Amazing how many times we seem to be close to new signings but things fall through. It would be better if Ainsworth kept quiet because it does build a level of excitement/anticipation in fans Even yesterday, he is teasing about incomings. Clearly free agents about but it is obvious we need back up to Vokes and perhaps a better understudy goalkeeper.
I don’t think you could argue that our squad is weaker than 12 months ago but there you go. Decisions were made so we have what we have. Other teams have strengthened for sure so fans should not expect the same level of success as last season.
I just hope any frustration of the fans isn’t shared by GA. I also hope that Rob is privately honest and does not look mystified at the league when mid table mediocrity is achieved.
A season to consolidate and a season to nurture new talents. Probably right too.
Other than the Allsop + not fully match ready Stockdale combination, I think the only other time since 2010/11 we've had experienced GK cover was when we had Blackman on loan with Brown as #2 in 2016/17. 2012/13 was a bit of a funny year with Bull leaving, Archer in on loan and then Ingram taking over for the last few games of the season. The back up keepers in those years have been Arnold, (inexperienced) Ingram, Horlock, Lynch, YMK, Yates and Przybek. So it does look like the Ainsworth strategy is a more estabilshed #1, young #2 then emergency loans if #1 gets injured.
Since then things have changed slightly in as much as Dickinson has now played too many matches to allow for an emergency loan should anything happen to Max. So the #1 + emergency has now becomes #1 + very inexperienced.
Going back a little further, 09/10 we had Shearer + Young until Jan/Feb, then Heaton + Shearer. Season before was Young + Shearer. Season before that it was Fielding + Shearer/Young. So does look like we've generally moved away from 2 experienced keepers for 12 seasons
We've lost some big players but I think people forget how they got here. We didn't go out and get Bayo or Anthony as ready made top signings by waving round the cheque book, plenty of people including his manager at the time said Bayo couldn't do a job at this level or higher and Stewart was desperate for a game after going to Crewe with more than a few people on here not keen to forgive his leaving. Stocko was a great signing but only came because what he was sold when he was on loan. Plenty of people had written them off anyway towards the end of last season. We might not have replaced like for like and we brought a load of kids in but in a few months time that might not seem a desperate trade.
On the keepers even Blackman got dogs abuse for a period when his form dipped and "AllDrop", Brown and it appears even Jamie Young's reputation is enhanced in absence.
I see what you are saying about both Rob and Ainsworth and really hope they don't think the stick they get at times isn't worth the bother, Gaz particularly seems to say he his delighted with the backing and that he's just being sensible every couple of weeks but the same questions come up.
Caused no frustration for this fan, having worked for a number of US organisations I have learned to take their gung-ho commentary with a healthy dose of British scepticism.
Equally whilst it was sad to see Stocko & Stewart go (I am however pleased that we are not a club that tries to stand in the way of players progressing) & annoying that ManUre pissed us about on the keeper front, I was always of the belief that our young centre backs (Forino & Wakely) were going to be good enough to provide support/backup to Taffs & now Mawson. As it happens the GK situation ultimately meant we ended up with a good permanent keeper rather than a loanee.
I was very sad to see Bayo retire, but it was on the cards for 18 months so no-one should be surprised & he is unique & as such ireplaceable. His departure has made it a lot easier for GA/RD to change our style and tactics & I am not sure we need a "like for like" replacement.
I fully accept you all have your own opinion on this
No new arrivals on deadline day=manager happy with strength of squad with injured players returning to fitness/dereliction of duty by manager and owner. Only time will tell, of course, (i.e. end of season, not October or Christmas etc), but I know what I think and I know who will disagree.
Indeed @Erroll_Sims there are things in life I find far more frustrating than a football Chairman's blather or the manager being cagey about signings or non-signings. The idea that the disappointment and moaning on the Gasroom (or any social media platform) represents the opinion of the vast majority (not that our majority is that vast!) of fans is, I fear, giving ourselves too much credit. I'll watch whatever team he bungs out, but I do happen to think we have a decent side, have suffered some difficult injuries, but when everyone is fit, up to speed and/or firing to their full potential we will be extremely competitive.
I seem to consistently be the only one that doesn’t think that we need a replacement for Vokes. I think there’s enough in the squad to cover until he’s back. Maybe in The Jan window we might need another but right now with the players due to come back and Anis kicking on so far this season I think we always have a chance of scoring at least once.
Our defence will be the key part and if we can get that tight and solid, we’ll win more than we lose. while I have constantly said we need depth at CB, Lb is concerning me as is the memory of McCarthy’s frustrating delivery from crosses. I hope he’s been practising them on his way back to fitness.
maybe there’s a mythical unicorn awaiting for the process to come to bear and we’ll find an unattached defender than can play Lb,Cb and Rb that we’ll sign next week.
I think we’ll be alright. But alright isn’t promotion or play offs.
I seriously feel we need to focus on the bigger picture. The club is in a much more healthy position than we have ever been.
We don’t have any debt and we have owners who love the club dearly.
We now have a development set up that is producing talent at an excellent rate and over the coming years we will absolutely benefit from that investment.
We have plans for a new road out of the stadium and also for improvements to the stadium and the playing surface.
We have plans for our training ground that will see us having training facilities of the kind we haven’t witnessed before.
We have an excellent first team squad with real class players at this level - Vokes, Mehmeti, McCleary, Mawson, Tafazolli etc. We also have a dedicated football management team who now have vast experience in the EFL.
Yes we may not make the play-offs or autos this season but I wouldn’t bet against it.
Remember that day we all travelled down to Torquay pretty much expecting that to be our very last EFL game. We were completely broke with bucket collections for the club common place around Adams Park.
So like many, I would have liked to see us get one or two additions this window but when I sit back and look what we have achieved since that Torquay game, I really can’t believe it and feel so blessed to support this great team of ours.
Excellent summing up, we’ve come a long way in a short time and if we continue at this rate of progress we will be in a very healthy state in the years to come.
We almost certainly have the highest wage bill that we have had in our history, signing players for NOW to keep fans happy is not sustainable. We don't have an endless bucket of cash.
What we have is a solid foundation and something to build on for the future.
The injured players coming back will be like new signings. I don't remember the last game that we were blessed with Curtis Thompson. He was arguably our best player a few seasons back - now he would have to fight for a place!
These are all valid points, in an attempt to give some balance, though.
The significant ticket price rise and Wanderers TV price hike, whatever way you look at it, makes supporting a club that Frank Adams gave to the town increasingly less accessible to less affluent demographics. The owners seem to care very little about this. It's worth remembering in this cooperation day and age that this isn't what the club was set up for and is for the community, not a vanity or money-making project. 'Luxury items' like a replica shirt/team wear or food and drink at the ground are still poorly organised, staffed, and OTT expensive. For those who throw back comparisons to other clubs' prices. Two wrongs don't make a right, and we are in a far better financial position than the majority. These price rises weren't by any means necessary for the future of this club.
If the Couhig's are putting anything like the average League One owner investment, I can't for the life of me see how we don't have money in the bank to spend on players with transfer money received and the Championship television rights.
What I'm about to say may seem pretty naive in hindsight if we dip into the free transfer market. However, we may never be better positioned to assert ourselves in the transfer market and push for Championship football. Unless we write this season off, the first-team additions seriously lack quality. Ainsworth and Dobbo (not the Americans or Andrew Howard), are absolutely the best in the Football League at judging transfers. Still, it has been underwhelming recently, with the rather big exception of Mawson. IMHO we could have made massive strides by bringing in another right back, attacking midfielder and striker. We have several members of the squad who always seem to be injured or coming to the end of their contract, and it's hard to argue that we don't have a weaker squad than last time out. That goalkeeper situation in this transfer window was so amateur.
Accepting that we were so close to several signings and they fell away at the last minute is not good enough for a team whose target in Mr Couhig's eyes is promotion. I have it on excellent authority that Portsmouth doesn't have a massive budget and is, in fact, mid-table. They were assertive and brave in the transfer window. We seem to be getting closer to Arsène Wenger's second-half tenure at Arsenal, where he wouldn't spend the money because everything was 'overpriced'.
Comments
Amazing how many times we seem to be close to new signings but things fall through. It would be better if Ainsworth kept quiet because it does build a level of excitement/anticipation in fans Even yesterday, he is teasing about incomings. Clearly free agents about but it is obvious we need back up to Vokes and perhaps a better understudy goalkeeper.
This is quite frustrating. Out of character for Gaz too. Not sure why he keeps doubling down on it when he’s been burned by Bishop already.
This is why I wondered if Andrew Howard was still involved. We seem to have had trouble 'closing' deals.
'It would be better if Ainsworth kept quiet'🤣
'Why no new players??? Why is Ainsworth not saying anything?? It's an insult to the fans...'
We could do with some more left-footed attacking players (updated squad depth chart)
Blackman/Brown and then maybe you'd have to go as far back as Talia/Young?
Actually probably Shearer/Young.
I don’t think you could argue that our squad is weaker than 12 months ago but there you go. Decisions were made so we have what we have. Other teams have strengthened for sure so fans should not expect the same level of success as last season.
I just hope any frustration of the fans isn’t shared by GA. I also hope that Rob is privately honest and does not look mystified at the league when mid table mediocrity is achieved.
A season to consolidate and a season to nurture new talents. Probably right too.
Ha, this is brilliant.
Imagine whinging about a transfer window in which we signed Alfie Mawson.
Although we do need another target man.
For the Bishop thread I'd looked into this:
Other than the Allsop + not fully match ready Stockdale combination, I think the only other time since 2010/11 we've had experienced GK cover was when we had Blackman on loan with Brown as #2 in 2016/17. 2012/13 was a bit of a funny year with Bull leaving, Archer in on loan and then Ingram taking over for the last few games of the season. The back up keepers in those years have been Arnold, (inexperienced) Ingram, Horlock, Lynch, YMK, Yates and Przybek. So it does look like the Ainsworth strategy is a more estabilshed #1, young #2 then emergency loans if #1 gets injured.
Since then things have changed slightly in as much as Dickinson has now played too many matches to allow for an emergency loan should anything happen to Max. So the #1 + emergency has now becomes #1 + very inexperienced.
Going back a little further, 09/10 we had Shearer + Young until Jan/Feb, then Heaton + Shearer. Season before was Young + Shearer. Season before that it was Fielding + Shearer/Young. So does look like we've generally moved away from 2 experienced keepers for 12 seasons
We've lost some big players but I think people forget how they got here. We didn't go out and get Bayo or Anthony as ready made top signings by waving round the cheque book, plenty of people including his manager at the time said Bayo couldn't do a job at this level or higher and Stewart was desperate for a game after going to Crewe with more than a few people on here not keen to forgive his leaving. Stocko was a great signing but only came because what he was sold when he was on loan. Plenty of people had written them off anyway towards the end of last season. We might not have replaced like for like and we brought a load of kids in but in a few months time that might not seem a desperate trade.
On the keepers even Blackman got dogs abuse for a period when his form dipped and "AllDrop", Brown and it appears even Jamie Young's reputation is enhanced in absence.
I see what you are saying about both Rob and Ainsworth and really hope they don't think the stick they get at times isn't worth the bother, Gaz particularly seems to say he his delighted with the backing and that he's just being sensible every couple of weeks but the same questions come up.
No mention for the Baz era?
We had Cheesewright and Parkin at the same time.
Oh wait.
So when he doesn't give positives about injuries you moan, but when he DOES give positives about transfers, you...erm moan.
Got it.
Caused no frustration for this fan, having worked for a number of US organisations I have learned to take their gung-ho commentary with a healthy dose of British scepticism.
Equally whilst it was sad to see Stocko & Stewart go (I am however pleased that we are not a club that tries to stand in the way of players progressing) & annoying that ManUre pissed us about on the keeper front, I was always of the belief that our young centre backs (Forino & Wakely) were going to be good enough to provide support/backup to Taffs & now Mawson. As it happens the GK situation ultimately meant we ended up with a good permanent keeper rather than a loanee.
I was very sad to see Bayo retire, but it was on the cards for 18 months so no-one should be surprised & he is unique & as such ireplaceable. His departure has made it a lot easier for GA/RD to change our style and tactics & I am not sure we need a "like for like" replacement.
I fully accept you all have your own opinion on this
No new arrivals on deadline day=manager happy with strength of squad with injured players returning to fitness/dereliction of duty by manager and owner. Only time will tell, of course, (i.e. end of season, not October or Christmas etc), but I know what I think and I know who will disagree.
Indeed @Erroll_Sims there are things in life I find far more frustrating than a football Chairman's blather or the manager being cagey about signings or non-signings. The idea that the disappointment and moaning on the Gasroom (or any social media platform) represents the opinion of the vast majority (not that our majority is that vast!) of fans is, I fear, giving ourselves too much credit. I'll watch whatever team he bungs out, but I do happen to think we have a decent side, have suffered some difficult injuries, but when everyone is fit, up to speed and/or firing to their full potential we will be extremely competitive.
It could be worse. We could be Burton, who are down to one senior striker - who's scored eight goals in four seasons...
'It could be worse. We could be Burton'
Should be the response to most of the posts on here @ReturnToSenda 🙂
We will be OK, just relax and enjoy life, there are many people with much more to moan about. It’s only a game.
I seem to consistently be the only one that doesn’t think that we need a replacement for Vokes. I think there’s enough in the squad to cover until he’s back. Maybe in The Jan window we might need another but right now with the players due to come back and Anis kicking on so far this season I think we always have a chance of scoring at least once.
Our defence will be the key part and if we can get that tight and solid, we’ll win more than we lose. while I have constantly said we need depth at CB, Lb is concerning me as is the memory of McCarthy’s frustrating delivery from crosses. I hope he’s been practising them on his way back to fitness.
maybe there’s a mythical unicorn awaiting for the process to come to bear and we’ll find an unattached defender than can play Lb,Cb and Rb that we’ll sign next week.
I think we’ll be alright. But alright isn’t promotion or play offs.
I seriously feel we need to focus on the bigger picture. The club is in a much more healthy position than we have ever been.
We don’t have any debt and we have owners who love the club dearly.
We now have a development set up that is producing talent at an excellent rate and over the coming years we will absolutely benefit from that investment.
We have plans for a new road out of the stadium and also for improvements to the stadium and the playing surface.
We have plans for our training ground that will see us having training facilities of the kind we haven’t witnessed before.
We have an excellent first team squad with real class players at this level - Vokes, Mehmeti, McCleary, Mawson, Tafazolli etc. We also have a dedicated football management team who now have vast experience in the EFL.
Yes we may not make the play-offs or autos this season but I wouldn’t bet against it.
Remember that day we all travelled down to Torquay pretty much expecting that to be our very last EFL game. We were completely broke with bucket collections for the club common place around Adams Park.
So like many, I would have liked to see us get one or two additions this window but when I sit back and look what we have achieved since that Torquay game, I really can’t believe it and feel so blessed to support this great team of ours.
We are making great strides with the dev squad. That's the major positive from this summer, for me.
Excellent summing up, we’ve come a long way in a short time and if we continue at this rate of progress we will be in a very healthy state in the years to come.
I'm assuming 'you' was aimed at the Gasroom collectively, as I completely agree with the club's stance on player injuries haha.
Brilliant summary.
We almost certainly have the highest wage bill that we have had in our history, signing players for NOW to keep fans happy is not sustainable. We don't have an endless bucket of cash.
What we have is a solid foundation and something to build on for the future.
The injured players coming back will be like new signings. I don't remember the last game that we were blessed with Curtis Thompson. He was arguably our best player a few seasons back - now he would have to fight for a place!
These are all valid points, in an attempt to give some balance, though.
The significant ticket price rise and Wanderers TV price hike, whatever way you look at it, makes supporting a club that Frank Adams gave to the town increasingly less accessible to less affluent demographics. The owners seem to care very little about this. It's worth remembering in this cooperation day and age that this isn't what the club was set up for and is for the community, not a vanity or money-making project. 'Luxury items' like a replica shirt/team wear or food and drink at the ground are still poorly organised, staffed, and OTT expensive. For those who throw back comparisons to other clubs' prices. Two wrongs don't make a right, and we are in a far better financial position than the majority. These price rises weren't by any means necessary for the future of this club.
If the Couhig's are putting anything like the average League One owner investment, I can't for the life of me see how we don't have money in the bank to spend on players with transfer money received and the Championship television rights.
What I'm about to say may seem pretty naive in hindsight if we dip into the free transfer market. However, we may never be better positioned to assert ourselves in the transfer market and push for Championship football. Unless we write this season off, the first-team additions seriously lack quality. Ainsworth and Dobbo (not the Americans or Andrew Howard), are absolutely the best in the Football League at judging transfers. Still, it has been underwhelming recently, with the rather big exception of Mawson. IMHO we could have made massive strides by bringing in another right back, attacking midfielder and striker. We have several members of the squad who always seem to be injured or coming to the end of their contract, and it's hard to argue that we don't have a weaker squad than last time out. That goalkeeper situation in this transfer window was so amateur.
Accepting that we were so close to several signings and they fell away at the last minute is not good enough for a team whose target in Mr Couhig's eyes is promotion. I have it on excellent authority that Portsmouth doesn't have a massive budget and is, in fact, mid-table. They were assertive and brave in the transfer window. We seem to be getting closer to Arsène Wenger's second-half tenure at Arsenal, where he wouldn't spend the money because everything was 'overpriced'.
Risking the long term future of the football club on a short term bid for promotion is not "brave"
You sound like Peter Risdale