Mansford Did Not Lie (Summer Window Write Up)

[AmericanTangerine]

Well that's that that done and dusted, one of the most drama filled windows we have had in a while is finally over, we had plenty moments that filled us with optimism and plenty of moments filled with negatives.

I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't get 1-2 more in, but overall I am cautiously optimistic about the business we've done all things considered.

The situation that the club was thrust into this Summer after losing Critch was always going to be a tough one and it was made even tougher when the board decided to bring in a manager who is actually committed to attacking football (the horror!).

Taking the squad that we had last year and turning them into 4-3-3 ball players was always going to be a tremendous task and for the situation the board were in I think they've done quite well. Sure, there are more loan players than I would like, but to play the way Appy wants to we needed the quality and fast.

Fiorini, Patino, Poveda, and Corbeanu will all be very solid Championship players and will help solidify Appy's style of play.

From the beginning of the Summer though the tension was already starting to build on Mansford, particularly with Sadler's comment that the club would not be splashing out huge fees for players, weeks after that comment we refused to pay 500k for Kirk (a reasonable decision IMO) and fans were already on the war path.

So much so that Mansford came out and made a statement that our budget has actually grown.

As deals started to fall through (Brannagan, FDB, Bishop) fans started to seriously criticize that statement from BM, bringing it up every time we seemingly missed out on a player. Many of those fans still are.

Sure, I am upset we missed out on those players, but the club had genuine reasons for missing out on Brannagan and Bishop and Wednesday will look like fools for not accepting our FDB offer when he leaves for nothing. The club are not perfect and I am sure there were things that could have done better, but I think it is patently absurd to go after Mansford for his comments or even Sadler for his level of investment or lack thereof.

I think a lot of people equated "our budget has actually grown" with "we are going to sign more players" when in reality I really do think our budget was a bit more than last Summer's, the only difference being that we were shopping for MUCH higher quality players this Summer, making our increased budget almost negligible.

We wanted quality over quantity and I think that reflects in the permanent signings we made.

Last Summer we spent money on Gabriel (800k~), Dale (250k~), Carey (150k~), and Casey (250k~) which would have put our overall budget around 1.5 Million.

This Summer we spent money on Thompson (750k~), Wright (750k~), Lyons (400k~) which would put our overall budget somewhere between 1.5 Million and 2.0 Million and that's not accounting for the fees we paid for Emmerson and Mofat.

I don't think it is a stretch at all to suggest that our budget grew and that "Bullshit Ben" was not bullshitting at all.

We still might be a few bodies short, but I am confident that who we have now will be good enough to not only survive but thrive at this level.

Trust the process and enjoy the ride, because I still wholeheartedly believe that the club are on an upward trajectory. UTMP

 

[Cumbrian Seasider]

We've got what we've got, so let's move on positively. Ok we've lost Joss Bowler, but realistically he was going to go anyway. We're maybe one or two light, but the squad when fully fit looks good. Some exciting young prospects coming in too.
Onwards and upwards. Let's get behind the players, manager and club.
UTMP !

 

[TSSeasider]

We turned a profit this window I hope and that's a good thing.

 

[Adams Kebab]

Last Summer we spent money on Gabriel (800k~), Dale (250k~), Carey (150k~), and Casey (250k~) which would have put our overall budget around 1.5 Million.

This Summer we spent money on Thompson (750k~), Wright (750k~), Lyons (400k~) which would put our overall budget somewhere between 1.5 Million and 2.0 Million and that's not accounting for the fees we paid for Emmerson and Mofat.

I don't think it is a stretch at all to suggest that our budget grew and that "Bullshit Ben" was not bullshitting at all.

There’s lots of guesswork in there and you are also forgetting the money that has come in. Quality over quantity is also a bold shout but I’m presuming you have extensive knowledge of Lyons and Wright.

We have failed to land a striker despite numerous attempts to.

The transfer recruitment has completely changed since MA came into the building, which goes against what Ben Mansford originally said, a bit like when we appointed MA which went against what he originally said. I think it’s best that Bullshit Ben just pipes down from now on and focuses on learning from this window, because we’ve had lots of failures

 

[SlaveToTheRythm]

You know your football AK

Controlling the narrative, complex negotiations and everything that sits around player recruitment less so I would say.

 

[Adams Kebab]

You know your football AK

Controlling the narrative, complex negotiations and everything that sits around player recruitment less so I would say.

I don’t doubt that to be fair, I just think acting like David Brent in interviews and saying things that you can’t or haven’t delivered on is setting yourself up to be criticised, which has happened with lots of fans now on his case.

In fairness, with our budget & wage structure I can imagine it’s a tough gig trying to get the level of players we need to sign for us, bearing in mind that we’ve had to ship lots of the ones we signed last year out the Club this summer. The recruitment team that BM championed and said already had everything in place before we appointed a new Head Coach have undoubtedly relied on this new Head Coach to bring in our loan signings, which I’m all for as it can give us a next level of quality, but this goes against the recruitment BM was boasting about.

Under no illusions we are going to struggle with signing players competing with Sunderland etc but I believe that BM has made things worse for himself by talking too much about “we know what a Blackpool player looks like”… and other cliche comments. That’s my point.

It’s very poor we’ve not been able to sign a striker.

 

[Atletico_Seasider]

Well that's that that done and dusted, one of the most drama filled windows we have had in a while is finally over, we had plenty moments that filled us with optimism and plenty of moments filled with negatives.

I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't get 1-2 more in, but overall I am cautiously optimistic about the business we've done all things considered.

The situation that the club was thrust into this Summer after losing Critch was always going to be a tough one and it was made even tougher when the board decided to bring in a manager who is actually committed to attacking football (the horror!).

Taking the squad that we had last year and turning them into 4-3-3 ball players was always going to be a tremendous task and for the situation the board were in I think they've done quite well. Sure, there are more loan players than I would like, but to play the way Appy wants to we needed the quality and fast.

Fiorini, Patino, Poveda, and Corbeanu will all be very solid Championship players and will help solidify Appy's style of play.

From the beginning of the Summer though the tension was already starting to build on Mansford, particularly with Sadler's comment that the club would not be splashing out huge fees for players, weeks after that comment we refused to pay 500k for Kirk (a reasonable decision IMO) and fans were already on the war path.

So much so that Mansford came out and made a statement that our budget has actually grown.

As deals started to fall through (Brannagan, FDB, Bishop) fans started to seriously criticize that statement from BM, bringing it up every time we seemingly missed out on a player. Many of those fans still are.

Sure, I am upset we missed out on those players, but the club had genuine reasons for missing out on Brannagan and Bishop and Wednesday will look like fools for not accepting our FDB offer when he leaves for nothing. The club are not perfect and I am sure there were things that could have done better, but I think it is patently absurd to go after Mansford for his comments or even Sadler for his level of investment or lack thereof.

I think a lot of people equated "our budget has actually grown" with "we are going to sign more players" when in reality I really do think our budget was a bit more than last Summer's, the only difference being that we were shopping for MUCH higher quality players this Summer, making our increased budget almost negligible.

We wanted quality over quantity and I think that reflects in the permanent signings we made.

Last Summer we spent money on Gabriel (800k~), Dale (250k~), Carey (150k~), and Casey (250k~) which would have put our overall budget around 1.5 Million.

This Summer we spent money on Thompson (750k~), Wright (750k~), Lyons (400k~) which would put our overall budget somewhere between 1.5 Million and 2.0 Million and that's not accounting for the fees we paid for Emmerson and Mofat.

I don't think it is a stretch at all to suggest that our budget grew and that "Bullshit Ben" was not bullshitting at all.

We still might be a few bodies short, but I am confident that who we have now will be good enough to not only survive but thrive at this level.

Trust the process and enjoy the ride, because I still wholeheartedly believe that the club are on an upward trajectory. UTMP

Well said. I agree with pretty much all of that. We have signed some talented players. I can't understand why people make a judgement about players that they have never seen play. Time will tell how good they are, but I for one will wait for the actual evidence of watching them play before casting judgement....

 

[voyeur]

The budget is fees plus wages, and loan players from EPL clubs add a lot to the wage bill. This simple fact seems to evade some people. The budget has increased.

Additionally, BM was forced to say the budget was increasing when he didn't really want to send that message out to other clubs during a transfer window, because Critch buggered off and we had to recruit a manager, and the message doing the internet rounds was that we had no money. The internet + football fans is not a great mix. Anger, ignorance and unpleasantness abound.

 

[The Vendor]

The budget is fees plus wages, and loan players from EPL clubs add a lot to the wage bill. This simple fact seems to evade some people. The budget has increased.

Additionally, BM was forced to say the budget was increasing when he didn't really want to send that message out to other clubs during a transfer window, because Critch buggered off and we had to recruit a manager, and the message doing the internet rounds was that we had no money. The internet + football fans is not a great mix. Anger, ignorance and unpleasantness abound.

“Anger,ignorance and unpleasantness abound” have we rebranded AVFTT?

 

[Toastrack]

The squad you'd ideally like to have and the one you end up with aren't the same. At any level.
Even the top clubs fail to achieve their targets in the transfer market.

Frenkie de Jong was wanted by a couple of clubs but is still at Barca.
Despite what he says in public, ten Hag would love to have seen the back of Ronaldo, but he's stuck with him.

Given that Josh was leaving, we've done OK.
We've brought in a group of young, energetic players, several of them real creatives/attackers.
One or two experienced free agents would be welcome. They're out there - Luton brought in Henri Lansbury & Cameron Jerome last season.

 

[XBeds-Now-Kings_Meaburn]

Every club would like to sign a striker good ones at this level are like rocking horse shit .
Happy with where we are & there is still the loan market . Get quality players in on loan that will help get us to where we need to be , thats a position where we are better placed to attract better players on a a more permanent basis whilst simultaneously improving the training & stadium facilities . To me that's a sensible & sound plan

 

[ThorntonPool]

The budget is fees plus wages, and loan players from EPL clubs add a lot to the wage bill. This simple fact seems to evade some people. The budget has increased.

Additionally, BM was forced to say the budget was increasing when he didn't really want to send that message out to other clubs during a transfer window, because Critch buggered off and we had to recruit a manager, and the message doing the internet rounds was that we had no money. The internet + football fans is not a great mix. Anger, ignorance and unpleasantness abound.

Your first line is such a big point which people seem incapable of grasping - loans are looked at in a negative light, but they aren't free.

We will be paying a wage contribution for all our loan players, who coming from Prem clubs will most likely be on much better wages than all our own players.

Patino was knocking on the door of the Arsenal first team: if we're paying 50% of his wages (very possible), that could comfortably be over 10k a week for the season. If we signed a new player on a 1+1 contract, and paid them that sort of wage, people would be creaming themselves.

 

[we_need_a_bob_hatton]

Well that's that that done and dusted, one of the most drama filled windows we have had in a while is finally over, we had plenty moments that filled us with optimism and plenty of moments filled with negatives.

I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't get 1-2 more in, but overall I am cautiously optimistic about the business we've done all things considered.

The situation that the club was thrust into this Summer after losing Critch was always going to be a tough one and it was made even tougher when the board decided to bring in a manager who is actually committed to attacking football (the horror!).

Taking the squad that we had last year and turning them into 4-3-3 ball players was always going to be a tremendous task and for the situation the board were in I think they've done quite well. Sure, there are more loan players than I would like, but to play the way Appy wants to we needed the quality and fast.

Fiorini, Patino, Poveda, and Corbeanu will all be very solid Championship players and will help solidify Appy's style of play.

From the beginning of the Summer though the tension was already starting to build on Mansford, particularly with Sadler's comment that the club would not be splashing out huge fees for players, weeks after that comment we refused to pay 500k for Kirk (a reasonable decision IMO) and fans were already on the war path.

So much so that Mansford came out and made a statement that our budget has actually grown.

As deals started to fall through (Brannagan, FDB, Bishop) fans started to seriously criticize that statement from BM, bringing it up every time we seemingly missed out on a player. Many of those fans still are.

Sure, I am upset we missed out on those players, but the club had genuine reasons for missing out on Brannagan and Bishop and Wednesday will look like fools for not accepting our FDB offer when he leaves for nothing. The club are not perfect and I am sure there were things that could have done better, but I think it is patently absurd to go after Mansford for his comments or even Sadler for his level of investment or lack thereof.

I think a lot of people equated "our budget has actually grown" with "we are going to sign more players" when in reality I really do think our budget was a bit more than last Summer's, the only difference being that we were shopping for MUCH higher quality players this Summer, making our increased budget almost negligible.

We wanted quality over quantity and I think that reflects in the permanent signings we made.

Last Summer we spent money on Gabriel (800k~), Dale (250k~), Carey (150k~), and Casey (250k~) which would have put our overall budget around 1.5 Million.

This Summer we spent money on Thompson (750k~), Wright (750k~), Lyons (400k~) which would put our overall budget somewhere between 1.5 Million and 2.0 Million and that's not accounting for the fees we paid for Emmerson and Mofat.

I don't think it is a stretch at all to suggest that our budget grew and that "Bullshit Ben" was not bullshitting at all.

We still might be a few bodies short, but I am confident that who we have now will be good enough to not only survive but thrive at this level.

Trust the process and enjoy the ride, because I still wholeheartedly believe that the club are on an upward trajectory. UTMP

Does your crystal ball do lottery numbers ?

 

[AmericanTangerine]

I don’t doubt that to be fair, I just think acting like David Brent in interviews and saying things that you can’t or haven’t delivered on is setting yourself up to be criticised, which has happened with lots of fans now on his case.

In fairness, with our budget & wage structure I can imagine it’s a tough gig trying to get the level of players we need to sign for us, bearing in mind that we’ve had to ship lots of the ones we signed last year out the Club this summer. The recruitment team that BM championed and said already had everything in place before we appointed a new Head Coach have undoubtedly relied on this new Head Coach to bring in our loan signings, which I’m all for as it can give us a next level of quality, but this goes against the recruitment BM was boasting about.

Under no illusions we are going to struggle with signing players competing with Sunderland etc but I believe that BM has made things worse for himself by talking too much about “we know what a Blackpool player looks like”… and other cliche comments. That’s my point.

It’s very poor we’ve not been able to sign a striker.

That's fair, he probably shouldn't have gone on Tangerine TV and made that statement to begin with, would have preferred he did not say anything and just got on with it, but I don't think it is a fair criticism to say that he's a "bullshitter".

 

[AmericanTangerine]

There’s lots of guesswork in there and you are also forgetting the money that has come in. Quality over quantity is also a bold shout but I’m presuming you have extensive knowledge of Lyons and Wright.

We have failed to land a striker despite numerous attempts to.

The transfer recruitment has completely changed since MA came into the building, which goes against what Ben Mansford originally said, a bit like when we appointed MA which went against what he originally said. I think it’s best that Bullshit Ben just pipes down from now on and focuses on learning from this window, because we’ve had lots of failures

Agree that things have changed with recruitment, we've gone from focusing on developing our own players to developing Prem players, but I think that's necessary in the short term while MA transitions us to an attacking 4-3-3 side.

We wouldn't have been able to permanently buy the quality required to play that way this Summer, but we can gradually buy 2-3 player every window that can to the point where we won't need to bring so many loans in.

I am delighted with Wright, Thompson and Lyons, I think they will all be quality Championship players, would have liked more, but I understand that position the club were in.

 

[fcblackpool]

There’s lots of guesswork in there and you are also forgetting the money that has come in. Quality over quantity is also a bold shout but I’m presuming you have extensive knowledge of Lyons and Wright.

We have failed to land a striker despite numerous attempts to.

The transfer recruitment has completely changed since MA came into the building, which goes against what Ben Mansford originally said, a bit like when we appointed MA which went against what he originally said. I think it’s best that Bullshit Ben just pipes down from now on and focuses on learning from this window, because we’ve had lots of failures

We've gone backwards this window.

Lost our best player for some long time and brought loans in to cover. No idea whether Wright or Lyons will be any good and I don't think anyone does.

We knew Bowler was off, so did the club and we should have used that money to make 2/3 c/ship ready signings, like a CF for a start.

Going back to the loans. Where do we stand next June when they've gone back? Back to square one. I can't see any incremental improvements going on.

I know it's cool to trust in the club, but this window has been a disaster.

 

[Adams Kebab]

That's fair, he probably shouldn't have gone on Tangerine TV and made that statement to begin with, would have preferred he did not say anything and just got on with it, but I don't think it is a fair criticism to say that he's a "bullshitter".

I think it’s easy to call someone a bullshitter when stuff they’ve bragged about doesn’t happen. He’s done this a few times now. I think it’s a case of him trying to tell fans what they want to hear and trying to seem he’s in touch with them, but people aren’t daft and see through it.

I’m reliably informed he’s the glue behind the scenes and does lots of excellent stuff & hopefully after the summer he’s had getting grief he might try and change his approach. I fully get you can’t be totally honest and transparent but all this cliche “Blackpool way”… “We know what a Blackpool player looks like” is just nonsense.

 

[Thatseasider]

I think it’s easy to call someone a bullshitter when stuff they’ve bragged about doesn’t happen.

What's he bragged about?

 

[Adams Kebab]

What's he bragged about?

He stated that the Head Coach leaving would have zero impact on recruitment as the team had everything in place whoever the Manager was. It was a brag, almost smug.

But clearly, Michael Appleton contacts have sorted the loans out and we’ve fumbled about with million pound bids. The Brannagan saga was also a bizarre one.

 

[Scaramanga]

I would imagine the transfer window would of looked a lot different had NC not buggered off and left us in the shite.

 

[Mark_GT]

I think it’s easy to call someone a bullshitter when stuff they’ve bragged about doesn’t happen. He’s done this a few times now. I think it’s a case of him trying to tell fans what they want to hear and trying to seem he’s in touch with them, but people aren’t daft and see through it.

I’m reliably informed he’s the glue behind the scenes and does lots of excellent stuff & hopefully after the summer he’s had getting grief he might try and change his approach. I fully get you can’t be totally honest and transparent but all this cliche “Blackpool way”… “We know what a Blackpool player looks like” is just nonsense.

I doubt we'll be hearing much more of that kind of narrative AK. I think reality has also bitten on what we can afford and how attractive we are to some of the players we've pitched for, and there's no doubt our best progress this last few months has been via acquiring loans rather than owned assets. Maybe that is just where we are at for now, un-ideal as it is. The market is more ridiculous than ever it seems. The cost of everything goes up this winter too in time for the next window. Maybe except footballers but somehow I doubt it. We'll find out again in December.

 

[Adams Kebab]

I doubt we'll be hearing much more of that kind of narrative AK. I think reality has also bitten on what we can afford and how attractive we are to some of the players we've pitched for, and there's no doubt our best progress this last few months has been via acquiring loans rather than owned assets. Maybe that is just where we are at for now, un-ideal as it is.

Yep, totally agree mate.

Every day is a school day as they say so I’m sure lessons will be learned.

Tbf, loans give you quality that we can’t afford to buy or pay the full wages for so I’m happy to use it till we can get ourselves into a position where we have more power.

This is going to take time. The skill is ensuring we maintain our status.

I am still pissed off we didn’t sign a centre forward though but probably not as much as MA is

 

[Thatseasider]

He stated that the Head Coach leaving would have zero impact on recruitment as the team had everything in place whoever the Manager was. It was a brag, almost smug.

But clearly, Michael Appleton contacts have sorted the loans out and we’ve fumbled about with million pound bids. The Brannagan saga was also a bizarre one.

Well no Head Coach or manager ever stays at a club forever, usually it's around 2/3 years, the reason you have a layer of management above a head coach is to maintain continuity that a club like ours needs to not piss money up the wall time and again. It's the reason Sadler appointed BM.

I've just re watched the interview he gave after Quitch left, and if I'm honest he doesn't come across as smug at all, he brags, if you can call it that about the virtues our club has and why this would be a great job for someone. If I'm honest I love that, club management that are invested in the club, the local area us as fans and what we bring to the table. Why would you not want that, it would be so easy for someone in his position to be a 'suit' and just act like a computer generated CEO, I don't think he does that at all, I feel as though he constantly try's to portray the club in the best light possible.

I was going to post what he said verbatim, but frankly I cba, go back and listen to his interview straight after Quitch left, the following is stated by BM, "We need to kick on again, we have John Stevenson as the head of our football operations, hes supported by the scouting the data, the recruitment staff, hes supported by the first team staff, all of which are still here apart from Neil and the work to prepare us for next season was underway a year ago. Databases full of players, shortlisted players in the positions we need to strengthen in. Clearly now because we are without a head coach its difficult to push on with every single recruitment plan in the same way, 'coz I think the new head coach needs to have an input in that, so again just asking the supports for a little bit of patience".

So I'm sorry the post I'm replying to is a complete figment of your imagination and absolute bullshit like that that goes unchallenged plays a large part in building up this 'Bullshit Ben' mythology.


Exactly what he stated would happen has happened, the targets we we clearly working on for a while have signed, Thompson, Williams Lyons (probably) Moffat and all the other development lads. Whilst Appleton's input on people like Patino and Wright have enabled them to come in.

So I've found you can often debunk a lot of this 'Bullshit Ben' stuff fairly easily, which leads me to the next question, what is it that people really don't like about him? The fact he earns a decent wedge? He's a overweight? Honestly what is it? Because the guy, as you even say yourself looks to be the glue behind one of the most successful periods in the clubs last 50 year existence.

Absolutely baffling.

 

[Lala]

I’m judging at the end of the season, but not disappointed in what we have now ️

 

[Adams Kebab]

Well no Head Coach or manager ever stays at a club forever, usually it's around 2/3 years,

Just to start, we gave our new one a 4 year deal

 

[Adams Kebab]

I was going to post what he said verbatim, but frankly I cba, go back and listen to his interview straight after Quitch left, the following is stated by BM, "We need to kick on again, we have John Stevenson as the head of our football operations, hes supported by the scouting the data, the recruitment staff, hes supported by the first team staff, all of which are still here apart from Neil and the work to prepare us for next season was underway a year ago. Databases full of players, shortlisted players in the positions we need to strengthen in. Clearly now because we are without a head coach its difficult to push on with every single recruitment plan in the same way, 'coz I think the new head coach needs to have an input in that, so again just asking the supports for a little bit of patience".

So I'm sorry the post I'm replying to is a complete figment of your imagination and absolute bullshit like that that goes unchallenged plays a large part in building up this 'Bullshit Ben' mythology.

I agree with the stuff in bold. That’s spot on but you missed another bit off your ‘debunking’ of bullshit, hopefully you read it and maybe just missed it off by mistake, if not here you go…

“We’ve got a way of working and John Stephenson is fantastic and is supported by John Gibson and the rest of the staff,” he added.

“We know what a Blackpool player might look like. We want to bring in young, athletic and capable footballers and we want them to improve and get to know the fans.

“I think recruitment moves on. The type of player we want to recruit will remain the same because I think it’s important for a club like ours that we can’t and don’t just chop and change just because of a change in head coach.”

We’ve definitely changed approach especially with loans since MA has come in, it’s clear as day, to be fair it’s right for where we are now. We can’t afford to pay fees or wages on the level of permanent signing we need.

As regards BM, I think it comes from him talking up the new managerial appointment to then appointing MA (previous agent), after stumbling on Critchley after a few previous knock backs from Jones, Robinson and his good mate Hecky. Add to that the Brannagan saga and frustration over targets and you have your answer.

Also I think you are clutching claiming Moffat and development signings. That’s never been bigged up prior. It’s good & exciting for the future but the priority has to be the 1st team & staying at Championship level.

Bit harsh saying he’s overweight as well #cuddly

 

[Barbarian]

The lesson is be careful what you say to the media as it may come back and bite you.

 

[Thatseasider]

I agree with the stuff in bold. That’s spot on but you missed another bit off your ‘debunking’ of bullshit, hopefully you read it and maybe just missed it off by mistake, if not here you go…

“We’ve got a way of working and John Stephenson is fantastic and is supported by John Gibson and the rest of the staff,” he added.

“We know what a Blackpool player might look like. We want to bring in young, athletic and capable footballers and we want them to improve and get to know the fans.

“I think recruitment moves on. The type of player we want to recruit will remain the same because I think it’s important for a club like ours that we can’t and don’t just chop and change just because of a change in head coach.”

We’ve definitely changed approach especially with loans since MA has come in, it’s clear as day, to be fair it’s right for where we are now. We can’t afford to pay fees or wages on the level of permanent signing we need.

As regards BM, I think it comes from him talking up the new managerial appointment to then appointing MA (previous agent), after stumbling on Critchley after a few previous knock backs from Jones, Robinson and his good mate Hecky. Add to that the Brannagan saga and frustration over targets and you have your answer.

Also I think you are clutching claiming Moffat and development signings. That’s never been bigged up prior. It’s good & exciting for the future but the priority has to be the 1st team & staying at Championship level.

Bit harsh saying he’s overweight as well #cuddly

Not missed anything out on purpose. And sorry the stuff you highlight to attempt to position as an attack on Mansford is again baffling because that’s exactly what we’ve done. Signed a type of player we want to develop that’s young and athletic. Are you suggesting we haven’t done that?

Of course the majority of the development players we’ve signed this summer have been scouted and analysed for a long time to suggest we’ve just landed on them this month is ludicrous. Regarding the first teamers They’ll be a couple we didn’t know much about that Appleton wanted sure but that’s all part of a managerial change, people like Thompson and Lyon’s when he gets here will have been taken from a period of scouting and analysis.

Honestly what is there to moan about from his performance a hand full of missed signings? Welcome to professional football. In reality not much. But hey, whining way more fun on here than actually giving credit where it’s due.

 

[Adams Kebab]

Not missed anything out on purpose. And sorry the stuff you highlight to attempt to position as an attack on Mansford is again baffling because that’s exactly what we’ve done. Signed a type of player we want to develop that’s young and athletic. Are you suggesting we haven’t done that?

Of course the majority of the development was players we’ve signed this summer have been scouted and analysed for a long time to suggest we’ve just landed on them this month is ludicrous. Regarding the first teamers They’ll be a couple we didn’t know much about that Appleton wanted sure but that’s all part of a managerial change, people like Thompson and Lyon’s when he gets here will have been taken from a period of scouting and analysis.

Honestly what is there to moan about from his performance? In reality not much. But hey, whining way more fun on here than actually giving credit where it’s due.

We’ve signed 3 permanents, well 2 for now as one is coming in January as that obviously took some negotiation. Thompson been good so far, Wright looks good on paper.

I’ll give credit where it’s due and have done, in my “glue” comment but you can also make points to criticise people… that’s not “an attack”.

The Cameron Brannagan saga was a farce. Last window, the one before that & this one. Saying this isn’t whining, it’s just being honest. It’s a football message board ffs. Oh and just for the record, i’m throwing the recruitment team in with this and I think it’s poor we’ve not been able to sign a striker. We know we need one? They’ve tried for 2 on loan that we know of, but been beaten by bigger Clubs so we can’t do anything there and then we had the Bishop medical stuff. There’s lots of moving parts in any deals but we need a striker & we’ve known that all summer. We haven’t got one. Is there a protocol as fans we need to adhere too or can we say that’s poor?

You seem to know lots of our scouting and analysis though & who was on lists I’ve no idea on this so I’ll take your knowledge.

 

[Thatseasider]

We’ve signed 3 permanents, well 2 for now as one is coming in January as that obviously took some negotiation. Thompson been good so far, Wright looks good on paper.

I’ll give credit where it’s due and have done, in my “glue” comment but you can also make points to criticise people… that’s not “an attack”.

The Cameron Brannagan saga was a farce. Last window, the one before that & this one. Saying this isn’t whining, it’s just being honest. It’s a football message board ffs. Oh and just for the record, i’m throwing the recruitment team in with this and I think it’s poor we’ve not been able to sign a striker. We know we need one? They’ve tried for 2 on loan that we know of, but been beaten by bigger Clubs so we can’t do anything there and then we had the Bishop medical stuff. There’s lots of moving parts in any deals but we need a striker & we’ve known that all summer. We haven’t got one. Is there a protocol as fans we need to adhere too or can we say that’s poor?

You seem to know lots of our scouting and analysis though & who was on lists I’ve no idea on this so I’ll take your knowledge.

Yep it is a message board full of whining fans because a handful of things didn’t come off, totally forgetting the success BM and the team behind him have delivered.

Course though every time they get something right you’ll post in equal measure. Im sure of it.

 

[Adams Kebab]

Yep it is a message board full of whining fans because a handful of things didn’t come off, totally forgetting the success BM and the team behind him have delivered.

Course though every time they get something right you’ll post in equal measure. Im sure of it.

I will don’t worry. Keep watching

 

[Adams Kebab]

Yep it is a message board full of whining fans because a handful of things didn’t come off, totally forgetting the success BM and the team behind him have delivered.

Course though every time they get something right you’ll post in equal measure. Im sure of it.

Hoping to post something in support in January, can’t believe we’ve changed the recruitment team that was bragged about… wonder what happened there

Those development signings as well

 

[Thatseasider]

Hoping to post something in support in January, can’t believe we’ve changed the recruitment team that was bragged about… wonder what happened there

Those development signings as well

. You’ve been bursting to dig this thread up which I’d completely forgotten about haven’t you.

Tbh I can’t remember the jist of the thread were you on at ‘Bullshit’ for some contrived reason?

Yep the summer signings have been poor, but that doesn’t mean the club didn’t try in the summer which is what I think you were getting at.

Williams clearly not good enough, I said that at the time. Fiorini can’t really predict the future with injury same can be said for Corbeanu although he started well.
People like Wright do need to be developed as he does. It look ready so bit harsh to judge after a few months.
There’s loads of reason the last 4 months have been poor. Clearly something did not got to plan this summer with our main targets.

But I stand by my point you win some and you lose some with transfers, you didn’t praise them when they brought in Yates & Ekpi for cheap, Bowler and Grimshaw for nothing who will all have contributed to promotion and the Championship and then go on to be sold for millions will you. It’s just too easy to pick out the errors and run with it.

You have to be balanced.

 

[Adams Kebab]

. You’ve been bursting to dig this thread up which I’d completely forgotten about haven’t you.

Tbh I can’t remember the jist of the thread were you on at ‘Bullshit’ for some contrived reason?

Yep the summer signings have been poor, but that doesn’t mean the club didn’t try in the summer which is what I think you were getting at.

Williams clearly not good enough, I said that at the time. Fiorini can’t really predict the future with injury same can be said for Corbeanu although he started well.
People like Wright do need to be developed as he does. It look ready so bit harsh to judge after a few months.
There’s loads of reason the last 4 months have been poor. Clearly something did not got to plan this summer with our main targets.

But I stand by my point you win some and you lose some with transfers, you didn’t praise them when they brought in Yates & Ekpi for cheap, Bowler and Grimshaw for nothing who will all have contributed to promotion and the Championship and then go on to be sold for millions will you. It’s just too easy to pick out the errors and run with it.

You have to be balanced.

A post before reminded me of the blame game in recruitment and it highlights the points I made on BM chirping up with cliches and nonsense.

We’ve got a way of working and John Stephenson is fantastic and is supported by John Gibson and the rest of the staff,” he added.

“We know what a Blackpool player might look like. We want to bring in young, athletic and capable footballers and we want them to improve and get to know the fans.

“I think recruitment moves on. The type of player we want to recruit will remain the same because I think it’s important for a club like ours that we can’t and don’t just chop and change just because of a change in head coach.”

I’ve not been bursting to dig it up, or would have when the Coventry guys came in… this despise BM telling us 6 months ago how good the recruitment team was…

The good news is they’ve identified it

 

[Thatseasider]

A post before reminded me of the blame game in recruitment and it highlights the points I made on BM chirping up with cliches and nonsense.



I’ve not been bursting to dig it up, or would have when the Coventry guys came in… this despise BM telling us 6 months ago how good the recruitment team was…

The good news is they’ve identified it

But we’ve signed exactly what he described. Haven’t we. The problem was we didn’t get the experienced heads around them. That’s where the error lay.

With Quitcho doing a moonlight flit we were right behind the eight ball. It made for a very difficult summer.

If they’d just gone and signed players without waiting for the new man the criticism would have just been something along the lines of - oh well done the recruitment team not giving the manager a chance to bring his own players in. - you get the jist.

Was John Stephenson 67/8 he’s retiring by all accounts.

Again, it’s just so easy to dish out criticism. I think they made errors in the summer, I didn’t hide that in the thread. But no one took into context the situation the club was in, just so easy to say this is shit. The praise for ‘Bullshits’ successes is and has always been lacking.

PlayStation generation fans. Want things to happen at the push of a button.

 

[Fatboy]

Well that's that that done and dusted, one of the most drama filled windows we have had in a while is finally over, we had plenty moments that filled us with optimism and plenty of moments filled with negatives.

I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't get 1-2 more in, but overall I am cautiously optimistic about the business we've done all things considered.

The situation that the club was thrust into this Summer after losing Critch was always going to be a tough one and it was made even tougher when the board decided to bring in a manager who is actually committed to attacking football (the horror!).

Taking the squad that we had last year and turning them into 4-3-3 ball players was always going to be a tremendous task and for the situation the board were in I think they've done quite well. Sure, there are more loan players than I would like, but to play the way Appy wants to we needed the quality and fast.

Fiorini, Patino, Poveda, and Corbeanu will all be very solid Championship players and will help solidify Appy's style of play.

From the beginning of the Summer though the tension was already starting to build on Mansford, particularly with Sadler's comment that the club would not be splashing out huge fees for players, weeks after that comment we refused to pay 500k for Kirk (a reasonable decision IMO) and fans were already on the war path.

So much so that Mansford came out and made a statement that our budget has actually grown.

As deals started to fall through (Brannagan, FDB, Bishop) fans started to seriously criticize that statement from BM, bringing it up every time we seemingly missed out on a player. Many of those fans still are.

Sure, I am upset we missed out on those players, but the club had genuine reasons for missing out on Brannagan and Bishop and Wednesday will look like fools for not accepting our FDB offer when he leaves for nothing. The club are not perfect and I am sure there were things that could have done better, but I think it is patently absurd to go after Mansford for his comments or even Sadler for his level of investment or lack thereof.

I think a lot of people equated "our budget has actually grown" with "we are going to sign more players" when in reality I really do think our budget was a bit more than last Summer's, the only difference being that we were shopping for MUCH higher quality players this Summer, making our increased budget almost negligible.

We wanted quality over quantity and I think that reflects in the permanent signings we made.

Last Summer we spent money on Gabriel (800k~), Dale (250k~), Carey (150k~), and Casey (250k~) which would have put our overall budget around 1.5 Million.

This Summer we spent money on Thompson (750k~), Wright (750k~), Lyons (400k~) which would put our overall budget somewhere between 1.5 Million and 2.0 Million and that's not accounting for the fees we paid for Emmerson and Mofat.

I don't think it is a stretch at all to suggest that our budget grew and that "Bullshit Ben" was not bullshitting at all.

We still might be a few bodies short, but I am confident that who we have now will be good enough to not only survive but thrive at this level.

Trust the process and enjoy the ride, because I still wholeheartedly believe that the club are on an upward trajectory. UTMP

A very good balanced post .

 

[hertfordseasider]

Do me a favour, it wasn't;t abusive at all and me and That's have agreed on stuff massively in the past. Unbelievable.