Pearson has said to sign a striker we may need to sell. We do have some saleable players, but it's pretty much a buyers market. The obvious candidates are Kalas, Bentley and Nagy and then the younger crop of Semenyo, Bakinson and Massengo or some of the real up and coming talent maybe? or could it be one of the above + Palmer to save a big wedge of wages. It's a tough one that's for sure. For me I would say Nagy who I don't believe has ever settled and has been inconsistent, probably Palmer who is alleged to be on a big wage, there is no doubt he has talent and in the right team might be a match winner but too often looks like a luxury type player, I can't see him attracting a fee. And I know this might prove controversial I would consider Massengo, I know he had a good end to the season but I think my biggest problem with him is, I don't think we have ever settled on where his best position in midfield is, Pearson appeared to play him too far forward for my liking, but he doesn't create much if anything and looks as though he couldn't score in a brothel. No one can question his energy and commitment. I think a defensive midfield position would suit him better, use his best attributes and try to mould him into a Kante type midfielder. I think it's quite obvious we do need to sign a striker, so over to you.
Nagy for me, For similar reasons you quoted, although I am a fan of his I don’t think he had settled here and we have other options in midfield, Palmer too, however I don’t think he’d have many suitors, his wages are too high. I’d sell Semenyo as well unless he starts to score, the only issue is he does excite when he has the ball and we really are short of excitement in the squad.
Nagy and Palmer are good shouts Arguably Bentley could be sold as we have a ready made replacement in Max O'Leary
I hope Bentley doesn’t go, Kalas too, I know all teams have to sell if big clubs come in, but it’s about time we kept our best and players and build around them. I’m also not convinced about Max as first choice, decent back up but feel we over rate him because he’s ‘one of us’
You cannot ignore the ambition of players to play at a higher level, something that some BCFC fans ignore with previous sales, blaming the club and especially Ashton, I doubt that any one of those sales, were forced out. The biggest problem was that far too often the fees were invested poorly on average players and players that it appeared (from lack of game time) LJ did not want. I still think there is more to the Kalas/Pearson spat than meets the eye.
Players LJ didn't want ? Remember LJ waxing lyrical about Dionny 'another club in the bag' (wonder where he got that saying from?). Ryan Kent came on loan, LJ didn't rate him, never played him, we got fined £300K and now he's subject of a £10million transfer go Leeds. He certainly wanted Marley Watkins. Signed him twice, we are the only club who ever paid a fee for Watkins. Engvall........Bu**er me the list is endless. Could it be as simple as piss poor judgement ?
A bit of both, but as time moved on, Ashton was given more and more power by SL and lumbered us with a lot of average players and worst of all a backroom medical staff that exacerbated our problems.
The nooks and crannies in the back halls of Ashton Gate have hopefully been fully cleansed of the past and all the demons have been put to bed. I can see a different horizon under Nigel Pearson which could make us a more competitive entity without all the background noise as to who is actually running the show. I hope that this change will make Steve Lansdown realize that our past has been littered with bad decisions and this is the chance to change our fortunes on a longer term basis with people who really do know what they are doing rather than thinking they know what they are doing. Onwards and upwards should be our buzzword and to hell with the past because our future is more important.
Like the last paragraph Inver. However City had their chance 5 years ago. Alas SL chose a rank novice along with Ashton and we are now in a far worse position. SL thought he was doing the right thing and tbf it's his bat and ball. Some wrote at the time what a grave mistake it was but right now SL has to own it. When you read what financial constraint Pearson has to work within only emphasises what a c*ck up Ashton and Johnson presided over.
No, this is due to the COVID pandemic, if it wasn't for that, then finances would be normal and wouldn't be an issue. You can't blame Ashton and LJ for that, although I'm sure you'd like to. It could be argued that, if we hadn't made so much money from the sale of the "family jewels", we may have gone under during the pandemic. Every club (at least those outside the top 10 in the PL) will have significant financial restraints that they didn't have 2-3 years ago, we are no different. Pearson knew that when he signed on, so he can't cry about it now.
Supcon, what are you like ? Everyone knows the pandemic has hit finances and Pearson would have little room to manoeuvre. The squad now illustrates, alarmingly, how many poor signings were made by Johnson and Ashton.
I agree with most of your post, but would take issue with the last sentence, because that is one thing that won't happen, along with being increasingly under the thumb of a CEO and accepting that situation and even being a willing partner to that situation by signing a new 4 year contract whilst knowing fully his position in the grand scheme of things at BCFC and at a time when his stock was high and jobs with less interference would have been available to him.
Kalas would be worth the most for sure, but would what we get for him get us the striker we need, and how would the overall balance of the team look then? At CB we are quite well stocked with Baker, Atkinson, Moore and Vyner all able to play there, but one is unproven, one is injury prone, and the other 2 are inconsistent at this level, so this could upset the balance more than bringing in a striker. We have to keep Bentley, O'Leary is good, but not 46 games year in the Championship good imo. I would sell Palmer if we can, surely Cardiff, or now Swansea (our 2 feeder clubs) would pay us something for him? I think we could also get £3-4m for Nagy right now after the Euros, so that would be good business to sell him, although I think we would still need one more for the middle of the park as cover, maybe a loan signing.
I think as far as the central defence is concerned part of the problem has always been how poorly drilled they are, especially at set pieces, for the past 2 years we have been shocking at this. There is nobody at all bar Bentley trying to organise the defenders, it should be a defender doing this, Kalas is a great player and leads by example which is fine, but he is not a captain IMHO he is far too quiet. I suppose the hope with Baker is that the year off and subsequent op might make his fitness better?, who knows?. Moore might be another on the move, I am personally hoping that Pearson sees Vyner as a right back and emergency centre back, I like him a lot but he does switch off especially at set pieces, Atkinson is unproven but so was Webster so hopefully lightening will strike twice, I think Cundy might get a chance at some stage (Tinnion likens him to Flint) and also Towler. The major point with the Kalas situation is his relationship with Pearson, I am not so sure it's as clear as has been reported. Nagy 2mil at best in this depressed market, I would be amazed if Swansea or Cardiff went for Palmer, he barely featured for Swansea and Cardiff already have one of our ex luxury players. I don't think he would attract a fee from anybody in the current market. Either release him on a free or build the midfield around him because he is our best outlet around the opponents box.
However good the concerned players are I would suggest if there is a rift twixt player and manager then the player be sent on their merry way for fees. To invest in a side that carries some questionables I think we should get all the minor quarrels out of the way before it impinges on the season and if that means some good players moving on then so be it. Harmony and agony are very distant from each other and how nice it would be to have a full season of one of them and I can tell you the preferred choice won't hurt.
The bottom line is that Nige needs a squad that will accept his judgements and decisions, and that he in turn will be able to trust, hence (probably) the signing of King and James from his old club. Any players that don't want to accept the new broom and regime are better off leaving the club for everyone's sake. We need harmony more than ever, then we'll see what we have.
Bentley will be sacrificed if we have to sell-will fetch the most money. However for me Midfield is overrun so Palmer or Nagy.But we could keep them all and still get a striker in.
Gary Johnson and Steve Cotterill tried that as well, they didn't last long once they adopted that approach.....
