Transfer Gossip

[radcliffe white]

14 minutes ago, Lostock Whites said:

Which again reinforces our position in the top 20, 13th on the all time table. Shows we've been relevant and one of the most competitive clubs in the country semi recently and since football began.

Going on a few people's arguments here, Sheff Weds are a bigger club than us but haven't been in the top flight for 23 years and their four league titles came before 1930. 

We've had just as much recent success than a lot of other big clubs in the same bracket as us, with being in the premier league for 13 years, league cup finals, 2 European campaigns in the knockout stages and even a little pizza cup to top it off.

Sheff Weds, Derby, Ipswich, Notts Forest, West Brom, Sunderland are all similar sized clubs to us and are near us in the all time table, yet arguably we've done more than all of them in the past 20 years 

I think all bar West Brom the rest are significantly bigger than us in terms of support but yes we’ve achieved more in that time 

[Tombwfc]

Wigan have an FA Cup and four League One titles since 2000. Rovers have a Premier League and League Cup. Where does that get them? Bigger than Tottenham?

How does this help us sign players in 2023?

Edited May 31, 2023 by Tombwfc

[desperado]

7 minutes ago, Tombwfc said:

Wigan have an FA Cup and four League One titles since 2000. Rovers have a Premier League and League Cup. Where does that get them? Bigger than Tottenham?

How does this help us sign players in 2023?

We really are going round in circles here. Did you read Jack Iredale’s comments, you know, the guy that signed for us last year after finishing 9th in L1?

[desperado]

Here’s a reminder in case you forgot it from a few hours ago

[Lostock Whites]

The players know it, when they sign for us they tend to make reference to the  glory days in Europe with Jay Jay, Hierro and co.

My point is none of the club's I mentioned before experienced that in the past 20 years, we did and we will always treasure it.

But yes, time to look forward to the next 20 years !

[Tombwfc]

1 hour ago, desperado said:

We really are going round in circles here. Did you read Jack Iredale’s comments, you know, the guy that signed for us last year after finishing 9th in L1?

 

I hate to break this to you but... 

“I suppose you just have to take one look around at the stadium and facilities that this club has, and I needed no second invitation to sign for a massive club like this.”

https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/2022/june/conor-mccarthy-interview/#:~:text=“I suppose you just have,UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds.

 

"I’m delighted to get a chance to come to a massive club like this and get the opportunity to play."

https://wiganathletic.com/news/2021/august/Joe-Bennett-I-m-delighted-to-come-to-a-massive-club-like-this-/

 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Tombwfc

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

Indeed

It's almost as if players like to say nice things about a club they've just arrived at, isn't it?

[desperado]

6 hours ago, Tombwfc said:

 

I hate to break this to you but... 

“I suppose you just have to take one look around at the stadium and facilities that this club has, and I needed no second invitation to sign for a massive club like this.”

https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/news/2022/june/conor-mccarthy-interview/#:~:text=“I suppose you just have,UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds.

 

"I’m delighted to get a chance to come to a massive club like this and get the opportunity to play."

https://wiganathletic.com/news/2021/august/Joe-Bennett-I-m-delighted-to-come-to-a-massive-club-like-this-/

 

Well of course they do and you wouldn’t expect anything else.

Shame you have to search around on Google for “player signs for Wigan - massive club” to make your point. 🤣

Iredale’s comments were first mentioned to  @Lt. Aldo Raine   to dismiss his claims that we just train on a field in Lostock.

And then furthermore to add gravitas to the debate that Bolton are a bigger/better proposition for a new signing than Barnsley and certainly Wigan 🤣

I’ve still not heard one decent argument to dispel my opinion that: 

If the same deal is on the table for a player this summer, is he going to choose a club that’s on the up, ambitious to get back to where we belong having been away for so long, a club that presently is playing in front of top level crowds in a top class stadium, a club steeped in history, with a manager who is young, ambitious, progressive, known for playing an attractive brand and who is committed to the longer term project … or Barnsley/Wigan?

Edited June 1, 2023 by desperado

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

Oh, ffs 🤦‍♂️

[desperado]

2 minutes ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

Oh, ffs 🤦‍♂️

Yes we are going round in circles aren’t we? 🤣

But, as a balanced poster on here, I’m interested to know your answer to my last question. In that scenario, same deal being offered, is a player signing for Bolton or Barnsley? (We’ll leave Wigan out of it 😊) 

[Eddie]

Off-season’s shit isn’t it. Have we signed Saviola yet?

I remember the first time I thought we were proper big time - we were trying to sign Andy Johnson for £8m. Back in the days before constant updates from twitter etc., waiting to hear some rumour from somewhere or grab a UK newspaper on holiday to see whether he was going to come to us or Everton.

Crazy to think that was 16-17 years ago and now I’d be getting excited if we spent £800k on someone. Football’s mint.

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

1 hour ago, desperado said:

Yes we are going round in circles aren’t we? 🤣

But, as a balanced poster on here, I’m interested to know your answer to my last question. In that scenario, same deal being offered, is a player signing for Bolton or Barnsley? (We’ll leave Wigan out of it 😊) 

I'd expect the majority would sign for us

But neither do I think it's so cut and dried because there will be different factors at play and, like the rest of us, footballers don't all share the same view regarding what's best for their careers

In the long-term, our club has a higher ceiling and would be a safer bet when it comes to maintaining its place further up the fotball pyramid, but not every footballer is looking for a home for the next three or four years 

Those lookong for a quicker stepping stone to the next league up - if looking at it today - might well view Barnsley as being the more likely to get promoted next season

Either way, I certainly don't think there'd be a great deal of difference between training facilities for it to make a difference (which was the point I was making)

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

Of course, it's perfectly sensible to leave "the Tics" out of it 🙂

[desperado]

1 minute ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

I'd expect the majority would sign for us

But neither do I think it's so cut and dried because there will be different factors at play and, like the rest of us, footballers don't all share the same view regarding what's best for their careers

In the long-term, our club has a higher ceiling and would be a safer bet when it comes to maintaining its place further up the fotball pyramid, but not every footballer is looking for a home for the next three or four years 

Those lookong for a quicker stepping stone to the next league up - if looking at it today - might well view Barnsley as being the more likely to get promoted next season

Either way, I certainly don't think there'd be a great deal of difference between training facilities for it to make a difference (which was the point I was making)

Fair enough. Cheers for the reply. It’s a well balanced response. 

Despite our debate on this, I don’t think we are a million miles away from each other with our perspective. 

Unless I get directly quoted I’m going to leave this debate now.

It would make for some more cracking debate if further down the line this summer, us and Barnsley are after the same player 🤣👍

[Whitesince63]

It’s certainly an interesting debate about why players choose to sign for a club. Obviously ambition comes into it in most cases, especially when you’re young but as a player gets older I’m sure other things take over. Family for one and where you live can make a massive difference. Security of payment as well I would think these days with even some of the “bigger” clubs falling foul and surely the manager also makes a difference and having a competent and reliable owner. I doubt if the likes of Ivan, Youri or Jay Jay would have signed for us if it wasn’t for Sam and I’m quite sure that IE comes across well for the players he signs. Clearly it will be different for every player but I’m sure money isn’t the single most important criteria on most players minds when they decide which club to sign for, even though an important one.

[woolli]

1 hour ago, Whitesince63 said:

It’s certainly an interesting debate about why players choose to sign for a club. Obviously ambition comes into it in most cases, especially when you’re young but as a player gets older I’m sure other things take over. Family for one and where you live can make a massive difference. Security of payment as well I would think these days with even some of the “bigger” clubs falling foul and surely the manager also makes a difference and having a competent and reliable owner. I doubt if the likes of Ivan, Youri or Jay Jay would have signed for us if it wasn’t for Sam and I’m quite sure that IE comes across well for the players he signs. Clearly it will be different for every player but I’m sure money isn’t the single most important criteria on most players minds when they decide which club to sign for, even though an important one.

Ambition? Like Paul Mullins dropping from league one Cambridge to non league Wrexham?  You dont think it was the offer of 10 grand a week then?

[Casino]

15 minutes ago, woolli said:

Ambition? Like Paul Mullins dropping from league one Cambridge to non league Wrexham?  You dont think it was the offer of 10 grand a week then?

obviously and probably the biggest attraction

it was also the opportunity to live closer to home

theres many factors

mullin knew when he signed hed be playing every week, scoring goals every week and part of a club that was going to progress

[Eddie]

8 minutes ago, Casino said:

obviously and probably the biggest attraction

it was also the opportunity to live closer to home

theres many factors

mullin knew when he signed hed be playing every week, scoring goals every week and part of a club that was going to progress

And is now idolised by a fan base, has Hollywood mates, is weirdly known worldwide and has probably had the best 2 years of his career.

Could have been on and off the bench for someone like Hull though if he’d have had some ambition.

[Zico]

16 hours ago, gonzo said:

Nah, we are deffo one above Preston mate. 

They're in the Blackpool tier imo.

We are probably like you say top half of champ and bottom half of prem is our patch. Near enough every decade since the 60s weve flitted between the two.

Our tier has West Brom in it. Ipswich too and Sheff United. Crystal Palace and Blackburn. Stoke too.

One above you've got your Sheff Weds, Wolves, Forest etc

We all come back to our natural level.

Look at Brighton. Loving life and having their day in the sun but it won't last forever. Theyll end up back in the championship and hovering about with 13k gates.

 

Brighton just finished 6th and got into Europe for the first time ever 

That was us 18 years ago 

That season Brighton finished 20th in the championship, top attendance was 6848 

A Brighton fan in his 20s would scoff at the idea we were on a par. 

Football is cyclical 

For me the only objective metric is the all time PL or top flight table 

From that and 13 or 14 pl seasons, there's nothing to suggest our overall ambition shouldn't be in the championship looking to get into the pl, as opposed to consolidating or scraping by 

I also don't think there's anything to suggest we're on a par with Preston or Barnsley 

Though right now I'd take the position Preston are in, and both us and Barnsley have exactly the same target next season 

That doesn't make us equal though

[Farrelli]

The debate will rumble on but to bring it back to the original post, it is not realistic that we will take any of Barnsley’s better players this Summer. 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

23 minutes ago, Farrelli said:

The debate will rumble on but to bring it back to the original post, it is not realistic that we will take any of Barnsley’s better players this Summer. 

1. If Evatt wants anyone.

2. If Barnsley are willing to sell.

3. If we can afford them.

4. If they want to come.

5. If they want a selfie with Dame Sharon.

[Farrelli]

31 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

1. If Evatt wants anyone.

2. If Barnsley are willing to sell.

3. If we can afford them.

4. If they want to come.

5. If they want a selfie with Dame Sharon.

1. He would love 1/2 players as they are better than what we have. I’m thinking Anderson, Cadden, Connell.

2. Not likely to a rival.

3. We need to spread our budget this Summer and improve 4/5 positions.

4. Sideways move so it would come down to other factors.

5. Bonus😀

[DazBob]

1 minute ago, Farrelli said:

2. Not likely to a rival.

4. Sideways move so it would come down to other factors.

 

That's gonna set 'em off again

[Farrelli]

12 minutes ago, DazBob said:

 

That's gonna set 'em off again

Aye, average attendance from 1903😂

[gonzo]

Dion Charles would be a great signing for Wrexham.