Thetownend.com

Okay, it’s more or less transfer window time. We’ve all been saying ‘wait until January’ for months, for good or ill. What’s a good or bad window in your view? What do we need - everything?

My rough idea is…

Good Window
New keeper loan to replace Mahoney
Two CBs allowing FBT to play on the left
Keep Hutton or suitable replacement. Not so fussed on Kokolo.
Destructive midfielder in
Keep Khan or replace adequately
Keep Kemp
Keep Young or replace adequately
At least one, ideally more two strikers to allow Austin rest

So broadly replace anyone who leaves and at least 4 more players total. Doesn’t seem hugely likely.

Bad Window
Brann as backup for the rest of the season
Kemp, Young, Mahoney all gone
Hutton and Khan go and not adequately replaced. Maybe RHM and Kokolo go too.
Overall squad numbers comparable to current side, maybe plus one or two

Basically ending where we started numbers wise but without Kemp and Young. We'd be very poor and the Beamish Line would be well in play.

I guess my actual expectations are somewhere in between? New keeper in, maybe Wakeling back as that makes a lot of sense, hopefully at least use all 5 loan spots this time.

What’s the point in 2 new CBs if they’re asked to play in the same manner of the current CBs? Whatever system Flynn is attempting to play - if there actually is one - isnt and won’t work, especially in L2.

Regarding the Goalkeeper, my understanding of the rules would suggest if we had Ward as first choice for the rest of the season and he was injured or suspended we would be able to sign a goalkeeper on an Emergency Loan as our other Keepers are not counted as Professional Keepers

You can download the EFL Rules at https://www.efl.com/documents/efl-handbook.pdf (https://www.efl.com/documents/efl-handbook.pdf) Rule 58 is the one that affects Emergency loans

This was the Rule that Forest Green used to sign James Belshaw as an Emergency Loan when there keeper Luke Daniels was injured.

This therefore brings the question do we sign a keeper or Keep Ward as first choice and sign an additional Outfield player on loan?

I have a feeling Morfuni may go shit or bust in this window, where he gets the money from heaven knows

Could put us in a dire financial position

We already are!

A worse financial position....

Hopefully if could signal the sale of the club

Within FFP rules of course. Don’t want to piss off the EFL any more than we already have.

Expectations:
2 loans out
5 loans in
2 perms on short term deals.

My thoughts are very similar to yours on this one. I think maybe one experienced centre back with a decent number of EFL appearances may suffice, especially once Clayton is back in the frame (but agree two would be nice).

Assuming that the loanees all go back, I would like to see:
1 new GK
1 or 2 CB
Kokolo to sign short term deal
1 midfield destroyer (or Flynn trying Clayton or Brewitt as DCM)
1 new attacking mid (may end up being Aguiar)
1 new striker (as some have said, Wakeling on loan could be a decent option here)

If we lose Hutton and Khan then replacements for them. Regardless of what happens with Kemp I think we should recall
Aguiar.

Not too optimistic but would like to think that after all the backlash about squad size that we will at least try to end Jan with more numbers in the squad.

Mahoney, Kemp, Young, Hutton, Khan, FBT, Clayton & RHM out.

Wakeling in on loan.
Aguiar loan return

We need physicality throughout the spine of the team, a big center half,  a central midfield enforcer and center forward plus replacements for Mahoney, Young & (god forbid) Kemp.
 
So net 3 in which will take squad size to 24 excluding youths, which is where it should have been all season.

Happy for Ward to be number 1, if it helps free up budget elsewhere, maybe forces us to be a bit more direct, which with increased physicality in the squad shouldn't be an issue.

Shade version 2.0 almost seems like a new signing and if Devine regains fitness this will give us an extra option at left wing back. On the other hand I fear that Austin version 2.0 is now a bit part player at most and maybe could be offered a player/coach role with emphasis on the latter.

Will this all happen? Probably not, although feels like Morfunis last chance to save the season and get fans on board to fork out for season tickets.

I think you want one if them to be an organiser type, a Darren Ward who can put our other defenders where they're supposed to be and yell at them when they're not. Our current defenders are all very quiet.

Would rather leave Ward as is - if anything happens to him we can use the emergency loan system and I'd be more concerned about outfield. If we were to get a loan, maybe Flynn could give Tom King a call? Or Vigs?

One or ideally two experienced CBs, same for central midfield. Would recall Aguiar for the last chance saloon but leave Adeloye as he's probably better where he is for all concerned.

Feel like Morfuni might want to hit the nostalgia button - McKirdy or Wakeling loan?

McKirdy hasn’t started training yet after his heart problem

what do we need. with nobody leaving:

centre forward. maybe 2
cereal midfielder lump
at least one centre back that defends in preference to bring able to fanny around with the ball

and I'm not sure that gets us to the playoffs

Assuming the other 2 loans depart, my money would be on filling the 5 loan slots and no permanent signing's in - as "January is a tough window"

If they’ve given up on this season then loans are fair enough. Reassess in the summer.

On the basis that it is harder to win new “customers” than retain the ones that you have, they have the rest of this season to try and retain as many ST holders as they can - otherwise we genuinely will be in financial trouble next year. A bargain basement January will be a false economy this year. *and if there is no alternative to a bargain basement Jan, it’s further confirmation that the owners aren’t fit for purpose.

4 gone - Kemp, Young, Hutton, Khan - not counting Mahoney as thats already happened

2 in - u21’s from Preston or somewhere like that

Oh and dont forget the ‘we made an offer that couldnt compete’ and get laughed at by the selling club like Hartlepool did with our poverty bid for Umerah

Been training since October. By the looks of his post op photo it looked like a carotid endarterectomy so should be well enough in the new year.

I cannot see us signing the amount of players required. Not because of costs, but for any team to sign more than 5 players in Jan transfer window is unheard of. If we sell/let them go/return to parent club, then it will be a case of replacing then adding two or so more.

I think we need as close to double figures as possible in replacements. The issue then is performing/gelling as a team. Is that an excuse though nowadays?

Plenty will go out the door but few come in

Additions will be likely deadline day- loans I expect

I think most fans know they ain’t fit for purpose- there is a group that will clap and add lick Clem whatever he did tbh

I have zero expectations and mostly negative thoughts about this transfer window.

Over to you Clem.

My thoughts exactly...

Expect the very worst, hope to be surprised...

I’m convinced Danny Johnson will replace Young. He’s done at Walsall for sure.

Expecting Kemp, Young and Khan to leave. Replaced with garbage on the last day of the window with players no one else wanted. The silence from Clem is deafening. Before Christmas he was coming back to personally oversea the transfer window. Obviously has no money to spend so staying quiet.

Tbf, what do you expect him to say. Keeping schtum is what everybody does, or should do, when it comes to transfers.

Or quiet because he came half way across the world to sort a sale out. The best present we can hope for in 2024.

Looks like Flynn might have finally heeded this advice. How many times were we on the verge of signing someone before being outbid last minute.

We can but live in hope. Not sure how easy that is when about 7 people seem to ‘own’ the club. Starting 2024 with new owners with connections to the current regime would be ideal.

Ok, for what it's worth. Here goes.
Flynn mentioned the spine of the team so I'd expect an injection of nasty at CB, in midfield & up front.

Ward is fine so not too fussed about the guest keeper slot being filled, although it probably will be.

Then a case of replacing the escapees.
Don't necessarily have to be same or better than in quality, just capable of doing what the manager says, carrying out the basics and slotting in as part of a team.

The new whole is greater than the sum of it's parts outfit will then storm through the second half of the season to finish in the autos.

I also have a feeling based on not very much that Clem will splash the cash.

But Flynn has repeatedly said he doesn't want a big, meaty,nasty centre half🤷‍♂️

Didn’t he try and sign Edwards, he’s a bit of a unit

I didn't do "disastrous window" but it's er, trending below my bad window, isn't it?

Brann as backup for the rest of the season - Try Redman Evans
Kemp, Young, Mahoney all gone - All gone, plus B Ward
Hutton and Khan go and not adequately replaced. Maybe RHM and Kokolo go too. Hutton gone, surprise Kinsella departure, Minturn and Khan both linked away. Replacements unproven at best, non existent at worst
Overall squad numbers comparable to current side, maybe plus one or two Currently -1 on overall squad size if you include Aguiar's recall, -2 if not (Out: Mahoney/L Ward/B Ward/Hutton/Kemp/Kinsella/Young In: Bycroft, McCarthy, Johnson, Aguiar sort of, Devoy, Glatzel)