****** The Official January Transfer Window Thread *******

[Psychobilly freakout]

You can cancel a thumbs down with a thumbs up on the same post

Oh yeah

 

[B.W.]

Are you suggesting the club have done nothing in the last 2 months given where the SH regime left us... ? (see my other post but signing 5 new players, sacking the bloke responsible for recruitment, changing your manager/coaching team).

Or that the board is unaware what a massive risk relegation is ? Its spelt out in black and white in the recent financial accounts for example.

You can argue they've made and continue to make wrong decisions to get the club up the table or strengthen the squad in your view but complacency ? or naive about relegation threat ? Hardly.

Making yet more loan signings and one (count them, one), admittedly reasonably exciting, perm signing is what I mean by complacency. It is extremely complacent in our current position.

As it stands, four loans ended, Colunga loaned out, 2 loans in, 1 perm signing in. As I said, too little, much, much too late.

 

[Hugo Rune]

I anticipate the big headline from our dealings today will be that CMS will leave on a free in June with the club failing to cash in.

 

[chaileyjem]

Whilst I genuinely admire your positivity - is that positive spin? - as has already been pointed out, many of the loans have been part of the problem, and I cannot shift the feeling of too little, much too late. We've managed to turn a top 6 squad into an, at best, mid-table one.

its a fair enough point to argue that squad recruitment hasn't worked in the last 18 months. I'm not sure i agree that loans are per se a bad thing (Upson, Hammond, Ward all helped the club to the play-offs for example) but they've been a symptom of the recruitment problems and managerial problems. Two problems that the club have effectively acknowledged by replacing Hyypia and sacking Burke .
That said Hughton and Jones have managed to get some fine performances out of players since Hyypia left so who knows.

But you were arguing that the club is "complacent" and unaware of the impact that relegation might have on the club.
Now you're arguing that they club hasn't been complacent but has woken up to the problem (so not complacent and not unaware) but its "much too late" .
Fair enough. Lets hope not.

 

[Machiavelli]

McCourt to go ? and a replacement brought in ?

Before he joined us he was weighing up options abroad. I've heard from another poster that he might be off abroad to another continent so, presumably, today's transfer window doesn't apply.

 

[B.W.]

This is interesting from the Argus:

Rich Cawley of the South London Press expects Millwall to be active today. Believed to have plenty of options.

The same reporter has been advised Charlton, who could yet slip into danger, hope to get a centre-back and centre-forward on board. No names but the striker has to be better surely than Tucudean, who has been loaned out to Steaua Bucharest.

So, our rivals making moves to rescue their respective seasons... will we?

 

[B.W.]

its a fair enough point to argue that squad recruitment hasn't worked in the last 18 months. I'm not sure i agree that loans are per se a bad thing (Upson, Hammond, Ward all helped the club to the play-offs for example) but they've been a symptom of the recruitment problems and managerial problems. Two problems that the club have effectively acknowledged by replacing Hyypia and sacking Burke .
That said Hughton and Jones have managed to get some fine performances out of players since Hyypia left so who knows.

But you were arguing that the club is "complacent" and unaware of the impact that relegation might have on the club.
Now you're arguing that they club hasn't been complacent but has woken up to the problem (so not complacent and not unaware) but its "much too late" .
Fair enough. Lets hope not.

They were far too slow in the summer (that's what I mean by much too slow), but I'm pleased Burke has gone. However, I don't see much evidence that their recruitment has improved; sorry... they still have a few hours to prove me and many other supporters wrong, but the noises from Hughton a few days ago (before Colunga's surprising exit) suggest they are going to 'stick'. I see that as complacent.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

I anticipate the big headline from our dealings today will be that CMS will leave on a free in June with the club failing to cash in.

In all fairness that won't be the clubs fault, CMS has hardly set the world alight even at his loan stint at Peterbrough where he failed to score. He is only worth what another club is prepared to pay for him and he is not actually helping his cause or the clubs in achieving a return of monies and I am pretty sure he would make more money as a free agent in June and capable of demanding a bigger signing on fee.

 

[chaileyjem]

This is interesting from the Argus:

Rich Cawley of the South London Press expects Millwall to be active today. Believed to have plenty of options.


So, our rivals making moves to rescue their respective seasons... will we?

Do you think Millwall should sack Holloway ?

 

[surrey jim]

Only 13 hours to go and we still havent signed Messi and Ronaldo.

#Barberout

 

[The Birdman]

Any reporters outside our new training ground!

 

[ewe2]

We are in a very dangerous situation,even maybe thinking that we are too good to get relegated.All the bottom teams will strengthen. IMO we in for a real scrap !

 

[B.W.]

Do you think Millwall should sack Holloway ?

Having watched them play us, possibly. They were awful, but Sami magically conjured up yet another defeat. Holloway certainly knows how to wheel and deal - he did, after all, sell Bobby Z to us for the mighty sum of about £100k! ;-)

 

[B.W.]

More from our rivals in the Argus:

Wigan have got to make their move for safety soon, surely! They are bringing in young Liverpool winger Sheyi Ojo on loan for the rest of the season. Wigan also being linked with striker Ishmael Miller, who was a little surprisingly left out of the Blackpool 18 on Saturday.

Meanwhile it appears young Liverpool defender Ryan McLaughlin is off to Rotherham on loan.

 

[father_and_son]

its a fair enough point to argue that squad recruitment hasn't worked in the last 18 months. I'm not sure i agree that loans are per se a bad thing (Upson, Hammond, Ward all helped the club to the play-offs for example) but they've been a symptom of the recruitment problems and managerial problems.

Loans are part and parcel of the modern game outside the top of the top division. PL clubs buy up the top players as much to stop the opposition getting them as to play them in their own team. In order to maintain the value of all their bought in talent and their academy stars, they need them playing. So championship clubs benefit from these "cast offs" and in turn, they second stream players get to play in L1/2 (I know some stay in the same division as their parent club, I'm generalising).

For as long as the PL clubs have the cash and the rules allow them to c0ck block their opponents in this way, the loan system will only become more and more important and we should be making the absolute most of the talent available, not just taking on the the "end-of-line" bargains, but also the "new and unproven" ones.

 

[James Bond's body double]

Wow, they have lots of money and are really going for it!!!

Transfer Centre Live ‏@TransferCentreL 3m3 minutes ago
Bournemouth have made a £5m bid for Birmingham City winger Demarai Gray.

 

[Silverhatch]

Wow, they have lots of money and are really going for it!!!

Transfer Centre Live ‏@TransferCentreL 3m3 minutes ago
Bournemouth have made a £5m bid for Birmingham City winger Demarai Gray.

Back of a fag-packet calculation says that's 5/8ths of Bournemouth's entire home gate revenue for a season in one transfer - 'without' the wages. FFP??

 

[fleet]

Wow, they have lots of money and are really going for it!!!

Transfer Centre Live ‏@TransferCentreL 3m3 minutes ago
Bournemouth have made a £5m bid for Birmingham City winger Demarai Gray.

Got to love FFP haven't you?

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Back of a fag-packet calculation says that's 5/8ths of Bournemouth's entire home gate revenue for a season in one transfer - 'without' the wages. FFP??

They must be doing something right financially. OR they're taking a gamble on going up.

 

[The_Viper]

If they are doing something right I think it says more about just how WRONG we're doing it. A club with a piss poor ground and facilities have a higher budget in both wages and transfer cash than us, it's embarrassing and worrying.