2024 Released Players & City transfer rumours

I didn't know that! That's not too bad to be fair, who was that for?

 

We dont really need a striker either.....but we may do in 10 days.

 

Not sure of the team but I think league 1 has been mentioned.

 

20

 

A young defensive midfielder apparently? I suppose we did need to have somebody in that role if Smallwood gets injured, banned or starts regressing as the campaign goes on (he does turn 34 this season). Because Gilly and McD were tried there and neither can play sitting DM well. Especially if as the friendlies have shown, it's a 3 man CM unit with 1 sitter and 2 attack minded midfielders.

 

Reading the posts, nobody can really agree on what the starting eleven should be. And that’s with four days to go until kick off. To me, the squad looks unbalanced and fragile. An injury in defence or up top, and we’re in trouble. The midfield, where we’ve got loads of players, also has a history of injuries. God help us if Sam Walker picks up a knock.

Sadly I’m left feeling it’s the same old City. Shoehorned signings, promises of a few klaxons, players leaving without improved replacements, and the prospect of lads on loan.

Prove wrong please!

 

What was that terrible comment about "it being in a position we don't really need right now"? Jeez... great... let's spend money on a player in a position we don't need. Why is he even saying that?

 

He means it’s for “ back up” to what we have , as many point out we have zero cover of MERIT in the DM position. So the opposite of a terrible comment, rather a common sense idea imho.

 

I usually have some optimism going into the week of the season, but looking at this squad I just feel flat. Still no real GK competition or back up. CBs are all very different and remains to be seen if that will mesh? Wing backs, Halliday and Johnson, we still don't know what type Johnson is as he hasn't kicked a ball in the 7 weeks they've been back. Richards and Wright are very different players. Feels like there isn't a seamless move if we make a sub there.

Same for the DM role although this new loan might cover better, but its another spot where if your main starter is out the dynamic changes at the minute if Gilly or Sarce have to play there. We have a lot of attack minded CMs who are injury prone or someone like Pointon might have to play there if we aren't using wingers this season, so it's another untested position he could do well? Another could?

Up front, sounds like Young might be on his way leaving us with again trying to find a partner for Cook. Kav looks like the man for now, my worry with Kav based on last season was that if he didn't score he looked lost and you forgot he was on the field. He needs to find a way to impact the game more for me. Smith and Oliver as back ups worry me. Vadaine turns 33 soon, we know what we are going to get from him and it's been a good 3 or 4 seasons since he was a goal threat. Smith was tried with everyone last season and never looked a consistent threat, he turns 26 this season and by that age you'd expect a striker knows his game, but he just doesn't look comfortable. I think another forward will come in before the deadline.

 

Not seen anything to suggest he’s unsettled?

 

I think we have come through a very gruelling preseason with one long term injury which means someone is doing their job right
MK have got a few doubts for Saturday. We have cover for just about every player and I think the club is in the best position to push on than any of the last six seasons

 

I suppose most (including me) wanted a settled squad which just missed out on the playoffs, with a few quality additions to push us on. Unfortunately we don’t know whether that will be the case until the battle commences. Sounds simple to add 3 or 4 and get rid of 5 or 6, but the contracts we’ve dished out haven’t been in the clubs favour at all. Players being able to activate their own extension is ludicrous. Never again should we be held over a barrel. If they won’t sign for us without that clause, then we move on. How much of the playing budget is being spent on 4 players who’ve offered very little value for money? Smallwood, Stubbs, MacDonald and Oliver, yet with 5 days to go only one of the 4 will make the lineup and that’s only because he probably has a clause in his contract that he has to be captain (guessing there).

 

I’m on the fence at the moment . As all preseasons gone by the teams we have put out are a jumbled mess of getting minutes into the legs. It’s impossible to judge any of the incomers and formation as a result . We may get a better idea on Sat when we see the 11.

If I were a betting man I would suggest Stubbs wont feature , the rest is far too difficult to forecast with any certainty other than Cookie, Halliday , Walker (GK) ?

 

You have no idea its a defensive midfield position. Only Parker suggesting it could be a midfielder and now suddenly he's a defensive midfielder.

Let's see if/when he arrives but my point is still that there's no need to say "it's a position we don't need". If I was the guy arriving I'd be like- fine, I'll go somewhere else!

 

17 in the league, which is all that matters

 

Gruelling ? We've only really played Sunderland reserves. The rest have been pub teams

 

We ended the season as the division's form team against other teams that did have something to play for. The squad didn't need wholesale change. Look how many superfluous signings we have made in the past and how it has turned out. GA knows more than any of us do so give him time before we trash his judgement. Time to get behind the lads.

 

To be fair, we are about to sign our 7th new member. It's not wholesale but that's still a fair amount, if 7 of the matchday 18 are new that is a dynamic change for sure.

I must admit I'm not really one to buy into the "we ended the season on form" thing. If you end well it's something people cling onto, if you end badly it's immediately washed away as something from last season. For me, the season before form good or bad is completely redundant when the next season starts. As there's always personnel changes, tactic tweaks as well as the months off, it makes what went before pretty irrelevant. Just for me anyways.

 

We really missed the boat with Wyke. If the club knew we were going to get rid of Jake Young why on earth didn’t we try harder for Wyke which wouldn’t have been too hard?

 

I suppose we didnt know at the time we would need to move on Young as we assumed we'd have gotten rid of Oliver by then. The amount of T&A articles linking Oliver with an exit in May and June seemed to be frequent.

Also, Wyke is thought to have signed for £7k-£8k a week which is the highest paid in L2 and probably is by some distance. We aren't competing with that. Giving someone with his fitness record since his heart issues that much money and on a 2 year deal is a ridiculous gamble, especially with the standard wage rises too. If they go up he'll be on about £10k a week next season, mental money for a player like Wyke at this stage of his career. It was in the news a few weeks back that their new owners spent nearly £5m in their first 6 months in-charge..... seems like they are committed on high wages and hoping it works out.