Dyche: We may have to break the bank

Tall Paul · Post by **Tall Paul** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:17 pm

fatboy47 wrote:Am I the only poster who's basically happy with what we have now?

Same as what got us into Europe last time out, with the bonus of having got shut of Arfield, and two great prospects in Dunne and O'Neill genuinely in the frame....and with key personnel coming back from injury. The only question mark being around the replacement of Mee if he's not fully on board.

Is it me??

No you aren't. We'll be fine.

Steddyman · Post by **Steddyman** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:19 pm

fatboy47 wrote:Am I the only poster who's basically happy with what we have now?

Same as what got us into Europe last time out, with the bonus of having got shut of Arfield, and two great prospects in Dunne and O'Neill genuinely in the frame....and with key personnel coming back from injury. The only question mark being around the replacement of Mee if he's not fully on board.

Is it me??

Yes you are.

Steddyman · Post by **Steddyman** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:20 pm

BOYSIE31 wrote:We have dawson and jay who are now lower league players - but i would not pay 40 million for the pair so glad we are not.

You won't have to, the club will. They run it like a business and will only do so if it makes business sense.

NRC · Post by **NRC** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:21 pm

fatboy47 wrote:Am I the only poster who's basically happy with what we have now?

Same as what got us into Europe last time out, with the bonus of having got shut of Arfield, and two great prospects in Dunne and O'Neill genuinely in the frame....and with key personnel coming back from injury. The only question mark being around the replacement of Mee if he's not fully on board.

Is it me??

No fatboy, me too. I’ve put “panic” into my diary, and it’s on a given day in January.

Now that sad, it doesn’t mean the debate going on is not valid, because it is - we do struggle with our dealings. But on the pitch I’m better than ok with things as they stand

SkiptonClaret · Post by **SkiptonClaret** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:23 pm

People seriously expecting the younger players that have bolstered numbers during some meaningless pre-season games to feature. Seriously ?
I’m sure I’m correct in saying that there’s not been a single player from the youth / development set up that’s started a league game under the tenure of the current management, I wouldn’t think there’s much chance of that changing anytime soon.
I honestly think there’s currently about as much trust in youth as there is in the foreign transfer market.

s6t9a2f3f · Post by **s6t9a2f3f** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:26 pm

Who are all these clubs that have gone bust ? yeah there's been some severe downturns at various clubs like Coventry, Leeds, Rovers but its a small percentage and guess what ? all the named clubs are running, playing league football and have fan bases so all this "we cant do this", "we cant do that" is a big worry. Unless you splash out on some players that are useless even if you drop through trap door 1 of 2 things should happen - 1 his relegation clause activates his smaller salary or he becomes a sellable asset to a lower premiership team who has surivived us.

Brian

jlup1980 · Post by **jlup1980** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:27 pm

I don't think we need anything like 5 new starters. I'd like to see Taylor given the nod over Ward but other than that I'd suggest we only really lack a number 10. When all are fit...

Pope
Lowton Tarky Mee Taylor
Cork Defour
Gudmundsson NEW Brady
Barnes

Second XI

Heaton
Bardsley Long NEW Ward
Lennon Westwood Hendrick NEW
Wood Vokes

I'd be happy with Walters and Wells out; Dawson, Jay Rod and another winger in. More than happy actually.

randomclaret2 · Post by **randomclaret2** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:27 pm

Dyche clearly isnt happy with what we have now

Dougall · Post by **Dougall** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:28 pm

Some of the posters on here must be a salesman's dream!
Does anyone want to buy these magic beans? Only (!) £35million each !!

BOYSIE31 · Post by **BOYSIE31** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:31 pm

jlup1980 wrote:I don't think we need anything like 5 new starters. I'd like to see Taylor given the nod over Ward but other than that I'd suggest we only really lack a number 10. When all are fit...

Pope
Lowton Tarky Mee Taylor
Cork Defour
Gudmundsson NEW Brady
Barnes

Second XI

Heaton
Bardsley Long NEW Ward
Lennon Westwood Hendrick NEW
Wood Vokes

I'd be happy with Walters and Wells out; Dawson, Jay Rod and another winger in. More than happy actually.

Those lovely words - WHEN ALL FIT

randomclaret2 · Post by **randomclaret2** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:34 pm

5 of those named injured already

Firthy · Post by **Firthy** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:42 pm

BOYSIE31 wrote:Those lovely words - WHEN ALL FIT

Totally agree. We don't know if Pope, Heaton, Defour, Brady and Barnes will be fit for the start of the season. Take them out of the equation and it looks a completely different picture. And that's without any further injuries.

jlup1980 · Post by **jlup1980** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:06 pm

We don't need to buy 5 players to replace the injured ones though ha ha! That would be ludicrous. Only Pope appears to have long term issues and it sounds like we might be bringing in Forster. Other than that I'd be surprised if we don't have Heaton, Brady, Defour and Barnes back by the end of August. What happens to the new signings then? We'd end up with a huge squad, way above the size we can accommodate. 3 or 4 squad players is all we need.

Long Time Lurker · Post by **Long Time Lurker** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:15 pm

jlup1980 wrote:Pretty much yes... and almost certainly if everyone else (including clubs like Huddersfield, Brighton, Wolves and Fulham) is happy to pay more in wages than we are. Look back at our deals over the past few years.

Wood, Brady, Hendrick, Tarky, Barnes, Westwood, Taylor, JBG, Ward, Pope, Heaton, Wells, Gray etc all have the same thing in common; we offered them a step up in league or in promotion chances.

The only players who've signed from other PL clubs have basically done so because they were deemed surplus to requirements by their previous employer (Lennon, Walters, Bardsley).

The only real exception to the rule is probably Jack Cork.

None of this is a negative might I add; it only goes to prove just how well we've done in the market. We are still punching well above our weight!

Completely agree with this. The majority of our past transfers have been helped over the line by factors that have worked in our favour and lent support to our negotiating strength. In fact it could be argued that targeting "soft" transfers is a big part of our recruitment strategy.

I would categorize "soft" transfers as ones that involve easy negotiations as a consequence of one or more factors that serve to reduce the negotiating resolve of the prospective selling club and interest from any potential competitors.

I think Jack Cork, Jonathan Walters, Phil Bardlsey, Charlie Taylor, Nahki Wells, Aaron Lennon, JBG, Nick Pope, Ashley Westwood, Steven Defour, James Tarkowski and Matthew Lowton could all be classed as "soft" targets.

Every one of them had some factor that made them easier to sign, whether it was an older player looking for more game time and a longer contract than their current club were prepared to offer, injury concerns, a recent relegation, a desire to step up to the next level, underappreciated and unwanted by their club, the need to move for family reasons, looking for a happy and supportive environment or caught up with the potential for a compensation payment. So we had a fairly easy run at all of them and we experienced little to no competing interest from other clubs.

Mawsons apparent preference to move to London made him a "soft" target for Fulham and a "hard" target for us. It can work both ways. Add in the potential for Fulham to pay higher wages and getting a deal over the line moves from "hard" to "impossible".

In this window we obviously decided to go for the "relegation negotiation booster" by targeting Dawson, Jay Rod and Clucas. We considered our slow to evolve and very short list of players that we would like to sign (meeting our criteria for character, playing ability and projected price), narrowed it down to players in positions we need to fill and then looked at the recently relegated teams to see if any of the players on our list were in them.

However, with no strikers having left the club and his diminished performance on the left wing it is debatable whether Jay still fits the position we need category. Clucas (with his jack of all trades and master of none positional suitability) is hard pressed to meet the playing ability requirement. Those subjective assessments aside, the players that we might have perceived to be viable "soft" targets in this window have turned out to be difficult targets.

WBA haven't rolled over as we might have expected them to do and they are insisting on inflated prices for players they would like to keep. Swansea are showing some resolve over Clucas, which could be because they foolishly paid more than double his actual worth. While that shouldn't be our problem they won't be relishing the prospect of selling him for close to his true value, which would carry with it a loss of face and money. Their resistance could also be influenced by the fact that he could prove useful to them in the Championship, He might have failed to establish himself as an EPL calibre player in his two relegation campaigns but he could do a job for them in the lower tier.

In conclusion we are struggling, because we always struggle when we don't have something that can add weight to our negotiation ability. We put all our ducks in a line prior to the window and we obviously picked the wrong ducks to give us an easy time of it. Our situation has been further hindered by our apparent inability to quickly recognise and accept that. Instead of moving on to other targets, if we actually went in with a next best list, we dithered around instead of changing tact quickly enough.

Everything could change in the next nine days, but I'm not brimming with optimism at the moment. Even if we pay well over the odds to bring in Dawson, Jay and Clucas that wouldn't count as a successful window in my books. The prospect of paying in the region of £50m for three players who will only add to our strength in depth doesn't strike me as a job well done. I would class it as a wasted opportunity. An expensive move to stand still at the expense of moving forward.

Even though we have time left I would designate this window as a serious cluster f**ck. Whatever the final outcome we need learn from it and move on. Instead of panic buying in the last remaining days I would like to see a more measured "batten down the hatches" approach that would allow us to regroup and have another go in the next window. Opening all the doors and throwing the entire contents of our dry powder store at the situation to force change is probably not the best move we can make in the given circumstances.

randomclaret2 · Post by **randomclaret2** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:38 pm

We would only have to do it in January though when prices will go even higher.

jlup1980 · Post by **jlup1980** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:41 pm

Very well put LLL. It's not all doom and gloom yet and we need to understand the market we're working in. I want to sign the right players as much as the next man but there's no point betting the ranch on squad players. We need to find value as well as quality.

£50m for Dawson, Jay Rod and Clucas vs James Collins, Bakary Sako and James Morrison on free transfers?!! Realistically you're not getting a whole lot more for £50m!!

RocketLawnChair · Post by **RocketLawnChair** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:51 pm

Steddyman wrote: I don't think the big issue is our lack of money, I think it is Dyche's naivety based on his view of common decency that agents and players clearly do not share.

But if the player doesn't show common decency then he's not the right player for Dyche. They are called old fashioned values but never have they been so relevant.

SparkyClaret · Post by **SparkyClaret** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 1:59 pm

IndigoLake wrote: I do wish we'd seriously invest in an international scouting system. We complain about UK player transfer fees and wages going up season on season but limit ourselves (for the most part) to that market. If we do it right, we could get much more value abroad. But perhaps it's just too risky for us to do on a more regular basis.

I agree with this, but part of the way Dyche assesses players seems to be with a kind of psych eval. Is it possible that this is much more difficult to do with foreign players, as you'd be dealing with English as a second language, as well any cultural variances? Is it just easier to get the kind of information Dyche values when he's dealing with players from Britain and Ireland?

RocketLawnChair · Post by **RocketLawnChair** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:01 pm

Dyche definitely voted Leave.

elwaclaret · Post by **elwaclaret** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:03 pm

There was another successful Burnley Chairman who was constantly hounded about not investing enough, despite defying the odds and making a team regularly playing well. The next Chairman opened the purse strings and we pulled several players from top clubs..... didn't that go well.

History repeating?
Be careful what you wish for folks.

BOYSIE31 · Post by **BOYSIE31** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:04 pm

Long Time Lurker wrote:Completely agree with this. The majority of our past transfers have been helped over the line by factors that have worked in our favour and lent support to our negotiating strength. In fact it could be argued that targeting "soft" transfers is a big part of our recruitment strategy.

I would categorize "soft" transfers as ones that involve easy negotiations as a consequence of one or more factors that serve to reduce the negotiating resolve of the prospective selling club and interest from any potential competitors.

I think Jack Cork, Jonathan Walters, Phil Bardlsey, Charlie Taylor, Nahki Wells, Aaron Lennon, JBG, Nick Pope, Ashley Westwood, Steven Defour, James Tarkowski and Matthew Lowton could all be classed as "soft" targets.

Every one of them had some factor that made them easier to sign, whether it was an older player looking for more game time and a longer contract than their current club were prepared to offer, injury concerns, a recent relegation, a desire to step up to the next level, underappreciated and unwanted by their club, the need to move for family reasons, looking for a happy and supportive environment or caught up with the potential for a compensation payment. So we had a fairly easy run at all of them and we experienced little to no competing interest from other clubs.

Mawsons apparent preference to move to London made him a "soft" target for Fulham and a "hard" target for us. It can work both ways. Add in the potential for Fulham to pay higher wages and getting a deal over the line moves from "hard" to "impossible".

In this window we obviously decided to go for the "relegation negotiation booster" by targeting Dawson, Jay Rod and Clucas. We considered our slow to evolve and very short list of players that we would like to sign (meeting our criteria for character, playing ability and projected price), narrowed it down to players in positions we need to fill and then looked at the recently relegated teams to see if any of the players on our list were in them.

However, with no strikers having left the club and his diminished performance on the left wing it is debatable whether Jay still fits the position we need category. Clucas (with his jack of all trades and master of none positional suitability) is hard pressed to meet the playing ability requirement. Those subjective assessments aside, the players that we might have perceived to be viable "soft" targets in this window have turned out to be difficult targets.

WBA haven't rolled over as we might have expected them to do and they are insisting on inflated prices for players they would like to keep. Swansea are showing some resolve over Clucas, which could be because they foolishly paid more than double his actual worth. While that shouldn't be our problem they won't be relishing the prospect of selling him for close to his true value, which would carry with it a loss of face and money. Their resistance could also be influenced by the fact that he could prove useful to them in the Championship, He might have failed to establish himself as an EPL calibre player in his two relegation campaigns but he could do a job for them in the lower tier.

In conclusion we are struggling, because we always struggle when we don't have something that can add weight to our negotiation ability. We put all our ducks in a line prior to the window and we obviously picked the wrong ducks to give us an easy time of it. Our situation has been further hindered by our apparent inability to quickly recognise and accept that. Instead of moving on to other targets, if we actually went in with a next best list, we dithered around instead of changing tact quickly enough.

Everything could change in the next nine days, but I'm not brimming with optimism at the moment. Even if we pay well over the odds to bring in Dawson, Jay and Clucas that wouldn't count as a successful window in my books. The prospect of paying in the region of £50m for three players who will only add to our strength in depth doesn't strike me as a job well done. I would class it as a wasted opportunity. An expensive move to stand still at the expense of moving forward.

Even though we have time left I would designate this window as a serious cluster f**ck. Whatever the final outcome we need learn from it and move on. Instead of panic buying in the last remaining days I would like to see a more measured "batten down the hatches" approach that would allow us to regroup and have another go in the next window. Opening all the doors and throwing the entire contents of our dry powder store at the situation to force change is probably not the best move we can make in the given circumstances.

Good post but learn from it ?

Sounds just like nearly all transfer windows to me - we finished seventh lets kick on get better players in and grow but no we will just start to go backwards.

IndigoLake · Post by **IndigoLake** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:07 pm

SparkyClaret wrote:I agree with this, but part of the way Dyche assesses players seems to be with a kind of psych eval. Is it possible that this is much more difficult to do with foreign players, as you'd be dealing with English as a second language, as well any cultural variances? Is it just easier to get the kind of information Dyche values when he's dealing with players from Britain and Ireland?

Yes, I'd say that is indeed the case. However, there comes a point when the potential reward may well outweigh any risk. I hope that we continue to choose playing personnel carefully for a long time to come (I'd like to see such a tactic continue long after Dyche has gone). However, we're obviously finding it difficult to work to such parameters since looking exclusively in the UK market often means paying more than what we're prepared to pay. We can't always have it both ways. Reliable, known quantities at good value are now almost impossible to find in the PL and the Championship.

Rick_Muller · Post by **Rick_Muller** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:09 pm

Steddyman wrote:Yes you are.

No he’s not, I’m comfortable with kicking on with the team we have.

Long Time Lurker · Post by **Long Time Lurker** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:11 pm

randomclaret2 wrote:We would only have to do it in January though when prices will go even higher.

Batten Down The Hatches Approach

Providing the lads step up and perform at the level we all know they can (and everyone is given a lucky rabbits foot to ward off injuries, four leaf clovers for the Irish lads) we could still achieve a respectable league position which will allow us another opportunity to get things right in the next window.

Defender

At this late stage in the window, and with the prices being quoted for our rumoured targets, I think we might be better going with Dunne and pushing our luck to make it to the next window. Bringing in James Collins on a short 1 year deal could be another option.

Raising the price a little and taking a risk, Brentford are were rumoured to be sniffing around Bjorn Engels earlier last week and at £3m to £4m he might be worth considering. Unfortunately he isn't a natural left sided defender.

Pushing the boat out we could switch our attentions towards Ben Gibson. In the current window Middlesbrough have brought in Aden Flint and Paddy McNair to supplement Ayakla and Fry. With five Centre Backs on their books they could afford to move him on at this late stage in the window without suffering any of the problems commonly associated with a mad dash to sign a replacement.

Last year there were rumours of Gibson wanting to leave Middlesbrough to play in the EPL. Although he was denied the opportunity to move by their Chairman, his uncle Steve Gibson. The two recent additions could have been brought in to pave the way for his departure.

Is he as good as the pre-injury Mawson?

Nope, but nobody knows if the post injury Mawson is going to be as good as the pre-injury Mawson.

Gibsons distribution is arguably a bit better, but he seems a bit suspect in his overall defensive contribution. Especially when he doesn't have a quality midfield defensive screen to protect him. I don't think he is worth the valuation of £25m that Middlesbrough put on him last season or the rumoured £20m that is being suggested for this window. £12m to £15m would be my assessment of his worth in the current climate. An influx of cash from the Bamford transfer would strengthen their negotiating hand.

Left Winger

I still think we should be in for Steven Zuber, ticks all the right character boxes, left winger who can also play right wing or left back. He spent a significant amount of time on the bench last season and Hoffenheim have added another two left wingers and a left back in this window who will increase competition for that position next season.

A cheeky bid anywhere between £6m and £8m, along with a bar of Munz chocolate and a Cafe Machiatto could tempt him and Hoffenheim to part ways.

Joe Bryan is still at Bristol City and I would be more than happy with him at £6m to £8m.

No 10 / Striker

If we don't ship out any of our current strikers in the next few days I really can't see a pressing need to bring in Jay Rod for the price WBA are asking. The current rumours linking Rondon with Newcastle could further strengthen the resolve of WBA if he does leave and they don't bring in Gayle as part of the deal. If we are in a solid position and WBA aren't in promotion contention then Jay and Dawson will still be available in the next window when their prices could be cheaper.

The new investment at Aston Villa has just made their players a lot more difficult to sign. Not only has the club secured it's future their players will now be far more inclined to stay. Positive signs for the future and the security of knowing that their wages will be paid must have soothed any itchy feet.

I would still test the water with a bid for Conor Hourihane. He has successfully used his intelligence to counter his lack of blistering speed in the Championship. However, Fulham nullified him in the play offs by using their pace which raises questions about his suitability for continued success as a central midfielder in the EPL. If we played him as a number 10, but dropped him a little deeper than Jeff to give him that extra yard of pace when tracking back he might work well for us. The long and short of it is that I'm struggling to see any other viable domestic candidates this late in the window.

My other picks for this window, Bobby Reid, Stuart Armstrong and Linus Wahlqvist have all moved to new clubs

Outcome

We could spend somewhere in the region of £20m to bring in some of these players and keep the bulk of our dry powder in reserve for the next window. Prices aren't guaranteed to spike through the roof and we can spend the time between now and then identifying new targets.

The point is that we have a strong squad already and despite cover for a few short term injury niggles we don't have to break the bank in this window. Some additional players would be very welcome and very useful, but we aren't in panic station mode.

The big risk is that we might find ourselves in a less than flattering league position for the next window which would reduce our negotitating position.

CoolClaret · Post by **CoolClaret** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:20 pm

I'd be seriously offering Kouyate some top money, can't for the life of me see why West Ham are willing to let him go

Stayingup · Post by **Stayingup** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 2:20 pm

RicardoMontalban wrote:At a guess I think he’s referring to Kieran release clause Trippier, or Danny not sold but compensated for Ings.

Definitely those two. But not much we could have done about it under the circumstances.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 4:18 pm

Seems like Spurs are in the same boat as us in some ways:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45019214" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

MRG · Post by **MRG** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 5:00 pm

bpgburn wrote:Yep, it's got us nowhere so far..

Bore off!! With that mentality we would all still be on breast milk!

Rick_Muller · Post by **Rick_Muller** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 5:10 pm

South West Claret. wrote:Seems like Spurs are in the same boat as us in some ways:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45019214" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I find it curious who I regard as the 2 best managers in the Premier League are not openly panicking in this window. They are both quite principled in the type of player they want in their squads, and that is showing. Just my opinion of course...

Vegas Claret · Post by **Vegas Claret** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 5:20 pm

SparkyClaret · Post by **SparkyClaret** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 6:15 pm

IndigoLake wrote:Yes, I'd say that is indeed the case. However, there comes a point when the potential reward may well outweigh any risk. I hope that we continue to choose playing personnel carefully for a long time to come (I'd like to see such a tactic continue long after Dyche has gone). However, we're obviously finding it difficult to work to such parameters since looking exclusively in the UK market often means paying more than what we're prepared to pay. We can't always have it both ways. Reliable, known quantities at good value are now almost impossible to find in the PL and the Championship.

I think the risk/reward thing is starting to get to the tipping point this window, especially given the point of good value being hard to find for the level of player we need to recruit. As I said previous, I think this window (not including Jan) could be a steep learning curve for board and manager, and hopefully one we learn from.

Touchline · Post by **Touchline** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 7:30 pm

This statement says to me that we are going to go back in for Dawson and JRod. SD has now suggested that Mawson was lined up but reversed and went to Fulham. Or at least appears to be. So, given our lightweight status at the back we simply have to go for Dawson. The implication being we have to pay much more. I doubt we will find better for the money without serious competition. He has proven prem experience and family in the area. We originally went for Dawson but he’s serious money. Then saw Mawson as Plan B. That hasn’t worked so Dawson is the one who will break the bank. Same with JRod. He’s our No 1 target but has a few years left on his contract. West Brom can sit tight. If we really want them and I think we really do. We will have to break the bank. It’s the effect on other contracts that is likely worrying the board.
I think we also need Clucas and a keeper on loan. Heaton is fit but his shoulder is unproven. We are looking at £45-50m to continue moving forward. Quality (over quantity) comes at a price.

JarrowClaret · Post by **JarrowClaret** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 7:42 pm

I don’t think us buying at the end of the transfer window constitutes panic buying as such especially if we end up with the names we have been linked with all window. My understanding of it is we are being quoted stupid prices and are waiting for the other Club too lower there fees when they realize they aren’t getting the price at the end of the Window. Now obviously if we end up with Rodriguez and Dawson for a combined crazy fee then that probably is panic buying but something nearer the 30 mill we were reportedly prepared to pay then surely that is good business.

warksclaret · Post by **warksclaret** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 8:49 pm

Shame Mawson preferred London. I hear he went for £15m only in the end plus add-ons

Right_winger · Post by **Right_winger** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 8:54 pm

The thing is Dyche and the club knew this was going to be the case regarding the transfer window. If we ain’t prepared to pay the money we got to look elsewhere in another market where there is value. Not everyone can be wrong. This isn’t a new phenomenon with Dyche either.

One of the things making Dyche a Pulis rather than a Mourinho is his rigid methods.

levraiclaret · Post by **levraiclaret** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 9:03 pm

jlup1980 wrote:I don't think we need anything like 5 new starters. I'd like to see Taylor given the nod over Ward but other than that I'd suggest we only really lack a number 10.

Then you weren't there on Sunday, I conclude. Taylor played like he was seriously disaffected. No way should he replace Ward.

levraiclaret · Post by **levraiclaret** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 9:09 pm

Right_winger wrote:The thing is Dyche and the club knew this was going to be the case regarding the transfer window. If we ain’t prepared to pay the money we got to look elsewhere in another market where there is value. Not everyone can be wrong. This isn’t a new phenomenon with Dyche either.

One of the things making Dyche a Pulis rather than a Mourinho is his rigid methods.

I don't want a Pullis or a Mourinho, Dyche is preferable to both, but Garlick does the deals. The deals happen on the last day, only then will we know whether the window has been successful.

BFC has the money and West Brom and Swansea need it. Hang tough.

Tuddybfc · Post by **Tuddybfc** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 9:09 pm

To those saying 'We'll be fine':
What about the lack of goals? What about some of our best players being injury prone? What about a lack of depth at centre back (Dunne may well be good, but Kevin Long certainly is not) ? What about a lack of depth out wide? What about Mee's precarious contract situation? What about a lack of players capable of changing a game? So much we should look to improve on, just because of an incredibly successful season last year, why should we not strengthen to have a more competitive squad better equipped to deal with injuries and compete with every other team who has strengthened. Never thought I'd find myself saying this but I envy Brighton, business has been done early, signings in positions they need to cover, and getting players in from abroad which consequently results in more reasonable wages and transfer fees which is (quite rightly) important to us as opposed to shopping in the Championship with vastly inflated financial expectations.

Tuddybfc · Post by **Tuddybfc** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 9:15 pm

jlup1980 wrote:We don't need to buy 5 players to replace the injured ones though ha ha! That would be ludicrous. Only Pope appears to have long term issues and it sounds like we might be bringing in Forster. Other than that I'd be surprised if we don't have Heaton, Brady, Defour and Barnes back by the end of August. What happens to the new signings then? We'd end up with a huge squad, way above the size we can accommodate. 3 or 4 squad players is all we need.

That squad could be reduced somewhat by selling Wells and Walters and doing us all a favour...

boatshed bill · Post by **boatshed bill** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 9:26 pm

Tuddybfc wrote:To those saying 'We'll be fine':
What about the lack of goals? What about some of our best players being injury prone? What about a lack of depth at centre back (Dunne may well be good, but Kevin Long certainly is not) ? What about a lack of depth out wide? What about Mee's precarious contract situation? What about a lack of players capable of changing a game? So much we should look to improve on, just because of an incredibly successful season last year, why should we not strengthen to have a more competitive squad better equipped to deal with injuries and compete with every other team who has strengthened. Never thought I'd find myself saying this but I envy Brighton, business has been done early, signings in positions they need to cover, and getting players in from abroad which consequently results in more reasonable wages and transfer fees which is (quite rightly) important to us as opposed to shopping in the Championship with vastly inflated financial expectations.

We are a bit thin on the ground, but I don't see this as a stick to hit SD or MG with. Does anyone really believe they are not trying to get in some new players? But within our business plan this is looking very difficult.

tiger76 · Post by **tiger76** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 9:33 pm

warksclaret wrote:Shame Mawson preferred London. I hear he went for £15m only in the end plus add-ons

Just seen that,probably the fact he is allegedly earning double at Fulham might have been a factor also.

willsclarets · Post by **willsclarets** » Tue Jul 31, 2018 9:47 pm

It's frankly mental that we're into a Europa campaign, on the back of a 7th finish in the premier league, that we haven't improved or at least added to the squad. People on here point to the fact that we finished 7th as a reason not to be worried or to strengthen. The fact is, it's the very best opportunity we had to improve our first eleven while strengthening the squad overall. I think some people don't appreciate the minor miracle dyche performed getting that team, based on ability, within reach of arsenal.
Wherever the fault lies, it's not good enough. I'd be absolutely delighted to be proved wrong by the end of the window, but as it stands Sean Dyche has an absolute mountain to climb. I read on the BBC today that by the time we play man united at home in the premier league, we might have played 6 Thursdays in the Europa, in a row. How is he supposed to compete, given our main strength is not giving anything away and being robust.
It's a shambles.

ontario claret · Post by **ontario claret** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:26 am

If Sir Dyche would perform the ultimate miracle and pick up Turf Moor and relocate it to the French Riviera, would it make getting new signings any easier?

Hipper · Post by **Hipper** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:47 am

I too am moderately confident we'll be OK but not complacent.

1. We finished seventh last season. Whilst there were some odd circumstances that allowed us to finish that high, we still did well over the whole season despite some critical injuries. That tells me we have pretty squad of players.

2. We haven't lost any players (yet) in the transfer window. Previously we had lost good players - Keane, Trippier, Shackell etc. and had to hope replacements would be good enough.

3. Our relegation rivals (I'm being realistic) seem to have done good business but it remains to be seen if they can put it all together - think Middlesbrough a couple of seasons ago. We know we are together.

4. I agree that it is always good to progress, and to make preparations for the better players departures. We didn't score enough goals last season - that was our weakness. That's partly creativity and partly poor finishing. That can improved not only by better players but by coaching.

5. My biggest concern is these continuing injuries to important players - Defour, Brady and the goalkeepers. Only those at the club will know how serious these are.

Sproggy · Post by **Sproggy** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:59 am

>It's frankly mental that we're into a Europa campaign, on the back of a 7th finish in the premier league, that we haven't improved or at least added to the squad.

Don't forget the injuries to 5 first teamers. And the departure of a couple of squad players.

Blackrod · Post by **Blackrod** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:16 am

6 business days to go ...tick tock...

jlup1980 · Post by **jlup1980** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:40 am

levraiclaret wrote:Then you weren't there on Sunday, I conclude. Taylor played like he was seriously disaffected. No way should he replace Ward.

He needs a run of games to get settled. He was the same when he came in for Ward last season. He started slowly but improved with every game. Ward, as much as I like him, has really started to look his age in the past 6 months or so.

DCWat · Post by **DCWat** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:49 am

jlup1980 wrote:He needs a run of games to get settled. He was the same when he came in for Ward last season. He started slowly but improved with every game. Ward, as much as I like him, has really started to look his age in the past 6 months or so.

Harsh view on Ward.

Tall Paul · Post by **Tall Paul** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:50 am

Blackrod wrote:6 business days to go ...tick tock...

You realise things can be done at weekends, right?

jlup1980 · Post by **jlup1980** » Wed Aug 01, 2018 9:13 am

DCWat wrote:Harsh view on Ward.

I'm not sure it is. He's been one of the first names on my teamsheet since he came to the club but I really thought he struggled in the second half of last season - maybe that was a hangover from his injury? Hopefully he'll be back to his dependable self after a good preseason but Taylor was brought in to be his replacement and Ward is 33 this month so we need to start thinking to the future. I'd certainly like to see them share game time so we can have a decent look at Taylor.