2013 Summer Transfer Window

[LightwaterRoyal]

+1. Dont know how to follow Mafff's post. Summed it all up.

Not sure if we NEED a winger though.

[maffff]

+1. Dont know how to follow Mafff's post. Summed it all up.

Not sure if we NEED a winger though.

I was 50-50 on where that falls. Feels more essential than a striker if we are left with McCleary, HRK, Jobi and Obita. I can't see Kebe being here and I think I see as a central option. I guess he can do a job there so perhaps that was overstating how much we need to fill that position.

[St. Brynjar]

+1. Dont know how to follow Mafff's post. Summed it all up.

Not sure if we NEED a winger though.

I was 50-50 on where that falls. Feels more essential than a striker if we are left with McCleary, HRK, Jobi and Obita. I can't see Kebe being here and I think I see as a central option. I guess he can do a job there so perhaps that was overstating how much we need to fill that position.

If needs must then Gunter and Cummings have history on the wings, wouldn't put it past Guthrie either. I think a quality left-back and a striker are essential.

[LightwaterRoyal]

Arsenal just released a bunch of young players. Cant remember who exactly but no names that really stand out.

[marcusopp]

We all want to go straight back up!

The squad will need to be re-vamped and, currently, the threads on single players appear to be way off the mark. We need to stabilise our defence anyway, regardless of anyone leaving, the midfield needs to have more youth, speed and potential and the forward line needs to be totally overhauled. Our new Manager prefers a 4-4-2 and that requires decent wingers and decent strikers.

The Pog will go (hopefully), Rhodes or Austin should come in (Yes they will be expensive but we were prepared to lay out millions to try to stay up) The prizes for promotion are now greater and our Chairman has seen the Prem at first hand - he wants to be there! We have a lot of good players but we need to ruthlessly get rid of the chaff and replace that with ability or potential.

There is no 25-man squad in the Championship.

Some of our players are out of contract, some have relegation clauses, some may be attractive to promoted clubs, we need to bring in players of more potential to take their place. One thing is certain, we had a crap forward line last year, if we wish to be promoted we need to spend on the right players!

I'm pretty sure southampton played 4-2-3-1 under Adkins, with Lambert up top and the other 3 very fluid. I suspect he'd like to go back to this formation over the summer.
It all depends on how versatile our current squad is and if Roberts will recover.
Blackman seems fairly versatile, as do HRK and McAnuff. Not sure about Kebe or McCleary though, as they are out and out wingers.
I agree we'll need a left back or two having released two. I suspect a decent attacking midfield player might be on NA's radar, but they're not cheap!

I very much doubt we'll ever see Pearce in RFC colours again

[No Hoops]

Saw Andy Johnson driving down nine mile ride yesterday in a blinged up range rover.

[maffff]

The main three are Jermaine Meade, Conor Henderson and Sanchez Watt.

Jermaine Meade played against us in the Capital One cup game (5-7).. came on at left back but can play on the right, looked promising in his cameo, went forward well. He'd be the one that I'd like us to look at, if anyone.

Conor Henderson - central midfielder but can play out wide. Always looked like he might have a chance at breaking through but hasn't developed to their level due to injuries. Might be worth looking at.

Sanchez Watt's got some good skills about him. Spent time on loan at Colchester and did better than Dom Samuel, but he's 22 now.

Reice Charles-Cook is a goalkeeper and one of the more surprising releases. But he's 19 and we've got Henly, Lincoln, Gogic, Moore, etc etc I'd be surprised if we would look there.

Nigel Neita - Jamaican international, forward, but that's about all he seems to have going for him. Doesn't seem to know how to score goals (might slot in well with a Jamaican international and captain...)

Samir Bihmoutine is a left back, looked like he might be going Wolves, he's trialed around a few league 1 clubs.

[maffff]

Our new Manager prefers a 4-4-2

Hmmmm.............

At Scunthorpe he was 4-4-2 when he had the likes of Horsefield and May (and a lot of hoofball) and the passing approach kicked off with Paterson and Hayes being in the side then Hooper.

When they got relegated and lost Hooper he moved to a predominently 4-4-1-1 (Dagnall behind Forte) and switched mainly between that and 4-2-3-1 type approach at Southampton - his best results being in a 4-2-3-1 and the difference between McDermott and Adkins with wide men is that the 'wingers' play more as forwards under Adkins.

He seems to work his tactics around what is available to him.

[jellytot]

Out:

Pearce
Feds
Legs
Then sell kebe or kanu or both depending on if they sign new deals... Could get some good money for them.

In:

Sunzu
Austin
Not sure about a left back or anyone else ifim honest.

Hitler to play on the right wing and Lenin on the Left wing with Paddy Ashton down the middle.

[RoyalLidge8]

What do we think on Carrico? We he be able to make an impact this season, like he was supposed to in January?

[SCIAG]

If Carrico doesn't make an impact this season I'm never going to get excited about an exotic foreign signing unless I've actually seen them play. Can see this being Matejovsky all over again, clearly talented but constantly injured and eventually displaced by a superior young player (Kuhl?).

D'Ath, Ugwu, Arnold (all turning 21 during next season) and Hector (turning 22) are hardly youth players. Samuel, Partridge and Obita are only a year younger than D'Ath. All should be considered potential first team squad members next season. For reference, Karacan, Pearce, Sigurdsson and Henry were turning 19 in their breakthrough seasons, Robson-Kanu and Church were a year older, so we shouldn't be surprised if an exceptionally talented younger player (Tanner perhaps, or Cooper) plays a bit part role.

Would like to see a squad like this (assuming Pogrebnyak and Pearce leave):
McCarthy, S. Taylor, Henly (loan)
Mariappa, Morrison, Hector, new CB- loan Partridge, Cooper and Sweeney, recall in that order in event of injury/form crisis
S. Kelly, Gunter, new LB, Hector- loan Arnold, Keown, Griffin
Guthrie, Carrico, Karacan, Akpan- loan D'Ath (ideally to Championship level), Tshibola
McAnuff, Tanner
Kebe, HRK, McCleary, Obita, McAnuff- maybe loan Fosu
Le Fondre, new striker, Samuel, Blackman- loan Ikpeazu, Ugwu, forget about Bignall, Roberts

McAnuff and Hector covering two positions

Sell: Federici, Andersen, Gorkss, Cummings, J. Taylor, Leigertwood, Sheppard (and Bignall, if anyone else would take him). I think Leigertwood is one of the better midfielders in the Championship but the other four are more exciting.

[winchester_royal]

Is Bignall still under contract

[SCIAG]

I think we gave him a sympathy deal after he spent a year out with injury? I might be wrong.

[winchester_royal]

The only news I can find about him is that he had a contract that expired last year, and we let him carry on training with us to help him get fit and find another club. Nothing about signing another contract, and given he hasn't been playing any U21 games all season...

I can't believe for one second that we gave him a >1 year contract last summer.

[St. Brynjar]

Surely he would have ended up somewhere else, League 2 or Conference, and we'd have announced it.

[sputnik]

The truth is, we need two strikers who will guarantee 40 goals between them next season

When was the last time a team was promoted from the championship with two strikers scoring 40 between them ? Certainly not in the last five years. Indeed Hull's top two scorers this season managed only 17 between them, their top scorer being a midfielder.

[Sythri]

I think Samuel and D'Ath should be made 1st Team. Who knows, Samuel could be the Lukaku of the Championship...

We need to start playing people like Obita, D'Ath etc before they are snapped up by other clubs

[Cripple Creek]

I do wonder if we aren't going to start putting the likes of D'Ath in the first team this season whether we are, actually, ever going to do so.

[maffff]

Seeing D'Ath at the likes of Cheltenham I don't think he has enough about him to ever break into the side. He's another of those attacking midfielder prodigies that people want to see pushed forward but infinitely isn't good enough. See Scott Davies and Jake Taylor as examples.

Likewise Dom Samuel who wasn't exactly shining at Colchester - but has something about him and time on his side. I wouldn't say he's ready yet.

We have more prospects with more chance of coming through in time in the under 18s. Aaron Kuhl looks the stand out player and Craig Tanner is a good prospect 'in the hole'. Both a bit raw and ready but if they continue developing could push the first team.

Seeing Uche Ikpeazu is the most 'Drog-like' we have - but seeing him up against Stephen Arthurworrey in the u18's final showed how the main thing to his game is his strength which gives him an advantage up top at that level. If he were playing against experienced centre backs at a higher level they would know how to counter that and he'd probably be pretty much invisible (again, unless he keeps building up to Drogba like proportions).

[Royalwaster]

Highlights one of the problems at the youth level - that big players can look a lot better than they are, whereas small players with great technical ability struggle ... and often do not get spotted at U10 level and below.