Incoming? Ashleigh Artwell

[Ricky]

Hard question to answer. Probably not the backing I'd like him to get, but he will get backing. I'd like investment in three or four young, high quality league one players. Lets say at a total cost of three million (notwithstanding sales). I don't think the money is there for that. He might get a couple, and two or three loan signings. You could argue that should be enough for promotion. I'd settle for top six playing exciting, in your face, pressing, passing football. Also some youngsters to develop, and we go for the title when we add a couple the season after.

Have you heard anything about who he's trying to sign or at least what sort of players he's targeting?

 

[billyblademan]

I know you've said this before, but this still depresses me. That was free money, and a body off the books for more than he was worth (can you imagine Flynn in the Championship? Me neither), and we gave him a new deal and got rid of Maguire instead.

I will never understand the thinking at United.

Is it too much of a stretch to say that by not getting Flynn, they were still looking for a winger last summer, and signed Murphy? That would be the ultimate icing on the cake.

Edit: Although I guess JM would have gone to Leeds if not Brighton, and that would have been intolerable.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I have no problem with this approach to recruitment. It's very much a case of wait and see as we know bugger all about the player but it should cost next to nothing to sing this type of player so if our scouts are impressed, it's worth taking the chance.

What I do have a problem with though is the article referring to us as "Sheffield"

 

[Ricky]

You can sign 10 players like this and if just one of them comes good you can more than make your money back on them all. Peterborough are the best example of this. It's a big reason they're very sustainable.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

You can sign 10 players like this and if just one of them comes good you can more than make your money back on them all. Peterborough are the best example of this. It's a big reason they're very sustainable.

If you sign 10 players like this, you then get the Chairman and Manager saying we have a massively bloated squad with 43 players on the books. 18 of whom are senior players, 15 of whom are juniors from the Academy and 10 of whom are 21 year olds from the eighth tier. Next thing you know we're selling proven, good players to try and balance the books.

 

[Ricky]

If you sign 10 players like this, you then get the Chairman and Manager saying we have a massively bloated squad with 43 players on the books. 18 of whom are senior players, 15 of whom are juniors from the Academy and 10 of whom are 21 year olds from the eighth tier. Next thing you know we're selling proven, good players to try and balance the books.

Obviously I'm not suggesting signing 10 in one go. But if over time you carry on picking non league players up for next to nothing at least one is likely to come good, and it'll probably be more than one in 10 as well if the scouting is decent. It doesn't just have to be non league players either, many kids released from bigger clubs could be picked up for nothing, and that's probably something we should start doing. Many would sign as 'development' players too which you'd hope would stop the board classing them as signings for the first team and restricting further transfer activity.

 

[nopigfansintown]

Have you heard anything about who he's trying to sign or at least what sort of players he's targeting?

I don't like putting names out there as it might jeopardize signings We are in for a Liverpool player who I've mentioned here before, centre midfielder. There will probably be championship competition though. Hopefully Middlesborough get promoted.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Obviously I'm not suggesting signing 10 in one go. But if over time you carry on picking non league players up for next to nothing at least one is likely to come good, and it'll probably be more than one in 10 as well if the scouting is decent. It doesn't just have to be non league players either, many kids released from bigger clubs could be picked up for nothing, and that's probably something we should start doing. Many would sign as 'development' players too which you'd hope would stop the board classing them as signings for the first team and restricting further transfer activity.

We went down a similar route when Speed/Adams were the managers during the season we got relegated.
At the same time as Adams was being denied any funds to extend the loan of Sam Vokes, somebody at the club (not Adams) was spending £160K on a series of 20-21 year old "Development Players".

As I said back in 2013 when the final one of these hot prospects was released:-

http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/philliskirk-released.29063/#post-469469

<< What a roaring success “The Development Squad” (Conneely, McAllister, Tonne, Lokberg, Thomas, Warren, Gardos, Philliskirk etc) has turned out to be!
We spent at least £160K on this lot while the First Team Manager was denied any funds to fight off relegation.
Our total return has been a few average performances from McAllister and a couple of good games from Tonne.
Some of us called it right and called it early (as strange old Lenners used to say).
We might still be in The Championship if that money had been spent on the first team instead >>

I've no objection to picking up young 16-19 year old lads on a free and sticking them in The Academy but not 20-21 year olds.
Especially, when there is a fee involved and it diverts money away from the first team.

 

[Ricky]

We went down a similar route when Speed/Adams were the managers during the season we got relegated.
At the same time as Adams was being denied any funds to extend the loan of Sam Vokes, somebody at the club (not Adams) was spending £160K on a series of 20-21 year old "Development Players".

As I said back in 2013 when the final one of these hot prospects was released:-

http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/philliskirk-released.29063/#post-469469

<< What a roaring success “The Development Squad” (Conneely, McAllister, Tonne, Lokberg, Thomas, Warren, Gardos, Philliskirk etc) has turned out to be!
We spent at least £160K on this lot while the First Team Manager was denied any funds to fight off relegation.
Our total return has been a few average performances from McAllister and a couple of good games from Tonne.
Some of us called it right and called it early (as strange old Lenners used to say).
We might still be in The Championship if that money had been spent on the first team instead >>

I've no objection to picking up young 16-19 year old lads on a free and sticking them in The Academy but not 20-21 year olds.
Especially, when there is a fee involved and it diverts money away from the first team.

Being in League One though there's a greater chance the development players will find a way into the first team, and the recent signings of Adams and K Wallace are promising.

I agree they shouldn't be signed at the expense of any desperately needed first team players, but it's about getting the balance right. If young players can be picked up for a minimal outlay it shouldn't affect things much at all. Any who'd cost a bit more would have to be considered more carefully.

 

[Enigmatic]

I don't like putting names out there as it might jeopardize signings We are in for a Liverpool player who I've mentioned here before, centre midfielder. There will probably be championship competition though. Hopefully Middlesborough get promoted.

Sounds promising. Hopefully this means we're in for Ryan Kent or Joao Teixeira. Keeping hold of Baptiste would also be fantastic. I'm happy with the sorts of signings it sounds like we're in for. 2 or 3 good loans of this sort and 1-2 shrewd permanents, along with integrating some of our talented youngsters should see us in good shape for next season.

 

[metty]

One thing that's interesting about Vardy - which also applies to a few others, like Grant Holt and Rickie Lambert, who arrived late having played in the lower divisions - was that when he arrived in the top flight he'd got a lot more actual match experience than some of his peers. It wasn't high level football, but he'd not been sitting on a subs bench, or playing under 21 football, or playing on loan for someone he may not be 100% loyal to. He'd been playing every week in games that meant something to his team.

It won't always work out, but I do wonder if you picked up a 23 or 24 year old who'd played well at Conference or league 2 level for a few seasons you might get something out of him. It certainly shouldn't cost much to find out.

You mean when like when Harry signed Paul Rogers for 35,000 from Sutton

 

[Grappler]

Don't know anything about Ashley Artwell, but there are bound to be some gems out there who, for various reasons, didn't make it all the way through a big club's academy, but have blossomed by playing tough games of football on a regular basis. Like the lad below (joking).

 

[LoughboroBlade]

We went down a similar route when Speed/Adams were the managers during the season we got relegated.
At the same time as Adams was being denied any funds to extend the loan of Sam Vokes, somebody at the club (not Adams) was spending £160K on a series of 20-21 year old "Development Players".

As I said back in 2013 when the final one of these hot prospects was released:-

http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/philliskirk-released.29063/#post-469469

<< What a roaring success “The Development Squad” (Conneely, McAllister, Tonne, Lokberg, Thomas, Warren, Gardos, Philliskirk etc) has turned out to be!
We spent at least £160K on this lot while the First Team Manager was denied any funds to fight off relegation.
Our total return has been a few average performances from McAllister and a couple of good games from Tonne.
Some of us called it right and called it early (as strange old Lenners used to say).
We might still be in The Championship if that money had been spent on the first team instead >>

I've no objection to picking up young 16-19 year old lads on a free and sticking them in The Academy but not 20-21 year olds.
Especially, when there is a fee involved and it diverts money away from the first team.

Urgh, I'd totally forgotten about the timing of that being set up. Completely bizarre. I guess Philliskirk is the least poor of a mostly forgettable bunch. McAllister is currently recovering from injury at Stevenage with Michael Tonge. Conneely has played the whole season in the first team at Accrington Stanley. Warren is part of Perth Glory's defence alongside Shane Lowry (in a team that includes Andy Keogh). Gardos, Tonne and Lokberg I assume returned to the countries they came from.