Transfer window summary

[John Street West Terrace]

Our midfield is lacking quality ? Really ? Depth I get, we are a little light now in terms of numbers, but our starting midfield right now is as good as it's been for at least a decade and maybe more ( I'm of the opinion it's at least as good as any other I've seen at the Lane )

For me this window is definitely B+ . Wilders strengthened the spine of the team with Hendo, Egan and Norwood . With a proven marksman I'd have rated this window A* . Sadly we've missed out there but Washington is a definite improvement up front overall .

With Woodburn, Johnson and Bryan all waiting in the wings to show what they can do ( and I sincerely believe 2 of those will impress ) I'm quite happy .

With funds still available for the JTW, Coutts on his way back and the way we're starting to play, the futures exciting !

As I said in the post CHL the starting midfield is very good & we’ve all seen what a massive difference Norwood made , its if he’s out through injury / suspension & depends on how Coutts comes back ( hopefully the same player ) . Johnson/ Woodburn aren’t holding holding midfielders and Lundstram isn’t in the same class .
Washington looked good at Peterborough but hasn’t been owt special at QPR , but who knows maybe Wilder will get the best out of him ? Certainly hope so , but a proven striker at this level would have helped
Would have liked to have seen some competition for LWB to as Stevens whose form is good at mo is temperamental & I still think lacking defensively
I agree mate that the squad is better than 12 months ago not doubting that at all & with all the shit going on at board level that Wilder might have had limited funds so you can only shop with spending money your given , yeh any additions help & agree futures exciting also

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Addendum to above , yeh Bryan for compensation to Stevens but haven’t seen him yet so I’ll reserve judgment

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Addendum to above , yeh Bryan for compensation to Stevens but haven’t seen him yet so I’ll reserve judgment

 

[Ricky]

Henderson - 9/10
Egan - 7/10
Bryan - 7/10
Johnson - 6/10
Norwood - 9/10
Woodburn - 6/10
McGoldrick - 7/10
Washington - 7/10

What's missing? A quality striker and a permanent Brooks replacement.

Biggest disappointment? Selling Brooks before July for a fee that already looks pitiful. Then not reinvesting enough of that fee.

Biggest miss? Adam Armstrong for £1.75m. Would have given us something different, been a good investment and part Brooks replacement.

Short term rating - 7/10
Long term rating - 6/10
Overall rating - 6.5/10 ....... or C+

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

I think it’s been a good window. Strengthened everywhere we needed to and still have a good wedge in the kitty for January. Sorted the goalkeeper situation, paid good money for a centre back, strengthened the left side, upgraded an already strong midfield, signed two strikers.

Have to be happy. I think he will add to it in a January as well. Probably another striker.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Henderson - 9/10
Egan - 7/10
Bryan - 7/10
Johnson - 6/10
Norwood - 9/10
Woodburn - 6/10
McGoldrick - 7/10
Washington - 7/10

What's missing? A quality striker and a permanent Brooks replacement.

Biggest disappointment? Selling Brooks before July for a fee that already looks pitiful. Then not reinvesting enough of that fee.

Biggest miss? Adam Armstrong for £1.75m. Would have given us something different, been a good investment and part Brooks replacement.

Short term rating - 7/10
Long term rating - 6/10
Overall rating - 6.5/10 ....... or C+

Nice summary but a few points I would pick you up on:-

1. We haven’t seen Johnson, Bryan or Washington play yet.

2. Reinvesting in a striker and a Brooks replacement is not easy in this market and I’m glad Wilder hasn’t rushed to spend the money. Get the right players, even if it means waiting until January. We have enough to keep ticking over until then.

3. Adam Armstrong has proved to be distinctly ordinary at this level. I don’t know why some were so desperate for us to sign him.

 

[super_pig]

Henderson - 9/10
Egan - 7/10
Bryan - 7/10
Johnson - 6/10
Norwood - 9/10
Woodburn - 6/10
McGoldrick - 7/10
Washington - 7/10

What's missing? A quality striker and a permanent Brooks replacement.

Biggest disappointment? Selling Brooks before July for a fee that already looks pitiful. Then not reinvesting enough of that fee.

Biggest miss? Adam Armstrong for £1.75m. Would have given us something different, been a good investment and part Brooks replacement.

Short term rating - 7/10
Long term rating - 6/10
Overall rating - 6.5/10 ....... or C+

heh .. prediction .. Woodburn will turn out to be the best of them all .. legend status by 5/19
this lad is the real deal

 

[5tannington Blade]

Shame about Leonard as we never really saw him as fans after so much hype. Have to trust wilder who see’s him everyday in training.

I think if we hadn’t signed Norwood we would all be deflated but I did not think we would get such a good upgrade in this position. I’d take his signing and not having to watch Lee Evans pass it sideways all season over buying a marquee inflated striker upfront.

 

[Eric Cartman]

In old school grade terms it’s a C. I struggle to make it better than that but I would be being overly negative to give it any worse. There’s different ratings for short and long term but overall I’d say it’s a C.

We are better than we were as a squad at the beginning, middle and end of last season - and that’s the aim of a transfer window.
Our defence can’t be any weaker as we’ve lost our cover RCB/utility man and signed Brentford’s captain. We’ve replaced Blackman with someone who is just as good as he was when he left and will only get better the longer he’s here. JOC is still here And hopefully Johnson pushes Stevens on the way the two on the right push each other on.

Midfield is stronger and weaker in its two areas. The deeper midfield area is undoubtedly stronger but we are limited in options and we have lost some depth and our real ‘other option’ in there by selling Leonard.
But we’ve got a bargain in Oli Norwood. The midfield 3 of Norwood/Fleck/Duffy is as good as anyone in the division and that’s our strongest area.
We are imo weaker in front of the two sitters for selling Brooks and replacing him with Woodburn. Yes Duffy is still here and still magic but he’s not a 90min 2 games a week player, so Woodburn is going to get a lot of football - and he needs to learn a lot. We’ll all be patient but he needs to learn that role inside out and quickly, he’s learning from someone who does it best.

Upfront. Meh. We’ve not got that quality proven striker we were aiming for and it’s defined our window really. We’ve ended up with QPR’s reserve striker and one that Ipswich released. It’s hard to dress it up in any other way.
They’ve got a clean slate here so we’ll see how they do but when we were linked with some much more impressive names it’s disappointing and will see us miss out on the play offs.

What is really a negative, this time next season we will or might have to replace half of the signings we’ve made, 2 of which are down the spine of the team. In the case of Henderson and Woodburn we will. Washington and McGoldrick we might. We haven’t really bought anyone ‘for the future’ and that’s where I like to see the punts on lower league players. Maybe Bryan is one, but we could have done with one in attacking areas as that front 3 are all getting no younger.

 

[Chali 2na]

The most important thing this transfer window (and subsequent ones) are that we kept hold on Fleck and O'Connell. We have also marginally improved the team at a glance.

The most disappointing thing is the loss of Brooks without a permanent replacement, as Ricky mentioned.
Our problems over the years haven't been down to selling players (Blackman, Maguire, Murphy), as all clubs have to sell players - the issue is not adequately replacing them (Forte, McGahey, Woolford)

 

[Stretch]

The most important thing this transfer window (and subsequent ones) are that we kept hold on Fleck and O'Connell. We have also marginally improved the team at a glance.

The most disappointing thing is the loss of Brooks without a permanent replacement, as Ricky mentioned.
Our problems over the years haven't been down to selling players (Blackman, Maguire, Murphy), as all clubs have to sell players - the issue is not adequately replacing them (Forte, McGahey, Woolford)

A lot may hinge this season on how Woodburn turns out. IF he can be that spark that we had in Brooks then we have, in the short term at least, compensated for letting him go to Bournemouth. Still early days of course but I must admit that my gut is telling me he won't quite cut it here, not sure why. He won't flop to James Wilson proportions but he won't excel either.

Hope I am wrong though.

 

[Revolution]

Woodburn could be yet turn out to be phenomenal. Or he might not start another game and be gone by Xmas.

We’ll know how the window went in 6 months time....

Quite. It's very difficult to rate a transfer window the day after it closes. After what happened in January that should be obvious!

 

[Chali 2na]

A lot may hinge this season on how Woodburn turns out. IF he can be that spark that we had in Brooks then we have, in the short term at least, compensated for letting him go to Bournemouth. Still early days of course but I must admit that my gut is saying he won't quite cut it here, not sure why. Hope I am wrong though.

Even if Woodburn turns out to be a world beater, we will only benifit until he returns to Liverpool - he's not our player.

Based on Brooks impact at Bournemouth, last year was his breakout season, and this year will be where he really demonstrates his ability- it's a pity he isn't doing that with us. Woodburn on the other hand will be an simalar position to Brooks last year; occasionally making an impact. He'll probably find his feet with us and kick on and become a world beater at Villa next year.

My point being, that if we're going to nurture a player, and put up with the inevitable inconsistency that comes with young players, then I wish it was our own.

 

[Stretch]

Even if Woodburn turns out to be a world beater, we will only benifit until he returns to Liverpool - he's not our player.

Based on Brooks impact at Bournemouth, last year was his breakout season, and this year will be where he really demonstrates his ability- it's a pity he isn't doing that with us. Woodburn on the other hand will be an simalar position to Brooks last year; occasionally making an impact. He'll probably find his feet with us and kick on and become a world beater at Villa next year.

My point being, that if we're going to nurture a player, and put up with the inevitable inconsistency that comes with young players, then I wish it was our own.

Completely agree. At best I think we can hope for a few flashes of brilliance from Woodburn, as we got from Brooks last season [Pigs and Leeds away for instance] but I am not even sure we will see that, although as I say it is early days for the lad.
And yes, the biggest frustration about Brooks is not seeing him truly flourish over a full season, which I think he would have done with us. I reckon he will be a bit part player for Bournemouth as he settles in. Feels like a real missed opportunity for us, but of course none of us truly know how important it was to take the money offered.

 

[ucandomagic]

With regard to OP - yes Leon is our only big upfront option but we don’t play that way. When we operate well our hold-up man receives it to chest, facing back and lays it off - see Billy in pass-pass-pass goal. We do miss Leon’s height for defending corners when he isn’t there though.

Hogan was and is our best option up front, but his injury situation and wages were too big a gamble. Washington has the possibility of being another free masterpiece - or at worst no loss. We have the freedom and funds saved to go for a fit Hogan in JTW if he has sorted his body and if Washington is not enough.

With regard to Duffy cover - when Coutts is back and firing midfield will be Coutts, Norwood and Fleck - so Duffer himself will be option and cover. The Irn Bru wizard is something else in more advanced positions.

For me this window is A- but A+ taking account of resource availability. We are stronger in all positions - we have made profits on low-cost punts that didn’t quite work out and we have kept some funds in the kitty for JTW options. Personally, I am gobsmacked that we have got Norwood - having Norwood Fleck and Coutts with our budget speaks volumes for the value of football knowledge over cheque-book strategy.

This club is building a team and building a future - not buying the present.

Magic Times Once More

 

[Chali 2na]

Completely agree. At best I think we can hope for a few flashes of brilliance from Woodburn, as we got from Brooks last season [Pigs and Leeds away for instance] but I am not even sure we will see that, although as I say it is early days for the lad.
And yes, the biggest frustration about Brooks is not seeing him truly flourish over a full season, which I think he would have done with us. I reckon he will be a bit part player for Bournemouth as he settles in. Feels like a real missed opportunity for us, but of course none of us truly know how important it was to take the money offered.

Its easy for me to say, but unless Brooks was prepared to go on strike, then I would have insisted he stay for one more season.
The reason being that I feel we would have made more money on him, with the added benefit of having him available this season.

I suppose if the only way to balance the side (signing Norwood, Egan and Washington) was to sell Brooks, then I guess we had no choice.

 

[Davalon]

Our problems over the years haven't been down to selling players (Blackman, Maguire, Murphy), as all clubs have to sell players - the issue is not adequately replacing them (Forte, McGahey, Woolford)

This ^^^

Personally I can cope with 11 or 12 million potentially rising to 15 for Brooks if those figures are correct. It's the sales of those for a few hundred grand or a million that have weakened us for such little financial gain.

This time we've spent around 6 on Egan and Norwood, and no doubt increased wages and signing on fees on a few.

That said with the fees for Leonard and Evans, the already agreed budget, the money saved on players leaving, and any surplus from Brooks (I know it's paid in instalments), then I'd hope there's enough left in the kitty for a notable January signing.

 

[Harrisblade]

Amazed that we didn't get a half decent striker in, some good signings but the lack of power up front is going to be costly I fear. QPR rock bottom of the league in a dire situation bring in Hemed & Wells from the premiership and we get QPR's cast off that averaged a goal every 9 games for them. We clearly aren't serious about a promotion push with that intent.

None of the 'half decent strikers' it looked as if we were in for were acceptable to everyone anyway

 

[Chali 2na]

This ^^^

Personally I can cope with 11 or 12 million potentially rising to 15 for Brooks if those figures are correct. It's the sales of those for a few hundred grand or a million that have weakened us for such little financial gain.

This time we've spent around 6 on Egan and Norwood, and no doubt increased wages and signing on fees on a few.

That said with the fees for Leonard and Evans, the already agreed budget, the money saved on players leaving, and any surplus from Brooks (I know it's paid in instalments), then I'd hope there's enough left in the kitty for a notable January signing.

Good points.

I'm not certain of a notable January signing though - I'm not sure if the signings of Washington and Johnson have eaten up the remainder of the budget.

Depending on Johnson being adequate competition for Stevens, I think from now we will struggle to sign players that can go go straight into the first team and improve us with our current budget. (This struggle was demonstrated by our drawn out search for a striker)

For that reason, I think future targets should be on the younger side, with potential to improve. We certainly have an aging forward line and we could use an understudy for players like Duffy and Clarke.

 

[Boxer Blade]

When we signed Woodburn in the summer everybody was delighted, we all new he was only going to be here for a season, we have played what 5 league games and I get the feeling that there is a small doubt creeping in, if we had signed him yesterday at the 11th hour on a loan this forum would be going "what a fantastic window" , "we have done well to get him in,villa wanted him as well" similar to what was said a couple of months ago, could still be the best recruitment we have made after Norwood.off the bench today with the winner would do his confidence a huge boost, fingers crossed

 

[Ricky]

I don't expect a large amount to be available in January. It doesn't matter what anybody tells us. Things change all the time. And we hardly have a history of splashing the cash.

 

[Davalon]

Good points.

I'm not certain of a notable January signing though - I'm not sure if the signings of Washington and Johnson have eaten up the remainder of the budget.

Depending on Johnson being adequate competition for Stevens, I think from now we will struggle to sign players that can go go straight into the first team and improve us with our current budget. (This struggle was demonstrated by our drawn out search for a striker)

For that reason, I think future targets should be on the younger side, with potential to improve. We certainly have an aging forward line and we could use an understudy for players like Duffy and Clarke.

I think that's a good point about being in a position now to struggle to afford guaranteed first teamers, unless of course we offload someone else for big money.

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

Overall I think it’s been more than decent - it’s almost like wilder knows what he’s doing lol.

But, but, but, there are keyboard experts on here who reckon we should be losing our shit! I definitely trust their judgement over Wilder’s. Or Mitchell’s. It’s in the “C” grade range for me, I’m afraid.

 

[Ricky]

But, but, but, there are keyboard experts on here who reckon we should be losing our shit! I definitely trust their judgement over Wilder’s. Or Mitchell’s. It’s in the “C” grade range for me, I’m afraid.

View attachment 43749

Ooooh, snappy contribution. What an Ideal Blade you are.