January 2017 Transfer Thread

[Jinky]

Sorry, Jinky, I totally disagree with your point. As I said, if Williamson breaks, we would be in real trouble IMO.

Whatever Lambert says, having 6 or 16 CBs is not the point, it's whether they are 'fit for purpose' that's important. We have seen that Batth, Stearman, Hause and Iorfa really struggle when the pair of CBs is picked from amongst them.

They need the guidance of Williamson to be effective and if he's not there for whatever reason, we need someone else who can mentor the others like he does.

Maybe the player we need isn't available this month, and if so then we'll have to keep our fingers crossed Williamson doesn't break.

It's absolutely shocking that a club that professes to want to get to the top has let this situation evolve for so long and goes from transfer window to window without being able/willing to do anything about it.

So come on Wolves. pull your finger out and get a good CB sorted.

Lots of people have agreed with my point since, by the looks of it. But for clarity; I don't disagree we require an improvement in defence if we're to challenge for promotion next season. But with this season more or less done, I commented that I think our recruitment in defence will be done over the summer.

A defence of Coady-Batth-Stears-Doc just kept a clean sheet against Sheffield Wednesday - a team sitting in a play off position.

A defence of Iorfa-Williamson-Hause-Doc just kept a clean sheet against Premier League opposition.

It makes absolutely perfect sense to see this season through with those players, especially as we're seeing a marked improvement since Lambert came in. Particularly if he continues to blood a few youngsters alongside the players mentioned above, rather than signing more bodies now and pushing them further down the list/denying them of first team opportunities.

Our recruitment in defence will be done in the summer. You can shout as much from the rooftops to say otherwise, but it'll only be one of us disappointed at the end of this month.

 

[Dinowolf]

Lots of people have agreed with my point since, by the looks of it. But for clarity; I don't disagree we require an improvement in defence if we're to challenge for promotion next season. But with this season more or less done, I commented that I think our recruitment in defence will be done over the summer.

A defence of Coady-Batth-Stears-Doc just kept a clean sheet against Sheffield Wednesday - a team sitting in a play off position.

A defence of Iorfa-Williamson-Hause-Doc just kept a clean sheet against Premier League opposition.

It makes absolutely perfect sense to see this season through with those players, especially as we're seeing a marked improvement since Lambert came in. Particularly if he continues to blood a few youngsters alongside the players mentioned above, rather than signing more bodies now and pushing them further down the list/denying them of first team opportunities.

Our recruitment in defence will be done in the summer. You can shout as much from the rooftops to say otherwise, but it'll only be one of us disappointed at the end of this month.

We'll have to agree to disagree then and both hope Williamson doesn't break again.

This isn't a new problem as I said, and I've been going on about it for months and the longer it goes on the less we will achieve. We didn't solve the problem last summer so you can't keep leaving it until the next window, and then the next window.

If our recruitment people are any good they would have someone lined up now, so let's go and get him. If they haven't then that shows a lack of ambition, or a lack of realisation of our main problem.

We are not safe from relegation yet and IMO, Lambert and Thelwell are taking a massive gamble with our future by not improving our defence now.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

If the excuse for not getting in another CB that has the organisational qualities of MW is prices are inflated in January perhaps we should consider selling in this inflated market and cash in as best we can on Batth. With Stearman going back in the summer that would leave us with 4 CB going forward, MW, EEL, Hause and ideally a new signing. I’d love to see us start off the new season with Batth and Stears nowhere to be seen.

 

[Alan]

I don't think we can count on Williamson being healthy for the rest of the season and therefore another smart, organizing CB is a necessity this month. Any other defenders are a luxury, IMO.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

How anyone can think our defence does not need improving is just beyond me. But the same could be said for our strikers. Defenders who cannot defend and strikers who cannot score is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Johnny75]

How anyone can think our defence does not need improving is just beyond me. But the same could be said for our strikers. Defenders who cannot defend and strikers who cannot score is a recipe for disaster.

We did pretty well against Stoke and I would argue it is only 2 defenders that can't defend and both have been almost ever present. Pretty odd to me.

As for the strikers, we certainly do need one.

 

[Alan]

How anyone can think our defence does not need improving is just beyond me. But the same could be said for our strikers. Defenders who cannot defend and strikers who cannot score is a recipe for disaster.

I'm not sure anyone is saying it doesn't need to improve, just differences in opinion of how that improvement comes about. We all know that Hause and Iorfa are massively talented and even Doherty has improved a lot this year. What they need, in my opinion, is a leader on the pitch who can more easily talk to them in the middle of a match. Help them read danger, anticipate where their marks might run, etc. They are mostly talented but lack mental acuity that someone like Williamson (or Ricketts before him) brings to the table.

As for our strikers, it's more difficult to disagree with you. However, if they are involved in general play, are setting up chances for others, and generally keeping opposing defenses occupied to open spaces for the likes of Cav/Costa/et al., then goal scoring need not be the only measure of their effectiveness.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Doherty's attacking play has improved a lot over the last year - and ever more noticeably since Lambert came in - to the point where he actually looks pretty useful now and is a genuine goal/assist threat. His defending is as bad as ever and evidently that won't ever improve, if it were going to then it would have done by now, he's been playing first team football here and elsewhere for five years now, over 150 career appearances and he's 25 next week. And it's not sustainable for a first choice full back to play like that.

What concerns me is tying players like that down to really long contracts, I can't be having us accepting mediocrity like that.

I'd like us to sign a striker this month, if we don't then all of Dicko, Bodvarsson and Mason will basically have a three month trial to prove one way or another if they're up to it (relative to where we want to be). I don't think Mason is at all, there's a lot to like about the other two but we need some goals very soon from both. Doesn't matter how good your general play is, no-one gets away with playing up front and scoring <5 in a full season.

 

[Tony Towner]

Sam Winnall probably going to Sheff Wed for £500k as he won't sign another contract at Barnsley. At that price I think we should get involved, Wednesday are local to where he lives and a better short term option for him, but perhaps he may be interested in proving himself back home.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

Sam Winnall probably going to Sheff Wed for £500k as he won't sign another contract at Barnsley. At that price I think we should get involved, Wednesday are local to where he lives and a better short term option for him, but perhaps he may be interested in proving himself back home.

It does make me wonder what goes on at the club. Vokes and Winnall not considered good enough, yet both have proved Wolves wrong in letting them go.

 

[Tony Towner]

Both left for the right reason at the right time, they wouldn't have got game time and both went away and developed. I didn't have an issue with either decision at the time and still don't. Vokes was released when we were in the PL, he wasn't a PL player then and isn't really now, he is a good Championship forward though.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Both left for the right reason at the right time, they wouldn't have got game time and both went away and developed. I didn't have an issue with either decision at the time and still don't.

Absolutely.

The only thing you could question with Vokes is that we could/should have had him higher up the pecking order in 2009/10 rather than using Iwelumo (already looked like his Indian Summer was over before we sealed promotion) or signing Maierhofer (don't need to pass further comment on that one). But even then, it's not like he'd have played that much. And worth remembering that he left us and followed it up with a mighty four goals in 46 games in his first season at Burnley.

Winnall is a good lad, done brilliantly at Scunny and Barnsley, massive respect for coming back from a very serious injury, but the choice back in 2013 was essentially between him, Cassidy and McAlinden. Now it's clear which of the three has gone on to be the best player - notwithstanding that we played our own part in messing up McAlinden's development - but at the time there were very few complaints about favouring the two that we did. McAlinden had a way better record in age group football and Cassidy was not long off his very successful loan spell at Tranmere.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Hindsight is a great gift when it comes to releasing or selling players and most clubs look at their previous players and often think "if only". For a laugh I put together a team of If onlys that we have sold in the last 4 years

Hennessy
Ricketts Shackell Friend Ward

Kightly Davis Macdonald Sako

Afobe Fletcher

subs
De Vries/ Kuszczak
Goldbourne
Halford
Van La Parra
Hammill
Henry
Vokes


Its a decent enough team but its not a world beater. Would it be better than what we have now?

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

You are missing Jarvis and guedioura

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Yep!

 

[Johnny75]

Both left for the right reason at the right time, they wouldn't have got game time and both went away and developed. I didn't have an issue with either decision at the time and still don't. Vokes was released when we were in the PL, he wasn't a PL player then and isn't really now, he is a good Championship forward though.

Vokes I agree with but at the time Winnall was released he was head and shoulders above both McAlinden and Cassidy and I was surprised he was released. He has an excellent attitude and when I asked a senior person at Wolves why he wasn't being retained they said he'd never make it as he isn't physical enough although he was a great lad.

I'm not sure Winnall would come back to a club where certain people have been promoted.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Jarvis would defo be ahead of sako and gued would possibly be ahead of davies

Up front it is a fine team. Friend is no centre back though, and putting halford in there is a bit odd. Might as well put the hoff or o hara

 

[YoungWolf]

Vokes I agree with but at the time Winnall was released he was head and shoulders above both McAlinden and Cassidy and I was surprised he was released. He has an excellent attitude and when I asked a senior person at Wolves why he wasn't being retained they said he'd never make it as he isn't physical enough although he was a great lad.

I'm not sure Winnall would come back to a club where certain people have been promoted.

He wouldn't come back, from what I know he was quite pissed off with the club.

 

[Johnny75]

He wouldn't come back, from what I know he was quite pissed off with the club.

Don't blame him either. If only we knew Thelwell was this bad before.....

 

[Lycan]

Ola John close to joining Depor (another Mendes club) on loan. Farewell Ola, it's been emotional.