Transfer meeting tomorrow

[mushRTID]

I would love to be a fly on the wall here.

Grant will no doubt ask for more money to stay in the division.

A fair response would be asking Grant what has happened/gone wrong with TLT, Middleton, Gotts, Ajayi, Crew, Pearson, Olusanya etc.

Another question would be why it took our number 9 until November to start making an impact and will any significant monies spent take just as long to bed in.

We all know Grant will come out positive after the meeting. But I do wonder if he will get everything he wants.

[Usher wide.]

I think he will mush.

Terry wants to ‘leave a legacy’, I take that as seeing the club back in the Championship not Lg2.

But you’re right, Grant needs to accept that the recruitment in the summer has been poor & whilst he has in the past recruited much better in the January window we shouldn’t be ‘ticking the days off’ until that window arrives because we yet again find ourselves nowhere near where we want to be.

So we can only hope an Adelukan or a Street walks through the
door…..or window.

[mpc123]

Maybe the budget was split between then and Jan and no extra is required. Just what ins and outs there will need to be sorted

[Draytonian III]

Wasn’t Lee Glover made a scout in off season instead of being on the coaching staff

[TonySoprano]

Ive got a horrible feeling that we will get a decent number 9, but also end up selling molyneux and / or Bailey on the cheap, which would negate signing the number 9 in the first place.

Id rather keep the money and give it to molls and bails in improved contracts.

The priority is keeping those 2, or we go.down, and languish in league 2 for years.

[mpc123]

Personally I think we are better than that.

I think we will come together and end up just above mid table.

Let Mccann and his team do the 2nd half of the season, they typically have.

I'm torn between the size of the squad and regular swapping and the success we have had in cups.

Lets see what those in charge do. Im excited by Jan onwards though.

[Usher wide.]

Ive got a horrible feeling that we will get a decent number 9, but also end up selling molyneux and / or Bailey on the cheap, which would negate signing the number 9 in the first place.

Id rather keep the money and give it to molls and bails in improved contracts.

The priority is keeping those 2, or we go.down, and languish in league 2 for years.

Don’t go to any parties this Christmas & ruin it for everyone.

[Alan Southstand]

Wasn’t Lee Glover made a scout in off season instead of being on the coaching staff

Yes he was. It’s been a disaster!

[selby]

  At least it looks like the management are being pro active and have targets to discuss.
  Getting them over the line is the hard part, but we live in hope.

[Pancho Regan]

I would love to be a fly on the wall here.

Grant will no doubt ask for more money to stay in the division.

A fair response would be asking Grant what has happened/gone wrong with TLT, Middleton, Gotts, Ajayi, Crew, Pearson, Olusanya etc.

Another question would be why it took our number 9 until November to start making an impact and will any significant monies spent take just as long to bed in.

We all know Grant will come out positive after the meeting. But I do wonder if he will get everything he wants.

Personally I think it’s a little harsh to tar TLT, Gotts, Middleton and Pearson with that brush.

Agree with the others listed.

[scawsby steve]

I would love to be a fly on the wall here.

Grant will no doubt ask for more money to stay in the division.

A fair response would be asking Grant what has happened/gone wrong with TLT, Middleton, Gotts, Ajayi, Crew, Pearson, Olusanya etc.

Another question would be why it took our number 9 until November to start making an impact and will any significant monies spent take just as long to bed in.

We all know Grant will come out positive after the meeting. But I do wonder if he will get everything he wants.

Personally I think it’s a little harsh to tar TLT, Gotts, Middleton and Pearson with that brush.

Agree with the others listed.

I agree with that, Pancho, apart from TLT. He's been dreadful IMO. We need better.

[DonnyOsmond]

Wasn’t Lee Glover made a scout in off season instead of being on the coaching staff

Yes he was. It’s been a disaster!

Has he? Quite a few of the signings made were who Grants wanted for a while? Maybe it's McCann who's had the disaster and not Glover?

[mushRTID]

I would love to be a fly on the wall here.

Grant will no doubt ask for more money to stay in the division.

A fair response would be asking Grant what has happened/gone wrong with TLT, Middleton, Gotts, Ajayi, Crew, Pearson, Olusanya etc.

Another question would be why it took our number 9 until November to start making an impact and will any significant monies spent take just as long to bed in.

We all know Grant will come out positive after the meeting. But I do wonder if he will get everything he wants.

Personally I think it’s a little harsh to tar TLT, Gotts, Middleton and Pearson with that brush.

Agree with the others listed.

They haven’t been the worse signings obviously, but they are not in favour are they.

We needed new signings to come in and strengthen us. None of them have.

[GazLaz]

Wasn’t Lee Glover made a scout in off season instead of being on the coaching staff

Yes he was. It’s been a disaster!

Has he? Quite a few of the signings made were who Grants wanted for a while? Maybe it's McCann who's had the disaster and not Glover?

Genuinely blows my mind that in 2025 we are talking about the potential of one man having “a disaster” when it comes to recruitment.


Surely this just highlights the need for an accountable, consistent, recruitment process that can be tangibly improved over time and sustainable around whoever works in the clubs football department?

How do we improve the current process?

[Alan Southstand]

Quite right Gaz, that’s why I said IT’S been a disaster. I never said ‘he’s’ been a disaster - that’s how others have interpreted it!

Consider your mind unblown, as far as my post is concerned.

The recruitment process leaves a lot to be desired, considering the ‘hit and miss’ nature of what/who we bring in. But this needs to be analysed against the level of budget that’s allowed. We hardly ever pay money for new players, for example, whilst the majority of Clubs at this level are investing. It’s hardly a level playing field, is it?

[graingrover]

I was struck by Grant saying  dome time ago that he had not spent any money except a small token for Grehan .Maybe this is Grant ‘ playing the game with Terry and Gavin in return for their support BUT ..we are in League One which is a different proposition tomthree seasons ago .Cardiff have 8 times our wage budget according to Grant and have a player who has been the subject of a 19:million transfer fee ! Ask for 1.5 for  Street for example Grant ..get up to date with the financial realities of the cost of players to get you where YOU want the club to be !

[Filo]

We’ve had decent cup run revenue, that should compliment our budget

[Metalmicky]

We've had some money in for our cup exploits to date - however, this isn't a King's ransom and won't fund much by way of transfers.  Beat Southampton and draw a Premier team in round 4 and we may have something significant in the money jar....

[selby]

A lot of work has gone into January this year, and everything that has gone before is not all down to one man Grant, and Liverpool's Real Madrid's, and  Manchester United's  recruitment this year shows even the top teams with all the best sophisticated analysis equipment and top men in that theatre don't get it right all the time.
   And they have spent a fortune on the results of their work, to underachieve this season up to press.
   Players can have all the quality in the world, but if they don't gell as a team it's all for nothing.

[selby]

  If it was just a case of stats and money we would never have seen teams like Burnley, Ipswich, in my youth and more recently Cloughs Nottingham Forest and Derby or Leicester City and Aston Villa trump the money teams of the time. and teams with players who had never played at the top level in fairly long careers and players from lower league teams like Hartlepool, Workington, Fleetwood, and Armadale Thistle who went on to win the championship and play in Europe.

[Sprotyrover]

We need a big bruising centre half like Mikey Dementriou to get us kicked into the Championship

[GazLaz]

We need a big bruising centre half like Mikey Dementriou to get us kicked into the Championship

Matty Pearson…

[ncRover]

A lot of work has gone into January this year, and everything that has gone before is not all down to one man Grant, and Liverpool's Real Madrid's, and  Manchester United's  recruitment this year shows even the top teams with all the best sophisticated analysis equipment and top men in that theatre don't get it right all the time.
   And they have spent a fortune on the results of their work, to underachieve this season up to press.
   Players can have all the quality in the world, but if they don't gell as a team it's all for nothing.

Good post. That’s why it should be player profiling first based on what you already have / need in your desired system and then looking at data on specific attributes second.
But even then, a player can also have good data due to being the right fit for a good team. People always say go and get X from so-and-so they’ve scored lots of goals, but that doesn’t guarantee anything.
Players are also human beings, they don’t always want to move to a different area of the country for family reasons.
It’s hard, but I don’t think many of our signings (Billy Sharp renewal included) even pass the initial correct player profile test.

[drfchound]

“I don’t always pick the best players but I pick the players who are best for the team.”
Alf Ramsey.

[danumdon]

Wasn’t Lee Glover made a scout in off season instead of being on the coaching staff

Yes he was. It’s been a disaster!

Has he? Quite a few of the signings made were who Grants wanted for a while? Maybe it's McCann who's had the disaster and not Glover?

Genuinely blows my mind that in 2025 we are talking about the potential of one man having “a disaster” when it comes to recruitment.


Surely this just highlights the need for an accountable, consistent, recruitment process that can be tangibly improved over time and sustainable around whoever works in the clubs football department?

How do we improve the current process?

We attempted a semblance of going down that road did we not when Copps was made director of football or whatever it was, seems it all changed when GM can back and laid down his requirements to accept the job.

Could that have been the point where we took the wrong turn, alongside getting the correct people into the correct jobs we should have been stipulating to any prospective new manager that the system we were attempting to put into place was to remain and the new manager would have to work with it?

I'd have liked for the club to have brought into that policy in a more serious and business like manner, Copps for all his legendary achievements for us on the field was perhaps not the right choice for that job but if we had gone about it correctly in sourcing a DOF with certifiable experience we may be now experiencing the benefits of such a move.

It looks like GM had his own vision and to get him we gave into his every demand, may work for us in the short term and he may well recover our position after Jan but like you said, for a clubs development and longer term aims is it really going to benefit us?

[Sprotyrover]

We need a big bruising centre half like Mikey Dementriou to get us kicked into the Championship

Matty Pearson…

another one needed, the size and experience of Division one centre halves is doing us.

[Sprotyrover]

Think Brian clough said a football team is built around a centre half, centre Forward and Goalkeeper, we are short of all three.

[Padge_DRFC]

Think Brian clough said a football team is built around a centre half, centre Forward and Goalkeeper, we are short of all three.

O'Riordan was rubbish on Saturday but has been decent mainly since joining

[Alan Southstand]

Good point Sproty and I would add a nasty piece of work in midfield? Broadbent has been steadily improving into that defensive midfield role, but we need some height and physicality in there, for me. Someone that will send shivers down the opposition’s spine. At the moment, and to Grant’s own admission, we are too nice in that we let people get through us all too easily.

It’s all too easy blaming defenders but the midfield have to take their share of responsibility also. Case in point for their 4th goal on Saturday. Where was the blockers and the cover down our right side? Answer - nowhere to be seen!

Yes, Timmy should do better, but our defenders should know by now, what he’s like and be alert to his blocking saves, surely?

Fingers and toes are crossed for a positive outcome to today’s meeting.

[Draytonian III]

We need a big bruising centre half like Mikey Dementriou to get us kicked into the Championship

He has made 570 league appearances

150 in non league football.
419 in League 2.
1 in League 1.

Yeah he would be a great signing especially seeing that he is now 35 , 11 years after his one League 1 appearance !!!!