Will we make ANY signings?

[Lammy]

I'm beginning to doubt it.

2nd Division football, err First division, err First League? Whatever the **** it is, here we come!

I'm glad I renewed my season ticket early. I'm glad all the pots of cash from the play offs hasn't been swept under the carpet.

Still lots of money to make from new shirt sales. Oh, hang on a minute...

 

[CHAPPERS]

Moan, moan, moan, moan, moan.

 

[Yorkie]

No

We are going to lose every away game and all home games are going to be 0-0.

Falmer will be no and Dick Knight will announce that he will never sell the Albion and let it go right down the rattle.

I am going to join FG Ernest and Berkshire who spent all weekend moaning about the club

or I may just slit my wrists now.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Maybe they are not planning to sign anyone until after the parade, so that the players that got us promoted can have their moment of glory?

 

[rool]

hmm choices choices

 

[Titanic]

Yorkie has seen the light!

 

[Yorkie]

Yorkie has seen the light!

 

[GUNTER]

Three signings will arrive in good time for the first game. I'd rather McGhee took his time and got it right.

Act in haste, repent at leisure......................

 

[Icy Gull]

Whenever I get depressed about this season and I'm certain that we're gonna be bombarded with potless DK out and Magoo out threads (hell, I might even join in or start them!), I'm just going to try and remember the end of the Swindon game and Cardiff.

Bar a Falmer no, there is no low that this season can bring that will be comparable to the high of getting promoted through the playoffs

 

[CHAPPERS]

Whenever I get depressed about this season and I'm certain that we're gonna be bombarded with potless DK out and Magoo out threads (hell, I might even join in or start them!), I'm just going to try and remember the end of the Swindon game and Cardiff.

Bar a Falmer no, there is no low that this season can bring that will be comparable to the high of getting promoted through the playoffs

Plus we got to go to Leeds, Sunderland, West Ham, Forest etc etc again. I always try to remember that we have NO right to be playing in the same division as these teams in the situation we are in and for that I am thankful. Just enjoying the ride.....

 

[Lammy]

Yorkie please take your rose tinited glasses off!

At the moment the club site is saying how hopeful McGhee is of having McPhee fit for the Reading game! So far we have Jake and Chris up front away from home against a potential play-off side.

All we have in the pot are three strikers. We are not going to sign them all. At least I bloody hope not! This leaves us with our best two midfielders recovering from serious injury. Oatway, Hart and Jones in the middle of the Park.

The only area of our squad I feel reasonably confident about is our defense. I really hope I'm proved wrong but at the moment please don't have a go at me for voicing m opinions regarding the albion on a message board that is designed for exactely that. There is no sign up conition that states I have to be positive 100% of the time.

Please don't tarnish me with the same brush as FG et al just because I have dared to question the clubs handling of pre season again!

 

[CHAPPERS]

Yorkie please take your rose tinited glasses off!

At the moment the club site is saying how hopeful McGhee is of having McPhee fit for the Reading game! So far we have Jake and Chris up front away from home against a potential play-off side.

All we have in the pot are three strikers. We are not going to sign them all. At least I bloody hope not! This leaves us with our best two midfielders recovering from serious injury. Oatway, Hart and Jones in the middle of the Park.

The only area of our squad I feel reasonably confident about is our defense. I really hope I'm proved wrong but at the moment please don't have a go at me for voicing m opinions regarding the albion on a message board that is designed for exactely that. There is no sign up conition that states I have to be positive 100% of the time.

Please don't tarnish me with the same brush as FG et al just because I have dared to question the clubs handling of pre season again!

So, Lammy, what should we have done? Who should we have signed?

 

[Lammy]

So, Lammy, what should we have done? Who should we have signed?

Here we go....

I'm not the manager and I'm not going to tell the club WHO to sign but what areas of the squad need strengthening!

Err hmm. MIDFIELD!!!!!!! Far enough we do need to another striker and ideally one more as cover. However, I feel our best chances this season will be to take a leaf out of the Greek book of taking on the big guns. i.e. Stick ten men behind the ball and then look to break. We are not going to be able to cope with wave after wave of attack by signing loads of strikers.

We need AT LEAST two more midfielders. It's been said so many times it's boring! We need an old head to put his foot on the ball and give our play some direction. We have Hart and Jones to do the running for him. Alongside him we need a defensive midfielder that can work just infront of the defence and then play the ball out when needed.

What we have at the moment in McPhee up front on his own with a dodgy foot. Cullip and Butters hoofing the ball up field straight back to the opposition. McGhee stance is that the entire game of football centres around you strikers. If the midfield is not creating the chances for the strikers it's the strikers fault. He has said as much on the radio countless times.

A good team. ANY good team is built up around a soild defence. We have a solid defence. So the next building block is logically the midfiled. Once we are than lookinf like we can hold on to a bit of posession we look to bolster our attack.

 

[n1 gull]

I think Lammy is voicing genuine concerns. It's not like we haven't all be here before is it? I suppose at least we have a manager this time.

I fear for the season ahead. I would like to be really positive, but at the moment it's pretty tough. Everyone knows we need a new midfield and this hasn't even been mentioned by the manager.
Even if we signed a couple of strikers, they're not going to score unless they get the service.

I hope we make a few signings soon, so we'll have something to look forward to and something fresh to talk about. At the moment I fear we will be the whipping boys of the division and that will make going to Ellen Road etc not much fun.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Here we go....

I'm not the manager and I'm not going to tell the club WHO to sign but what areas of the squad need strengthening!

Err hmm. MIDFIELD!!!!!!! Far enough we do need to another striker and ideally one more as cover. However, I feel our best chances this season will be to take a leaf out of the Greek book of taking on the big guns. i.e. Stick ten men behind the ball and then look to break. We are not going to be able to cope with wave after wave of attack by signing loads of strikers.

We need AT LEAST two more midfielders. It's been said so many times it's boring! We need an old head to put his foot on the ball and give our play some direction. We have Hart and Jones to do the running for him. Alongside him we need a defensive midfielder that can work just infront of the defence and then play the ball out when needed.

What we have at the moment in McPhee up front on his own with a dodgy foot. Cullip and Butters hoofing the ball up field straight back to the opposition. McGhee stance is that the entire game of football centres around you strikers. If the midfield is not creating the chances for the strikers it's the strikers fault. He has said as much on the radio countless times.

A good team. ANY good team is built up around a soild defence. We have a solid defence. So the next building block is logically the midfiled. Once we are than lookinf like we can hold on to a bit of posession we look to bolster our attack.

I think you're right. We signed Reid who I believe is a decent player, looked like he could play it around nicely. Simon Rodger is back in the midfield and will improve our passing play no end. Maybe one more needed and I think McGhee is on the lookout.

We definitely need to strengthen the attack, I think we all know this is the case and again, McGhee is clearly taking steps to address it. 3 strikers on trial at present, nobody knows who they are but we've heard that 2 have proven track recordas so it can't be all bad.

Just remember we can use loan signings and I think McGhee has always thought of this as our best chance of squad improvement.


It is frustrating but we are doing the best that we can in very difficult circumstances.

 

[Lammy]

I think Lammy is voicing genuine concerns. It's not like we haven't all be here before is it? I suppose at least we have a manager this time.

I fear for the season ahead. I would like to be really positive, but at the moment it's pretty tough. Everyone knows we need a new midfield and this hasn't even been mentioned by the manager.
Even if we signed a couple of strikers, they're not going to score unless they get the service.

I hope we make a few signings soon, so we'll have something to look forward to and something fresh to talk about. At the moment I fear we will be the whipping boys of the division and that will make going to Ellen Road etc not much fun.

Ahh the voice of reason!

I'm not having a go at Dick and McGhee. I'm chuffed to bits we've got these two leading us into Div 1 (I'm not calling it 'the championship' it's just WRONG) next season. The last few seasons we've been shafted by managers jumping ship. Knight having personal problems thus delaying the appointment of a replacement. But we don't ahve anyof these excuses this season. We have a manager in place. A good one. We have generated stacks of cash via the play-offs, how much merchandise?? We have a new home kit to be released (before the start of the season?) soon.

We have the manager in place, we should have more money than last time. But we are standing still whilst everyone else is making changes and strengthening the squad.

Are we simply having trouble attracting the players because 2 Jags is still thinking?

 

[Lammy]

Not a lot of constructive chat here then. I guess I should just hand over my cash, close my eyes and KEEP THE FAITH?

 

[Deano's Right Foot]

As everyone knows our turnover is limited by our ground capacity. it is hard to increase turnover whatever division we are in, except through shirt sales, slightly higher TV revenue etc.

Now correct me if I'm wrong but I think that there is a salary cap this year, whereby the wage bill for players cannot be more than 60% of turnover. I'm not sure what the sanctions are (if any) if this is not adhered to - perhaps someone here can enlighten me.

While I agree with salary caps, it really means we can't compete with many clubs in our division when it comes to wages - even if money was injected into the club.

But we do have a manager that I have faith in, and I am confident (well, hopeful) that we will have a team that will keep us up this year.

 

[chips and gravy]

Er..... Nathan Jones has just signed a new contract....

 

[Lammy]

I hadn't considered that. I'm not sure it'll be a factor though. Although I agree we have limited turnover and a limit to how we can increase that turnover. The fact remains,

- We would have made a LOT of money from the play offs and the merchandising that went with it!

- We are now able to charge more for advertising.

- We are going to be on TV more now and will be paid more for it.

- Season ticket prices have gone up.

- Every game will be a sell out.

- The public enquiry has finished. Surely we are not paying lawyers to sit around and do sod all?


In conclusion we are a lot better off than we were last year. Are funds are limited and I'm not expecting any big name signings. But I would have thought we'd be able to attract a reasonable level of player to play for us. More than say, none.