Has the Manager Spent His Transfer Kitty.

H

HodderSeasider

Well-known member
It appears he may well have. Early days he was landing all his targets, getting them in quickly and even paying a couple of transfer fees, which is pretty much unheard of at our level in these Covid times.
Now however things have slowed and deals are breaking down as evidenced by that for Beni Baningime.
We need a left sided centre half and there must be one of the required quality out there eg Jerome Opuku, but we now seem to be shopping in bargain basement and resorting to unknown trialists!
Perhaps it's just me?
 
Welcome to the budget of a League one football club, we have been positively extravagant compared to others.How many other deals have broken down then apart from Baningime ?. Plenty more comings and goings before the window shuts.
 
We’re we actually ever in for Opoku? It seems the only source we had was someone saw him at the hotel...

And the Beningime one was before the friendlies started if I’m not mistaken, seems like Antwi has forced himself into the plans so that might explain that one

I’d like us to bring in at least one centre half, but we still have over a month in the transfer window to go, I imagine we have to get rid of a few before we bring any more in though
 
Under the current climate and circumstances I wouldn’t be surprised. That said I’m still positive and delighted with the business done so far.
 
I don't think there is a lack of a transfer kitty. I think the problem is the limitations of the salary cap. L1 and L2 clubs will have much less flexibilty to pay loan fees and a proportion of wages for the likes of Beni. Unless PL clubs are prepared to subsidise loan deals even more then it could be we see less loans. I also think that agents haven't adjusted to the post Covid world yet. The early players we signed were before the cap came in so will only be counted as average wages rather than actual ones.
 
We have players that need to be moved on,Feeney did well for us last season but doubt he’ll be featuring much under Critchley and he’s apparently one of our top earners who at his age will struggle to get the same money elsewhere so will be sitting on his contract.
Devitt’s been a waste of time signing and is another who seems to be on way more than he was at Carlisle according to Chris Beach and looks like he’s sitting on his wage also.
 
Alfie Conn said:
Welcome to the budget of a League one football club, we have been positively extravagant compared to others.How many other deals have broken down then apart from Baningime ?. Plenty more comings and goings before the window shuts.
Click to expand...
Couldn't have put it better myself. Our level of activity in the transfer market has been far greater than the majority of other clubs and quality signings too.
We re in great shape and some folk are being a bit unrealistic as re. who and how many more quality players we actually realistically need .
 
Worrying when a trialist centre half weighs in and has a shocker,,,,,
We must be struggling to identify a centre back who will weigh in......
Having 2 quality centre backs is imperative.....
Hansen and Lawrenson
Bruce Pallister
Larry Lloyd and his accomplice
 
Interesting that only one of Critchleys signings got onto the pitch last night. He signed our best players basically. Suggests our squad will keep improving as some players leave and others arrive.

Makes you wonder what Tommy Johnson is for, perhaps?
 
Insider said:
I think people are underestimating Thorniley. We do need another CB though.
This could be the loan signing a lot of posters are desperate for.
Click to expand...

The massive fans couldn’t believe it when they let him go. The guy played 20 times for them the season before we signed him, he’s a proven Championship centre half. Also still only 23!! No age for a centre half.
 
I think we are in a period of readjustment in the English game. Salary caps newly in place. L1 and L2 working out how to manage their squads costs. Loads of players released and more players that clubs are trying to move on. Prem and Champ clubs still deciding who to loan out and move in and not realising how little L1 and L2 can offer for them. There will be a huge focusing of many more minds than usual over the next few weeks as expectations realign, and we and other clubs are having to wait patiently for that to happen, I reckon. Both to get players out and to bring players in.
 
Spider29 said:
Worrying when a trialist centre half weighs in and has a shocker,,,,,
We must be struggling to identify a centre back who will weigh in......
Having 2 quality centre backs is imperative.....
Hansen and Lawrenson
Bruce Pallister
Larry Lloyd and his accomplice
Click to expand...

Kenny Burns, I think
 
voyeur said:
I think we are in a period of readjustment in the English game. Salary caps newly in place. L1 and L2 working out how to manage their squads costs. Loads of players released and more players that clubs are trying to move on. Prem and Champ clubs still deciding who to loan out and move in and not realising how little L1 and L2 can offer for them. There will be a huge focusing of many more minds than usual over the next few weeks as expectations realign, and we and other clubs are having to wait patiently for that to happen, I reckon. Both to get players out and to bring players in.
Click to expand...

Spot on. And while the clubs in L1 & 2 are adjusting, a lot of players, agents and counterparty clubs haven’t yet woken up to the change in circumstances
 
Blackpool are willing to be patient in their bid to further bolster their squad ahead of the new season.

That’s according to head coach Neil Critchley, who has already brought eight new faces to Bloomfield Road this summer.

While the Seasiders are keen to strengthen further, with a centre-back and a left-back thought to be high on their agenda, the team boss said that only players who genuinely want to be at the club will be signed.

Neil Critchley says Blackpool are still on the lookout for players who genuinely want to sign for the club

Asked if Blackpool’s business is now complete following this week’s signings of Jordan Williams and Alex Fojticek, Critchley said: “No, we’re always on the lookout.
“We’re still working as hard as we can but sometimes you have to be patient.
“We want players to come here because they want to come here and they’re going to improve the squad.”

The one-year contracts for Fojticek and Williams were shorter than those handed to other new arrivals. Critchley said of Williams: “There’s also a one-year option, so hopefully Jordan will cement himself in the team and earn himself a second year.

“I’m delighted he’s come because at 24 I think we’ve got the best years in front of him.
“He can play in a couple of positions – as a six or in a back three if needed. He’s got a great attitude, great character and he’s fantastic on the training pitch. He’ll be an important addition.”
 
bfcpete said:
I don't think there is a lack of a transfer kitty. I think the problem is the limitations of the salary cap. L1 and L2 clubs will have much less flexibilty to pay loan fees and a proportion of wages for the likes of Beni. Unless PL clubs are prepared to subsidise loan deals even more then it could be we see less loans. I also think that agents haven't adjusted to the post Covid world yet. The early players we signed were before the cap came in so will only be counted as average wages rather than actual ones.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of this, and I'd go on to say I think the OP is unduly pessimistic. I doubt many (if any) of our Divisional rivals have been as proactive (and as early) in their transfer dealings, so to focus on the deals that allegedly went astray seems a bit odd.

I have no doubt there will be loan deals to come, but I think some of the EPL clubs may not be in a decision to decide who they want to loan out for a few days yet. One or two of the big clubs we might want to do business with don't start with everyone else anyway.

I'm encouraged by what they have done so far, and in the end what you do is measured relatively against all the clubs you play. We can all pick holes in the business done to date, but it all feels more measured and targeted than we have been used to to me.
 
The six signings we made before the cap was introduced represent to me a whole new level of recruitment at the club compared to the entire Oyston era. They all have looked good in pre-season and are the result of a completely different way of going about things, with the club having adopted a strategy with the recruitment of Critchley, who set about bringing in players to suit the strategy, which obviously involves young players and a style of play. The performances of these 6 players to date indicate that we knew exactly what we were getting, that they had been scouted over a period of time. We may have benefitted from Liverpool's scouting resources.

Williams and Fojticek seem to demonstrate the limitations now in place, but NC knows Williams well, and has had Fojticek on the training ground for a while. You get the feeling that he every signing is considered, rather than simply the result of phone conversations with agents and a few mates who might have seen someone play. In the past we seem to have signed 12 random players in a window hoping enough of them would succeed, without really knowing.

It's only since Critchley arrived that things have changed. Do we still need Tommy Johnson at the club, as it seems that Critchley knows what he wants and may well only trust his own judgement and maybe that of his assistant, Garrity?
 
voyeur said:
The six signings we made before the cap was introduced represent to me a whole new level of recruitment at the club compared to the entire Oyston era. They all have looked good in pre-season and are the result of a completely different way of going about things, with the club having adopted a strategy with the recruitment of Critchley, who set about bringing in players to suit the strategy, which obviously involves young players and a style of play. The performances of these 6 players to date indicate that we knew exactly what we were getting, that they had been scouted over a period of time. We may have benefitted from Liverpool's scouting resources.

Williams and Fojticek seem to demonstrate the limitations now in place, but NC knows Williams well, and has had Fojticek on the training ground for a while. You get the feeling that he every signing is considered, rather than simply the result of phone conversations with agents and a few mates who might have seen someone play. In the past we seem to have signed 12 random players in a window hoping enough of them would succeed, without really knowing.

It's only since Critchley arrived that things have changed. Do we still need Tommy Johnson at the club, as it seems that Critchley knows what he wants and may well only trust his own judgement and maybe that of his assistant, Garrity?
Click to expand...


How do we know its not the other way round and Tommy Johnson has suggested these players to Critch ?
 
voyeur said:
It's possible but he was around before Critch arrived and we didn't have the same focus or level of success.
Click to expand...
I’d say Moore, Ronan and Dewsbury Hall were successful. It’s impossible to know where and when he’s been involved since coming in but I doubt Mansford and Sadler would still have a head of recruitment in a paid position (none of which were at any point furloughed) if they weren’t heavily involved in our transfer dealings and scouting. It’s more likely Grayson ignored the recruitment team (which is rumoured to have been the case with Nuttall) as opposed to the head coach brought in with full knowledge of the recruitment process and plans at his new club...
 
HodderSeasider said:
It appears he may well have. Early days he was landing all his targets, getting them in quickly and even paying a couple of transfer fees, which is pretty much unheard of at our level in these Covid times.
Now however things have slowed and deals are breaking down as evidenced by that for Beni Baningime.
We need a left sided centre half and there must be one of the required quality out there eg Jerome Opuku, but we now seem to be shopping in bargain basement and resorting to unknown trialists!
Perhaps it's just me?
Click to expand...
I would suggest it’s just you...
 
LA1 Seasider said:
I’d say Moore, Ronan and Dewsbury Hall were successful. It’s impossible to know where and when he’s been involved since coming in but I doubt Mansford and Sadler would still have a head of recruitment in a paid position (none of which were at any point furloughed) if they weren’t heavily involved in our transfer dealings and scouting. It’s more likely Grayson ignored the recruitment team (which is rumoured to have been the case with Nuttall) as opposed to the head coach brought in with full knowledge of the recruitment process and plans at his new club...
Click to expand...
I was just asking the question really, I have no idea how the recruitment actually works. NC, the CEO and Sadler will decide what's working and what isn't and decide accordingly. we are currently in a situation though where we have a number of badly recruited players clogging up the wage bill. that weren't signed very long ago, and while Johnson was at the club.
 
‘The six signings we made before the cap was introduced represent to me a whole new level of recruitment’

I agree. Which makes me scratch my head as to why we were so keen to support the salary cap idea when it clearly prevents you from bringing further similar players on board post-salary cap. The quality going forward may have to be at or around Oyston level.

let’s see how it pans out. If we don’t get out of this division in the next two seasons we are going to end up never being able to compete when we do get there at some point, unless we storm it as champions and keep hold of the entire team. The teams sneaking into the playoffs will face a BFC in the Prem style scenario and that’s once in a lifetime and still ended with us down.
 
Last edited:
The way I see it is that the early splash the cash was a Golden Gamble based on B-S and Weston moving on as this would probably mean a smaller net outlay than appears face value.

And I agree with clappers that getting out of this division is essential in the next 2 seasons, because clubs coming down will have a season, possibly two where they are not subject to L1 cap rules and therefore will be able to spent Cship money. God help us if Norwich, Watford and Bournemouth all went down next season, won't happen obvs., but imagine the money they'd have available- we'd be shopping in Harrowside kebab shop bins and they'd be having Harrods hampers delivered every week.
 
voyeur said:
The six signings we made before the cap was introduced represent to me a whole new level of recruitment at the club compared to the entire Oyston era. They all have looked good in pre-season and are the result of a completely different way of going about things, with the club having adopted a strategy with the recruitment of Critchley, who set about bringing in players to suit the strategy, which obviously involves young players and a style of play. The performances of these 6 players to date indicate that we knew exactly what we were getting, that they had been scouted over a period of time. We may have benefitted from Liverpool's scouting resources.

Williams and Fojticek seem to demonstrate the limitations now in place, but NC knows Williams well, and has had Fojticek on the training ground for a while. You get the feeling that he every signing is considered, rather than simply the result of phone conversations with agents and a few mates who might have seen someone play. In the past we seem to have signed 12 random players in a window hoping enough of them would succeed, without really knowing.

It's only since Critchley arrived that things have changed. Do we still need Tommy Johnson at the club, as it seems that Critchley knows what he wants and may well only trust his own judgement and maybe that of his assistant, Garrity?
Click to expand...
Very well summarised. I would imagine Tommy Johnson will still be needed to handle the finer details of transfers.
 
Spider29 said:
Worrying when a trialist centre half weighs in and has a shocker,,,,,
We must be struggling to identify a centre back who will weigh in......
Having 2 quality centre backs is imperative.....
Hansen and Lawrenson
Bruce Pallister
Larry Lloyd and his accomplice
Click to expand...
Kenny Burns is the name you can't find.
 
HodderSeasider said:
It appears he may well have. Early days he was landing all his targets, getting them in quickly and even paying a couple of transfer fees, which is pretty much unheard of at our level in these Covid times.
Now however things have slowed and deals are breaking down as evidenced by that for Beni Baningime.
We need a left sided centre half and there must be one of the required quality out there eg Jerome Opuku, but we now seem to be shopping in bargain basement and resorting to unknown trialists!
Perhaps it's just me?
Click to expand...
Everton and Pool agreed on Beni I think it was the player who was holding back. Between now and the window closing a lot more players will
Come available and hopefully we will loan sell a few that aren’t going to be in the first 11. But more players will be arriving don’t panic.
 
In different circumstances we’d be signing players more regularly. But we have a squad limit, and there’s players that need to move on that haven’t yet (yussuf, Devitt, Garrity etc) before we bring others in.
 
I think us, as Blackpool fans, have come to expect 10+ signings every transfer window because under the Oystons we had a full rebuild every season.

most teams at this level only tend to sign 5(ish) each window. To have 8 through the door and few outgoings (not including loans), puts us in a great position so early on.
 
basilrobbie said:
I agree with all of this, and I'd go on to say I think the OP is unduly pessimistic. I doubt many (if any) of our Divisional rivals have been as proactive (and as early) in their transfer dealings, so to focus on the deals that allegedly went astray seems a bit odd.

I have no doubt there will be loan deals to come, but I think some of the EPL clubs may not be in a decision to decide who they want to loan out for a few days yet. One or two of the big clubs we might want to do business with don't start with everyone else anyway.

I'm encouraged by what they have done so far, and in the end what you do is measured relatively against all the clubs you play. We can all pick holes in the business done to date, but it all feels more measured and targeted than we have been used to to me.
Click to expand...
I don't think I am being pessimistic at all. I am merely stating a few facts and posing a question. I think the length of contract offered to our last two signings is significant when compared to those of our earlier signings!
 
HodderSeasider said:
I don't think I am being pessimistic at all. I am merely stating a few facts and posing a question. I think the length of contract offered to our last two signings is significant when compared to those of our earlier signings!
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong Hodder, I was interested in your thoughts, I just felt you had reached for a downbeat interpretation that I didn't share. Opinions, and all that.
 
clappers said:
‘The six signings we made before the cap was introduced represent to me a whole new level of recruitment’

I agree. Which makes me scratch my head as to why we were so keen to support the salary cap idea when it clearly prevents you from bringing further similar players on board post-salary cap. The quality going forward may have to be at or around Oyston level.

let’s see how it pans out. If we don’t get out of this division in the next two seasons we are going to end up never being able to compete when we do get there at some point, unless we storm it as champions and keep hold of the entire team. The teams sneaking into the playoffs will face a BFC in the Prem style scenario and that’s once in a lifetime and still ended with us down.
Click to expand...
There must be something in the small print as to signings already made and contracts in place prior to the vote surely.
Did we pre-empt it and deliberately get in there fast?
 
Simonized, I have absolutely no doubt that the likelihood of the introduction of the cap, and the likely rules accompanying it, were a factor in our thinking this summer.
 
basilrobbie said:
Simonized, I have absolutely no doubt that the likelihood of the introduction of the cap, and the likely rules accompanying it, were a factor in our thinking this summer.
Click to expand...
Look like we might have pulled a fast one over our rivals in that case😱
 
Simonized said:
There must be something in the small print as to signings already made and contracts in place prior to the vote surely.
Did we pre-empt it and deliberately get in there fast?
Click to expand...
Yes. Players signed before the cap was installed are classed as having the average wage, regardless of their actual wage. So we clearly jumped in to get some key signings on higher than average wages. By average I think it's the cap divided by the squad size.
 
voyeur said:
Yes. Players signed before the cap was installed are classed as having the average wage, regardless of their actual wage. So we clearly jumped in to get some key signings on higher than average wages. By average I think it's the cap divided by the squad size.
Click to expand...
Thanks, for the clarification Voyeur as I did wonder at the time with the likes of Ipswich and Sunderland in the division.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top