Plan for January 2026

[FredZeppelin]

If we lose on Sunday, do the board get rid of Wilder and start again?

utb

 

[raul]

The manager has said the squad is too big.

The manager has said he wants new blood in January .

We must currently have a top 6 wage bill at the very worst.

Without cancellations of loans, how is that achievable and is the cost of doing so greater or less than the collapse in income if running a third tier operation next season?

 

[BerksBlade]

It's not always easy to just "send loans back". There might be penalty clauses in the contracts? Might be easier with Ogbene if he's out for a significant period.

 

[Farnboroughblade]

If we lose on Sunday, do the board get rid of Wilder and

If we lose on Sunday, do the board get rid of Wilder and start again?

utb

The pigs would like nothing more and would be the icing on the cake for ‘em. Whether you’re a wilder backer or not, I wouldn’t give them that satisfaction by sacking him after that game. Hopefully we get the win and get a bit of a run together, even if it’s just back to back wins.

 

[MKY]

So, will this ‘plan’ involve some extortionate panic buying towards the end of the window?

 

[Nick Jansky]

If we lose on Sunday, do the board get rid of Wilder and start again?

utb

Bettis has said that he is here for this season. It would be wrong to sack him this side of the JTW but if, after that, we are not looking relatively safe from the drop and back on an upward trajectory I think the writing will be on the wall for him.

 

[Cappy]

 

[FredZeppelin]

Bettis has said that he is here for this season. It would be wrong to sack him this side of the JTW but if, after that, we are not looking relatively safe from the drop and back on an upward trajectory I think the writing will be on the wall for him.

Trouble is Nick, that would leave any new manager with no opportunity to bring anyone in. He'd be tied to CW's January incomings just like CW has been tied to Selles' rubbish. We might also end up being tied to any Wilder 'panic signings' made in January, too.

I don't think for a second that anything drastic is going to change at all but a 'drastic change' is what is needed (imo), starting at the top. If that was even remotely in the minds of these owners I'd be amazed.

New people would have to be ready to come in with a new, well thought out and researched CEO, appointing a new DofF and recruitment team asap. Then the new DofF should be free to bring in a new manager to execute his plan.

But I'm wasting my time. Back down to Earth. Hopefully we can avoid defeat against Wednesday on Sunday.

utb

 

[FriethBlade]

Good i think Soumare has mostly done ok when hes played. However he needs a proper run in the team and I'm not sure hes going to get it.

 

[TJ blade]

So, will this ‘plan’ involve some extortionate panic buying towards the end of the window?

Loans at the end of the January window is what Bettis said in his interview earlier last month!

 

[bakeblade]

It's not always easy to just "send loans back". There might be penalty clauses in the contracts? Might be easier with Ogbene if he's out for a significant period.

True, but the parent clubs want their players to get game time, so Bindon and Barry should be easy to send back. Godfrey could be difficult

 

[bakeblade]

He's worth keeping anyway

 

[Danetheblade]

No idea why we’d even want to terminate the loan.. probably one of the best midfielders we’ve got.

 

[adiosmiamigo]

He's worth keeping anyway

Pity Wilder doesn't seem to think so,to me he looks exactly what we need.

 

[ATL Recs]

In regards to January and us having a bloated squad, this is what Wilder has to work with, based on positions I'd expect CW to play them.

* Deal until January

Hamer and Arblaster included but currently injured

Also including Curtis, based on a deal I'd like to see done for him.

GK: Cooper, A Davies, Faxon = 3
RB: Seriki, Shackleton, Curtis, Polendakov = 4
CB: Tanganga, Mee, McGuinness, Godfrey, Bindon, Zätterström = 6
LB: McCallum, Burrows = 2
CM: Arblaster, Peck, T Davies, Riedewald*, Soumare, Matos = 6
RW: Ogbene, Chong, Ukaki = 3
CAM: O'Hare, Marsh = 2
LW: Hamer, Brooks, Nwachukwu, Barry = 4
ST: Campbell, Ings, Bamford*, Cannon, Oné = 5

Unless I've counted it wrong, that's 35 players, obviously not all of them will be expected to be involved but it just shows how bloated the squad is, and before we even think about signing anyone, those numbers need to be reduced.

Just my opinion and while I hope all of this happens, I don't think some of these deals will happen.

Loans terminated: Godfrey, Bindon, Barry, Ogbene - 4
Sell/pay off: Curtis, Shackleton - 2
Loan out: Faxon, Oné, Marsh, Matos, Cannon, Ukaki, Zätterström, Polendakov, Nwachukwu - 9

15 departures (both permanent and loan) in total, which would reduce the squad from 35 players to 20 players.

Keep: Cooper, A Davies, Seriki, Tanganga, Mee, McGuinness, McCallum, Burrows, Arblaster, Peck, T Davies, Riedewald, Soumare, Chong, O'Hare, Hamer, Brooks, Campbell, Ings, Bamford = 20

Inclusion of Bamford and Riedewald is assuming we retain them in January.

That would give us 4 loan spots to use, and you could make the argument that we'd only need around 5/6 players in which would give us a squad of 25/26.

GK x 1, RB x 1, CB x 1, RW x 2 and potentially 1 CM depending on fitness of Arblaster and T Davies.

Any purchases ( on top of the loans) would be based on sales first I expect interest in Hamer and Ohare and wont be surprised if they or at least 1 is gone by the end of January - so be prepared for another incoming waste of money

 

[bertieblade]

Has anyone any confidence in Wilders ability to buy VFM signings ?
It seems so long since he made more good than bad signings and more than balanced the books, although his prime concern is to keep us up

 

[Blades1971]

No idea why we’d even want to terminate the loan.. probably one of the best midfielders we’ve got.

Gives the midfield a bit of bite

 

[ancientblade]

Pity Wilder doesn't seem to think so,to me he looks exactly what we need.

i cant understand soumare getting a.run in this team peck has been poor all season but gets picked every game definetlys wilders fav soumare is better than peck

 

[andy m]

Has anyone any confidence in Wilders ability to buy VFM signings ?
It seems so long since he made more good than bad signings and more than balanced the books, although his prime concern is to keep us up

I know summer 2024 was such a long time ago.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Every time I see a full breakdown of the squad I shake my head at how awful our summer transfer work was.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Has anyone any confidence in Wilders ability to buy VFM signings ?
It seems so long since he made more good than bad signings and more than balanced the books, although his prime concern is to keep us up

Granted wages play a part but COH free, Campbell free, burrows wouldn't have been much, cooper was good value last year,

Absolutely not beyond us to have done similar in the summer. Instead....

 

[ml1997]

With such a poor squad nobody stands out as especially shit, so I think we just need to offload 7 or 8 who Wilder deems useless and sign 2 or 3 quality players, on loan if neccesary.