Franchise v Swindon Town Matchday thread

[JoeMezz]

One that can stretch to our current squad and about 4 or 5 more players. Basically the budget Flynn expected where he wanted 4 more in before selling Wakeling.

That.

Given we were told it's a competitive budget and Flynn could have stretched it if he felt the quality was there for the right price, should we expect to be turning over profit this year? Be interesting to see when the info comes up...

[ChalkyWhiteIsGod]

I realise this thread is enormously circular now, but surely nobody things this squad is *fine*. I can respect the arguments that there are mitigating circumstances, but let's not pretend the situation isn't sub-optimal.

Some must think its fine or they wouldn't be so incredulous that people think we don't have a competitive budget.

[DiV]

Like er... Tom Brewitt and George McEachran, signed in February, who you'd have to say have gone pretty well. Brewitt wasn't even first choice outside of the window, we only signed him when Mariappa said no right?

Exactly that.
If we are being ultra nitpicky - we definitely need more experience coming in that youngsters with limited first team football but those players will be out there too.

The fact we haven’t padded out the squad logically suggests it’s budgetary

[JoeMezz]

Some must think its fine or they wouldn't be so incredulous that people think we don't have a competitive budget.

Starting XI is good enough for playoffs with maybe 1/2 bench players good enough. After that it is nowhere near a competitive budget.

[ChalkyWhiteIsGod]

Given we were told it's a competitive budget and Flynn could have stretched it if he felt the quality was there for the right price, should we expect to be turning over profit this year? Be interesting to see when the info comes up...

I mean it definitely points towards that doesn't it, rather than the tripe we heard from Clem about how much we're losing every year.

It doesn't remotely add up but I don't expect to get answers. More likely people will just try to convince you you're imagining things.

Maybe when The Trust have had a look at the books........

[Posh Red]

Enough to sign more than 18 semi-experienced professional footballers would be great (we have 22 pros, but that includes Dworzak, Minturn, Genesini and Benn Ward who had all played fewer than 5 professional games at the start of the season). That 18 also includes Reece Devine, who will probably never play for us again.

I realise this thread is enormously circular now, but surely nobody things this squad is *fine*. I can respect the arguments that there are mitigating circumstances, but let's not pretend the situation isn't sub-optimal.

It's interesting because Flynn stated he wanted a squad of 22-24, and was keen to get another couple in, but didn't manage it. We don't know if that's because he didn't have the budget or because he couldn't find the players he wanted.

How many league games had Brewitt & Khan signed before we signed them?

Just because we didn't sign the right players, or because we signed players who have then got injured doesn't mean that the budget wasn't competitive in the summer.

I still believe that Flynn thought it would be, but Notts County & Wrexham pushed that number up and we're probably in the top half but not the top 6/7.

We can all see that the squad was a couple short, not helped by selling and not replacing Wakeling on deadline day. I'm sure that Kanu was seen as the Wakeling replacement to sit on the bench (but he got injured too).

As Chalkie said, not using up your loan signings is the criminal bit, although I guess Championship sides loaning us players would want to see them playing games & not as bench warmers.

[Mooneyraker]

You made an appearance on a LS Podcast by the way. (i'm way behind, I think it was the Grimsby one) I've also been mentioned once on an episode so your in good company!

One of the very few I've missed! Feel like I've "made it"... haha  

"I think he's doing tremendously well this season." Rich, a non-caveated Brewitt thumbs up (more than Terry could manage but my expectations there were zero). Sentence acknowledged!

[JoeMezz]

As Chalkie said, not using up your loan signings is the criminal bit, although I guess Championship sides loaning us players would want to see them playing games & not as bench warmers.

100% agree - hopefully something to change in January and can be done quickly too.

[DiV]

Some must think its fine or they wouldn't be so incredulous that people think we don't have a competitive budget.

It’s still entirely possible it’s both.
A club could conceivably have a competitive budget and put together a non competitive squad. Look at Chelsea !!!

The leagues do not finish in budget order.

Although, I do think our budget isn’t as competitive as Clem thought it would be. I think his intentions were to provide a competitive budget but he’s seriously underestimated how much was actually needed for a competitive budget. Even as one of the owners of the 24 clubs in this division Clem still isn’t going to have exact financial details go all the other clubs budgets.

[Nemo]

How many league games had Brewitt & Khan signed before we signed them?

Brewitt: 16 at Fylde, 22 at Morecambe then 60 in the US
Khan: 37 at Chesterfield, ~100 around other non-league clubs

They had unusual CVs, but both had been playing professional football for years. Perhaps Clayton is a better point of comparison, he made his pro debut for us, but he was a) captain of an elite academy and b) next to the very experienced Angus MacDonald.

It's interesting because Flynn stated he wanted a squad of 22-24, and was keen to get another couple in, but didn't manage it. We don't know if that's because he didn't have the budget or because he couldn't find the players he wanted.

You're right that we don't know that for certain (and never will), but it's hardly an even probability is it?

[ChalkyWhiteIsGod]

Starting XI is good enough for playoffs with maybe 1/2 bench players good enough. After that it is nowhere near a competitive budget.

Agree.

People will have differing opinions on induvial but for me outside of who have played the starting XI the most, we have Cain, Ward (gk),  and Hepburn-Murphy that I feel are more than capable of coming in and playing well enough to still get us up.

I couldn't even profess confidence in Kinsella at this point and Minturn I'd not want to put that sort of pressure on in what I would consider a truly competitive budget, he would be a position further back in pecking order as we'd have one more CB.

Now we have wasted a couple of spots on players that just aren't up to it in the likes of Uwakwe and Ben Ward in my opinion, which hasn't helped. But were they done in panic because we didn't have the budget to cover what it really needed? Ben Ward I would say was.

[Nemo]

I couldn't even profess confidence in Kinsella at this point

Think Kinsella is a different case of a sensible looking signing on paper that hasn't (yet) worked out - that's not a budget problem, that just happens sometimes.

[Posh Red]

Some must think its fine or they wouldn't be so incredulous that people think we don't have a competitive budget.

I guess it depends on whether you think Flynn is being honest, or towing the company line.

He said there was budget available to sign more players, but he wasn't going to sign people for the sake of it.

When we can't fill a bench, but have left money on the table unspent then that would appear to be a mistake.
If there wasn't really budget & he's just saying what he's supposed to say that's more of a concern.
Personally I think Flynn seems to say what he thinks, so I'm in the former camp.
I guess January will give us a better indication.

[Mooneyraker]

Think Kinsella is a different case of a sensible looking signing on paper that hasn't (yet) worked out - that's not a budget problem, that just happens sometimes.

Yeah, nowhere near the pedigree but a sort of even worse version of the Prutton signing. Made all the sense in the world until it didn't.

Kinsella has shown nothing other than a disgraceful tackle at FGR that should have been a red. He's not stood out in the JPT, which is the most worrying thing.

[Posh Red]

 

Maybe when The Trust have had a look at the books........

 

Don't hold your breath