Ross McCrorie signed - Confirmed

[Jerseybean]

Good to know ‘Despite having three-years on his contract, McCrorie is expected to leave for a fee worth around £2million plus add-ons with Bristol City's conduct during the transfer negotiations believed to have been "exemplary".’

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, Jerseybean said:

Good to know ‘Despite having three-years on his contract, McCrorie is expected to leave for a fee worth around £2million plus add-ons with Bristol City's conduct during the transfer negotiations believed to have been "exemplary".’

I like the bit that we saw off West Brom and Norwich too.

[Jerseybean]

2 hours ago, Davefevs said:

I like the bit that we saw off West Brom and Norwich too.

https://www.westbromnews.co.uk/2023/06/03/bristol-city-beat-west-brom-to-ross-mccrorie-transfer-as-medical-now-due/

[TammyAB]

The fact we've gone early is a massive help. West Brom have no money to spend as far as I'm aware but if they sold a few in the next few weeks to raise funds then maybe they could've pipped us

[Jacki]

That second one looked more of a pen than the one that was given. Absolute joke

[Port Said Red]

7 minutes ago, Jacki said:

That second one looked more of a pen than the one that was given. Absolute joke

Wrong thread?

[chinapig]

18 minutes ago, TammyAB said:

The fact we've gone early is a massive help. West Brom have no money to spend as far as I'm aware but if they sold a few in the next few weeks to raise funds then maybe they could've pipped us

As the link @Jerseybeanposted says they are in a financial mess. Even if they sell players they may need the money to pay off debts. Assuming the owner doesn't take it again to prop up his other businesses.

 Not being able to sign players might be the least of their worries.

[Jacki]

1 minute ago, Port Said Red said:

Wrong thread?

Yep sorry  

[Jerseybean]

13 minutes ago, chinapig said:

As the link @Jerseybeanposted says they are in a financial mess. Even if they sell players they may need the money to pay off debts. Assuming the owner doesn't take it again to prop up his other businesses.

 Not being able to sign players might be the least of their worries.

Scottish media reporting ‘Aberdeen have agreed a fee for Ross McCrorie that could eventually cost Bristol City £3 million. The Dons have thrashed out an initial payment with the English Championship side over just over £2 million along with future add-ons and a sell-on for their vice-captain.’

[Colombo Robin]

43 minutes ago, Jacki said:

That second one looked more of a pen than the one that was given. Absolute joke

 Don't really care which pen he uses, just happy he's signed. What was wrong with his first one?

[Cornacix the Druid]

20 minutes ago, Colombo Robin said:

 Don't really care which pen he uses, just happy he's signed. What was wrong with his first one?

There's some funny buggers on here, ain't there?

[Colombo Robin]

2 minutes ago, Cornacix the Druid said:

There's some funny buggers on here, ain't there?

Glad you enjoyed it

[BLRed]

Pretty surprised by the 3 mill price we are reportedly paying. Most said we will barely spend anything, let alone close to that figure, let alone for a 25 yo utility player.

it surely won’t be 2-3 mill? If so, surely a player like chair is attainable for that type of money who may provide more goals to the team

[George Rs]

Still so unsure about this. 
 

Admittedly not watched much of the Scottish league and never an Aberdeen game but £2-3million?? Much like our forum it seems Aberdeen fans are split down the middle with some devastated he’s leaving and others thinking their ceo/chairmen has played a blinder if £3mil is the genuine price. 
 

Not trying to be pessimistic but surely that amount of money for someone untested at championship level is highly risky when it could be spent on more experienced targets? 

[Davefevs]

2 minutes ago, BLRed said:

Pretty surprised by the 3 mill price we are reportedly paying. Most said we will barely spend anything, let alone close to that figure, let alone for a 25 yo utility player.

it surely won’t be 2-3 mill? If so, surely a player like chair is attainable for that type of money who may provide more goals to the team

Scottish media overplaying the fee, makes it look better for Aberdeen fan’s disappointment in him going.

FWIW I’ve heard:

• £2m + add-ons
• £2m which includes add-ons

I’m surprised it’s that high, but he’s under contract til summer 2026 and that helps Aberdeen push the price up.

I think we need to stop thinking £x million for a utility player and think £x million for a CB, £x million for a CM, £x million for a RB.  If the people that count think he’s an upgrade on what we have in one position it’s just a bonus he can play in other positions.  That how I see it anyway.

[Jose]

Seems an awful lot of money. Add Aberdeen fans being split on him I struggle to be overly excited by this. That said we obviously see something in him so look forward to seeing what he can do. 

[Davefevs]

3 minutes ago, George Rs said:

Still so unsure about this. 
 

Admittedly not watched much of the Scottish league and never an Aberdeen game but £2-3million?? Much like our forum it seems Aberdeen fans are split down the middle with some devastated he’s leaving and others thinking their ceo/chairmen has played a blinder if £3mil is the genuine price. 
 

Not trying to be pessimistic but surely that amount of money for someone untested at championship level is highly risky when it could be spent on more experienced targets? 

Try and find the recent televised games against Celtic and Rangers, and then see what you think.

I don’t care too much for those that say the SPL or Scottish football in general is crap.  It’s on the up too and there are lots of players who’ve ventured down south of the border in recent years to show that “we” should take our blinkers off re the SPL.  The recent work permit rules have allowed them to pick up those players who don’t pass the English FA WP rules, so they’ve been growing their levels.

McGinn, Tierney, Christie, McKenna, Dykes just thinking of a few.  Plenty of others too.

[glynriley]

3 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Scottish media overplaying the fee, makes it look better for Aberdeen fan’s disappointment in him going.

FWIW I’ve heard:

• £2m + add-ons
• £2m which includes add-ons

I’m surprised it’s that high, but he’s under contract til summer 2026 and that helps Aberdeen push the price up.

I think we need to stop thinking £x million for a utility player and think £x million for a CB, £x million for a CM, £x million for a RB.  If the people that count think he’s an upgrade on what we have in one position it’s just a bonus he can play in other positions.  That how I see it anyway.

If the £3m includes add ins, and one of those is promotion, I hope he costs us £3m. 

[George Rs]

1 minute ago, Davefevs said:

Try and find the recent televised games against Celtic and Rangers, and then see what you think.

I don’t care too much for those that say the SPL or Scottish football in general is crap.  It’s on the up too and there are lots of players who’ve ventured down south of the border in recent years to show that “we” should take our blinkers off re the SPL.  The recent work permit rules have allowed them to pick up those players who don’t pass the English FA WP rules, so they’ve been growing their levels.

McGinn, Tierney, Christie, McKenna, Dykes just thinking of a few.  Plenty of others too.

Will have a look

To be fair I might’ve been swayed by the “Scottish league is tripe” stereotype.

[Numero Uno]

9 minutes ago, George Rs said:

Still so unsure about this. 
 

Admittedly not watched much of the Scottish league and never an Aberdeen game but £2-3million?? Much like our forum it seems Aberdeen fans are split down the middle with some devastated he’s leaving and others thinking their ceo/chairmen has played a blinder if £3mil is the genuine price. 
 

Not trying to be pessimistic but surely that amount of money for someone untested at championship level is highly risky when it could be spent on more experienced targets? 

I reckon it might be best to watch the kid play a few times if he signs then form a judgement. My gut feel is that Nige and Tins might have watched him once or twice before going cap in hand to the Board for £2m. What we’re not in the market for is £2m oldies on £40k per week.

[chinapig]

8 minutes ago, George Rs said:

Still so unsure about this. 
 

Admittedly not watched much of the Scottish league and never an Aberdeen game but £2-3million?? Much like our forum it seems Aberdeen fans are split down the middle with some devastated he’s leaving and others thinking their ceo/chairmen has played a blinder if £3mil is the genuine price. 
 

Not trying to be pessimistic but surely that amount of money for someone untested at championship level is highly risky when it could be spent on more experienced targets? 

You come perilously close to "I know nothing about him but he's not worth it".

We have had our eye on him for over a year so we have done our due diligence and obviously rate him highly. So it seems do West Brom and Norwich.

And if we rate him highly it might be that a player of similar quality with Championship experience would cost more. Which makes this look like good business.

[chinapig]

6 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

I reckon it might be best to watch the kid play a few times if he signs then form a judgement. My gut feel is that Nige and Tins might have watched him once or twice before going cap in hand to the Board for £2m. What we’re not in the market for is £2m oldies on £40k per week.

Indeed and he reportedly turned down bigger wages from other Championship clubs, which says something good about his motivation.

[George Rs]

3 minutes ago, chinapig said:

You come perilously close to "I know nothing about him but he's not worth it".

We have had our eye on him for over a year so we have done our due diligence and obviously rate him highly. So it seems do West Brom and Norwich.

And if we rate him highly it might be that a player of similar quality with Championship experience would cost more. Which makes this look like good business.

Fair enough, like I said I was unsure, i have no doubt that Tinns and Nige have done their due diligence. 

Just personally hoping that the £3million price reported is skewed as it seems to me a lot for him.

[cotswoldred2]

23 minutes ago, George Rs said:

Still so unsure about this. 
 

Admittedly not watched much of the Scottish league and never an Aberdeen game but £2-3million?? Much like our forum it seems Aberdeen fans are split down the middle with some devastated he’s leaving and others thinking their ceo/chairmen has played a blinder if £3mil is the genuine price. 
 

Not trying to be pessimistic but surely that amount of money for someone untested at championship level is highly risky when it could be spent on more experienced targets? 

Well the intent would be to unnearth a diamond without a higher tarrif as if he was a proven Championship player. The whole idea of scouting is being played out on this one. I am sure all the homework has been done which is indicitive of how we currently do business.

[ScottishRed]

6 minutes ago, George Rs said:

Will have a look

To be fair I might’ve been swayed by the “Scottish league is tripe” stereotype.

The key problem with Scottish football, and this is unlikely to change, is that two clubs have resources way in excess of the rest. 

When you consider that match day revenue is the highest element of income and dependant on the fixtures, there are weeks when the attendance at Ibrox or Parkhead is greater than the rest of the SPL added together.

That said,Scottish football has started to produce better young players who are moving on to other countries apart from down here - Italy being one example.

Aberdeen are trying hard to get back to something close to the Fergie years. They are owned by a boyhood fan - Dave Cormack - who made a fortune from his software company and is investing a lot of money, relatively, into the club. There is a new training ground in place and plans for a new stadium close to the city centre.

They really don’t need the money from transfers, unlike most Scottish clubs, and this may be part of the reason the fee is higher than may be expected.

[chinapig]

14 minutes ago, George Rs said:

Fair enough, like I said I was unsure, i have no doubt that Tinns and Nige have done their due diligence. 

Just personally hoping that the £3million price reported is skewed as it seems to me a lot for him.

Even if we end up paying £3m including all add-ons that would be amortized over the length of his contract.So a 4 year contract would mean £750k per annum.

[Major Isewater]

42 minutes ago, chinapig said:

Indeed and he reportedly turned down bigger wages from other Championship clubs, which says something good about his motivation.

He likes our set up , training facilities and cider ( just guessing the last one) . 

[Betty Swallocks]

On 02/06/2023 at 10:59, GrahamC said:

My hunch is he’s having a short holiday after the Scottish season ended & it will be announced in a week or so.

Yeah he’s been on holiday since middle

of last week. 

[BLRed]

Not questioning his ability, more simply the money we are potentially spending when it has long been stated we wouldn’t be paying out big money for players.

the point on Bellingham fair enough but he potentially has a much higher ceiling and sell on value given his age but I get the point you’re making 

[mozo]

1 hour ago, Percy Pig said:

And so it begins. The first "what a waste of money" in week 3 of pre-season is my bet.

You can't seriously tell me that you weren't surprised at the figures being quoted in this one? Amortised or not, for a defender, in the current climate, this is a big sum, even if only half is guaranteed.

[Davefevs]

1 minute ago, mozo said:

You can't seriously tell me that you weren't surprised at the figures being quoted in this one? Amortised or not, for a defender, in the current climate, this is a big sum, even if only half is guaranteed.

Just for context, Nige paid £1.6m for Rob Atkinson after 1 season at Lg1.

It wouldn’t surprise if the fee is around this mark as an initial fee.  From a financial climate perspective I think we are using Semenyo money and the fact that next season’s wage bill will be lower again (maybe considerably) with the likes of Kalas, Massengo, Moore, Dasilva going, plus the likes of Bentley, Klose and Martin, who of course went in Jan.  I reckon that’s £100k p.w (£5m) freed up.  Yep, we then went and got Cornick and Mehmeti…but we’ve eased away from austerity by taking the hit on Antoine and probably a few points lost as a result for the option to be proactive NOW.  There will be several clubs waiting to sell before they can start playing the game.  We look to have stolen a march on several of our competition.

FWIW I too am a little surprised it’s as high as it is.

[bcfc01]

People fixated on how much it costs, rather than the value.

It aint my money and it won't break the bank and if NP and Tins think there is value there at that price, then thats good enough for me.

[Gillies Downs Leeds]

Unfortunately we all know that there are some city fans both on here and social media who will write him off as a bad signing before he has kicked a ball. 

[Major Isewater]

7 hours ago, Gillies Downs Leeds said:

Unfortunately we all know that there are some city fans both on here and social media who will write him off as a bad signing before he has kicked a ball. 

How would people feel if he was having the same impact at a League 1 club, captain, mainstay , talisman etc? 
Would 2 million quid seem like value for money then? 
In today’s climate it feels like a lot of money to me but I trust in Nigel, Tinnion and the club and if the bloke gets us promoted then it will be peanuts. 

[Port Said Red]

8 hours ago, Gillies Downs Leeds said:

Unfortunately we all know that there are some city fans both on here and social media who will write him off as a bad signing before he has kicked a ball. 

Would it be ok if we get the Mods to copy and paste this post on to every thread about signing a player?

[Jose]

I haven’t seen one person write him off. It’s ok to have an opinion on a potential signing without it meaning that you want him to fail or that you’ve written him off. 

[Son of Fred]

1 hour ago, Major Isewater said:

How would people feel if he was having the same impact at a League 1 club, captain, mainstay , talisman etc? 
Would 2 million quid seem like value for money then? 
In today’s climate it feels like a lot of money to me but I trust in Nigel, Tinnion and the club and if the bloke gets us promoted then it will be peanuts. 

Good morning Major.

Of course, this fella could well turn out to be a quality addition to the ranks - even without the unlikely scenario of promotion.

As regards scouting & recruitment??

The jury is surely still out.

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, Son of Fred said:

The jury is surely still out.

That is another thread completely. 
Top of the morning to you too. 

[chinapig]

1 hour ago, Son of Fred said:

The jury is surely still out.

Tanner, Atkinson, James, King, Sykes, Naismith, Cornick, Mehmeti.

For me the jury is still out for the last two until they have had a pre-season with us. Otherwise I would suggest that the jury's verdict would be favourable.

[KegCity]

15 hours ago, BLRed said:

Not questioning his ability, more simply the money we are potentially spending when it has long been stated we wouldn’t be paying out big money for players.

the point on Bellingham fair enough but he potentially has a much higher ceiling and sell on value given his age but I get the point you’re making 

This isn’t a big money transfer.

[GrahamC]

10 minutes ago, KegCity said:

This isn’t a big money transfer.

Relatively for where we have been in the last few years, it definitely is.

You have to go back to August ‘19 for us to have paid a fee as large as this & although Atkinson is said to be £1.6m we have absolutely no idea how much of that is based on clauses.

This chap is £2m up front with another million based on clauses, that’s a really significant sum for us these days.

[Port Said Red]

16 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Scottish media overplaying the fee, makes it look better for Aberdeen fan’s disappointment in him going.

FWIW I’ve heard:

• £2m + add-ons
• £2m which includes add-ons

I’m surprised it’s that high, but he’s under contract til summer 2026 and that helps Aberdeen push the price up.

I think we need to stop thinking £x million for a utility player and think £x million for a CB, £x million for a CM, £x million for a RB.  If the people that count think he’s an upgrade on what we have in one position it’s just a bonus he can play in other positions.  That how I see it anyway.

I was given the impression it was the latter of those scenarios Dave, albeit that would only be via 2nd or 3rd hand information from people who are not involved in finances.

From what I have seen and heard, he reminds a little of Rob Newman who could be useful anywhere on the pitch. I can understand why some Aberdeen fans might not be so worried about him leaving, as sometimes moving around like that can stifle your development. In Robs case he went to Norwich and settled into one role there and did really well.

[glynriley]

4 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

I was given the impression it was the latter of those scenarios Dave, albeit that would only be via 2nd or 3rd hand information from people who are not involved in finances.

From what I have seen and heard, he reminds a little of Rob Newman who could be useful anywhere on the pitch. I can understand why some Aberdeen fans might not be so worried about him leaving, as sometimes moving around like that can stifle your development. In Robs case he went to Norwich and settled into one role there and did really well.

Another Biff’ll do me

[Davefevs]

30 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Relatively for where we have been in the last few years, it definitely is.

You have to go back to August ‘19 for us to have paid a fee as large as this & although Atkinson is said to be £1.6m we have absolutely no idea how much of that is based on clauses.

This chap is £2m up front with another million based on clauses, that’s a really significant sum for us these days.

£1.6m was the initial fee (or as near as damn it anyway), as Tanner was around £300k and the 20/21 accounts showed net cashflow out after the end of the year as follows:

the actual accounts for 21/22 showed intangible assets acquired of £2.26m which included a small amount of free transfers but their signing on fees.

[Rudolf Hucker]

30 minutes ago, glynriley said:

Another Biff’ll do me

What you choose to do on a Sunday morning is your own business, Glyn. 

[Kid in the Riot]

The thread on him on Aberdeen's forum is interesting. When he signed a new deal last year they were all buzzing at how good he was saying he was a future captain and Scotland international. 

Then when reporting began that he was going to leave them and sign for us, he suddenly became anywhere from "average" to "shite". 

[Port Said Red]

12 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

The thread on him on Aberdeen's forum is interesting. When he signed a new deal last year they were all buzzing at how good he was saying he was a future captain and Scotland international. 

Then when reporting began that he was going to leave them and sign for us, he suddenly became anywhere from "average" to "shite". 

And suddenly being "ex Hun" was a problem I noticed.

[Guest]

Announcement Tuesday ✍

[TammyAB]

5 minutes ago, Bcfcshags said:

Announcement Tuesday ✍

Announce Joe Bryan too Bcfcshags

[The Bard]

Does the financial year end 31st May or 30th June for FFP?

[Port Said Red]

6 minutes ago, Percy Pig said:

Seen that with our fans plenty of times! 

I'm sure someone will call Alex overrated when he leaves

When he leaves? I have already people questioning his contribution in the last couple of weeks alone.

[Davefevs]

20 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

When he leaves? I have already people questioning his contribution in the last couple of weeks alone.

Yep, fickle fans / posters.

[Davefevs]

35 minutes ago, The Bard said:

Does the financial year end 31st May or 30th June for FFP?

31st May for us…aligned to our annual accounting period.

All (*) clubs have an annual period of either 31st May, 30th June or 31st July, and their FFP is aligned to that.

* if a club doesn’t have their annual accounts in one of those three months they will need to produce an interim set of accounts that does meet one of those three ends.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, TammyAB said:

Announce Joe Bryan too Bcfcshags

He’s off to Ibiza this week, also no update on him

[cheddarwedlocker]

Nigel Pearson went to Scotland in a Lamborghini 

Bought us back a centre back

Super Ross McCrorie

[Kid in the Riot]

2 hours ago, Percy Pig said:

Seen that with our fans plenty of times! 

I'm sure someone will call Alex overrated when he leaves

Yep. I think a shrink would call it a "coping mechanism"!

[Porto Red]

4 hours ago, OliOTIB said:

Nigel Pearson went to Scotland in a Lamborghini 

Bought us back a centre back

Super Ross McCrorie

Struggling to fit your lyrics to the Oasis classic, if I'm honest. 

[SBB]

Post reporting fee is £1m up front with a further £1m in add-ons 

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-transfers-live-mccrorie-8495405

[Kid in the Riot]

4 minutes ago, SBB said:

Post reporting fee is £1m up front with a further £1m in add-ons 

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-transfers-live-mccrorie-8495405

Really good bit of business 

[bcfc01]

1 minute ago, SBB said:

Post reporting fee is £1m up front with a further £1m in add-ons 

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-transfers-live-mccrorie-8495405

I think thats much more realistic than the 3m being rumoured.

It looks like the club are doing a good bit of business this window with Dickie said to be under 1m.

And if we can add Bryan for free, it would be brilliant.

 

[Mr Popodopolous]

On 03/06/2023 at 19:49, Davefevs said:

Just for context, Nige paid £1.6m for Rob Atkinson after 1 season at Lg1.

It wouldn’t surprise if the fee is around this mark as an initial fee.  From a financial climate perspective I think we are using Semenyo money and the fact that next season’s wage bill will be lower again (maybe considerably) with the likes of Kalas, Massengo, Moore, Dasilva going, plus the likes of Bentley, Klose and Martin, who of course went in Jan.  I reckon that’s £100k p.w (£5m) freed up.  Yep, we then went and got Cornick and Mehmeti…but we’ve eased away from austerity by taking the hit on Antoine and probably a few points lost as a result for the option to be proactive NOW.  There will be several clubs waiting to sell before they can start playing the game.  We look to have stolen a march on several of our competition.

FWIW I too am a little surprised it’s as high as it is.

Plus the significant amortisation savings from their departures, Baker and his final year which we rightly kept paying despite his sad retirement also off the books.

Yep we've worked as a club very hard to get into this position of relative comfort and a little bit to spend too. Shown significant market discipline plus of course the Semenyo hit that you mention.

Accelerating the departures too of Bentley and Massengo plus I assume partial payoffs for Klose and Martin also will have helped- although short term hit to depth but we were heading towards midtable anyway.

Edited June 5, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[Davefevs]

31 minutes ago, SBB said:

Post reporting fee is £1m up front with a further £1m in add-ons 

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/bristol-city-transfers-live-mccrorie-8495405

Yes, much closer to where I thought the fee would be.

If true, I guess the twitterati who posted stuff like “£3m - he better be worth it” and “£3m for an SPL player!!” can calm down!

9 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Plus the significant amortisation savings from their departures, Baker and his final year which we rightly kept paying despite his sad retirement also off the books.

Yep we've worked as a club very hard to get into this position of relative comfort and a little bit to spend too. Shown significant market discipline plus of course the Semenyo hit that you mention.

Accelerating the departures too of Bentley and Massengo plus I assume partial payoffs for Klose and Martin also will have helped- although short term hit to depth but we were heading towards midtable anyway.

Yep, I already factor this in, as I have each year’s amortisation baked in, both prior and future years.

[!james]

Aberdeen fans going to be upset when they realise its not £3million... 

https://afc-chat.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/46057-ross-mccrorie/page/49/

[Spike]

I was having a look at McCrorie on a few sites and so on and apparently he can play Center back, is primarily a defensive midfielder but I was surprised to learn he can play Right Back too. I'm wondering if this is a part of his appeal, that he could be back up for RB if injuries and selection becomes a problem? I watched him play a game as a RWB and he didn't look very suited but it surprised me none the less that he can play there.

Going into next season is he and Dickie sign I'm curious to see what our tactics will be, I really don't want to see us go back to a back 3 so I'd be hoping it would be Dickie and Atkinson/Vyner as CB's, Pring LB, Tanner/New Signing RB with McCrorie playing that defensive midfielder who can drop into a CB role should a CB be out of position and allowing James to be a more traditional box to box midfidler where he can help make those passes we've been missing due to him sitting deeper. I am curious who would play the CM/AM role though if Scott does leave, which I think goes without saying it going to happen.

[Finley_Smith10]

16 minutes ago, Spike said:

I was having a look at McCrorie on a few sites and so on and apparently he can play Center back, is primarily a defensive midfielder but I was surprised to learn he can play Right Back too. I'm wondering if this is a part of his appeal, that he could be back up for RB if injuries and selection becomes a problem? I watched him play a game as a RWB and he didn't look very suited but it surprised me none the less that he can play there.

Going into next season is he and Dickie sign I'm curious to see what our tactics will be, I really don't want to see us go back to a back 3 so I'd be hoping it would be Dickie and Atkinson/Vyner as CB's, Pring LB, Tanner/New Signing RB with McCrorie playing that defensive midfielder who can drop into a CB role should a CB be out of position and allowing James to be a more traditional box to box midfidler where he can help make those passes we've been missing due to him sitting deeper. I am curious who would play the CM/AM role though if Scott does leave, which I think goes without saying it going to happen.

Right now, if Bryan comes, I could see it being;

Sykes Mehmeti Bryan

Conway

will be interesting if we’re looking to sign attacking players later in the window. Maybe a PL loan. Would like Rak-Sayki who was on loan at charlton

[Northern Red]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

Yes, much closer to where I thought the fee would be.

If true, I guess the twitterati who posted stuff like “£3m - he better be worth it” and “£3m for an SPL player!!” can calm down!

Yep, I already factor this in, as I have each year’s amortisation baked in, both prior and future years.

Oh they'll find something else to have a meltdown about, they always do.

[Spike]

1 minute ago, Finley_Smith10 said:

Right now, if Bryan comes, I could see it being;

Sykes Mehmeti Bryan

Conway

will be interesting if we’re looking to sign attacking players later in the window. Maybe a PL loan. Would like Rak-Sayki who was on loan at charlton

Yeah I can see how that could work:



Would be a decent line up, we Know both Sykes and Bryan can switch roles with Tanner and Pring which would allow great overlap opportunities, James is very solid in the middle and would be great at linking players up, McCrorie would be able to drop in between Atkinson or Dickie or even rotate with them if Atkinson or Dickie brought the ball forward. I think the only question mark would be Mehmeti as we've not really seen him in that role too often, although he is exactly what we need in terms of someone to get the ball in a central position and threaten the opposition back line by going at them or looking for passes to Conway or even Bryan or Sykes coming in from the wide positions. A few diagonal passes from that AM position to the wide men cutting in could cause real issues for the opposition.

[formerly known as ivan]

2 minutes ago, Spike said:

Yeah I can see how that could work:



Would be a decent line up, we Know both Sykes and Bryan can switch roles with Tanner and Pring which would allow great overlap opportunities, James is very solid in the middle and would be great at linking players up, McCrorie would be able to drop in between Atkinson or Dickie or even rotate with them if Atkinson or Dickie brought the ball forward. I think the only question mark would be Mehmeti as we've not really seen him in that role too often, although he is exactly what we need in terms of someone to get the ball in a central position and threaten the opposition back line by going at them or looking for passes to Conway or even Bryan or Sykes coming in from the wide positions. A few diagonal passes from that AM position to the wide men cutting in could cause real issues for the opposition.

You are missing Vyner who I’m sure will be a starter off the back of the season he has had.

[Finley_Smith10]

1 minute ago, formerly known as ivan said:

You are missing Vyner who I’m sure will be a starter off the back of the season he has had.

Good to have some strength in depth.

if everyone fit, and that’s the team. that’s a bench of. 

New Keeper, Vyner, Naismith, Williams, Weimann, Cornick, Wells

Wilson, Bell etc still there

[glynriley]

2 minutes ago, formerly known as ivan said:

You are missing Vyner who I’m sure will be a starter off the back of the season he has had.

Nah, you know what it's like on here. Every new signing must go straight into the team, and the player they replace is obviously leaving or out of favour with the manager...