January Signings

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Our form and position in the league are likely to dictate the targets when January arrives.

If we have been able to retain a top 6 position by the end of December, then I would think Tufty will be more likely to look at a couple of loans, unless he can identify permanent transfers who are capable of playing in the league above. That's not easy in January .......

If he decides to offer Coutts & Freeman new contracts then he probably needs to look at a tough box-to -box CM to replace Basham and a CH if we can't prise EEL away from Wolves or if he doesn't think EEL can make the step up.

Additionally, a striker with pace and a good scoring record is needed as Done may have good work-rate but he's not scoring and Billy isn't getting any younger.

The interesting question will be whether there will be any financial backing for Tufty in January, or will we do what we usually do and hope for the best with what we already have despite our obvious lack of quality in depth in the current squad. That could prove very costly indeed if we pick up injuries, suspensions and loss of form.

I do like the 3-5-2 formation that we're playing as I like to see 2 strikers on the pitch but personally ..... I'm still not convinced by Freeman as he gets drawn out of position defensively, although his forward play is quite good. Left wing-back is also work-in progress as Lafferty shows some good flashes but Hussy doesn't look to me like he could play in the Championship.

I would love to be pleasantly surprised in January, if we show a bit of common sense and ambition ....... but we're talking about the Blades now ...... :rolleyes:

UTB & FTP
 

PokerBlade said:
It largely depends on who's available and currently on our radar. I'd like to think that if we identify a target that would improve the first team that we're better equipped to secure them than most of our rivals. If we're up in the top two spots, where we want to be, we might have to accept that the quality of player we'd be looking at may not even be available at the right price.

Fans, me included, love to see a quality transfer, but I'd hate to see us do a Clough and make a bunch of poor ones for no reason.
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Don't think there's a chance of that happening Poker. Look at the difference between Wilder and Clough. When Wilder assembled this squad he wouldn't allow himself to be pulled through the ringer and pay prices that were unrealistic, and the result of this policy is that here we are, talking about promotion! A wise and smart approach to the business of changing the philosophy that this club has bought into, one that has been exposed as damaging and unlikely to deliver the results we'd all like to see. Now we have a canny mindset, one capable of delivering far more than a few hollow speeches aimed at pacifying the Blades' fan-base. To repeat a phrase that is beginning to resonate throughout this season's journey, let's have faith in Wilder. So far so good, no complaints from this Blade.
 
A new backup GK would be nice, but I would have thought there would be more choice at the end of the season when there's players out of contract, as I can't see us paying a fee.

An additional RB is a must when Reece Brown leaves. Someone with the potential to play in the Championship to contest with Freeman.

A CM who can assert themselves physically, and challenge Coutts, Fleck and Basham for a place, possibly a young player. (Ben Whiteman could fill this role, depending on his progress.)

An AM in the Duffy mould, who can ideally play wide in a system that uses wingers (should we need to change tactics/formation at any point) with a bit of pace and flair to unlock games. (Again, this role could be filled by D. Brooks should he progress further.)
 
Wilder needs to decide if we're building the rest of the season on the 3-5-2. That could dictate our activity to an extent. I'm happy to go along with what he thinks is required, he's already earned that trust. Unlike previous managers, he can see everything we see and more.

One thing is certain, we do have to strengthen - even if things are going really well. It's what forward thinking clubs do in that situation. You've always got to try and improve. Wigan last season are a good recent L1 example - in reality they could've cruised to promotion with what they already had, but they strengthened further in January and made sure of it.

If we are in a good position though, we should try and avoid signing players who'll only do a job in L1. That would possibly require a bit more being spent but if the board couldn't commit in that situation then they never will.

There are a few areas we should consider, and the priorities will become clearer the closer to January we get.

Goalkeeper - experienced, cheap back up would be helpful but is not a necessity.

Centre half - Signing Ebanks-Landell permanently should be a priority. He ticks every box - age, athleticism, ability, mentality. He will be a considerably better player at the end of this season - centre halves seem to develop a lot at his age given regular football. He will be good enough for the Championship in the future. January is the right time to sign him - before his value increases, before anything changes at Wolves. We'd be giving ourselves a great platform for the future with him and O'Connell.
Then there's a decision to be made on whether to try and improve on Jake Wright. Especially as two suitable replacements we were previously interested in will possibly be more available than they were before - Craig Morgan and Byron Webster, especially Webster if Millwall carry on struggling. There are question marks about their ability to play at Championship level though. A lot of this depends on whether Wright maintains his form.

Wide areas - we need a bit more going forward. Some pace, an outlet, a genuine threat. If we're sticking with 3-5-2 as is most likely it'll have to be somebody who can play wing back. And if we do sign someone for this position, it's someone to be first choice, not cover. If we're playing a formation fairly regularly that accommodates an out and out winger then I'd like to see one signed. But given the probability of playing 3-5-2 more often than not, this winger should be someone who can also play behind the front two and possibly as a striker.

Central midfield - due to unforeseen events, we're not as desperate as we looked, in fact quite the opposite. Coutts has improved and made himself an automatic pick. Duffy has ended up playing centrally. Even Basham is a surprise to an extent, he's been more consistent. I do think there's still a vacancy for a strong defensive midfielder but what we do recruitment wise in this area largely depends on what happens between now and January. I'm not concerned about signing cover for Duffy, because we already have Scougall, Chapman and potentially Brooks but in the event of Duffy being injured what we'd probably do first is reshuffle things a bit and put Basham in midfield and push Fleck a bit further forward.

Forwards - we are well stocked in this area as long as Clarvery stay fit, but I would like something extra. Someone who can create for themselves and make things happen. If circumstances arise where we can sign someone better than what we've got, we have to take it. Goals win games, and a top quality striker would secure promotion. I'm obviously thinking about Ched Evans. I hope it can happen. All things considered I think it should be able to happen. Others I'd consider include Omar Bogle and Jon Obika.

So recruitment priorities for me are probably...

1) Sign EEL permanently
2) Wide outlet
3) Striker with something extra
4) Centre half improvement on Wright
5) Strong defensive midfielder
6) Experienced back up goalkeeper


While I'm at it I might as well talk about departures.

If someone will pay for Brayford, get rid.

Recall McNulty and sell him before his contract ends - to someone other than Bradford. The least we should do is loan him somewhere else. Can't be taking silly risks with a possible promotion rival. If for whatever reason we might need him, then we can keep him.

Long can go, especially if we sign another keeper. Someone should offer us something half decent for him.

Kieran Wallace should be sold if possible.

Reed needs to go out on loan ASAP.

Ramsdale can possibly go on loan if we sign another keeper.


None of the above are players we can't afford to lose. We won't sell anyone we can't afford to lose. We barely have anyone left to sell. The most likely ones have only recently joined us, and it's very unlikely that anyone will offer something we can't refuse based on performances up until January, and it's unlikely any of them will be bothered about leaving. We're not under any pressure to sell due to the previous sales of Adams and, unfortunately, DCL. This is why it should be a window where we only get stronger. It's quite a big reason to be confident for the season.


Got some length on that didn't I? Watch out Deadbat.
 
players i would personally go for
Bradley Dack - good attacking midfielder can play in the hole as cover for duffy
Matty Taylor/Lee Gregory - either one of them gives us more cover up top both are 2 technically gifted strikers
Craig Morgan - we don't seem to have any proper cover for Jake Wright in the middle of the defense
 
It will be interesting to see what CW does in Jan....things are going well at the moment but for me there are potential problems throughout the squad....no least between the sticks where Moore has been very good but back up is on the face of things an untested Ramsdale.....Long has got to be told he either fights for his place and puts pressure on Moore or he is shipped out and we get an experienced head in to cover.

We are weak at full/wing back, Freeman has had a good season but let's not forget he was, (maybe still is?) on the transfer list and there's no definitive back-up...Lafferty looks ok but if he is injured/suspended the thought of Hussey having a run of games is terrifying.

I'm quite happy at Centre half with Wright, EEL, O'Connell and Wilson...I can see CW giving Brown a deal until the end of the season as extra cover.

Happy with Bash, Fleck & Coutts in midfield but cover for Duffy would be useful.

Up front is a concern for me....if we are to maintain a strong promotion push we need 2 or 3 strikers scoring lots of goals.....in 14 games we have scored 24 goals which at the same rate will see us score circa 75 over the season now only Wigan scored more than that last year so we are well on track.....however....although Billy has scored 9, Doney has only scored 2, less than EEL and the same as Bash......at that rate Billy will hit 28 which is perfect but Doney only 6 which isn't anywhere near good enough.....don't get me wrong I love Done's work-rate but we need someone who can match Billy's output....Lavery may be the answer, as may Clarke but if neither are starting and scoring come January I don't think we can leave this to chance and I would definitely bring someone in......
 
I agree with a lot of what Ricky says [I might have agreed with all of it had I the endurance to get to the end.... :)]

Goalkeeper (proper back-up for SM).

Centre-Back - to improve on the excellent Jake Wright [I know, but life and football are cruel]. Webster or similar - a formidable kingpin with EEL on one side and JOC on the other. Quite a threesome that would be!

Goalscorer to replace Done (see Jake Wright, above). Matt Taylor.

Wide player with pace and guile - Don't ask me.....
 
loyalblade95 said:
players i would personally go for
Bradley Dack - good attacking midfielder can play in the hole as cover for duffy
Matty Taylor/Lee Gregory - either one of them gives us more cover up top both are 2 technically gifted strikers
Craig Morgan - we don't seem to have any proper cover for Jake Wright in the middle of the defense
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The players you name are simply not going to come in as 'cover'. They would all be certain starters and rightly expect to be such. We have a good team at the moment but if you don't look for constant improvement, you risk going backwards.

I suspect we will be in the top two and quite an attractive prospect by January. That gives us a real chance to pick up players who want to advance and improve with us. That means making room though, not pretending they are "cover".

I'm not sure Dack could play Tuftyball without shedding some Dackfat.
 
I agree it will be interesting regards what happens in the JTW.

I suspect very little, the board will be thinking "if it ain't broken then why try to fix it"
the main focus will be making the EEL deal permanent but it wouldn't surprise me if that's put on hold until the Summer because we can't commit to his big wage demands/ fee wanted by Wolves.

However there are dangers if you settle with what you have and rest on your laurels.
A club should always be trying to improve, even if we sit top of the league at Xmas.

The club can't afford to risk too much and gamble everything on promotion.

So the height of our ambition will be to bring in top rated loanees who can't get a game in the PL or Championship.
They will join with a view to joining us permanently at the end of the season if we attain promotion.
 
itsinyerblood said:
Don't think there's a chance of that happening Poker. Look at the difference between Wilder and Clough. When Wilder assembled this squad he wouldn't allow himself to be pulled through the ringer and pay prices that were unrealistic, and the result of this policy is that here we are, talking about promotion! A wise and smart approach to the business of changing the philosophy that this club has bought into, one that has been exposed as damaging and unlikely to deliver the results we'd all like to see. Now we have a canny mindset, one capable of delivering far more than a few hollow speeches aimed at pacifying the Blades' fan-base. To repeat a phrase that is beginning to resonate throughout this season's journey, let's have faith in Wilder. So far so good, no complaints from this Blade.
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I agree. I guess what I'm thinking is that, if we keep up the good work we've seen of late, this would be the first transfer window in a long time (maybe ever?) that I wouldn't mind us not making a major addition. We already have a few players in the squad that are waiting for an opportunity and aside from possibly some backup for Freeman I think we've got every spot covered.
 
PokerBlade said:
I agree. I guess what I'm thinking is that, if we keep up the good work we've seen of late, this would be the first transfer window in a long time (maybe ever?) that I wouldn't mind us not making a major addition. We already have a few players in the squad that are waiting for an opportunity and aside from possibly some backup for Freeman I think we've got every spot covered.
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Completely agree with that. Quite possibly EEL will be a main topic of conversation, but failing that someone to take his place. I'd hope that if we're in the top 3-4 that we'd be an attractive draw to a player wanting to better himself, so maybe a loan from a Championship or Prem club, but to repeat, my faith in Wilder to do the best by this club continues. Agree about Freeman, his learning curve is ongoing but the potential is there if he's willing to apply himself.
 
We need a 20 goal striker, the one we've got doesn't play like Thierry Henry every week.

I'm just joking, calm down.
 

Ldn_Rd_Blades said:
We need a 20 goal striker,.
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Chesterfield have one of those, might be going cheap too.

I get the impression with Wilder during negotiations if a player is umming and arhring about getting an extra £1K out of the club, he sees that as a slight on their character and moves on to targets that are keener to join and less mercenary.

Actually does Wilder have much say in negotiations? But you know what I mean.
We want players that genuinely want to come to this club and not players that are only interested in money. Ie Kevin McDonald.
 
itsinyerblood said:
Completely agree with that. Quite possibly EEL will be a main topic of conversation, but failing that someone to take his place. I'd hope that if we're in the top 3-4 that we'd be an attractive draw to a player wanting to better himself, so maybe a loan from a Championship or Prem club, but to repeat, my faith in Wilder to do the best by this club continues. Agree about Freeman, his learning curve is ongoing but the potential is there if he's willing to apply himself.
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EEL would be a decent one to lock up now if possible. I know Wolves' fans had mixed views but a good mate of mine who follows them really rates him and said he's a Championship player back when we brought him in. Really depends on whether he's in our price range right now. If we're where we want to be next season then his price will go up, no doubt, but I'd expect our budget would more than improve to accommodate it.
 
I still think we may need a wee bit more pace, a proper midfield hardman, and possibly an attacking centre midfield option (which I'm not sure we quite have, despite Duffy drifting into the middle off and on). We obvs will get some injuries at some point, and we need to be ready for that.
 
coolhandluke said:
I have to say that the approach you outline is the one I'd favour too . It's one based upon cautious optimism and consolidation . Could a couple more loan signings be enough ?

Either way , the JTW could prove very interesting indeed . It's also going to prove extremely contentious no matter what we do :rolleyes:
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I'm with CHL on this. If we strengthen by purchasing in the JTW we need to buy players that will be good enough in the Championship. I'd rather loan what we(might) need and save funds for purchase for when we will need to invest heavily in new players. If we're top 2 or close we should be able to attract loanees of sufficient quality to help complete this seasons objective.
 
seanbeenstattoo said:
I'm with CHL on this. If we strengthen by purchasing in the JTW we need to buy players that will be good enough in the Championship. I'd rather loan what we(might) need and save funds for purchase for when we will need to invest heavily in new players. If we're top 2 or close we should be able to attract loanees of sufficient quality to help complete this seasons objective.
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Agree. There are three problems with signing players good enough to play in the championship, if you can attract them in the first place:
Their wages will be high. If we don't go up, it will because some of these signings haven't worked out. Next season we'll be stuck with a bloated squad with some shit wage stealers.

They'll expect to be first team regulars. That could affect team spirit.

CW is unlikely to play 352 in the Championship if we do go up. We won't have good enough players. That's what happened to Cotterill at Bristol City.

Throwing money at it doesn't guarantee promotion, we know this, and one of our biggest assets is team spirit. CW won't want to risk damaging that by bringing in any flash twats who think they're too good for L1. There won't be many players around that we can afford, will add to us and will fit into CW's ethos.
 
our problem in the JTW will be beating off bids for performing players
Bradford fans were purring over Sharp
we might need 1 or 2 to bolster the squad

Might bring back Brayford if hes found form we have some nice options for a change
 
I'd move 6 or 7 on and bring in fresh. Can't afford to let things get stale. Act, don't react.
 
If we're going like this by January I would mess with the squad. It's well balanced and there's a good team spirit. Unless a guaranteed difference maker with the right personality becomes available then leave it alone.
 
Leonardo Green said:
I'd move 6 or 7 on and bring in fresh. Can't afford to let things get stale. Act, don't react.
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Other than a catchy phrase, what does that actually mean?

I think it would be very dangerous to mess too much with a successful squad, certainly not wholesale changes.
 
I trust tufty he won't let us down ithink hes Jesus Christ or a very naughty boy .
 
Few thoughts and we must be thinking championship (but with common sense)

Retain motivation - Any wages must be dependent on going up. No more Hammonds and Woolfords playing for nothing.

Team spirit - we've got rid of the tossers, turned round some who were going nowhere or who didn't want to graft out of this Division. Any moves should be (and will be with Chris) not at the detriment of team spirit or Wilder ethos.

Future plans - Have we any youth who are actually capable of coming through? Bringing them into a successful team will help future confidence. Some of the young ones Adkins blooded will be well scarred by last seasons nonsense.

Chance to get rid - now we've shown the ethos, style and attitude that is wanted from United then a further clear out can only assist wherever we are next year. Clear those who won't feature regardless in advance of the Summer rebuild year 2.

Core roles - no more million quid full backs. Spend on the spine if at all.

So, Championship level, decent attitude, only capable of improving both the team, add to team ethos and within sensible spending parameters. Not easy...
 

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