Transfer News Transfer Window Summer 21

[Steve McAvoy]

Agreed. In my 60+ years of supporting the club, Hebberd stands out as the best all round midfielder. Houghton, Magilton were indeed very good as in a different way was Les Phillips. In the same way Joey just pips Simmo and Brock as the best winger I have seen In an Oxford shirt.

Iirc Trevor Hebberd joined us as a forward and became a midfielder. Superb player!

 

[yellowbow]

Everybody knows the true criteria for ‘midfield legend’ status is how successful the conversion to fullback is.

John Trewick head and shoulders above all of em.

 

[werthersoriginal]

He doesn’t have pace/energy and too similar to Henry, so would want better.

We need players who are strong, fit and athletic etc, you know, like the ones Blackpool had.

The more sheeplike here have started reciting this thing about strong, fit, etc . There is something in it but the way we play relies more on passing and possession. You could always ‘flock’ to Blackpool if you like them so much.

 

[TailsWeWin]

The more sheeplike here have started reciting this thing about strong, fit, etc . There is something in it but the way we play relies more on passing and possession. You could always ‘flock’ to Blackpool if you like them so much.

That’s a bit touchy! What’s wrong with someone who is strong, fit and can pass?

 

[werthersoriginal]

That’s a bit touchy! What’s wrong with someone who is strong, fit and can pass?

No of course nothing wrong with that, in fact it’s good of course. But we’re not going to totally change the way we play

 

[MiddleBartonYellow]

Hebberd best midfield player I have ever seen for us. If he had played for a more fashionable club, he would have won 20+ caps for England. And for anyone under the age of 45, yes he really was that good!! Magilton a very good player but lacked pace. Houghton lots of energy. But neither of them as good as Hebberd.

Hebberd really is my hero.

 

[Foley]

The more sheeplike here have started reciting this thing about strong, fit, etc . There is something in it but the way we play relies more on passing and possession. You could always ‘flock’ to Blackpool if you like them so much.

It does seem a little odd that every player we are linked to, by some should be strong and athletic 'like Blackpool the third best team in L1 last season.
The top 2 never particularly came across as strong and athletic? Just good football sides who were better at defending and scoring than most sides in the Division!

 

[beyondthefourth]

That’s a bit touchy! What’s wrong with someone who is strong, fit and can pass?

What quality should they lack to make them generally attainable?

 

[Daviddidcotexile]

Looks like KR has thrown down the gauntlet to Clare to either put in the effort and fight for the right to wear the shirt or put in a transfer request and clear off

 

[Thomas/Brock/Jones]

Everybody knows the true criteria for ‘midfield legend’ status is how successful the conversion to fullback is.

John Trewick head and shoulders above all of em.

Funnily enough Les Robinson started his career as a centre mid at Mansfield before a conversion to full back at Doncaster before signing for us and becoming a legend !

 

[LeftSideBoy]

The more sheeplike here have started reciting this thing about strong, fit, etc . There is something in it but the way we play relies more on passing and possession. You could always ‘flock’ to Blackpool if you like them so much.

Being strong and fit is surely a prerequisite of any successful team? You can’t win league one with a team full of players like Liam Kelly and Mark Sykes. We’ve lacked that physicality in midfield, and as soon as McGuane got injured, that became a serious problem!

No one is suggesting that we become an anti-football, route one, Ainsworth/Allardyce hybrid. We can play our possession and passing game; but at times, we will need to win the ball back and take control of midfield. As it stands, only a couple of players are capable of doing that for us.

 

[Common Villager]

I agree with other comments that Sykes is a bit of a frustrating one. He does go through the motions at times and obviously doesn't contribute enough in terms of goals/assists (a criticism that applies to most of our midfield, mind)

That said, I think he's comfortably our most skilful player (possibly one of two or three players in our current squad that can beat a man), has a good work rate, and - contrary to Scotchegg's assertion that he 'chokes' - performs consistently well in big matches (West Ham, Newcastle, Playoff final, this year's playoffs).

If teams like Ipswich (with arguably the best manager in the league in Cook) are genuinely willing to pay c£300k for him then to me that suggests he's got more about him than many posters on here suggest.

Henry is a strange one. His goal record for the club is very good. He's knows how to find the back of the net. That said, when he plays, the whole team's form seems to mirror his. When he's playing well, we look great, when he's not, we generally look pretty crap. With his age and apparent physical decline in mind, now probably wouldn't be a bad time to cash in.

 

[spmox]

Not convinced about Elliott Lee

I agree.
It's tricky because his stats in terms of goals* and assists are pretty good. But for me far too many times he lost the ball in midfield either by trying a 360 degree turn or just falling over. And with our right back often pushing on that left us very exposed.

*Including one he scored 30 seconds after I posted that he was playing poorly!

 

[holdsteady]

Everybody knows the true criteria for ‘midfield legend’ status is how successful the conversion to fullback is.

John Trewick head and shoulders above all of em.

When on a tour of China with WBA he apparently couldn’t be bothered to go and see the Great Wall because “when you have seen one wall you have seen them all”, that alone makes him a legend in my eyes.

 

[Manorlounger]

Looks like KR has thrown down the gauntlet to Clare to either put in the effort and fight for the right to wear the shirt or put in a transfer request and clear off

More like he's already decided what is going to happen and is merely clearing away any fan criticism before throwing him under a departing bus.

Clare's agent has probably long since been actively looking for new employers for the lad. And, they won't be looking for a full back.

 

[Foley]

More like he's already decided what is going to happen and is merely clearing away any fan criticism before throwing him under a departing bus.

Clare's agent has probably long since been actively looking for new employers for the lad. And, they won't be looking for a full back.

Throwing him under a departing bus?
It sounds to me like he is saying that Clare has to fight for his place if he wants to stay. Not an unreasonable thing to ask from any player I would have thought.

 

[greatunclekip]

Buy someone as a right back, utterly insist they are a right back despite evidence to the contrary. Throw him down the gauntlet that he must play in midfield or clear off. Hes an odd chap is Robbo.

 

[Scotchegg]

Throwing him under a departing bus?
It sounds to me like he is saying that Clare has to fight for his place if he wants to stay. Not an unreasonable thing to ask from any player I would have thought.

Not unreasonable for any manager to expect, but we have different rules when it comes to Robinson!

 

[Scotchegg]

Buy someone as a right back, utterly insist they are a right back despite evidence to the contrary. Throw him down the gauntlet that he must play in midfield or clear off. Hes an odd chap is Robbo.

Not as odd as some on here who have been demanding that Clare plays in midfield and that everyone should fight for their place, only to moan when Robinson says exactly that!

 

[Mad Dog]

I hope Clare does stay.

You could see he wasn't a RB, but could obviously be effective further forward, and I was disappointed when he was loaned out, as I thought he could've been a very useful midfielder, providing pace out wide, and he has since shown himself to be a very good box to box midfielder at Burton, and I'd be really interested to see weather he could do the same for us.

If so, he'd be like a new signing..