What do we need in January

We need to make use of the loan market in January, there are some gems out there if our recruitment team can spot them. Bolton have an absolute gem in Cozier Duberry on loan from Brighton as we will no doubt find to our cost a week on Saturday.

 

Bribery from the Premier League for allowing their under 21s to play.

 

Jordan Gibson!

 

Centre half. Midfield and striker

 

Striker… one that doesnt need 10+ chances to score 1

 

We have 'strikers ', we need finishers.
22 chances and 1 goal tonight emphasises that.

 

66 chances in last 3 games… and 2 goals… we need a finisher

 

A CM is a priority. You only get away with playing 2 in the middle if both players are quality. unfortunately we only have one who is consistent; in Power. The other 3 either play a blinder or have a horror show

the second player we need is a CB because our options are pants and we are conceding way too many goals

Thirdly, someone to play in the 10 role. The moment either Sarcevic or Pointon get injured, our goals dry up. I have faith the strikers will get out of their respective droughts, its just coincidental they all chose to have their moment at the same time

 

Is Josh Stones (striker) worth a pop? Absolutely no idea how much he’s worth in today’s market and whether York would sell given their aiming for the EFL, but I’m sure we were linked with him when he was a free agent and he’s been doing well at York it seems.

Wondered if he might have a release clause like Charlie Wyke did etc.

With Cooky’s best days behind him (call it succession planning for Cook) and Humphrys and Swan dipping in and out of form, we need another option in January. Stones, at 22, has his best days ahead of him.

started out at Guiseley.

 

His striking partner,Ollie Pearse,is doing even better,but I think he is a fair bit older than Stones.York paid an alleged £350.000 for Stones from Oldham,but I don't know how true that is.

 

Might be nonsense but he apparently had a 7 figure release clause, York paid £350k for him so maybe he has one but i'd be amazed if it's over a million.

Let's do the standard route of seeing who Stockport aren't using at the minute, tried and tested

 

We need a top drawer midfielder to play next to Power, and a top quality number 10. I also think we need a 9, and a quality CB, but we won't get all that in Jan.

Byrne, Kavanagh need to move on, and if we can strengthen in the positions above I'd be letting Leigh and Lapslie go too.

I'm hoping that we make much better use of the loan market too. The pressure of a promotion push and playing in front of 22k fans every other week should be a great test case for young players on the fringes of PL and Championship teams.

 

First of all, GA needs to change his mind about loan players

 

To play consistently in GA style you need legs and some of our squad look like theirs are running out of steam.
We don't have an obvious Plan B which isn't such a problem if Plan A is working - but since mid October this has been on the wain as GA himself indicated last night (to parts of Barnsley game)
But equally we still have a heavy core of good League 2 players who are gradually being found out - the powers that be MUST be aware of this and hopefully we will see a bit more of a transition in Jan, as well as legs we are desperate for a bit more quality in key areas to maintain our excellent progress in the past few months

 

Quality

 

We won't get the quality required in January. Maybe one player but not enough. If we can invest in a player (like with Wyke nearly 10 years ago) for next season then it won't have been a bad window. The summer is when we will see if we can push on.

 

This has been discussed on here for years.
January should always be about “tweaking” your squad rather than wholesale changes.

Getting real quality in various positions in January is always going to be a long shot,
Teams near us don’t let players go to rivals.
Teams below us won’t have the quality we need.


A couple of decent prem or championship loans is always an option but we need to be still around the top of the table or the loaning club won’t want their player at a mid table or struggling team.

 

Having been in such a good position, to then finish midtable or below, could be a real hit on confidence going into next season. We've seen what's happening with the teams that finished in the top 6 last season and that could quite easily be us. Do we gamble in January and push the boat out, or plan to move some out and strengthen for next season?

 

Tbf Stockport are certainly doing well after ending in the top 6. Wycombe were held back by Dodds, their form had already gone off a cliff at the end of last season. Had they have gotten Duff in the summer I think they’d be up there. Orient is one I had down to struggle, they ended where they did due to loans, it’s always hard to replicate the season after.

 

imagine three quality players in this squad with all our injuries back... we would be decent