Transfer News January 2023 Transfer window thread

[werthersoriginal]

Apart from in injury time when he was required to defend

He lost his man for the equaliser didn’t he? I’d still have him in our squad though

 

[Bicester Yellow]

Still so obvious it practically knocks me out each morning. Just so, so stubborn.

I genuinely believe in the shape we played vs Ipswich we would sail the 15 points we need. We’d get more draws and get the odd win just for the balance in brings us.

In the 433 we it’s going to be a hobble to the finish line at best. We’re simply not good enough to play it and every team has an answer to it.

Best we played last season as in a 5-3-2/3-5-2. Literally that game at Charlton we absolutely battered them. Few other games spring to mind. Problem is, Robbo loves 4-3-3 and it doesn’t work & hasn’t worked for 18 months. Teams know how to stop us.. to play 4-3-3 you need pacey wingers to break into the box and support the striker or supply him. We haven’t got the players to do that. Wildschut is paceless,Murphy doesn’t have much pace either.

 

[Bicester Yellow]

18 games left of this pitiful season. 18 games where we need 15 points to achieve the 50 that should achieve safety. Current PPG would indicate that we should manage however, look at who we will be playing and it looks a lot less secure. @RyanioBirdio is correct. It looks terrifying.

I thought that. Our run in is pretty horrific. We don’t pick up 10 points in the next 8 games we could be in trouble. Games disappear and get away from you quickly in football.

 

[Manorlounger]

I thought that. Our run in is pretty horrific. We don’t pick up 10 points in the next 8 games we could be in trouble. Games disappear and get away from you quickly in football.

I mentioned to someone earlier, I struggled to see 16 points with some of the opposition. That's if we can put a full team out and if the tactics are right.

 

[BDJ]

I would honestly love to see KR give a real, honest, behind-the-scenes answer to this. Not a media, calculated, everyone’s listening answer, but what he must have said to the coaching staff when going back to 4-3-3 for the Wycombe game.

Fleming had just looked promising, Brown had played well left side of a three and Wildschut looked great as a central striker. It would have been the easiest and most logical thing in the world to keep it the same and just swap Joseph in for Bodin. There must have been a reason why he didn’t, and instead dropped Fleming and went to a back 4. But what was it?

Because KR believes 433 suits this group of players the best (it doesn't) and he's good enough to change formations depending on the opposition (he isn't).

 

[Bicester Yellow]

I mentioned to someone earlier, I struggled to see 16 points with some of the opposition. That's if we can put a full team out and if the tactics are right.

Haven’t really even got a squad of 18 fully fit players. It’s worrying times. Think the board are resting on their laurels a bit hoping we are safe & they don’t need to bolster the squad and will dispense of KR when the season is done.

 

[Wallop]

I mentioned to someone earlier, I struggled to see 16 points with some of the opposition. That's if we can put a full team out and if the tactics are right.

Well yes but we've played 28 games and amassed 35 points which pro-rated would get us a final total of 57.5. We've also played almost every team once and have to face them again so 50 should be easily achievable...........but.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Well yes but we've played 28 games and amassed 35 points which pro-rated would get us a final total of 57.5. We've also played almost every team once and have to face them again so 50 should be easily achievable...........but.

We’ll probably be ok but we have to be really competitive, we can’t just knock off for the season now. We badly need a couple of solid reinforcements

 

[lerekdilley]

Well yes but we've played 28 games and amassed 35 points which pro-rated would get us a final total of 57.5. We've also played almost every team once and have to face them again so 50 should be easily achievable...........but.

There have been some very fortunate wins in that period also. Cambridge, Fleetwood and Ipswich being just 3 of them of the top of my head.

 

[Scotchegg]

I've previously thought that whilst there was little to gain from keeping Robinson to the end of the season, there was also little to lose. Limping towards a mid table finish or putting a few good results together that gave the slightest glimpse of a play off space was how the season was likely to go. However, the last week has shown that doing nothing is too great a risk and we're in danger of a complete collapse that could be almost as damaging to our future as the stadium issues. But Robinson is now irrelevant in all this. He'll either go this week or next, or sometime between now and the end of the season. But he will be gone.

Now it is all about the board and what they are going to do. I can understand them not investing further in the playing squad if the stadium future is uncertain. I can understand them not investing in Robinson and the players he's identified. I can understand that it's difficult to get decent players at their true value in January. And I can understand that it takes time to put together a proper recruitment team and have a wholesale review of our scouting networks in a couple of months. However, what I can't understand and won't accept is total silence from our CEO, our Chairman and our owners. Now is the time when they have to step up and show that they have a plan to rebuild this club from top to bottom.

Tim Williams and Grant Ferguson both said that they had listened and heard oyr concerns about player recruitment, the player trading model that has served us so well, marketing, merchandise, communication, fan engagement. But listening is no good if there's no action as a result.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

I've previously thought that whilst there was little to gain from keeping Robinson to the end of the season, there was also little to lose. Limping towards a mid table finish or putting a few good results together that gave the slightest glimpse of a play off space was how the season was likely to go. However, the last week has shown that doing nothing is too great a risk and we're in danger of a complete collapse that could be almost as damaging to our future as the stadium issues. But Robinson is now irrelevant in all this. He'll either go this week or next, or sometime between now and the end of the season. But he will be gone.

Now it is all about the board and what they are going to do. I can understand them not investing further in the playing squad if the stadium future is uncertain. I can understand them not investing in Robinson and the players he's identified. I can understand that it's difficult to get decent players at their true value in January. And I can understand that it takes time to put together a proper recruitment team and have a wholesale review of our scouting networks in a couple of months. However, what I can't understand and won't accept is total silence from our CEO, our Chairman and our owners. Now is the time when they have to step up and show that they have a plan to rebuild this club from top to bottom.

Tim Williams and Grant Ferguson both said that they had listened and heard oyr concerns about player recruitment, the player trading model that has served us so well, marketing, merchandise, communication, fan engagement. But listening is no good if there's no action as a result.

Grant & Tim have given Karl more time than he deserves.

Karl has money for a few players this window. Why they’ve not come here, I don’t know.

But he has money to spend.

What happens between now and Thursday will be very very interesting.

There’s part of me that hopes we lose Wednesday as a win could be bad in the long term. It would be like putting a plaster on a deep cut.

48 hours of the transfer window with Karl failing to secure his top 2/3 targets and defeat to Barnsley should see the board act Thurs/Fri. Let’s see how this week plays out before we judge the board.

 

[Oufcstevens18]

An injury prone high wage on his way back down the pyramid?

Sound like a KR type of player

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Big 48 hours transfer wise.

Let’s hope we can get the 2 we want over the line.

They’ll certainly make us a far far better side.

 

[uptheus]

The lack of chances this season isn't a central problem, it's the complete lack of width.

And that

 

[Chippy]

Grant & Tim have given Karl more time than he deserves.

Karl has money for a few players this window. Why they’ve not come here, I don’t know.

But he has money to spend.

What happens between now and Thursday will be very very interesting.

There’s part of me that hopes we lose Wednesday as a win could be bad in the long term. It would be like putting a plaster on a deep cut.

48 hours of the transfer window with Karl failing to secure his top 2/3 targets and defeat to Barnsley should see the board act Thurs/Fri. Let’s see how this week plays out before we judge the board.

So what happens if Karl lands his targets (we know he almost certainly won’t) but we lose to Barnsley. Will the board then say we’ll keep him for now and see if we improve with these new players?

The new players may then not be who any replacement would want, along with many others we have! So why add to the mess?

 

[yellowbow]

Grant & Tim have given Karl more time than he deserves.

Karl has money for a few players this window. Why they’ve not come here, I don’t know.

But he has money to spend.

What happens between now and Thursday will be very very interesting.

There’s part of me that hopes we lose Wednesday as a win could be bad in the long term. It would be like putting a plaster on a deep cut.

48 hours of the transfer window with Karl failing to secure his top 2/3 targets and defeat to Barnsley should see the board act Thurs/Fri. Let’s see how this week plays out before we judge the board.

Unfortunately I think, due to KR’s dominant personality, GF and TW have been suckered in. They’ve got too pally with KR and have lost perspective and objectivity.

They’re believing his bullshit. Some supporters are too unfortunately

 

[Yellowken]

Well, we certainly need some players in, that's for sure. Check our bench vs Burton. Findley (rumoured to be off so wouldn't feature), Odonker (youth), Johnson (youth), Goodrham (youth), WIldshut, Anderson and McGinty.

How can KR expect to change the game with only 2 experienced pros who came on? Seriously, how have we got to this?

 

[OxfordYankee]

Seriously, how have we got to this?

The most answered question on this forum

 

[holdsteady]

We are in a mess, we have a small squad that doesn't have the required balance and weaknesses in the first team. The head of recruitment is going/gone, we have a dead man walking manager who will be gone soon, and while relegation should be easily avoidable with the situation we are in we could sleepwalk into it.

We need a couple of players in to key positions, a physical holding midfielder, a centre forward and ideally a pacey, athletic winger, these players would need to be robust and able to hit the ground running, which rules out a lot of the types of signings we have made previously. The big problem is who signs these players and shows what a flawed system we had in place with Robinson having so much power.

Is it too late to remove Robinson and for a new man to come in before the deadline able to bring in players? Probably. Is letting Robinson sign players a good idea? Not really. Who will sign players for us? Who knows?

It's all a bit of a mess now, with no solution sounding very good. But I do believe it's time to rip the plaster off fast and remove Robinson. we have dithered about it for long enough, the recruitment process for whoever replaces Robinson (probably interim till the summer) will have to be fast though, we wasted the time we had on giving Robinson so many chances.

 

[TailsWeWin]

I thought that. Our run in is pretty horrific. We don’t pick up 10 points in the next 8 games we could be in trouble. Games disappear and get away from you quickly in football.

I wish more people would wake up to this. We are three games away from real trouble.