Transfer Window - Success or Failure

[roversfan99]

Thought I'd start a new thread away from the mayhem of the other one for people to judge the overall success or failure of the transfer window, and to give a rating out of 10.

The first priority was to keep all of our main players, we did that so fair play. Another key bit of business was the permanent deal of Armstrong, very pleased by that.

Kasey Palmer is a clever loan, a good use of a loan, albeit his best position is the same as Dack. And as Joe Rothwell, a signing that I am a little underwhelmed with, albeit it is a low risk project. Davenport again not a first teamer, more of a project, at the moment, meh.

Now to what we havent done. Needed a target man, proved when Nuttall came on for Graham when he tired. Not got one. Needed a pacy winger, if not 2. Not got that. Need a centre back, and were told we had moved on to other targets on this supposed list. Nowhere to be seen. Also potentially need a better central midfielder and a keeper. 

The worst aspect of it has been the blatant lack of a strategy for me, a plan, and the way we have conducted ourselves. Mowbray constantly bleated on about A, B, C and D lists and having money and it all seemed to be following a strategy. Waiting for better quality. Sadly, ending with nothing despite 2 massive bids within the last 24 hours that were never more than either token gestures or panic buys, does not suggest a plan was in place.

People can bang on about the loan market, even loan with obligation to buys are ones that could have been done properly before today if we had any sort of plan. Not convinced that money was there with the token bids at the end but thats a seperate issue. 

I think we need a target man, a winger and a centre back in on loan, that would leave us with 4 loans which contrasts with Mowbrays comments that you cant build a club on loans, 1 or 2 for a bit of extra quality yes, if they are obligations to buy, then they are just deals that could have been done earlier without missing games with a bit of organisation.

For all the respect that I have for him, Mowbray has not had a good transfer window at all. 3 out of 10.

(and please, saying stop being negative is not a valid argument, if people are happy then fine but please add constructive debate)

[tomphil]

Non out, one big one in plus the usual adding numbers to midfield which seems the Rovers championship way.  The loan window will put a more interesting slant on our ambitions this season.

6/10 ... so far..

[Athlete]

Very poor transfer window 

[G Somerset Rover]

Bringing in somebody only on loan, no matter who it may be, as our only alternative to Graham is a huge rollock up in my opinion. We are goosed should he get injured, and already are from the 65th minute onwards every week. And before anyone says it, Nuttall and Samuel are not viable alternatives and neither is 5’7 Armstrong.

Edited August 9, 2018 by Gavlar Somerset Rover!

[philipl]

I broadly disagree.

In the current market, nobody knows what "value" is, especially in the Championship where 20 clubs dream of Premier League riches, perhaps half a dozen seriously gamble multi-millions to get there and only three (not necessarily the gamblers) get there. 

The much vaunted parachute payments are in reality balloons thrown to drowning 20 stone men- their wage bills are so inflated relative to their newly dramatically poorer situations.

And there is the trap of FFP waiting to gobble up with fines and transfer bans.

Rovers last season were stronger than the squad that got relegated by two miserable goal difference. We have better than replaced the outgoing loanees with permanent signings in my opinion.

If we are then to kick on, we have to do so with significantly better players which means cheeky bids at the end of the window having worked the rest of the window showing we are poorer than the proverbial church mouse. 

This build up to the grand finale worked with the three we signed on permanent deals (would we have got Armstrong for £1.75m if Newcastle thought we had £7m available???).

The problem was too many other clubs in similar positions playing similar games and not enough clubs financially distressed for a cheeky offer to work on. So McGinn, Freeman and Brereton were all excellent players to move for but the circumstances of the game as a whole resulted in us finishing empty handed when it came to making a quantum leap forward in quality players. 

The challenge we now have before 31 August is that every club in the Championship will be looking to do similar loan to buy deals as we will be. I do expect we will fill the numeric squad gaps but we will be lucky to land players who could turn us from bottom half to top half.

 

 

 

 

[Tom]

So far the squad we had for the Oxford game is marginally weaker than the one we have now, I don’t know much about Rothwell but Payne seemed to be higher thought of by Oxford fans at the time, Davenport could turn into a real player but unknown at this point, Palmer replaces Antonsson and Chapman and Armstrong is still Armstrong.

A striker and two pacey wingers were the obvious need, Armstrong is one but we are massively short in that area and up front, last season Graham looked ok but tiring against league one defenders in no way can we go through the season with him as the main man.

People say we now look to the loan window but so do many other teams we should have had that striker in before last Saturday.

A C for me so far.

Chapman and Gallagher or better with permanent clauses built in and that becomes a B+

[DeeCee]

Transfer window: Flattered to deceive.

 

[pick32]

Massive failure no stronger than last season

[rovers11]

The transfer window isn’t closed for championship clubs.

Window to be judged at the end of August. So far, I’d say a poor window with nowhere near enough quality in. Have a feeling that may change come the end of the month.

[Baz]

Failure to bring in proven players at this level could really cost us.

Dangerously under-resourced at GK, CH and C.F.

A couple of injuries and we will be incapable of keeping clean sheets, and scoring will be an issue.

 

Hope it's addressed quickly in the loan market.

[Tom]

One thing is for sure it hasn’t gone to Tony’s (or Chaddys not that he’d admit it) plan 

 

Early in the window the plan was to get people in before Austria - didn’t happen 

Then bring in 6-7 with most of them being perms with the odd loan later to supplement the squad 

Then 3-4 more after Armstrong mainly buys 

 

I think somebody got it wrong this summer, with the amount of cash offered today we could have got Edwards and Marriott and more and would be in a better position.

Ipswich and Wigan seem to be clubs looking down but have done well in the market and will fancy themselves to do ok now.

We now have to do well in the loan window but today was all too predictable 

The odd thing is if we brought in Armstrong today then things might seem cheerier but after the agent Benno stuff and talk from the club of a busy time then absolute radio silence today it’s a little flat

Edited August 9, 2018 by Tom

[Bbrovers2288]

For me- horrific 

[JHRover]

5/10 maximum. Points awarded for retaining Lenihan, Dack, Graham and bringing back Armstrong.

To be honest my expectations were eclipsed when we paid a 7 figure sum for Armstrong, that's more than I expected them to ever pay. 

Critically short in several areas and very little depth. 2 or even 3 of our signings unproven in the Championship. 

[SBlue]

“Like it or lump it, the reality is that you have until August 31. I know permanent signings are until August 9 but we can all do loan signings that will become permanent signings, whatever it might be.”

TM - last week

Edited August 9, 2018 by S8 & Blue

[Bepeja43]

TM talked of building slowly towards the goal of promotion.. How slowly?.. At this rate it'll be 5-10 years!

[imy9]

Currently very disappointed.

I am willing to wait until August 31st and to be fair Tony may turn this round...but...we were told to expect 4-5 players and right now we have none of them.

So a 6/10 for me.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

Neither happy or disappointed as it is pretty much what was expected. The main positive is we didn't sign Jason Lowe.

[roversfan99]

16 minutes ago, Tom said:

One thing is for sure it hasn’t gone to Tony’s (or Chaddys not that he’d admit it) plan 

 

Early in the window the plan was to get people in before Austria - didn’t happen 

Then bring in 6-7 with most of them being perms with the odd loan later to supplement the squad 

Then 3-4 more after Armstrong mainly buys 

 

I think somebody got it wrong this summer, with the amount of cash offered today we could have got Edwards and Marriott and more and would be in a better position.

Ipswich and Wigan seem to be clubs looking down but have done well in the market and will fancy themselves to do ok now.

We now have to do well in the loan window but today was all too predictable 

The odd thing is if we brought in Armstrong today then things might seem cheerier but after the agent Benno stuff and talk from the club of a busy time then absolute radio silence today it’s a little flat

Thats the main thing for me. Its unprofessional, clumsy, unplanned, bidding 5m for a player in the last hour of the window, does not suggest that Mowbray knew exactly what he wanted.

Mentioned waiting for targets, and different lists, surely all these theoretically good ideas are not borne into practice by making 2 bids in the last 24 hours that eclipse any of the business weve done in the months prior.

[Bepeja43]

4m 5m.. Genuine bids?.. No chance.

[Pedro]

So far, the transfer window ranks as a 5/10 for me. I think there's time to scrape it up to 7/10 with an excellent loan or two.

 

The BRFCS transfer thread itself was a solid 10/10. I have loved reading that this summer and watching the fretting, giddiness and bickering over players who I don't mind admitting, I didn't have a clue who 95% of them linked were but as soon as they signed elsewhere, they became world beaters. RIP transfer thread.

[JBiz]

3 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Thats the main thing for me. Its unprofessional, clumsy, unplanned, bidding 5m for a player in the last hour of the window, does not suggest that Mowbray knew exactly what he wanted.

Mentioned waiting for targets, and different lists, surely all these theoretically good ideas are not borne into practice by making 2 bids in the last 24 hours that eclipse any of the business weve done in the months prior.

Or we’ve just unsettled two good players at our near rivals.

This thread is misleading also. The loan window is still open for championship clubs. 

In terms of overall permenant additions, little underwhelmed but happy we’ve got Armstrong back. I echo those who say 2 loans on top of the prior business would bring us up to speed.

Gallagher and Anthony Pilkington please. 

[SBlue]

2 minutes ago, Bepeja43 said:

4m 5m.. Genuine bids?.. No chance.

You’re a right barrel of laughs aren’t you?

We can only wait and see. 

Think I’ll be speaking for a few when I say this kind of overreaction is childish, unfounded, unneeded, and very, very tiresome.

 

[RevidgeBlue]

Disastrous window for me to date. Imo we needed 2 strikers 2 wingers and a big nasty CB with experience at Championship level. We've brought in one of the five in Armstrong.

Even by the Club's own admission it must go down as a disappointing window. We were told all summer after Rothwell and Davenport came in that we were looking to bring in 4 more, 2 on permanent deals and 2 on loan so by that yardstick we're a player short already. TM also spoke at that point of bringing in some Championship experience and that hasn't happened either.

I'm also really annoyed that we've let Wharton go out on loan and have not replaced him. So we'll probably have to spend money and waste one of our loan slots bringi g in a young CB on loan to errrr......replace the young CB we let go out on Loan. Genius!

There are four players we need to cryogenically freeze and wrap in cotton wool and hope they stay injury free this season, Lenihan, Mulgrew, Dack and Graham. Injuries to any of those players for any length of time and we'll be goosed.

Maybe we can salvage the situation slightly in the loan window. Let's hope so.

 

[roverandout]

3/10 didnt expect anything else with scummy owners

[Bepeja43]

7 minutes ago, S8 & Blue said:

You’re a right barrel of laughs aren’t you?

We can only wait and see. 

Think I’ll be speaking for a few when I say this kind of overreaction is childish, unfounded, unneeded, and very, very tiresome.

 

It's no laughing matter..