No one leaving, no one coming in?

[Toronto Blade fan]

I have been back and forth on this matter, but my final thought is this.... I think the owner owes the fans, the team and more importantly Wilder and has to invest in the team this window. I'm not saying the Prince should spend a wad of cash, but at least bring in one or two midfield players. The last game was bordering on embarrassing.

 

[LJBlade]

I'd have played one of the 3 players I listed, with all respect

II get the feeling that anything that's even a hint of disagreement with what Wilder did wouldnt find much favour with you.

IF you think multiple wingback was more important than any midfielders then we fundamentally disagree with what makes a football team work

So you would have left us weak on the right hand side, not to mention if you’d have played Lundstram there we’d have then been a further player down in CM.

Your feeling would be wrong then but it didn’t take long for it to get around to that, did it. I think I’ll leave it there

 

[Toronto Blade fan]

Bringing in a RWB and LWB (Bogle and Lowe) was needed. However, spending 40m on Ramsdale and Brewster was not......
I still think we have a player in Brewster, but he was definitely not required in the current situation we were in.

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

Bringing in a RWB and LWB (Bogle and Lowe) was needed. However, spending 40m on Ramsdale and Brewster was not......
I still think we have a player in Brewster, but he was definitely not required in the current situation we were in.

Brewster will come good I agree, although we probably needed someone like Callum Wilson who would improve us immediately instead of someone that is 2/3 seasons off. Ramsdales price tag annoys me everytime I think about it and we're stuck with him now. No Premiership team will ever want him and we don't have the budget to upgrade, I don't know whos to blame to be honest and it could be Darren Ward more than Wilder

 

[Carlton Blade]

So you would have left us weak on the right hand side, not to mention if you’d have played Lundstram there we’d have then been a further player down in CM.

Your feeling would be wrong then but it didn’t take long for it to get around to that, did it. I think I’ll leave it there

It "got around to that" because I struggle to see how back up RWB could ever be more important than CM in anyone's eyes. Makes no sense

 

[Toronto Blade fan]

It "got around to that" because I struggle to see how back up RWB could ever be more important than CM in anyone's eyes. Makes no sense

Wing backs are an integral/critical part of our system. We definitely needed a back-up in that position. And imo makes perfect sense. To be able to scoop up two young prospects for the rumoured 7m is a no-brainer.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Wing backs are an integral/critical part of our system. We definitely needed a back-up in that position. And imo makes perfect sense. To be able to scoop up two young prospects for the rumoured 7m is a no-brainer.

It only makes sense if the rest of the squad is complete or even competent. But that's not the case

 

[LJBlade]

It "got around to that" because I struggle to see how back up RWB could ever be more important than CM in anyone's eyes. Makes no sense

If we hadn’t got Bogle we would have been unable to field a RWB in the last few games. As it was we were able to field three CM’s.

I’m not saying one is more important than the other, they’re equally important. Decisions needed to be made. Even without signing Bogle we still might not have been able to afford the CM that you wanted as they generally cost more.

But I disagree with you so of course it must be that I won’t allow any criticism of Wilder...

 

[Carlton Blade]

If we hadn’t got Bogle we would have been unable to field a RWB in the last few games. As it was we were able to field three CM’s.

I’m not saying one is more important than the other, they’re equally important. Decisions needed to be made. Even without signing Bogle we still might not have been able to afford the CM that you wanted as they generally cost more.

But I disagree with you so of course it must be that I won’t allow any criticism of Wilder...

Fair enough. I was wrong and we just disagree about positional importance rather than Wilder protectionism. It happens

I just believe we could easily have filled in at RWB for a short time. We are struggling to put a competent midfield on the pitch

 

[LJBlade]

Fair enough. I was wrong and we just disagree about positional importance rather than Wilder protectionism. It happens

I just believe we could easily have filled in at RWB for a short time. We are struggling to put a competent midfield on the pitch

Wilder protectionism? What are you on about? I’m just as open to criticising him as you are. It’s comments like that which makes this forum so fucking shit sometimes.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Wilder protectionism? What are you on about? I’m just as open to criticising him as you are. It’s comments like that which makes this forum so fucking shit sometimes.

I just apologised ffs. I said I was wrong and that we just disagreed on positional importance

 

[LJBlade]

I just apologised ffs. I said I was wrong and that we just disagreed on positional importance

Whilst making a snide comment about “Wilder protectionism”.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Whilst making a snide comment about “Wilder protectionism”.

Not at all snide. It was how I described the people who are refusing to see any fault in Wilder's decisions. Wasn't aimed at anything you'd said or since clarified

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

If we hadn’t got Bogle we would have been unable to field a RWB in the last few games. As it was we were able to field three CM’s.

I’m not saying one is more important than the other, they’re equally important. Decisions needed to be made. Even without signing Bogle we still might not have been able to afford the CM that you wanted as they generally cost more.

But I disagree with you so of course it must be that I won’t allow any criticism of Wilder...

Your argument doesn't even stack up, as saying a reserve RB is as important as a CM is just crazy talk. Especially as the signs were there for all to see that our current CMs were no longer fit for purpose at this level from Christmas last year onwards.

It's like having a leaking roof but going out and buying new internal doors! Yes the doors may look nice, but your house is fucked....

 

[LJBlade]

Your argument doesn't even stack up, as saying a reserve RB is as important as a CM is just crazy talk. Especially as the signs were there for all to see that our current CMs were no longer fit for purpose at this level from Christmas last year onwards.

It's like having a leaking roof but going out and buying new internal doors! Yes the doors may look nice, but your house is fucked....

So who would you have played at RWB then these last few games? What if Baldock had been out for the season?

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

So who would you have played at RWB then these last few games? What if Baldock had been out for the season?

I wouldn't have let Freeman go and/or Basham played there quite well previously.

What I certainly wouldn't have done is spunked c£40m on Brewster and Ramsdale whilst having Norwood and Berge as our only CMs and a disgruntled Lundstram as our only RCM.

That is where my angst lies.

 

[Toronto Blade fan]

Apparently Sam Graham has been recalled from his loan.... LCB?

 

[robbiez666]

Apparently Sam Graham has been recalled from his loan.... LCB?

 

[FriethBlade]

Midfield has been a problem ever since the first lockdown. We knew Lundstram was leaving, we could see Fleck was struggling to regain form and we knew Norwood was slow and weak and was going to get slower and weaker.

So what did we do ? We spunked 50m on 4 kids, 3 of whom had never played in the Premier and the other who we let go for 1m and paid 18 times as much to re sign....and none of them midfielders !

We needed a keeper but could have signed Foster or someone similar for peanuts. Lowe is clearly not up to it and Wilder doesn't think Brewster is because he's on the bench every game. Bogle is the only one who looks half decent.

In the meantime game after game we are over run in midfield whilst creating virtually nothing. Im not saying its easy as I thought Ramsdale was a decent signing at the time but it was plain to see we needed athleticism and creativity in midfield and it wasn't addressed

 

[BanderSerge]

I think Bogle has been a brilliant signing. If nothing else, he's made Baldock improve in the same way signing Ricky Holmes improved Duffy!

It's the Ramsdale and Brewster signings for me, which have been wastes.

We already have two young strikers trying to find their feet in McBurnie and Mousset. Why buy a 3rd? And you're not telling me we couldn't have found a better GK for £18m??

But the Berge signing is showing to be a bit perplexing. We know why we needed to improve on Norwood, and at face value he does look like the archetypal PL centre mid. However, what scouting/testing did we do? Most elite sports have minimal performance levels and I'm struggling to see how Berge passed any of those based around speed, agility, fitness. He looks talented but not athletic enough for the PL.

So that's c£60m we've spunked...

It seems people still don’t get it, so I’ll say it s l o W l y. We can’t afford proven and the wages that they command, hence we had to invest in P o t E n t I a L

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

It seems people still don’t get it, so I’ll say it s l o W l y. We can’t afford proven and the wages that they command, hence we had to invest in P o t E n t I a L

Thanks for the condescending comment. Really adds to the fabric of the discussion...

Now get back to eating Pot Noodles and wanking in your mum's spare room and let the grown ups talk...

 

[BanderSerge]

Thanks for the condescending comment. Really adds to the fabric of the discussion...

Now get back to eating Pot Noodles and wanking in your mum's spare room and let the grown ups talk...

You’ve got to be brain dead not to figure it out, though, haven’t you? As if anybody in their right mind would take the route CWAK have, unless forced by financial restrictions?

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

Midfield has been a problem ever since the first lockdown. We knew Lundstram was leaving, we could see Fleck was struggling to regain form and we knew Norwood was slow and weak and was going to get slower and weaker.

So what did we do ? We spunked 50m on 4 kids, 3 of whom had never played in the Premier and the other who we let go for 1m and paid 18 times as much to re sign....and none of them midfielders !

We needed a keeper but could have signed Foster or someone similar for peanuts. Lowe is clearly not up to it and Wilder doesn't think Brewster is because he's on the bench every game. Bogle is the only one who looks half decent.

In the meantime game after game we are over run in midfield whilst creating virtually nothing. Im not saying its easy as I thought Ramsdale was a decent signing at the time but it was plain to see we needed athleticism and creativity in midfield and it wasn't addressed

The Brewster one is the biggy for me. If we don't have Mousset and McBurnie then it's worth a gamble, but we now have 3 strikers (4 If you include Burke) who are in a similar category...

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

You’ve got to be brain dead not to figure it out, though, haven’t you? As if anybody in their right mind would take the route CWAK have, unless forced by financial restrictions?

Really? Brain dead not to spunk £20m on an unproven striker who's played c20 games at championship level when you already have Mousset and McBurnie in the same boat?

Even more so when there's a gaping hole in our midfield and none of the midfielders we had look fit for purpose in this year's PL (and yes that includes your nametag!)

I'd say it's more brain dead to spend the money on Brewster...

 

[247Blade]

It seems people still don’t get it, so I’ll say it s l o W l y. We can’t afford proven and the wages that they command, hence we had to invest in P o t E n t I a L

Then we don't deserve to be in this league then!

 

[EddieColquhoun]

Apparently Sam Graham has been recalled from his loan.... LCB?

He's only made 2 appearances in the National League this season (and he's right-footed).

 

[Toronto Blade fan]

He's only made 2 appearances in the National League this season.

Tongue and cheek comment on my end ....

 

[BanderSerge]

Then we don't deserve to be in this league then!

Nail on head. CWAK have been penalised for being far too good for us. I’ll go as far as to say, we don’t deserve them, and if he weren’t a blade, he’d have walked.

 

[Le Cynique]

It seems people still don’t get it, so I’ll say it s l o W l y. We can’t afford proven and the wages that they command, hence we had to invest in P o t E n t I a L

It seems you don’t get it either, so I’ll try to explain in terms that you might understand.

By investing in potential, we put the future of the club in jeopardy, because we need players for the here and now to help us remain in this division, or at least making a decent challenge to get back up next season. Teams like Chelsea and Man City can afford to invest in potential. Perhaps given a few seasons in the top flight, so could we. However, putting good money - and make no mistake, it was good money - into players for the future whilst ignoring the problems that we have in the present was utterly foolhardy, and the results and parlous situation we find ourselves in proves that. And if we go down, there’s a good chance that if our potential comes good, we’ll lose them to a bigger and better team anyway.

I’m not saying sign wastes of money like Wilshere, but we probably should have been a bit more short-term in our planning to achieve consolidation before plunging all our capital into players who just aren’t ready for this season. Obviously easy to say with hindsight, but you’d expect professional football managers to understand the issue and to have addressed it appropriately.

 

[Snowflake]

Here we go again. I’d love to know what makes you think we’ll be top 6 ‘at least’ next season. Using actual facts and data, if you could.

If you assume that no one leaves then the team that got us promoted and 9th in Premiership is still there plus Burke and some other good players.
Sixth is very likely, BUT what happens then, as that group is clearly not good enough for the Premiership