Stickied League 2 Transfer Rumours/Confirmed Transfers 2024/25

[FiRTHYY]

Very pleased with this January window:

OUT:

Ben Richards-Everton (Barnet)
Kurtis Guthrie (Port Vale)
Jackson Longridge (Livingston)
Austin Samuels (Wolves)

IN:
Danny Rowe (undisclosed - Oldham)
Niall Canavan (undisclosed - Plymouth)
Matty Foulds (Como 1907)
Jordan Stevens (Leeds)
Will Huffer (BPA)
Rumarn Burrell (Middlesbrough)
Andy Cook - Mansfield

Why on earth McCall didn’t fully utilise the playing budget in the summer is anyone’s guess.

Another winger expected to come in.

 

[Back in the DHSS]

Very pleased with this January window:

OUT:

Ben Richards-Everton (Barnet)
Kurtis Guthrie (Port Vale)
Jackson Longridge (Livingston)
Austin Samuels (Wolves)

IN:
Danny Rowe (undisclosed - Oldham)
Niall Canavan (undisclosed - Plymouth)
Matty Foulds (Como 1907)
Jordan Stevens (Leeds)
Will Huffer (BPA)
Rumarn Burrell (Middlesbrough)
Andy Cook - Mansfield

Why on earth McCall didn’t fully utilise the playing budget in the summer is anyone’s guess.

Another winger expected to come in.

Have you released Mottley Henry?

 

[LS Bantam]

Have you released Mottley Henry?

Not yet but it’s only a matter of time, presuming they’re waiting to sign a winger before releasing one.

 

[masi51]

Very pleased with this January window:

OUT:

Ben Richards-Everton (Barnet)
Kurtis Guthrie (Port Vale)
Jackson Longridge (Livingston)
Austin Samuels (Wolves)

IN:
Danny Rowe (undisclosed - Oldham)
Niall Canavan (undisclosed - Plymouth)
Matty Foulds (Como 1907)
Jordan Stevens (Leeds)
Will Huffer (BPA)
Rumarn Burrell (Middlesbrough)
Andy Cook - Mansfield

Why on earth McCall didn’t fully utilise the playing budget in the summer is anyone’s guess.

Another winger expected to come in.

Are these players with one eye for next season......or a quick fix for the rest of this season?

 

[Spanishstag]

your a very funny man

Only telling you what you really dont want to hear

 

[masi51]

Only telling you what you really dont want to hear

And in what decade did you ever do that?
Or is this just a presumption

 

[Monkey Tennis]

We've been playing one upfront in a 4-2-3-1 since the managerial change and have a trio of technical players rather than flying wingers behind that striker. We've brought in some pace as well but they haven't broke into the team as of yet. Will be interesting to see how he fits in. Certainly seems like good cover for Novak who looks like he'll be injured long term again.

If you stick with the one up front, Cook needs to be that guy. Just a natural goalscorer and not much else. Great player though.

Rowe was playing a central midfield role towards the end of his time at Fylde, so can see him doing something similar (he has zero pace to play up front with Cook). Can stick him anywhere and he'll try and hit 30-yarders.

Strange dynamic pairing one of our most popular former strikers with arguably the most despised.

 

[Boz]

We had Andy Cook on loan from January last season and unfortunately it didn't prove the homecoming Rovers fans had all been hoping for; didn't find the net in the time he was with us and ended up on the bench. I don't know what went wrong, on his day and at L2 level, you'd think if he was deployed right the goals should follow.

 

[FiRTHYY]

Are these players with one eye for next season......or a quick fix for the rest of this season?

The players who have signed a minimum 18 month contract, of course have been signed for next season. We have a few players out of contract in the summer who will likely leave club, allowing for us to recruit players with actual value for money.

Billy Clarke, Lee Novak, Anthony O’Connor, Harry Pritchard, Zeli Ismael, Clayton Donaldson, Sam Hornby, Connor Wood, Dylan Mottley-Henry and Tyler French are all out of contract. It’s going to give us an opportunity to start afresh, whilst having the spine of the team currently under contract.

 

[FiRTHYY]

If you stick with the one up front, Cook needs to be that guy. Just a natural goalscorer and not much else. Great player though.

Rowe was playing a central midfield role towards the end of his time at Fylde, so can see him doing something similar (he has zero pace to play up front with Cook). Can stick him anywhere and he'll try and hit 30-yarders.

Strange dynamic pairing one of our most popular former strikers with arguably the most despised.

No word of a lie, Rowe is two games into his Bradford City career and he’s tried at least 12 powerbastard shots from 20-35 yards out. He’s scored, hit the bar and pinged one from 35 yards last night which would’ve gone in, had it not have been for a great save.

He’s a fucking tractor. Well liked by fans already.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1354201338045984770

 

[SF_]

Ha, that's all Danny Rowe does but he's amazingly good at it.

Running, hold up, heading, passing, nah...

A very weird player from when I saw him play for Kirkham.

 

[hellogregory]

Don’t think Andy Cook even got a minute of first team football for us.

 

[Stringy]

With Cook's frame and ability to find the goal, playing to his strengths you'd think he should be an excellent L2 striker. A real focal point of the team year in year out. However, he wasn't that when with us. He was out of shape for a while, in and out the team, and the team itself wasn't up to much.

 

[shoddycollins]

Don’t think Andy Cook even got a minute of first team football for us.

Yeah according to Wikipedia he didn't. I don't even really remember him from his time with us. We were in league one at the time.

 

[Luke Imp]

No word of a lie, Rowe is two games into his Bradford City career and he’s tried at least 12 powerbastard shots from 20-35 yards out. He’s scored, hit the bar and pinged one from 35 yards last night which would’ve gone in, had it not have been for a great save.

He’s a fucking tractor. Well liked by fans already.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1354201338045984770

He shoots from anywhere, he's made a career out of it.

 

[GTFCfish]

I liked Andy Cook while he was here but he was way too greedy back then, a lot of chances went begging when a simple pass would’ve created a goal.

 

[chipmunx]

I liked Andy Cook while he was here but he was way too greedy back then, a lot of chances went begging when a simple pass would’ve created a goal.

he's played for us in 4 different spells - twice permanent and twice on loan;- he's got a good shot on him and can head the ball well - but thinking and passing are not his strong points....

 

[chipmunx]

Dion Donohue Joins The Bluebirds

Michael Jolley has moved to further strengthen his Barrow squad with the signing of versatile Welshman Dion Donohue on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

www.barrowafc.com

 

[Bottega Don]

Dion Donohue Joins The Bluebirds

Michael Jolley has moved to further strengthen his Barrow squad with the signing of versatile Welshman Dion Donohue on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

www.barrowafc.com

Always good to have a fighter in a relegation scrap

 

[chipmunx]

Always good to have a fighter in a relegation scrap

i'm guessing i've missed something there?

 

[Bottega Don]

i'm guessing i've missed something there?

He's twice been done for assault

 

[chipmunx]

He's twice been done for assault

just what we need on the pitch then

 

[Chief Rocka]

just what we need on the pitch then

If you were in the women's league he'd be great.

 

[Son of Cod]

IN:

Rumarn Burrell (Middlesbrough)
Andy Cook - Mansfield

Burrell is an interesting one. Graduated from our academy and brought into the first team by Jolley and looked decent. Boro bought him for what I think may have been a six figure fee and he's been banging them in in the U23s this season I think. I was disappointed when we lost him. Definitely one to keep an eye on. Suspect we have a sell on too, so if you buy him that'd be good.

I quite liked Cook when we had him. Remember one banger of a goal he scored (possibly in the trophy?) when he picked the ball miles from goal and just drove straight down the pitch not quickly because he's Andy Cook but defenders just bounced off him and he tucked it in the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Couldn't do it consistently for us during a period when we'd had and would have much better strikers, but you can't knock what he went on to do with Walsall and Tranmere. Would definitely take him now.

Why on earth McCall didn’t fully utilise the playing budget in the summer is anyone’s guess.

Yeah, this is a good point actually. Just trying to think if anything was going on in the summer that might have had a knock on effect regarding budgets. Either in football or in the wider world. There was the US election all kicking off, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have caused Bradford to scrimp a bit in the summer. I feel like I'm definitely forgetting some kind of major world wide issue here though, can anyone help me out?

 

[shoddycollins]

Yeah, this is a good point actually. Just trying to think if anything was going on in the summer that might have had a knock on effect regarding budgets. Either in football or in the wider world. There was the US election all kicking off, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have caused Bradford to scrimp a bit in the summer. I feel like I'm definitely forgetting some kind of major world wide issue here though, can anyone help me out?

If only they could have taken the Grimsby approach and just assumed there was no point preparing for the season as it wasn't going to happen.

 

[Posh Harry]

Burrell is an interesting one. Graduated from our academy and brought into the first team by Jolley and looked decent. Boro bought him for what I think may have been a six figure fee and he's been banging them in in the U23s this season I think. I was disappointed when we lost him. Definitely one to keep an eye on. Suspect we have a sell on too, so if you buy him that'd be good.

I quite liked Cook when we had him. Remember one banger of a goal he scored (possibly in the trophy?) when he picked the ball miles from goal and just drove straight down the pitch not quickly because he's Andy Cook but defenders just bounced off him and he tucked it in the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Couldn't do it consistently for us during a period when we'd had and would have much better strikers, but you can't knock what he went on to do with Walsall and Tranmere. Would definitely take him now.


Yeah, this is a good point actually. Just trying to think if anything was going on in the summer that might have had a knock on effect regarding budgets. Either in football or in the wider world. There was the US election all kicking off, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have caused Bradford to scrimp a bit in the summer. I feel like I'm definitely forgetting some kind of major world wide issue here though, can anyone help me out?

I think if Bradford bought Burrell that would be terrible for us. For what they could pay we’d probably get a sell on of £3.50. We want him to develop further with boro and be signed up the food chain, not down it.

 

[Conker]

clubs still giving donohue a chance in the league! I thought Swindon were to be the last knobheads.

 

[Son of Cod]

If only they could have taken the Grimsby approach and just assumed there was no point preparing for the season as it wasn't going to happen.

Okay then, how about Grimsby v Carlisle at darts? Then we'll see who's prepared.

I think if Bradford bought Burrell that would be terrible for us. For what they could pay we’d probably get a sell on of £3.50. We want him to develop further with boro and be signed up the food chain, not down it.

True, although I was thinking Bradford might chuck a few 100k at it though, after he impresses and then next season when he has two bad games and the Bradford fans decide they hate him, we'll get him back for about 10k.

 

[FiRTHYY]

Yeah, this is a good point actually. Just trying to think if anything was going on in the summer that might have had a knock on effect regarding budgets. Either in football or in the wider world. There was the US election all kicking off, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have caused Bradford to scrimp a bit in the summer. I feel like I'm definitely forgetting some kind of major world wide issue here though, can anyone help me out?

Except you’re omitting some finer details, but that isn’t unlike you.

Most clubs strengthened in the summer, fully utilising the wage cap to its full potential. Bolton and Tranmere are prime examples. Whilst we knew the wage cap was set at £1.5m, any players signed before a certain date (can’t recall the date - can’t say I really care) could be classed at a per annum contribution to the wage cap of c£76k - even if they were signed on £5,000 per week. Whilst no one really knew whether the season would be for fulfilled, we still had over 9,000 fans who had committed to the 20/21 season. So, it wasn’t about finances or wondering where the next payment came from. This gave us the impetus to act quickly in the transfer market - alongside shipping out players who were reportedly on £260,000 per year (Vaughan).

Of course, we could have followed Grimsby’s model of approach, whereby players were signed but wouldn’t be paid if the club weren’t allowed play their games; but I suppose some would deem that to be unethical in light of the situation - I might agree.

Whilst our aggregate turnover over the last 10 years is yet to dip below £6.5m, McCall made the decision NOT to fully utilise the remaining budget for what I can only put down to arrogance. He obviously thought the current crop of players were strong enough to compete, and he would then have options to strengthen in January if he needed to.

I honestly do not believe McCall chose not to spend the budget in the summer because of COVID, knowing damn well he’d probably spend the budget only 3 months later anyway.

 

[FiRTHYY]

I think if Bradford bought Burrell that would be terrible for us. For what they could pay we’d probably get a sell on of £3.50. We want him to develop further with boro and be signed up the food chain, not down it.

I can’t see Burrell getting that many games, so for him to do well, he really must take his chance if and when he gets one.

Our chairman is known for spending money. Since his arrival in 2016, he’s reportedly spent £1.75m on transfer fees alone. It wouldn’t be out of the norm for him to splash some cash IF there’s something worth buying.