Summer Rumour Mill

[Anag Ram]

6 minutes ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

I think it was QPR away under Rooney during the Covid season that Bird played a slightly more advanced role and looked excellent. I’ve said a few times if we play a 3 in midfield, I’d like to see Bird and Hourihane ahead of someone else as the anchor (Smith now we have Ward at rwb) and if we play a 2 man midfield I don’t know that there needs to be an anchor with the 3 cbs. 

Bird, Hourihane and Smith would be too slow as a three. 
Last season our midfield looked like three old Labradors trying to chase back. 
We need a bit more pace. 

[Srg]

9 minutes ago, Caerphilly Ram said:

I think it was QPR away under Rooney during the Covid season that Bird played a slightly more advanced role and looked excellent. I’ve said a few times if we play a 3 in midfield, I’d like to see Bird and Hourihane ahead of someone else as the anchor (Smith now we have Ward at rwb) and if we play a 2 man midfield I don’t know that there needs to be an anchor with the 3 cbs. 

As has been said, that would be too slow. I'd like Bird and 2 new players (or Bird and Knight, and a new player) but I don't think we'll get that unfortunately.

[ram59]

11 minutes ago, The Last Post said:

Which is nowt...he's out of contract next year.

Wrong, as long as we offer him a new contract, he's still at an age where a tribunal will set a fee.

[Amberram]

Any more players today, its Friday, maybe a striker??

[Sparkle]

10 hours ago, vonwright said:

We probably took a gamble with Knight by keeping him an extra year because we thought he'd help get us promoted. As a result we are now in a bind because he's only got a year left on his contract. (Also, he didn't exactly rip up any trees last year.) So yes his value is lower than it would have been but I'm personally glad we showed some ambition and kept him.

Bielik is just bad luck. The timing of the injuries, and our relegation, has made a massive difference to what his contribution (and value) might have been. 

Also worth noting that we will have at least 15 players out of contract at the end of this coming season - if they are not signing extended contracts if offered then we should be selling them from this point onwards and that includes the likes of Wildsmith Cashin, knight, Bird, Hourahan 

[Sparkle]

1 hour ago, EnigmaRam said:

If we sold Knight, Bird and Bielik, and replaced them with Clarke Harris, May, Brannigan and say Bonnis I think that’s good business and fills some gaps we’re severely lacking. 

That would be a huge drop in quality - I am not saying they wouldn’t be effective but they would cost basically everything we would get from the sale of the three you mentioned, but hardly any chance of a financial return worth hoping for.

[ziggyram59]

The rumour about Sonny Bradley coming to Derby been very quiet recently has anybody heard anything? Or it was just that a rumour that won't happen? 

[Srg]

3 minutes ago, ziggyram59 said:

The rumour about Sonny Bradley coming to Derby been very quiet recently has anybody heard anything? Or it was just that a rumour that won't happen? 

Agent talk I would guess. Big Trav the oracle said no. 

[Blondest Goat]

20 minutes ago, Sparkle said:

That would be a huge drop in quality - I am not saying they wouldn’t be effective but they would cost basically everything we would get from the sale of the three you mentioned, but hardly any chance of a financial return worth hoping for.

Drop in quality?  Huge increase in goals which is what wins you matches and gets you promoted.

[Srg]

4 minutes ago, Blondest Goat said:

Drop in quality?  Huge increase in goals which is what wins you matches and gets you promoted.

Looks like you've just plucked names with some decent stats and said they'll do. Are you our scouting team from the previous 10 years?

[JuanFloEvraTheCocu'sNesta]

9 minutes ago, ziggyram59 said:

The rumour about Sonny Bradley coming to Derby been very quiet recently has anybody heard anything? Or it was just that a rumour that won't happen? 

The Nixon line (for whatever that is worth) seems to be that we've made him an offer, but so have a few other clubs. If they are Championship clubs then he'll probably end up there would be my guess.

[Anag Ram]

4 minutes ago, Blondest Goat said:

Drop in quality?  Huge increase in goals which is what wins you matches and gets you promoted.

Agree. We have to get goals across the team and can’t afford to just bunt it up to a single forward (as we did with McGoldrick).

We will need a more mobile midfield and at least two central attackers (ideally three unless Collins has an epiphany).

[angieram]

Just now, Srg said:

Looks like you've just plucked names with some decent stats and said they'll do. Are you our scouting team from the previous 10 years?

Exactly. Who was creating those goals and assists? 

I don't get all this plucking names out of stat lists and dumping all our own players every season. Some fans need to be careful what they wish for.

It's a team game.

[TomTom92]

Just a quick thought, Charlton agreed a fee with Cheltenham 2 weeks ago for Alfie May and yet the deal hasn't been concluded.

Do we think that May wants to come here but we're only willing to make the bid once we have the monies i.e from Bielik/Knight and therefore thats why its dragging on for him and we're keen to get rid?

[MackworthRamIsGod]

1 minute ago, TomTom92 said:

Just a quick thought, Charlton agreed a fee with Cheltenham 2 weeks ago for Alfie May and yet the deal hasn't been concluded.

Do we think that May wants to come here but we're only willing to make the bid once we have the monies i.e from Bielik/Knight and therefore thats why its dragging on for him and we're keen to get rid?

I like that thought..

Let's run with it 

[duncanjwitham]

14 minutes ago, Blondest Goat said:

Drop in quality?  Huge increase in goals which is what wins you matches and gets you promoted.

You're basically throwing all your eggs in one basket.  If they don't score enough goals to get us up in the next season or 2, we're stuck with a bunch of past-it 30 year olds, probably on big contracts (for League One).  And if we do go up, is there any evidence that they can cut it at Championship level? Not really. So again, we're stuck with a bunch of players that aren't good enough that we need to shift.

I can maybe understand the logic of say throwing a bit of money of Clarke-Harris if the rest of your team is there, but you just need to add goals to it.  But the idea of selling your best young players just to fund a one-time shot at a bunch of players in their late 20s, while the rest of your squad still needs major surgery, is crazy IMO.

[jimtastic56]

8 minutes ago, angieram said:

Exactly. Who was creating those goals and assists? 

I don't get all this plucking names out of stat lists and dumping all our own players every season. Some fans need to be careful what they wish for.

It's a team game.

Could it be Bird ? I think this is a make or break season for Max. If he can’t improve his stats in this league he never will. When was the last time a team showed any interest in Bird ? He has to take a massive step forward this season.

[EnigmaRam]

19 minutes ago, angieram said:

Exactly. Who was creating those goals and assists? 

I don't get all this plucking names out of stat lists and dumping all our own players every season. Some fans need to be careful what they wish for.

It's a team game.

I don’t think many WANT to dump our own players. I think Knight and Bielik are 2 of our best players. That if they stayed fit, especially in Bieliks case could drive this club forward. Unfortunately they’re 2 players that can generate funds to bring in other players that we need in areas we don’t have ie forwards. 

I added Bird as a don’t think just selling those 2 will generate enough to fill the gaps we need to, from the information and players that have been mentioned. And with them all only having 1 year left on the contracts a decision needs to be made, to either cash in or extend to protect the clubs assets. Out of the 3 I believe Bird will bring the least amount as compensation as the other 2 are internationals. 
 

Bird, Hourihane, Thommo and Smith can all do a similar job, so you could move any of them on, but I haven’t heard anything about anyone, bar a tentative rumour that Hull are interested in Bird, so it was his name I added being in funds to fill the forward gaps mentioned above. 

[Srg]

11 minutes ago, EnigmaRam said:

I don’t think many WANT to dump our own players. I think Knight and Bielik are 2 of our best players. That if they stayed fit, especially in Bieliks case could drive this club forward. Unfortunately they’re 2 players that can generate funds to bring in other players that we need in areas we don’t have ie forwards. 

I added Bird as a don’t think just selling those 2 will generate enough to fill the gaps we need to, from the information and players that have been mentioned. And with them all only having 1 year left on the contracts a decision needs to be made, to either cash in or extend to protect the clubs assets. Out of the 3 I believe Bird will bring the least amount as compensation as the other 2 are internationals. 
 

Bird, Hourihane, Thommo and Smith can all do a similar job, so you could move any of them on, but I haven’t heard anything about anyone, bar a tentative rumour that Hull are interested in Bird, so it was his name I added being in funds to fill the forward gaps mentioned above. 

If we got £3-4m for Bielik and Knight that is more than enough to fill the gaps we have at this level. We should not be spending, for example, £1m on a single player in this league. It's just not necessary. And if we are doing, that's the type of spending which got us in this mess to begin with. 

Now I know Transfermarkt can be taken with a pinch of salt, but one quick look shows Sunderland spent circa £500k across the two summers prior to promotion. It just shows you, you really shouldn't be spending silly money. £1m at this level should be 3 or 4 really good players at the least.

[Tamworthram]

1 hour ago, Sparkle said:

Also worth noting that we will have at least 15 players out of contract at the end of this coming season - if they are not signing extended contracts if offered then we should be selling them from this point onwards and that includes the likes of Wildsmith Cashin, knight, Bird, Hourahan 

I honestly don’t know how these things work but is it normal to offer contract extensions 12 months out or sell so many players? Generally, but not always, aren’t contract extensions offered a little nearer the end of the contract? Didn’t we pick Wildsmith and Hourihane up on free transfers? Would their value really have increased that much that it’s worth selling them now if they’re not going to extend especially in the case of Hourihane who must be reaching the end of his playing career? Knight, Cashin and Bird are different. If PW really does see them as part of his plans then a contract extension offer could make sense. I don’t know who the other 10 are but presumably it includes NML who would fall into the same category as Hourihane.