May as well get going with this since with Sullivan at the helm, season ticket renewals slow, and the football vacuum to commence, this will soon be all the "news" there is.
Can Potter and MacCauley pull multiple rabbits out of the hat, or will Sullivan 'try really hard' with all of them before grabbing a few aging bargains from Big Willie Salthouse?
Window this close season comes in two parts:
Part 1: 1st June to 10th June
Part 2: 16th June to 1st September
Just to be clear - I meant a right back having no.5, and a centre forward with no.11
I’m not going to lose any sleep over it, just find it IRRITATING
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 13 Jul 2025, 21:52
by Sydney_Iron
onsideman wrote: ↑13 Jul 2025, 21:42
Or is it just completely irrelevant?
Well it is really init!
Mind you back a few years im sure clubs dished out the numbers and not the players choosing them, your considered first choice striker your the umber 9 for example, think it was actually seen as prestigious to be given the 1-11 numbers.
Mind you it also doesn't help that clubs retire numbers as well, we don't have 6 anymore for Bobby, can see its a nice gesture but is such a thing necessary? do it for a season as a mark of respect would be better.
Bbut yeah, not sure any of this is anything to get hot and bothered about.................
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 13 Jul 2025, 21:42
by onsideman
Yeah, but what number would Rice be anyway? I mean sometimes he plays as a 4, sometimes as an 8 and sometimes as a 6? And what about Jarrod "JB20" Bowen? Surely he should be a 7... or is it a 9... and is a left wing-back a 3 or an 11? I don't know... it's so confusing.
Or is it just completely irrelevant?
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 13 Jul 2025, 21:29
by Sydney_Iron
mallard wrote: ↑13 Jul 2025, 19:59
It irritates me when players take squad numbers which don’t correspond to their playing position
Doubt there are many players these days with traditional numbers. Seems more about choice and what they consider there lucky number or it has some kind of personal meaning, fucks knows why but look at Rice for example he is still 41 at the Arse, wont surprise me to see players with 3 digit numbers in the coming years, 999 and the like, some twat (or club) will decide its cool or edgy and for them.
Not sure it irritates me, just the modern game
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 13 Jul 2025, 20:02
by onsideman
Blimey! You're easily irritated
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 13 Jul 2025, 19:59
by mallard
It irritates me when players take squad numbers which don’t correspond to their playing position
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 13 Jul 2025, 19:55
by Fauxstralian
Emerson will be off to Italy in the next few weeks
Scarles is going nowhere, he will get enough games
Hopefully he learnt a lot last season but he certainly isn’t ready to play 38 league games
Its time for him, Earthy & Potts to step up & be first team squad members at least
I see Scarles is switching to #30 from #57 & Potts will be #32
Kilman is taking #3 with Cresswell leaving. Would have thought he’d take Coufal’s #5 & leave #3 for Diouf
stubbo-admin wrote: ↑13 Jul 2025, 18:02
Have to say though if I was Ollie Scarles off the back of a break through season, I'd be having a few doubts.
He breaks through, sees off Emerson to become pretty much first choice, and then immediately we drop 20m off on someone in his position who is only a few months older than him.
He'd surely be thinking his pathway just got blocked?!
I think I'm in the minority on here but I believe Scarles has a lot of work to do before he's good enough to start week in week out. He did 'see off' Emerson but that wasn't hard and he still wasnt a guaranteed starter even after that with Cresswell and AWB ahead on occasions
Totally agree. But I guess what I'm saying is it's one thing to have a seasoned pro ahead of you, that you just have to bide your time on....another for the club to have dropped relatively big money on a full international that's only a few months older than you.
To me that suggests you're done...I mean if we're signing this guy, he's not coming in as backup. If I was Scarles I'd be thinking season long loan at this point.
Fair point, but without knowing too much about this guy or, more importantly, whether he can make the step up, I would guess that we might see some games with Scarles dropping in behind him. We need a squad.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 13 Jul 2025, 19:18
by Sir Alf
Yet to see a player linked for central midfield who is quick, athletic, combative. An athletic type that is physically dominant in duels and presses relentlessly. A Kante type of player. This is critical to turning aound our form imho
Luiz, Elliott etc have some of these attributes but Luiz aint that quick and Elliott is more of an attacking / creative midfielder. Im just not that confdent that Alvarez has the legs / pace to be our only holding midfielder?
Elliiott and / or Luiz good additions of course but without the above type of player will still not be enough. I would take an offer above 35 million for Alvarez. What is certain imo is that any central midfield pairing from Alvarez, JWP and Soucek means another season of struggle
stubbo-admin wrote: ↑13 Jul 2025, 18:02
Have to say though if I was Ollie Scarles off the back of a break through season, I'd be having a few doubts.
He breaks through, sees off Emerson to become pretty much first choice, and then immediately we drop 20m off on someone in his position who is only a few months older than him.
He'd surely be thinking his pathway just got blocked?!
I think I'm in the minority on here but I believe Scarles has a lot of work to do before he's good enough to start week in week out. He did 'see off' Emerson but that wasn't hard and he still wasnt a guaranteed starter even after that with Cresswell and AWB ahead on occasions
Totally agree. But I guess what I'm saying is it's one thing to have a seasoned pro ahead of you, that you just have to bide your time on....another for the club to have dropped relatively big money on a full international that's only a few months older than you.
To me that suggests you're done...I mean if we're signing this guy, he's not coming in as backup. If I was Scarles I'd be thinking season long loan at this point.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 13 Jul 2025, 19:00
by onsideman
stubbo-admin wrote: ↑13 Jul 2025, 18:02
Have to say though if I was Ollie Scarles off the back of a break through season, I'd be having a few doubts.
He breaks through, sees off Emerson to become pretty much first choice, and then immediately we drop 20m off on someone in his position who is only a few months older than him.
He'd surely be thinking his pathway just got blocked?!
I think I'm in the minority on here but I believe Scarles has a lot of work to do before he's good enough to start week in week out. He did 'see off' Emerson but that wasn't hard and he still wasnt a guaranteed starter even after that with Cresswell and AWB ahead on occasions
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 13 Jul 2025, 18:24
by Keep dreaming
stubbo-admin wrote: ↑13 Jul 2025, 17:56
ExWHU reporting that this week will see us step up interest in Tyler Morton and Harvey Elliott. No clue about either.
Also that we'll be stepping up focus on signing a goalie.
Finally some traction. Assume we'll step up letting Emerson leave too.
Decent player, he'll probably go to Everton on loan.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 13 Jul 2025, 18:02
by stubbo-admin
Have to say though if I was Ollie Scarles off the back of a break through season, I'd be having a few doubts.
He breaks through, sees off Emerson to become pretty much first choice, and then immediately we drop 20m off on someone in his position who is only a few months older than him.
He'd surely be thinking his pathway just got blocked?!
Fauxstralian wrote: ↑13 Jul 2025, 15:58
Good news, just the profile of player we need
More of the same please
As said I understand he eviscerated the ludicrously over rated Saka as Senegal destroyed England at Wembley
I don't agree with that at all. He did a good job of keeping Saka quiet, which is no mean feat, but he simply did his job and did it well. Senegal in no way 'destroyed' England. A dubious decision and a late goal made for a win for the Africans in the dying minutes, in a friendly match.
If you look at his FBRef stats, he's got very good stats going forwards, and questionable defensive skills.
In fairness, in the teams Potter got true plaudits for, he had players who were more naturally wingers playing at wingback....the likes of Solly March, Trossard etc. First game up for us we had Summerville there.
If that's a sign of things to come, maybe it will turn out ok?! So heavily dependant on establishing a mobile midfield though, and no doubt despite his forward play as we saw last year, AWB will always be considered as 'playing a defender', as will this guy.
Wingbacks (imo) should really be thought of as midfielders and not defenders, particularly modern day wingbacks.
Re: Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread
Posted: 13 Jul 2025, 17:56
by stubbo-admin
ExWHU reporting that this week will see us step up interest in Tyler Morton and Harvey Elliott. No clue about either.
Also that we'll be stepping up focus on signing a goalie.
Finally some traction. Assume we'll step up letting Emerson leave too.
Fauxstralian wrote: ↑13 Jul 2025, 15:58
Good news, just the profile of player we need
More of the same please
As said I understand he eviscerated the ludicrously over rated Saka as Senegal destroyed England at Wembley
I don't agree with that at all. He did a good job of keeping Saka quiet, which is no mean feat, but he simply did his job and did it well. Senegal in no way 'destroyed' England. A dubious decision and a late goal made for a win for the Africans in the dying minutes, in a friendly match.
Except his weakness is defending. Which is great for a defender.
I didn't see the game but apparently he played really well against England and had Saka in his pocket and can also play as a cb, so he can't be that bad at defending.
England were very poor in that game. I wouldn't judge his defending ability by that game. He's better attacking than defending and he lacks positional awareness, hopefully these are things that he can be taught, otherwise he will be found out in Premier league pretty quickly.
Fair enough, he'll be playing as a wing back I suspect rather than a full back so will have cover. How much have you seen him play?
Except his weakness is defending. Which is great for a defender.
I didn't see the game but apparently he played really well against England and had Saka in his pocket and can also play as a cb, so he can't be that bad at defending.
England were very poor in that game. I wouldn't judge his defending ability by that game. He's better attacking than defending and he lacks positional awareness, hopefully these are things that he can be taught, otherwise he will be found out in Premier league pretty quickly.
, wont surprise me to see players with 3 digit numbers in the coming years, 999 and the like, some twat (or club) will decide its cool or edgy and for them. 