January 2021 Transfer Window

He'll play off the left like he did at Oldham when Rowe was there.

 

Your mate's opinion about the owner might be correct, but it's reaching to go from that to the deal is done and dusted.

 

Listening to Trueman post match interview it didn’t sound like Mclaney was the first choice player they were looking at

 

He would be a shoe in for the left of a three in a pre Rowe line up. Still not sure how to fit Rowe in and how he would fit with Novak (when both available). Could play him in a three behind Novak but then who do you leave out? At the moment the balance is just slightly off, with the players we now have the back four picks itself and Watt takes the deep lying role. That leaves 5 places left. Sutton takes one of those places on present form so four left. The 10 role seems pivotal as does the left and right of it, Cooke probably the best option. We still lack good options left and right of that '10', probably our weakest positions on the pitch right now.

 

That is what I really like about this window - we have done our ground work, we have moved as soon as we were ready, we have identified a number of options and we have not been backed into a corner.
And yesterday we might have been a bit rusty in parts but the key for me was we have not lost the momentum we were building towards the end of last year

 

Its a knee injury and they said they'd know more Tuesday. I reckon they already know more that it's long term and once we've finished our transfer business we'll miraculously have some results from scans.

 

If that's the case and with Novak being out of contract in the summer, the planning might have moved on from Rowe and Novak being our first choice pairing up front. Novak might not be in the longer term planning at all.

 

Suppose like a game of chess, if novaks injury is bad any replacement or club would up their demands knowing we are desperate to fill the position or play hardball

 

Agreed. Time will tell whether Stevens is good enough but we lack the options on the other side. Despite Evans having the best chance yesterday, he was quiet. I may have said this before but I don't think Rowe needs to be playing off a target man upfront at all. What I think he needs is the runners from that three in behind to get beyond him when he comes deep. Very much like Son, Ndombele and Bergwijn do for Spurs when Kane drops deep. Problem is I don't see Clarke and Evans being capable of this but Stevens and McAleny could be. The latter especially, as it seems Rowe's movement was instrumental in a lot of McAleny's goals.

 

Its good to see we're targeting players to fit a system now. A lot of clubs play the 4-2-3-1, it gives you a good structure. I completely agree that the one thing we lack is runners in that 3 behind the 1 especially wide. Feel for Clarke as he looks like a player out of position.

 

It'll be interesting to see whether Burrell can fill that sort of role.

 

smoke and mirrors?

 

The deal for the lad from Oldham feels like it’s in place. Could Evans play up top, let Rowe and McAleny play with one more Cooke / Clarke behind him? Unless we bring in a 9, assuming Novak is done for the season.

 

Yeah, I was thinking that I wouldn't be surprised to see Burrell upfront and Rowe in behind.

 

Maybe Novak isn't injured and we've had an offer for him ,or maybe he's going to be part of the Oldham deal for McAleny.

 

As much as I would like McAleny bringing into the club not at the expense of Novak going the other way, he's the only player in the squad who we can rely on getting goals at any sort of consistent level.

 

If that was the case then how come McAleny played yesterday and Novak didn't?
Surely both of them would have been 'injured'?

 

You must have listened to a different interview he gave the standard answer every manager gives

 

I was also thinking it was a bit weird for Oldham's CEO to leak our approach for McAleny. Personally, I think its a player they want to cash in on but he was trying to engineer a bidding war.

 

Wasn't there a T&A article the other week where Novak was fishing for a new contract? If we haven't offered one, perhaps he's looking at getting another deal elsewhere? He's got to be thinking about his future, I suppose.