Transfer News and Gossip Transfer Rumours Thread 2024/2025.

[Blues4LifeDan]

I think there is a danger of thinking Big budget = Guaranteed promotion. Whilst it undoubtably gives an edge, Wrexham went up in their second season of high wages. Also, in the last 10 seasons, these teams have been promoted (1st named as champions, 2nd named as Play-off winners). How many of these had huge playing budgets do we think?

Barnet - Bristol Rovers
Cheltenham - Grimsby
Lincoln - FGR
Macclesfield - Tranmere
Orient - Salford
Barrow - Harrogate
Sutton - Hartlepool
Stockport - Grimsby
Wrexham - Notts Co
Chesterfield - Bromley

It's a genuine question by the way, I don't know the answer. I would imagine several of those teams did NOT have the biggest wage budgets in the world. But I seriously have no idea.

What I would say, over those ten years, it's gone from traditional non-league, to more money driven over that time. You only have to look at how many clubs were semi-pro when Barnet and Cheltenham went up, to how many are there now. It was arguably easier to get promoted then compared to now.

The last 3 seasons, 4 including this one, has all been about money in regards to winning the league. Stockport, Wrexham and Chesterfield all spent a lot of money. York and FGR's are doing the same. We also have the likes of Oldham spending too. Carlisle have new owners and are already trying to spend their way out of trouble. If the get relegated, they will be another spender down here.

Spending is by no means a guarantee, but no one can say that it doesn't help. Players get sold, that's a given, but it's what you do in return. Barnet have lost Kabamba and gone and got Ndlovlu. That's what is required to challenge.

 

[Barry.C]

I think there is a danger of thinking Big budget = Guaranteed promotion. Whilst it undoubtably gives an edge, Wrexham went up in their second season of high wages. Also, in the last 10 seasons, these teams have been promoted (1st named as champions, 2nd named as Play-off winners). How many of these had huge playing budgets do we think?

Barnet - Bristol Rovers
Cheltenham - Grimsby
Lincoln - FGR
Macclesfield - Tranmere
Orient - Salford
Barrow - Harrogate
Sutton - Hartlepool
Stockport - Grimsby
Wrexham - Notts Co
Chesterfield - Bromley

It's a genuine question by the way, I don't know the answer. I would imagine several of those teams did NOT have the biggest wage budgets in the world. But I seriously have no idea.

Its a good question and would take some time to investigate properly

Just take CHESTERFIELD for example - went up as champions last year and like us nearly went out of business , sitting bottom of the National league 5 years ago . Their previous owner had ploughed in £10m pursuing his new ground dream, but Costs escalated and rather like Ron the money was also spent unwisely on poor Management appointments and poor Recruitment. Wages were always paid though and the Trust inherited the freehold

However the Trust then bought the club and took over during Covid, , saved the club , effectively being run by Volunteers, and ran it for four years, the Budget was MEAGRE managing to just tread water and survive season by season. With new Ownership the mood swing helped success on the field but equally extended how much money the Trust could commit.

Throughout all this time a key feature was the excellence of their CEO There were debts but not the size of Ronnies legacy

Then came Phil and Ash Kirk to fairly well off brothers and long term season ticket holders. Both sold businesses in 2022. £2,5m they put in by October 2023 to get 40% ownership and invite others to join in and and financially contribute

“It became obvious that to escape from the National League we needed to spend a bit more money and give us a kickstart in League Two,” Kirk says. The club sees the Trust as a Charity they should help rather than the other way around.

Every season, the Community Trust is given 500 season tickets at a heavily discounted rate. For each home game, those 500 tickets are distributed to members of the local population who might otherwise not be able to attend matches: schoolchildren, vulnerable, elderly, lonely.

 

[Barry.C]

I could add Chesterfield also had a large squad of 29

 

[stewart]

Its a good question and would take some time to investigate properly

Just take CHESTERFIELD for example - went up as champions last year and like us nearly went out of business , sitting bottom of the National league 5 years ago . Their previous owner had ploughed in £10m pursuing his new ground dream, but Costs escalated and rather like Ron the money was also spent unwisely on poor Management appointments and poor Recruitment. Wages were always paid though and the Trust inherited the freehold

However the Trust then bought the club and took over during Covid, , saved the club , effectively being run by Volunteers, and ran it for four years, the Budget was MEAGRE managing to just tread water and survive season by season. With new Ownership the mood swing helped success on the field but equally extended how much money the Trust could commit.

Throughout all this time a key feature was the excellence of their CEO There were debts but not the size of Ronnies legacy

Then came Phil and Ash Kirk to fairly well off brothers and long term season ticket holders. Both sold businesses in 2022. £2,5m they put in by October 2023 to get 40% ownership and invite others to join in and and financially contribute

“It became obvious that to escape from the National League we needed to spend a bit more money and give us a kickstart in League Two,” Kirk says. The club sees the Trust as a Charity they should help rather than the other way around.

Every season, the Community Trust is given 500 season tickets at a heavily discounted rate. For each home game, those 500 tickets are distributed to members of the local population who might otherwise not be able to attend matches: schoolchildren, vulnerable, elderly, lonely.

Perhaps next season COSU will do the same , lets wait and see

 

[Barry.C]

Perhaps next season COSU will do the same , lets wait and see

They really will have to get it right in the Summer if they wish to target promotion next season that will mean a bigger spend on recruitment and squad size. Poor old Chesterfield under the reign of their Trust managed to get knocked out of the play offs 3 times /years running before getting promoted. But were always there or there abouts and initially on a shoe string budget?

Thats where their Recruitment as Volunteers with a good CEO ands Manager did very well but also assisted by free transfers and loanees

 

[Barry.C]

They really will have to get it right in the Summer if they wish to target promotion next season that will mean a bigger spend on recruitment and squad size. Poor old Chesterfield under the reign of their Trust managed to get knocked out of the play offs 3 times /years running before getting promoted. But were always there or there abouts and initially on a shoe string budget?

Thats where their Recruitment as Volunteers with a good CEO ands Manager did very well but also assisted by free transfers and loanees

P.s. In their promotion season Chesterfield signed 6 free transfers and utilised NINE loanees
Now in league two they have a squad of 31

 

[onceknownasrab]

Breaking the bank is not required nor requested. We all appreciate the need to secure our long term future. It's well documented that the last embargo hampered our preferred recruitment and no doubt that has contributed to the current position. It would seem, as we were apparently prepared to bring in players and we are now threadbare, that there is budget available.

We can analyse the every last millimetre of a ducks puckered sphincter but, I suggest, having lost our original prime targets we are sifting through the best of the rest. At this juncture we need some new bodies in through the door. Wether that is loans, short term contracts or those we think will have a long term benefit to the team.

A suspension or two and a few injuries, will leave us rolling over in almost every game. That is no way to build for next season. The feeling being produced from the top down is that this season is over and we have to muddle through to the summer. That feeling will not retain existing fans or entice new ones. After the years of making the fans suffer, the only way to continue is to lay down the building blocks of progress, entertain, compete and show us the shape of things to come.

We have heard every excuse known to man. We have seen little in the way of action that turns excuses into lessons learned. Success comes from forward momentum. We are barely treading water.

 

[Linda Loan Shark]

We keep comparing other teams squad sizes with ours. There is no chance we will ever have squad sizes that big because we dont have the budget for that and Kev likes a small squad.

In Kev we trust. It will just take longer to get to where we need to be because we simply dont have that sort of money that some teams are throwing around. Torquay and Scunthorpe have relatively new owners that has some cash so could be another couple of clubs spending big next season if they go up. We have put a good scouting network in place so we can get bargains and work around spending big.

We seem to forget we nearly went out of business because of reckless spending. I for one prefer to do it the right way and still have a club.

 

[tallboyblue]

We keep comparing other teams squad sizes with ours. There is no chance we will ever have squad sizes that big because we dont have the budget for that and Kev likes a small squad.

In Kev we trust. It will just take longer to get to where we need to be because we simply dont have that sort of money that some teams are throwing around. Torquay and Scunthorpe have relatively new owners that has some cash so could be another couple of clubs spending big next season if they go up. We have put a good scouting network in place so we can get bargains and work around spending big.

We seem to forget we nearly went out of business because of reckless spending. I for one prefer to do it the right way and still have a club.

I know that makes sense but at the same time I am sure that the majority want to get out of this horrible league at the earliest possible moment. We dont belong here !

 

[Linda Loan Shark]

We will get out of this league but we wont be throwing money at it like a lot of other clubs in this league

 

[Hampshire Shrimp]

With the catch 22 of sustainability versus playing budget, we are going to be in the NL for a while yet?

 

[Tommy2holes]

We will get out of this league but we wont be throwing money at it like a lot of other clubs in this league

Bold statement

Not sure it's possible to compete with FGR, York, and even Barnet who are up there because of the squad they have assembled and at a big cost

 

[Cricko]

With the catch 22 of sustainability versus playing budget, we are going to be in the NL for a while yet?

I get there has to be a balance on income and expenditure, but at the end of the say we are a football club with a huge following atm. If the position is to make us sustainable before any on pitch success that will be a huge pill for fans to swallow and as others have said, crowds will drop where it becomes a self serving failure.

 

[fbm]

Bold statement

Not sure it's possible to compete with FGR, York, and even Barnet who are up there because of the squad they have assembled and at a big cost

To be fair, we competed last year and would have been in the play offs had it not been for the 10 point deduction.

 

[Cricko]

To be fair, we competed last year and would have been in the play offs had it not been for the 10 point deduction.

I think last year was a one off for reasons we all know as this season so far shows the opposite.

 

[blues exile]

With the catch 22 of sustainability versus playing budget, we are going to be in the NL for a while yet?

Remaining in the NL guarantees non sustainability. Support will inevitably drift away, especially if the dire negative, pedestrian style of play produced by Maher & Co is not replaced by a more progressive coaching team soon. Lack of entertainment value coupled with lower mid table mediocrity is a recipe for disaster

 

[Whispering Bob]

I had a Barnet fan and a Bromley fan talking (loudly) near my desk this morning. They were waxing lyrical about how much money their clubs make from artificial pitch hire and function rooms......told them to get on with their work.

 

[danbowen]

To be fair, we competed last year and would have been in the play offs had it not been for the 10 point deduction.

That was only due to some extreme circumstances and won’t happen again. If you want to get out of this league you need a decent size squad to keep players on their toes (half our team have no challengers and they are the ones who aren’t performing) and you need a balance of experience and youth and We lack leaders. You also need players who are versatile so you can mix up formations and tactics of which we appear very plan an and nothing else this season.

 

[Hampshire Shrimp]

I know Maher signed a long deal contract in December 2023? Does anyone know exactly how long?

 

[Holy Joe]

Remaining in the NL guarantees non sustainability.

Fact or Opinion?

The problem is get into L2 and all the statements on we need to spend to get out of this crap league 2 will start. Fans will be as unhappy with mid table L2 as mid table NL