Summer Transfer Window

I think it would be great if we could rebuild he squad using good young players from the lower league- but we don't seem to have much of a track record for doing this- especially the current manager. As for buying them because they might have a resale value seems a recipe for disaster. We need players to stay and give some some sort of consistency to the team if we are to regain and maintain premiership status. Any decent younger player in the lower divisions is well known to all league clubs through their scouting activities - and we are now no longer a major player in attracting these young players -they'd rather go to middle ranking prem outfits. I hope that I'm wrong,but so far Coyles attempts to rebuild from below don't bear the hallmarks of success. Will the likes of Mears,Eagles,Pratley get us back? And more importantly keep us there? I don't think so- so he needs to rethink his acquisition strategies.

Resale value doesn't necessarily mean we have to sell them quickly Rammy, just that we aren't going to buy players who will be retiring/ no good by the end of their big contracts. Instead we have players, on less money, who if they do decide to move on we can get a fee for and buy the next batch, that's how to run a football club sustainably, not a recipe for disaster.

Dropping out of the premier league doesn't mean we won't be able to attract players from league one or from clubs who won't be challenging for promotion, look at West Ham they got Nicky Maynard and Vaz Te last year, players will still want to move to us because we're expected to be challenging.

Think it's hard to judge Mears, Only saw him against norwich and he was okay. As for Pratley and Eagles, I think they were brought to offer competition for places and pad out a squad that had looked badly exposed at the end of the previous season. Had Holden and Lee not got injured we would of seen far less of both of them.

Any news about the CB mentioned earlier? I read Connolly is off which is a shame if true seeing as he meets all the criteria.
Adam Clayton is fine, but surely we need defenders more the midfielders having just been relegated on the basis of not being able to defend a lead.
With Wheater out for most of next season, I reckon we need 2 CBs minimum.

Well according to Nixon Adam Clayton is not on our radar.

Shame.

I suspect we will take another look at Rhys Williams, clearly Coyle is a big admirer but he will cost big money. Perhaps the money will be raised by selling an asset?

The bolton news are running the story about Rhodes, I think it's just lazy journalism on their part personally.

Wanderers are being linked with a £3.5million swoop for the country’s leading marksman, Jordan Rhodes.

The Huddersfield Town hot shot has scored 40 goals in 45 games this season to capture the attention of a host of Premier League clubs.

Norwich, Wigan, Aston Villa and West Ham are all understood to be monitoring the League One star, but Fulham are believed to have a firm interest.

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The key phrase is "are being linked..." it's not them doing the linking it's others and as we know there is no truth in it at all.

Rivaldo anyone?

Al-Habsi - well matter of opinion, you can't compare goalkeepers to outfield players so I'll give you that one.

Elmander - nothing we could do to keep him, he was not sold, and he certainly wasn't one of our best three players.

Cahill - we didn't sell him in the Summer either, but of course we tried to sell him he had 1 year left on his contract and wouldn't sign a new one. £17.5m is a lot of money for a club our size. But anyway, it didn't happen in the Summer, so to be fair, you were incorrect when you said we sold our three best players then.

There are lots of valid and fair criticisms of the club's transfer policy/activities over the last 12 months you could criticise, but that isn't one.

Initial reports suggest that young James is too 'lightweight for the Championship' and that he will struggle in the npower Championship.

Sounds like our manager, sign him up.

I hope OC is watching the Toulon Tournament - excellent young players just itching to get a European contract.

largehat wrote:

Cahill - we didn't sell him in the Summer either, but of course we tried to sell him he had 1 year left on his contract and wouldn't sign a new one. £17.5m is a lot of money for a club our size. But anyway, it didn't happen in the Summer, so to be fair, you were incorrect when you said we sold our three best players then.

I wonder if clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs and Man Utd are kicking themselves about Cahill? Last summer we wanted to sell, we kept making it clear he was for sale but Arsenal in particular were refusing to pay around £12m that we wanted. Liverpool were apparently interested but were put off by the asking price (even though they paid £20m for Henderson and £35m for Carol). Cahill has proved to be one of the signings of last season at £5m - £5m jesus - you can't buy shit for that. He defended amazingly in Chelsea's champions league run. I hope those clubs are kicking themselves because he is still only 26 years old, an England international, great on the ball, quality defender. I hate it when big clubs refuse to pay a fair price for players.

Michael Bolton wrote:

largehat wrote:

Cahill - we didn't sell him in the Summer either, but of course we tried to sell him he had 1 year left on his contract and wouldn't sign a new one. £17.5m is a lot of money for a club our size. But anyway, it didn't happen in the Summer, so to be fair, you were incorrect when you said we sold our three best players then.

I wonder if clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs and Man Utd are kicking themselves about Cahill? Last summer we wanted to sell, we kept making it clear he was for sale but Arsenal in particular were refusing to pay around £12m that we wanted. Liverpool were apparently interested but were put off by the asking price (even though they paid £20m for Henderson and £35m for Carol). Cahill has proved to be one of the signings of last season at £5m - £5m jesus - you can't buy shit for that. He defended amazingly in Chelsea's champions league run. I hope those clubs are kicking themselves because he is still only 26 years old, an England international, great on the ball, quality defender. I hate it when big clubs refuse to pay a fair price for players.

We never seem to get a fair price for our best players let alone ridiculous amounts like the Henderson and Carroll signings.

Michael Bolton wrote:

I wonder if clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs and Man Utd are kicking themselves about Cahill? Last summer we wanted to sell, we kept making it clear he was for sale but Arsenal in particular were refusing to pay around £12m that we wanted. Liverpool were apparently interested but were put off by the asking price (even though they paid £20m for Henderson and £35m for Carol). Cahill has proved to be one of the signings of last season at £5m - £5m jesus - you can't buy shit for that. He defended amazingly in Chelsea's champions league run. I hope those clubs are kicking themselves because he is still only 26 years old, an England international, great on the ball, quality defender. I hate it when big clubs refuse to pay a fair price for players.

I don't agree, we got a more than fair price for him.

Cahill is an average defender. He was given a torrid time in the Champions League final, but Bayern's finishing was truly woeful. 6-0 to Bayern would not have flattered them.

If we'd had Wheater/Ream for the whole season we wouldn't have gone down.

Natasha Whittam wrote:
If we'd had Wheater/Ream for the whole season we wouldn't have gone down.

Reebok Trotter wrote:

Natasha Whittam wrote:
If we'd had Wheater/Ream for the whole season we wouldn't have gone down.

We were a better team after Ream got in the team.

yeah, but we still weren't that good. Wheater will be more accustomed to the rough and tumble of the Championship, but Ream is still an unknown quantity as far as I am concerned.

Keegan wrote:I hope OC is watching the Toulon Tournament - excellent young players just itching to get a European contract.

He'll be watching Tom & Jerry, it's about his level. Anyway, must dash as I'm off to put my length round Blackburn town centre.

Natasha Whittam wrote:
We were a better team after Ream got in the team.

You're a poet and you don't know it.