Transfer Window Overview - January 2021
- Thread starter gazzaholly
- Start date
Pne legend
First Team
1800
Not many. This is the squad overview thread. The rumours thread is in the main page
We had a full lockdown in November/ December and no sport was cancelled. International matches even took place. People said prem matches would be called off then because of the Ireland situation but they weren’t. Maybe I’m being a bit naive but I doubt they will cancel any more football. Postpone matches maybe but none will be cancelled. People have been saying this since September and it’s still yet to happen.
If we bring in some new blood who are championship standard, hungry for success, and want to be at Deepdale, I’ll be more than happy to see some of our “stars” leave.
however, that is unfortunately a massive ask on our League 1 budget.
I was thinking about our "budget constraints" yesterday as that's often given as a reason to be happy with where we are (ie we can't possibly compete at the top end because of our budget). Look at these players, signed within our budget fairly recently:
Cunningham - best LB in years, FREE
Hugill - eventually went for £9mill plus, cost £25k.
Bauer - FREE
Davies - Youth team, FREE
McGeady - best flair player in over a decade - LOAN
DJ - £50k
Robinson - minimal fee
Pearson - possibly best DM in league - £400k (roughly)
It's about SMART recruitment, not throwing millions around.
Cunningham - best LB in years, FREE
Hugill - eventually went for £9mill plus, cost £25k.
Bauer - FREE
Davies - Youth team, FREE
McGeady - best flair player in over a decade - LOAN
DJ - £50k
Robinson - minimal fee
Pearson - possibly best DM in league - £400k (roughly)
It's about SMART recruitment, not throwing millions around.
sports rehab
Advisor to the Owner
at least any player thinking should I sign for PNE or one of the other 2 champ teams linked to them might think we are a 'play off possible team not a relegation possible team after these last 3 games........ gives us a chance of competing with Barnsley for the odd signing !
The devil's in the wages.
We could afford the wages of these players when we first signed them and they were unproven at this level.
The problem comes when they grow into established Championship players and the wages don't grow to match.
I understand this. My points are that it is possible to recruit very good players within our budget, and buying "proven" players isnt the only way to be successful. If we then use transfer income to pay better wages (which seems to have become our model), it is possible to build a very competitive squad.
Lee Cartwright
Manager
Hugill, DJ, Robinson all played for us in league 1 and took a few years to become good championship players. If we lose key players we cannot afford to replace with potential.
Ben Davies had a very successful loan in league 1 prior to his breakthrough at Pne. I am not sure any of our youth players are currently playing at that level.
Of course there will be some quality which we could pick up cheap but we would need to replace our best players with quality if we want to push on
We haven't pushed on for sixty years, we're not starting now
Only to a point - unless you buy a *lot* of punts at the same time, you won't end up with a full squad of good uns all at the same time - because contract renewals and wages will intervene.
Take your examples - along with your rollcall of 8 successes over the last 8 years, you'd also have to list all the clunkers, crocks and garbage we had to sign and sift through just to unearth these 8 - which never all played together in the same team.
I only picked 8, but could have added more. I'm not trying to say it's easy, just that it's possible, to compete at the top end without a big budget. It's a different (and probably harder) skill, but it can be done and it has to be the aspiration of a club like ours, or we may as well just create a league table based on budgets and not bother with the actual football.
This is exactly right. Which is why Hemmings putting in an extra few million a year won't do it. Even the clubs who invest the way we'd like Hemmings to invest have their share of duffers.
Unless Hemmings contribution was to increase significantly then injuries are more of a factor than anything else.
Not to happy about this rumour https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/football/news/ched-evans-preston-sheffield-united-19543141
Wrong thread but won't happen. Wouldn't worry pal.
This didnt age well did it?
Hindsight is a wonderful thing Smurf, but this hasnt proved to be the case ...... Pleasantly surprised so far.