January Sales

[robbiez666]

We need to bring players in, that's obvious, but we also need to get rid of those who aren't likely to feature or be good enough at this level. All of the following can leave for me:

Carruthers
Lafferty
Lavery
Donaldson (bit harsh as he's not really had a run, but shown nothing since the first game)
Thomas (since he can't even make the bench and seems disinclined to go out on loan)
Hanson

I'm ambivalent about Evans. There's a 1% chance he'll be as good as he was before prison and I doubt anyone would give us anything for him.

 

[FinchleyBlade]

So sell lafferty and leave us with one left wing back?

 

[robbiez666]

So sell lafferty and leave us with one left wing back?

I would bring one in who can at least compete with Stevens, preferably an improvement. Lafferty is not good enough. Ok for cover in desperate times, at LWB and LCB, but not Championship standard for me.

 

[Foody]

We need to bring players in, that's obvious, but we also need to get rid of those who aren't likely to feature or be good enough at this level. All of the following can leave for me:

Carruthers
Lafferty
Lavery
Donaldson (bit harsh as he's not really had a run, but shown nothing since the first game)
Thomas (since he can't even make the bench and seems disinclined to go out on loan)
Hanson

I'm ambivalent about Evans. There's a 1% chance he'll be as good as he was before prison and I doubt anyone would give us anything for him.

Do you think we're about to sign 10 new players? Or shall we just not bother with reserve strikers? One left back couldn't possibly cause a problem either....

 

[Roygbiv]

My take on the ones you picked out


Carruthers
Ship him out. He's had enough chances now and I just don't think he's up to this standard. I don't think he's a good game this season off the top of my head

Lafferty
Due to Stevens poor form I'd play him in the next few. If he ain't up to it then I agree with you but he hasn't had a chance this season in fairness to him


Lavery
Agree, I don't think he's good enough at this level unfortunately

Donaldson
I'd keep him as he hasn't had a run of games yet.


Thomas
He was bought with an eye on the future but a loan spell would be good for him

Hanson
I actually think he would have been a better option than the other strikers with how we played today but he's never going to be good enough long term

 

[robbiez666]

Do you think we're about to sign 10 new players? Or shall we just not bother with reserve strikers? One left back couldn't possibly cause a problem either....

I'm suggesting getting rid of 6 players who appear not to be good enough at this level. I'm suggesting replacing them with better players. We have too many forwards, so the squad is skewed. I believe we can have 5 loans at any one time? Use the loan market fully and sign 3 or 4 who Chris thinks can take us forward.

 

[robbiez666]

My take on the ones you picked out


Carruthers
Ship him out. He's had enough chances now and I just don't think he's up to this standard. I don't think he's a good game this season off the top of my head

Lafferty
Due to Stevens poor form I'd play him in the next few. If he ain't up to it then I agree with you but he hasn't had a chance this season in fairness to him


Lavery
Agree, I don't think he's good enough at this level unfortunately

Donaldson
I'd keep him as he hasn't had a run of games yet.


Thomas
He was bought with an eye on the future but a loan spell would be good for him

Hanson
I actually think he would have been a better option than the other strikers with how we played today but he's never going to be good enough long term

Donaldson - may well be a keeper. Did he sign on a 1 or 2 year deal, I can't remember? I've just seen nothing from him when he's come on. I'd not be unhappy with him staying as long as at least one other striker came in.

Lafferty - wasn't great last season but good enough at L1 level. I can't imagine him being good enough at this level. He does, in his favour, offer cover at LCB which we don't really have.

Thomas - I believe I'm right in saying that we tried to loan him out in the summer but he refused to go. If he's happy to go out on loan, then I'm happy for him to stay. The fact, even now, that he's not even getting on the bench is worrying.

 

[Foody]

I'm suggesting getting rid of 6 players who appear not to be good enough at this level. I'm suggesting replacing them with better players. We have too many forwards, so the squad is skewed. I believe we can have 5 loans at any one time? Use the loan market fully and sign 3 or 4 who Chris thinks can take us forward.

So we sell 6 players when our squad is already too small, as proven today. So realistically we'd have to sign 8 new players! 8 new signings would be impressive for summer, let alone January. Personally I'd get shut of Carruthers and one of: Hanson and Lavery.

Thomas I'd loan out. Way too early to be off loading him. He hasn't even been given an opportunity yet .

 

[bromtom]

What opportunity has Thomas had to go on loan? Any source for that. Can maybe see where he was coming from given he thought he had a chance to get in the team after a decent appearance in the cup and a league game too I think, but not sure of the timelines.

Think he's a good player though, would be a shame to lose him permanently.

 

[metalblade]

Carruthers has been a huge disappointment, he has had his chances and shown nothing which would suggest he is good enough at this level. I think his future at the Lane is very much in doubt he would be the first on my get rid list. It is not really a case of getting rid we need to replace like for like with better players. Another worry for me is Baldock a good player who just cannot seem to stay fit.

 

[Roygbiv]

So we sell 6 players when our squad is already too small, as proven today. So realistically we'd have to sign 8 new players! 8 new signings would be impressive for summer, let alone January. Personally I'd get shut of Carruthers and one of: Hanson and Lavery.

Thomas I'd loan out. Way too early to be off loading him. He hasn't even been given an opportunity yet .

Let's be honest, unless we sign a player every day of the transfer window people are going to go mental

 

[Longdog]

I don’t think we are in a position to let a few if any leave. I agree we need some , but to let players go in a long season with injuries would perhaps be a bit daft

 

[LJBlade]

What opportunity has Thomas had to go on loan? Any source for that. Can maybe see where he was coming from given he thought he had a chance to get in the team after a decent appearance in the cup and a league game too I think, but not sure of the timelines.

Think he's a good player though, would be a shame to lose him permanently.

Didn’t Wilder say he’d had a loan offer but had chosen to stay and fight for a first team place?

 

[Bladesthorpe]

I would bring one in who can at least compete with Stevens, preferably an improvement. Lafferty is not good enough. Ok for cover in desperate times, at LWB and LCB, but not Championship standard for me.

Lafferty came on today and we picked up and started to attack, in fact he played in midfield and was probably better than the players who were picked there in the first place. He's done nothing wrong for me and will have increased the pressure on Stevens to perform to his max after his little cameo today.

 

[Living In a Fantasy World]

Carruthers pretty much has this month to prove his worth, if he can't help us when we are down our two key central midfielders, then he is not really worth keeping hold on.

 

[robbiez666]

I don’t think we are in a position to let a few if any leave. I agree we need some , but to let players go in a long season with injuries would perhaps be a bit daft

Appearances, mainly as substitutes, thus far:

Carruthers - 6
Lafferty - 4
Lavery - 2
Hanson - 1
Donaldson - 4
Thomas - 1

There have been injuries, but the last two aside weren't great in League 1.
Hanson was set to sign for Scunny in summer

 

[ucandomagic]

Hanson needs to go and play somewhere else, if they can afford his wages.

Lavery needs to be loaned.

Thomas is being retrained as a wingback.

Carruthers will never be a Blade - maybe we can use him in p ex for Holmes.

Heneghan will be a decent back-up.

Leonard and Holmes in our midfield, sharing the load with our current holy trinity and we are flying again.

Magic Takes Work - and a bit of cash!!

 

[Roygbiv]

Hanson needs to go and play somewhere else, if they can afford his wages.

Lavery needs to be loaned.

Thomas is being retrained as a wingback.

Carruthers will never be a Blade - maybe we can use him in p ex for Holmes.

Heneghan will be a decent back-up.

Leonard and Holmes in our midfield, sharing the load with our current holy trinity and we are flying again.

Magic Takes Work - and a bit of cash!!

Did think about the Holmes and Carruthurs swap deal earlier. Saw an interview with Holmes today from a few weeks back when he was praising Wilder to the hilt

If we could get in Holmes and Leonard then that's clearly an improvement to what we have now even if it might not be the stellar signings some want

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

Offer Wallsall a deal that involves them taking Carruthers and us getting the little Turk.

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

Lafferty
Due to Stevens poor form I'd play him in the next few. If he ain't up to it then I agree with you but he hasn't had a chance this season in fairness to him

Lafferty - wasn't great last season but good enough at L1 level. I can't imagine him being good enough at this level. He does, in his favour, offer cover at LCB which we don't really have.

Lafferty came on today and we picked up and started to attack, in fact he played in midfield and was probably better than the players who were picked there in the first place. He's done nothing wrong for me and will have increased the pressure on Stevens to perform to his max after his little cameo today.

Stevens' form may have dropped off a little, but so has the form of just about everyone around him who's not injured, and this won't have helped him. It's the inverse of that old rule of thumb which says "most players play better when surrounded by better players" ?

Stevens is bigger, faster, more athletic, better technically--crossing aside--and has been an all-round upgrade on Lafferty, for me, and I suspect Laffs ("Laffo" ? "Laffy" ?) would have to do something pretty special to dislodge Edna at full back at the moment. Unless, hypothetically, Wilder was to approach the current injury crisis by going 4-5-1, restoring Lafferty to LB and pushing Edna into a temporary left-sided midfield role in front of him. Can't really see that happening though, for lots of reasons, and it's already giving me the heeby jeebees (memries of Warnock playing Del Geary in left midfield, away at Blackburn ).

I did always feel that Laffs' contribution last year was often underrated, to be fair.

 

[robbiez666]

Did think about the Holmes and Carruthurs swap deal earlier. Saw an interview with Holmes today from a few weeks back when he was praising Wilder to the hilt

If we could get in Holmes and Leonard then that's clearly an improvement to what we have now even if it might not be the stellar signings some want

Carruthers for Holmes would be ridiculously good business and give us a player who can compete with Duffy/Brooks for a place.

I'd love to sign Leonard. I think he would be a really good signing. I'd rather sign the better league 1 players who can improve than sign Championship cast-offs. Sure, if the likes of Egan comes up, then grab him, but what good players are we realistically going to sign?

Some on here seem to think that because we've had a good start, players are going to want to come here. Forgetting that:

• Their club will have to want to sell them to us
• We would have to be able to afford them
• They would want to play for us
• We would have to be able to afford their wages.

I really can't imagine many good players ticking all of those boxes.

 

[dc_blade]

Out: Hanson, Lavery, and Heneghan, the latter two on loan.

In: Leonard, if this embarrassing saga can be put to bed. Wilson, on loan from Man Utd, or another pacy striker on loan. Maybe a centre half?

 

[super_pig]

I would bring one in who can at least compete with Stevens, preferably an improvement. Lafferty is not good enough. Ok for cover in desperate times, at LWB and LCB, but not Championship standard for me.

not laffertys biggest fan myself but has he played much at this level yet?

 

[super_pig]

Carruthers pretty much has this month to prove his worth, if he can't help us when we are down our two key central midfielders, then he is not really worth keeping hold on.

this
i don’t think he gets what being a blade ‘is’.. leon isn’t just popular because of the goals Samir.. it’s because he absolutely runs his bollocks off for the shirt

 

[robbiez666]

not laffertys biggest fan myself but has he played much at this level yet?

He wasn't exactly outstanding at league 1 level and Burnley didn't think he could. He's decent as cover but we need an upgrade.

 

[super_pig]

He wasn't exactly outstanding at league 1 level and Burnley didn't think he could. He's decent as cover but we need an upgrade.

little harsh if he hasn’t had a go there yet don’t you think? paradoxically some players seem to play better the higher they go

 

[Champagneblade]

I’d say Heneghan and Thomas out on loan.

Carruthers and Hansen sold to bring in a fee and free up wages.

I’d keep Lafferty because you’re asking for a back up. He’s played this level before. I don’t see this as a priority. Possibly wait until summer. Back up for now.

Lavery, all depends. Chris’ time is limited. He needs to get some key additions, not just shuffle deck chairs around. Possibly wait until summer. Back up for now.

Get a first choice midfielder in and a striker with pace. Down Coutts and Carruthers being offloaded may mean we look to get Whiteman back for the last few months. It would allow us to stop shuffling Basham quite so much.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

"IF the right offer comes in, they will be sold."

(Mayor Larry Vaughn voiceover)

 

[8lade]

Still don't 'get' the pursuit of Holmes by some of our fans, he chose Charlton over us - the story ends, no matter that he now realises he's made a mistake.
Oztumer I'm getting more convinced by daily.

 

[Trigger Blade]

Donaldson - may well be a keeper.

Worth thinking about, he's quite tall and he could always borrow Jamal's gloves for a day or two, avoid unnecessary expense if it doesn't work out