Evans Charisma get 3 over the line.

He knows how to sign players does Evans..And early too..Bravo to him

Steve Evans takes the weekend off. No new signings

The players he's signed are solid league one players, nothing exceptional, just solid and all teams need solid players.

2 were from Portsmouth Rafferty and Raggett both aged 30 which suggests pompey don't see them as being good enough for the championship, but good enough in league 1. Both won the championship.

Clarke Harris from Peterborough is 29 and I'm surprised by this move as he turned down Charlton in the Jan window to play abroad when his contract ended. He is a proven striker who is capable of scoring a bucket load, but is his attitude right? I don't know.

James a left back aged 30 from Sheffield Weds. He played 8 times last year so not quite good enough for the championship.

McWilliams aged 25 a defensive midfielder signed from Northamton. He played 36 times last season.

As you can see only the last one has time on his side with the others being senior in age and experience. Typical Evans signings. I fully expect them to be up and around it all season with his brutal style being fostered on teams.

Seems we have a different approach.  Evans, as he did with Stevenage went for solid, experienced, players.  As a consequence they have done really well and in fact much to my irritation did better than us last season.  He is doing exactly the same with Rotherham this season and as a consequence I’d be surprised if they are not pushing on close to the top.  Players able to last the distance.

We in contrast look for players of a younger age with perhaps a sell on value, though with 2 years contracts that’s limited. Sort of Posh thing and they haven’t done too badly. But as a consequence we get endless rhetoric about how young players need to get used to league 1 and the efforts required to maintain performance over a full season.

Evans also believes in getting much of his recruiting done early.  Again different to us.

I guess next year will be interesting when we start with a fully fit squad who have enjoyed a full preseason. We have some great talent but lots of gaps.  As they say on the tube “mind the gap”.  If we don’t then RW will have reason to complain. But I’m confident we will get in the 5 or 6 players RW wants and in good time to have a positive preseason.

Players and manager?  Wouldn’t surprise me.  

But the same could be said for us, for every club. We knew we would be in league 1 and pretty certain who was going to be let go. Tbh I’d be surprised if professional clubs don’t have ideas for the following season. With Travis I’d be absolutely staggered if he didn’t install this approach in the club. Of course we pre-plan. I’d be amazed if the club didn’t have a list of possible targets based on known contract dates. And those within our range.

OK for sure it’s not an exact science. Lots of variables. But these variables don’t seem to phase Evans, even at little Stevenage, hardly to biggest attraction for players. He has an amazing and positive mindset. Knows what he wants and goes for it. I just hope we know who we want and get the best of those in good time.  Loans accepted as different.

Listened to Sam Allardyce talking about this.  At any one time he had a list of six possible players for every position in case he needed someone.  

I know nothing of the players you mentioned,as I have said before I just wait until the window closes to see,injuries notwithstanding who and what kind of players we have signed.Plus what is said on this forum about certain players.

Budgets of course are important.  But that is a known and not a variable.  

We will probably know the players beyond our reach and that’s fair enough. Nothing wrong with a speculative approach but that’s it. best not waste too much time. We are a professional club operating in a market place where players values and wages are likely to fall within bands. And we have enough experience to know those we could realistically attract and those we cannot within our price range.  This stuff is meat and potatoes to professional recruiters. Of course those in that band will also be in demand from clubs with similar, even smaller budgets.  The bun fight begins for the best. That’s when we need to be fleet of foot, positive even aggressive. To the winner goes the better players. For the rest theynhope for some last minute bargains.

One of the worst strikers I’ve seen at Brisbane Road in each of the past two seasons, less goal threat than Drinan. Stevenage are welcome to him.