I still think Greg Taylor would give us the best bang for our overall buck, but I would like to see him get another year under his belt. Time at the club to grow accustomed to things and possibly a loan later in the year.

You can forget Greg Taylor he's nailed on to go to Ibrox,it would be worth signing him for the confusion alone,imagine turning up and seeing who's at LB,Taylor or Taylor.

Blimey! people can't tell Wood and Woods apart,or Hendrick/Hendricks,how would they cope with 2 Taylors to juggle.

rob63 wrote:& do you think they'll spend over £20m on a championship player? They wouldn't pay more than £12m last time for Adams.

Also I can just hear the moans when they announce most of the transfer budget has gone on one player!

No I can't see it unfortunately but that should be the way we're looking to go. At present we're like a shopper who is in Waitrose complaining about the high prices but turning their noses up at shopping at Aldi or Lidl.

£15m Pope bid about to be made by Eddie apparently.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... -Pope.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

claretdj wrote:£15m Pope bid about to be made by Eddie apparently.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... -Pope.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Would be a strange one when they've got that promising young keeper he gave a chance to at the end of the season who he obviously rates highly.

Wouldn’t sell Pope unless it’s a ridiculous fee

Weren't we interested in that Narsingh who's just been released by Swansea?

jrgbfc wrote:No I can't see it unfortunately but that should be the way we're looking to go. At present we're like a shopper who is in Waitrose complaining about the high prices but turning their noses up at shopping at Aldi or Lidl.

Window shopping is no good, I agree. Trouble is we never seem to recognise the bargains when they're cheap, we wait until they've had a good season........their best season probably!.......then baulk at the Waitrose prices. We were linked with Watkins at Brentford last season at £10m, but he had potential the season before when he moved from Exeter for £1.8m, similarly Roofe at Leeds, he had potential at a similar price at Oxford, but they haven't liked to buy potential previously- we'll see if anything has changed this window on either front.

If Nick is going to Bournemouth we should be looking at David Brooks coming our way in the deal..................

Selling Pope is a really, really, stupid idea that will come back to bite us.

SparkyClaret wrote:Weren't we interested in that Narsingh who's just been released by Swansea?

And thank god we didn't get him

claretdj wrote:£15m Pope bid about to be made by Eddie apparently.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... -Pope.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We can’t let Nick go, he’s got to be our Number One!

I can't imagine Nick wanting to stay if Hart also stays. He needs to be playing and will only improve with first team action.
I think it's inevitable to be honest. I also think Hart will want to move on so I can see a few keeper changes. I rate Nick but Heaton will take some shifting.

I said weeks ago Howe should come in for Pope and be their number one target.

Not saying this would have made a great deal of difference to Pope's future, but I can't understand why he hasn't replaced Hart on the bench.

I suppose that £15m is a reasonable opening bid (IF it actually happens that is!) however I wouldn’t want to sell Pope at all. I’d rather lose both Hart and Heaton first...

Whether we sell Pope or not may not really be an option, if he's not happy with being a backup keeper. Player power/morale is a big thing that clubs have to take into consideration. If he wants to move then I doubt we'll get much more than £15 million for him.

Also, let's say SD decided that Pope was going to be our first choice keeper - that would force Heaton into moving away as he's said himself he needs to play games. Then, come the end of next season, a club come in and offer a bigger fee for Pope. We're then without both Heaton and Pope.

I think it's been widely recognised for ages we'd struggle to keep both Heaton and Pope.

frankinwales wrote:If Nick is going to Bournemouth we should be looking at David Brooks coming our way in the deal..................

Put the narcotics down

With less than a full season as our #1 Pope is still all potential and a club with our financial prudence cannot really turn down £15m for a reserve keeper who might be just a fraction of that value in a few years

Its the same logic why we wont pay good money (a policy the majority on here support) for top young but unproven players like Bournemouth have done with the £13m signing of the young Bristol City fuullback

rob63 wrote:Window shopping is no good, I agree. Trouble is we never seem to recognise the bargains when they're cheap, we wait until they've had a good season........their best season probably!.......then baulk at the Waitrose prices. We were linked with Watkins at Brentford last season at £10m, but he had potential the season before when he moved from Exeter for £1.8m, similarly Roofe at Leeds, he had potential at a similar price at Oxford, but they haven't liked to buy potential previously- we'll see if anything has changed this window on either front.

The difference being that a club like Leeds can sign a player from Exeter and give them a lot of game time. If we signed a player from Exeter we would have to loan him out to the Championship or League One to get the experience and develop. There’s also nothing to suggest that Roofe would cut it in the Premier League.

It’s difficult for a relegation threatened Premier League club to prioritise a long term strategy over a short term one as every season at this level brings huge rewards. Signing players for the future is great but is unlikely to keep us at this level next season or the one after. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t be looking at a transfer policy that is more youth-focussed, just the reality that on a season by season basis signing experienced players is more likely to reap the short term rewards.

There's nothing to suggest that any Championship player will cut it in the Premier League, who hasn't yet played in this division. Despite what some posters on here suggest, they cannot see the future, and so like with any transfer target, you can't be sure how well they will perform - it's about how much you rate the player in question. If SD rates someone in the Championship who has never played a minute in the Prem, does this mean we shouldn't sign him? Of course not.

Pope will go on to be a top top keeper and i personally think he is better than Heaton
We have two ageing keepers with also having Hart
Signing Hart as desturbed everything we have to sell one and its going to be more difficult to off load Hart he will want to match his current salary
With Pope there is years left in him at international level and his future at premier level
If he gets his distribution sorted he could be the best English keeper we have had for a long time
Thats the potential he possesses so when fans and papers value him at 14 million its taking the proverbial and we will regret it, we might be blessed with keepers now bur make the wrong off load the season after next will be our future down fall in this area if we dont get it right.
keep the Pope UTC.

frankinwales wrote:If Nick is going to Bournemouth we should ......

Immediately put a bid in for Etheridge at Cardiff

FactualFrank wrote:There's nothing to suggest that any Championship player will cut it in the Premier League, who hasn't yet played in this division. Despite what some posters on here think, they cannot see the future, and so like with any transfer target, you can't be sure how well they will perform - it's about how much you rate the player in question. If SD rates someone in the Championship who has never played a minute in the Prem, does this mean we shouldn't sign him? Of course not.

Not at all. I was just explaining that it’s not as easy for a club like us to take a punt on a player from Oxford, in the case of Roofe, and give him the game time to develop considering the level we are playing at. I was also pointing out that even though the punt on Roofe may have worked for Leeds, there’s no saying that it would have worked for us as we still don’t know whether he has the ability to make it at the level above, the one which we’re competing at.

Also, 28 goals in 110 appearances for Leeds doesn’t exactly set the pulses racing.

It’s why we target Championship players, they obviously require far less development than players in Leagues One and Two. Likewise, if we were in the Championship I’m sure we would be targeting young players from League One.

Che Adams still our number one striker target according to Alan Nixon this morning. Southampton remain interested but could do with shifting Austin first.

SGr wrote:Che Adams still our number one striker target according to Alan Nixon this morning. Southampton remain interested but could do with shifting Austin first.

Sorry to repeat myself but if this is true and I hope it is we might have one (last) chance and one only to do this deal after the last episode, so pay the bloody price and sign him now. Surely with the extra PL money we can do the deal and now. I really hope we've learnt our lesson otherwise it will be the left overs yet again. It's how ambitious we really want to be.

beddie wrote:Sorry to repeat myself but if this is true and I hope it is we might have one (last) chance and one only to do this deal after the last episode, so pay the bloody price and sign him now. Surely with the extra PL money we can do the deal and now. I really hope we've learnt our lesson otherwise it will be the left overs yet again. It's how ambitious we really want to be.

Not sure it’s going to happen. He also says we don’t seem to value him as highly as others - Southampton need Austin out first though. We’re also still prioritising Jayden Bogle.

beddie wrote:It's how ambitious we really want to be.

Or how much we actually rate him.

Soucek from Slavia would be good. Might also help Vydra get firing

Rileybobs wrote:The difference being that a club like Leeds can sign a player from Exeter and give them a lot of game time. If we signed a player from Exeter we would have to loan him out to the Championship or League One to get the experience and develop. There’s also nothing to suggest that Roofe would cut it in the Premier League.

It’s difficult for a relegation threatened Premier League club to prioritise a long term strategy over a short term one as every season at this level brings huge rewards. Signing players for the future is great but is unlikely to keep us at this level next season or the one after. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t be looking at a transfer policy that is more youth-focussed, just the reality that on a season by season basis signing experienced players is more likely to reap the short term rewards.

I wasn't saying that buying players with potential from the lower leagues should be BFC's sole transfer policy but it could save/create income in the future. Which would you rather have, 3 Roofe/Watkins for £1.8m or one Wells for £5m? Yes, we would have to loan them to the championship, hopefully increasing in value along the way even if they don't make the Premier League.

Signing experienced players is great but they cost, in both transfer fees & wages & if they come from the Championship they sit on the bench for their 1st year so that isn't helping us at this level for the current season either & there's no guarantee they're going to cut it eventually. The expectations of some fans are unrealistic in this regard & I was intrigued to hear Mike Rigg mention the four levels of player, from development to very experienced players that the club was looking at now. This should add extra focus to targetting players & hopefully better balance to purchases.

rob63 wrote:I wasn't saying that buying players with potential from the lower leagues should be BFC's sole transfer policy but it could save/create income in the future. Which would you rather have, 3 Roofe/Watkins for £1.8m or one Wells for £5m? Yes, we would have to loan them to the championship, hopefully increasing in value along the way even if they don't make the Premier League.

Signing experienced players is great but they cost, in both transfer fees & wages & if they come from the Championship they sit on the bench for their 1st year so that isn't helping us at this level for the current season either & there's no guarantee they're going to cut it eventually. The expectations of some fans are unrealistic in this regard & I was intrigued to hear Mike Rigg mention the four levels of player, from development to very experienced players that the club was looking at now. This should add extra focus to targetting players & hopefully better balance to purchases.

I don’t disagree. I was baffled by the signing of Wells and it has proven a waste of money - although we do need to pad the squad out with players that hopefully won’t be needed and unfortunately £5m is cheap for an average Championship striker.

I would definitely like us to bring in some more young exciting talent but I can understand the difficult position a club like us are in.

bfc-sparta wrote:Could Agyei be given a chance ?

Please... no. Absolutely miles away from PL quality.

OP makes a decent list of players we have, but I've amended slightly

GK: Heaton, Pope, Hart, Lindegaard
RB: Lowton, Bardsley
LB: Taylor
CB: Tarkowski, Mee, Gibson, Long, Dunne
CM: Cork, Westwood, Defour, Hendrick
Wing: McNeil, Brady, Gudmundsson, Lennon
Striker: Barnes, Wood, Crouch, Vydra

One keeper has to go
A RB upgrade will be needed this year or next. One in, one out. But not urgent
Another LB is key
One CB should go on loan
If all are fit, then one CM addition would be ideal, otherwise 2
I'd like a faster winger. None of those 4 excite me enough, frequently enough. Lennon or Brady can go for me.
I'd ditch Crouch and sell Wood, and replace with a young upgrade. But I suspect I'm in a tiny minority here. I really like Vydra, and I think a Defour like player would be superb in getting the best out of him.

All in all, I think that makes 4 in, and 3 out.

As a starter though, I'd say this XI is still pretty decent:

........................Heaton
Lowton .....Gibson ..Mee .....Taylor
.......Westwood Defour Hendrick
....JBG ................................Barnes
.........................Vydra

Sell Wood, 20 goals in 62 PL games, replace with a young upgrade (God knows at what cost) and play Vydra an unproven PL forward. I guess there is logic in there, somewhere.

Is it me or do we get better results when Wood is playing?

We do get better results with Wood and he also hit the woodwork 5 times

Defour being fit would be a massive boost but also a massive surprise

Vydra hasnt done anything to warrant taking Barnes or Woods place

Two things SD won't be in any hurry to change...

1. 4-4-2
2. Wood and Barnes up top.

And rightly bloody so.

Roosterbooster wrote:Please... no. Absolutely miles away from PL quality.

OP makes a decent list of players we have, but I've amended slightly

GK: Heaton, Pope, Hart, Lindegaard
RB: Lowton, Bardsley
LB: Taylor
CB: Tarkowski, Mee, Gibson, Long, Dunne
CM: Cork, Westwood, Defour, Hendrick
Wing: McNeil, Brady, Gudmundsson, Lennon
Striker: Barnes, Wood, Crouch, Vydra

One keeper has to go
A RB upgrade will be needed this year or next. One in, one out. But not urgent
Another LB is key
One CB should go on loan
If all are fit, then one CM addition would be ideal, otherwise 2
I'd like a faster winger. None of those 4 excite me enough, frequently enough. Lennon or Brady can go for me.
I'd ditch Crouch and sell Wood, and replace with a young upgrade. But I suspect I'm in a tiny minority here. I really like Vydra, and I think a Defour like player would be superb in getting the best out of him.

All in all, I think that makes 4 in, and 3 out.

As a starter though, I'd say this XI is still pretty decent:

........................Heaton
Lowton .....Gibson ..Mee .....Taylor
.......Westwood Defour Hendrick
....JBG ................................Barnes
.........................Vydra

Out of interest, how many hours a week do you play Footy manager, as it looks like you've become quite addicted to it?

Rileybobs wrote:I don’t disagree. I was baffled by the signing of Wells and it has proven a waste of money - although we do need to pad the squad out with players that hopefully won’t be needed and unfortunately £5m is cheap for an average Championship striker.

I would definitely like us to bring in some more young exciting talent but I can understand the difficult position a club like us are in.

Yes, it's the old problem, if you buy squad players, you never need them....... if you don't buy them, injuries pile up. I was baffled last year by the depletion of our midfield resources, especially with the UEFA qualifiers & early start. I don't know who was behind that bit of genius. & yes, that's the area where a club supposedly needs Premiership experience, but then along comes McNeill & disproves the fact..........

Spijed wrote:Out of interest, how many hours a week do you play Footy manager, as it looks like you've become quite addicted to it?

Zero

As for Dyche changing from 442, or altering the strikers, he went 451 in our best season, and has over the last few seasons dropped Gray, Barnes, Wood and Vokes at various points.

I dont think anyone is necessarily safe in this squad, especially from one season to the next.

NL Claret wrote:Is it me or do we get better results when Wood is playing?

A preliminary check suggests win % over the last 2 seasons is almost identical with and without Wood playing. If anything it's slightly higher when Wood doesnt play, but I need to double check

Sam Byram, Victor Wanyama, Jarrod Bowen and either Neal Maupey or Che Adams would be my ideal targets this summer. That would be 4 super signings and not just squad fillers, real quality to improve the starting 11.

Rodneyyouplonker wrote:Sam Byram, Victor Wanyama, Jarrod Bowen and either Neal Maupey or Che Adams would be my ideal targets this summer. That would be 4 super signings and not just squad fillers, real quality to improve the starting 11.

You wouldn't get much change from 80 million for that lot,and that's being conservative,Wanyama might be relatively cheap if Tottenham want him off their wage bill,but he'll be on way more than we can afford.

Off that list Bowen and Adams would improve our creativity and forward options,but both will likely go for around 20 million each.

Hedontplayforyou wrote:Put the narcotics down

We are talking about a top keeper here, why shouldn't we get a top attacker as part of any deal ?

Eddie needs a good keeper, he seems to have lots of good attacking players..


Up the Clarets.

frankinwales wrote:We are talking about a top keeper here, why shouldn't we get a top attacker as part of any deal ?

Eddie needs a good keeper, he seems to have lots of good attacking players..


Up the Clarets.

It's just a reality that we would have zero chance of signing Brooks in the summer.

Rodneyyouplonker wrote:Sam Byram, Victor Wanyama, Jarrod Bowen and either Neal Maupey or Che Adams would be my ideal targets this summer. That would be 4 super signings and not just squad fillers, real quality to improve the starting 11.

Not sure why you seem so certain that Bowen, Maupay and Adams who’ve never kicked a ball in the PL would improve out starting XI, nor Bryam who’s played less than 30 games and was farmed out on loan to Notts Forest last season.

Dwight Gayle returning to Newcastle with west brom not being able to pay his wages due to not getting promoted. Another option for us maybe?

News Now is running a story that we are scouting Hector Herrera. What a signing he would be, out of contract in the summer and exactly the type of player we could do with. I'd imagine he will go to a much better club than us but just thought i'd put it on here.

boyyanno wrote:News Now is running a story that we are scouting Hector Herrera. What a signing he would be, out of contract in the summer and exactly the type of player we could do with. I'd imagine he will go to a much better club than us but just thought i'd put it on here.

Surely with another season under our belts we can sell ourselves as a sort of feeder club, players that are trying to get a premier league career can move to us to put themselves in the shop window and then move on if they are a success.

TheFamilyCat wrote:Not sure why you seem so certain that Bowen, Maupay and Adams who’ve never kicked a ball in the PL would improve out starting XI, nor Bryam who’s played less than 30 games and was farmed out on loan to Notts Forest last season.

James Maddison had never kicked a ball in the PL before this season.

nyclaret wrote:James Maddison had never kicked a ball in the PL before this season.

Neither had

Brooks
Maguire
Wilson
Pope
Vardy
Robertson
Tarkowski

To name just a few that hadn't yet a season or 2 later some could/did command fees of 50m

It's about identifying them early, and of course theres risk, but theres also risk spanking upwards of 10m on Walter and Wells who've been a tiral waste of a wage/shirt for 2 years.
Least with a youngsters theres potential to develop better, get some if not all your money back if a flop, yet a lot more cash if they shine and you sell.

claretdj wrote:Dwight Gayle returning to Newcastle with west brom not being able to pay his wages due to not getting promoted. Another option for us maybe?

what makes you think we will pay more than WBA?

MACCA wrote:Neither had

Brooks
Maguire
Wilson
Pope
Vardy
Robertson
Tarkowski

To name just a few that hadn't yet a season or 2 later some could/did command fees of 50m

It's about identifying them early, and of course theres risk, but theres also risk spanking upwards of 10m on Walter and Wells who've been a tiral waste of a wage/shirt for 2 years.
Least with a youngsters theres potential to develop better, get some if not all your money back if a flop, yet a lot more cash if they shine and you sell.

Prior to getting injured I suspect many Premier league sides would have loved to have a player like Walters.