Some transfer thoughts from The Phoenix

[When The Sky Was Blue]

Hey all,

Richard from The Phoenix here. The site launched on Monday and there's been a great response so far. Thanks so much to everyone who has taken a look. I completely get that subscription sites aren't for everyone but the aim over there really is to provide the most in-depth analysis, features and interviews on the Sky Blues that you will find and to present them ad-free in a way that puts readers first. Your subscriptions mean that I can do this full-time and provide as much for you guys as possible.

Anyway, something I've written about over the last couple of days on the site - transfers. No, don't be silly, we've not actually signed anyone, but I have put together a couple of features. The first is a massive look into every signing made since Dean Austin arrived in December 2022. It took bloody ages and I agonised over rating each signing.

The second, which has just gone live on the site, looks at this oft-quoted theory that Doug King is slow in the transfer market. I've taken a look at all of our transfer windows since 2020 and drawn some conclusions. Primarily, I've seen that SISU tended to be quick off the draw in windows but then they were dealing with far smaller sums than King. King himself was pretty speedy up until last summer (the 2023/24 window shows that) but as the transfer fees have grown, so has his tendency to take his time. You can read it here.

If you fancy taking a look you can find both of these features on thephoenix.news (there's even a discount code for subscribing in the That Cov Pod thread on the forum). But regardless of whether you head to the site or not, I'd love to hear what you guys think. Is Doug right to bide his time? Something I often hear is that 'the window doesn't close until the end of August' but does that mindset mean we could effectively write off our opening fixtures? Frank Onyeka arrived right at the end of January and was exactly what we needed - but imagine if we'd have signed him a couple of weeks sooner. It's a tricky balance to strike but one that is going to potentially shape our entire season. Lots to think about.

Thanks all!
Richard
Founder, ThePhoenix.news

 

[withnail]

enjoying it so far. Good luck with it.
It’s great not to be bombarded by shit adverts for belly flattening habits, mini portable air conditioners and nail fungus oil.

 

[When The Sky Was Blue]

enjoying it so far. Good luck with it.
It’s great not to be bombarded by shit adverts for belly flattening habits, mini portable air conditioners and nail fungus oil.

Thank you! Yes, sorry, you'll have to go elsewhere for your belly flattening adverts from now on. I know that for a lot of people paying for a website (not that kind of website) isn't really a thing but I'm hoping that if people give it a go they will see that's worth a few quid a month to have something readable and (hopefully) entertaining/informative. Unless they're desperate to find nail fungus oil, then they might want to stick with what's already out there.

 

[Covkid1968#]

Just subscribed…. Looks really good

 

[When The Sky Was Blue]

Just subscribed…. Looks really good

Thank you, your support is hugely appreciated.

 

[prufrock]

I subscribed the other day, thanks for making the site. My question for Eric Black if not too late: was he aware that lots of the fans were against his sacking and was he aware of the "Wear black for Erik Black" at the next game after he was sacked?

 

[When The Sky Was Blue]

I subscribed the other day, thanks for making the site. My question for Eric Black if not too late: was he aware that lots of the fans were against his sacking and was he aware of the "Wear black for Erik Black" at the next game after he was sacked?

Thanks so much for your support, it honestly makes such a huge difference and is really appreciated. That's great, I will add it to the questions for Eric. Cheers!