Summer transfer targets/rumours, retained list etc

[The Kalamazoo Kid]

22 minutes ago, Alsager Whites said:

exeter are seriously considering starting scott brown, such is their lack of keepers. played a friendly yesterday to keep him fit in case he is given the nod next week.

She should re-record this song, replacing 'cowboys' with 'keepers'! :-

[Aguar61]

1 hour ago, Alsager Whites said:

we've done a lot of fantastic big picture stuff this summer - robbie concert, loyalty scheme, ground improvements, a 5 star resort trip, new hospitality, jazzy kit reveals. this shows the long term vision the ownership has.

however, it feels like the boring day to day details aren't quite there. we've played two friendlies, yesterday in a 3 year old kit with nathan smith as number 9. it may seem pointless but alex ferguson always preached getting the little stuff right. we have medical specialists and recruitment analysts and shadow squads and player liasons that most clubs at this level would be envious of, but a half built squad a week out with minimal prep time. we have a 9 day 5 start resort trip but can't field a forward line. the big picture is brilliant, the short term 'around the corner' is squeaky bum time.

massive week. through design or accident we're in a corner, our star man out for the forseeable and 2-3 pieces of business needing to be done in the next couple of days. processes and values and vision are excellent but cold action needs to be taken, words into action. pett conlon walker hussey won't be ready. we don't have a full bench or a forward line. i don't doubt that players will come but i am worried as to the quality.

all of the brilliant stuff i mention at the start will be ripped up if we go down. im not saying we will - but weve made the job a lot tougher. flitcroft make come out of this summer looking like a genius or someone who took gambles which backfired. league 1 is as tough as its ever been this season and whilst i'm buzzing for the rollercoaster i wish my nerves were a tad more settled. whilst we may get bargains we may be forced into players we didn't want as the over options are gone. blackman was expected last week - whats gone wrong?

the main thing keeping me hopeful is dc. a top manager who will have us organised committed and competitive. i hope he has a good enough squad.

Just looked outside and the sky's not fallen in yet... I've been mithered about it all,but que Sera sera,nowt we can do but get right behind our team this Saturday and I can't f...ING wait... we're all experiencing PMT...pre match tension!! Hurry on the weekend...utv!

[robf]

1 hour ago, Vale Ball said:

Off topic but how do you block posters whose comments you don't want to read?

The instructions are in the orange box at the bottom of every page. 

[Vale Ball]

The instructions are in the orange box at the bottom of every page. 

Thank you, just fed up of the sarcastic backhanded praise that gets handed out, I understand the " Right to an opinion "but personally I don't want to read it.

[valiant_593]

16 minutes ago, Vale Ball said:

1 hour ago, robf said:

The instructions are in the orange box at the bottom of every page. 

Thank you, just fed up of the sarcastic backhanded praise that gets handed out, I understand the " Right to an opinion "but personally I don't want to read it.

Why come on a forum then? 

[valefan16]

I could see Hladky as the keeper as Carlo Nash has been involved in the keeper recruitment he said and obviously worked with him? May then be a case of Ipswich wanting to sort a target out?

[MBE]

3 hours ago, Alsager Whites said:

is it what carol was talking about in her interview today?

“We now have a shadow squad (of under-19s) for next season. These are lads that haven’t quite been offered an academy place. So, they will have the same training, their timetables are designed so they can work in parallel."

“They will have their education and the package is very much the same as the academy players, but the academy players have a very specific contract with us.”

don't really understand what it actually is myself]

 

3 hours ago, SFBT said:

Yes, I'm a bit baffled too

Essentially the Under 19-s is made up of a small group of contracted players, I think we currently have 6 or 7 lads from memory.  The remainder of this team is made up of lads who are effectively long term trialists but get treated in exactly the same way as the contracted lads. i.e coaching, learning. They are of course are free to leave and sign for another club at any time.

It provides us much more flexibility within our set-up and stops us from signing lads longer term for the sake of it just to make up numbers. For the trialists it gives them a platform to showcase their skills to other clubs in matches and access the same coaching and development as a pro player. Its a real win win situation.

 

[MBE]

18 minutes ago, valefan16 said:

I could see Hladky as the keeper as Carlo Nash has been involved in the keeper recruitment he said and obviously worked with him? May then be a case of Ipswich wanting to sort a target out?

Good shout that.

If we had a a choice between Hladky or Blackman who would you prefer?

I would be delighted with either, a massive upgrade on Covolan.

[Iron Curtain]

5 minutes ago, MBE said:

Good shout that.

If we had a a choice between Hladky or Blackman who would you prefer?

I would be delighted with either, a massive upgrade on Covolan.

It’s a tough choice… Hladky was the best keeper in league 2 for Salford by a country mile and if I remember right, was praised for his all round game and distribution. It feels like he would allow us to play higher up the pitch like we did with Covolan but without the psycho moments. Negatives are he hasn’t really had a sustained league 1 campaign to prove he can do it (although I reckon he could)… and he would cost a fee.

Blackman however has played in the championship and fans of the teams he played for said they would have kept him albeit maybe not as first choice. But he is also younger and has a higher chance of selling him on if he performs.

My preference would probably be Hladky but I reckon the fee means Blackman is more likely. 

[philmpv]

Who are considered to be players integral to any success we may have this season? Conlon? Hall? Smith? Wilson? Not many would argue that these players are. Smith had 1 season in L1 5 years ago. Wilson, Hall and Conlon have none combined. But I've absolutely no doubt that they'll flourish, along with the likes of Cass. I don't get this insistence on being 'proven' in L1. It's ability that's the key first and foremost. Experience helps but if you don't have the ability then it means sod all. We should have learned that over the last few years!

[Iron Curtain]

1 minute ago, philmpv said:

Who are considered to be players integral to any success we may have this season? Conlon? Hall? Smith? Wilson? Not many would argue that these players are. Smith had 1 season in L1 5 years ago. Wilson, Hall and Conlon have none combined. But I've absolutely no doubt that they'll flourish, along with the likes of Cass. I don't get this insistence on being 'proven' in L1. It's ability that's the key first and foremost. Experience helps but if you don't have the ability then it means sod all. We should have learned that over the last few years!

Very good point that… there will be some players out there who are on the rise that we may be after that have never played in league 1. Your examples of Conlon and Hall are spot on… sign another Hall and I’m a happy man!

I get that DC and Flickers do want some players with some experience in the league, but that doesn’t mean it’s a be all and end all in choosing who to go after.

[Shropshire_Valiant]

Wickham is an interesting one, spent a lot of his career warming the bench and being a bit injury prone (albeit in the Premiership) and has scored goals at that level, 6 in 2 seasons for Sunderland and Palace going backing 6-8 years.

Didn't do a lot for MK Dons last season though in league one, 1 goal in 15 was he injured a bit again? 

His record is still pretty solid though 50 odd goals in around 250 appearances all told and still only 29. Do we need another player with a chequered injury record especially considering Wilson and Proctor are hardly 40 game a season blokes? 🤔

[Guitar Ray]

3 hours ago, Vale Ball said:

Off topic but how do you block posters whose comments you don't want to read?

Have you tried squinting when you see their names? 😑

[Vale Ball]

Have you tried squinting when you see their names?

I would but I'd got pins in them.

[LancyTony]

14 hours ago, philpvfc said:

• Gibbons
• Harratt
• Edmondson
• Taylor

I’d be surprised if we didn’t want to keep the above and you could add Martin to the list if we knew we hadn’t signed another defender at this point.

Harratt wanted to stay (according to his family) - but his club decided otherwise. Edmondson, I think, did himself out of a new loan, or signing for us permanent, by being too versatile last season, and playing anywhere he was needed...but not showing enough as a striker - fantastic attitude and a good contribution. Gibbo and Taylor been pretty much replaced by Cass and Ojo. We had a very good team last season, so didn't need much in the way of new additions. My head is very much NOT" in the sand" but I saw a lot of Lge1 on TV and don't think we'll be outclassed. I think the same for Exeter, too...not confident FGR will do as well as either of us.