Summer Transfer Targets

[Cobbler78]

Barring some sort of miracle discovery we are clearly short of someone with the ability to score 20+ goals a season. No excuse for leaving things so late, it needed sorting in plenty of time. Unless Richards gets fit or Hooper suddenly becomes something he never has been, then we're going to have to try squeezing extra goals out of people who are not natural strikers. Personally very disappointed - I hope my pessimism is unfounded.

When was the last time we had a 20 goal a season striker, we didn't even have one last season

[bpcobbler]

I believe RP/KT probably did everything they could to bolster our squad, but we are in a bigger league now, and probably not one of the 'fashionable' clubs to sign for... Anderson was a coup, and we've kept John-Joe, Buchs and Smith...  D'ath and JB may still prove their 'worth' too... We're lacking firepower, agreed, but it's not all doom and gloom...
Keep the faith!!
 

[Cobbler78]

From what I saw in 20mins against Wycombe, Hanley might actually prove to be like a new signing, he looked quick and got to the byline 4 or 5 times with ease. Might be worth a go.

[bpcobbler]

From what I saw in 20mins against Wycombe, Hanley might actually prove to be like a new signing, he looked quick and got to the byline 4 or 5 times with ease. Might be worth a go.

+1

[The Rauldinho]

From what I saw in 20mins against Wycombe, Hanley might actually prove to be like a new signing, he looked quick and got to the byline 4 or 5 times with ease. Might be worth a go.

Maybe we could give him a run out on the left wing?

Worked for Gareth Bale...... 

[Fred_NTFC]

A week ago against West Brom we were a decent side - we have now added a quality winger in Anderson yet we are doomed?

It's fairly obvious we're still at least one striker short especially with Rico looking as if he's heading for early retirement, but the amount of players that some have written off already is utterly ridiculous. We don't know how good this squad is. Let's see where we are in January. It is frustrating that we haven't signed more firepower but I'm sure it's not for lack of trying. It's tough to compete with clubs like Bolton & Charlton. It just is.

The more I see of his posts the more I genuinely think Shoemaker is a parody account.

[SteveRiches]

When was the last time we had a 20 goal a season striker, we didn't even have one last season

My fault for picking a figure - yes, I'd guess Akinfenwa was the last 20+, although I'm sure Richards would have gone past 18 last season had he not been injured.  We  are still looking one high-scorer short,  in my opinion, for this season although I'd love to be wrong on that. Much depends on how many others weigh in with goals.

[Tom]

We heard all this tosh when DC had the club
No one will buy it.
KT or at least a group of which he is the front man did.
It's now apparent the finances of the said group are not enough to keep us in this division.
We are not competitive at this level,look how Oxford have kicked on.
The time for parading American footballers(did that shaq fellow ever appear at sixfields) are long gone.
Put the club on the market and let's see what develops.
I don't think even the most claret spectacle wearing fan would argue that the likes of Oxford are buying players for hundreds of thousands in order to progress where as we are buying untried loans and freebies,
We as fans know what happens next,we are not idiots.
I'm not knocking the board for having a go but it's glaringly apparent that the step up in league is far too big for a consortium of their limited resources.

It's all very well not putting up ticket prices for the Man U game but when we can't compete in the transfer market you have to question the logic!
A lot of ST were sold on the back of the promise little deliver big tag line.
Tonight we have been promised big and delivered little.
Sorry to vent my spleen but that's how I feel
Another in a large line of chances for the club to kick on has gone begging,
Who in all honesty expect us to stay up under a manager who has bemoaned the lack of firepower for weeks but now leaves us until Jan without any improvement in that department??

Nobody else seems to have picked up on this so I guess I will.

It's now apparent the finances of the said group are not enough to keep us in this division.
- How on earth do you know that? How do you know that we didn't go in for people and get turned away, or that Page didn't have a clue who to go after, or this scout chap had no clue, What makes you think it's finances?

We are not competitive at this level,look how Oxford have kicked on.
-We don't know yet, it's only been a few games.

Put the club on the market and let's see what develops.
- No.

I don't think even the most claret spectacle wearing fan would argue that the likes of Oxford are buying players for hundreds of thousands in order to progress where as we are buying untried loans and freebies,
- You must have missed the part where they sold a player for 3million, and likely knew about that for some time, and again, this could be nothing to do with finances. You do not know that.

We as fans know what happens next,we are not idiots.
- We do not know what happens next, and the second part is clearly debatable.

Who in all honesty expect us to stay up under a manager who has bemoaned the lack of firepower for weeks but now leaves us until Jan without any improvement in that department??
- Use your brain, just a tiny bit - do you think if he didn't think he had the resources to bring someone in he would have made the comments he has? or make the promises he has? to me that would suggest it's not a finance issue, it's a recruitment issue - It seems more likely that the money was there, but the recruitment process fell short.

I'm not knocking the board for having a go but it's glaringly apparent that the step up in league is far too big for a consortium of their limited resources.
- Again you're talking about things you know nothing about - you do not have a blind clue as to the resources of the club or the owners. They are better than the last, that's one thing thats certain.

[OxfordCobbler]

A poor old show and not good enough to keep us in league one I'm afraid.
We've had months to address things and haven't got a good enough squad.
I'd actually argue its weaker than the one that gained promotion.
We are now miles behind the likes of Oxford who must be pissing themselves at our situation
Not good enough kelvin.

Oxford have sold their best players. Sure they got their man last night but the supporters are more pessimistic than some on here considering they had a good pot of money to spend.
Lets see how the season goes before giving sweeping negative statements

[EssTeeFree]

Nobody else seems to have picked up on this so I guess I will.

It's now apparent the finances of the said group are not enough to keep us in this division.
- How on earth do you know that? How do you know that we didn't go in for people and get turned away, or that Page didn't have a clue who to go after, or this scout chap had no clue, What makes you think it's finances?

We are not competitive at this level,look how Oxford have kicked on.
-We don't know yet, it's only been a few games.

Put the club on the market and let's see what develops.
- No.

I don't think even the most claret spectacle wearing fan would argue that the likes of Oxford are buying players for hundreds of thousands in order to progress where as we are buying untried loans and freebies,
- You must have missed the part where they sold a player for 3million, and likely knew about that for some time, and again, this could be nothing to do with finances. You do not know that.

We as fans know what happens next,we are not idiots.
- We do not know what happens next, and the second part is clearly debatable.

Who in all honesty expect us to stay up under a manager who has bemoaned the lack of firepower for weeks but now leaves us until Jan without any improvement in that department??
- Use your brain, just a tiny bit - do you think if he didn't think he had the resources to bring someone in he would have made the comments he has? or make the promises he has? to me that would suggest it's not a finance issue, it's a recruitment issue - It seems more likely that the money was there, but the recruitment process fell short.

I'm not knocking the board for having a go but it's glaringly apparent that the step up in league is far too big for a consortium of their limited resources.
- Again you're talking about things you know nothing about - you do not have a blind clue as to the resources of the club or the owners. They are better than the last, that's one thing thats certain.

Good post Tom and says mostly what I was thinking. I'll add that, like pretty much every club in the country, I'd say we are for sale and open to offers.

We were for sale for large parts of DCs time at the club and all that came forward were a mystery Indian group who may never of existed, our current owners and a local group who, by their own admission, had just enough for us to limo through the season, we certainly wouldn't have signed Collins, Marquis, Rose and Prosser under them.

I'd much rather have owners who don't have huge funds but connect the club to the community than end up with something like the Venkys lot at Blackburn for example

[MK_Cobbler]

If Cox pulled out at the last minute then I don't know what else KT/RP or anyone else could do if he was our main target.

Not waited until 22:00 on deadline day to finalise a deal? Just a thought.

[EssTeeFree]

Not waited until 22:00 on deadline day to finalise a deal? Just a thought.

Leyton Orient didn't sign his "replacement" until 9ish so it could well have been largely out of our hands

[Shoemaker]

My fault for picking a figure - yes, I'd guess Akinfenwa was the last 20+, although I'm sure Richards would have gone past 18 last season had he not been injured.  We  are still looking one high-scorer short,  in my opinion, for this season although I'd love to be wrong on that. Much depends on how many others weigh in with goals.

Let's see where we are after a dozen games,then get back to me.

[Lanakings]

Game of two halves

[Shoemaker]

Nobody else seems to have picked up on this so I guess I will.

It's now apparent the finances of the said group are not enough to keep us in this division.
- How on earth do you know that? How do you know that we didn't go in for people and get turned away, or that Page didn't have a clue who to go after, or this scout chap had no clue, What makes you think it's finances?

We are not competitive at this level,look how Oxford have kicked on.
-We don't know yet, it's only been a few games.

Put the club on the market and let's see what develops.

- No.


I don't think even the most claret spectacle wearing fan would argue that the likes of Oxford are buying players for hundreds of thousands in order to progress where as we are buying untried loans and freebies,
- You must have missed the part where they sold a player for 3million, and likely knew about that for some time, and again, this could be nothing to do with finances. You do not know that.


We as fans know what happens next,we are not idiots.
- We do not know what happens next, and the second part is clearly debatable.

Who in all honesty expect us to stay up under a manager who has bemoaned the lack of firepower for weeks but now leaves us until Jan without any improvement in that department??
- Use your brain, just a tiny bit - do you think if he didn't think he had the resources to bring someone in he would have made the comments he has? or make the promises he has? to me that would suggest it's not a finance issue, it's a recruitment issue - It seems more likely that the money was there, but the recruitment process fell short.

I'm not knocking the board for having a go but it's glaringly apparent that the step up in league is far too big for a consortium of their limited resources.

- Again you're talking about things you know nothing about - you do not have a blind clue as to the resources of the club or the owners. They are better than the last, that's one thing thats certain.

We have a poor squad IMO.
An injury to revell and we are right in it,this after KT bizarrely claimed we could bring in better quality and value by going down the loan route...
Where is it???
Is it in the shape of the striker that page has constantly claimed we desperately need to give us more firepower?
I'd say no,especially if we were after the veteran Nathan Tyson.
What about the dean cox farce....
If we had identified him,we should have been in for him a week ago at least.
Leaving things till the last minute has left us without a playmaker and goal getter until January.
The game could be up for us by then....
If we are right in a relegation scrap who will join us then if we couldn't get players in now?
We have had months to address the situation,everybody fans chairman and manager have known what needed to be done and yet between them KT and RP have made a great big mons of it.
We needed quality yesterday,we need it today,unfortunately we can't get it now till January.
As an aside has anyone considered that players like Taylor,zakuani,revell and the latest target Tyson add absolutely nothing to the long term financial future of the club.
They have a sell on value of £0,that is why we cannot compete with the likes of Oxford.
We buy free transfers and loans while they buy players of the right quality for the division with a sell on value for the club IF they perform.
As a club we are back to papering over cracks IMO.
For all his good work for the club KT needs to address the clubs transfer policy and if this is the only route their current finances allow I would ask the board to consider outside investment in order to implement a more beneficial long term transfer policy.

[The Rauldinho]

Not waited until 22:00 on deadline day to finalise a deal? Just a thought.

Pretty sure that was down to Orient not letting Cox go until a replacement had been signed, which didn't happen until around 9pm.

If we had agreed a transfer fee and personal terms beforehand, which seems to be the case, I'd say they were certain we had our man until he pulled out at the 11th hour.

I wouldn't expect them to be able to sign anyone in an hour.

[Zen Master]

Oxford have sold their best players. Sure they got their man last night but the supporters are more pessimistic than some on here considering they had a good pot of money to spend.
Lets see how the season goes before giving sweeping negative statements

Aren't they in the red to the tune of £10.5 million (April 2015) and don't own their own stadium? Either way we control our own destiny within our means. Goals win games no doubt but we do seem to have defensive solidity which is a good base to build from.

[The Rauldinho]

We have a poor squad IMO.
An injury to revell and we are right in it,this after KT bizarrely claimed we could bring in better quality and value by going down the loan route...
Where is it???
Is it in the shape of the striker that page has constantly claimed we desperately need to give us more firepower?
I'd say no,especially if we were after the veteran Nathan Tyson.
What about the dean cox farce....
If we had identified him,we should have been in for him a week ago at least.
Leaving things till the last minute has left us without a playmaker and goal getter until January.
The game could be up for us by then....
If we are right in a relegation scrap who will join us then if we couldn't get players in now?
We have had months to address the situation,everybody fans chairman and manager have known what needed to be done and yet between them KT and RP have made a great big mons of it.
We needed quality yesterday,we need it today,unfortunately we can't get it now till January.
As an aside has anyone considered that players like Taylor,zakuani,revell and the latest target Tyson add absolutely nothing to the long term financial future of the club.
They have a sell on value of £0,that is why we cannot compete with the likes of Oxford.
We buy free transfers and loans while they buy players of the right quality for the division with a sell on value for the club IF they perform.
As a club we are back to papering over cracks IMO.
For all his good work for the club KT needs to address the clubs transfer policy and if this is the only route their current finances allow I would ask the board to consider outside investment in order to implement a more beneficial long term transfer policy.

That the same Oxford who have one point less than us and a -3 goal difference compared to our 0?

[Matthew Rush]

From what I saw in 20mins against Wycombe, Hanley might actually prove to be like a new signing, he looked quick and got to the byline 4 or 5 times with ease. Might be worth a go.

You've just said that Hanley, a new signing who has just made his professional debut, might 'actually prove to be like a new signing.'

[Matthew Rush]

A week ago against West Brom we were a decent side - we have now added a quality winger in Anderson yet we are doomed?

It's fairly obvious we're still at least one striker short especially with Rico looking as if he's heading for early retirement, but the amount of players that some have written off already is utterly ridiculous. We don't know how good this squad is. Let's see where we are in January. It is frustrating that we haven't signed more firepower but I'm sure it's not for lack of trying. It's tough to compete with clubs like Bolton & Charlton. It just is.

The more I see of his posts the more I genuinely think Shoemaker is a parody account.

I'm glad you've said this Fred. Sums up my feelings exactly.