What do we need in January

If we need to move players on before recruitment then players like Richards are likely targets and as GA doesn’t seem enamoured by McIntyre maybe we our cancel the loan

 

If we need to move players on then it seems McIntyre’s loan could be ended? Shame as he’s better than Byrne and Kelly.

sorry to say it but it wouldn’t surprise if we let Cooky leave on loan to someone in League 2 either. He’s behind Humphrys in Swan in the current system, which has seen us improve considerably, by the look of it.

Halliday is another now down the pecking order, who could easily find a new taker like Cook if we are desperate to create room in squad?

Does emphasise how you need to be spot on with your January recruitment, risking letting players leave and no guarantee the replacements will improve us.

I’d prefer we moved on some of the others still under contract but GA seems loyal and struggling to see it happening.

 

Not sure what’s happened with McIntyre to be honest. Only thing I can think of is that he’s a loan and Alexander is being loyal to his players. It’s assumed he was brought in to cover injuries and now everyone is back, he’s down the pecking order even though he has more technical ability than Byrne and Kelly. It’s a trait of Alexander to put his players in before loanees, so maybe permanent transfers will be order of the in January.

 

I get the impression that GA thinks he doesn’t adapt to our way of playing

 

The risk of loan players is they can always be recalled which can really throw your season off
Ask Walsall
Much better to bring them in during the January window
Hopefully we have plenty in the coffers to build
But January is away always a sellers market

 

I think January is the best time to bring loans in as you say it’s a Sellers market and clubs are reluctant to sell or release players.so bringing in loans who will be playing for a new contract or looking for a new club makes sense. We have the momentum and the crowds to be able to bring in top class loan players. With a replacement or competition for Pattison and Saravic the priority

 

The only way Cook leaves in January is if we get a silly offer or we have a replacement for him lined up. Letting him go in January under any other circumstance would be a PR disaster and a footballing mistake as he is the only striker of his type in the squad. I think we have to be realistic with him and take into account his age, recovering from a big injury and this is only his 2nd full season at league 1 level. In the summer when his contract is up that is a different story and I think he will leave in the summer unless he is prepared to take a pay cut and a lesser role to play.

Likewise with Halliday unless we get in a replacement I don't see him being allowed to leave in January as he is needed as a back up for Neufville especially as his recent form isn't great. Like Cook I also expect him to leave in the summer.

I don't really get this idea that Alexander is loyal to players and can't see anything. People talk about Kelly and Byrne as examples but due to injuries there has been no other options than playing Byrne at RCB and Kelly was brought in to deal with the height and physicality of Stevenage and Lincoln and that call was justified as he did well in both. Every manager will have players they trust.

I do think the plan in the summer was to make a squad that could transition into league 1 as a midtable side then in the coming summer release some of the players from the league 2 squad like Byrne, Kelly, Cook, Halliday to make space for league 1 ready players. Out of the 11 out of contract players in the summer I think only Hilton is a guarantee of getting an extension, the other 10 are either in the balance or unlikely.

 

There is a fantastic debate on the WYS podcast re Cookie. Some may say it’s a disaster , some may say “it’s time “ if HE wants to be a starter and won’t be gauranteed a start. No room for sentimentality in the cool light of day BB.

 

Fully agree. GA is too smart and also values squad harmony, morale and togetherness too highly to disturb. I fully expect Cook and Halliday to be here to the end of the season - both still have a lot to offer to the squad. Furthermore I’d question why either would want to leave given our season so far, surely any player wants to be part of a club competing at the right end of the division??

That said, I can see Kavanagh leaving on loan if we identify a potential target up front. Struggle to see how he breaks through with the squad as it is. The bulk of the night team rotation games of the EFL trophy are probably past us, and given that’s the only competition outside of the league it will likely leave fringe players struggling for minutes.

 

Between now and the closure of the transfer window we have, in theory at least, 14 league games. I'm pretty sure that we will need Halliday, Richards and Cook to be involved in that period. I would be surprised if any were to leave from the club's perspective.

I just wonder whether the cup run means that instead of waiting until the Summer to pick up a particular OOC player on our radar, there might be the possibility of acquiring them in January. What's great this season, apart being 2nd in L1 and everything that's gone with that, is that we go into the window without needing to acquire a couple of squad fillers. It's a testament to having a recruitment strategy in place.

 

I reckon our few squad fillers will be loans really. Loaning in Jan is pretty perfect to be fair because they wont be recalled if you aren't using them or if they are doing well and by this point you know exactly where you need that filler, rather than in the summer where there's still some guessing around how well the whole bunch will gel.

 

It’s a difficult conundrum. The best, least expensive opportunity to pick up a quality loan player is probably Jan . I say that in this way, let’s say a quality young CC / Prem loanee is thought to need a step up after performing well in say L2 so far. Then his parent club wants to try him up a level?

Abbott at Notts County and Lowe at Walsall , classic examples last season? I’m sure there are quite a few more.

 

I just hope recruitment might be looking at a slightly younger and fitter CB to add to the squad rather than 'stockpiling' numbers to cover our generally older players in this position - be a positive sign for the future although I do know GA likes his old guard!

 

Anyone think we might be worth bringing in an actual winger as one of these young loans? Seems like in the last few games to me that we are screaming out for a pacey outlet in the second half. It might be because teams are marking Neuville a little closer and he's dropped slightly, but it feels like saturdays sub really summed up that we need some kinda game changer if we want to change that side.

Lapslie is not a winger or wing back in any way shape or form, but looking at our options he was the only real contender for an off the boil Neufville to try something different on the right. Some loanee young kid who can cover both sides for a few months in certain games could be a shout? For all Bobbys good work on the ball, he doesn't have that turn of pace to push a defender back on their heels, Sarce is another who wants it to him rather than in space. Just thinking for another option to push us forward/defences back if we have a pacey guy in the top third.

 

Teams have nullified Neufville slightly , especially when Sarcevic isn’t playing . They just double up on him like we tried to do with their tasty winger on Saturday . When Sarce isn’t on he loses that “final ball” to burst through on to . Oh and Baldwin has been a massive miss for him imho .

 

The trouble is Alexander is reluctant to A) use loan players ahead of his own and B) he’s reluctant to play youth and prefers older established players. Someone like a Scott Banks would’ve been perfect for Saturday and someone in that mold would be ideal in my opinion. Right age, great feet and allegedly decent on free kicks.

 

Power takes the free kicks(and the throw ins and the corners and pen if we get one).

 

Power won't be taking any penalties.

 

Notts fans obviously don't agree. All last season they were posting on the L2 forum how they had pulled our pants down swapping Baldwin for Platt. Is one of them now in a higher division than the other?

 

And Platt isn't featuring in their starting 11