January 2025 Transfer Window

And it’s gone up two levels since! Watch players like Man City’s Bernado Silva. I looks like he couldn’t run to the chippy and back yet he must be the best athlete in the Prem. Hes a relentless runner.

 

I did expect Walker to leave but maybe he is just running down his contract with us and hoping for a decent move in the summer.

Otherwise a bit meh with the signings. But as ever would like to see them in action to see how valuable they will be to the promotion push. Yes I have gone and said it.

 

I get a bigger sense of realism on here than the social media channels as to how the transfer window actually went.

It looked impressive early doors, with targets seemingly identified and brought in with relative ease, however the more you actually break it down there are still as many question marks as there are answers.

Defensively, i do think the signings were reactive to saturday, especially with likelihood of Richards and Kelly being long term injured. Critchlow and Adaramola provide cover for them two, yet arguably any of Wright , Khela, Odour, and Shepherd could have covered Left back and Seemingly Byrne, Odour and Huntingdon will be twiddling their thumbs for the rest of the season barring the odd game here and there.

We already had a seemingly bloated midfield, Smallwood picking himself with Khela as cover and then any of Walker, Sarcevic, Pattison, Odour, Pointon providing the remaining 2 or 3 options yet we have had added to this with the signings of Lapslie and Leigh who albeit on limited time, have yet to prove they are actually better than what we already have.


Upfront in January, we have lost Cook, Oliver, Sanderson, Smith and Ibbotson, We have only added Mellon as a real striking option and we don't know how far away from full fitness he is yet. Whilst we haven't lost any goals from the 4 to have left the club, i don't think we have signed anyone capable of the 10 goals that Cook would have expected to score between now and May. Alexander may see Tommy Leigh as capable of playing upfront however he has one goal in six across his career and only one in five across the best spell of his career so expecting a magical upturn from him appears unlikely.

We have signed a keeper of 25 years of age with not many first team games behind him, and whilst back up keepers don't get much game time this is another signing which is arguably no better than what we have in the building.

Over all we appear much too bloated squad wise having still having players on the books we cant shift and signing players who arguably weren't necessarily needed.

I think 6.5 out of 10 window rather than a solid 8 but better than past January debacles

 

My concern is will the lack of bringing in another more experienced forward be this seasons Scott Banks moment?

 

Yes agree Walker was an odds on bet……Surprised not one club have publicly tried. Maybe some have but weren’t will to take over his wage.?

 

Who was available and at what cost.

 

Absolutely spot on. It's beyond my comprehension that we appear to have committed a fair amount of money to this window but ended up with a completely unbalanced squad, with numerous midfielders but only two young and inexperienced forwards. Saturday really showed up our weakness up front and the failure to strengthen there is unforgiveable. Do the powers that be really believe that Kavanagh and Mellon will fire us to promotion?

 

It showed up Wimbledon’s excellent defence the best in the league. Since Cooks injury we have scored freely with goals being spread out. GA’s method of playing involves one up front and we have three choices for that position. Far more important is wether we can keep the midfielders just behind fit and if the replacements are up to it.

 

Not for me to answer that Kevin, it’s for the club but Orsi and Rhodes as two examples. Its making calculated risk and investment to better chances of promotion though

 

our three choices are formed of two who appear to be liked because they run around a lot and are a nuisance, both are a goal every four or five games players, one of whom is essentially a midfielder.

There are questions around Mellon who doesnt appear to have kicked on but hopefully will appreciate the drop back down a level.

The goals coming from midfield are what should have been coming from midfield for the last four years and in my opinion is to be expected from a promotion winning side, rather than something we have stumbled across recently.

I still feel we have finished the window 10-15 goals short of where we needed to be

 

Interestingly, on one of them panel Sky Sports fans show, Carragher was spitting (see what I did) with the crowd about how top clubs seem to be moving away from the Pep style of recycling the ball to a more fast-paced counter attacking system using pace and power (Like Forest). Then there is us going the kinda false 9 route using Leigh as a striker... Maybe GA is a genius afterall

 

Not addressing the striker issue is a massive faux pas. It will be what ends up costing us as there is now no Plan B if the high press doesn't work. It was shaping up to be a good window with what happened early Jan and earlier yesterday but the final piece of the jigsaw never materialised.

More than happy to be proven wrong though in that is the lack of striker that will cost us

 

I’m the only person who has voted ‘not impressed’

We’ve got a bigger squad, but neither am I convinced we now have a stronger starting 11 than at the start of January nor do I think we have a stronger match day squad. We just seem to have better cover for the cover!

Apart from up front where were one injury away from a crisis. The one area I felt we needed to prioritise I worry we’ve neglected and which will come to cost us.

I hope I’m wrong…..

 

You mention one loanee that’s gone to L1 and one loanee that’s gone to L2 to a club owned by Kuwait billionaires? Is that your offer as an example that we should compete with whilst we are owned by an owner that won’t invest anything further other than the bare minimum. Facebook and Twitter has a lot to answer for and their contributors raising deluded expectations . People like Leigh are the best we shall see with the current owner, if you can’t see that , with respect, then there is something seriously wrong with one’s expectations. We need to be pragmatic when our owner has used up all his “ calculated risk” . It’s a 7/10 window, , other than Wrexham spending around £5m or more , nobody will come remotely close.

 

Its great to watch after being bored shitless watching Man City all these years, nothing better than an open flowing game rather then the pass between the centre backs ad nauseam. Bournemouth another team that look to hit you with pace on the counter.

 

Absolutely , the free flowing game is however only achievable if both sides want to play it though.

Brighton, Brentford, Forest , Newcastle , Bournemouth annd Liverpool are all a decent watch at the moment. Any more ? ,
I don’t like cheating, win at all costs Arsenal ( sorry if that ruffles feathers)

 

I love watching teams have a go, to be fair quite a few do now. Palace another who kill teams with pace, but as you allude to teams have to put the effort in with a high press, sticking 10 men behind the ball should have points deducted.

 

I didn’t search through all but gave examples of what I would class as more ambitious. You’ve hit the nail on the head with the point around the ownership though. I too voted 7/10 but the missing 3 could be massive come the end of the season

 

What do you mean missing the 3?

 

Agree totally, yes I forgot Palace. It’s even the same in our division sadly.