Transfer News and Gossip Transfer Rumours Thread 2024/2025.

[shrimpled]

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

2026 I believe

 

[Medway Blue]

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

1,000,000% opinion.

 

[Cricko]

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

I won't, I will just be happy to get back in the FL. May moan the season after of course.

 

[flangejackrabbit]

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.

Chesterfield were able to spend relatively freely during the latter stages of COVID due to a business interruption insurance payout, this is making their budget sound more meagre than it was.

 

[Shrimper]

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

At least we'd be in the FL though

Next season I think will be our 5th season in this league. I hope it won't take another 5 to get out

 

[Barry.C]

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 think the comparison with other teams squad sizes is critical If yours is so small that you end up with only 14 fit, it couldn t make the point more clearly surely ?

At what point will folks come to realise that in this league and on the balance of probabilities you stand a much stronger chance of promotion with a squad of at least 24?

However I think most of us appreciate your point around budget and sustainability but I would suggest utilising the loan system substantially , like 3 of the top 4 teams currently do (and Chesterfield promoted last a year did with 10 ) is a significant factor, with shared wages through extensive loan deals and often on an Under 21 player . Thats not breaking the Bank plus lots of free transfers brought in ?

3 of these 4 top teams use , or had 1 at least 10 loanees, Can we not be a bit more courageous on this front? Or are we stuck because Kev doesnt allegedly like a large squad or utilising loanees

York currently top brought in 11 free transfers and 10 loanees Squad size now down to 26
Barnet 3rd i, initially a squad up to 32 brought in , now down to 27, Brought in 12 free transfers and 7 loanees
Gateshead 4th , was 28 now 24 as a number of loanees gone back, 11 free transfers and 12 loanees
Oldham 5th current squad 25, brought in 25 of which 6 were free transfers and 14 loanees utilised at different times

Can we see a bit of a pattern emerging here?

And these teams will enlarge their squads further

 

[Shrimper44]

Back on the subject of potential transfer targets...Millwall vs Dagenham is on itv4 tonight if anyone is interested in seeing Justham in action.

 

[Benjamin]

Billy Waters gone back to wrexham from his Loan at Halifax would be a decent signing for us

 

[Holy Joe]

At least we'd be in the FL though

Next season I think will be our 5th season in this league. I hope it won't take another 5 to get out

I think my point was if we're not challenging at the top it doesn't matter what division we're in, some fans won't be happy and crowds may decline, being in L2 won't be a consolation for them.

Likewise if we're winning more games than we're losing and challenging near the top, crowds will increase, even if we're still in the NL.

 

[Shrimper83]

People who think waiting till summer to start a rebuild and go up next year guaranteed must be deluded! Do you really think next year will be any easier!? We ain't too far from playoffs we need some more players if we get into the playoffs who knows what happens!

 

[Shrimper]

Billy Waters gone back to wrexham from his Loan at Halifax would be a decent signing for us

He's off to Oldham it's rumoured

 

[blues exile]

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

As someone who spent years watching Div 4 football as it was then I would be quite happy if we were to regain that status and cement our place for a few seasons.. For those not old enough to remember, we didn't win anything or even get promoted with Ernie Shepherd as manager but it was always entertaining, positive football and a joy to watch unlike the boring dross we have to endure under Maher.

 

[Jai]

Which would be fine- give up on this season. But could the Maher out brigade accept that’s a choice made by the owners and proceed accordingly?

The vocal Maher out brigade are entitled to their opinions, but thankfully those opinions are not shared by COSU which is the only thing that matters.

 

[Jai]

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.

Apart from the fact Ndlovu has to be one of the worst players I have ever seen at Roots Hall. Would be seriously, seriously surprised if he makes anything like the impact Kabamba did.

 

[blues exile]

The vocal Maher out brigade are entitled to their opinions, but thankfully those opinions are not shared by COSU which is the only thing that matters.

COSU will have to bite the bullet sooner or later and realise we are regressing rather than building for the future with the present setup..

 

[Stubb]

COSU will have to bite the bullet sooner or later and realise we are regressing rather than building for the future with the present setup..

O.k. so COSU say that they are going to splash tbe cash on players. However they want the supporters to play their part...and so season tickets will cost from £650.00. Any takers??

 

[KiwiRob]

Billy Waters gone back to wrexham from his Loan at Halifax would be a decent signing for us

I am not sure he would be. He is not tall enough to be a replacement for Cardwell or Pepple.

 

[BEERMONSTER]

I am not sure he would be. He is not tall enough to be a replacement for Cardwell or Pepple.

A Halifax observation on the player

https://twitter.com/x/status/1878882977561923850

 

[Chrisb]

As someone who spent years watching Div 4 football as it was then I would be quite happy if we were to regain that status and cement our place for a few seasons.. For those not old enough to remember, we didn't win anything or even get promoted with Ernie Shepherd as manager but it was always entertaining, positive football and a joy to watch unlike the boring dross we have to endure under Maher.

I too watched during that era and have many fond memories of games. As a youngster it was probably always a joy to watch and certainly I would say more entertaining. Everything about the game has changed so much since then (loyalty, money, tactics, the tenure of managers to name just a few) and apparently Roots Hall market was our main source of finance. I am sure all supporters from that era would say the same about watching their own club - those days are long gone and I am just pleased that I was there to see them. Sorry, off topic and not really a proper response to your post.

 

[in the know]

Watching millwall v dag&red in the FA cup. Two interesting observations.
1. How well Ryon Leonard's playing for millwall. Sounds like he's been appearing fairly regularly and still covers the whole pitch.
2. Looks like either Justhams started going to the Tommy Tonks diet club or he's really overdone it at xmas. Last time I watched him at roots hall he was in good shape and quite slim, wasn't that long ago! Now he's seems to be strugg!ing and makes moncur look svelt.
His agility and balance for their conceded goal looked awful. He couldn't get up off his axse. So pleased he didn't somehow end up at southend.