Any Topic Going formerly Transfer Rumour s

McCall said it's a loan player which rules out Bogle and Hiwula, who the latter already said no to us due to cash.
Edmundson has gone on loan to Aberdeen so that's out of the question.
I presume you mean Austin Samuels from Wolves? If so I don't know anything about him. Unless you actually mean Alex Samuels but the one at Wycombe?
Stead I can't see it, as too similar to what we have, even though he'd do a better job than Donaldson and Guthrie.

The rest who knows. As you say Diamond is injured but needs to now prove himself at league football. Harrat the same. Greenwood I don't think will go down as far as league 2.

 

Dont think stuart helps himself sometimes, his piece in the telegraph todays lends me to believe he wasnt aware that gareth evans had been playing right back recently..

"When I looked at bringing Gareth Evans in, I remember him as more of a striker for us. The more I have seen him in training, he is probably not the one who can play up there, although I have no doubts that he can."

“But he is maybe better coming from a deeper lying role, maybe as a 10 or an attacking midfielder or off one of the sides"

To me that sounds like he was offered him and said yes, without doing any checks

 

Sounds more to me like he brought him in to solve our problems up front, then realised in training he wasn't the one to do that, so has been back on the ipad watching some Premier league under 23 lads.

 

Takes literally anyone with a working internet connection to type in "Gareth Evans Footballer" and there's a bunch of stat sites and his old clubs stat pages that would show Evans apart from a handful of times in his first Rotherham season, hasn't played upfront for about 7 years.

Which makes me think his iPad is one of those really old ones that only work on wifi, no 4G. As soon as he takes it to the training ground it's just a prop for the lads to think he's right up to date with the other cool managers.

 

It's a weird one, because without a director of football, or someone in charge of transfers, then naturally, it's going to be the manager that identifies, scouts and recommends players for signing. As you say, there's a wealth of information out there about any footballer, so it's slightly worrying that Stuart now has a player on his hands that is suprising him in terms of positional ability. What analysis and reasoning did he do to decide that GE was the player he wants? It's perplexing actually. I'm also presuming that he has to press his transfer case and player strategy to Gibb, and to some extent Rupp. So that means it's the blind leading the blind. Not the first time we've thought that.

Unless I am wrong, and it's someone else identifying and signing our players. For Stuart to say "I remember...." then that kind of cries out to me, that he's going on recollection rather than research, which ultimately means he's not involved in the signing of players. Really, what's going on?

 

That's kind of nuts.

Have we signed Gareth Evans without even knowing where he's been playing?

If so... Why?

 

I remember questioning the Evans signings, not because I thought he was a bad player but simply because I couldn’t figure out where he fits into the team. As it is, neither does McCall!

Baffling to say the least.

 

Too many assumptions there mate in trying to make your argument, also quite insulting to McCall.

 

Whats insulting in there?

The manager himself doesnt seem to know where to play the players he has just signed

He has virtually admitted he signed him to play striker and now thinks perhaps he is probably not the one to play there

Anyone with a knowledge of Lower league football will tell you Gareth Evans has for vast majority of his latter career played in deep roles be that midfield or even right back.

Which leaves us right to ask the question , on what basis was he signed and who signed off or sanctioned it. As clearly someone hadnt done their homework. Given we have no scouting team surely that would have been the management team

 

Gibb??

 

I agree with you. He says some stuff at times and as I listen I'm thinking "no, stop talking, don't say that, stop!"

 

Certainly not giving out the strong sense of direction and informed judgement our present predicament needs...both judgementally and financially.

 

Maybe before this stuff is put out to media someone could get hold of it and 'proof read it' just to see how it reads. McCall might have made these comments an in innocent way but, like a few others have alluded to, it just reads like he doesn't know where to play a player when it was clear we had vital positions that needed strengthening. A quick and nimble striker was a must, instead we have a player who doesn't look like he could play upfront in training but then again could play there according to McCall.

 

That maybe true to be fair, perhaps maybe mr parker maybe getting another call today from stuart asking why he's done him up like a kipper if thats the case

 

I said the same thing.

Again this just screams out we need someone to handle recruitment whether DOF or Scout as Stuart is predominately signing players he knows from the past and there seems to be little or no validation.
I’m not trying to blame Stuart but he doesn’t help himself and the club overall from a PR perspective is quite shambolic

 

Can see why Stuart's comments have been interpreted in the way they have but I don't for one second believe Stuart wasn't aware that Evans had become a different player to the striker we had many years ago. Stuart said the following in the T&A the day after Evans signed:

“There’s no doubt he can still play as a striker in a two, he’s intelligent enough and his runs are good,” added McCall. "He can play as a 10, he can play as an attacking midfielder, he can play wide in a three coming off the line. And obviously, not that I will use him there, but he had a full season at wing-back when Pompey got promoted."

Seems to me that Stuart is saying, maybe not in the best way, that they've tried a few different things with Evans in training and midfield looks the best option. Wherever he plays, a player with the attitude and experience that Evans brings is welcome.

 

Aireboro, good comment - theres some on here who like to 'trip' Stuart up at every opportunity and as I have previously posted 'Stuart speak' sometimes doesnt do him any favours but it shouldn't always be taken as gospel as to what he really means.
And lets be honest, there are also posters on here who said HE WOULD NOT be bringing in another striker in this window and that Guthrie (and Clarke) we the ones to replace Vaughan - I know its not over the line yet but will we see a bit of humble pie on the menu when he does come in?!

 

Ha! Cheers. Maybe I was wishing we had Gibb instead of Rhodes. Same thing really - one feeds the others pocket. Edited out now. Thanks again

 

No assumptions, just questions. And in what way have I insulted McCall?
And btw - that's not allowed or?

 

He’s probably been knocked back by everyone on his striker list.

Will the “he’s the one we’ve been waiting for” be trotted out?

It’s a gamble waiting to see what’s left in the sales when you go shopping with a week before the new range comes in. Who we end up could be, a) injury prone, b) unfit, c) uncommitted or a combination of all 3.