Transfer News 2022/23 Season Incoming Transfers and a few other things

[yellowbow]

Head of Recruitment has been Mark Thomas since 2014.
Other clubs have tried poaching him numerous times, most recently his previous employer Pompey in May this year.

Ed Waldron is assistant head of recruitment having previously been an opposition/performance analyst. Seem to think he went and worked for Bordeaux for a season before coming back to us in recruitment.

There's separate youth/academy roles as well.

You've then got Eddie Denton who heads up the analysis team supported by Isaac Alder (good piece on their department in this month's issue of The Ox magazine)

Scouting is a bit hard to identify, as not specifically listed on the club website but believe a fair chunk is done on a regional basis.

A quick LinkedIn search suggests that the following people are also currently employed across the recruitment/analysis/scouting teams:
Naythan Din-Kariuki - Performance & Recruitment Analyst (been with us 2 years, seems to run own scouting venture too)
Levi Lawrence - Football Scout
James Fazackerley - North West Regional Scout
Couple others with private pages

That's just the people who are publicised/searchable.

Thanks for that captainox. We seem to be well stocked with people with good pedigree. Something doesn’t seem quite right somewhere though. Maybe communication with the owners being so remote..?

Incidentally, James Fazackerly. Any relation to Derek? His son maybe?

 

[Cotswolds Cowboy]

I mean Todd Kane has been getting a regular game in the Championship for the past four seasons (ever since he left us, in fact).

There's not going to be too many full backs about and available that have that amount of relevant recent experience.

Assuming, of course, that our medical team are comfortable that he is not a significantly greater than average injury risk post-op.

Kane's injuries have mainly been of the niggling type
But he has an unfortunate habit of falling out with the management
If we can get him it would be a good addition but I think he'd prefer to stay in the Championship
Last I heard was that Rotherham were after him
Probably on loan as he's out of favour but Coventry will try to strike a hard bargain for his wages and maybe a loan fee

 

[uptheus]

From a WBA-supporting friend: “Well thought of and looks good going forward But perhaps needs to toughen up a little.”

So Golding mk11

 

[Osleroad]

Thanks for that captainox. We seem to be well stocked with people with good pedigree. Something doesn’t seem quite right somewhere though. Maybe communication with the owners being so remote..?

Incidentally, James Fazackerly. Any relation to Derek? His son maybe?

Hardly remote with facetime/Zoom and individuals at certain games..not a pint down the pub but most managers have text/mobile exchanges after games now..

 

[captainox]

With your obvious knowledge of Club affairs, at the time of the Eddie Odhiambo appointment, one of the respected ITKs suggested another off the field appointment was about to be made - any idea what happened to him/her?
Also, could you please refresh my memory as to what happened to Sarah Gooding, who appeared to be well thought of at the time.

Sarah Gooding left at start of our first season in L1 after the promotion.
Went to West Ham iirc. No idea if still there.

 

[GeneralLee]

Sarah Gooding left at start of our first season in L1 after the promotion.
Went to West Ham iirc. No idea if still there.

She isn’t. Left a long time ago.

Very good at her job but had some *interesting* experiences…

 

[uptheus]

When’s Karl going to learn?

Edit; just to be clear my comment relates to taking a risk signing injury prone players.

Just hope Markus isn’t too bad

 

[Andy1505]

When’s Karl going to learn?

Sadly I fear never. It will be his downfall.

 

[Archieyellow]

When’s Karl going to learn?

Out by Christmas if it does not improve on the pitch

 

[Osleroad]

Out by Christmas if it does not improve on the pitch

Or before if things don't get going

 

[Leysboy]

Or before if things don't get going

The sooner the bloody better. Fed up with it!

 

[brassmonkey]

Need some loan players in sharpish to cover our injured players.

 

[Followtheox1]

Need some loan players in sharpish to cover our injured players.

The risk is, in my view, that given our bad start, if clubs at the top end of the table are after the same players then we are going to be pretty far down the pecking order.

 

[Chippy]

8 new signings:
Wildshut - crocked within 20 minutes
Murphy - crocked after about an hour
Mcginty - no idea if he’ll be any good, but barely saved a shot in the warm up tonight. If not going to play may as well have kept Eastwood and Stevens, tho suspect somethings happened behind the scenes with JS!
Findlay - Looks solid if unspectacular but he’s very good at this level. VG signing
Brown - He’s ok but squad player at best, not a real improvement on anyone
Bate - Looked crap and like a lost schoolboy tonight, hope that’s not to be repeated. Not an improvement on anyone, far too lightweight.
Jones - Assume partly crocked and unfit otherwise would have got proper game time tonight and last Sat. Didn’t even take part in some of the warm up routines that everyone else did I noticed. Potentially a crap signing even if cheap! Looks very unfit!
Joseph - Too early to tell, did ok tonight but not sure he’s someone who was initially on our radar, who know’s.

To sum up. We’ve weakened the squad, not added any pace, height or power which is what we needed and spunked a whole load of money into the bargain.

Mostly now an ageing squad full of further injury risks. I’m so disappointed with what’s happened since the end of last season!

 

[ChamonixOx]

If you were the owner, would you stick or twist in giving Robinson more cash for new players? Even as a fan, least of all as an investor, after the four league games I've seen, I'd stick, see how it goes, and if necessary, replace the manager in the Autumn and invest in January to survive and rebuild for 2023/24.

 

[Bicester Yellow]

If you were the owner, would you stick or twist in giving Robinson more cash for new players? Even as a fan, least of all as an investor, after the four league games I've seen, I'd stick, see how it goes, and if necessary, replace the manager in the Autumn and invest in January to survive and rebuild for 2023/24.

Problem is we haven’t even played a half decent team yet really and we’ve not looked like picking up points. A moment of individual brilliance from an 18yo is all we have to show. Players look lost & have no direction of what is expected of them & are scared of making errors or poor decisions. Which is why we are so slow in our build up play. Side to side or backwards numerous times over the games we have played. Imo, KR will be on borrowed time soon as our fixtures only get harder and I don’t trust him to make the right decision in the transfer market now either. He’s had enough chances & makes the same mistakes

 

[ChamonixOx]

Problem is we haven’t even played a half decent team yet really and we’ve not looked like picking up points. A moment of individual brilliance from an 18yo is all we have to show. Players look lost & have no direction of what is expected of them & are scared of making errors or poor decisions. Which is why we are so slow in our build up play. Side to side or backwards numerous times over the games we have played. Imo, KR will be on borrowed time soon as our fixtures only get harder and I don’t trust him to make the right decision in the transfer market now either. He’s had enough chances & makes the same mistakes

That is the biggest worry; pre-season, we were talking about getting close to maximum points from our first eight games as it was seen as an easy start. Halfway through the eight, rather than 100%, we are at 25%, and the three points we have taken, we didn't deserve.

 

[Pieman]

If you were the owner, would you stick or twist in giving Robinson more cash for new players? Even as a fan, least of all as an investor, after the four league games I've seen, I'd stick, see how it goes, and if necessary, replace the manager in the Autumn and invest in January to survive and rebuild for 2023/24.

If I was the investor, I would have got rid at the end of last season when it was clear we would not make playoffs and given someone new the supposedly large budget Robinson has to spend building his own team

 

[OxfordBoy]

If the owners were cutting the budget etc until stadium is decided I’d be ok with Robbo staying, but keeping Brannagan on huge wages and losing the fee we’d have got, And then apparently putting in some sizable bits for players just seems like an absolute waste of money because I just don’t see how Robinson can be trusted with this money, I’m not really sure at the moment he can be trusted with anything

 

[Deleted member 1249]

Thanks for that captainox. We seem to be well stocked with people with good pedigree. Something doesn’t seem quite right somewhere though. Maybe communication with the owners being so remote..?

Incidentally, James Fazackerly. Any relation to Derek? His son maybe?

Recruitment team are only as good as the person who listens to them!

Yes, James is Faz’ son.