Further signings not imminent

voyeur

voyeur

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www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk

Neil Critchley provides latest update on transfer search ahead of Blackpool's league opener at Bristol City

Further signings aren’t thought to be imminent at Bloomfield Road, but Blackpool boss Neil Critchley says the transfer market can always change quickly.
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Critchley played down those rumours, insisting nothing is imminent at this moment in time.

When asked after Saturday’s game against Morecambe if any further signings can be expected this week, Critchley said:

“Not at the moment, but the market can change very quickly. I still think we’ve got one or two things we need to do, but we’ve got until August 31, so that’s a good few weeks’ away yet.”
 
Hmm, looks like he's gambling on better being available on loan during August / before the window shots.

Gamble, but an understandable one.
 
Must admit I’m a little concerned with the lack of transfer activity in certain areas. Still think we need 2 players who can play RB or RWB and 2 who can play in either an attacking midfield or between the lines type role.

Embleton plus another and Gabriel plus another seems like what we’re missing.
 
Unfortunately it looks like it is going to be another slow start like last season until we get our first 11 in place, hopefully we will improve as the season progresses!!

However I 100% trust Sadler and the board to do what is best for the club and get the right players in. 👍
 
Can see a slow start, if we're getting players in we need towards the end of August they then have to gel and get up to match fitness (assuming they haven't had a proper pre-season, and will be 3/4 competitive games behind the rest of the squad).

Might be another "trust the process" couple of months then 😬
 
TangerinePeel said:
Can see a slow start, if we're getting players in we need towards the end of August they then have to gel and get up to match fitness (assuming they haven't had a proper pre-season, and will be 3/4 competitive games behind the rest of the squad).

Might be another "trust the process" couple of months then 😬
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Yes. Not ideal in a very competitive league
 
TangerineDan said:
Unfortunately it looks like it is going to be another slow start like last season until we get our first 11 in place, hopefully we will improve as the season progresses!!

However I 100% trust Sadler and the board to do what is best for the club and get the right players in. 👍
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Not necessarily. We were assembling a totally new side last summer and creating a way of playing. We are tweaking a promotion side with an established way of playing this time round. Higher level obviously, and no Simms/ Ballard/ Embleton/ Turton, but we've signed Bowler, John-Jules, Carey, Lavery etc.

Every club starts a new season this way. The other clubs haven't sorted everything out.
 
If you have a look at virtually every other team in the division, I'm sure a high percentage of their fans would say they're also "under-cooked". It's a 46 game season and whilst none of us want to start the season with 7 losses out of 10 for example, I think we'll be fine once the Prem clubs announce their squads and we can then start looking at loans.

There's a few clubs this year that could end up being real basket-cases so despite the squad concerns over the entire season who knows what will happen to the likes of Derby, Reading, Swansea and Blackburn to name a few.
 
We must have a few irons in the fire as it obvious that we need at least one RB. The market has been quite slow and others have said it is like being in a house buying chain. One moves and they all move and Covid has apparently held up a number of transfers. Perhaps that is what NC was hinting at when he said things can suddenly move quickly?
 
One thing I do have faith in now is our ability to move quickly on deals. There’s none of the Oyston era faffing and pretending to do deals, then taking on the scraps of what’s left over
 
In a perfect world the last 2 or 3 pieces of the puzzle would be assembled by now and would have had a few weeks pre season with us.

But when you look at It objectively no club ever has their version of a perfect squad. Look at City, will probably start the season with virtually the same squad as last year and at least one of their stellar targets won’t be there, perhaps both won’t be.

Unlike 12 months ago the spine of the team is in place and the core of the squad have had 18 months or so with Critch’s and must feel comfortable in his system.

we’ve had roughly 8 weeks to prepare for this and factor in the staff and management needing a break, when you consider Hull and Peterborough had probably around 10-12 weeks along with the middling teams in the Championship having basically 6 months to prepare for this season, we’ve done a bloody good job up to this point.

We probably need a decent right back, if that’s Gabriel he’ll slot in without trouble thus negating the delayed return, and probably a striker and creative mid.
both I would like to think would be up there with our most talented as they’ve been the hardest to recruit and thus wouldn’t struggle in adapting to the club.
But we should have enough inside this squad to cope for a month until the squads sorted.
 
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I would’ve hoped a full summer would’ve been enough to come up with a recognised right-back (unless Critch really does think that’s Connelly’s forte). The other couple of gaps (attacking midfield/striker) can probably hold for a little longer
 
Rektseasider said:
In a perfect world the last 2 or 3 pieces of the puzzle would be assembled by now and would have had a few weeks pre season with us.

But when you look at It objectively no club ever has their version of a perfect squad. Look at City, will probably start the season with virtually the same squad as last year and at least one of their stellar targets won’t be there, perhaps both won’t be.

Unlike 12 months ago the spine of the team is in place and the core of the squad have had 18 months or so with Critch’s and must feel comfortable in his system.

we’ve had roughly 8 weeks to prepare for this, when you consider Hull and Peterborough had probably around 10-12 weeks along with the middling teams in the Championship having basically 6 months to prepare for this season, we’ve done a bloody good job up to this point.

We probably need a decent right back, if that’s Gabriel he’ll slot in without trouble thus negating the delayed return, and probably a striker and creative mid.
both I would like to think would be up there with our most talented as they’ve been the hardest to recruit and thus wouldn’t struggle in adapting to the club.
But we should have enough inside this squad to cope for a month until the squads sorted.
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It’s a fair point. I accept all that.
However, it’s a very competitive league and we can’t afford to make a bad start and expect to simply catch up after Christmas. The improved quality of forwards in this league will exploit any defensive weaknesses we got away with in Lg 1.
Also, it will be much harder to attract players if we are sitting in the bottom part of the table. Quality players will not see their future in Lg 1. A good to average start is absolutely vital.
 
Connelly, to me, looked less of a weakness on Saturday, defensively, at RB, than Keogh and Garbutt, in their respective positions. It's not as simple as some are making out.
 
I'd rather we got the right players in at the right price than got ripped off or panic-bought weaker alternatives just to get people in for the first few games. The way the calendar is with the deadline after the start of the season, you're going to have this most years. We have a strong enough squad to start the season, not the ideal right back or wide men, but we'll strengthen the starting XI with loans once we know who's available. There are games to be played and things to play out off the field all around the leagues and we don't just get to dictate the market.

If we end up with Gabriel, Simms and/or Embleton (not mentioning them just because they're former loan players but because they appear to be targets) without overpaying it'll be worth it. We have a bunch more loans to bring in yet as well, who should be good enough to improve the first team.

We'll be fine.
 
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tangerine_neil said:
It’s a fair point. I accept all that.
However, it’s a very competitive league and we can’t afford to make a bad start and expect to simply catch up after Christmas. The improved quality of forwards in this league will exploit any defensive weaknesses we got away with in Lg 1.
Also, it will be much harder to attract players if we are sitting in the bottom part of the table. Quality players will not see their future in Lg 1. A good to average start is absolutely vital.
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Yes course we really cannot afford a start like last year, or as you say, we might be in trouble.

But I thought defensively last year we were, for the most part, imperious. we gave little away to be capitalised on, I half expect that to carry on this season. It might put to bed the Critchley/Calderwood debate - then again it may exacerbate it.

I think we’ll struggle scoring again if anything, but we’ll see, even if things look a little undercooked at the minute, I’ve full confidence in Critch and the people above him to give us a fairly successful season.
 
voyeur said:
Not necessarily. We were assembling a totally new side last summer and creating a way of playing. We are tweaking a promotion side with an established way of playing this time round. Higher level obviously, and no Simms/ Ballard/ Embleton/ Turton, but we've signed Bowler, John-Jules, Carey, Lavery etc.

Every club starts a new season this way. The other clubs haven't sorted everything out.
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Perhaps but I’ll bet most, if not all of the others, have got a recognised right back.
 
I suppose the big difference between this year and last is the fact we know Critch and we know that he can adapt to situations.

It's also mad that the player we've ended up looking like we miss most is Ollie Turton.

I agree with Grayth. Target the right players and get them, not just grab at whatever and whoever is in front of you. The lack of right back is too glaringly obvious for us not to be working on it.

We need to avoid the sort of signings we've made quite a few of in the last few years, players who don't actually do *anything* for long periods whether because of ability or otherwise. For all that, I must admit, I'd be happy enough with a.n. right back on a one year deal to plug the gap though...
 
I reckon last years team is comfortably stronger (with Simms, Embleton, Gabriel/Turton and Ballard). On the plus side, we have CJ fit. Loan signings will be needed - I suspect we'll be defending a lot.
 
I can see a RB being signed to 'do a job' and not as an investment- a 1+1 deal.

Other positions like the CCM and striker will undoubtedly be loans. I have no idea how much SS has to spend, but it's a huge gamble to pay the big money required given what could happen if it goes boobies up.

Then there is the big question of who will actually step up in this division- not everyone will, that's for sure.

I'm a bit more worried about this season than I was in the run up to Leicester away all those years back in 07.
 
I'm a bit puzzled by the RB slot given that the trialits Mitch Clark seemed to have something about him and also that Teddy Howe is totally out of the picture. In the case of Clark it may have been the financial side didn't stack up but you would have thought Howe would have at least been given some game time as a right wing back with a defensive three of Connolly, Keogh and Husband. It may simply be that there are other irons in the fire that look like better options.
 
zico_bamber said:
I reckon last years team is comfortably stronger (with Simms, Embleton, Gabriel/Turton and Ballard). On the plus side, we have CJ fit. Loan signings will be needed - I suspect we'll be defending a lot.
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This is the worry, the current starting XI is almost certainly weaker than the team that finished last season. It won't be for long though. There may be some scraping by required, which is not ideal, but we won't be the only ones.
 
Well Harry Kane didn't turn up for training today at Spurs. Perhaps he will be unveiled by City against Blackpool tomorrow and we will announce the signing of a couple of their players? 😄
 
zico_bamber said:
I reckon last years team is comfortably stronger (with Simms, Embleton, Gabriel/Turton and Ballard). On the plus side, we have CJ fit. Loan signings will be needed - I suspect we'll be defending a lot.
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Good post.
A lot will depend on CJ not getting injured, which is always likely with his record.
Also, he needs to significantly improve his end product, as speed alone will not be enough in the Championship.
 
DerbySeasider said:
There is an awful lot of negativity on here.
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IT may appear so, but I prefer to acknowledge the realism of the situation and the concerns of our supporters, knowing we are entering a very competitive Championship, with a weaker squad than last season and that squad would likely struggled at the higher level.
Time will tell if we are suitably prepared or not, but Critch and the board will be fully aware of the situation and that should give us reassurance.
 
Brett scores for fun said:
IT may appear so, but I prefer to acknowledge the realism of the situation and the concerns of our supporters, knowing we are entering a very competitive Championship, with a weaker squad than last season and that squad would likely struggled at the higher level.
Time will tell if we are suitably prepared or not, but Critch and the board will be fully aware of the situation and that should give us reassurance.
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I'm not sure any supporters outside of this place are concerned.
 
I'm glad we didn't sign Clarke because whilst he looked OK we want better than that. There will be irons in the fire and it might just be that RB is a loan we've been promised in a couple of weeks time.
We do need a fully fit squad though and it will be a relief when King Kenny is starting again and hopefully bloody Gary Goals makes an appearance before the playoffs.
 
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