Ross Barkley

[Red Wing Blade]

I was shocked last season when Jed Wallace was available for free and long term target John Swift also on a free. We didn't approach either. Instead we stuck with Fleck, Norwood and Osborn.

 

[diplomat]

I was shocked last season when Jed Wallace was available for free and long term target John Swift also on a free. We didn't approach either. Instead we stuck with Fleck, Norwood and Osborn.

Did we sign anyone last season. I genuinely can’t remember

 

[RWE]

Barkley was a clever one on their part but for us to miss out on Townshend who was practically begging for someone to sign him was fucking disgraceful

This pre season is probably the worst and most disorganised I can ever remember
Absolutely shambolic and amateurish from start to finish and it's got us to where we are now

Never want to hear anyone again say that pre season means nothing. You could see this coming a mile off with how disorganised we were. From stupid daft transfers, to selling key players and then not taking any pre season game serious really set the poor mindset up from top to bottom

 

[raul]

Barkley was a clever one on their part but for us to miss out on Townshend who was practically begging for someone to sign him was fucking disgraceful

This pre season is probably the worst and most disorganised I can ever remember
Absolutely shambolic and amateurish from start to finish and it's got us to where we are now

Fanny

 

[CaptainMorgans]

I was shocked last season when Jed Wallace was available for free and long term target John Swift also on a free. We didn't approach either. Instead we stuck with Fleck, Norwood and Osborn.

WBA offered them really good wages. Wouldn't be surprised if we enquired but knew we couldn't compete.
It didn't help having an owner that's not in it for the long haul and reluctant to make permanent signings.

 

[The Crab]

We went for Tom Davies instead.

Or as he is becoming known, “the injured” Tom Davies

 

[Sheff de party]

Took the piss. I think we made him look good too and they are managing him well aren't they because he's never been the easiest to handle by all accounts...but head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch today.

He’s not, and wasn’t, head and shoulders above McAtee, but yes everyone else basically.

 

[Houston_Blade]

Genuinely think this is the reddest of red herrings!

Spunking money on Journeymen pros who may or may not help 'keep us up' is wasted money when we crash back down.

The biggest takeaway today wasn't Barkley, it was how much bigger, faster and better organised they were.

Zero fucking excuses for that. Zero. Hecky approached the PL like it was 1997, and no amount of Journeymen pro's would change that....

Barkley, Townsend and Wood in our squad would most likely lead to us getting more points than having Fleck, Osborn, Thomas, Larouci, Traore etc. though. I understand that they would also cost a lot more but if we took those 5 out this season and next I don’t think anyone would really be that arsed.

I do agree that Luton’s recruitment is 100x better than ours though in terms of what a footballer should be able to achieve physically. It’s a shame that a former forum member who may be a mate of Beans is the one responsible for them being good and not us!

 

[CarlMcBlade]

The majority of the players phoned it in yesterday, how could we be so switched on and effective against Villa and not be up for it at home to Luton? We very rarely attacked their box or got behind their defensive line. We just kept sending lazy diagonal floaters over the top onto the heads of their huge defenders. Defensively we were an absolute joke….The Keystone cops in red and white shirts.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

The space we gave Barkley and their team in general the first half was nothing short of embarrassing , we looked shit scared & you’d think they were playing Liverpool not Luton .
Yes Barkley had a decent game but aided & abetted by some fkg awful tactics the first 45 mins , second half pushed down on them & lone behold we score 2 goals ... only to go and gifted the points away

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Also, we are an absolute bag of wank at corners and set plays…So why do we persist with the embarrassing JLT specials into the box…They can never do anything with them.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

I was shocked last season when Jed Wallace was available for free and long term target John Swift also on a free. We didn't approach either. Instead we stuck with Fleck, Norwood and Osborn.

Wasn’t that the 2022 pre season, when we signed McAtee and Doyle on loan instead and then didn’t pay our bills?
Fleck, Norwood and Osborn were all still under contract so we just wouldn’t have had the money to do those deals.
Decent Championship players as they are, they’ve not exactly fired WBA to promotion and each deal would have been a fair few million which we didn’t have especially when we had three players under contract that we wouldn’t have been able to move on for similar fees.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

Barkley, Townsend and Wood in our squad would most likely lead to us getting more points than having Fleck, Osborn, Thomas, Larouci, Traore etc. though. I understand that they would also cost a lot more but if we took those 5 out this season and next I don’t think anyone would really be that arsed.

I do agree that Luton’s recruitment is 100x better than ours though in terms of what a footballer should be able to achieve physically. It’s a shame that a former forum member who may be a mate of Beans is the one responsible for them being good and not us!

Wouldn't disagree with any of that mate.

My main point is that getting our knickers in a twist because we didn't add a bunch of seasoned PL pros to our squad which was mainly made up of seasoned Championship pros with no physical conditioning, no style of play, no medium term development plan - would have been an unholy train wreck and a recipe for crashing down a couple of leagues a la Sunderland/Portsmouth.

If we'd had a team of young uns who needed some veteran leadership then that group could well have been the difference. But we didn't. We had an aged squad of whom we already knew 75% weren't good enough for this level. For arguments sake if we'd played Jebbison, Osula, Brooks, Seriki, Coulibally, Arblaster more last season, then I'd agree replacing the Flecks, Bashams, Egan's, Baldocks with some 'proper' PL professionals would have been the astute move...

It's another compelling argument as to why not having the 'Director of Football' model where someone plans the development and evolution of the squad over the next 5 seasons puts us behind most of the competition. Wilder should be focused on the next game and not wasting intellectual horsepower on developing players and contracts....

 

[CPB]

He played quite well. Ran the show is a bit much though. For about half an hour in the 2nd half I don't think he was even playing.

 

[SUFCinks]

He has been a quality addition for luton and had another good game for them yesterday. He had most completed passes all game by a considerable margin.

Exactly what we need, someone with composure on the ball who will keep & build possession and control for the team.

 

[Mag-83]

The ownership aren’t actually serious about at least having a go at staying up though are they?

 

[Bladey_blade]

We'd have signed Barkley and Hecky stuck him on the wing somewhere until he got dropped and never seen him again, we paid good money for Hamer and didn't play him in his position so I have no doubt Barkley would have also been misused and would go down in the Rodwell level of signings.Both Luton and Barkley need credit for making it work as well as they have because we wouldn't have

 

[Newbury Blade]

Barkley & Townsend were ones we should have gone in for... with hindsight.

I doubt at the time there was a huge clamour for them on here. Both were gambles.

Not only was there no clamour, when they were suggested, the very idea was ridiculed as they were apparently not what we needed (not young, no resale value etc). Same applies to Wood. Now suddenly everyone thinks we should have signed them after all.

 

[LW_Blade]

If Wilder is gonna move a few in and out this Jan, I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Hamer leave tbh. He just doesn't seem a CW type player to me. You do wonder if we go in for a player and a swap or exchange is mentioned I think Chris would dispense with him.

 

[Sandygate Blade]

Hindsight is great. Barkley looked OK but could easy have been a failure such as Ravel Morrison and Rodwell. Or Tom Davies.

Our mistake was being over sentimental and offering Fleck and Osborn one year contracts when it was clear we should have been saying thank you and good luck. Tied up much needed budget.

 

[spongebobblade]

Instead of Ross Barkley we signed Tom Davies. More brilliant transfer activity from our board.

Can’t remember you or anyone else clamouring for his signature in the summer. It was high risk due to his wages and that he had done fuck all for a few years. Luton took a chance. Its working. Hindsight is such a wonderful thing

 

[Carlton Blade]

Barkley was a clever one on their part but for us to miss out on Townshend who was practically begging for someone to sign him was fucking disgraceful

This pre season is probably the worst and most disorganised I can ever remember
Absolutely shambolic and amateurish from start to finish and it's got us to where we are now

The squad was full because we registered all the injured players. Luton had a free spot. Townsend was still injured at the start of the season. He'd be on an Iron Lung now if our medical staff had got hold of him

 

[straight_outta_compton]

It definitely wasn't common consensus though. There were mixed views, certainly on Barkley.
I myself thought he would be a bad signing for us.

Townsend came a bit later in the window and seemed a no brainer, because by then we realised how little we had to play with.

I'd expected that Barkley would be unfit and a wage thief if we'd signed him. But he definitely ran the show for Luton yesterday. His link up play and intelligent passing started virtually every Luton attack.

Also thought adebayo and Morris were both an upgrade on UFC-McBurnie as a hold up / target man

 

[straight_outta_compton]

He’s not, and wasn’t, head and shoulders above McAtee, but yes everyone else basically.

Mcatee played pretty well for us, and you could see they were scared of him. His dribbling and driving forward was excellent. He's got such a great soft-touch control. Opposite of vini who's first touch often ends up 10 yards away!

 

[TJ blade]

Also, we are an absolute bag of wank at corners and set plays…So why do we persist with the embarrassing JLT specials into the box…They can never do anything with them.

JLTs into lutons box who have giant defenders fucking metal!!

 

[Moan? Nope-I saw Longhorn]

30 year old former international footballer available - 109 games in 6 seasons
Hands up everyone who says “aye”

 

[nopigfansintown]

A few myths to bust. Barkley has been regarded as an injury prone, overweight, unprofessional waster for most of his career. The talent isn't - and has never been - in doubt, but neither was Moose's talent. The penny looks like it has dropped which is good for him and Luton. With many it never drops.

The transfer strategy isn't the fan's strategy or even Heckingbottom's; it's the club's. When most fans comment about this or that player not fitting the strategy it's because they see the futility in expecting or hoping for that player to sign. It's not necessarily agreeing with that policy or the decision not to sign that particular player.

Barkley played well yesterday, especially first half, but he was aided by a burn out Brooks and an immobile, unfit looking Hamer. Our midfield didn't do the basics.I think most midfielders would've looked good against us yesterday.

 

[Frank the tank]

A few myths to bust. Barkley has been regarded as an injury prone, overweight, unprofessional waster for most of his career. The talent isn't - and has never been - in doubt, but neither was Moose's talent. The penny looks like it has dropped which is good for him and Luton. With many it never drops.

The transfer strategy isn't the fan's strategy or even Heckingbottom's; it's the club's. When most fans comment about this or that player not fitting the strategy it's because they see the futility in expecting or hoping that player to sign. It's not necessarily agreeing with the policy or the decision not to sign that particular player.

Barkley played well yesterday, especially first half, but he was aided by a burn out Brooks and an immobile, unfit looking Hamer. Our midfield didn't do the basics.I think most midfielders would've looked good against us yesterday.

I thought he was OK
Sat deep shielded the ball against a half hearted press and used it well under little pressure
My reaction to him getting motm was that that's the difference between playing at a club like Luton and one like Everton or Chelsea where a largely anonymous ineffective performance like that would be under much greater scrutiny

 

[CPB]

If Wilder is gonna move a few in and out this Jan, I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Hamer leave tbh. He just doesn't seem a CW type player to me. You do wonder if we go in for a player and a swap or exchange is mentioned I think Chris would dispense with him.

I think we are seeing the better of Hamer though now Wilders moved him into a better position.
I reckon the opposite would apply, I think Wilder rates him.

 

[Houston_Blade]

Also, we are an absolute bag of wank at corners and set plays…So why do we persist with the embarrassing JLT specials into the box…They can never do anything with them.

The opposition asks nicely before the game if we’ll give their keeper catching practice and we provide the service for free with our throw ins, corners and wide free kicks.