January 2025 transfer window

[GrangeParkCobbler]

I'm just pointing out that the club have signed strikers before, some big names, Leon Constantine, Danny Hylton, Shaun Harrod, Paul Wilkinson, the list is f***ing endless yet none of them proved to be a success. You lot think that if we signed somebody, anybody, that happened to be tagged a striker then suddenly everything in the garden would be rosy. It's nonsense, the odds are it would be yet another failure.

I trust Nolan, far more than I ever trusted Brady. I'm sure he had targets but if a) They didn't want to come, b) their demands were too high or c) Their club demanded too high a transfer, then that's that. So be it. We're good enough to stay up with what we have and so what if a striker had come in and bagged a few goals. What's the difference between finishing 16th & 20th? We'd still be in this division next season.

That bit is key for me. We have a five point cushion on the teams below, might not sound a lot but in reality we have 20% more points than Burton and even more than the others. We might need only another 15-16 points whereas they need 21+....

We should have enough to survive...20th or 19th or whatever, it doesn't really matter.....and then we can go through all of this again next season!!

[TPFKA Marvo]

Well West Stand was telling you the win ratio we needed to stay up. Imagine how much higher that is for those clubs in the bottom four. I'm confident we can do it and if we don't, well, it'll hardly be a new experience.

[SC Cobbler]

Good strikers cost money.
There was an interesting interview on sky sports with darragh mcAnthony today
He explained how you make a profit at a lower league club and how you never sign young players on loan especially strikers as they are of no long term benefit.
Try and catch it if you can it was really insightful

Makes sense with how well Peterborough are doing. Maybe Shoey has a point.

A bit of perspective - unfortunately our January budget must have been decimated before we got here with the signings of Eyoma, Nesta, Waghorn. To add Taylor and Shaw to the first team is probably better than I was expecting. Looking forward to the rest of the season.

[Risdene]

KN has improved the team and given us an improved chance of League 1 football next season. 2 central midfielders, an attacking midfielder and a pacy striker is what we needed and got!

I find it laughable the 3 main Jonah's (M, M and S) on the message board relentlessly critise all aspects of the club and believe their opinion is better than the management at the club.

I'll be at Mansfield giving the club my backing the best way I know with 90 minutes of vocal encouragement!

[cobbler151]

I'm just pointing out that the club have signed strikers before, some big names, Leon Constantine, Danny Hylton, Shaun Harrod, Paul Wilkinson, the list is f***ing endless yet none of them proved to be a success. You lot think that if we signed somebody, anybody, that happened to be tagged a striker then suddenly everything in the garden would be rosy. It's nonsense, the odds are it would be yet another failure.

I trust Nolan, far more than I ever trusted Brady. I'm sure he had targets but if a) They didn't want to come, b) their demands were too high or c) Their club demanded too high a transfer, then that's that. So be it. We're good enough to stay up with what we have and so what if a striker had come in and bagged a few goals. What's the difference between finishing 16th & 20th? We'd still be in this division next season.

The man that guided us to our best league position in years?

Ill never understand our fan base

[A view from afar]

I'm just pointing out that the club have signed strikers before, some big names, Leon Constantine, Danny Hylton, Shaun Harrod, Paul Wilkinson, the list is f***ing endless yet none of them proved to be a success. You lot think that if we signed somebody, anybody, that happened to be tagged a striker then suddenly everything in the garden would be rosy. It's nonsense, the odds are it would be yet another failure.

I trust Nolan, far more than I ever trusted Brady. I'm sure he had targets but if a) They didn't want to come, b) their demands were too high or c) Their club demanded too high a transfer, then that's that. So be it. We're good enough to stay up with what we have and so what if a striker had come in and bagged a few goals. What's the difference between finishing 16th & 20th? We'd still be in this division next season.

Not sure if I’m just getting old John but I’m finding myself agreeing with you a lot these days 😂

[Mysterious Curle]

Interesting comments from Nathan Jones on Alex Gilbert.

"We don't really like taking players on loan, but when an opportunity comes up to add real quality, like this, we have to take it."

[therealpattcobb]

KN has improved the team and given us an improved chance of League 1 football next season. 2 central midfielders, an attacking midfielder and a pacy striker is what we needed and got!

I find it laughable the 3 main Jonah's (M, M and S) on the message board relentlessly critise all aspects of the club and believe their opinion is better than the management at the club.

I'll be at Mansfield giving the club my backing the best way I know with 90 minutes of vocal encouragement!

Proof will be in the pudding of course, but could you see us adding 4 to the squad late last year when Brady maxxed the squad out?

Someone will now list the squad and tell us all how many we actually have.

Taylor- great signing
Shaw - not just a great signing, but seemingly off lots of other club's radar
Costelloe - Natural step up for the lad and he IS a striker what most people wanted.
Perry - An attacking option likely off the bench and probably worth a gamble as we won't be paying a huge amount of his wages.

[Winslow Lee]

If Barkhuizen was the player then I’m happy to have missed out, especially if we’d have had to push the boat out to sign him. Ten years ago I might have had a different opinion but I’ve seen far too many older players dropping down the pyramid to sign for us looking a shadow of their former self, disinterested or constantly injured. It’s a shame as for every Ian Taylor there seems to be many more Sordell’s, McGugan’s or Hylton’s.

[GrangeParkCobbler]

Squad as it stands....

Goalkeepers:
Burge, Tzanev, Dadge

Defenders:
McGloire*, McGowan*, Guthrie*, Willis*, Guinness-Walker*, Koiki*, Mbete, Odimayo*, Baldwin*, Eyoma*, Brough*, Dyche

Midfielders:
Sowerby*, Pinnock*, Taylor*, McCarron*, McGeehan*, Hondermarck*, Fosu*, Shaw*, Chouchane, Perry

Forwards:
Hoskins*, Eaves*, Wilson*, Morton*, Roberts*,Costelloe

i've left out the likes of Tomlinson, Dobson, Wyatt and company but that still leaves a 31 man squad.

* means they are outfield players over 21 and classed as "listed players" when it comes to squad size rules. I count 23 of those which means at least one has to be deregistered.... take your pick of Morton or Guthrie. Take both out and we have room for one more (unless Costelloe counts too as he was 22 last month and we have signed him at that age)

Mbete, Chouchane, Taylor, Roberts, Costelloe, Morton and Perry are all in on loan, so that's seven and we can only name 5 in any matchday squad. Morton takes care of himself and it looks like Chouchane is the one now surplus to requirements if Mbete and Roberts are close to returning.

[west stand oap]

With the number of midfield players we already have I was surprised by the Perry signing, it is probably unlikely he is getting into the starting 11 of a team fighting relegation. I think maybe we are taking a look at him to see if it will be worth having him back on loan again next season. Whatever the thinking behind his signing I hope he does well.

[Melbourne Cobbler]

Jesus f***ing Christ, how many strikers have we brought to this club in the last decade and how many have been a success?

When did we last bring a striker in that scored 20 goals in a season for us?

You lot have such short memories.

Sam Hoskins, 2015 I think?

[Irchy cob]

One thing’s for sure - if anything happens to Eaves we’re in trouble.

[Ben Arthur]

With the number of midfield players we already have I was surprised by the Perry signing, it is probably unlikely he is getting into the starting 11 of a team fighting relegation. I think maybe we are taking a look at him to see if it will be worth having him back on loan again next season. Whatever the thinking behind his signing I hope he does well.

Perhaps Nolan was thinking along the same lines as me: what happens if Taylor or Shaw is unavailable? We'd be back to the tried and tested and come-up-short. I think you can be competitive in games with a misfiring or missing forward line but if your midfield isn't up to it you're shafted.

[Ben Arthur]

One thing’s for sure - if anything happens to Eaves we’re in trouble.

Not sure I agree. He's only started three of our seven league wins. We could certainly do with Roberts back though.

[TVOR]

So sad the owners weren’t willing to back Nolan, hope it doesn’t come back to bite us.

How do you know it was the owners and not Nolan that decided the price was too high?

[Carton Lid]

Shrewsbury bring in our old friend Vadaine Oliver on loan from Bradford. A strange one as he has been a bit part player in League 2 and now joins up with Ainsworth for a League 1 relegation battle.

A bit like us with Morton?

[west stand oap]

We don't know if Derby didn't accept our offer. Maybe we couldn't agree terms with the player or maybe he didn't want to come here.

Cauley Woodrow who was mentioned on here yesterday eventually signed for Blackburn so there was little chance of him coming here.

[everbrite]

That bit is key for me. We have a five point cushion on the teams below, might not sound a lot but in reality we have 20% more points than Burton and even more than the others. We might need only another 15-16 points whereas they need 21+....

We should have enough to survive...20th or 19th or whatever, it doesn't really matter.....and then we can go through all of this again next season!!

Might be easy to judge our survival chances  but Crawley have two G-in-H so that’s one club we might need to worry about. From the recent games against WW and Huddersfield the support did a great job in supporting the team. For me it is not a given we will survive in this League; we have to play better, be more consistent plus the urgency of the support is very important to ensure Players are kept on their toes! We have to earn the right to remain in L1. Far too many poor performances so far this season. Also a few on here have assumed somewhat glib opinions on survival; I am with those supporters at WW whose support showed precisely the type of vociferous support required. They did again at Burton and at home last Saturday. Not for them a laidback attitude! Just remember the Gray season where we only needed 1 point from 3 games to survive in L1!! Plus we have a difficult away fixture this Friday.

[Shoemaker]

We don't know if Derby didn't accept our offer. Maybe we couldn't agree terms with the player or maybe he didn't want to come here.

Cauley Woodrow who was mentioned on here yesterday eventually signed for Blackburn so there was little chance of him coming here.

Not when he was on £20,000 a week at Luton