The not STFC Transfer Rumours thread

[Bob's Orange]

Agree with all of that. We still have the majority of the squad that contributed to one of our lowest ever finishes. New manager improvement or not, it’s a lot to ask them to improve enough to compete for promotion in what will be a much harder division, they’ll need those 5/6 quality players as you mentioned. All about what happens in the next few weeks before the season starts. The “ideal” plan would have been to get a few done early and then leave those real last touches of quality until late in the window where we know they’ll become available. Our business to date gives little confidence in that happening. If we’re waiting until after the season starts to get most of our business done and essentially sacrificing the first few games then it’s all a game of catch up.

Hoping I’m proved very wrong and we’ll get some quality come in over the next couple weeks.

I know it's been done to death on here, but on paper it's a much tougher division with the 2 bigger sides coming up from non-league, as well as possibly stronger showings from sides like Donny, Walsall and Gillingham to add to the usual merry band of play-off chasers. I just don't think we can really throw our hat into any rings, until we see the calibre of signings. Flynn may well be a competent manager, but if we're bringing in Demetriou and Labadie and similar, then you'd struggle to make a case for a promotion chasing side.

If Flynn is able to get a better tune out of the players we had last season and add some additional quality, I think play-offs wouldn't be unthinkable. If Cain, Clayton, Wakeling, Khan, Hutton, Lavinier and FBT etc can kick on from last season, we could be in for a good season. Maybe we'll see the lesser spotted Aguiar showing some of that form in our win at home to Walsall. I think I saw that Cain looked quite good in the number 10 role last night, if that's the case it sounds like Flynn is already working well on the training pitch to get more out of what we have.   

[ThreeDrawsMentality]

I don’t mean to discount that, I’m just taking into account that the league is massively tougher next season. That sort of mentioned improvement could be enough to get this squad as it is challenging in a division of last seasons quality but to expect the level of improvement out of them to challenge in a harder division is a step unrealistic in my opinion.

Agree it's unrealistic and don't expect that from this squad in isolation as-is, but if 3-5 first team quality and experienced additions come in to create a much more balanced squad to provide the current players a better platform to realise their potential, that combined with a competent manager means an improved season is possible. Emphasis on the possible.

[RobertT]

I noted previously that it seems a little unfair to write off players based on last season considering the managers they were playing under, in many cases being played rarely, if ever, in positions which actually suited them.

TBH if you don't want disappointment the easy answer would be to go and support one of the big 6, something which I suspect would do wonders for the blood pressure of some of our fan base.

In fairness to those expressing concern, even for STFC the thought of going into a season in Division 4 and worrying about whether or not we are Play Off contenders is a fucking dire state to be in.

[molepar]

Who is the lad in the second photo? Young lad with brown hair. https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2023/july/gallery-images-from-our-pre-season-encounter-with-supermarine/

Looks quite similar to the chap I saw in the picture of one of our supposed new signings the other day. Is it Harvey Fox? My brothers source still hasn’t spilled the name.

[jayohaitchenn]

Yes you are sad, things change

The England stuff we were shite in the games leading  up to the comment.

Twine yes he signed for Burnley,  but has he been a regular?
I said he wasn't good enough fir a starting berth at that time........is he a starting player?

More than once you said he wouldn't be first choice at league one level = clearly bollocks

[Batch]

....

You carry on believing we will sign marquee signings...

Just saw Rob Angus in Millets. Think we are downgrading to tents.
--------
From what we've done since the beginning of last season we seem to have reduced our wage structure a fair bit.

I don't think we can attract established proven players any more because of it.

may be proven wrong but It fits with the 500k cost reduction narrative in the AB minutes

[Nemo]

Who is the lad in the second photo? Young lad with brown hair. https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2023/july/gallery-images-from-our-pre-season-encounter-with-supermarine/

Looks quite similar to the chap I saw in the picture of one of our supposed new signings the other day. Is it Harvey Fox? My brothers source still hasn’t spilled the name.

https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/teams/first-team/defender/harvey-fox/

Not sure if that's the same person, he's straightened his hair if so...

[UTR]

Just saw Rob Angus in Millets. Think we are downgrading to tents.
--------
From what we've done since the beginning of last season we seem to have reduced our wage structure a fair bit.

I don't think we can attract established proven players any more because of it.

may be proven wrong but It fits with the 500k cost reduction narrative in the AB minutes

You can accept that for a couple years whilst rebuilding but that absolutely cannot be acceptable long term. There were understandable allowances and expectation drops when Clem first came in as so much needed sorting (and still does) so those sorts of things are understandable whilst firefighting. Where we are now though, it absolutely shouldn’t be acceptable if we can’t attract established, proven players in the basement division.

[Frigby Daser]

If that’s the policy, we are normalising life in this division. If we stand still, we’ll slip down and before you know it, the other end of the table comes into play. It’s not enough. The owner(s) need to move on if that’s the case.

[Batch]

I want saying it's policy, just an observational current state of play and guesswork as to why we can't seem to attract players.

To settle for mediocrity makes it so.

[Mooneyraker]

What I'm disappointed in is that, after the absolute whinge-a-thon that was the Morris reign, Flynn has abandoned his positivity after a working week in the job.

Even if it is true, the comms from the club are woeful. Confidence sapping and never going to shift a season ticket. There is plenty they can say without lying. This is just depressing.

[DV]

Weird isn't it football. Devine was really not rated at Walsall and Shade was. Despite playing about an hour in a year he is the one people want to see

Think this is aided by the fact Devine is a left back. That where he plays. Can probably do a job at LWB and the large majority for regular used football formations have one of those two positions in them.

Having been here for a year I still couldn’t tell you of Shade if a full back, wing back, winger, wide forward, #10 or centre forward. Think he appeared in all those positions for us last season. To me his attributes scream out winger but we don’t really play 442 anymore (not many teams do) so not sure where I’d slot him in, in 352 or 433

[DV]

Flynn. Saying we have been quiet is due to various factors..

Comes down to 1 thing....we are skint.

Playing budget has been slashed.

We will be relying on Loans unless Flynn gets some players out...

Not remotely true.

[RobertT]

I think Shade has to play the Anderson role behind a forward and be utterly free to wander.  I still do not think he is any good though, regardless of where he is played.  An athlete who bullied his way through youth football seems the likely outcome of his career.  Love to be wrong though.

[Jimmy Quinn]

I'm with you, what I've seen so far he's no more than a lower league 2 player to come off the bench and have an impact in the last quarter of the game but hopefully Flynn will make me change my mind.