Transfer News Transfer window 2020/21

[ZeroTheHero]

Not quite sure why anyone would think we should be signing Luke Garbutt?

We are short of pace - he isn't particularly fast.
We need someone who could play at left back (and potentially in other defensive positions as well) - as we saw before, he can't defend.

He wouldn't be cheap - and wouldn't offer that much more than we have. Cooper looks pretty decent on the left from what we've sign of him so far (although not a crosser, he is no slower than Garbutt).

 

[Shaun Rice]

Recruitment is a shambles? When we repeatedly snap up players who can be sold for millions, and reached the playoff final?? I agree it seems to take too long

Let’s analyse that comment. “When we repeatedly snap up players who can be sold for millions”
On the face of it you might sound right but...

Who are these million pound players?

Fosu, he was already known to KR at Charlton, was out of favour and an easy win.

Whyte, unknown until touted to Oxford on our Ireland tour. Lucked out!

Dickie, technically signed under Pep on 18th January 2018. Signed by Tiger I think.

Baptise, was a youth player here well before KR.

Who else is worth money?

Brannagan, signed 11th January 2018 again technically by Pep, but not.

Henry, signed by Pep.

So none of these are million pound players signed by KR.

I would argue that Since KR joined we haven’t exactly set the world on fire in the transfer market. In terms of finding talent the only names that spring to mind are Sykes, Moore And Gorrin.

You could say Taylor and hopefully Winnall but those two have proven themselves elsewhere. True some good loans though.

There are loads and loads of duds! Yeah every manager signs players that don’t work out but go check our old team sheets or transfer market Jesus KR has signed some donkeys. Players signed to play in one position and ending up in another, players who hardly kicked a ball for us, players injured when signed. Check out these rough diamonds. Holmes, Little, Norman, McMahon, Bradbury, Tsun-Dai, Garbut (at leftback) Curruthers, Hanson, Kashi, Pekalski.

As for reaching the playoffs and bumbling our way to the final. I Never said KR wasn’t a good man manager.

I would say it was Mapp who really signed the rough diamonds. Just as he seems to have done at Lincoln.
Eastwood, Nelson, Dunkley, Hall, McAleny, Ledson, Johnson, Maguire, Lundstrum, Baldock, Roofe and some of the best loan players I’ve ever seen.

Oxford’s transfer dealings since KR and Tiger joined have been long, withdrawn and disorganised. Positions with no cover and other positions with too much. And many many more terrible signings than good.

 

[Scotchegg]

Oxford’s transfer dealings since KR and Tiger joined have been long, withdrawn and disorganised. Positions with no cover and other positions with too much. And many many more terrible signings than good.

And yet we've made several million and was a pass instead of a shot and a defensive error away from the championship!!

 

[werthersoriginal]

I have such an old school romantic view of our academy structure, I just can't see it in monetary terms. For me it's a vital link to the community, we are getting at the ground level hundreds of kids associated with the club. This builds bonds with the community, promotes good will for the club, encourages whole families to become OUFC instead of going somewhere else.

Seacole, Brock, Jones, Beauchamp, Allen, Powell, Brooks, Mustoe, Ruffels, Long, Baptiste. The sharp end of what happens, but countless others. One club.

Really hope the time doesn't arrive when we have to take a colder look at this, but I fear it may be close. As I said, a romantic view.

Yeah I’d almost rather slip down the leagues and play some local players than rely totally on journeymen from Barnsley or wherever. Our balance is fairly good but the next lot need to start coming through

 

[m]

Oxford’s transfer dealings since KR and Tiger joined have been long, withdrawn and disorganised. Positions with no cover and other positions with too much. And many many more terrible signings than good.

...and yet we improved!

Miraculous when you think about it.

 

[Mellowyellow]

Let’s analyse that comment. “When we repeatedly snap up players who can be sold for millions”
On the face of it you might sound right but...

Who are these million pound players?

Fosu, he was already known to KR at Charlton, was out of favour and an easy win.

Whyte, unknown until touted to Oxford on our Ireland tour. Lucked out!

Dickie, technically signed under Pep on 18th January 2018. Signed by Tiger I think.

Baptise, was a youth player here well before KR.

Who else is worth money?

Brannagan, signed 11th January 2018 again technically by Pep, but not.

Henry, signed by Pep.

So none of these are million pound players signed by KR.

I would argue that Since KR joined we haven’t exactly set the world on fire in the transfer market. In terms of finding talent the only names that spring to mind are Sykes, Moore And Gorrin.

You could say Taylor and hopefully Winnall but those two have proven themselves elsewhere. True some good loans though.

There are loads and loads of duds! Yeah every manager signs players that don’t work out but go check our old team sheets or transfer market Jesus KR has signed some donkeys. Players signed to play in one position and ending up in another, players who hardly kicked a ball for us, players injured when signed. Check out these rough diamonds. Holmes, Little, Norman, McMahon, Bradbury, Tsun-Dai, Garbut (at leftback) Curruthers, Hanson, Kashi, Pekalski.

As for reaching the playoffs and bumbling our way to the final. I Never said KR wasn’t a good man manager.

I would say it was Mapp who really signed the rough diamonds. Just as he seems to have done at Lincoln.
Eastwood, Nelson, Dunkley, Hall, McAleny, Ledson, Johnson, Maguire, Lundstrum, Baldock, Roofe and some of the best loan players I’ve ever seen.

Oxford’s transfer dealings since KR and Tiger joined have been long, withdrawn and disorganised. Positions with no cover and other positions with too much. And many many more terrible signings than good.

And its still going on at the moment!

 

[arthurturner]

And my first three paragraphs were explaining why they were worth it, and that your aspiration for what an academy at this level looks like is unrealistic. Million pound Premier League academies don't produce a player for the first team a season, so why should we expect the same for a League One academy that is probably at the envy of many in the division? I'm not au fait with the finances of our Academy, but the sale of Baptiste has probably allowed it to be funded for the next four years.

But Baptiste was not a product of our Academy. As to Premier League Academies, they are so rich that they trawl every player they can who has a hint of being succesful, most of whom get discarded or sent permanently out on loan. Chelsea for instance at the last count had 40 players out on loan to other clubs. For them it's like gold mining. Turn enough rocks and you'll get the odd nugget. All I'm saying is that at our level and the precarious nature of the club's finances, particularly after today's further Covid restrictions, one has to question whether an Academy which has little or no end product isn't a luxury. Where is the evidence that ours is the envy of many in League 1?

 

[arthurturner]

I have such an old school romantic view of our academy structure, I just can't see it in monetary terms. For me it's a vital link to the community, we are getting at the ground level hundreds of kids associated with the club. This builds bonds with the community, promotes good will for the club, encourages whole families to become OUFC instead of going somewhere else.

Seacole, Brock, Jones, Beauchamp, Allen, Powell, Brooks, Mustoe, Ruffels, Long, Baptiste. The sharp end of what happens, but countless others. One club.

Really hope the time doesn't arrive when we have to take a colder look at this, but I fear it may be close. As I said, a romantic view.

Ruffles and Baptiste were not products of our Academy

 

[Scotchegg]

Let’s analyse that comment. “When we repeatedly snap up players who can be sold for millions”
On the face of it you might sound right but...

Who are these million pound players?

Fosu, he was already known to KR at Charlton, was out of favour and an easy win.

Whyte, unknown until touted to Oxford on our Ireland tour. Lucked out!

Dickie, technically signed under Pep on 18th January 2018. Signed by Tiger I think.

Baptise, was a youth player here well before KR.

Who else is worth money?

Brannagan, signed 11th January 2018 again technically by Pep, but not.

Henry, signed by Pep.

So none of these are million pound players signed by KR.

I would argue that Since KR joined we haven’t exactly set the world on fire in the transfer market. In terms of finding talent the only names that spring to mind are Sykes, Moore And Gorrin.

You could say Taylor and hopefully Winnall but those two have proven themselves elsewhere. True some good loans though.

There are loads and loads of duds! Yeah every manager signs players that don’t work out but go check our old team sheets or transfer market Jesus KR has signed some donkeys. Players signed to play in one position and ending up in another, players who hardly kicked a ball for us, players injured when signed. Check out these rough diamonds. Holmes, Little, Norman, McMahon, Bradbury, Tsun-Dai, Garbut (at leftback) Curruthers, Hanson, Kashi, Pekalski.

As for reaching the playoffs and bumbling our way to the final. I Never said KR wasn’t a good man manager.

I would say it was Mapp who really signed the rough diamonds. Just as he seems to have done at Lincoln.
Eastwood, Nelson, Dunkley, Hall, McAleny, Ledson, Johnson, Maguire, Lundstrum, Baldock, Roofe and some of the best loan players I’ve ever seen.

Oxford’s transfer dealings since KR and Tiger joined have been long, withdrawn and disorganised. Positions with no cover and other positions with too much. And many many more terrible signings than good.

And let's get the facts straight.

Tiger gave the money to the club for the purchases of Brannagan and Dickie, so very much his signings. Add to that Moore, Atkinson, Whyte, Sykes, Gorrin, Fosu and others signed (and sold). You include loan signings for MApp but exclude Marcus Browne, Chris Cadden and Matt Taylor last season who made a huge impact. And bizarrely you also blame Robinson for Ivo Pekalski who was 1000% signed by Pep and symbolised everything wrong with that era!!!

I've seen some blinkered rubbish on here, but this is another level!!!

 

[ttg17]

Let’s analyse that comment. “When we repeatedly snap up players who can be sold for millions”
On the face of it you might sound right but...

Who are these million pound players?

Fosu, he was already known to KR at Charlton, was out of favour and an easy win.

Whyte, unknown until touted to Oxford on our Ireland tour. Lucked out!

Dickie, technically signed under Pep on 18th January 2018. Signed by Tiger I think.

Baptise, was a youth player here well before KR.

Who else is worth money?

Brannagan, signed 11th January 2018 again technically by Pep, but not.

Henry, signed by Pep.

So none of these are million pound players signed by KR.

I would argue that Since KR joined we haven’t exactly set the world on fire in the transfer market. In terms of finding talent the only names that spring to mind are Sykes, Moore And Gorrin.

You could say Taylor and hopefully Winnall but those two have proven themselves elsewhere. True some good loans though.

There are loads and loads of duds! Yeah every manager signs players that don’t work out but go check our old team sheets or transfer market Jesus KR has signed some donkeys. Players signed to play in one position and ending up in another, players who hardly kicked a ball for us, players injured when signed. Check out these rough diamonds. Holmes, Little, Norman, McMahon, Bradbury, Tsun-Dai, Garbut (at leftback) Curruthers, Hanson, Kashi, Pekalski.

As for reaching the playoffs and bumbling our way to the final. I Never said KR wasn’t a good man manager.

I would say it was Mapp who really signed the rough diamonds. Just as he seems to have done at Lincoln.
Eastwood, Nelson, Dunkley, Hall, McAleny, Ledson, Johnson, Maguire, Lundstrum, Baldock, Roofe and some of the best loan players I’ve ever seen.

Oxford’s transfer dealings since KR and Tiger joined have been long, withdrawn and disorganised. Positions with no cover and other positions with too much. And many many more terrible signings than good.

Oh come on. This is all just deliberately disingenuous, on so many levels.

You can't palm off 1.9m (Whyte) + 0.75m (Fosu) worth of net transfer fees with meaningless phrases like 'easy win' and 'lucked out'. They were both players who were with us for less than 12 months, how is that not unbelievable business?

Most of the players you've mentioned as being KR duds were signed in his first window as manager - in a window when he had to patch up a squad filled with the bizarre signings of Pep that had narrowly avoided relegation. They were solid League 1 stop-gaps who did well for us (Garbutt, Kashi, McMahon), without necessarily being spectacular, or were reasonable gambles (Norman, Bradbury). Holmes was excellent for us before his injuries, Carruthers looked excellent and then got unlucky in literally the first game of the season. Tsun Dai I think we can all admit was just a weird one and Hanson has admittedly been a dud, but Pekalski was literally signed by a different regime - why are you trying to pin that on KR?

Did MApp really do nothing but sign diamonds? Remember Waring, Evans, Hemmings, Martin, Crowley? Admittedly the players you name were very good for us for a spell (perhaps with the exception of Hall), but Eastwood, Hall, McAleny and Maguire are all still playing at our current level - hardly astonishing pieces of recruitment foresight. Similarly, if you're going to include loan players in each manager's recruitment 'gems', where are Browne, Cadden, Sinclair, Taylor?

This really smacks of you just taking baseless swipes at a management and recruitment structure which have been outstanding for us for a couple of years now because you're annoyed we've lost the first two games of the season. It's understandably frustrating, but I really feel KR and the board have done enough to earn our patience and trust that they'll get this right.

 

[Ian]

Let’s analyse that comment. “When we repeatedly snap up players who can be sold for millions”
On the face of it you might sound right but...

Who are these million pound players?

Fosu, he was already known to KR at Charlton, was out of favour and an easy win.

Whyte, unknown until touted to Oxford on our Ireland tour. Lucked out!

Dickie, technically signed under Pep on 18th January 2018. Signed by Tiger I think.

Baptise, was a youth player here well before KR.

Who else is worth money?

Brannagan, signed 11th January 2018 again technically by Pep, but not.

Henry, signed by Pep.

So none of these are million pound players signed by KR.

I would argue that Since KR joined we haven’t exactly set the world on fire in the transfer market. In terms of finding talent the only names that spring to mind are Sykes, Moore And Gorrin.

You could say Taylor and hopefully Winnall but those two have proven themselves elsewhere. True some good loans though.

There are loads and loads of duds! Yeah every manager signs players that don’t work out but go check our old team sheets or transfer market Jesus KR has signed some donkeys. Players signed to play in one position and ending up in another, players who hardly kicked a ball for us, players injured when signed. Check out these rough diamonds. Holmes, Little, Norman, McMahon, Bradbury, Tsun-Dai, Garbut (at leftback) Curruthers, Hanson, Kashi, Pekalski.

As for reaching the playoffs and bumbling our way to the final. I Never said KR wasn’t a good man manager.

I would say it was Mapp who really signed the rough diamonds. Just as he seems to have done at Lincoln.
Eastwood, Nelson, Dunkley, Hall, McAleny, Ledson, Johnson, Maguire, Lundstrum, Baldock, Roofe and some of the best loan players I’ve ever seen.

Oxford’s transfer dealings since KR and Tiger joined have been long, withdrawn and disorganised. Positions with no cover and other positions with too much. And many many more terrible signings than good.

That list of MAPP players is "WOW!!!"

We do seem to have taken a step or two backwards... Although, as others have pointed out, thin is harsh...

I guess come next May/August, we can look at Lincoln and make a better judgement...

 

[Obstructed view]

[QUOTE="SteMerritt, post: 304110, member: 150" ]


Really hope the time doesn't arrive when we have to take a colder look at this, but I fear it may be close. As I said, a romantic view.
[/QUOTE]

The academy is run very well and has a number of talented prospects. Across the age groups they are pretty dominant at our level and compete well with cat 1 and 2 teams often winning. It takes time from restarting the academy and the 10-year journey of bringing boys through to see results and also to build a reputation that sees parents want their child to go there. Cat 1 clubs are a draw but not every parent wants to drive their 10-year old on a 3 hour round trip 4 times a week to Cobham. in the hope they might make it whilst screwing their education. The best example of a highly lucrative academy at our level is Exeter City where the likes of Ethan Ampadu and Ollie Watkins have bankrollled not just their academies but the clubs. A difference between Exeter and Oxford is that when they were relegated to non-league they kept their academy and as their chief exec said "It takes two minutes to close an academy but it will take 10 years to get it into a space where it's functioning again to support the club. It has taken us a decade and then maybe another five or six years to make it how we want it. For us, it is a vital part of our model. We would be in a very different place if it wasn't for our academy." We are only just approaching this timeframe and Dan Harris is making huge strides in recruitment, training and challenging development paths. We have talented young players and hopefully they will be given more chances. If done correctly there is no reason why we cannot have half a team of academy graduates in the future and ensure that we have players that love the club, are connected to the fans and that players like Matty Taylor stay and have their best professional years with Oxford

 

[Shaun Rice]

And let's get the facts straight.

Tiger gave the money to the club for the purchases of Brannagan and Dickie, so very much his signings. Add to that Moore, Atkinson, Whyte, Sykes, Gorrin, Fosu and others signed (and sold). You include loan signings for MApp but exclude Marcus Browne, Chris Cadden and Matt Taylor last season who made a huge impact. And bizarrely you also blame Robinson for Ivo Pekalski who was 1000% signed by Pep and symbolised everything wrong with that era!!!

I've seen some blinkered rubbish on here, but this is another level!!!

I’m not blaming your beloved KR for anything. I’m merely saying that our recruitment it not what it once was. It was in response to us being a club that signs players and sells them for millions.
Our recruitment is slow, indecisive and disjointed. Take our current winger shortage. KR said weeks ago we need pace, we need a winger. And....... tumble weed.

sorry for including loan signings for Mapp. My memory isn’t what it was. To be fair I included Boldock because KR offered him to us and we decided to wait, the rest is history.

 

[Shaun Rice]

Oh come on. This is all just deliberately disingenuous, on so many levels.

You can't palm off 1.9m (Whyte) + 0.75m (Fosu) worth of net transfer fees with meaningless phrases like 'easy win' and 'lucked out'. They were both players who were with us for less than 12 months, how is that not unbelievable business?

Most of the players you've mentioned as being KR duds were signed in his first window as manager - in a window when he had to patch up a squad filled with the bizarre signings of Pep that had narrowly avoided relegation. They were solid League 1 stop-gaps who did well for us (Garbutt, Kashi, McMahon), without necessarily being spectacular, or were reasonable gambles (Norman, Bradbury). Holmes was excellent for us before his injuries, Carruthers looked excellent and then got unlucky in literally the first game of the season. Tsun Dai I think we can all admit was just a weird one and Hanson has admittedly been a dud, but Pekalski was literally signed by a different regime - why are you trying to pin that on KR?

Did MApp really do nothing but sign diamonds? Remember Waring, Evans, Hemmings, Martin, Crowley? Admittedly the players you name were very good for us for a spell (perhaps with the exception of Hall), but Eastwood, Hall, McAleny and Maguire are all still playing at our current level - hardly astonishing pieces of recruitment foresight. Similarly, if you're going to include loan players in each manager's recruitment 'gems', where are Browne, Cadden, Sinclair, Taylor?

This really smacks of you just taking baseless swipes at a management and recruitment structure which have been outstanding for us for a couple of years now because you're annoyed we've lost the first two games of the season. It's understandably frustrating, but I really feel KR and the board have done enough to earn our patience and trust that they'll get this right.

I didn’t include loans (well tried not to) because my post was in response to a post that said we are a club that recruits players and sells them for millions. Whyte aside we haven’t signed anyone who looks even close since KR took charge.
We used to be but I’m not sure we are today.

 

[Berliner]

Let’s analyse that comment. “When we repeatedly snap up players who can be sold for millions”
On the face of it you might sound right but...

Who are these million pound players?

Fosu, he was already known to KR at Charlton, was out of favour and an easy win.

Whyte, unknown until touted to Oxford on our Ireland tour. Lucked out!

Dickie, technically signed under Pep on 18th January 2018. Signed by Tiger I think.

Baptise, was a youth player here well before KR.

Who else is worth money?

Brannagan, signed 11th January 2018 again technically by Pep, but not.

Henry, signed by Pep.

So none of these are million pound players signed by KR.

I would argue that Since KR joined we haven’t exactly set the world on fire in the transfer market. In terms of finding talent the only names that spring to mind are Sykes, Moore And Gorrin.

You could say Taylor and hopefully Winnall but those two have proven themselves elsewhere. True some good loans though.

There are loads and loads of duds! Yeah every manager signs players that don’t work out but go check our old team sheets or transfer market Jesus KR has signed some donkeys. Players signed to play in one position and ending up in another, players who hardly kicked a ball for us, players injured when signed. Check out these rough diamonds. Holmes, Little, Norman, McMahon, Bradbury, Tsun-Dai, Garbut (at leftback) Curruthers, Hanson, Kashi, Pekalski.

As for reaching the playoffs and bumbling our way to the final. I Never said KR wasn’t a good man manager.

I would say it was Mapp who really signed the rough diamonds. Just as he seems to have done at Lincoln.
Eastwood, Nelson, Dunkley, Hall, McAleny, Ledson, Johnson, Maguire, Lundstrum, Baldock, Roofe and some of the best loan players I’ve ever seen.

Oxford’s transfer dealings since KR and Tiger joined have been long, withdrawn and disorganised. Positions with no cover and other positions with too much. And many many more terrible signings than good.

The answer is clear...get a message to Pep in the dole queue with an offer as head of player recruitment!

 

[SteMerritt]

Ruffles and Baptiste were not products of our Academy

Oops, sorry about Ruffels. Baptiste, however, absolutely was. No academy, no picking up Baptiste from Reading to play in our youth setup. Just because he didn't join at 7 doesn't mean he wasn't an academy product.

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Oops, sorry about Ruffels. Baptiste, however, absolutely was. No academy, no picking up Baptiste from Reading to play in our youth setup. Just because he didn't join at 7 doesn't mean he wasn't an academy product.

Quite , if we didn't have an academy he would not have had anything to join

 

[Shaun Rice]

The answer is clear...get a message to Pep in the dole queue with an offer as head of player recruitment!

LOL oh god please no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t stand any more fok yu’s

i do wonder who the recruitment team were under Mapp. I remember RadOx saying he surrounded himself with very good people.

In defence of KR I don’t think he is the cause of our problem. He has said on many occasion he wants to get business done early and the club need to be brave, I know what’s needed etc. I think he really does and like Wilder all those years ago we have a manager who given the right funds would do great things.

But look at even his appointment by Tiger.... months And months!

 

[RyanioBirdio]

i do wonder who the recruitment team were under Mapp.

The head scout was Craig Dean, who moved to Leeds in October 2017 not long after Pep turned up and started binning it all off in favour of his gaggle of has-beens and never-was’.

Mark Thomas has been in charge ever since then, who worked underneath Dean previously.

 

[38yearsofpain]

But Baptiste was not a product of our Academy. As to Premier League Academies, they are so rich that they trawl every player they can who has a hint of being succesful, most of whom get discarded or sent permanently out on loan. Chelsea for instance at the last count had 40 players out on loan to other clubs. For them it's like gold mining. Turn enough rocks and you'll get the odd nugget. All I'm saying is that at our level and the precarious nature of the club's finances, particularly after today's further Covid restrictions, one has to question whether an Academy which has little or no end product isn't a luxury. Where is the evidence that ours is the envy of many in League 1?

Tier 1 academies can sign kids 3 years earlier. Under 7 matches in this area are scoured by Chelsea and Spurs and Arsenal to the east of the county and Southampton to the south. They are the fringe of their catchment areas. They literally hoover any talent and trial and sign literally hundreds of 7 and 8 year olds each year. The best kids at that age are already in Premiership academy radar. I appreciate kids develop at a young age but we don't have the resources or desire or ability to compete. That inevitably means kids age 8 to 18 drop out of that process. But they will have been coached to a very high standard so we obviously attempt pick those players up, The whole process is heavily waited towards category 1 academies. To the east of Oxfordshire we are not present nor obviously are Wycombe but literally and kid under 8 who shows promise at football will be trial by a tier 1 academy.