Let's just ensure promotion first before concerning ourselves with next season.
January Window
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tiger76
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Re: January Window
Re: January Window
It was something of a perfect storm. No other side in the Championship (including us) has a player with the quality of delivery that Norwood possesses (and he should have been suspended for the game, let's not forget) and we were missing Jay and Brownhill as you pointed out.RVclaret wrote: ↑Thu Nov 17, 2022 5:16 amCompletely agree. We were also missing two key set piece defenders at Sheffield. Other teams have tried and failed, others have had moderate success (I can only think of Birmingham off the top of my head). Time will tell but the notion that every team can just copy Sheffield is a bizarre one.
Hard for other teams to replicate that game plan with such success without those two factors in play.
Re: January Window
There are various issues which intersect and make any decisions about player investment in January difficult. The January fee inflation is well recognised, but, as far as that element is concerned, the club will have to make a judgment upon:
a) Whether we need to strengthen to be promoted;
b) Whether increased prices resulting from a promotion will more than balance out the January premium;
c) Whether to strengthen in anticipation of next season in the PL, if promoted.
Unless one of the new crown jewels is sold, any short term improvement by selling players ( e.g. Lowts, who remains a good player ) is unlikely to attract a great deal of capital and, given salary reductions following demotion, will only free up a relatively modest amount in terms of reducing the wages bill.
This means that we probably will not be making any £10m signings. However, the combined effect of the obvious attractions of coming to a club at the top of the Championship, with a top manager and an obviously quality coaching staff, combined with the AI used to identify and track players, suggests that the club's ability to identify and attract good performers at a decent price will enable it to strengthen the squad in January, if necessary.
My view is that the current squad is strong enough to get promoted, especially if Twine is fit and lives up to his billing. With luck, we should know that by the January window. If WW is available, we should bring him back, despite his lack of tact!
My concern, reflected in other posts, is that, having been promoted, we lose, at the end of the season, loan players and are left scrambling to replace them. From that point of view, the club must clearly give some thought to a long term CB and Tella replacement ( assuming that they are unable to line up THB and NT on contracts for next season ). LB: Charlie Taylor is certainly good enough for a conventional role. It depends how adventurous VK wishes to be against the higher quality opposition in the PL, where loss of possession often results in a higher price than in the Championship.
One thing is clear, VK and the club have been just about pitch perfect in the signings so far, despite the financial limitations. The approach to purchases and sales has been prudent and has not risked the club. We should have every confidence in them getting it right in January. These are highly intelligent men who have a clear vision which has put us in a better position, so far this season, that many of us anticipated. Long may it continue.
a) Whether we need to strengthen to be promoted;
b) Whether increased prices resulting from a promotion will more than balance out the January premium;
c) Whether to strengthen in anticipation of next season in the PL, if promoted.
Unless one of the new crown jewels is sold, any short term improvement by selling players ( e.g. Lowts, who remains a good player ) is unlikely to attract a great deal of capital and, given salary reductions following demotion, will only free up a relatively modest amount in terms of reducing the wages bill.
This means that we probably will not be making any £10m signings. However, the combined effect of the obvious attractions of coming to a club at the top of the Championship, with a top manager and an obviously quality coaching staff, combined with the AI used to identify and track players, suggests that the club's ability to identify and attract good performers at a decent price will enable it to strengthen the squad in January, if necessary.
My view is that the current squad is strong enough to get promoted, especially if Twine is fit and lives up to his billing. With luck, we should know that by the January window. If WW is available, we should bring him back, despite his lack of tact!
My concern, reflected in other posts, is that, having been promoted, we lose, at the end of the season, loan players and are left scrambling to replace them. From that point of view, the club must clearly give some thought to a long term CB and Tella replacement ( assuming that they are unable to line up THB and NT on contracts for next season ). LB: Charlie Taylor is certainly good enough for a conventional role. It depends how adventurous VK wishes to be against the higher quality opposition in the PL, where loss of possession often results in a higher price than in the Championship.
One thing is clear, VK and the club have been just about pitch perfect in the signings so far, despite the financial limitations. The approach to purchases and sales has been prudent and has not risked the club. We should have every confidence in them getting it right in January. These are highly intelligent men who have a clear vision which has put us in a better position, so far this season, that many of us anticipated. Long may it continue.