Has Alan Knill got his transfer strategy wrong?

gurneygibbs23 · Post by **gurneygibbs23** » 29 Jun 2013, 17:52

maybe Benyon is the player who is haggling for the extra £50 that Knill has mentioned.

I think Benyon shouldnt mug himself off, he has only had success here, nowhere else. We know his attributes and how to play to suit him, and well get the best out of him.
Knill has been excellent for us, lets trust him to get the right men in, rather than get risky youth/journeymen in.

wodger of awabia · Post by **wodger of awabia** » 29 Jun 2013, 17:53

Fonda wrote:My assumption is exactly that. We've made offers to players of such a level that they are holding on, to see what else comes along. Evidently, according to those 'in the know' that is not the case though. There must be other reasons our perfectly acceptable offers aren't being accepted...

Yes, we will soon find out won't we! If Benyon is report to be trialing for other clubs then we will more or less know that money is the issue.

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » 29 Jun 2013, 17:58

wodger of awabia wrote:What I don't understand is why Benyon has not yet signed. It has been reported that he is very keen to return, & A.K. wants him to sign. Could it be that the wages he has been offered are unacceptable? Money is what persuaded Jarvis to sign for York, according to the media.

I find it hard to believe that Benyon has been swamped with offers from other clubs. He's been nothing short of abysmal in the 2 years since he left us!

Surely he is just waiting for his contract to run out at Southend where I imagine he is being paid more than we will be giving him. The vast majority of the players that have been signed up already are those who would be getting a pay increase or who don't have a current deal. Players contracts generally end tomorrow, so they are all then out of work and I expect to see players signed up next week.

Just look at the earlier post from NA Gull to see we usually sign players in the first week of July.

Fonda · Post by **Fonda** » 29 Jun 2013, 18:02

Benyon hasn't been the same player elsewhere as he was here. But perhaps circumstances have conspired against him a bit. We saw on his return here that due to lack of action elsewhere, it took him time to find some form. He never had a run of games anywhere else - be that at Swindon, Wycombe or Southend. Had he done they'd have reaped the benefits, because he's proven to be an effective striker at this level, and will do again.

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » 29 Jun 2013, 18:05

Fonda wrote:Benyon hasn't been the same player elsewhere as he was here. But perhaps circumstances have conspired against him a bit. We saw on his return here that due to lack of action elsewhere, it took him time to find some form. He never had a run of games anywhere else - be that at Swindon, Wycombe or Southend. Had he done they'd have reaped the benefits, because he's proven to be an effective striker at this level, and will do again.

Don't get me wrong, I like Benyon and think he'll be an excellent signing for us. However, you can't deny that his form over the last 2 seasons is hardly likely to have generated a bidding war for his services.

Fonda · Post by **Fonda** » 29 Jun 2013, 18:09

I'm sure you're right Jerry. But managers with a knowledge of this division will know what he can do given the right set of circumstances. He hasn't gone from being a decent League 2 striker when leaving us, to be an average one now. If fit and playing regularly, he'll get goals. If other managers don't see that, they're incompetent. It's a question of whether anyone else is looking for that type.

jonnyfive · Post by **jonnyfive** » 29 Jun 2013, 18:27

Quite right Jerry. Given his 2 years in the wilderness, there surely cannot be clubs lining up to sign him.

In a sense he is the Lidl version of Adebayor - went to a bigger club on bigger wages, but didn't cement a place to prove his worth. And like the other fella, he should be grateful that another club wants him and will put him in their first 11. Taking a cut from say, £1500 a week to say, £1000 a week is a reality he has to face. Otherwise he can just go away, and we'll find an equivalent number 9 that IS prepared to accept our meagre salary.

Fonda · Post by **Fonda** » 29 Jun 2013, 18:29

Like any player, if he has options he'll weigh them up - with finance being but one of the considerations.

NA Gull · Post by **NA Gull** » 29 Jun 2013, 18:29

Benyon has a young family to think about so if he can get similar money without having to uproot then surely he owes it to them to explore any potential options?

jonnyfive · Post by **jonnyfive** » 29 Jun 2013, 18:31

That's not to undermine your view Fonda, but I am sure there are other available strikers that these other managers would prefer to pursue.

We and Elliot should be a marriage made in heaven, because we know more than any other club that he is better than his recent history demonstrates.

Fonda · Post by **Fonda** » 29 Jun 2013, 18:44

Agreed. I doubt there are a queue of League clubs persuing him. But depending on where is currently 'home' for him - he might have other considerations. If there is a conference side on his doorstep offering him a similar deal, but without the need to move, he might favour that.

I didn't really want to focus on Benyon specifically. The point is, something is preventing us from making signings. If it isn't lack of cash, what is it?

hector · Post by **hector** » 29 Jun 2013, 19:06

AustrianAndyGull wrote:I don't see it as panic stations at all. Even if we end up signing a load of players at the death just to make up the numbers then it is not a certainty that they are all going to be crap and we'll end up getting relegated.

The odds of relegation will be significantly reduced, however, if this is our transfer policy.

For years, under Bateson, it seemed our recruitment policy was to get players in on trial (usually in July, therefore players nobody else wanted to sign) and sign the best of what was generally a bad batch. And more often than not, it resulted in seasons of disappointment. A good manager and club would plan their signings and not leave it to chance.

Our more successful seasons have been where recruitment was planned. For example, Buckle had a list of players in mind that he tried to sign. Ling did the same. I just do not get the feeling, so far, that Knill has this about him. Whether he lacks the contacts, scouting network, I don't know. This was evidenced by his abject failure to seriously strengthen our squad last season (two loanees, who didn't even stay for long) and the absolute lack of incoming players so far when pre-season training must be a week or so away. You would hope that by the time a professional football club is starting its preparations for the new season, it would have the majority of its squad in place. To be a month away from the start of the season and still not even have a team in place does appear a little lackadaisical.

hector · Post by **hector** » 29 Jun 2013, 19:08

Jerry wrote:
Don't get me wrong, I like Benyon and think he'll be an excellent signing for us. However, you can't deny that his form over the last 2 seasons is hardly likely to have generated a bidding war for his services.

I really don't rate Benyon at all and it wouldn't worry me if he went elsewhere. Like you suggest, it is unlikely there will be a queue of clubs wanting to sign him.

Fonda · Post by **Fonda** » 29 Jun 2013, 20:17

hector wrote: The odds of relegation will be significantly reduced, however, if this is our transfer policy.

For years, under Bateson, it seemed our recruitment policy was to get players in on trial (usually in July, therefore players nobody else wanted to sign) and sign the best of what was generally a bad batch. And more often than not, it resulted in seasons of disappointment. A good manager and club would plan their signings and not leave it to chance.

Our more successful seasons have been where recruitment was planned. For example, Buckle had a list of players in mind that he tried to sign. Ling did the same. I just do not get the feeling, so far, that Knill has this about him. Whether he lacks the contacts, scouting network, I don't know. This was evidenced by his abject failure to seriously strengthen our squad last season (two loanees, who didn't even stay for long) and the absolute lack of incoming players so far when pre-season training must be a week or so away. You would hope that by the time a professional football club is starting its preparations for the new season, it would have the majority of its squad in place. To be a month away from the start of the season and still not even have a team in place does appear a little lackadaisical.

I wonder if perhaps Buckle was advantaged by a (relatively speaking) sizeable budget? What he did was not rocket science. He compiled a list of the best players in that division, and asked Colin Lee to go and get them. Which he did. I don't think the situation is quite the same for AK.

wodger of awabia · Post by **wodger of awabia** » 29 Jun 2013, 20:32

The point I was making about Benyon signing was that he wanted to come here, & the manager wanted him. An earlier post mentioned that he was still being paid by Southend until the end of the month, OK but this did not stop him signing up weeks ago with the start of the contract being July. it would appear that something has gone wrong, more than likely the money, I.M.O.
When A.K. came here we were lead to believe that he had extensive contacts in the North, & enjoyed "the ear" of Alex Fergy, & David Moyes, I even thought that we might be a bit of a nursery club for Man.U. & Everton. So far we have seen precious little of the reported extensive contacts. Either this was a load of spin, or he has not been given an adequate budget. I would prefer to believe that next week we will all be amazed at the quality of the players that he has brought in!!

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