Transfer News Transfer Window Summer 21

[n1]

Only 1 or 2!? With a larger squad we will need more cover, quality and experience

Yes. The danger is that we make too many changes and lose the identify of the team that has got us to where we are. There’s room for experienced heads, and larger salaries, but not much.

Also, why do we need a larger squad? Potentially we’d play less games than this season with no Papa John’s Trophey.

The majority of new additions should be up and coming players - in line with the current model. The model that’s served us so well. That can’t go out of the window because of the level we’re at and additional money.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Yes. The danger is that we make too many changes and lose the identify of the team that has got us to where we are. There’s room for experienced heads, and larger salaries, but not much.

Also, why do we need a larger squad? Potentially we’d play less games than this season with no Papa John’s Trophey.

The majority of new additions should be up and coming players - in line with the current model. The model that’s served us so well. That can’t go out of the window because of the level we’re at and additional money.

In the championship you’d need the backups to be better. You couldn’t play West Brom orFulham with Jamie Hanson at left back

 

[bazzer9461]

In the championship you’d need the backups to be better. You couldn’t play West Brom orFulham with Jamie Hanson at left back

Or even at right back even

 

[Northstandboy]

Please just make the signings early on, not still flapping to sign players 2 weeks into the season!

 

[Leysboy]

Ruffels head is elsewhere, so we need a proper Left back.

Conor Ogilvie can play there and centre back, so he’s versatile. I’d definitely be looking at talking to him if I was KR.

 

[southcoastyellow]

We definitely need a more physical presence across the pitch, we looked quite light weight compared to Blackpool.

 

[LeftSideBoy]

Josh Ruffels, through no fault of his own, is a fortunate benefactor of the whole ‘local lad’ affection, and the subsequent and somewhat unfortunate objective blindness that comes with it. I’m afraid tonight proved to me that Josh Ruffels is bang average and I’ve said this for not only this season, but for large periods of last season. The goal at Shrewsbury saved him from a lot of post-season scrutiny. Fair play, it was massive for us; but one swallow doesn’t make a summer. He’s Mr Dependable, but he has absolutely ZERO quality competition for his place..

If Hanson (a CDM by trade) is able to make your positional awareness look bad in comparison, then you doing something wrong. As I have said before, he’s good against relegation fodder and mid-table coasters, but against a winger that is Jordan Graham level or above, he’s not up to it. He is targeted for a reason..

Thanks for everything Josh, but it’s time.

 

[dickwalton1964]

We definitely need a more physical presence across the pitch, we looked quite light weight compared to Blackpool.

Agree. They didn’t look that much better than us on the ball but just seemed a bit more savvy, streetwise, and that bit stronger physically. Nor quite men against boys but it was along those lines.

 

[LeftSideBoy]

Agree. They didn’t look that much better than us on the ball but just seemed a bit more savvy, streetwise, and that bit stronger physically. Nor quite men against boys but it was along those lines.

I think they were lucky with some of the decisions they got when we were turning the second ball over in midfield. The ref didn’t give us much at all. They also played into our channels really well. Ruffels was out of position a lot and Hanson just isn’t a full back. If we had Sam Long fit, we would have been so much stronger in defence; especially when it comes to winning the second ball. I didn’t see Hanson on the overlap once. You realise how important that is, when it’s obviously missing in our play.

 

[DevilsAvocado]

Josh Ruffels, through no fault of his own, is a fortunate benefactor of the whole ‘local lad’ affection, and the subsequent and somewhat unfortunate objective blindness that comes with it. I’m afraid tonight proved to me that Josh Ruffels is bang average and I’ve said this for not only this season, but for large periods of last season. The goal at Shrewsbury saved him from a lot of post-season scrutiny. Fair play, it was massive for us; but one swallow doesn’t make a summer. He’s Mr Dependable, but he has absolutely ZERO quality competition for his place..

If Hanson (a CDM by trade) is able to make your positional awareness look bad in comparison, then you doing something wrong. As I have said before, he’s good against relegation fodder and mid-table coasters, but against a winger that is Jordan Graham level or above, he’s not up to it. He is targeted for a reason..

Thanks for everything Josh, but it’s time.

Agree with much of this but he really needs the LW to help him out and Barker imo did not do enough defensively tonight, he is an ok LB that is better
on the front foot pushing forward, would i bin him ? No, does he need competition ? Yes.

As for Hanson, well i hate to slate a player on a public forum but he`s not cut out to play the KR way at RB, too slow and too many misplaced passes, he
could maybe do a job in a team that plays a different style but KR likes his full backs to attack ( bit like Ruffels ) and he just isnt capable, this has a knock on
effect further up field as Henry and Lee are starved of the ball coming out from the back on the right, this makes us incredibly one dimensional and results
in lots of sideways passing which is pretty frustrating to watch.

 

[Ricey]

Forde should have started at right back over Hanson. Not even hindsight seems obvious...

 

[Oxford84]

Hanson really killed us attacking wise on the right and for the most part just passed it back to the player hed got it from or launched one down the side.Wouldve played Forde every single time there.

 

[brassmonkey]

Hanson didnt get a chance to get forward. Henry, brannagan and especially lee lost the ball countless times.

 

[LeftSideBoy]

Agree with much of this but he really needs the LW to help him out and Barker imo did not do enough defensively tonight, he is an ok LB that is better
on the front foot pushing forward, would i bin him ? No, does he need competition ? Yes.

As for Hanson, well i hate to slate a player on a public forum but he`s not cut out to play the KR way at RB, too slow and too many misplaced passes, he
could maybe do a job in a team that plays a different style but KR likes his full backs to attack ( bit like Ruffels ) and he just isnt capable, this has a knock on
effect further up field as Henry and Lee are starved of the ball coming out from the back on the right, this makes us incredibly one dimensional and results
in lots of sideways passing which is pretty frustrating to watch.

From what I saw, I think Barker held his position because of the defenders he had behind him - Moore, Atkinson, Ruffels and Hanson. All of those players, should, you would hope, be able to win the second ball and play the ball into the midfield.

We desperately need a player like Barker at
the halfway line, that’s ready and waiting to either bang it down the wing, or receive a pass from someone like Brannagan or Henry. Barker can pick the ball up at the half way line and take it to them (as we saw at least 5 times). Our high press is superb when it works, and we need an outlet when we are able to break away. Should Barker be covering for our LB, because he’s out of position or he’s been done? No. Should Ruffels learn from his positional deficiencies and stop relying on a winger to save him? Yes.

Hanson is not a full back. Let’s just clear that up. I feel a bit sorry for the bloke. By trade, he’s a CDM and that is very very evident from his play. He’s been put in a position that he’s not a natural in, during the most important game of the season. He doesn’t offer anything going forward but tonight, his positioning was better than his opposite full back. A full back that’s been playing there for countless games..

 

[yellowbow]

Maybe next season we’ll consider getting adequate cover for the back four.

Just a thought Karl..

To be fair though, decent specialist cover for every position will obviously be impossible if the ridiculous 20 man squad cap is enforced.

 

[Shosho]

I don't think the squad is far away. The key is obviously keeping a majority of the squad together and adding some quality.

Fwiw, Blackpool highlighted our limitations last night. Whilst Ruffels is a decent League One left back, Blackpool (and others) have identified him as the weaker point in the defence. That doesn't mean he's an awful player, just he has limitations (like most in the squad). It seems years since we last *properly* dealt with the LB/RB positions, despite how crucial they are to our play. This doesn't mean I think we should jettison Ruffels, equally if he gets himself a Championship offer, fair play! We should be looking to upgrade all positions. We have been a little over reliant on Ruffels' fitness (consistently 40+ games a season) and that against 90% of the league he is a good left back.

Re: Barker - I would love him to sign. His wages sound pretty hefty, but is a constant out ball that has the ability to do something out of nothing. Adelakun would be another that would fit the mould. Also worth taking a look at Josh Bowler OOC at Everton this summer.

 

[Oxford57]

We didn’t or couldn’t dominate any area last night, watching the team in the flesh rather than ifollow was interesting, barker didn’t seem to be displaying much positive movement at times, final ball didn’t offer much , Hanson isn’t an attacking full back. , but the ball never seemed to come to him when he had space, lee didn’t impress me at all, needed to get closer to Taylor to support each other. Moore and Atkinson struggled with the Blackpool forwards, Henry’s dead ball delivery was poor , everything seemed to be hit with too much pace ,all in all a bad day at the office , the support I thought was good considering what was on display which was hard to watch at times, I would settle for a draw on Friday night , I can’t see a way back

 

[RyanioBirdio]

It seems years since we last *properly* dealt with the LB/RB positions, despite how crucial they are to our play.

 

[WRox]

Last night (well, our streaky form all year) showed how vital Long is to the shape of the team. Ruffels role is so much clearer when Long plays - pace down the left, support from LB, create overloads on the right with Henry/Lee/Long link up. Blackpool are an excellent side, and the only way we could impose our playing style over theirs was to perform to our maximum level. That was not possible without Long.

The scary thing though, is that it could have been others as well. If Atkinson or Moore were injured, could we still play the same way? Our midfield massively lacks the power and drive McGuane gave us when we come up against the top teams. Who’d play left back if Ruffels was out?

We are so close to being good enough to go up. Frankly the really difficult bit of signing or developing Championship quality players as a L1 club has been frequently achieved. The seemingly more straightforward element of signing vaguely competent back up for these we’ve got horribly wrong - no cover in key positions and the quality outside of our best team is extremely limited.

Most clubs in our division will be signing half a first team this summer, we need to fix our substitutes bench so we don’t have more wingers on it than full backs in the entire squad. That’s an excellent starting point, but means nothing if KR doesn’t finally fix the issues of squad depth and balance.

 

[Brahma]

Josh Ruffels, through no fault of his own, is a fortunate benefactor of the whole ‘local lad’ affection, and the subsequent and somewhat unfortunate objective blindness that comes with it. I’m afraid tonight proved to me that Josh Ruffels is bang average and I’ve said this for not only this season, but for large periods of last season. The goal at Shrewsbury saved him from a lot of post-season scrutiny. Fair play, it was massive for us; but one swallow doesn’t make a summer. He’s Mr Dependable, but he has absolutely ZERO quality competition for his place..

If Hanson (a CDM by trade) is able to make your positional awareness look bad in comparison, then you doing something wrong. As I have said before, he’s good against relegation fodder and mid-table coasters, but against a winger that is Jordan Graham level or above, he’s not up to it. He is targeted for a reason..

Thanks for everything Josh, but it’s time.

I understand the frustrations from last night but balance is needed. Of course the local lad affection is relevant, he's been a superb loyal servant and a consistent performer. You don't find many full backs who score 6-7 per season. It's alright throwing him to the wolves but you need to replace goals, assists and a steady full back. It's not his fault he hasn't any competition for his place.

It is clear, his head has turned and actually the criticism stems from him 'looking after himself' and 'being open to offers/links to the Championship'. That isn't just reason to kill the lad. He made a mistake last night, it happens.