@HolmerBlue said:
I just sort of think, if we are signing players they should be players that will be first teamers that improve the team, better than we have already, not just because they could be a handy sub to be able to bring on
Totally agree. How can you sign anybody because they might or might not be a useful sub. Surely you buy players who can all play 90 minutes for the first team and develop the B team to integrate into the first team.
Everyone seems to be saying that Bayo isn’t capable of starting games which is bizarre. If Uche stays and remains fit I would imagine he would normally start but for all of Bayos tribulations in front of goal he started plenty of games and there weren’t that many I saw where he didn’t cause problems.
Yes he’s getting older but back in League One he will still be capable of scaring defences (if he signs on) and is much much more than just a guy to bring on as a sub
Looking at Bayo's 'gram (as a 14 year old version of me would say). He seems to be in a tropical paradise living his best life. Considering the restrictions I doubt if he will be back Thursday in Booker doing laps of the training ground.
I don't think anyone is saying he wouldn't be useful @Shev but most of our employees tend to be volunteers or people out of Uni for cost reasons and when he stops playing he'll have a world of opportunities to cash in on before he's forgotten or too old for some of them. Sure he'll help regardless and there's some money to be had online but not certain it'll go way beyond a niche thing in the way the Couhigs would like unless we get back higher soon or have more gimmicks, a HW/London based fan could put more in to the club in a year through season tickets and kit and beer spend than an intrigued guy on the internet would do in decades. Not that it isn't all valuable. @TheAndyGrahamFanClub he doesn't do early pre-season anyway.
Disagree with those who claim signing players as ‘handy sub’ or ‘useful sub’ or indeed impact sub isn’t enough.
Of course football isn’t an eleven a side game, strategically it’s a squad game (as our lack of depth has proven to cost us at times) and as part of that strategy, on match day, use of subs within what is in effect a fourteen a side game at just the right time often wins games. That’s both a useful’ and ‘handy’ tactic and there are great players who do this better than their contribution would be over a full ninety minutes.
@perfidious_albion said:
Disagree with those who claim signing players as ‘handy sub’ or ‘useful sub’ or indeed impact sub isn’t enough.
Of course football isn’t an eleven a side game, strategically it’s a squad game (as our lack of depth has proven to cost us at times) and as part of that strategy, on match day, use of subs within what is in effect a fourteen a side game at just the right time often wins games. That’s both a useful’ and ‘handy’ tactic and there are great players who do this better than their contribution would be over a full ninety minutes.
Exactly. It's totally legitimate and we see it at the highest level.
I think Bayo has another season of terrorising League 1 defences in him myself but I know for some him and bloomfield haven't been 'up to it' for a while.
I think that with Bayo, it's not just a player we are signing. I think we've heard it enough times, but worth repeating, it's his presence in the changing room, around the training ground and the club in general that has to be taken into account as well. Depending on his commitment to that I think would be the deciding factor on the swingometer!
Rewind to when Bayo signed and all these conversations were being had then, why are we signing him he’s 34, he hardly started any games for Wimbledon he’ll only be a substitute, we haven’t signed him for football reasons. Seems some people have overlooked his contribution both on and off the pitch, and are happy to continually write him off.
Bayo serves as a constant reminder to my own ignorance. I was one of those who thought he was a novelty signing and I couldn't have been more wrong. He's so much more than a footballer, epitomised by that hour and a half lap of the pitch he did the first home game after we won promotion from League 2, stopping to have a chat and a photo with every single fan who wanted one. Players like that are very few and far between.
Yep, me too. I could not have been more wrong about him. In truth, he won me over and made a fool of me in very short time.
Years later I acknowledge that he is the greatest signing this football club has ever made.
Quite why anyone would be arguing for him to be let go is beyond me, but we're all different. It will be a very sad day when he leaves Wycombe, and I don't feel ready for that day just yet. Particularly after a year and a half where he hasn't been able to interact with crowds at matches and where we haven't been able to show how much he means to us.
I agree with the majority of your post @eric_plant but the age clock is ticking for Bayo and he has been carrying an injury over the last year which as greatly reduced his ability and appearances.
Even if he and Gareth feel his playing days are over then I would certainly advocate he stays in at the club in some capacity.
He is a great bloke and a major reason we had our Championship fling.
Bayo on Instagram yesterday seemed to be saying he needs to make his mind up soon, committing to pre-season and another full season and all the fitness work he does is a big deal for him too, I'd be surprised if there isn't an offer from Wycombe to do as much or as little as he can offer.
I remember Tommy Mooney saying he spent one summer with a boot on nursing a recovery from a bad injury and wondering whether it was worth it to continue.
Bayo will have a similar thought process I expect.
Can't imagine he'd want to go out with a relegation in a crowd free season though.
Isn't it a bit strange of the club to be putting out training videos featuring Matt Bloomfield both coaching and playing without confirming the obvious, that he's signed on again?
It makes me pretty confident that Bayo will have signed on too. My guess is they're waiting for him to return to training and will then combine the big reveal of a new contract with the big reveal of the gold third kit.
With the headline, 'a new golden era for the Blues'.
@aloysius said:
Isn't it a bit strange of the club to be putting out training videos featuring Matt Bloomfield both coaching and playing without confirming the obvious, that he's signed on again?
It makes me pretty confident that Bayo will have signed on too. My guess is they're waiting for him to return to training and will then combine the big reveal of a new contract with the big reveal of the gold third kit.
With the headline, 'a new golden era for the Blues'.
Bloomers has another year left on his playing/coaching contract.
@aloysius said:
Isn't it a bit strange of the club to be putting out training videos featuring Matt Bloomfield both coaching and playing without confirming the obvious, that he's signed on again?
It makes me pretty confident that Bayo will have signed on too. My guess is they're waiting for him to return to training and will then combine the big reveal of a new contract with the big reveal of the gold third kit.
With the headline, 'a new golden era for the Blues'.
I hope you are wrong on the Bayo front. Posters already know my admiration for him but time has arrived for him to do other things. Bayo, Samuels and Kashket hardly going cause defenders to lose any sleep the night before a match. Hopefully Ainsworth can use his magic and secure two new strikers, permanently or on loan.
Still struggling to see why some people think (a fit) Bayo wouldn't still be very useful at League One level. It's not like we're going to extend his stay instead of signing an Uche replacement. There's room in the squad.
I sincerely hope you two are wrong as we need to move on as a club. Both Bayo and Bloomers have been brilliant players for our club but if we really are serious about giving it a real go for promotion, then we need new blood.
If we have a forward line of Bayo and Kashket or Samuel, then I fear we will not be featuring in any promotion push. Maybe I will be proved wrong but it doesn’t make me feel excited about our promotion hopes at all.
Comments
Totally agree. How can you sign anybody because they might or might not be a useful sub. Surely you buy players who can all play 90 minutes for the first team and develop the B team to integrate into the first team.
Everyone seems to be saying that Bayo isn’t capable of starting games which is bizarre. If Uche stays and remains fit I would imagine he would normally start but for all of Bayos tribulations in front of goal he started plenty of games and there weren’t that many I saw where he didn’t cause problems.
Yes he’s getting older but back in League One he will still be capable of scaring defences (if he signs on) and is much much more than just a guy to bring on as a sub
Looking at Bayo's 'gram (as a 14 year old version of me would say). He seems to be in a tropical paradise living his best life. Considering the restrictions I doubt if he will be back Thursday in Booker doing laps of the training ground.
I don't think anyone is saying he wouldn't be useful @Shev but most of our employees tend to be volunteers or people out of Uni for cost reasons and when he stops playing he'll have a world of opportunities to cash in on before he's forgotten or too old for some of them. Sure he'll help regardless and there's some money to be had online but not certain it'll go way beyond a niche thing in the way the Couhigs would like unless we get back higher soon or have more gimmicks, a HW/London based fan could put more in to the club in a year through season tickets and kit and beer spend than an intrigued guy on the internet would do in decades. Not that it isn't all valuable.
@TheAndyGrahamFanClub he doesn't do early pre-season anyway.
……… I don't think he still needs to be playing to do this, any more than the Rock needed to still be wrestling to get movie roles.
Football is a sport, ‘wrestling’ in that format isn’t. Fundamental difference
Disagree with those who claim signing players as ‘handy sub’ or ‘useful sub’ or indeed impact sub isn’t enough.
Of course football isn’t an eleven a side game, strategically it’s a squad game (as our lack of depth has proven to cost us at times) and as part of that strategy, on match day, use of subs within what is in effect a fourteen a side game at just the right time often wins games. That’s both a useful’ and ‘handy’ tactic and there are great players who do this better than their contribution would be over a full ninety minutes.
Exactly. It's totally legitimate and we see it at the highest level.
I think Bayo has another season of terrorising League 1 defences in him myself but I know for some him and bloomfield haven't been 'up to it' for a while.
I think that with Bayo, it's not just a player we are signing. I think we've heard it enough times, but worth repeating, it's his presence in the changing room, around the training ground and the club in general that has to be taken into account as well. Depending on his commitment to that I think would be the deciding factor on the swingometer!
Rewind to when Bayo signed and all these conversations were being had then, why are we signing him he’s 34, he hardly started any games for Wimbledon he’ll only be a substitute, we haven’t signed him for football reasons. Seems some people have overlooked his contribution both on and off the pitch, and are happy to continually write him off.
Bayo serves as a constant reminder to my own ignorance. I was one of those who thought he was a novelty signing and I couldn't have been more wrong. He's so much more than a footballer, epitomised by that hour and a half lap of the pitch he did the first home game after we won promotion from League 2, stopping to have a chat and a photo with every single fan who wanted one. Players like that are very few and far between.
Yep, me too. I could not have been more wrong about him. In truth, he won me over and made a fool of me in very short time.
Years later I acknowledge that he is the greatest signing this football club has ever made.
Quite why anyone would be arguing for him to be let go is beyond me, but we're all different. It will be a very sad day when he leaves Wycombe, and I don't feel ready for that day just yet. Particularly after a year and a half where he hasn't been able to interact with crowds at matches and where we haven't been able to show how much he means to us.
I agree with the majority of your post @eric_plant but the age clock is ticking for Bayo and he has been carrying an injury over the last year which as greatly reduced his ability and appearances.
Even if he and Gareth feel his playing days are over then I would certainly advocate he stays in at the club in some capacity.
He is a great bloke and a major reason we had our Championship fling.
Blooms is in coaches' gear in the training photos
I always remember Danny Foster being a great bloke for some strange reason.
For Bayo does this work so well if he's not part of the playing squad?
And now he's in the players' gear ?
Bayo on Instagram yesterday seemed to be saying he needs to make his mind up soon, committing to pre-season and another full season and all the fitness work he does is a big deal for him too, I'd be surprised if there isn't an offer from Wycombe to do as much or as little as he can offer.
I remember Tommy Mooney saying he spent one summer with a boot on nursing a recovery from a bad injury and wondering whether it was worth it to continue.
Bayo will have a similar thought process I expect.
Can't imagine he'd want to go out with a relegation in a crowd free season though.
Burley is out of contract too it seems but he was in one of the photos today. I guess the club are still yet to announce anything about both of them.
Isn't it a bit strange of the club to be putting out training videos featuring Matt Bloomfield both coaching and playing without confirming the obvious, that he's signed on again?
It makes me pretty confident that Bayo will have signed on too. My guess is they're waiting for him to return to training and will then combine the big reveal of a new contract with the big reveal of the gold third kit.
With the headline, 'a new golden era for the Blues'.
Bayo was putting some 'interesting' answers up on an Insta Q&A...
Tried to upload a screenshot via a Drive link, but it's not liking it.
Bloomers has another year left on his playing/coaching contract.
I hope you are wrong on the Bayo front. Posters already know my admiration for him but time has arrived for him to do other things. Bayo, Samuels and Kashket hardly going cause defenders to lose any sleep the night before a match. Hopefully Ainsworth can use his magic and secure two new strikers, permanently or on loan.
Still struggling to see why some people think (a fit) Bayo wouldn't still be very useful at League One level. It's not like we're going to extend his stay instead of signing an Uche replacement. There's room in the squad.
Agreed. His game is not predicated at all on speed to where losing a step matters, so if he is fit enough he is good enough, pretty much.
I sincerely hope you two are wrong as we need to move on as a club. Both Bayo and Bloomers have been brilliant players for our club but if we really are serious about giving it a real go for promotion, then we need new blood.
If we have a forward line of Bayo and Kashket or Samuel, then I fear we will not be featuring in any promotion push. Maybe I will be proved wrong but it doesn’t make me feel excited about our promotion hopes at all.
Who said Bayo would be leading the line? He'd be the ultimate impact sub.
Still not my choice @ReturnToSenda. I would much prefer we move on now and use Bayo in a none playing role if it can be sorted.
I'm sorry but I have to agree, the 3 of them won't be striking fear into the opposition anymore. I believe we need 2 more strikers