We Cannot Afford Top League 1 Players

[Yorkshire Canary 118]

This alas is the sad reality. It would seem that we cannot afford the likes of Lee or Shackell. swindon have a good young striker whoes name escapes me but they have turned down a £1.2 M bid and want over £2m. as for Beckford we are deluded if we thinh he would come even if we could afford him, perhaps if we were in the Championship but not league 1. i sense it  will be the mid range league 1 players we have to settle for or top of league 2 who would probably be in the £200 000 to £400 000 range lets see

[Shyster 0]

I''ve posted the following previously and I''ll post it again:Because this club is poorly administered, the realistic options where

bolstering/building a depleted squad is concerned lies in the lower

Divisions. Realistically we''re looking at freebies (or as near as damn

it) on minimal wages, and a bit of cohesion for a team wouldn''t go awry

- so with ''cheap'' and cohesion, by way of bringing a team together, and

one that we actually own, I would suggest pursuing the likes of Kevin

Nicholls, George Pilkington, Ed Asafu-Adjaye and ASA HALL of non-league

Luton to join up with Spillane & Martin and rekindle the spirit

that witnessed said players battle bravely against a 30 point deficit

and beat Championship bound Scunthorpe in the Trophy Final.

[Yorkshire Canary 118]

I dont think things are quite that bad, but some reality needs to kick in for example all this Lita crap is deluded

[JuanVelasco 27]

[quote user="shyster"]I''ve posted the following previously and I''ll post it again:

Because this club is poorly administered, the realistic options where bolstering/building a depleted squad is concerned lies in the lower Divisions. Realistically we''re looking at freebies (or as near as damn it) on minimal wages, and a bit of cohesion for a team wouldn''t go awry - so with ''cheap'' and cohesion, by way of bringing a team together, and one that we actually own, I would suggest pursuing the likes of Kevin Nicholls, George Pilkington, Ed Asafu-Adjaye and ASA HALL of non-league Luton to join up with Spillane & Martin and rekindle the spirit that witnessed said players battle bravely against a 30 point deficit and beat Championship bound Scunthorpe in the Trophy Final.
[/quote]

Why would we want half of Lutons average League Two squad when Keith Keane was their player of the year, Michael Spillane was their young fans player of the year, and Chris Martin was their top scorer?  Even despite the 20 points deduction, Luton were an average League Two team at best. Getting average League Two players sounds like the perfect strategy for relegation to, err..... league two.

[Blue 0]

I suspect you have a choice of paying a few (small) transfer fees (depending on what monies come in) or going for the free out of contract players. My guess would be that you will pick up 2 or 3 older professionals on free transfers from championship clubs at slightly higher wages, another 2 or 3 out of contract younger players that may require a little compensation, then another 2 or 3 in contract for transfer fees (not sure how many players you will need sorry).  That would probably be a good mix.  Don''t forget that in all the time Joe Royle was at ITFC he spent a grand total of £300k on transfer fees, so getting the right players is not all about paying out big fees or paying big money, it''s about the blend of players and choosing the right ones (in Royles last season the player spend was £4.85m which was his highest spending season).  The next question is, who in the team behind Gunn has this knowledge?  He is unlikely to have it.

If you get player aquisition right, then even with a very small amount of money available you can get promoted.  I just have my doubts that Gunn has the necessary experience to pick the winners first time, which is what you need right now... I get the feeling that Gunn is exactly what Magilton was for us - the cheap option! I hope it turns out better for you than it did for us - you don''t have the money to waste letting the manager learn his trade like ME did with Magilton so it''s even more important...

[JuanVelasco 27]

[quote user="Blue"]

I suspect you have a choice of paying a few (small) transfer fees (depending on what monies come in) or going for the free out of contract players. My guess would be that you will pick up 2 or 3 older professionals on free transfers from championship clubs at slightly higher wages, another 2 or 3 out of contract younger players that may require a little compensation, then another 2 or 3 in contract for transfer fees (not sure how many players you will need sorry).  That would probably be a good mix.  Don''t forget that in all the time Joe Royle was at ITFC he spent a grand total of £300k on transfer fees, so getting the right players is not all about paying out big fees or paying big money, it''s about the blend of players and choosing the right ones (in Royles last season the player spend was £4.85m which was his highest spending season).  The next question is, who in the team behind Gunn has this knowledge?  He is unlikely to have it.

If you get player aquisition right, then even with a very small amount of money available you can get promoted.  I just have my doubts that Gunn has the necessary experience to pick the winners first time, which is what you need right now... I get the feeling that Gunn is exactly what Magilton was for us - the cheap option! I hope it turns out better for you than it did for us - you don''t have the money to waste letting the manager learn his trade like ME did with Magilton so it''s even more important...

[/quote]

You speak too much sense for a scummer. I suspect that Ian Butterworth and John Deehan both have a fair bit of knowledge of lower league players, particularly Butterworth who has worked in L1 and L2 for about 7 years I think..... Ian Crook has admitted that he doesnt know anything about English football anymore, and as such his role is probably just to show them how the hell to pass the ball, before cooking them all a good Barbie..... Nobody really knows why Bryan Gunn has to come into that otherwise perfect combination, but we just have to wait and see....

[Camuldonum 0]

[quote user="ryan85k"][quote user="Blue"]

I suspect you have a choice of paying a few (small) transfer fees (depending on what monies come in) or going for the free out of contract players. My guess would be that you will pick up 2 or 3 older professionals on free transfers from championship clubs at slightly higher wages, another 2 or 3 out of contract younger players that may require a little compensation, then another 2 or 3 in contract for transfer fees (not sure how many players you will need sorry).  That would probably be a good mix.  Don''t forget that in all the time Joe Royle was at ITFC he spent a grand total of £300k on transfer fees, so getting the right players is not all about paying out big fees or paying big money, it''s about the blend of players and choosing the right ones (in Royles last season the player spend was £4.85m which was his highest spending season).  The next question is, who in the team behind Gunn has this knowledge?  He is unlikely to have it.

If you get player aquisition right, then even with a very small amount of money available you can get promoted.  I just have my doubts that Gunn has the necessary experience to pick the winners first time, which is what you need right now... I get the feeling that Gunn is exactly what Magilton was for us - the cheap option! I hope it turns out better for you than it did for us - you don''t have the money to waste letting the manager learn his trade like ME did with Magilton so it''s even more important...

[/quote]

You speak too much sense for a scummer. I suspect that Ian Butterworth and John Deehan both have a fair bit of knowledge of lower league players, particularly Butterworth who has worked in L1 and L2 for about 7 years I think..... Ian Crook has admitted that he doesnt know anything about English football anymore, and as such his role is probably just to show them how the hell to pass the ball, before cooking them all a good Barbie..... Nobody really knows why Bryan Gunn has to come into that otherwise perfect combination, but we just have to wait and see....

[/quote]

You don''t need to spend a fortune to put a good TEAM together in League One - you do need someone who knows the lower divisions and I believe Butterworth does.  There will be a record number of players available this season, clubs are offloading at a rate I have not seen before, and if you can make astute choices and hang on to your better players there is no reason why you cannot compete well. 

 

I think choice of players rather than money is going to be even more important in League One (or Division Three, if you prefer) next season.  It always has been a very competitive league and may be even more so from August onwards.  It is a gutsy league and if anyone chooses players who "just turn up" they are likely to be in trouble quite quickly.

[Blue 0]

[quote user="Camuldonum"][quote user="ryan85k"][quote user="Blue"]

I suspect you have a choice of paying a few (small) transfer fees (depending on what monies come in) or going for the free out of contract players. My guess would be that you will pick up 2 or 3 older professionals on free transfers from championship clubs at slightly higher wages, another 2 or 3 out of contract younger players that may require a little compensation, then another 2 or 3 in contract for transfer fees (not sure how many players you will need sorry).  That would probably be a good mix.  Don''t forget that in all the time Joe Royle was at ITFC he spent a grand total of £300k on transfer fees, so getting the right players is not all about paying out big fees or paying big money, it''s about the blend of players and choosing the right ones (in Royles last season the player spend was £4.85m which was his highest spending season).  The next question is, who in the team behind Gunn has this knowledge?  He is unlikely to have it.

If you get player aquisition right, then even with a very small amount of money available you can get promoted.  I just have my doubts that Gunn has the necessary experience to pick the winners first time, which is what you need right now... I get the feeling that Gunn is exactly what Magilton was for us - the cheap option! I hope it turns out better for you than it did for us - you don''t have the money to waste letting the manager learn his trade like ME did with Magilton so it''s even more important...

[/quote]

You speak too much sense for a scummer. I suspect that Ian Butterworth and John Deehan both have a fair bit of knowledge of lower league players, particularly Butterworth who has worked in L1 and L2 for about 7 years I think..... Ian Crook has admitted that he doesnt know anything about English football anymore, and as such his role is probably just to show them how the hell to pass the ball, before cooking them all a good Barbie..... Nobody really knows why Bryan Gunn has to come into that otherwise perfect combination, but we just have to wait and see....

[/quote]

You don''t need to spend a fortune to put a good TEAM together in League One - you do need someone who knows the lower divisions and I believe Butterworth does.  There will be a record number of players available this season, clubs are offloading at a rate I have not seen before, and if you can make astute choices and hang on to your better players there is no reason why you cannot compete well. 

 

I think choice of players rather than money is going to be even more important in League One (or Division Three, if you prefer) next season.  It always has been a very competitive league and may be even more so from August onwards.  It is a gutsy league and if anyone chooses players who "just turn up" they are likely to be in trouble quite quickly.

[/quote]

That was the point I was trying to make in a roundabout way.  You don''t want players looking for a pay cheque (e.g. Lita?) you want winners who will roll up their sleeves and fight for the team!

[Clever Farke 64]

[quote user="Camuldonum"][quote user="ryan85k"][quote user="Blue"]

I suspect you have a choice of paying a few (small) transfer fees (depending on what monies come in) or going for the free out of contract players. My guess would be that you will pick up 2 or 3 older professionals on free transfers from championship clubs at slightly higher wages, another 2 or 3 out of contract younger players that may require a little compensation, then another 2 or 3 in contract for transfer fees (not sure how many players you will need sorry).  That would probably be a good mix.  Don''t forget that in all the time Joe Royle was at ITFC he spent a grand total of £300k on transfer fees, so getting the right players is not all about paying out big fees or paying big money, it''s about the blend of players and choosing the right ones (in Royles last season the player spend was £4.85m which was his highest spending season).  The next question is, who in the team behind Gunn has this knowledge?  He is unlikely to have it.

If you get player aquisition right, then even with a very small amount of money available you can get promoted.  I just have my doubts that Gunn has the necessary experience to pick the winners first time, which is what you need right now... I get the feeling that Gunn is exactly what Magilton was for us - the cheap option! I hope it turns out better for you than it did for us - you don''t have the money to waste letting the manager learn his trade like ME did with Magilton so it''s even more important...

[/quote]

You speak too much sense for a scummer. I suspect that Ian Butterworth and John Deehan both have a fair bit of knowledge of lower league players, particularly Butterworth who has worked in L1 and L2 for about 7 years I think..... Ian Crook has admitted that he doesnt know anything about English football anymore, and as such his role is probably just to show them how the hell to pass the ball, before cooking them all a good Barbie..... Nobody really knows why Bryan Gunn has to come into that otherwise perfect combination, but we just have to wait and see....

[/quote]

You don''t need to spend a fortune to put a good TEAM together in League One - you do need someone who knows the lower divisions and I believe Butterworth does.  There will be a record number of players available this season, clubs are offloading at a rate I have not seen before, and if you can make astute choices and hang on to your better players there is no reason why you cannot compete well. 

 

I think choice of players rather than money is going to be even more important in League One (or Division Three, if you prefer) next season.  It always has been a very competitive league and may be even more so from August onwards.  It is a gutsy league and if anyone chooses players who "just turn up" they are likely to be in trouble quite quickly.

[/quote]

This is so true. We will not be spending any money on buying players but there are many released players out there at this level who wouldn''t cost anything . If we are shrewd we can build a decent team. But that is a big ''if''. Our hopes rest on Butters and Deehan - but at least they do have experience on their side.

[Camuldonum 0]

[quote user="Blue"][quote user="Camuldonum"][quote user="ryan85k"][quote user="Blue"]

I suspect you have a choice of paying a few (small) transfer fees (depending on what monies come in) or going for the free out of contract players. My guess would be that you will pick up 2 or 3 older professionals on free transfers from championship clubs at slightly higher wages, another 2 or 3 out of contract younger players that may require a little compensation, then another 2 or 3 in contract for transfer fees (not sure how many players you will need sorry).  That would probably be a good mix.  Don''t forget that in all the time Joe Royle was at ITFC he spent a grand total of £300k on transfer fees, so getting the right players is not all about paying out big fees or paying big money, it''s about the blend of players and choosing the right ones (in Royles last season the player spend was £4.85m which was his highest spending season).  The next question is, who in the team behind Gunn has this knowledge?  He is unlikely to have it.

If you get player aquisition right, then even with a very small amount of money available you can get promoted.  I just have my doubts that Gunn has the necessary experience to pick the winners first time, which is what you need right now... I get the feeling that Gunn is exactly what Magilton was for us - the cheap option! I hope it turns out better for you than it did for us - you don''t have the money to waste letting the manager learn his trade like ME did with Magilton so it''s even more important...

[/quote]

You speak too much sense for a scummer. I suspect that Ian Butterworth and John Deehan both have a fair bit of knowledge of lower league players, particularly Butterworth who has worked in L1 and L2 for about 7 years I think..... Ian Crook has admitted that he doesnt know anything about English football anymore, and as such his role is probably just to show them how the hell to pass the ball, before cooking them all a good Barbie..... Nobody really knows why Bryan Gunn has to come into that otherwise perfect combination, but we just have to wait and see....

[/quote]

You don''t need to spend a fortune to put a good TEAM together in League One - you do need someone who knows the lower divisions and I believe Butterworth does.  There will be a record number of players available this season, clubs are offloading at a rate I have not seen before, and if you can make astute choices and hang on to your better players there is no reason why you cannot compete well. 

 

I think choice of players rather than money is going to be even more important in League One (or Division Three, if you prefer) next season.  It always has been a very competitive league and may be even more so from August onwards.  It is a gutsy league and if anyone chooses players who "just turn up" they are likely to be in trouble quite quickly.

[/quote]

That was the point I was trying to make in a roundabout way.  You don''t want players looking for a pay cheque (e.g. Lita?) you want winners who will roll up their sleeves and fight for the team!

[/quote]

PS Blue: I see Lambert and Keane are threatening to turn out in the Wilnis testimonial.  What are the odds on a clattering moment?  See you Jimmy.[:|]

[kilroyslefteyebrow 0]

A good, experienced manager can take a bunch of average players and make a good team.

Unfortunately, we don''t have a good, experienced manager.

[The ghost of Michael Theoklitos 0]

[quote user="ryan85k"]

[quote user="shyster"]I''ve posted the following previously and I''ll post it again:

Because this club is poorly administered, the realistic options where bolstering/building a depleted squad is concerned lies in the lower Divisions. Realistically we''re looking at freebies (or as near as damn it) on minimal wages, and a bit of cohesion for a team wouldn''t go awry - so with ''cheap'' and cohesion, by way of bringing a team together, and one that we actually own, I would suggest pursuing the likes of Kevin Nicholls, George Pilkington, Ed Asafu-Adjaye and ASA HALL of non-league Luton to join up with Spillane & Martin and rekindle the spirit that witnessed said players battle bravely against a 30 point deficit and beat Championship bound Scunthorpe in the Trophy Final.
[/quote]

Why would we want half of Lutons average League Two squad when Keith Keane was their player of the year, Michael Spillane was their young fans player of the year, and Chris Martin was their top scorer?  Even despite the 20 points deduction, Luton were an average League Two team at best. Getting average League Two players sounds like the perfect strategy for relegation to, err..... league two.

[/quote]

If you apply the same logic to our squad, no one from the higher leagues would want any of our players as we were relegated to League 1.

This is great news. Can you just run out and tell Clingon and Crofty that they don''t have to move house? Ohh, and tell David Marshell to come back. He''s not wanted in a promotion-chasing Championship team.

[Old Shuck 183]

This season saw most of the teams in and around the top of League 1 having strong financial backing.

Leicester kept their CCC budget, it paid off.

MK Dons and Peterborough have wealthy backers. Leeds have got themselves out of the financial mire*.

Millwall''s financial situation isn''t too shabby either. Scunthorpe ditt-like Leicester, they came down last season. Those two now in PO Final.

(*mind you, 2007-2008 saw them start on -15 points and with less money, future and propects than us currently, they still made up that total and got in the play off''s with a squad of-non league, lower division signings, and youth players, though they do have a good Academy that yields constant results-Delph, Howson etc).