Summer 2023 Transfer Rumours

Park - Rupp did it in the 2018 season pushed the boat out, it was the execution that was terrible not the notion of investing.

We would all agree we have a stronger structure in place now recruitment director and team of scouts. Why can’t he do it again? Why can’t he invest in his business - fans are doing all we can and that still isn’t enough compared to our competitors.

 

Am I supposed to be convinced by the fact we don’t have a sugar daddy? If you don’t then only managed spend is the way forward. Remember we have ZERO assets to borrow money against.

 

Yes the administrations were something else the first was bad enough but when fans go down to wait outside the the offices ( now the school) watching the comings and goings with regards the likes of Bobby Ham, Jim Brown, Steve Longbottom and others trying to broker a deal to save our club I can understand fans not wanting owners to go down that road of debt again.
I believe the playing budget Mark Hughes had last season and will get again this season we shouldn't need Rupp to divi up, hopefully that will help going forward where sustainability can't cover players fees/ salaries, then again thats what most fans expected after or Wembley apperance for some reason it wasn't forthcoming.
"but like I said the club is scared of debt" your quote was with regards fans being scared of debt hence my reply.
In hindsight a few of the players Hughes/Gent brought to the club weren’t good enough, but was it all down to players I'm not sure it was, money was wasted on a few players who were never going to be starters, at best bench warmers, so for me they'd better get it right this coming season as fans we have been more than patient, Hughes has to deliver this season.

 

There are definitely some decent examples in, a valid point. But there but a few have had very decent money thrown at them.

 

Yes, yes and double yes !!

 

I though you was going to admit it was you and your mates trying to hit us with your 50p instead of trying to hit the blanket.
You took your life into your own hands back in those days couldn't imagine it happening in this day and age, imagine doing a "risk assessment" Everton had to stop the "Toffee Lady" throwing sweets to the kids because of health and safety.

 

Conjecture? To an extent perhaps and only relating to the principle of the argument, but the argument is underpinned by a number of facts.

Keeping it simple, we are financially competitive and top end of the league in that regard - we agree on that. Let's say we are competing for a player and offering the same terms - and location isn't an issue - then all the 'factual' points I made come into play.

Stadia, supporter numbers, Hughes' profile and evident progression on and off the pitch. These are pretty compelling advantages which the club has over the competition. I accept that despite all this, we might not always be the right fit for a player and they opt for elsewhere. That's life. However, collectively these all add to the narrative and the 'sell' of the club. Assets which our competitors can't compete with us on.

It can sway deals in our favour and I'm sure it has and will continue to do so.

 

I'll answer that. Because he doesn't need to in League 2. We have one of the biggest budgets in the division thanks to the clubs own income generation.

Having THE biggest budget guarantees you nothing, other than - most likely - a deficit at the end of the season. What matters is being competitive and we are absolutely that.

Not one of the four promoted clubs last season had the biggest budget in the division. Money can get you some great players, but there's more to building a promotion winning side than signing some marquee players.

Also, what is all this talk of being unable to compete with our competitors? Who are we constantly losing out to?

 

Back to the topic of transfers, it seems that we are now well stacked on the CB front. GK is not an issue.

Is there any news on whether Hughes intends to keep the likes of FCD & Hendrie? Could that possibly mean another RB coming in should them 2 go?

Is there any news regarding Mcdonald or Agyei? seems like its gone quiet on both fronts

Any news regarding Gillead

an given that the playing budget may be higher this season than the one just gone, what do you guys think the marquee signing of this window will be? position wise

 

The delay on McDonald is concerning given what happened with Williams. Has he failed a medical or had a change of heart?

 

We certainly appear to be slower out of the blocks than last year and slower than Doncaster are this preseason. Although, we need fewer bodies in the building than last time around. I'd also imagine players are returning from holiday now, so let's see what happens in the next day or two. If it is McDonald to be next through the door, I hope there's a speedy striker to follow.

 

Sounds like Wright will be hoping for more opportunities according to the local Plymouth newspaper so if he was the one returning it will probably be later on in pre-season, a bit like Pereira's move last season.

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sport/football/plymouth-argyle-quartet-facing-important-8524729?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

 

I still maintain that City have a very competitive L2 budget and while investment would be more than welcome - it is not the be all and end all.

We can compete and should be doing better. Bringing in a manager of Hughes calibre and coupled with the recruitment last summer - we are certainly on the right tracks. We are not a million miles away and we did the bare minimum last season and challenged for promotion.

Inability to defend set pieces, inability to defend in injury time, sitting back and defending 1 goal leads and lack of creativity and an over reliance on Andy Cook is why we didn't get promoted last season - not lack of investment.

 

This doesn’t make sense to me. You list out fundamental problems with the team such as lack of creativity. Should there have been additional money put into the team, it would / could have brought in a better caliber of player, thus gaining us promotion. Yes we were close, but that investment could have got us over the line. So I respectfully disagree, in that lack of investment did cost us promotion.

 

I put that down to tactics and the way the players were asked to play. Walker, Smallwood, Chapman are excellent signings for L2 level. There is enough 'football' quality in that midfield. Wright and Banks also had quality.

Knocking the ball around the back four and allowing the opposition to set up didn't help.

 

The budget was there the manager chose to spread it thinly. He refused to play several players he brought in.
And he got his tactics wrong on more than one occasion

 

Exactly this and the playoffs summed it up to a tee. First leg had them at one nil and we sat back for the next three legs of the playoffs. Something we saw regularly at home, a reluctance to really go for it. That is down to the manager.

 

Here is a list of every new player to the club over last season, the ones in bold managed 15 or more starts last season:

Osadebe, Young, Doyle, Odusina, Chapman, East, Lewis, Platt, Smallwood, Halliday, Oliver, Kelly, Derbyshire, Clayton, Stubbs, Harratt, Crichlow, Banks, O'Shaughnessy, Pereira, Wright, Nevers, Costelloe & Bola.

He had a budget but a lot of the faces he brought in were either not up to standard, or not trusted. Scouting incorrectly? Poor management? Player attitude? Could be one or all plus a few other things why so many didn't work out from last season.

 

Odesebe was obviously the unfortunate one and in fairness, the two keepers were only ever cover but it still leaves a large list and a huge debt in the budget for a group of players that simply didn't (or weren't allowed to) contribute enough.