January 2024 Transfer Window

The USA U23s, come on mate....

Oyegoke gets called up to England U20s.

 

Ok. So, those two things are not the same - guessing you know that but just saying the obvious.

 

I think you are being a bit unfair to Tomkinson.Yes ,its the under 23s,but this is the squad the USA are preparing for next years olympics,so the lad has a lot to aim for,they are not just playing meaningless friendly matches.Which begs the question,has any former City player ever appeared at an olympic games?.

 

Not sure, but reckon we could have had a few contenders for the Paralympics

 

https://bantamsheritage.com/2019/02/06/harold-walden-bradford-citys-all-singing-olympic-hero/

Did not know this , just looked after your question.

 

Thats amazing,you learn something new every day.Regarding City players coming from India,i think Arthur Thorpe was another one,i believe he was born in Lucknow,Arthur was a winger,probably in the sixties,though my memory could be wrong about the date.

 

Thanks for that,i did not realise he had died so recently,he is one player that never seems to come up in conversation,yet his record for City was not bad at all for a winger.

 

R

Yes remember him OGF.

 

GA has now proven himself and the club should do everything it can to back him in the transfer window.

5 wins on the bounce-1 goal conceded and the whole team playing to its strengths, 3 points off the play offs. What a turnaround.

 

I listened to a discussion about Leeds and the transfer window on Radio Leeds earlier today. A former player on the commentary made the very good point that you want to improve the team but you don't want to disrupt the team too much if you're doing well. I think that very much applies to us. We've got Young coming back and injuries easing so we need to be very careful. I don't think we need to do much apart from sending unneeded loans back unless someone truly exceptional becomes available. From today's team I'd like to see Pattison for Gilliead and Young for Smith and then we really have a team. But for all my criticism of Gilliead I must say he's an effective part of a winning team. Anyway, I'm happy for Alexander to make those decisions.

 

Good point. I think GA will know that. I hope the club gives him whatever he wants and like you say that should include a few leaving that will trim the squad as Mark Bower said today, it is far too big. Also players like to come to a successful team, and if we are there or thereabouts after 01 January, then maybe bringing good quality in might not be as hard as in recent seasons?

 

I interpret GA’s comments as that he thinks the squad is good enough and there will be no incomings in January other than Young coming back from loan.
There will be several loan players sent back also.

 

Great turnaround with GA. Perhaps, striker options aside, we do little business in January but wait til summer when we can get more for our money? I'd lose a couple of the loans and still worry about pace in the team especially at centre half but hey.... 1 goal conceded perhaps tells me I'm wrong ;-)

 

The way I've been reading it is that he wants to reduce the size of the squad so mainly outgoings.

It would be surprising if he didn't bring in 1 or 2 he knows/trusts/wants but to do thatbi think we'd need to see 4 or 5 leave. I expect the loan players to go back which would help but not sure who the others would be

 

Ive always defended the recruitment (loans are shite in main) because on paper it looked decent enough to me - certainly better than the league table suggested. Hughes ball and the lack of Cook back up saw the squad struggle.

Oyegoke, Tulloch and Afoka can all go for me. If by a miracle anyone wants Ridehalgh, Osadebe and Derbyshire then they can go too. Maybe look at loans for Rowe and Wilson.

Get Young back and id say a DF and CM too.

 

I feel for Smith a little but ultimately he will be the sacrificial lamb to shoehorn Young back into the team up front with either Cook or Oliver which is where he should have been deployed when he was here rather than out on the wing.

 

Football is a squad game. Injuries, rotation, loss of form. Having an inform Smith and a returning Young is perfect.

Smith has to earn his shirt and having that competition is good for him, Young and the team.

We cannot become complacent.

 

Smith will be a good one to bring on when Cook or Young tires,( that’s if Young isn’t sold )

 

Smith, along with Oliver will still get game time and it'll be a deciding factor over the remaining games I think that once Young comes back we can then rest any senior forward without it impacting us massively like it has in the past.