Stickied League 2 Transfer Rumours/Confirmed Transfers 2023/24

[hellogregory]

Our squad is still very thin but we seem to have 2 decent keepers, a handy midfield of Gladwin, Payne, Grant and McKirdy but nothing up front at all apart from a youth product and a kid on loan from Ipswich. I think we'll do OK this season but we are weeks behind other teams preparation. The change in the club from 2/3 years ago is light years.

McKirdy isn’t a midfielder. I don’t know if he’s been playing there in his trial but you’ll definitely have more chance of seeing the best of him if you put him in the forward line, whether that be wide or central.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

How is that waster McKirdy getting chances? Was decent for us but has such a big time attitude and that's why he's flopped in the game. Surely last chance saloon at Swindon?

 

[kieran_vale]

How is that waster McKirdy getting chances? Was decent for us but has such a big time attitude and that's why he's flopped in the game. Surely last chance saloon at Swindon?

Aye have to be honest I thought we were his last chance saloon when we signed him. Suppose though when you have undoubted talent like he has there will always be that club who think it will be them who it'll be different with and he'll just take off. If or when it goes wrong at Swindon am sure someone else will take a chance too.

 

[valefan16]

After his spell at Vale I'm hopeful he may have matured and grabs his second chance. Perhaps if he hits the ground running and can feel the love of the home fans it might spur him on. We'll see, I'm excited but wary of his time at Vale.

Exact words we said after signing him last season when he had left Carlisle under a bit of a cloud.

I hope for his sake he does get his attitude right because there are millions of young men who’d kill to be given the chances he has had to be a professional footballer.

 

[valefan16]

Anthony Grant didn’t come with the best reputation but he’s been superb on and off the pitch.

Grant was outstanding for us, don’t think we have had too much issue with his attitude bar him losing the plot and trying to get to a referee at full time after being sent off despite us winning!

 

[Indian Dan]

Wasn’t there some bother at Shrewsbury with him?

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Wasn’t there some bother at Shrewsbury with him?

I loved Grant at us but there was a spell where he was axed from the first team for being disruptive. He was a poor influence on a couple of younger players in our side too and Brad Inman especially took the fall with him.

Always remember in an old programme when he signed for us, he admitted he'd fallen out with Graham Westley at Stevenage and demanded a transfer. But that was probably more Westley than him...

 

[kieran_vale]

If memory serves me correct Grant did have a bit of a falling out with Smurthwaite over money I think it was before he left us for Peterborough. There is an argument if he fell out with him and Westley as mentioned above then it’s more the case he’s just a good judge of character I guess.

 

[Agombar stool]

Grant's behaviour with us so far has been impeccable and you sense the other players love having him around on and off the pitch. I hope his attitude issues are gone now as he is going to be the senior figurehead amongst a pretty young squad this season.

 

[Indian Dan]

They’re not that pretty!

 

[Agombar stool]

They’re not that pretty!

Hopefully not vacant either!!

 

[shoddycollins]

How is that waster McKirdy getting chances? Was decent for us but has such a big time attitude and that's why he's flopped in the game. Surely last chance saloon at Swindon?

Exact words we said after signing him last season when he had left Carlisle under a bit of a cloud.

I hope for his sake he does get his attitude right because there are millions of young men who’d kill to be given the chances he has had to be a professional footballer.

In fairness to Vale, they were signing our top scorer and though there were a few signs of him being immature there were no serious issues during his time with us so this is the only time in his career he's being given 'a chance' so to speak.

The cloud you speak of was more that he decided he didn't want to stay with us and Beech didn't go into detail but didn't sound that impressed by him turning us down (wasn't as though he had another club lined up, or that we didn't make him a good offer seeing as we never even had the chance to make an offer, he just made it clear that while he didn't know where his future lay, he did know it didn't lay in Carlisle).

Had he stayed things might have gone the way they went at Port Vale, or they may have gone well, we'll never know.

 

[Agombar stool]

Anthony Grant now confirmed.

 

[Indian Dan]

Anthony Grant now confirmed.

Do you really reckon we’ll sign those 2 other midfielders - Kelly and McCreachan? Like to see a striker - or 2.

 

[Agombar stool]

Do you really reckon we’ll sign those 2 other midfielders - Kelly and McCreachan? Like to see a striker - or 2.

With Grant being 34 now he really needs bodies around him. Kelly is better as a DM so imagine he might be one. Mcechran I would say would be useful also as Lyden is injury prone. Agree on the strikers, Parsons, Simpson and McKirdy don't scream goals. Couple of LBs and CBs and we are just about there I reckon.

 

[saddler78]

Just saw on twitter we are linked with Kazaiah Sterling, but it is just a rumour

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Do you really reckon we’ll sign those 2 other midfielders - Kelly and McCreachan? Like to see a striker - or 2.

Good luck with that! There are no strikers available this year - unless you're willing to take a chance on Nile Ranger.

 

[Fedora Dale]

Another two young players linked with loan moves to Dale:

1. Left sided defender/midfielder Ryley Towler from Bristol City. Crewe, Cheltenham and Hartlepool also apparently interested.

2. 6'3" Striker Josh Andrews from Birmingham City. Had a couple of games on loan at Harrogate Town last season.

 

[Fedora Dale]

An actual signing. Left Back Aidy White, originally at Leeds, most recently of Hearts, with spells at Rotherham, Barnsley and "out of football due to injury (2017-19)" per Wikipedia.

Potentially very useful, if he can stay fit - has been on trial for two weeks so presumably has had a thorough testing in that time.

 

[shoddycollins]

Good luck with that! There are no strikers available this year - unless you're willing to take a chance on Nile Ranger.

Probably because we're now competing with half of the conference for players.

 

[Sestonpoolie]

.Rumour has it we’ve had a bid of a £100,000 accepted by Borehamwood for Kabongo Tishmanga.Probably a load of crap.
And Tyler Burey,attacking midfielder from Millwall on loamn.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Probably because we're now competing with half of the conference for players.

I've seen a couple of good explanations - PL squads are massive now and their U23s, second string XIs etc are playing lots of friendlies, so the big clubs want their young players to do a full pre-season before deciding which ones go out on loan. Expect an influx of these sort of loan signings before transfer deadline day.

Also, the non-league teams below the Conference have barely played for two years, so there aren't many promising players at that level who have had the chance to catch the eye and make the move upwards.

Our fans are demanding we sign a striker, but they won't be happy if it's someone they haven't heard of. It'll be a teenager from someone like West Brom or Birmingham on loan til January, which should be fine.

 

[Chief Rocka]

.Rumour has it we’ve had a bid of a £100,000 accepted by Borehamwood for Kabongo Tishmanga.Probably a load of crap.
And Tyler Burey,attacking midfielder from Millwall on loamn.

I love a good rumour and we do need a striker but I can't see that happening surely.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

I love a good rumour and we do need a striker but I can't see that happening surely.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1423268187139883012

 

[Monkey Tennis]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1423268187139883012

Not sure that's the bit he's questioning...

 

[Chief Rocka]

Not sure that's the bit he's questioning...

Aye, now show me the shirt that says Tshimanga on it..

 

[RiftHouseLad]

love rumours

 

[Attila the hun]

Aidy white was good when we had him on loan 11yrs ago I can’t believe he’s only 29 seems to have been around for ever if fit a solid left back in league two I would of thought

 

[hellogregory]

In fairness to Vale, they were signing our top scorer and though there were a few signs of him being immature there were no serious issues during his time with us so this is the only time in his career he's being given 'a chance' so to speak.

The cloud you speak of was more that he decided he didn't want to stay with us and Beech didn't go into detail but didn't sound that impressed by him turning us down (wasn't as though he had another club lined up, or that we didn't make him a good offer seeing as we never even had the chance to make an offer, he just made it clear that while he didn't know where his future lay, he did know it didn't lay in Carlisle).

Had he stayed things might have gone the way they went at Port Vale, or they may have gone well, we'll never know.

He did not turn us down, the club decided to release him.

His attitude was shocking, particularly at away games. I didnt mind the edge to his game which would sometimes get himself into bust ups with opposition etc, but I did not like his constant mission of pissing off the entire fan base just because he had an altercation with a small section. The whole missing a game through illness then being photo’d at a Chelsea game the next day was a piss take as well.

With his talent, if his attitude wasn’t an issue, he’d be playing in League 1 by now easily. But I fully expect him to be playing in non league by this time next year.

 

[WilsdenBantam]

.Rumour has it we’ve had a bid of a £100,000 accepted by Borehamwood for Kabongo Tishmanga.Probably a load of crap.
And Tyler Burey,attacking midfielder from Millwall on loamn.

Isn’t Tishmanga out of contract?