Gus' dealings in the January transfer window

[Bring back Bryan wade!!]

How many players will Gus look to sign in January?

Personally I think he will go for a left back as cover for Painter, a striker to vie with Murray & Barnes and possibly cover on the right wing.

Oh and Lua Lua's loan term to be extended til the end of the season.

 

[Marshy]

Sounds reasonable. Left back cover, a striker and Keep Lua Lua would do me.

 

[les dynam]

How many players will Gus look to sign in January?

Personally I think he will go for a left back as cover for Painter, a striker to vie with Murray & Barnes and possibly cover on the right wing.

Oh and Lua Lua's loan term to be extended til the end of the season.

i would say that's pretty much spot on. without meaning to re-open the barnes debate, i still think the team would be improved with a classic second striker to play off murrey, somebody creative who floats around leaving murrey to lead the line. use barnes as an impact sub.

 

[Mendoza]

Another winger incase LuaLua doesnt stay and Bennett gets injured, then we are f***ed (as Woking proved)

As for left back cover, it would be brilliant if we had a flair attacking player, like say Jim McNulty.

Definately need a striker who can make a goal out of nothing, as Murray and Barnes can't play the whole season. Sandaza doesn't look that great. Agdestein doesn't seem to be given a chance, and Gary Hart hasn't scored for 4 years and 1 month.

 

[bhaexpress]

We need a striker as Saturday's result showed. Other than that I think we can manage. However what we want and what we can get are two different matters.

 

[Horsham Gull]

Have we got any players we can recall from loan in jan can't think off the top of my head

 

[Bring back Bryan wade!!]

Another winger incase LuaLua doesnt stay and Bennett gets injured, then we are f***ed (as Woking proved)

As for left back cover, it would be brilliant if we had a flair attacking player, like say Jim McNulty.

Definately need a striker who can make a goal out of nothing, as Murray and Barnes can't play the whole season. Sandaza doesn't look that great. Agdestein doesn't seem to be given a chance, and Gary Hart hasn't scored for 4 years and 1 month.

It does appear that McNulty is not in Gus' long term plans which is a shame as he would be cracking cover for Painter, especially if we get promoted to the championship

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Left back, left sided midfielder and a striker please.

 

[Mellotron]

I wonder how much more attractive we will be to players, being top of the league and just half a year from the new stadium?

 

[severnside gull]

Another winger incase LuaLua doesnt stay and Bennett gets injured, then we are f***ed (as Woking proved)

As for left back cover, it would be brilliant if we had a flair attacking player, like say Jim McNulty.

Definately need a striker who can make a goal out of nothing, as Murray and Barnes can't play the whole season. Sandaza doesn't look that great. Agdestein doesn't seem to be given a chance, and Gary Hart hasn't scored for 4 years and 1 month.

Sure, let's have a flair attacking left back to do what exactly? Sit on the bench? That's why McNulty left to go to Scunthorpe on loan isn't it?

So how about getting someone who can cover Painter and will be happy to be here with the chance to develop and get a longer term contract. Maybe someone like Bridcutt who has been released from a Premiership (or overseas?) academy and has a point to prove. The role of our scouts is to find someone with the ability and the right attitude. I really don't expect a marquee signing but I do think we need cover to be available from the development squad, not only for Painter but also for Calderon.

Sandaza "doesn't look great" is a bit misleading - he has been and is injured. Reports from north of the border are that, if fit, he is exactly what we need. Regrettably it's his health/fitness that doesn't look good and only time will tell whether he has a part to play, but yes I agree we do need someone with the potential to make an impact. We create a lot of chances and a clinical finisher would result in our walking this league. I'm not sure where that person will come from - here or overseas or indeed a suddenly fit Sandaza - but it is about the only thing we are really lacking.

"Agdestein doesn't seem to be given a chance"? Well maybe he isn't ready? But anyone thinking he will be a potential 20 goal target man is pissing into the wind I'm afraid. From memory he wasn't bought in to be an immediate first team squad player nor to be an out and out striker. Talking him up to be something he isn't is a surefire recipe for his career in English football to be very short indeed.

And of course, yes, let's keep LuaLua but if not we will need to replace him, while at present I can't see an immediately available replacement for Bennett either, whose decision making has been one of the differences for us this season.

It's interesting to see how we are coming on with the development squad in terms of bringing people through to the first team. We appear to have promising cover in Walker, Dunk, Agdestein, Caskey, maybe Wilkins, Kasim and Simmonds. Battipiedi and Baz have already made the transition as regulars on the bench. Bridcutt is already a fully fledged first team player
Barker doesn't seem to have made progress but his time may well come and Cook, having gone out on loan and being cup-tied, seems no nearer the first team squad than last year or the year before.

At a push we could possibly cover some first team absences but NOT an impact winger, an out-and-out striker, or either full back. I guess those are the priorities and Gus' scouts will be very busy people right now.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

I wonder how much more attractive we will be to players, being top of the league and just half a year from the new stadium?

Attractive enough to sign Austin and Pilkington?

Okay, maybe wishful thinking

 

[Tooting Gull]

I can see some bids for our players. I think hanging on to people will be far more important than who we sign this January.

 

[tonymgc]

A defender who doesn't mind not playing every week who can provide cover at right & left back, A modern day Paul Watson if you would.
And another winger who can play either side if needs be.

Depending on the Sandaza situation perhaps another striker. But i'm still of the belief he'll come good & score some pivotal goals for us.

 

[tonymgc]

And getting super Glenn tied down to a long term contract would be as good as any new signing

 

[Bring back Bryan wade!!]

I can see some bids for our players. I think hanging on to people will be far more important than who we sign this January.

I think you are spot on, Bennett, Calderon, Murray & Dicker must be retained AT ALL COSTS by the club if we are to stay near the summit of this division in the 2nd half of the season.

 

[Acker79]

I don't think the woking game proved anything about our players ability, more about their focus. They seemed to assume it would just happen, and so played with no urgency, and didn't really try to create, just waiting for woking to collapse, and that didn't happen.

 

[sam86]

Winger
Striker

Cheers x

 

[Mendoza]

Sure, let's have a flair attacking left back to do what exactly? Sit on the bench? That's why McNulty left to go to Scunthorpe on loan isn't it?

So how about getting someone who can cover Painter and will be happy to be here with the chance to develop and get a longer term contract. Maybe someone like Bridcutt who has been released from a Premiership (or overseas?) academy and has a point to prove. The role of our scouts is to find someone with the ability and the right attitude. I really don't expect a marquee signing but I do think we need cover to be available from the development squad, not only for Painter but also for Calderon.

Sandaza "doesn't look great" is a bit misleading - he has been and is injured. Reports from north of the border are that, if fit, he is exactly what we need. Regrettably it's his health/fitness that doesn't look good and only time will tell whether he has a part to play, but yes I agree we do need someone with the potential to make an impact. We create a lot of chances and a clinical finisher would result in our walking this league. I'm not sure where that person will come from - here or overseas or indeed a suddenly fit Sandaza - but it is about the only thing we are really lacking.

"Agdestein doesn't seem to be given a chance"? Well maybe he isn't ready? But anyone thinking he will be a potential 20 goal target man is pissing into the wind I'm afraid. From memory he wasn't bought in to be an immediate first team squad player nor to be an out and out striker. Talking him up to be something he isn't is a surefire recipe for his career in English football to be very short indeed.

And of course, yes, let's keep LuaLua but if not we will need to replace him, while at present I can't see an immediately available replacement for Bennett either, whose decision making has been one of the differences for us this season.

It's interesting to see how we are coming on with the development squad in terms of bringing people through to the first team. We appear to have promising cover in Walker, Dunk, Agdestein, Caskey, maybe Wilkins, Kasim and Simmonds. Battipiedi and Baz have already made the transition as regulars on the bench. Bridcutt is already a fully fledged first team player
Barker doesn't seem to have made progress but his time may well come and Cook, having gone out on loan and being cup-tied, seems no nearer the first team squad than last year or the year before.

At a push we could possibly cover some first team absences but NOT an impact winger, an out-and-out striker, or either full back. I guess those are the priorities and Gus' scouts will be very busy people right now.

Painter has played every minute of every game, until he got subbed against Woking. He is very unlikely to play a whole season, he will surely burn out, he hasn't played a full season in a few years because of injury. Having McNulty is good cover indeed, he is still contracted for another season too. Obviously he wouldn't play, and is just back from 2 months out again

Agdestein must have something about him otherwise he would still be in Norway. For him to not make it on the bench against Woking or even feature seems a little bit wrong. Gary Hart is not a striker, Baz has been put up there, but looks more of a midfielder, so why not put a striker up front. He was on the bench against Exeter, so why not play against a non-league team?

I agree with you about the development squad. Kishishev and Bridcutt seemed to have pushed Caskey back down the order though, but Poyet has said if the youngsters impress in training etc, they will get a chance in the first team

 

[crodonilson]

We don't want to rock the boat by bringing in any big time charlies, we've got a great unity and team spirit so I think we only need a couple of players as cover.

I think it is widely acknowledged that Gus wants to bring Matt Richards back as full back/central midfield cover, I would also like to see him bring in a big target man. We could do with a plan B if the going gets tough as pitches and injuries take their toll through late winter, someone in the mould of Jabo Ibehre or Mamady Sidibe.

 

[Acker79]

Edgar Davids is available...