Transfer window analysis

Talking Point 🗣️

It is hard to be surprised by the club’s transfer policy, they did tell us. Players to leave because the training pitches weren’t long enough as well as to trim the budget, plus a couple in to help where we were short.

And that is what we got.

The great unknown was whether we’d keep Lloyd Jones, Small and Leaburn. As a bonus we even saw L Jones sign a new contract.

I’ve been around a long time, and I don’t think I have enough fingers to count the amount of times we have sold a key player late in a transfer window, particularly in January, so it was pleasing to see the club rebuff enquires from other clubs for our young players.

I think our business was alright. Of course both McIntyre and Gilbert are unknown’s. They have played very few professional games, yet Allan Campbell had played over 260 at the time of joining, so that doesn’t always equate.

McIntyre gives us competition on the left side of defence and Gilbert provides a ternion of options at 6, 10 or wide.

The activity has left us short net. We are prone to injuries and cover is lacking in critical areas, but I don’t expect Jones will look to the free-agent market. He appears pretty pleased with what we have now until the end of the season.

Many other clubs really went for it – Wycombe signed ten players and all around us in the table teams were far more active, but attempting to integrate lots of players mid-season isn’t easy either.

Last season we added a large number of players throughout the month of January, and we didn’t win a game until the end of February. For me January is more about adding a couple of key constituent parts that can take a team up a gear.

I do accept the argument though that we are possible on the precipice of something, but this lot were never going to throw much money at the opportunity.

Momentum is as important as any loan signing. This group is not Lee Bowyer’s 2019 squad, nowhere near, but we have momentum and a fully fit squad. We now watch and see where that takes us.