Transfer Window 26/27 Summer Embargo Window

[Carpy]

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[holdsteady]

Stop kidding ourselves and let’s be perfectly honest we had Lady Luck on our side to get promoted under Des . I pull no punches we were just not good enough for the Championship, in fact we were lucky not to be relegated after the first season but we did it by the skin of our Teeth with G W !
I don’t wish to offend anyone but take a step back and think about it , I would love the club to be successful as every supporter would but the Heart must not rule the Head ! I will probably get slaughtered for this post so before you do just think of what’s happened over the last 3 seasons from promotion to relegation.

We were good enough to get promoted then stayed up the following season, that is over 95 games, no one is that lucky.

 

[Brahma]

How long have we signed J Thomas for? Are we onto the next one now? Hopefully some coaching news shortly.

 

[Digby]

We were good enough to get promoted then stayed up the following season, that is over 95 games, no one is that lucky.

I repeat my post , stayed up by the skin of our Teeth, otherwise it would of been a one championship season then back down again.

 

[m]

I repeat my post , stayed up by the skin of our Teeth, otherwise it would of been a one championship season then back down again.

We finished 17th. That's not skin of the teeth.

It wasn't a one championship season, no matter how many times you repeat it.

Last season was a disaster - don't excuse it.

 

[Eaststanding]

It’s an opinion like lots of things on this forum.

Mark Harris could score 20 this season or he might replicate his form from last season and Wales.

Our squad could do a Cardiff. A Luton. A Rotherham.

Dusan could turn out to be the man who transforms our fortunes, or he could be an Asian football agent parachuted in to further that mission.

Aaron Ramsey could be the next Tuchel, or he could be the next David Kemp.

We literally have no idea, you can base it on evidence and track record, but it’s largely opinion.

There you go poppet, you can post something balanced and reasonable. I might even stop ignoring you now.

 

[Orkney Islands Yellow]

It’s an opinion like lots of things on this forum.

Mark Harris could score 20 this season or he might replicate his form from last season and Wales.

Our squad could do a Cardiff. A Luton. A Rotherham.

Dusan could turn out to be the man who transforms our fortunes, or he could be an Asian football agent parachuted in to further that mission.

Aaron Ramsey could be the next Tuchel, or he could be the next David Kemp.

We literally have no idea, you can base it on evidence and track record, but it’s largely opinion.

Interesting season ahead, can't wait to get started! ️

 

[Foley]

I repeat my post , stayed up by the skin of our Teeth, otherwise it would of been a one championship season then back down again.

We stayed up. You finish where you deserve to finish. We deserved to stay up ( beating Sheff U, Sunderland).

 

[werthersoriginal]

You're right about being lucky to get promoted. Murphy was basically a cheat code added to a good League One side.

You're also right that we were fortunate to stay up. It was so so close.

But, if (and it's still a huge if) we keep all the players we came down with then squad we have now is better than the one that got promoted (barring the Murphy aspect).

The challenge with League One is that so many teams are there or there abouts the same level. It's super competitive.

But....it's not that good a level and so if you can add some quality (see Murphy) then you can rise to the top. That's why there's a clamour to keep the likes of Mills and BDK. Without them we are just another League One side again.

The moral from our promotion is that it’s more important to hang on to an outstanding player (such as Murphy) if you have one than to make signings

 

[Mad Dog]

The Championship is a far more physically demanding league, and our own Managers and staff have set out the evidence for us.

League One is s**t.

Luton sold all their players when they got relegated so the comparison to our current team is absolute nonsense.

If you want to argue that we will sell all our players, replace them with average L1 players, and that will make us an average L1 side then that is correct but it’s also blindingly obvious and it hasn’t happened yet.

I never compared us to Luton!

But it’s inevitable that we will lose some of our best players, even if only one or two, so we will need to bring in quality additions, regardless of how good people think league one will or won’t be.

 

[RBNO]

first we need to see if Ramsey can get a tune out of our team....a few unknowns before we saying #pisstheleague

 

[carefreeoufc]

According to ChatGPT (who knows if it's correct) the average number of signings per promoted club from League 1 - Championship in their first season is 14. That doesn't suggest to me that L1 is full of Championship-quality players, just waiting to get promoted.

Additionally, over the same time period, clubs that have been relegated from the Championship but have retained 6-10 of their Championship starters have often been promoted back to the Championship, or have made the play-offs.

We don't require an overhaul; we have a back five who played under huge pressure and conceded fewer goals than a significant number of mid-table Championship teams. We need a handful of quality, creative and clinical players to start creating and converting chances. We also need to go into L1 and be aggressive from the off.

I'm far from happy with our recruitment team. I'm not happy we've signed one back-up CB, but I think our priority should be retaining the decent players we have, offloading the dross and bringing in a small number of proven players.

 

[Mad Dog]

I agree we should be in a good state to challenge but there will be competitive teams in there

Exactly. Competitive teams, who will have added quality during the summer.

We will need to do the same, what we currently have gives us a strong platform to build on, but we will need to add some fresh quality to the squad, if we want to be serious contenders for promotion.

It really is that simple, but I think some people just like to argue.

If we kept what we have, but brought no new players to really push the first 11, the same people arguing that we currently have enough to be nailed on promotion contenders, would be quick to complain, when we get a couple of injuries, and the lack of depth in quality is exposed.

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

What’s changed since we were last here? Our squad and the amount of money we spent on it. Players like McDonnell have proven themselves to be class acts in this league and they can’t get in our starting XI.

It's mad.

People seem to have forgotten that regulars for us that season included a number who are now plying their trade well below this level or are effectively semi-retired (Moore, McGuane, Negru, McEachran, Stevens, Bodin).

Are we not in a better place now with Helik, McDonnell, Kent, BDK, Spencer and Emakhu respectively?

Not to mention that the likes of Mills, Cumming, Brown, Brannagan and Goodrham should all be better for their experiences over the last two seasons.

We have a far better squad now than we did three seasons ago, and a better squad than most clubs who get relegated from The Championship (often with a lower points tally than us) and who still comfortably make the Top 6 upon relegation.

People are being deliberately churlish.

 

[Mad Dog]

What is the 'rough and tumble' of League 1 and are you suggesting it's more demanding than The Championship?

Nope, never said that, but league one will still be a physically demanding and tough league to get out of, which we know all too well.

I’m shocked at how many think we’re gonna coast through league one, simply because we spent a couple of seasons in the bottom third of the championship.

As I keep saying, we have a good league one squad, but we will need to add quality to it, as if we stand still, we will still be preparing for another season in league one this time next year.

The arrogance of some of our fans is astounding, and is exactly what we don’t need, we need to show league one the respect it deserves, as we know there will be plenty of sides just as capable as us of getting promoted, but only three will manage it.

If we want to be one of those three, we can’t be as complacent as some on here appear to be.

 

[Jaboysmith]

Was there an element of luck to our promotion? Yes, as there is with every playoff winning team. However, let’s not forget that without Murphy at the start of the season, under Manning, the same squad, was 2nd.

We only needed Murphy at the end because it took Des so long to settle into English football. We had 4 pretty horrendous months in the middle because of it.

 

[m]

It's mad.

People seem to have forgotten that regulars for us that season included a number who are now plying their trade well below this level or are effectively semi-retired (Moore, McGuane, Negru, McEachran, Stevens, Bodin).

Are we not in a better place now with Helik, McDonnell, Kent, BDK, Spencer and Emakhu respectively?

Not to mention that the likes of Mills, Cumming, Brown, Brannagan and Goodrham should all be better for their experiences over the last two seasons.

We have a far better squad now than we did three seasons ago, and a better squad than most clubs who get relegated from The Championship (often with a lower points tally than us) and who still comfortably make the Top 6 upon relegation.

People are being deliberately churlish.

I think I broadly agree with your point.

I'm not sure people are being churlish, more finding it difficult to rationalise last season's meek relegation in light of an apparently improved squad.

 

[WE Yellow]

It's mad.

People seem to have forgotten that regulars for us that season included a number who are now plying their trade well below this level or are effectively semi-retired (Moore, McGuane, Negru, McEachran, Stevens, Bodin).

Are we not in a better place now with Helik, McDonnell, Kent, BDK, Spencer and Emakhu respectively?

Not to mention that the likes of Mills, Cumming, Brown, Brannagan and Goodrham should all be better for their experiences over the last two seasons.

We have a far better squad now than we did three seasons ago, and a better squad than most clubs who get relegated from The Championship (often with a lower points tally than us) and who still comfortably make the Top 6 upon relegation.

People are being deliberately churlish.

Personnel wise it's definitely stronger, but so is L1 in general. We got relegated among Leicester (who will, you imagine, be looking to p**s the league at a canter) and Sheffield Wednesday who have strengthened and will continue to strengthen very well. Bannan, Louie Barry + Slattery already in or expected to come in. Luton and Plymouth have already strengthened from good ends to their seasons, Reading will be striving to improve, MK will come and shake up teams.

This squad also hasn't had a consistent attacking approach in anger for the best part of 2 seasons, and the task to change our fortunes is on the shoulders of a novice manager. Our threatening players will be marked men, Mills will be doubled up on, we'll have less space in general in the final third.

Do we have the players to progress the ball from the back to midfield on a consistent basis? Not sure. Do we have the players to sit back and defend a lead to great effect? Absolutely, but it matters for nothing if you cannot score yourselves.

Still 3 or 4 high quality players needed in the attacking areas with 1 or 2 more 'modern' types needed in defence and defensive midfield.

I don't think it's being churlish, I believe it comes from a lack of belief that a side so impotent attacking wise for 2 seasons will now become some free scoring, high pressing and dominant L1 side just because our players on paper are better than most sides. There's also a lack of belief in the recruitment staff given how disappointing our transfer windows were in the Championship and how many glaring gaps in our squad we had been left with.

 

[Finlandia]

We have a good squad and I think we only need a few more in. My worry is if we keep this team together and they start really well, January could end up being a pain. We don’t want to ship out Mills, etc and then have to replace two/three players in the January window.

 

[holdsteady]

Isn’t the big problem with bringing players in that we just don’t have the space until someone goes out? We will struggle to be under what wage cap is called if we don’t move players on, but the only players that would be easy to move on are the ones we want to keep?

I doubt we are bringing in comparable quality to the likes of Mills, Spencer, Currie and BDK, so moving them on will leave us weaker. The players we want out will probably only go on loan and not bring in much wriggle room to replace them.

Squad size numbers and wage caps have changed the game, not every summer can see huge numbers in and out.

New signings might seem exciting but this summer the real plus might be keeping the talent we have.

 

[Digby]

We finished 17th. That's not skin of the teeth.

It wasn't a one championship season, no matter how many times you repeat it.

Last season was a disaster - don't excuse it.

We were never championship status when Des got us promoted and a 17th finish under G R was a false position which proved right and subsequently relegated last season! We have much the same squad as last season apart from one or two and of course Tyler now back .
I don’t rule out loan players coming in to strengthen the squad in which case we have a great chance of a top six finish!

 

[Vancouver Yellow]

Personnel wise it's definitely stronger, but so is L1 in general. We got relegated among Leicester (who will, you imagine, be looking to p**s the league at a canter) and Sheffield Wednesday who have strengthened and will continue to strengthen very well. Bannan, Louie Barry + Slattery already in or expected to come in. Luton and Plymouth have already strengthened from good ends to their seasons, Reading will be striving to improve, MK will come and shake up teams.

This squad also hasn't had a consistent attacking approach in anger for the best part of 2 seasons, and the task to change our fortunes is on the shoulders of a novice manager. Our threatening players will be marked men, Mills will be doubled up on, we'll have less space in general in the final third.

Do we have the players to progress the ball from the back to midfield on a consistent basis? Not sure. Do we have the players to sit back and defend a lead to great effect? Absolutely, but it matters for nothing if you cannot score yourselves.

Still 3 or 4 high quality players needed in the attacking areas with 1 or 2 more 'modern' types needed in defence and defensive midfield.

I don't think it's being churlish, I believe it comes from a lack of belief that a side so impotent attacking wise for 2 seasons will now become some free scoring, high pressing and dominant L1 side just because our players on paper are better than most sides. There's also a lack of belief in the recruitment staff given how disappointing our transfer windows were in the Championship and how many glaring gaps in our squad we had been left with.

Totally agree re: the attacking side of the squad.

 

[Topper Haines]

We were never championship status when Des got us promoted and a 17th finish under G R was a false position which proved right and subsequently relegated last season! We have much the same squad as last season apart from one or two and of course Tyler now back .
I don’t rule out loan players coming in to strengthen the squad in which case we have a great chance of a top six finish!

How could 17th have been a false position when that was where we finished?! Nobody would have used that as a barometer for the following season when the league make up was stronger, surely?

 

[BicesterU]

We were never championship status when Des got us promoted and a 17th finish under G R was a false position which proved right and subsequently relegated last season! We have much the same squad as last season apart from one or two and of course Tyler now back .
I don’t rule out loan players coming in to strengthen the squad in which case we have a great chance of a top six finish!

A false position after 46 league games, every side playing every other side home and away? Sure, Jan.

Let's not bother with league tables this year, just let @Digby decide all the promotions and relegations in the EFL based on vibes.

 

[Big mac]

Totally agree re: the attacking side of the squad.

Totally agree at the moment I’m not to sure where are goals are coming from?

 

[Left Wing Cross]

Totally agree at the moment I’m not to sure where are goals are coming from?

At the start of last season, the bulk of our loan players were signed as attackers. I wouldn't be surprised to see the same this season.

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

I don't think it's being churlish, I believe it comes from a lack of belief that a side so impotent attacking wise for 2 seasons will now become some free scoring, high pressing and dominant L1 side just because our players on paper are better than most sides.

I do get your concern re: mentality - but, crucially, I don't believe that mindset came from the players. It came from successive negative managers.

I don't think Stan Mills will go forward tentatively (he didn't in The Championship), I don't see Tyler passing backwards, I can't imagine Brannagan not looking to release wingers, drive forward or shoot on sight from 25 yards.

We have a few naturally negative footballers - Vaulks being the obvious - but I wouldn't expect them to get much game time.

Put simply, I don't think the last 18 months has stunted the development of these players or in any way changed their desire to play football.

In fact, rather than it being a bunch of rabbits in headlights unable to play with any attacking energy, I'd imagine some previously frustrated players enjoying being allowed to take the handbrake off.

 

[Grumpy Git]

I agree with this. Anyone who thinks the bottom 5 or 6 teams in the Championship are automatically better than the top 5 or 6 teams in League One is heading for a rude awakening. You also have to turn a squad around that has been used to losing, passive, back foot football and (presumably and hopefully) turn them into a fluid attacking side - even though last season's best striker is no longer there, and we looked seriously unfit at times. Not an easy job for anyone, let alone an inexperienced first time manager.

I would hope that Aaron will bring with him a depth of knowledge from having been a player at the top of English football. I would hope the players become fitter, faster and hungrier under him. Hopefully his professionalism will be lapped up and taken on board. He’s here at the start of his managerial career, so he’ll be keen to make an impression and the squad will need to be behind him every step of the way.

 

[Foley]

We were never championship status when Des got us promoted and a 17th finish under G R was a false position which proved right and subsequently relegated last season! We have much the same squad as last season apart from one or two and of course Tyler now back .
I don’t rule out loan players coming in to strengthen the squad in which case we have a great chance of a top six finish!

The general view from everybody in football is that after playing all teams home and away in 46 games you finish where you deserve to finish.
To suggest that 17th was a false position is one of the most ridiculous comments I have read on here

 

[battman]

It does feel like there are a few people here who, gladly, aren’t used to seeing us getting relegated. They can’t seem to be able to square the circle that in the division below, some of the players who played in games we lost last season would be able to win matches this season.

Confidence in football can go a long way, and I think some will be surprised at how quickly a good run of games in League One can transform players who looked middling or low in confidence in the Championship.

Cumming, Long, Brown, Leigh, Brannagan and Harris all played a big part in us getting promoted. Goodrham will feel like a new signing. Spencer, Currie, De Keersmaeker and Mills should all be playing Championship football. McDonnell was a standout League One player too. Emakhu showed flashes last season, and should be more consistent against worse defences.

And let’s look at it on the flipside. Donley bossed it with Leyton Orient but wasn’t able to make the step up with Stoke or us. Rodrigues has been promoted twice to the Championship and he showed glimpses but never was fluent in the second division.

We can’t expect to roll teams over, but let’s not talk ourselves down either like we don’t have a cat in hell’s chance.

 

[Didcotox]

I repeat my post , stayed up by the skin of our Teeth, otherwise it would of been a one championship season then back down again.

Skin of our teeth??? A ridiculous claim.
We finished in 17th, 4 points above the relegation zone!