January 2019 Window

I noticed that Mepham missed the Brentford game yesterday with a "slight knock". Just saying. Even if it was Sawyers or Barbet, I wonder if Brentford would be interested in having Hogan back in part-ex? We were also supposed to be looking at their left back, whose name I have forgotton.

(Just remembered - Rico Henry!).

Garcia Pitarch has been brought in to oversee our transfer dealings, so I think we're more likely to see more signings like the Kalinic transfer, than Smith going back to Brentford to sign players.

Will be interesting to see what we do, as a priority we probably need a left-back, and a central defender, another midfielder wouldn't go amiss, and possibly another wide forward, I mean we've got Bolasie, Adomah, and El Ghazi, already... But Adomah and Ghazi only have three assists between them, Kodjia who has been playing on the wing as well, only has two... Despite the fact that we've been scoring goals as a team, it definitely feels like we need a bigger contribution in terms of goals, assists and consistency from that position.

Being linked with Nemanja Radoja, a defensive midfielder... Seems to be a modern type, who's both strong in the tackle, and decent on the ball... But I'm only basing that on a youtube video... Never seen him play before.

Lots of talk that Barbet from Brentford is nearly done, could we use Hogan as bait for others?

Hogan's one of the best paid players in the division, Brentford won't be able to afford his wages, unless he was prepared to take a paycut, I don't think we'd be in a rush to sell him anyway.

We're being linked with another one of Brentford's players today, Romaine Sawyers, I'm seeing quite a few turn their noses up a him, I'm not sure why, he's a really good player, probably one of the most underrated in the division, just as important to the way Brentford play as Ryan Woods was... I don't think we're actually going to sign him, but if we did, one negative aspect would be that it would lead to speculation that Grealish is out for months, or is being sold... But I think they could play in the same team, and as we're seeing at the moment with Grealish out, we could do with another player with similar attributes to him.

Sawyers makes perfect sense to me. He makes Brentford tick in the same way that Jack has been doing for us recently.
If Jack has shin splints and if it's bad, he could be out for ages.
Sawyers would slot right in now and be a great back-up when Jack is fit.
If we fail to go up, Jack will probably have to be sold and Sawyers would then be his long-term Championship replacement.
If Dean Smith wants him, so should we. He knows the player well from both Walsall and Brentford.

Not a transfer as such (though may just feel like one right now....) but Elphick has been recalled and is elligible to play Tuesday.

Linked to a player from La Liga, Levante in fact called Cheick Doukoure (sp)?
Holding midfielder apparently!

Strong rumour this am that Nyland has ruptured a tendon and is out for months. We are going to recall Steer as cover for Kalinic, or so it is said.

I presume new keeper is available New Year’s Day?

VillaBill wrote:I presume new keeper is available New Year’s Day?

Yes.

Can we bring back Green? He'd be our best left winger and would get back to defend too.

Green hasn't been getting much game time at Portsmouth, in fact he's played more league football for us this season than he has for them. Based on that, if he's our best left winger, I'm not sure what that says about Adomah, Bolasie, Kodjia, and El Ghazi... But then again some players go out on loan, don't look amazing, but come back and do well.

To be fair to Green he has scored four goals for them, in his limited game time (337 minutes according transfermarketd, the equivalent of less than four games). But if they're hardly going to use him, then he might as well come back here, or go somewhere else on loan.

VTID85 wrote:

VillaBill wrote:I presume new keeper is available New Year’s Day?

Yes.

Is that correct? Can you sign a player and play him on the same day?

Not so sure about that one?

VillaBill wrote:I presume new keeper is available New Year’s Day?

No he isn't the Swansea cup game will be the first he is eligible for.

smetro wrote:

VillaBill wrote:I presume new keeper is available New Year’s Day?

No he isn't the Swansea cup game will be the first he is eligible for.

Looks like we will have a Bunn in the oven (sorry..... in the goal) for QPR then!

Wouldn't be surprised if Kjodia is sold to be honest. Thought he did ok v leeds, with a great bit of skill for the 2nd goal - but was subbed for Elghazi early in the 2nd half and has only had 2 minutes since - seems all the more strange as Elghazi in the team ahead of Kjodia hasn't really done that well.

smetro wrote:Wouldn't be surprised if Kjodia is sold to be honest. Thought he did ok v leeds, with a great bit of skill for the 2nd goal - but was subbed for Elghazi early in the 2nd half and has only had 2 minutes since - seems all the more strange as Elghazi in the team ahead of Kjodia hasn't really done that well.

I think it’d be a bad move letting Kodjia go, he gives us strength and skill and can operate up front or out wider. And given that Bolasie, Abraham, ElGhazi are all loan players with no guarantee of being here beyond the summer, I think it’s sensible if we retain the service of someone we know is ours. Not to mention if one or more of the aforementioned 3 players suffers injury or bad loss of form. I appreciate Kodjia hasn’t hit the heights of his 1st season but I also think we all know that Hogan isn’t going to fill the void, and Davis has been a long time out with injury and is still quite raw. What we need is our injury list to start emptying. Grealish, Lansbury, Tuanzebe, Adomah, Taylor, Nyland, O’Hare, all injured for significant periods of time. People are quick to forget that when we were flowing a few games back and scoring for fun we had Grealish, Adomah, Tuanzebe, & Taylor in the team. We’ve had to alter our style and personnel significantly, having to call on Glen Whelan in midfield and James Bree at CB. You take 4 1st teamers out of any other championship side and they’ll struggle, especially when one of those is Jack Grealish. Ideally I’d like the transfer window to give us a pair of new FBs, a CB, and a DM. I still don’t understand why we haven’t immediately recalled Steer from Charlton for the QPR game, or even Tshibola as a more energetic and mobile DM option to Whelan. These are two players we already own that could do a job with immediate recalls. Both have been performing well according to reports.

Update to above: Steer just been recalled. Good.

DelboyVilla wrote:

VTID85 wrote:

VillaBill wrote:I presume new keeper is available New Year’s Day?

Yes.

Is that correct? Can you sign a player and play him on the same day?

Not so sure about that one?

Only going by what I read, apologies a single-word "yes" reads definitive in retrospect but - based on what I read - he wouldn't be available to play until 01/01/19 when the window officially opens, but would be fair game immediately. If this turns out to not be the case, it's a little irksome but nowt we can do I accept.

VTID85 wrote:

DelboyVilla wrote:

VTID85 wrote:

VillaBill wrote:I presume new keeper is available New Year’s Day?

Yes.

Is that correct? Can you sign a player and play him on the same day?

Not so sure about that one?

Only going by what I read, apologies a single-word "yes" reads definitive in retrospect but - based on what I read - he wouldn't be available to play until 01/01/19 when the window officially opens, but would be fair game immediately. If this turns out to not be the case, it's a little irksome but nowt we can do I accept.

No worries mate!

With Steer and Bunn available the keeper is the least of our worries as it looks like Chester is out, Grealish is out, Tuanzebe is out and Taylor is out? Still operating with a weakened back four because of the Spudosaurus Rex and his lunatic summer transfer policy!

QPR are in form and we are floundering with the only positive from the last few games being we can always seem to score goals! Shame we cannot stop conceding!

Linked with an Everton defender I have never heard of!

Lots of stories about Chelsea recalling Abraham, so they can sell him... the sun saying that Abraham wants to cancel his loan... But I'm not sure if he can play for more than two clubs in a season... These are the FIFA regulations on the matter...

'Players  may  be  registered  with  a  maximum  of  three  clubs  during  
one  season.  During  this  period,  the  player  is  only  eligible  to  play  
official matches for two clubs.'

I think it boils down to whether The Community Shied in which he played for Chelsea is considered an offical match or not... Of course even if it isn't, the stories may be made up anyway.

You have to expect these rumours, Tammy has been scoring for fun so he is bound to attract attention, lets see what happens hey.

deadbuzzardalive wrote:Lots of stories about Chelsea recalling Abraham, so they can sell him... the sun saying that Abraham wants to cancel his loan... But I'm not sure if he can play for more than two clubs in a season... These are the FIFA regulations on the matter...

'Players  may  be  registered  with  a  maximum  of  three  clubs  during  
one  season.  During  this  period,  the  player  is  only  eligible  to  play  
official matches for two clubs.'

I think it boils down to whether The Community Shied in which he played for Chelsea is considered an offical match or not... Of course even if it isn't, the stories may be made up anyway.

Well community shield is considered a competitive match and is in fact the first competitive match of the Premier League season officially? Hopefully this means he is stuck with us! Plus from what I have seen of Tammy he loves playing for us, he is only 21 and as he knows from last year with Swansea you are not guaranteed a start. He should stay with us and get us promoted we will buy him then!

Hope these rumours get sorted one way or the other soon though!

Looks like we're signing Kortney Hause. I don't know a great deal about him, but the Wolves fans seem to rate him, by all accounts he's a strong and fast player, also plays on the left hand side, so sounds like just what we need, especially with Tuanzebe being confirmed as being out for eight to ten weeks.