Hey peeps, it's your most favourite CTO poster 😛

As it's only a week and a half until the transfer window opens, I thought I'd start a thread where we can "discuss" any transfer related news, be it rumours (where is IHE lol) or articles in the newspapers with quotes from JR on transfer news. 

Imho, we probably don't need much and, Tbh, I don't see much business and that goes for all clubs, not just us. 

 

I think it's imperative that we extend Kai Kennedy loan, otherwise we may be on the look out for another winger. 

 

Deadline day! Still guff all happening, and by a mile, the most boring transfer window we've had in quite some time...

Very doubtful that we'll see anyone coming in at this stage.  We're the only club in the division not to make a signing & strengthen and worst of all we've lost a key player in Kennedy to a rival.  Finances and Geography obviously playing a part but I'd be very interested to know what the actual ambitions are for the season.

14 minutes ago, Hiro said:

Very doubtful that we'll see anyone coming in at this stage.  We're the only club in the division not to make a signing & strengthen and worst of all we've lost a key player in Kennedy to a rival.  Finances and Geography obviously playing a part but I'd be very interested to know what the actual ambitions are for the season.

To still be viable as a full time club to begin next season no lower than the Championship I would imagine.

Think we all had to expect a 'quiet' window given the current backdrop

I’m old enough to remember when deadline day was something for us to get excited about!

Raith have signed Gullan on loan again from Hibs. With Kai joining they seems to have strengthened and will be strong contenders for a top 4 place.

5 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

There are a lot of very capable players who remain free agents who we could still sign over the next few weeks.

Such as...? 

1 hour ago, Yngwie said:

I’m old enough to remember when deadline day was something for us to get excited about!

Can we still loan players in? Or is it the summer transfer window where loan transfers last a week or so after the window closes

2 hours ago, WYNESS101 said:

Can we still loan players in? Or is it the summer transfer window where loan transfers last a week or so after the window closes

IIRC loan signings can be made until ~ mid February and unattached players can be signed any time.

ETA: Robbo in the P & J saying they were trying to get someone in but the other club thought they might need them now after some other moves unfolded.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/football/inverness-caledonian-thistle/2862505/john-robertson-not-ruling-out-loan-or-free-agent-arrivals-following-january-transfer-deadline/

Also, confirmation that you can sign players on loan until the end of this month.

Edited February 2, 20215 yr by RiG

I'm worried.

 

We were the only club in the Championship not to sign anyone in January. It's not like we have a bloated squad - we have just 15 players aged over 21 on our books. Having lost Kai Kennedy, we were a player down from the start of the month. And ever since the summer Robbo has talked of signing a striker. And yet, nothing.

 

I don't agree that there are loads of free agents out there - certainly there aren't many whose previous club was Scottish.

 

We are still able to loan players from the Premiership, but aside from Kennedy we do not have a good record of signing loan players under Robbo - and we have barely signed any in that time period. I appreciate that for most players finding them somewhere to live is an issue but Ayr and Morton managed to bring in loanees from English clubs so why can't we find any?

 

At the moment our best hope of reinforcement seems to be that Yogi might lend us a couple of guys that he doesn't want at County? But they don't really have much in the way of wingers and strikers to spare now.

 

My biggest concern is that we can't afford to strengthen the squad; if that's the case and everyone else is managing to do so then we have a big problem. Lose to Arbroath tonight and we're probably in a position where we're more likely to be in a relegation playoff than a promotion one.

On 1/5/2021 at 8:31 PM, bdu98196 said:

Right now football (outwith the TV money in the biggest leagues) is on its arse, there is no money to sign players or take expensive loans.

This. As demonstrated throughout all leagues where hardly any money is spent and it's mainly loans, throw in the need for quarantine its removed the foreign market.

Rightly or wrongly we never lost players whether that would have either freed up wages or brought in funds. We were always going to have a small squad supplemented with youth so not sure why so many are surprised or angered by this - its been coming over the last few years and exacerbated by covid.

What will be interesting is what kind of summer we have and capability of squad after that. We may need to fall further before we rebuild and rise in a cost effective and sustainable manner.

Did you mean to quote yourself? 

I have a bit of cartoon play going on in my head of you playing two characters nodding furiously in agreement. 

The full list of signings is here:

https://spfl.co.uk/news/transfer-window-signings

25 minutes ago, Robert said:

The full list of signings is here:

https://spfl.co.uk/news/transfer-window-signings

If we aren't already  we really are becoming a second rate club. A crying shame.

18 minutes ago, caleyboy said:

If we aren't already  we really are becoming a second rate club. A crying shame.

We are a club trying to live within our increasingly limited means and see out a protracted period of unprecedented fiscal crisis.

I am disappointed about our lack of transfer activity but, unless we can come up with a better plan for survival than the club management, I don't think that should be too critical.

Hopefully a few games can be played soon and all the navel gazing can be forgotten.

It is what it is, so we just have to get on with it as best we can.

1 hour ago, caleyboy said:

If we aren't already  we really are becoming a second rate club. A crying shame.

We are; based on our income and footfall a Championship club (at best). We had a few years of unprecedented success which fans should reminisce about that is not what should be expected, its been discussed to death why our club has not grown off the field how it did on it and where it failed to capitalise. Even comparing to the current Championship there is probably only QotS, Alloa & Arbroath who are 'smaller' than us with at least 3 bigger teams still in League One!!!

I certainly don’t view Morton or Ayr as bigger clubs and at least on a par with raith and Dunfermline. We surely have to aim to be a steady championship club with odd season in the top league even with geography and low community support against us.

I’m a big Robbo fan but one of the bonuses of him being our boss was the ability to tap other clubs for loans with his network of contacts compared to say Foran had. 
 

Next season looks like having more opportunities for us but it appears we pinned our hopes on Billy Mackay with no plan B. It is a worry we haven’t replaced Kennedy when every other club in the league have brought someone in. If Billy not available, maybe we get Coll back!!!!

14 hours ago, hislopsoffsideagain said:

I'm worried.

 

We were the only club in the Championship not to sign anyone in January. It's not like we have a bloated squad - we have just 15 players aged over 21 on our books. Having lost Kai Kennedy, we were a player down from the start of the month. And ever since the summer Robbo has talked of signing a striker. And yet, nothing.

 

I don't agree that there are loads of free agents out there - certainly there aren't many whose previous club was Scottish.

 

We are still able to loan players from the Premiership, but aside from Kennedy we do not have a good record of signing loan players under Robbo - and we have barely signed any in that time period. I appreciate that for most players finding them somewhere to live is an issue but Ayr and Morton managed to bring in loanees from English clubs so why can't we find any?

 

At the moment our best hope of reinforcement seems to be that Yogi might lend us a couple of guys that he doesn't want at County? But they don't really have much in the way of wingers and strikers to spare now.

 

My biggest concern is that we can't afford to strengthen the squad; if that's the case and everyone else is managing to do so then we have a big problem. Lose to Arbroath tonight and we're probably in a position where we're more likely to be in a relegation playoff than a promotion one.

I certainly prefer our approach to the Dundee one.  I still don't understand how the hell they could afford Cummings, Malachi Fagan, Adam or Paul McMullan when only a few years ago, they were in administration!! They could be in deep trouble if, as expected, they don't get promoted back to the Premiership. 

Totally agree but taking in one loanee in to boost squad and fan morale is hardly akin to the business hearts and Dundee have opted to do in January.

50 minutes ago, iwannabeadored said:

Totally agree but taking in one loanee in to boost squad and fan morale is hardly akin to the business hearts and Dundee have opted to do in January.

Dundee might have made impressive signings on paper but their manager is abysmal at his job.

You know Dundee are spending big when one of their players is on A Question of Sport!  (noticed Charlie Adam on it last night).
 

Even in our heyday as 3rd best side in Scotland and cup winners there was no chance of that happening.

If Henderson at Celtic is available (?) that would be a handy acquisition. Can playwide or centre of park and has experience of living in the Highlands already.

New signing in the next couple of days from what I've heard....