What is Our Team Building Strategy?

[Knibbsworth]

Newcastle are 7 points clear of the relegation zone. I don’t think they are preparing for life in the Championship just yet.

And if they were I think they might be able to afford a better CB than Watts. Last time they came to Home Park in the Championship they had Fabricio Coloccini who was on £70,000 a week and playing for Argentina at the time.

 

[Nobby]

Why is Watts unlikely - is he likely to go back and play for Newcastle in the Premier League?
Why can't we afford Adam Lewis? I doubt he is one of Liverpool's top earners.
Why would Lowe play Fornah all season if he wasn't keen on him?

I don't think any of our loan players are particularly above our level of affordability. They are young and possibly all believe they are destined for the top, but we shall see about that. Reality will bite when their contracts expire and it is the likes of Argyle, Blackpool and Doncaster that will be on the phone to their agents.

Watts is highly rated at Newcastle. Has trained with the first team and made an appearance in the PL. If they go down (which is possible - they are awful), having a young academy centre back in the squad isn't outside the realms of possibility. If they sell, I think he'd attract Championship clubs due to his age and potential.

Lewis is on a long term contract, thought fairly highly of and relatively young. Liverpool sell notoriously well. It's not a wage issue, it's a fee issue. I think they'd be looking for well over £500,000, which would be a stretch for us unless significant money came in for Jephcott. On top of that, we just paid a fee for Cooper who is considered a LWB by Lowe.

Fornah - I'm not saying Lowe isn't keen on him, but I don't think we'd spend money on him when other areas of the squad need to be prioritised and we have Adam Randell coming through in the same position. I also think we can do better if we're aiming for the Championship.

 

[WoodsyGreen]

Lewis is just cover for Cooper. We won't be interested in signing him permanently since we spent a decent fee on the guy he's covering for. That wouldn't make economic sense even in normal times.

 

[EyeOpener]

Lewis is just cover for Cooper. We won't be interested in signing him permanently since we spent a decent fee on the guy he's covering for. That wouldn't make economic sense even in normal times.

Nor does signing players that have played at a higher level that are injury prone but we do it anyway.

 

[WoodsyGreen]

Lewis is just cover for Cooper. We won't be interested in signing him permanently since we spent a decent fee on the guy he's covering for. That wouldn't make economic sense even in normal times.

Nor does signing players that have played at a higher level that are injury prone but we do it anyway.

That's a calculated gamble, though. It hasn't yet paid off with MacLeod but there was no fee involved to bring him in.

Permanently signing two players for the same position when we've already got Connor Grant there as well would be a folly that I couldn't imagine the board sanctioning.

 

[EyeOpener]

Lewis is just cover for Cooper. We won't be interested in signing him permanently since we spent a decent fee on the guy he's covering for. That wouldn't make economic sense even in normal times.

Nor does signing players that have played at a higher level that are injury prone but we do it anyway.

That's a calculated gamble, though. It hasn't yet paid off with MacLeod but there was no fee involved to bring him in.

Permanently signing two players for the same position when we've already got Connor Grant there as well would be a folly that I couldn't imagine the board sanctioning.

I agree with you 100% on us not signing Lewis although I think it wouldn't be because Lowe/the board didnt want him. I was just having a dig at the part of our recruitment strategy that seems to say its OK to take a chance on sicknotes...that does not make economic sense. Could probably include Reeves with MacLeod.

 

[WoodsyGreen]

Yep, and Ness before them.

I guess it's inevitable when you don't have deep pockets that managers are sometimes going to take a punt on an injury-prone player who is probably only available to them because of his injury record.

Look at Newport signing Ryan Taylor. He made a great start for them and they must have thought the gamble had paid off, but then he went and did his hamstring and missed the next 12 weeks!

 

[Knibbsworth]

Why is Watts unlikely - is he likely to go back and play for Newcastle in the Premier League?
Why can't we afford Adam Lewis? I doubt he is one of Liverpool's top earners.
Why would Lowe play Fornah all season if he wasn't keen on him?

I don't think any of our loan players are particularly above our level of affordability. They are young and possibly all believe they are destined for the top, but we shall see about that. Reality will bite when their contracts expire and it is the likes of Argyle, Blackpool and Doncaster that will be on the phone to their agents.

Watts is highly rated at Newcastle. Has trained with the first team and made an appearance in the PL. If they go down (which is possible - they are awful), having a young academy centre back in the squad isn't outside the realms of possibility. If they sell, I think he'd attract Championship clubs due to his age and potential.

Lewis is on a long term contract, thought fairly highly of and relatively young. Liverpool sell notoriously well. It's not a wage issue, it's a fee issue. I think they'd be looking for well over £500,000, which would be a stretch for us unless significant money came in for Jephcott. On top of that, we just paid a fee for Cooper who is considered a LWB by Lowe.

Fornah - I'm not saying Lowe isn't keen on him, but I don't think we'd spend money on him when other areas of the squad need to be prioritised and we have Adam Randell coming through in the same position. I also think we can do better if we're aiming for the Championship.

I would wager that most of the young players on loan at Argyle will get released and clubs like Argyle is where they will end up.

Newcastle can rate Watts all they like but against Sheffield Utd, as LCB he should have been guarding the back post. He didn't even know Basham was there. He has got some improving to do before he can budge Lascelles or Ciaran Clark out of that backline.

I like Watts as a player and a young lad, would love to see him and Opoku achieve in the game. But if 35 year old Billy Sharp is quite a handful, too quick and incisive, the like of Vardy, Kane, Rashford and Aubemeyang will give them nightmares.

Our back 3 are not even good by League One standards, so talk of going back to Newcastle, Fulham and Liverpool and being out of our league seems a bit far fetched. They don't look too good for League One at the moment.

 

[signalspast]

You also have to think that premiership clubs will keep a certain amount of young players i their squads to fall within the home grown quota of players.