thereabouts next season. The cold feeling comes from the fact that the newbies may or may not work. Whilst they may worse than the players departing, they look better on paper but when it comes to the crunch don't fit in/become injury prone/lose form etc.
So, posts that are of the ilk "it depends on Roland" are off mark. Players who look good enough may still not work just as players that don't look good enough might work well. It will depend whether they fit in with the manager's style, fit in the with the club and play to their potential. As I and others have said before, it's not necessarily the best 11 individuals that make a good team, it's how the jigsaw fits together.
I do worry about the turnover of players, although it does seem to be the way of the football world nowadays. Whether the new arrivals will see us challenging the leaders or scraping around the bottom of the table remains to be seen. Something tells me it will in the middle somewhere.
The good thing is the clear out. We can only assume that given the clear out, plans are in place for these 10 new players. I would go further and end our association with PP, Reza, Nego etc, free up more space/wages.
Big summer ahead.
Who will be the strong experience CB alongside Gomez( Stay Joe for one more season)
Cousins is progressing nicely now he's in CM, but not sure if his close control will take him higher than CAFC (back handed compliment Sam)
We need the creative mid fielder who can tackle along side Jordan.
And is the Pope a Catholic ?
We need a number 9 who can head, hold up play, have decent feet and can score 12 to 15 goals while assisting Tony Watt and Igor to get in double fingers as well.
Why have we retired the number 9 shirt ?
Has someone died ?
Off load Pete and Reza, and realise this is a priority.
If too soon still for KAG to be the 4th striker then we need a speedy forward with stamina because all the other championship side seem to have the option of pace and a target man in their 4 strikers.
I know it's not easy, but getting the right blend up front is the key.