Chris Cadden

[werthersoriginal]

They are bigger richer clubs, it’s no surprise. Cadden will presumably go to Sunderland, only reason not to is to get more chance of regular games

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

What the hell is going on at Oxford United. We cannot get the 6/7 needed over the line.

Because we are after some very good players that other , bigger , able to pay higher wages clubs also would like to sign ....its quite straightforward and how football is now that players hold out for the best deal. We are not a rich or big club so its not easy .

 

[MiddleBartonYellow]

This happens every summer followed by the same negative posts.
5 weeks to go yet boys. Keep the faith.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

This happens every summer followed by the same negative posts.

It does. The problem is that last year's summer recruitment was pretty poor (that may be an understatement), which is why only having signed one first team player by virtually the end of June is raising concerns. Of course, any new signings have now missed the initial fitness work and (more importantly perhaps) the initial session out in Portugal.
Nevertheless, I stick by my personal 'worry deadline' that we need to have a proper squad in place by the Rangers game.

 

[Shaun Rice]

This happens every summer followed by the same negative posts.
5 weeks to go yet boys. Keep the faith.

It’s not negative to be concerned? Regards Cadden posters have a right to be concerned and perhaps even negative about this signing going ahead. We agreed a fee with Motherwell last week so it’s obvious something isn’t right. If all was well then he’d be in the door.
I would say that the longer times goes on the less chance there is of coming to us.

 

[The mighty Aldo]

The Rangers game is only seven days away let's hope we get 3/4 players in by then

 

[MiddleBartonYellow]

It’s not negative to be concerned? Regards Cadden posters have a right to be concerned and perhaps even negative about this signing going ahead. We agreed a fee with Motherwell last week so it’s obvious something isn’t right. If all was well then he’d be in the door.
I would say that the longer times goes on the less chance there is of coming to us.

I think that ship has already sailed hasn’t it. He was obviously holding out for a bigger move and now Sunderland are involved that will be the end of that.

 

[oldabingdonian]

Ironically, is trying to do your business early counterproductive? Oxford agree a compensation fee with Motherwell, and make Cadden a (time limited) offer. Cadden's agent knows therefore what Motherwell require, and what Oxford have offered. Then through the press the agent alerts other clubs to the fact that he is available should another club make a better offer to the player and meet Motherwell's expectations. As several people have said, a medium-sized club cannot prevent this kind of trickery. However, we could play the same trick with a player destined for Wycombe, for example.

 

[radicalox]

It’s not negative to be concerned? Regards Cadden posters have a right to be concerned and perhaps even negative about this signing going ahead. We agreed a fee with Motherwell last week so it’s obvious something isn’t right. If all was well then he’d be in the door.
I would say that the longer times goes on the less chance there is of coming to us.

I agree it is justified to be worried the cadden deal may not go through.
For me it is the negative hyperbole that can stem from when not everything goes as planned. For example with cadden:

A reasonable concern:"b****r, looks like the player is messing us around and/or we may get gazumped by a club with much more resources"

Over the top response: "cadden isn't signing because tiger has no money, the players arnt being paid, the board are evil property tycoons hell bent to exploit oxford United for their own devious gain, last year's recruitment was the worst for any club in the history of time and will definitely be repeated, Gobbo reference."

 

[Didcot Yellow]

I agree it is justified to be worried the cadden deal may not go through.
For me it is the negative hyperbole that can stem from when not everything goes as planned. For example with cadden:

A reasonable concern:"b****r, looks like the player is messing us around and/or we may get gazumped by a club with much more resources"

Over the top response: "cadden isn't signing because tiger has no money, the players arnt being paid, the board are evil property tycoons hell bent to exploit oxford United for their own devious gain, last year's recruitment was the worst for any club in the history of time and will definitely be repeated, Gobbo reference."

Can you not see how some fans may have seen that players had apparently not been paid (at this point I THINK its not true but for a time it seemed plausible, it came from a person who has been correct on things in the past), and that deals such as Fosu and Cadden haven't been announced, and may have put 2 and 2 together, even if they got 5 and are wrong, id hardly call that an 'over the top response'.

You cant really infer Tigers motives from the lack of signings, but it is puzzling that we have a board of billionaires who arent really clear how they will each be involved.

In terms of recruitment, although Id say that we are looking at better players than this time last year. We still only have actually brought one person in, and the first friendly is next weekend. Although we have been closely linked to 2 players, one of which has supposedly already signed (although neither have been announced), we still need more players, a striker, a CB, and Id say another striker and/or LB cover or first team quality, considering we still need more people, and we are a week away from the first friendly, id hardly say we have gotten business done early. Although yes there still is plenty of time left, one of the problems of last year was we brought in players too late, so they didn't get a proper pre-season together and didnt gel till later in the season, which cost us, and the way things are going I worry there will be a repeat of this next season, although Id say its harsh to say that recruitment was very poor last year, mistakes were made and people have criticised it, and isn't it fair enough to say, at this point in time, a repeat of not signing people early enough like last season is a fair point and not a 'over the top response'

Id hardly say SOME of the concerns you mention in your 'over the top response' are over the top and hyperbole, just because some people are more critical and sceptical than you are, its wrong to paint them as over the top

 

[IsleofWightYellow]

We’ve done this before to clubs, it happens, if Sunderland come in, closer to where he wants to be based and maybe paying a bit more, he sees them as a bigger club (doesn’t realise what a sleeping giant we are) it’s not necessarily the fault of the management/board.

 

[Deleted member 462]

We’ve done this before to clubs, it happens, if Sunderland come in, closer to where he wants to be based and maybe paying a bit more, he sees them as a bigger club (doesn’t realise what a sleeping giant we are) it’s not necessarily the fault of the management/board.

Its exactly how we ended up with whyte. We signed him as he was on route to signing else where.

 

[Shosho]

Its exactly how we ended up with whyte. We signed him as he was on route to signing else where.

*sykes

 

[dickwalton1964]

The Rangers game is only seven days away let's hope we get 3/4 players in by then

Does it really matter ? I don’t think anyone will be overly concerned about the line up in the first pre season friendly. If it was the last one then I’d want it best part sorted.

 

[Mellowyellow]

Does it really matter ? I don’t think anyone will be overly concerned about the line up in the first pre season friendly. If it was the last one then I’d want it best part sorted.

Surely it matters from the point of being able to put a genuine first 11 out and a bench of 7 subs. If we're talking about genuine first team squad players then at most we have 14.
Back in early May the club were talking about having identified targets. One would have hoped that more than one player for each position that needed filling had been identified by the recruitment team.

 

[battman]

Does it really matter ? I don’t think anyone will be overly concerned about the line up in the first pre season friendly. If it was the last one then I’d want it best part sorted.

But that's the problem we had last season. We set up, prepared and did everything we needed to do in pre-season, then only a couple of weeks before the start of the season we brought in Mackie, Browne and Smith; and then after the season had started we added Hanson and Holmes to that mix. And how many of them really hit the ground running? Players need a full preseason under their belt and that really starts with if not the first fixture, then the first two-three.

 

[Followtheox1]

We’ve done this before to clubs, it happens, if Sunderland come in, closer to where he wants to be based and maybe paying a bit more, he sees them as a bigger club (doesn’t realise what a sleeping giant we are) it’s not necessarily the fault of the management/board.

I take it the sleeping giant bit is tounge in cheek?

 

[dickwalton1964]

Surely it matters from the point of being able to put a genuine first 11 out and a bench of 7 subs. If we're talking about genuine first team squad players then at most we have 14.
Back in early May the club were talking about having identified targets. One would have hoped that more than one player for each position that needed filling had been identified by the recruitment team.

Not really. We aren’t even in July yet and there will be a flurry of transfer activity as always. If we have to put five kids in and have a depleted bench for our first pre season game five weeks before the start of the season then I see absolutely no problem with this.

 

[Scotchegg]

Surely it matters from the point of being able to put a genuine first 11 out and a bench of 7 subs. If we're talking about genuine first team squad players then at most we have 14.
Back in early May the club were talking about having identified targets. One would have hoped that more than one player for each position that needed filling had been identified by the recruitment team.

Eastwood
Long
Dickie
Jones
Ruffels
Hall
Brannagan
Rodriguez
Sykes
Whyte
Mackie

Subs

Stevens
Henry
Mous
Hanson
Napa
Spasov
Lopez


Short of what we want to start the season with, but hardly threadbare either.

 

[yellowbow]

But that's the problem we had last season. We set up, prepared and did everything we needed to do in pre-season, then only a couple of weeks before the start of the season we brought in Mackie, Browne and Smith; and then after the season had started we added Hanson and Holmes to that mix. And how many of them really hit the ground running? Players need a full preseason under their belt and that really starts with if not the first fixture, then the first two-three.

This is the crux of it. Robinson made it clear that the late signing of players last summer was a major reason for the poor start and therefore he was going to do things differently this summer. It’s now becoming clear that’s not going to happen. People pointing this out aren’t necessarily ‘squawkers’ - a term used on here - or knocking the club for the sake of it, people aren’t necessarily pointing a finger or accusing anyone, but it is a fact that can’t be ignored.