General Jan transfer window

[Hackney Jack]

Well said Jonny G. Most people posting are bed wetters on this forum that’s for sure. Apart from a few good posters including scotch egg there’s not a lot of perspective. We’re Oxford United not inter Milan. Our gates are well below 10k. We are a small club that has to sell to survive. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

I think some of us are ok getting shat on, others aren't...

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Be interesting to eventually see the accounts for this tumultuous season. (Not that we’ll see them for another 18 months.) Surely the club will generate a decent profit after all these cup successes , all these broadcast fees and three very significant transfers out.

Baptiste/Fosu sale timing is bad of course - (when is it ever not ?) but you have to say that the big picture view is Robinson and his management team have done a splendid job for our club.

Some of the posters on this thread appear to have little perspective.

 

[Essexyellows]

Just show`s the mercenary nature of the game.
Fosu is one of those players who makes crowds buzz when he gets the ball. Obviously had a good agent writing in the £750k buy out clause.
Maybe whoever it is at the club that reads & signs these contracts needs some training?
Baptiste will be a genuine propspect, lets hope we have set a good chunk of a sell on clause, could be a massive windfall in 2 years or so.

End of the day we are in the mix with all the other lower league clubs finding and developing talent and making a few quid on them.
The next one will be along shortly and if we make it into the promotion mix "on the cheap" thats a bonus.

Think some folk around these parts need to remember we are not a "big" club, ambitious maybe but that has to be measured and if 50% of our debt has just been wiped out its happy days.

 

[yellowbow]

I think some of us are ok getting shat on, others aren't...

Agree. And talk of ‘Its time to show that we’re a big club’ starts to sound a little hollow this morning..

 

[Essexyellows]

PS: In the light of "openness & transparency" the fee`s will be "undisclosed". ? ?

 

[Osei Yaw]

Baptiste and Fosu have both been great for us this season and I would've liked them to stay. But if Fosu has a release clause and Baptiste has had his head turned then that's that. Hopefully we can get some good money with add ons for Baptiste and all we can do as fans is trust the board do that.

In terms of the team, the midfield 3 is still well covered.

Gorrin, Brannagan and Henry is a class midfield and they have shown that for much of this season. I am a big fan of Baptiste but if he's gone we still have players who have cut it in the Championship in Thorne and Kelly who have barely/not played at all. Sykes is also showing promise and even the maligned Hanson has shown what he can do effectively in the Gorrin role.

For Fosu's position, there is still Browne, Holland, Agyei, with Forde and Woodburn to come back. And Henry and Sykes can both perform out there if needed.

The main problem that I see is cover/competition for the full backs and another centre forward to rely on, which is the same issue from the start of the window and Fosu and Baptiste staying or going makes no difference there.

Even if we don't get anyone else in, we'll still have a talented squad of players who will try and play the game in the right way, who deserve all our support.

Yellows yellows yellows etc.

 

[holdsteady]

Been thinking on it, in my opinion on the transfer out side the club hasn’t done much wrong. Fosu the mistake was made in putting such a low buy out clause in the summer on him, nothing could be done about it now. Baptiste we have cashed in on a player with previous injury problems, might be a bit low but we can’t afford to miss out completely on a lad who hasn’t played much despite having obvious talent. Also we have sold in positions where we have the most depth.

It’s on the transfer in side where we have messed up (so far), left ourselves little time to strengthen in the areas we need to (up front and full back competition) and you worry about us making a panic signing now.

The loan lads we have signed are decent players but won’t be here for next season, add in Dickie, Brannigan likely going in the summer for fees and Eastwood, Mackie being off and we are looking at a massive overhaul again over the summer transfer window. I suppose that’s modern football, you never get long with players, everyone is just passing through. At least it means the transfer threads on here are worth a read though.

 

[manor]

We have sold our best players in the past yet we still keep progressing, which is a perfect model. Yes there is doom and gloom at the time but we move on.

 

[holdsteady]

Just show`s the mercenary nature of the game.
Fosu is one of those players who makes crowds buzz when he gets the ball. Obviously had a good agent writing in the £750k buy out clause.
Maybe whoever it is at the club that reads & signs these contracts needs some training?
Baptiste will be a genuine propspect, lets hope we have set a good chunk of a sell on clause, could be a massive windfall in 2 years or so.

End of the day we are in the mix with all the other lower league clubs finding and developing talent and making a few quid on them.
The next one will be along shortly and if we make it into the promotion mix "on the cheap" thats a bonus.

Think some folk around these parts need to remember we are not a "big" club, ambitious maybe but that has to be measured and if 50% of our debt has just been wiped out its happy days.

£750 grand is a low release clause, at least put it at a million. I suppose it’s a new thing for us and I doubt we will do that again, hopefully we have learnt a lesson from this.

 

[Mellowyellow]

So the player that Robinson said turned us down? Old news then..

Believe none of it!
More spin to make them look like they are trying to spend money.

Talk is cheap tiger.

 

[Mellowyellow]

As things stand it doesn't look like anyone is coming in tomorrow. If that turns out to be the case, what do we do? From what I see there’s only one option. No matter what people feel about how the club is being run, that has to be put to one side and Karl and the boys need everyone’s full support. I do really admire Karl turning up at RO tonight to face the music and I think that’s got a little bit lost with everything going on. He said that it was only fair that he took the questions on the playing side instead of NM. We all know that really isnt true and, as a representative of the owners, NM really should have faced the music instead - it’s obvious to all that Robinson isnt happy with with what has happened but is realistic with the current situation - but thats where we are at and we have to all now accept it and move on. At least we know we’ve, at least, got a manager who faces up to his responsibilities and doesn't hide. He, and the players, deserve and need our support now more than ever. Maybe the result of all this will be a bunker mentality and that will see the important people in all this - squad, staff and supporters - unite and gain strength.

Are we safe from relegation yet?

 

[Berliner]

Whilst we're arguing the toss over the merits of 2.25 million vs 3 million vs 4 million plus add-ons, it's worth mentioning that the Bruno Fernandez transfer to Man U included a 4.6 million quid fee for "intermediation services".

Just shows how f*cked the game is.

 

[Shosho]

Maybe Fosu wouldn’t have signed without the release? We have probably more than doubled our investment in him in 6 months...we move on

Let’s hope we get some deals done today. The though of Taylor having to play twice a week for a month...plus the rest is not a great one. The Mackie haters gonna get all angry

 

[yellowbow]

Be interesting to eventually see the accounts for this tumultuous season. (Not that we’ll see them for another 18 months.) Surely the club will generate a decent profit after all these cup successes , all these broadcast fees and three very significant transfers out.

Baptiste/Fosu sale timing is bad of course - (when is it ever not ?) but you have to say that the big picture view is Robinson and his management team have done a splendid job for our club.

Some of the posters on this thread appear to have little perspective.

I’m listening to what you and other people are saying about the need for supporters to get real and accept that we are a small club that loses money, and cant really argue against it, but what is the long term vision then? Accept that we are a little club who’s only role in life is to nurture and sell talent to bigger, more ambitious clubs higher up the food chain? If that is the case maybe people at the club should stop talking up the promotion to the championship dream, its starting to sound a bit disingenuous. If we are to settle for being a club who goes no higher than the likes of the Crewes, Colchesters and Southends of this world then the club need to start managing expectations a little better.

Yes weve progressed in the past despite selling talent but that is based on selling one prized asset for around £2-3 M and bringing in a couple of hiden gems for around £750k - a fantastic business model. Now though weve sold 3 key players this season for apparently something north of £7m, on top of lucrative cup runs this season. Unless we sign a couple of good young players, found by our talented recruitment dept, today then, to me, it appears that the stategy is taking an ominous downturn

 

[gingerox]

What's our current record for money received for a player? Both Roofe and Johnson were around £3mil weren't they

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Are we safe from relegation yet?

Plastic sheets is what you need

 

[Oxford57]

Fosu seems a bit of a nomad,having a release clause in your contact at this level strikes me as lacking a commitment to your club , not sure how much of a impact he will make at Brentford ,as regards Shandon that’s what happens in football, I have no idea if the fee is low or about right.two things that I have heard on the tv that has really made me feel how much football is out of touch of reality,Liverpool youngsters are supposed to have a wage cap of £40000pa, the comment was made by someone else that other clubs pay their kids that a month. And Ivan Toney can go for 12 million.

 

[oxfordfan1]

Just show`s the mercenary nature of the game.
Fosu is one of those players who makes crowds buzz when he gets the ball. Obviously had a good agent writing in the £750k buy out clause.
Maybe whoever it is at the club that reads & signs these contracts needs some training?
Baptiste will be a genuine propspect, lets hope we have set a good chunk of a sell on clause, could be a massive windfall in 2 years or so.

End of the day we are in the mix with all the other lower league clubs finding and developing talent and making a few quid on them.
The next one will be along shortly and if we make it into the promotion mix "on the cheap" thats a bonus.

Think some folk around these parts need to remember we are not a "big" club, ambitious maybe but that has to be measured and if 50% of our debt has just been wiped out its happy days.

what debts?
interesting to know more as we've sold players we've taken on free transfers and paid peanuts for millions way over 10-15 million in recent years easily plus cup runs income.......

 

[Gary Baldi]

A lot of us thought that Fosu could with a rest and it seems he'll get that at Brentford, but I can only reiterate - we are a destination for young players because we develop them and let them go for the right price. It seems contradictory when we are in a promotion push, but that is why you invest in the scouting department to keep it churning players through the club. If we tell players our principles, we need to live them.

It's sad to see talented players go, but that is a reality, regardless of if you set up as club like OUFC or not.

 

[oldabingdonian]

If I remember, Fosu's transfer in took a long time to complete. We have no way of knowing of course, but those saying that the club should have increased the amount in the release clause should recognise that this is just the sort of thing which would have been part of those negotiations. I suspect it was 750 k or no deal.