David_1276 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:15 pm
whatever money we did make from Carver has only gone into extending players' contracts
Has it?
Are signing on fees or agents fees a significant cost at our level for contract extensions? It's not as if that transfer money has gone on weekly wages which will be paid from income over the coming season(s) and will be little different had we let those players go and had to sign others on.
We are the nutters, we come from the sea.
We must be nutters to watch SFC.
For the first time in a long while we've had a good squad to build on over this summer and I can understand a bit of disappointment that we haven't really done that yet. I do think most of our players will keep on improving, but we ran a few of them into the ground last season and with even more games to think about it's hard to see how we avoid making the same mistake this time. We are at least one attacker and maybe a midfielder short, but we were before the terrible injury to Bell - the refusal to use loans last season was baffling, given the wealth of contacts we supposedly have. I really can't be arsed with another season of padding the side out with Dual Reg Derek from Dynamo Dovecot, but Liam's forgotten more than I'll ever know so hopefully it's in hand.
Like POTK, I can't work out why we are so skint unless the PHIL-shaped hole is worse than we all thought. Trust us to get the one that comes in, chucks money about and still manages to leave us worse off than when we started.
I am at my most DANGEROUS and EFFECTIVE when UNDERESTIMATED.
David_1276 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 5:15 pm
whatever money we did make from Carver has only gone into extending players' contracts
Has it?
Are signing on fees or agents fees a significant cost at our level for contract extensions? It's not as if that transfer money has gone on weekly wages which will be paid from income over the coming season(s) and will be little different had we let those players go and had to sign others on.
If it hasn't, where has it gone?
The new contracts were announced almost immediately after Carver's departure- and the amount of money we got for him probably wasn't enough to warrant paying for another player at a time when we probably hadn't any idea of who else to sign- I imagine Ian wanted to save his own money and used that from the transfer to cover any extra costs. Either that, or some behind the scenes costs incurred that we haven't been informed about just so happened to be exactly the amount that Carver's transfer demanded? Seems a little strange to me.
Churchtown Yellow wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:13 pm
This time last year we thought Carver was mediocre and that Doug Tharme was a bit-part player.
We have a small squad. However if anyone thinks the squad at the end of the season will be the same as the current squad, they’ve not learnt a lot. There will be incomings and outgoings. Hopefully more of the former than the latter.
We won our last league match 5-0, with Watson, N and Archer scoring 3 of the 5 goals. A fully fit Woods-Archer-Watson will trouble any defence in this league. Where we fall down is strength in depth, but that doesn’t suddenly mean we’ll go from a team who finished 6 points outside the play-offs (you know, our best finish for 5 years) to relegation fodder.
Some will argue we have stood still during the close season - I disagree. With the exception of Tharme, we have held onto our best players and signed a couple of decent full backs.
Are we going to win the league? I doubt it, but then Brackley went close last year using the same 14/15 players. Conversely Fylde used 201 players and got nowhere near the title.
My point is, the doom and gloom, when we are currently level on points with everyone else, is unbelievable.
Could this be the result of no fixtures yet played - give it time.
Gloucester man wrote: ↑Mon Aug 01, 2022 9:28 pm
I suggest waiting till December before judging anything its a hard division to fathom this time, A few new teams and alot of changes I'll reserve my judgement till then.
In the bank maybe?
You're assuming it's all been spent.
Perhaps it hasn't.
Maybe the plan was to make the few signings we have, see where we are in December then spend to strengthen if necessary.
A sensibly cautious approach in the current financial climate rather then blowing it all as soon as we got it perhaps?
We are the nutters, we come from the sea.
We must be nutters to watch SFC.
I’d be interested, given Ralphy’s ‘see where we are in December’ post, how often in the last few seasons we have bought players during the season. I’m guessing not many as we seem to have a reliance on loan players from mainly Accrington who don’t know the League, aren’t suited to the League and leave after three matches. Get a squad that can compensate for injuries without relying on loans that don’t often bear fruit, maybe? Just a suggestion.
SteH90 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 02, 2022 7:24 pm
I’d be interested, given Ralphy’s ‘see where we are in December’ post, how often in the last few seasons we have bought players during the season. I’m guessing not many as we seem to have a reliance on loan players from mainly Accrington who don’t know the League, aren’t suited to the League and leave after three matches. Get a squad that can compensate for injuries without relying on loans that don’t often bear fruit, maybe? Just a suggestion.
Tyler Walton?
Before that? No idea, but then there was a whole lot of nothingness due to Covid.
Gary Brabin, Liam Blakeman, Shaun Whalley, Karl Ledsham and JPK were all LW mid-season signings in the past. My brain has kindly erased most Southport FC related memories between then and now.
SteH90 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 02, 2022 7:24 pm
I’d be interested, given Ralphy’s ‘see where we are in December’ post, how often in the last few seasons we have bought players during the season. I’m guessing not many as we seem to have a reliance on loan players from mainly Accrington who don’t know the League, aren’t suited to the League and leave after three matches. Get a squad that can compensate for injuries without relying on loans that don’t often bear fruit, maybe? Just a suggestion.
Tyler Walton?
Before that? No idea, but then there was a whole lot of nothingness due to Covid.
Gary Brabin, Liam Blakeman, Shaun Whalley, Karl Ledsham and JPK were all LW mid-season signings in the past. My brain has kindly erased most Southport FC related memories between then and now.
Same here, Ste B! Thanks for the reminder on Tyler and I suppose Carberry should be included even though his deal was only confirmed at seasons end. One of the advantages Liam brought over the 17 other managers in his absence was relevant & better contacts than those 17 so if we need to use them, let’s do so
In the bank maybe?
You're assuming it's all been spent.
Perhaps it hasn't.
Maybe the plan was to make the few signings we have, see where we are in December then spend to strengthen if necessary.
A sensibly cautious approach in the current financial climate rather then blowing it all as soon as we got it perhaps?
Who in their right mind waits to December to strengthen when we barely have a fit starting XI+ bench at the START of the season? I don't care if we don't actually pay for many players (I think we did for Evans recently, apart from Anson and Archer not sure if we have for any others in the current squad) but I'd at least like to think we could put out a fully fit team for Boston, which we barely can at this point. If we had the ambition to get anywhere near the playoffs, Liam and everyone can see this team is not big enough and sadly lacks a bit of quality in the midfield and in attack now too, so we'd have at least invested something in the playing squad if that's what we're going to use the money for by now.
Portoldie wrote: ↑Tue Aug 02, 2022 10:14 pm
John Coleman managed to bring in Jason Walker, Toto and John O’Sullivan in 2014. We can only dream of such players now.
In the bank maybe?
You're assuming it's all been spent.
Perhaps it hasn't.
Maybe the plan was to make the few signings we have, see where we are in December then spend to strengthen if necessary.
A sensibly cautious approach in the current financial climate rather then blowing it all as soon as we got it perhaps?
Who in their right mind waits to December to strengthen when we barely have a fit starting XI+ bench at the START of the season? I don't care if we don't actually pay for many players (I think we did for Evans recently, apart from Anson and Archer not sure if we have for any others in the current squad) but I'd at least like to think we could put out a fully fit team for Boston, which we barely can at this point. If we had the ambition to get anywhere near the playoffs, Liam and everyone can see this team is not big enough and sadly lacks a bit of quality in the midfield and in attack now too, so we'd have at least invested something in the playing squad if that's what we're going to use the money for by now.
Wasn't suggesting it was the right approach. Just offering an alternative viewpoint to those who seem convinced all the transfer money was spent on contract extensions.
I'm as concerned as anyone about the lack of bodies, but far from expecting relegation.
We are the nutters, we come from the sea.
We must be nutters to watch SFC.
Ralphy Rylance wrote: ↑Tue Aug 02, 2022 4:45 pm
In the bank maybe?
You're assuming it's all been spent.
Perhaps it hasn't.
Maybe the plan was to make the few signings we have, see where we are in December then spend to strengthen if necessary.
A sensibly cautious approach in the current financial climate rather then blowing it all as soon as we got it perhaps?
Who in their right mind waits to December to strengthen when we barely have a fit starting XI+ bench at the START of the season? I don't care if we don't actually pay for many players (I think we did for Evans recently, apart from Anson and Archer not sure if we have for any others in the current squad) but I'd at least like to think we could put out a fully fit team for Boston, which we barely can at this point. If we had the ambition to get anywhere near the playoffs, Liam and everyone can see this team is not big enough and sadly lacks a bit of quality in the midfield and in attack now too, so we'd have at least invested something in the playing squad if that's what we're going to use the money for by now.
Wasn't suggesting it was the right approach. Just offering an alternative viewpoint to those who seem convinced all the transfer money was spent on contract extensions.
I'm as concerned as anyone about the lack of bodies, but far from expecting relegation.
[/quote
Will we have enough Subs for the Boston Game that are fully fit ?
