One out one in is how its going to be



If we lost Watmore as it stands our attacking options have the combined pace of a milk float fully laden.

It’s crazy to think that everybody’s know for what seems like for ever that we need more pace in the side but we’re still looking to get rid of our only attacking threat that can move faster than a pensioner.
I forgot mcgeady was slow like
 
My priority signing is the scouting network of either Brentford or Barnsley FC; they seem to have it spot-on in the lower leagues.

Man City took our youth team coach last year, we replaced him, players come and go regularly we replace them quite easily, due to the recruitment team. if someone comes along and takes our scouting system and player analysts we may well be proper fucked. Luckily clubs seem more bothered about spending fortunes for developed players rather than doing what we are.
 
Tbf I would hardly call watmore and Oviedo as our best players. The first can't trap wind never mind the ball and the other spends more time turning his back on the ball than kicking it..
Better players, I said. Let's say see get rid of both are we going to get better in?

Man City took our youth team coach last year, we replaced him, players come and go regularly we replace them quite easily, due to the recruitment team. if someone comes along and takes our scouting system and player analysts we may well be proper fucked. Luckily clubs seem more bothered about spending fortunes for developed players rather than doing what we are.
That the way I want us to go. Develop within with really good youth/young player scouting.

Over the last 10 / 12 years weve through money at it with little success or longevity
 
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Still hopefully we can get at least 2 more players thru the door before the start of the season , if we can get another centre back and an attacker should be ok , I’m hoping embleton is guna hit the ground running and be a big player this season
 
skint? we have spent fortuens this summer on getting rid of catts and love..


have we failed to get 100 points yet0and has the tranfer window closed yet?
the reality is 6 players have joined the first team squad...embleton,..the two new defenders..rpbson..the keepr from coventry and sammut...so two more gets you to 8..whether they are quality is different...but dont associated quality with cost a lot of money..

When Donald said about needing 6-8 I seriously doubt he meant bringing a lad (who was already ours and who we could have played last season if we thought he'd be good) back from Grimsby, one back from Dundee, and getting a back up keeper that most hope never has to play a single minute. If he did then that, on top of "Short had a claim to the parachute payments only if I don't pay him" would mean I wouldn't believe another word that comes out of his mouth. I think most took it, and would assume it, to mean 6-8 in who are improvements on what we had, given we're meant to be targeting winning the league. Central defender aside it's arguable whether we've improved a single position yet this summer

It was pretty well summed up in the RR article. In L1, there's a salary cap, which is 60% of revenue. Including this year's parachute, our cap will be around £18m. You trigger an EFL investigation (a bit like special measures) if you're over 90% of that. That gives us around £16.2m in reality. Next season, if we don't go up, that will fall to around £9.7m. The only way that can be increased is by getting in transfer income, or by the owners putting in share capital or donations. Our current wage bill is uncomfortable close to the £16.2m. The real constraint is not being able to bring in new wages, not paying transfer fees.



It's a definite problem. The Drumaville/Madrox SPA has, charitably, not been well drafted.

If it's wages rather than transfer fees that's the issue, does that mean if they can shift Oviedo they might actually get the chequebook out and buy Maddison, who seems to be an absolute no brainer in terms of getting a creative player who might actually help to get our £3m striker a few chances? Hope so, but have a funny feeling Oviedo will leave, we'll get some knacker left back on a free to compete with Hume and be told "one in one out"
 
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Who will be next out then?

Also not sure what will happen with dobson. Ross seems to rate all of our midfielders, somehow :lol:
 
I do understand why we are desperate to offload Oviedo and Watmore however, they are very quick players and could do well in the system Ross is trying to enforce. A little concerned that we will move them both of any replacements won't have that pace. I know Watmore hasn't done it due to injury but could be tempted to give him one more roll of the dice.

Don't see it though as club want his wages gone.

I’d agree with you over Watmore unless we had a guaranteed pacey replacement or two. I think Hume a year on could do enough instead of Oviedo but if he missed games through injury we’d be goosed.
 
It'd be great to keep Watmore but I wouldn't blame him for leaving. He is more likely to get crocked again if he stays in this division, with the standard of refereeing.
 
I reckon he'd fair better in the Championship as better refs would cut out some of the clattering that he takes in League 1.

Two players should have seen red for tackles against him iirc, but didn't.
 
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When Donald said about needing 6-8 I seriously doubt he meant bringing a lad (who was already ours and who we could have played last season if we thought he'd be good) back from Grimsby, one back from Dundee, and getting a back up keeper that most hope never has to play a single minute. If he did then that, on top of "Short had a claim to the parachute payments only if I don't pay him" would mean I wouldn't believe another word that comes out of his mouth. I think most took it, and would assume it, to mean 6-8 in who are improvements on what we had, given we're meant to be targeting winning the league. Central defender aside it's arguable whether we've improved a single position yet this summer



If it's wages rather than transfer fees that's the issue, does that mean if they can shift Oviedo they might actually get the chequebook out and buy Maddison, who seems to be an absolute no brainer in terms of getting a creative player who might actually help to get our £3m striker a few chances? Hope so, but have a funny feeling Oviedo will leave, we'll get some knacker left back on a free to compete with Hume and be told "one in one out"
Or you could say Central defence improved, RB has improved, and with it freeing up ONein to go into midfield, we have replaced a DM in Catts, with an AM in Luke, which is what we need (We had too many DM as it stood)
 
Oviedo’s wages alone aren’t sustainable in league one.
His wages are far too high for League 1 or the Champo for that matter, but that is irrelevant to the point.
We were assured that we were almost at breakeven in terms of operating costs (meaning income less outgoings) at the end of last season. To within £2-3m a year. And parachute payments weren't included in the income side of that figure. Season ticket sales have actually managed to go up and we have got shot of Catts' wages (which saves £2m a year on its own), so the £15m shouldn't be needed to cover operating losses.
We've also been assured that we are debt free, in terms of monies owed to banks, owners or clubs we owed money to for transfers (with the possible exception of Grigg. Not sure where we are with his transfer fee).

So £15m, even as a one-off windfall, is a huge sum for League one. Most players cost under £1m and have wages under £10k in this league.

Unless they are just playing canny to play down our war chest, what has happened to that £15m? What is it earmarked for? Just a £15m contingency?
 
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I reckon he'd fair better in the Championship as better refs would cut out some of the clattering that he takes in League 1.

Two players should have seen red for tackles against him iirc, but didn't.
Players adapt and get better the lower the level you play . They are quicker , stronger and more physical in the Championship
 
Or you could say Central defence improved, RB has improved, and with it freeing up ONein to go into midfield, we have replaced a DM in Catts, with an AM in Luke, which is what we need (We had too many DM as it stood)

Fair point I suppose, good way of looking at it and I'm certainly not opposed to looking at things from a glass half full perspective!

I was just thinking of McLaughlin being a replacement for Matthews (less pedigree but hopefully more commitment and available more, so a possible step up but obviously remains to be seen). The keeper shouldn't feature much. Willis is an upgrade on Dunne (hopefully). But then we've lost Cattermole who was one of our best players and Morgan who gave us a different option out wide. Good point about O'Nien though, he might do well in the middle, seems to get in the right place quite often.

Still don't think we've done anywhere near enough to go from a side that was on course for a 76 point season from January onwards (crucially when we lost Maja) to one we can be confident of winning the league. Hope I'm wrong though, and I'm glad your post have a more optimistic look at it! Couple more (good) additions and hopefully we'll be fine
 
Fair point I suppose, good way of looking at it and I'm certainly not opposed to looking at things from a glass half full perspective!

I was just thinking of McLaughlin being a replacement for Matthews (less pedigree but hopefully more commitment and available more, so a possible step up but obviously remains to be seen). The keeper shouldn't feature much. Willis is an upgrade on Dunne (hopefully). But then we've lost Cattermole who was one of our best players and Morgan who gave us a different option out wide. Good point about O'Nien though, he might do well in the middle, seems to get in the right place quite often.

Still don't think we've done anywhere near enough to go from a side that was on course for a 76 point season from January onwards (crucially when we lost Maja) to one we can be confident of winning the league. Hope I'm wrong though, and I'm glad your post have a more optimistic look at it! Couple more (good) additions and hopefully we'll be fine

This is a fair post. I'm personally not sure we've done enough to get a team we are confident enough of bettering our position last season. It remains to be seen.
 
Fair point I suppose, good way of looking at it and I'm certainly not opposed to looking at things from a glass half full perspective!

I was just thinking of McLaughlin being a replacement for Matthews (less pedigree but hopefully more commitment and available more, so a possible step up but obviously remains to be seen). The keeper shouldn't feature much. Willis is an upgrade on Dunne (hopefully). But then we've lost Cattermole who was one of our best players and Morgan who gave us a different option out wide. Good point about O'Nien though, he might do well in the middle, seems to get in the right place quite often.

Still don't think we've done anywhere near enough to go from a side that was on course for a 76 point season from January onwards (crucially when we lost Maja) to one we can be confident of winning the league. Hope I'm wrong though, and I'm glad your post have a more optimistic look at it! Couple more (good) additions and hopefully we'll be fine
Morgan was poor
 
When Donald said about needing 6-8 I seriously doubt he meant bringing a lad (who was already ours and who we could have played last season if we thought he'd be good) back from Grimsby, one back from Dundee, and getting a back up keeper that most hope never has to play a single minute. If he did then that, on top of "Short had a claim to the parachute payments only if I don't pay him" would mean I wouldn't believe another word that comes out of his mouth. I think most took it, and would assume it, to mean 6-8 in who are improvements on what we had, given we're meant to be targeting winning the league. Central defender aside it's arguable whether we've improved a single position yet this summer



If it's wages rather than transfer fees that's the issue, does that mean if they can shift Oviedo they might actually get the chequebook out and buy Maddison, who seems to be an absolute no brainer in terms of getting a creative player who might actually help to get our £3m striker a few chances? Hope so, but have a funny feeling Oviedo will leave, we'll get some knacker left back on a free to compete with Hume and be told "one in one out"
if he and robson were on loan we werent payinf all treir wages..now we are..and embleton doubtless got a pay rise
 
if he and robson were on loan we werent payinf all treir wages..now we are..and embleton doubtless got a pay rise

You're talking about relative pennies. Embleton, Robson & Sammut shouldn't count towards the 6. Especially when they're quoted as saying Sammut is for the 23s & the other 2 were available to the manager last year.
 
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