Well Leko is the icing on the cake. I'm off to bed very very happy and I sympathise with everyone who still think we need 5/6 players etc etc. Well done TS, SG & the team, you played a blinder.
What a night! An entertaining 6-1 win as the precursor to further excitement. Then late doors voulez-vous! (Get it?)
I dont think anyone can now say we dont have enough firepower ! DJ, Kirk, CBT, Leko ! other teams will be terrified by that lot.
Midfield also looking really strong with plenty of options. Yes it would have been decent to get another LB in but you cant have everything and I know Gunter got some stick but imo he didnt do much wrong.
Lavelle will be a great signing and adds to an already decent backline.
Whats not to like ?
If only we had a decent centre forward who wins everything thing in the air to go along with that lot we’d be laughing! 😉
Plus the variety of a pass on the deck to a goal scoring Attacking midfielder ?
Elliott Lee you may never have a better chance to finish top scorer at Cafc if you stay fit.
Just my opinion but if the ball is on or around the deck Lee and Davidson are the best strikers of a football. Stockley is supreme in the air and a great leader of the attack.
The forwards will improve with better service and in the players that have now been brought into the club, plus the eventual return of Gilbey and Forster Caskey, we should see an improvement in the performances.
I think you have to judge the window as a whole and compare it to the squad that finished last season. Which in my opinion should have got in the play offs. If we had stopped the rot at the start of February, not March, we would have done. In that time we beat Hull, Sunderland and Lincoln and drew with Oxford. So there would have been a chance we could have won the play offs.
Dobson and Clare are good replacements for Pratley and Shinnie, what they aren't is replacements for JFC and Gilbey. We have now addressed that with Arter and Lee. Better late than never.
Millar has been replaced by Kirk, very different type of player and time will tell of its an up grade or not but he is our player on a long contract.
Smith never played and has been replaced by Leko, in a different role but one we needed.
Deji mk1 has been replaced by a younger player on a long term contract. Looks like a significant upgrade.
Maatsen replaced by CBT, who obviously can't play left back but as IM was nearly always played as a winger under Adkins it's not a massive down grade.
Amos and Mcgivilray toss a coin and take your pick. Very different types of keepers but probably only a fag paper between them.
How the hell do you replace Aneke? I have no idea. Probably the truth is you can't.
The big criticism from me isn't the lack of left back now, nor that extra striker or even no back up keeper. It's JFC got injured in April and we only replaced him on deadline day. Gilbey has been out since the start of preseason and we didn't replace him until about 5 days ago. Purrington is/was injured before the season stated and that could have been a quick, cheap fix.
I'll give it a 9 for were we ended up but a 6 for how we got there.
Not sure the thinking behind not signing a left back. It throws the whole balance of the team out of kilter for me. The rest of the team / squad looks to me like if things gel, then we could claw ourselves back into top six contention but not signing that player looks very risky to me. Free agents still out there. Anyone we should be on the phone to ?
Too early to judge the transfer business or close this thread as we now have a rumour of two free transfers lined up. 😃
I wonder just how good our U18's are. Maybe 1-2 years away from first team? If so this season could be big for the club, find a way to be promoted and if the likes of Beadle, Burstow, Elerwre, Kanu etc come good maybe with some of our signings we have a core to not only compete in the Championship but either give it a go or sell for significant sums. If we stay down they will all be off in the blink of an eye.
Didn't read the whole thread but scored the window 7.5/10
Read on and Golfie had scored the window 7.5/10
I need a lie down.
Ha ha, I do find it unusual after spending weeks complaining about not buying the players Ipswich and Wigan were buying, and leaving to it the last minute etc... he goes and scores it the same score I have.
I said I would wait until the transfer window 'slammed shut' before I made judgement on how I think it went - and overall I am very happy.
If I could change anything it would probably have been to have brought in one less midfielder/winger and got a left back instead, and off-loaded Schwartz for another striker.
All in all though I feel like Adkins has the tools to mount a very serious challenge this year.
This squad would have got promotion last season (based on the quality of division one last year). This year however the league has more big clubs (Bolton, Sheff Weds etc), clubs that have been building / progressing for years and are now promotion contenders (Oxford) and new big spenders (Ipswich & Wigan) that have spent at a level that has rarely been seen in this league.....making the challenge of promotion alot tougher.
The good news though is that after yesterday we DO now have a squad that can compete (which we didn't at the start of the season)...so its all to play for!
Can't see Ronnie being included in the 22 man squad to be honest. It's a shame as I thought this season we would get to see the real Ronnie Schwartz but unfortunately not
Decent window and we've spent some cash, but if Purrington or Stockley get injured we are stuffed
Possibly, but it would depend on when they were injured, as there’s always the January window.
Also, strikes me that Gunter may be improving in that LB position, and I remember Magennis getting injured and we picked up a four one away win. Stockley may be better than Josh, but he’s less influential than Lyle Taylor. Wiith our more new improved midfield I think we’ll be creating more chance and getting more players into the box. Of course continuing the optimistic vibe, we may pick up a free agent left back, we’ll see. The birds are singing etc etc.
Need someone to hold up the ball and bring the midfield into play for them to score goals... Leko isnt going to do that. With Stockley this team looks very dangerous, without him, i'm not sure that the ball will stick
Late signings as usual, we seem to have made it a habit recently, which keeps things interesting, but doesn't help in the early season.
The positives are that we have made more permanent signings, signing Stockley to a 3 year contract, the option to buy on Famewo, MacGillivray, Kirk and now Lavelle, we are starting to build a squad for the longer term. Along with DJ, we are now starting to develop a squad, which will help for future windows, as we (hopefully) won't be reliant on picking up 5 or 6 signings, but only 3 or 4, which should help us.
It isn't up there with Ipswich or Wigan, but it is a good start, and much better than the Roland days of signing randoms and washed up veterans who haven't played in the English leagues.
for whoever does an updated squad list: (I think it's right)
Cheers for that @Dazzler21,saved me wading through 500 posts from last night, God, some people must need some sleep today after that night shift!! One thing I see, thought Leko was a season long loan, you have it as 01/22?
I think you have to judge the window as a whole and compare it to the squad that finished last season. Which in my opinion should have got in the play offs. If we had stopped the rot at the start of February, not March, we would have done. In that time we beat Hull, Sunderland and Lincoln and drew with Oxford. So there would have been a chance we could have won the play offs.
Dobson and Clare are good replacements for Pratley and Shinnie, what they aren't is replacements for JFC and Gilbey. We have now addressed that with Arter and Lee. Better late than never.
Millar has been replaced by Kirk, very different type of player and time will tell of its an up grade or not but he is our player on a long contract.
Smith never played and has been replaced by Leko, in a different role but one we needed.
Deji mk1 has been replaced by a younger player on a long term contract. Looks like a significant upgrade.
Maatsen replaced by CBT, who obviously can't play left back but as IM was nearly always played as a winger under Adkins it's not a massive down grade.
Amos and Mcgivilray toss a coin and take your pick. Very different types of keepers but probably only a fag paper between them.
How the hell do you replace Aneke? I have no idea. Probably the truth is you can't.
The big criticism from me isn't the lack of left back now, nor that extra striker or even no back up keeper. It's JFC got injured in April and we only replaced him on deadline day. Gilbey has been out since the start of preseason and we didn't replace him until about 5 days ago. Purrington is/was injured before the season stated and that could have been a quick, cheap fix.
I'll give it a 9 for were we ended up but a 6 for how we got there.
Spot on. I’m now quite positive with a few reservations. Hopefully Sandgaard’s ego and guitar are now in check. He has spent a lot in this window in relative terms and we now (albeit a month late) have what appears to be a decent squad, certainly in terms of numbers. I expected to be disappointed today but I’m not. Sensible and appropriate recruitment for where we are at. Reservations are as follows:
1. Can Nigel now show sufficient flexibility to get the best out of his new squad as he has quite a few selection dilemmas when everyone is fit. Jury out but I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt.
2. We’re good in terms of numbers but are they any good? Dobson and Clare have not lit any fires since they arrived, is Arter a busted flush, can Leko find his mojo again etc? Kirk, perhaps understandably has not excited as much as we might have expected but it’s early days.
3. Left back. A fit Purrington is an improvement but not in himself the answer IMHO A big risk if we don’t bring in free agent cover.
4. Managing the youngsters. Elerewe and to a lesser extent Barker, Dempsey and Clayden have had their appetites whetted by necessity so far and they are now going to be down the list. Some will benefit from loans to be allowed to grow but Deji will need to be handled carefully as he’s now further down the CB list than he was yesterday.
5. Stockley. How do we maximise his benefits without being one dimensional? On the face of it our recruitment gives us options so long as they are up to it and Nigel let’s them loose. We are buggered if he gets injured although not as deeply as before now we have Leko.
Let’s turn off the blood letting for a few weeks till we see how this settles. If we are in the bottom six come Christmas then fill yer boots but I’m cautiously optimistic.
In my opinion... Great window. Strong team. Spent well over £1,000,000 signing young, talented, motivated players on long term contracts. Also signed players with links to CAFC (Lee, Arter, Leko & Clare) and signed natural leaders and players of the season (Lavelle Kirk & MacG). I also think the temperament of the players we've brought in has been well thought through.
Whats not to like? Yes, we might be a LB or a ST short, but I reckon we might dip into the free transfer market to plug whatever minute holes there might be.
Finally, a sensible window, not one where our sole target is to bring In 'bodies.'
Wow we spent a million. I will go Charlton and support the team as Always but I'm not expecting us to be anywhere near the play-offs. I think this is a below average squad. I hope I am wrong I honestly do. Playing some youngsters through the season will keep me interested and then mount a challenge next season. I'm not in a rush for promotion like others
I agree re. not rushing - however would you not agree this window is a step in the right direction though, a solid base on which to build?
Yes I'd agree we are building. I've no problem with that. But this squad compared to Sheff Wd, Sunderland,Ipswich even Oxford, we won't be challenging
Way too early to make that prediction. We don't know enough about Lavelle. Dobson and Clare need to improve, but made that first step tonight. We don't know what Leko or Arter we're getting either. I'd also predict few people know much about other League 1 squads in too much depth. Oxford look to have a very decent side but a lot of unknowns beyond that.
2 injuries and we are screwed mate
I think that puts us in the same position as 90% of the teams in the division though. In terms of pure numbers, most teams seem to have made roughly the same amount of signings as we have so I can't imagine that it's only Charlton facing potential injury crises.
We're coming out of a pandemic which as badly affected football clubs everywhere. Barcelona were holding a fire sale today! With this and the squad cap, like you say a lot of clubs in exactly the same position. We'll need a bit of luck but we added players today, it's slightly unbalanced but could have been a lot worse.
I am.not so sure we are out of this pandemic with 33,000 a day infected and 100 deaths a day and a lot of resistance to vaccine in some sections plus people so untiring to wear masks on public transport.
I didn't say we were out of it. But with fans allowed back in the ground, then it is getting back to normal for football clubs with increased revenue. Of course another lockdown changes that. However, despite this being the thread to discuss almost everything, it's definitively not to discuss Covid and restrictions.
People talk about "goals in the team" based on previous individual scoring records. But really I think goals come from team style of play and possession in dangerous areas. If we are attacking enough then goals can come from throughout the team.
So I wouldn't worry about individual goal tallys so much and instead we should worry about whether NA can get us ticking properly. That remains to be seen, but at least we are going in the right direction the past 2 matches.
Very good window, would say 2 signings away from excellent, 3 from perfect.
There is a limit on squad size.
How many spaces do we have?
If it’s true that we’re after two free agents they’ll presumably be two of a GK, LB and striker.
Clubs in League One are permitted to name up to a maximum 22 Players, of which a minimum of 8 must be a Home Grown Player. Under 21 players do not need to be named on the Squad List to be eligible to participate in a League Match.
After last night's performance and the arrivals I see no need for a GK (Harness looked solid) or striker (Davison looked sharp and ran strongly for 90 minutes).
The choice of available left backs is very limited and you can see why nobody got signed.
for whoever does an updated squad list: (I think it's right)
Cheers for that @Dazzler21,saved me wading through 500 posts from last night, God, some people must need some sleep today after that night shift!! One thing I see, thought Leko was a season long loan, you have it as 01/22?
Comments
Read on and Golfie had scored the window 7.5/10
I need a lie down.
Plus the variety of a pass on the deck to a goal scoring Attacking midfielder ?
Elliott Lee you may never have a better chance to finish top scorer at Cafc if you stay fit.
Just my opinion but if the ball is on or around the deck Lee and Davidson are the best strikers of a football. Stockley is supreme in the air and a great leader of the attack.
Dobson and Clare are good replacements for Pratley and Shinnie, what they aren't is replacements for JFC and Gilbey. We have now addressed that with Arter and Lee. Better late than never.
Millar has been replaced by Kirk, very different type of player and time will tell of its an up grade or not but he is our player on a long contract.
Smith never played and has been replaced by Leko, in a different role but one we needed.
Deji mk1 has been replaced by a younger player on a long term contract. Looks like a significant upgrade.
Maatsen replaced by CBT, who obviously can't play left back but as IM was nearly always played as a winger under Adkins it's not a massive down grade.
Amos and Mcgivilray toss a coin and take your pick. Very different types of keepers but probably only a fag paper between them.
How the hell do you replace Aneke? I have no idea. Probably the truth is you can't.
The big criticism from me isn't the lack of left back now, nor that extra striker or even no back up keeper. It's JFC got injured in April and we only replaced him on deadline day. Gilbey has been out since the start of preseason and we didn't replace him until about 5 days ago. Purrington is/was injured before the season stated and that could have been a quick, cheap fix.
I'll give it a 9 for were we ended up but a 6 for how we got there.
I wonder just how good our U18's are. Maybe 1-2 years away from first team? If so this season could be big for the club, find a way to be promoted and if the likes of Beadle, Burstow, Elerwre, Kanu etc come good maybe with some of our signings we have a core to not only compete in the Championship but either give it a go or sell for significant sums. If we stay down they will all be off in the blink of an eye.
I said I would wait until the transfer window 'slammed shut' before I made judgement on how I think it went - and overall I am very happy.
If I could change anything it would probably have been to have brought in one less midfielder/winger and got a left back instead, and off-loaded Schwartz for another striker.
All in all though I feel like Adkins has the tools to mount a very serious challenge this year.
The good news though is that after yesterday we DO now have a squad that can compete (which we didn't at the start of the season)...so its all to play for!
a midfield 3 of Arter , Lee and Gilbey - is as good as anything in League 1
a forward line of Stockley , Leko and Washington will get goals.
and thats not mentioning Kirk , DJ , Ronnie, Davison, Clare, Dobson , JFC , Albie , Watson.
Very positive and yes i still think Ronnie will come good this season.
Late signings as usual, we seem to have made it a habit recently, which keeps things interesting, but doesn't help in the early season.
The positives are that we have made more permanent signings, signing Stockley to a 3 year contract, the option to buy on Famewo, MacGillivray, Kirk and now Lavelle, we are starting to build a squad for the longer term. Along with DJ, we are now starting to develop a squad, which will help for future windows, as we (hopefully) won't be reliant on picking up 5 or 6 signings, but only 3 or 4, which should help us.
It isn't up there with Ipswich or Wigan, but it is a good start, and much better than the Roland days of signing randoms and washed up veterans who haven't played in the English leagues.
Does anyone know who the left back triallist was for the U23's yesterday?
Long old season ahead, but I look forward to seeing how we sit in January.
In 18/19 it felt like if we didn't go up we would have really struggled the following year. Even though we got promoted we still lost half a team.
That conversation may have already taken place between the 4 of them and that could be the plan?
One thing I see, thought Leko was a season long loan, you have it as 01/22?
So I wouldn't worry about individual goal tallys so much and instead we should worry about whether NA can get us ticking properly. That remains to be seen, but at least we are going in the right direction the past 2 matches.
After last night's performance and the arrivals I see no need for a GK (Harness looked solid) or striker (Davison looked sharp and ran strongly for 90 minutes).
The choice of available left backs is very limited and you can see why nobody got signed.