Reflections on the January Window (1 Viewer)

[SAJ]

My initial/emotional reaction is one of disappointment. I think we have missed a huge opportunity to bolster the squad and capitalize on the momentum the team has built. It will be crying shame if we go out of the cup earlier than necessary, or even lose in the play offs for want of some January investment.
We have fewer players now than when the window opened. Yes, we bagged one for the summer but he can't help us now or towards the end of a long season when the injuries are starting to mount up. And if we could't get him now, why not plug the gap with a loan for the time being. This window has to be seen as a failure.

Having said that... Doug has made no secret of his desire to reach the premier league, and with hindsight, the summer window has turned out to be a good one. I think the difficulty lies in trying to find players who can make the transition to the prem when we get there. That means aiming for really good players who are obviously in demand. We don't want to get lumbered with too many players who are on long contracts but will never step up. I get that it's difficult. However, fortune favors the brave and it seems that many of our competitors have been a bit braver than we have. That might cost us dearly come the end of the season.

Then there is MR's latest interview. He sounds very disappointed; what are we to make of that? He talks about keeping running costs down and uses the phrase 'reality check' a number of times, but we are led to believe that the club bid 6.5m (rising to 9m) for the lad who went to Portugal. Who are we to believe? Is 9m on one player doable for us or is 2-3m on Torp and Mason-Clarke stretching the budget as MR seems to suggest. MR's reaction suggests to me that he has not been provided with what he had expected.

Any thoughts?

PUSB

Can fully understand this view but it isn’t how I view it.
Hull have brought 7 players in which to me is a massive expensive gamble. True they have brought in good players but so did we in the summer. Unless you are very lucky it will take several matches before those 7 start to hit the mark, just as our new players took till November to really get going.
Robins is no different to any manager they always want more and are never happy, that’s their nature and who can blame
them.
Success to me was buying in players rather than rely on loans, how often are they that successful? Yes Fadz has gone but how many games would he realistically have played between now and May not many if any.
Not losing O’Hare was a success, Torp looks as though he may be a good acquisition. Yes it could have been better but on balance I think it was a success.

 

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[Manchester_sky_blue]

I obviously would have liked more reinforcements this window but I'm also not unhappy at the prospect of the likes of Rus, Stretton and Eghosa getting some game time. One of the few highlights for me of our time toiling down in the lower leagues was seeing the academy lads get that chance and progress and I wouldn't like us to lose that side of the model just because we aren't so skint anymore.

 

[Cov kid 55]

Last season after the January window we had a few posters bemoaning the fact that teams like Stoke & WBA had strengthened their squads with a lot more signings than we had. Their season's then sizzled out & they ended up nowhere near the play offs. We don't know what issues teams like Hull are going to have with all their new signings. I would liked us to have more squad depth but if we are lucky with injuries & player fatigue we can certainly make the play offs again.

After we had our run of 2 draws and 4 defeats the top 4 places were more or less already spoken for. Many on here expected a relegation battle or mid table at best.

We're on a great run. We've had injuries and a red card to a main player. But injuries are not something that happens just to us. We've just gone past all the teams below us and have started making a gap between us. We've been averaging over 2 points a game since our bad run. Just over 1.5 points a game for the rest of the season should see us in the playoffs.

I keep hearing Hull are a big danger. But 1 win, 1 draw and 3 defeats so far this year means a massive turnaround would be needed. Seems like they've spunked a lot of money on some loans. Who would be happy if we hadn’t brought in the two players....which are ours....and brought in 4 loans until the end of the season just to say goodbye to them whatever happens?

Would you prefer to be in our position or the position of Hull?

Name another side below us....that we have just gone past after being points below them just a few weeks ago....that you see as a danger.

You make some fair points, and I would rather you were right than me, as I am a true City fan. In terms of teams below us who are a danger, the main one for me is the one we’re playing tomorrow, and a point will be an excellent result. I just feel that our squad may not have enough depth. I’m not unhappy with our window, and I don’t think Hull will make the play-offs. Hope I’m wrong about our squad depth, and as I’ve said, I recognise the tremendous progress we’ve made in the last few years.

 

[Astute]

We fell short last season as we "ran out of squad" at Wembley.
I will be surprised if we are not in for the same.
Still, there's always next season, which I've heard from so many City fans since, mmmmm, about 1974.

We ran out of Hamer.

We relied on two players last season. Losing either was going to cause us a major problem. Now we have several players that can change a game. We're up against sides that rely on just a couple of players like we did last season.

This 'we need to be lucky with injuries' should really be if we're unlucky with injuries. A single injury won't finish our chances like last season.

 

[hamertime]

My initial/emotional reaction is one of disappointment. I think we have missed a huge opportunity to bolster the squad and capitalize on the momentum the team has built. It will be crying shame if we go out of the cup earlier than necessary, or even lose in the play offs for want of some January investment.
We have fewer players now than when the window opened. Yes, we bagged one for the summer but he can't help us now or towards the end of a long season when the injuries are starting to mount up. And if we could't get him now, why not plug the gap with a loan for the time being. This window has to be seen as a failure.

Having said that... Doug has made no secret of his desire to reach the premier league, and with hindsight, the summer window has turned out to be a good one. I think the difficulty lies in trying to find players who can make the transition to the prem when we get there. That means aiming for really good players who are obviously in demand. We don't want to get lumbered with too many players who are on long contracts but will never step up. I get that it's difficult. However, fortune favors the brave and it seems that many of our competitors have been a bit braver than we have. That might cost us dearly come the end of the season.

Then there is MR's latest interview. He sounds very disappointed; what are we to make of that? He talks about keeping running costs down and uses the phrase 'reality check' a number of times, but we are led to believe that the club bid 6.5m (rising to 9m) for the lad who went to Portugal. Who are we to believe? Is 9m on one player doable for us or is 2-3m on Torp and Mason-Clarke stretching the budget as MR seems to suggest. MR's reaction suggests to me that he has not been provided with what he had expected.

Any thoughts?

PUSB

Robins is disappointed, says it all for me. Doug doesn’t know football and has probably saved a few quid on a player to arrive in the summer when we need him now. Most cov fans seem happy though as they are obsessed with the “big picture”. It’s about now and we’re in the play offs, huge opportunity missed. Probably why we’ve never done much in our history with this attitude.

 

[Razzle Dazzle Dean Gordon]

6/10 for me. We hung on to O'Hare which is a big positive and Torp looks like a good addition. To have been a better window i'd have wanted to see us add depth is positions i feel we are light in (right or left wing) or a striker who looks more effective than Godden or Simms. It has been a long way off being a disaster and is light years from windows of the not so distant past, i just hope we dont suffer injuries that expose our lack of depth.

 

[Astute]

You make some fair points, and I would rather you were right than me, as I am a true City fan. In terms of teams below us who are a danger, the main one for me is the one we’re playing tomorrow, and a point will be an excellent result. I just feel that our squad may not have enough depth. I’m not unhappy with our window, and I don’t think Hull will make the play-offs. Hope I’m wrong about our squad depth, and as I’ve said, I recognise the tremendous progress we’ve made in the last few years.

Norwich are a decent side I agree. But they're nothing special. They're below us for a reason. Lack of consistency.

Of course anything can happen. Bit I'm happy with where we are.

 

[Samo]

Norwich are a decent side I agree. But they're nothing special. They're below us for a reason. Lack of consistency.

Of course anything can happen. Bit I'm happy with where we are.

So am I, today.
But with one or two key injuries, where are we then?
It's a spin of the wheel which could cost us dearly.
Looking back at this window in May will give a realistic perspective on how successful it was.

 

[long way home]

All we can ask for is we improve as a squad and that has been done. We have got younger and more importantly the squad is very much our players on long term contracts. The stability now created by these deals means we in the summer can work on improving the fringes of the squad and add depth again.

All going in the right direction for me...

 

[Mr Panda]

Like a few here I’m remaining quietly confident.

I’d take a well drilled team like our own over a cauldron of talent.

We’ve seen it with the likes of QPR, Bristol, Stoke and West Brom that throwing money at things doesn't always equate to success.

This squad has got us to where we are right now and I’m confident they can keep us there or there abouts with some luck along the way.

We’ve mentioned a few times this season that our bench finally looks good - that sentiment remains now the windows closed

 

[Boicey]

I’m not sure we could have realistically expected more.
We need to hope Sheaf is back soon, COH puts 100% in even if he’s decided he’s off in the summer and that Simms, Wright deliver well as strikers in the final games.
I still have that nagging feeling Simms, Wright will under deliver.
Let’s hope I’m wrong.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

On the Mark Robins scale of ‘fucking work harder’ to manically shaking your hands in delight at the sky, this window was:

We go again

 

[Nuskyblue]

The title of this thread reads like the name of a depressing book

 

[COVKIDSNEVERQUIT]

We fell short last season as we "ran out of squad" at Wembley.
I will be surprised if we are not in for the same.
Still, there's always next season, which I've heard from so many City fans since, mmmmm, about 1974.

Yeah it's just a shame Hamer went off injured, would of gone onto to win, or at least Hamer would have taken one of the penalty's before Dabo and history would have been changed.

Still there's always next season.

 

[Samo]

The title of this thread reads like the name of a depressing book

Why thank you

 

[Northants Sky Blue]

MR sounds disappointed as we're now relying on zero knocks for the run in. That's about as likely as Benno getting a round in.

EMC looks a player but I'm sure Robins cat went into hiding when he was told about the loan-back

 

[Nuskyblue]

Why thank you

Any time

 

[Chris1987]

I'm sure that there was plenty of activity trying to get transfers over the line but only the ones that are either prudent or for the long term. Undoubtedly Robins will feel disappointed but also will comprehend the big picture and know full well that summer additions will make this squad very competitive next season.
Whilst I am slightly disappointed in the immediate term looking further forward I am very optimistic. So much so that if we don't get promoted this season I will be having a substantial ew bet on us for The Championship next season.

 

[SBAndy]

6/10 for me. We hung on to O'Hare which is a big positive and Torp looks like a good addition. To have been a better window i'd have wanted to see us add depth is positions i feel we are light in (right or left wing) or a striker who looks more effective than Godden or Simms. It has been a long way off being a disaster and is light years from windows of the not so distant past, i just hope we dont suffer injuries that expose our lack of depth.

That’s about where I am on it. Those on about multiple mad expensive loans are a bit wide of the mark in my view, I’d have taken a chance on a couple to build out the squad but not at significant expense. However, I remember arguing the same point last January with an attacking mid and look how that ended!

 

[Razzle Dazzle Dean Gordon]

That’s about where I am on it. Those on about multiple mad expensive loans are a bit wide of the mark in my view, I’d have taken a chance on a couple to build out the squad but not at significant expense. However, I remember arguing the same point last January with an attacking mid and look how that ended!

If we'd have signed tye lad from Posh without the loan element id have been pretty pleased i think. Feels like we are well placed to make the top 6 but a bit open to a problem of we get injuries, just have to wait and see i guess. Whatever happens i do think we will be relatively stronger next season (if we are still in the Championship)

 

[robbiekeane]

but I'm also not unhappy at the prospect of the likes of Rus, Stretton and Eghosa getting some game time.

this fascination of playing youth team players nowhere near the standard surely has to be unique to our fan base

too much fifa/football manager I reckon

 

[Samo]

this fascination of playing youth team players nowhere near the standard surely has to be unique to our fan base

too much fifa/football manager I reckon

Yeah boo to optimism!

 

[SeaSeeEffCee]

this fascination of playing youth team players nowhere near the standard surely has to be unique to our fan base

too much fifa/football manager I reckon

What’s the point in having an academy if we’re never going to give the kids ago or if our best talents are deemed nowhere near the standard?

 

[slowpoke]

I’ve said it before our squad now is stronger than before the window opened by just signing Torp, only McFadz has left and COH has stayed.

 

[skybluecam]

From Robins comments it sounds like he was desperate to get an attacking player in for depth, which obviously didn’t happen.

You can see why Doug would be reluctant to spend 200-500k on 6 months of a loanee, but feels like a missed opportunity.

 

[hamertime]

To be honest if I was Robins I’d feel like fucking off. He hasn’t been backed one iota in this window. That’s a disgrace and a kick in the face for the work he has put in.

 

[Chris1987]

To be honest if I was Robins I’d feel like fucking off. He hasn’t been backed one iota in this window. That’s a disgrace and a kick in the face for the work he has put in.

How ro you know he hasn't been backed ? You don't. Just because players didn't sign doesn't imply that were not many attempts to add to the squad

 

[robbiethemole]

Seems Robins expected Mason-Clark to be straight into the squad and sounds furious that we’ve paid “over 1.5m” to loan him back.
McAntony drives a hard bargain but is an absolute knob about it, but I suppose they were in the driving seat and if we wanted him ,this was the only way.
I just hope to fuck he don’t get hurt before the end of the season.

 

[shmmeee]

How ro you know he hasn't been backed ? You don't. Just because players didn't sign doesn't imply that were not many attempts to add to the squad

Troll account

 

[oscillatewildly]

Very vampiric.

 

[oscillatewildly]

Yeah boo to optimism!

To be fair, I think that would be somewhat beyond 'optimism'.

 

[Astute]

So am I, today.
But with one or two key injuries, where are we then?
It's a spin of the wheel which could cost us dearly.
Looking back at this window in May will give a realistic perspective on how successful it was.

It's the same for all sides. We're nothing special in that way.

We have such a good side that we can rearrange the side without being very weak. Other sides below us don't have that luxury. Not as good as a fully fit first team but at least we can bring in players that know the system and what their job is. Bring on loans and they could spend a few games just trying to get up to speed and that's if they're even match fit.

The way some talk you would think there's a glut of players match fit that would slot straight in that their side would be happy to let go until the end of the season.

 

[Astute]

MR sounds disappointed as we're now relying on zero knocks for the run in. That's about as likely as Benno getting a round in.

EMC looks a player but I'm sure Robins cat went into hiding when he was told about the loan-back

If you look at what was said we've been after him for a bit. Their chairman let everyone know you can have their players as long as it's what is best for their players but also them.

So they got a few million for one of if not their best player but also keep him on their promotion push. If Robins was pissed off we wouldn't have signed him. We knew the conditions set. And he will get a preseason with us to get an understanding of how we play before he gets into the side. There's a big difference between League 1 and the Championship.

 

[oscillatewildly]

If you look at what was said we've been after him for a bit. Their chairman let everyone know you can have their players as long as it's what is best for their players but also them.

So they got a few million for one of if not their best player but also keep him on their promotion push. If Robins was pissed off we wouldn't have signed him. We knew the conditions set. And he will get a preseason with us to get an understanding of how we play before he gets into the side. There's a big difference between League 1 and the Championship.

Plus of course (unless it's already been stated) he will remain match fit (hopefully) and up to speed(ish) when he joins us preseason.
But I get your view on the gap Lg1 - C'ship.

 

[Astute]

To be honest if I was Robins I’d feel like fucking off. He hasn’t been backed one iota in this window. That’s a disgrace and a kick in the face for the work he has put in.

I'll give you a bit of attention. I know it's what you crave.

No backing at all other than the signing of Torp who although not up to speed in the Championship scored a great goal and put some very good corners in as well as made a few good runs and also spent another few million on another young prospect that loves to attack.

Next you'll be begging for a better owner more on the lines of someone like SISU who would fund our club much better

Edit...can you pretend you're Robins please.