How good is our squad?

[May Contain Nuts]

I do think the lack of a better striker means that top two would be a push but we should easily be able to finish 3rd with what we have.

Perhaps we could have had one with better allocation of the budget? Instead...

We signed Washington  - a player who was very much at the top of the manager's wanted list as evidenced by him being the first signing he made following Rotherham's last promotion and us agreeing to pay a future fee on top of low-end Championship / high-end League One wages to bring him here  - who currently looks a bit-part player and isn't apprently considered our 'main' striker despite the outlay. Seems rather a waste.

We signed Elder - a LB to play LWB, hasn't looked the part when he was played, now injured. Not getting game time, but another L-EC/HE-L1 wage. (Perhaps we could have signed Jack Sparkes on a free after he chose to leave 14th placed Exeter City? Or just stuck with Forsyth as 1st choice as we have done so far)

We signed Bradley - Started off appallingly but not helped by insane tactics, could come good but how does he displace our other CB signing Nelson? Not getting game time, but another L-EC/HE-L1 wage.  (Perhaps we could have signed Conor Shaughnessy on a free after leaving lowly Burton Albion instead?)

Perhaps those players weren't considered capable of playing infront of 20-25k+ crowds though? (Or they just had their hearts set on Portsmouth and nothing could sway them)

🎶Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

Edited October 16, 2023 by Kokosnuss

[Curtains]

Just now, Kokosnuss said:

I do think the lack of a better striker means that top two would be a push but we should easily be able to finish 3rd with what we have.

Perhaps we could have had one with better allocation of the budget? Instead...

We signed Washington  - a player who was very much at the top of the manager's wanted list as evidenced by him being the first signing he made following Rotherham's last promotion and us agreeing to pay a future fee on top of low-end Championship / high-end League One wages to bring him here  - who currently looks a bit-part player and isn't apprently considered our 'main' striker despite the outlay.

We signed Elder - a LB to play LWB, hasn't looked the part when he was played, now injured. Not getting game time, but another L-EC/HE-L1 wage. (Perhaps we could have signed Jack Sparkes after he chose to leave 14th placed Exeter City? Or just stuck with Forsyth as 1st choice as we have done so far)

We signed Bradley - Started off appallingly but not helped by insane tactics, could come good but how does he displace our other CB signing Nelson? Not getting game time, but another L-EC/HE-L1 wage.  (Perhaps we could have signed Conor Shaughnessy from lowly Burton Albion instead?)

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

I think the last three transfer windows have been difficult for Derby.  Rosenior helped by players marked out by Rooney did a good job straight after administration.

Warne has found it difficult to get some of the players he wanted in the two windows he’s had but I think he’s done quite well.  
Warne admitted he didn’t get it right in January with the Norwich lad and we lost Osula .

Dobbin did ok .

He think Warne did ok in August but missed out on striker targets probably down to agents and transfer fees. 
 

Next window will be important in keeping the likes of Bird and Cashin .

Never easy at Derby on and off the field. 
 

[sage]

16 minutes ago, Curtains said:

I think the last three transfer windows have been difficult for Derby.  Rosenior helped by players marked out by Rooney did a good job straight after administration.

Warne has found it difficult to get some of the players he wanted in the two windows he’s had but I think he’s done quite well.  
Warne admitted he didn’t get it right in January with the Norwich lad and we lost Osula .

Dobbin did ok .

He think Warne did ok in August but missed out on striker targets probably down to agents and transfer fees. 
 

Next window will be important in keeping the likes of Bird and Cashin .

Never easy at Derby on and off the field. 
 

What makes you think the summer 2022 signings were down to Rooney?

I'm pretty sure it was said at the time that Rosenoir did it all.

 

[Blondest Goat]

11 minutes ago, sage said:

What makes you think the summer 2022 signings were down to Rooney?

I'm pretty sure it was said at the time that Rosenoir did it all.

 

Rooney claims to have lined some of them up.  Can't remember the specifics but the adult actor who's a derby fan was on a podcast saying he'd bumped into Rooney at an airport lounge or something similar and Rooney had been taking credit for some of the signings.

Edited October 16, 2023 by Blondest Goat

[Ghost of Clough]

1 hour ago, oodledoodle said:

It's all a bit foggy, but the following suggests we can spend transfer fees now, just with caveats.

https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2023/03/derby-county-update-intermediary-fees

I'd assume the 5% is on the transfer fee, but might be wrong.

Intermediary is just a fancy word for agents

 

1 hour ago, Curtains said:

Show me when they announced that .

All I heard was Clowes saying we had a competitive budget for League 1 .

 

Fan Forum - reference to not paying upfront fees. May have also mentioned choosing to spend budget on wages instead of transfer fees, but that may have just been a different interview with Warne.

[Curtains]

27 minutes ago, sage said:

What makes you think the summer 2022 signings were down to Rooney?

I'm pretty sure it was said at the time that Rosenoir did it all.

 

He had players earmarked 

[BondJovi]

1 hour ago, Curtains said:

I think the last three transfer windows have been difficult for Derby. 

 

I would argue that this was the first transfer window since Lampard where the manager actually had some freedom. Certainly good enough for this league.

[RoyMac5]

2 hours ago, Curtains said:

Show me when they announced that .

All I heard was Clowes saying we had a competitive budget for League 1 .

 

"If I wanted to buy a player it would have to come out of my budget and I only have so much left for wages," he said after Saturday's win over Stoke.

"It would have to be an unbelievable player but if I am buying a player for £200k to £300k then I am not sure he's unbelievable. So if I buy a player for that amount, plus his wages, then I can only bring one player in if that's the case..."

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-transfers-paul-warne-8626132

"Derby County will be free to spend moderate transfer and loan fees this summer in what is a significant boost to head coach Paul Warne and his plans to reshape the squad..."

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-free-spend-moderate-8427418

[Walkley Ram]

13 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

"If I wanted to buy a player it would have to come out of my budget and I only have so much left for wages," he said after Saturday's win over Stoke.

"It would have to be an unbelievable player but if I am buying a player for £200k to £300k then I am not sure he's unbelievable. So if I buy a player for that amount, plus his wages, then I can only bring one player in if that's the case..."

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-transfers-paul-warne-8626132

"Derby County will be free to spend moderate transfer and loan fees this summer in what is a significant boost to head coach Paul Warne and his plans to reshape the squad..."

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-free-spend-moderate-8427418

If we sell Bird and Cashin in Jan, we might have a decent budget to actually get "unbelievable" players then. Maybe that was the plan for Cashin and his fee in the summer.

Also, did he say none of his signings were good cos they were all free?

[Curtains]

1 hour ago, RoyMac5 said:

"If I wanted to buy a player it would have to come out of my budget and I only have so much left for wages," he said after Saturday's win over Stoke.

"It would have to be an unbelievable player but if I am buying a player for £200k to £300k then I am not sure he's unbelievable. So if I buy a player for that amount, plus his wages, then I can only bring one player in if that's the case..."

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-transfers-paul-warne-8626132

"Derby County will be free to spend moderate transfer and loan fees this summer in what is a significant boost to head coach Paul Warne and his plans to reshape the squad..."

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-free-spend-moderate-8427418

So he didn’t have much leeway did he !

 

[sage]

2 minutes ago, Curtains said:

So he didn’t have much leeway did he !

 

that was after he had already made several signings and has signed 3 players since, we will have the highest net budget in the division

[Curtains]

7 minutes ago, sage said:

that was after he had already made several signings and has signed 3 players since, we will have the highest net budget in the division

Maybe but not the power to buy a 20 goal a season striker or two .

Having said that Warne needs to get more out the players particularly at home and he knows it as he’s already said he doubts he will be at Derby next season if we fail to go up. 

Edited October 16, 2023 by Curtains
Predictive text

[Magicman]

We need 3 more attacking players IMO 

Wildsmith 

Nyambe Nelson Cashin Fozzy 

Smith Fornah 

Bird 

New New New 

[Ghost of Clough]

30 minutes ago, Curtains said:

Maybe but not the power to buy a 20 goal a season striker or two .

Having said that Warne needs to get more out the players particularly at home and he knows it as he’s already said he doubts he will be at Derby next season if we fail to go up. 

Transfer fees paid for the players who have scored more league goals than Waghorn so far this season:

Devante Cole - Free
Colby Bishop - £500k
Jamie Reid - Nominal
Jordan Rhodes - Loan
Dion Charles - £300k
Alfie May - £250k

[Curtains]

20 minutes ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Transfer fees paid for the players who have scored more league goals than Waghorn so far this season:

Devante Cole - Free
Colby Bishop - £500k
Jamie Reid - Nominal
Jordan Rhodes - Loan
Dion Charles - £300k
Alfie May - £250k

Let’s see how they do at other clubs then !

No good crying over spilt milk. 
 

[CongletonRam]

1 hour ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Transfer fees paid for the players who have scored more league goals than Waghorn so far this season:

Devante Cole - Free
Colby Bishop - £500k
Jamie Reid - Nominal
Jordan Rhodes - Loan
Dion Charles - £300k
Alfie May - £250k

It's a good job you didn't do that for the past 3 seasons. You'd have to mention about every single transfer in the entire football league.

[MadAmster]

On 12/10/2023 at 22:37, CongletonRam said:

Joe Wildsmith: Used as a bit part player for Wednesday (74 games in 9 seasons).

Kane Wilson: Has played the majority of his career in League Two on loan at very small clubs.

Criag Forsyth: Has started to show signs particularly in recent games that age is catching up with him.

Conor Hourihane: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below (but did play in the Prem for a time at Villa)

Sonny Bradley: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below.

Eiran Cashin: A good prospect and will go on to play at a higher level, but both times I have listened to opposition radio commentary of our games, and in both games they claimed they were targeting Cashin for his lack of pace. Brighton were reportedly interested but the fact that he remains at Derby likely tells a tale.

Tom Barkhuizen: Released by Preston as he clearly wasn't considered good enough for them.

Max Bird: A good player at this level and has shown he can be a decent player in the Championship.

James Collins: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below.

Martyn Waghorn: 14 goals in his last 3 seasons. Any goal is a bonus.

Mendez-Liang: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below (but did play in the Prem for a season at Cardiff)

Korey Smith: A player who has yo-yo ed  between Division One and the Championship.

Scott Loach: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below.

Conor Washington: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below.

Liam Thompson: Not sure PW trusts Liam, as he struggles for playing time.

Louie Sibley: Needs to produce more and learn to be a little less rash in the tackle (or even learn to tackle if he is going to be played deeper)

Tyreece John Jules: 9 goals in 56 in the main at League One level. Hardlly prolific for a player who is dubbed a striker.

Callum Elder: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below.

Tyrese Fornah: Played the majority of his short career at League One level or below.

Joe Ward: Played the majority of his short career at League One level or below.

Josh Vickers: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below.

Jake Rooney: Played all of his short career at League One level or below.

Curtin Nelson: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below.

 

 

 

 

 

When players are rumoured to be coming, looking at their past is relevant. When they arrive, it's more what they do for us.

 

Joe Wildsmith: Used as a bit part player for Wednesday (74 games in 9 seasons). Played very well for us, so far. 

Kane Wilson: Has played the majority of his career in League Two on loan at very small clubs. 23 years old. Started low level, came to us and has had injury problems but has looked good in his few appearances.

Craig Forsyth: Has started to show signs particularly in recent games that age is catching up with him. Agree

Conor Hourihane: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below (but did play in the Prem for a time at Villa) Not worth a start at the moment IMO

Sonny Bradley: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below. Not the best of starts for us but has looked better in his recent sub appearances. Won't be replacing Nelson of Cashin just yet.

Eiran Cashin: A good prospect and will go on to play at a higher level, but both times I have listened to opposition radio commentary of our games, and in both games they claimed they were targeting Cashin for his lack of pace. Brighton were reportedly interested but the fact that he remains at Derby likely tells a tale. Not the fastest over 5 yards but does get there. Apparently, once BHA finally agreed to Derby's terms  which included a loan back for the rest of this season, there wasn't enough time to get the deal registered with the FA before the deadline.

Tom Barkhuizen: Released by Preston as he clearly wasn't considered good enough for them. Not the world's best but he has looked good when fit.

Max Bird: A good player at this level and has shown he can be a decent player in the Championship. A class player who will move in the summer if we don't get promoted

James Collins: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below. Immense work rate. Very good in his defensive duties. Not a hold up target man, that's not his skill set. He needs to spend more time in and around the box rather than dropping deep or going out wide as often as he does. Also needs to get on the end of crosses.

Martyn Waghorn: 14 goals in his last 3 seasons. Any goal is a bonus. 6 goals already this season

Mendez-Liang: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below (but did play in the Prem for a season at Cardiff). Has looked off the pace a lot this season. Not in my starting XI but could be a very good impact sub

Korey Smith: A player who has yo-yo ed  between Division One and the Championship. Didn't like him at DM last season but he did well at right back. Has looked better this season at DM

Scott Loach: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below. 3rd choice keeper and is as good as you'd get for that role at this level.

Conor Washington: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below. Scored goals at this level but hasn't set the place alight yet

Liam Thompson: Not sure PW trusts Liam, as he struggles for playing time. Yet, prior to his injury, PW was singing his praises...

Louie Sibley: Needs to produce more and learn to be a little less rash in the tackle (or even learn to tackle if he is going to be played deeper) He can tackle, proved that during his long stints at left back and left wing back last season. Something, no idea what, appears to get him seeing red and taking a player out, unnecessarily. That's the problem that needs solving. As well as LB and LWB, he played left wing right wing and DM last season. He's a #10 who never gets played there. He's never had a run of games in a single position. This, IMO, is why he hasn't developed as much as one would hope. I think PW will put Waggy or Max at #10 ahead of Louie. Taking that into account, I hope he gets a run on the wing instead of NML

Tyreece John Jules: 9 goals in 56 in the main at League One level. Hardly prolific for a player who is dubbed a striker. This is his 4th season meaning he's been getting an average of 18 appearances a season. A fair few of those won't have been starts. A class striker would still have got a higher return. This maybe his level, we'll find out when he's had some more playing time. In his 2 appearances for us so far he has shown flashes of skill and he is very fast. Possibly a good impact sub?

Callum Elder: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below. Injury has meant we can't judge how he'll do with us at this level.

Tyrese Fornah: Played the majority of his short career at League One level or below. Unnecessary yellow cards in his first 2 games but looked good. There followed 3 good performances and then 2 lesser ones. For me he looks like a good signing, hopefully that will prove true.

Joe Ward: Played the majority of his short career at League One level or below. Injuries mean we can't judge him yet.

Josh Vickers: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below. Brought in as #2 keeper. Looked good enough against the 'pies for us to be reasonably confident when he comes on.

Jake Rooney: Played all of his short career at League One level or below. Pre his ACL, looked good enough to keep the shirt.

Curtin Nelson: Played the majority of his career at League One level or below. Looking solid alongside Cash.

 

[Ghost of Clough]

It's not the formation I think best suits this squad, but it does appear Warne will try to get us shaping up in some form of 352 by January although he could potentially delay the transformation until the summer. Which players would therefore fit in Warne's 352? Which players do we need to sign? If we were to make that change in January, I would probably go with something like this:

Starting XI
Wildsmith
Nyambe   Nelson   Cashin
Ward   Bird   Fornah   Sibley   ???
Waghorn   ???

Backup XI
Vickers
Rooney   Bradley   Forsyth
Wilson   Thompson   Smith   Hourihane   Elder
Collins   John-Jules

Reserve
Loach, Mendez-Laing, Barkhuizen, Washington

Edited October 17, 2023 by Ghost of Clough

[Walkley Ram]

19 hours ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Transfer fees paid for the players who have scored more league goals than Waghorn so far this season:

Devante Cole - Free
Colby Bishop - £500k
Jamie Reid - Nominal
Jordan Rhodes - Loan
Dion Charles - £300k
Alfie May - £250k

Of those, none have a better goal-per-minutes record than Waghorn, so it looks like a fantastic bit of business by us. Imagine spending 500k on Bishop for him to take 40 minutes longer than Waggy to score.

 

[Tamworthram]

39 minutes ago, oodledoodle said:

Of those, none have a better goal-per-minutes record than Waghorn, so it looks like a fantastic bit of business by us. Imagine spending 500k on Bishop for him to take 40 minutes longer than Waggy to score.

 

Not forgetting that 2 of Bishop's goals have been penalties whilst none of Waghorn's have.

I know you you still need to score from the penalty spot so credit is due but it can distort the goals scored a little.