Realistic January CF targets

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Thinking more realistically with what we've been told about the new ownership, what would the AI prompt look like for the 'ideal' CF needed from Jan til May?

Desired attributes in order of priority...?

The script you'd give our Head of AI to enter into the exclusive AI algorithm & database Reading FC uses...

[Snowflake Royal]

Don’t remember Adeboyejo that well but think he may have been more a 10 than a CF? Think he’d only have been cover really

We should be looking for someone who will come in and make a difference, with the aim to start most games imo

We don’t need a lot I don’t think (LB seems quite well covered to me) so should focus our energy and money on one striker who is genuinely on the level to battle Marriott and KE for a starting spot.

No way we're looking for a starter ahead of Marriott. And no way we're going to find anyone better than him.

We're looking for back up to cover him and Kelvin, and come on late.

[Esteban]

Thinking more realistically with what we've been told about the new ownership, what would the AI prompt look like for the 'ideal' CF needed from Jan til May?

Desired attributes in order of priority...?

The script you'd give our Head of AI to enter into the exclusive AI algorithm & database Reading FC uses...

A lot has been made of AI's role in our transfer strategy, so following the report in the Chronicle about Victor Adeboyejo, I had a quick play with Chat GPT and pasted in his stats from Wikipedia. I asked it to do a basic analysis and compare with the stats of other League 1 strikers.

I'd written him off as a squad player at best, but AI highlighted that in the last 3 seasons in League 1, his goals to games ratio is actually pretty decent. In his last season with Burton, his goals to games ratio was almost exactly the same as Sam Smith's ratio at Reading.

Nothing ground breaking there and I'm sure every team in the league is doing that and has been for some time. It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, our AI bod is doing differently.

[Brogue]

Don’t remember Adeboyejo that well but think he may have been more a 10 than a CF? Think he’d only have been cover really

We should be looking for someone who will come in and make a difference, with the aim to start most games imo

We don’t need a lot I don’t think (LB seems quite well covered to me) so should focus our energy and money on one striker who is genuinely on the level to battle Marriott and KE for a starting spot.

No way we're looking for a starter ahead of Marriott. And no way we're going to find anyone better than him.

We're looking for back up to cover him and Kelvin, and come on late.

yeah its a tough one isn't it. we need to bring in a striker that's not going to take Marriott's place, that's willing to come here to sit on the bench but be good enough when he comes on to make a difference in games. Tough brief. Basically a youngster or a someone coming to the end of their career, i would suggest. And if we have hopes of promotion they need to championship proof too, or all your doing is just bringing someone in for a few months and if we got promoted instantly isnt good enough for the champ. Needs to be the loan market really.

[Orion1871]

Don’t remember Adeboyejo that well but think he may have been more a 10 than a CF? Think he’d only have been cover really

We should be looking for someone who will come in and make a difference, with the aim to start most games imo

We don’t need a lot I don’t think (LB seems quite well covered to me) so should focus our energy and money on one striker who is genuinely on the level to battle Marriott and KE for a starting spot.

No way we're looking for a starter ahead of Marriott. And no way we're going to find anyone better than him.

We're looking for back up to cover him and Kelvin, and come on late.

Well there is, but it's very difficult to sign anyone better than him in the January window.

[Hound]

Don’t remember Adeboyejo that well but think he may have been more a 10 than a CF? Think he’d only have been cover really

We should be looking for someone who will come in and make a difference, with the aim to start most games imo

We don’t need a lot I don’t think (LB seems quite well covered to me) so should focus our energy and money on one striker who is genuinely on the level to battle Marriott and KE for a starting spot.

No way we're looking for a starter ahead of Marriott. And no way we're going to find anyone better than him.

We're looking for back up to cover him and Kelvin, and come on late.

Well there is, but it's very difficult to sign anyone better than him in the January window.

Well yes that’s the challenge. I wouldn’t just say Marriott either (I still don’t rate him that highly either tbh, but that’s not the point), but also Kelvin has been very good recently.

You need to have someone good enough to be very effective if either get injured or lose form. And therefore be good enough to start and challenge those two now. It’s not easy certainly

That good run we’ve had almost makes it a more difficult task - otherwise I’d almost say don’t bother if we were just sat mid table

[Sutekh]

No way we're looking for a starter ahead of Marriott. And no way we're going to find anyone better than him.

We're looking for back up to cover him and Kelvin, and come on late.

Well there is, but it's very difficult to sign anyone better than him in the January window.

Well yes that’s the challenge. I wouldn’t just say Marriott either (I still don’t rate him that highly either tbh, but that’s not the point), but also Kelvin has been very good recently.

You need to have someone good enough to be very effective if either get injured or lose form. And therefore be good enough to start and challenge those two now. It’s not easy certainly

That good run we’ve had almost makes it a more difficult task - otherwise I’d almost say don’t bother if we were just sat mid table

Also to give the option of two upfront and provide an option from the bench that might actually be seen as a threat.

[Hound]

Yes that also

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Did we have these conversations when we started the Season with Ballard, Smith, Kelvin E, Wareham, Knibbs....

Surely a number of quality forwards who can score goals is a good thing?

[Snowflake Royal]

Don’t remember Adeboyejo that well but think he may have been more a 10 than a CF? Think he’d only have been cover really

We should be looking for someone who will come in and make a difference, with the aim to start most games imo

We don’t need a lot I don’t think (LB seems quite well covered to me) so should focus our energy and money on one striker who is genuinely on the level to battle Marriott and KE for a starting spot.

No way we're looking for a starter ahead of Marriott. And no way we're going to find anyone better than him.

We're looking for back up to cover him and Kelvin, and come on late.

Well there is, but it's very difficult to sign anyone better than him in the January window.

Obviously the context of the January window and actuallys igning them is implicit. Just finding someone is trivially easy - oh look Mbappe.

[Snowflake Royal]

Did we have these conversations when we started the Season with Ballard, Smith, Kelvin E, Wareham, Knibbs....

Surely a number of quality forwards who can score goals is a good thing?

Start of the season is completely different. No one is established. It's easier to make yourself in contention to start, the options available are far wider, those ooc from last season, and there isn't a January premium.

At the start of the season when we had all those players, Knibbs wasn't a striker and no one was considering Wareham, or even Kelvin, first team players. In fact, Smith was the only striker with a proven goalscoring record. Apart from Carroll

[Hound]

My feeling is it’s worth a gamble of maybe paying a bit more in a loan fee or wages etc with where we are and really push the boat out to reach the POs

We should plan for KE or JM getting injured, assume they will be. Both do get have a history of it

I’m not too worried about anywhere else in the squad tbh, we have cover. If we could pull off an ambitious target like maybe Keane or similar it really could be the difference between making the play offs and not

[LightwaterRoyal]

I don't think we're looking for someone to replace Marriot but to partner him.

I think something like this would work well, based entirely on my 0x coaching credentials.

Out of possession

Pereira
Yiadom Burns O'Connor Dorsett
Wing Savage
Doyle Marriot Kyereewa
Target Man


In possession (Ball on right hand side)

Pereira
Burns O'Connor Dorsett
Yiadom Wing Savage Kyereewa
Doyle
Target Man Marriot

In possession (Ball on left hand side)

Pereira
Yiadom Burns O'Connor
Doyle Wing Savage Dorsett
Kyereewa
Target Man Marriot

Obviously Dorsett would be better replaced by someone that can play CB and LB (Like Matty Jacob)

[Orion1871]

I don't think we're looking for someone to replace Marriot but to partner him.

I think something like this would work well, based entirely on my 0x coaching credentials.

Out of possession

Pereira
Yiadom Burns O'Connor Dorsett
Wing Savage
Doyle Marriot Kyereewa
Target Man


In possession (Ball on right hand side)

Pereira
Burns O'Connor Dorsett
Yiadom Wing Savage Kyereewa
Doyle
Target Man Marriot

In possession (Ball on left hand side)

Pereira
Yiadom Burns O'Connor
Doyle Wing Savage Dorsett
Kyereewa
Target Man Marriot

Obviously Dorsett would be better replaced by someone that can play football (Unlike Matty Jacob)

Corrected.

it's a joke Ian, calm down

[Royalwaster]

My feeling is it’s worth a gamble of maybe paying a bit more in a loan fee or wages etc with where we are and really push the boat out to reach the POs

We should plan for KE or JM getting injured, assume they will be. Both do get have a history of it

I’m not too worried about anywhere else in the squad tbh, we have cover. If we could pull off an ambitious target like maybe Keane or similar it really could be the difference between making the play offs and not

And then cut back our spending massively next season if we don't get promoted?

[Hound]

My feeling is it’s worth a gamble of maybe paying a bit more in a loan fee or wages etc with where we are and really push the boat out to reach the POs

We should plan for KE or JM getting injured, assume they will be. Both do get have a history of it

I’m not too worried about anywhere else in the squad tbh, we have cover. If we could pull off an ambitious target like maybe Keane or similar it really could be the difference between making the play offs and not

And then cut back our spending massively next season if we don't get promoted?

I’m hardly talking offering Liam Moore 40k a week for 4 years here am I?

Gambling a little extra to bring in someone til end of season.

[South Coast Royal]

My feeling is it’s worth a gamble of maybe paying a bit more in a loan fee or wages etc with where we are and really push the boat out to reach the POs

We should plan for KE or JM getting injured, assume they will be. Both do get have a history of it

I’m not too worried about anywhere else in the squad tbh, we have cover. YouIf we could pull off an ambitious target like maybe Keane or similar it really could be the difference between making the play offs and not

And then cut back our spending massively next season if we don't get promoted?

I’m hardly talking offering Liam Moore 40k a week for 4 years here am I?

Gambling a little extra to bring in someone til end of season.

Do you really think that our owner will gamble and/or spend money as a transfer fee?
There is a lot of talk of play-offs since our run of better results but do we really want to be part of all that worry and disappointment again when we have a team that is so far away from being a championship side ?

I always think that promotion, I. e top two is the aim and if you are good enough to make the top two it means that you have a chance of survival at the higher level.
If you have a team that makes the play-offs but is say 10 or 12 points behind the champions if you are fortunate enough to win the play-offs it requires a big expenditure as re-investment in the squad just to survive.
Do we think our owner would do that?

There is the argument that you take promotion when you can but further investment is always needed especially as a play-off winner.

When we went up to the Prem under Coppell we had already a first team of at least lower Prem level and didn’t we do well?
When we got promoted again we didn’t have such a great side already and didn’t we do badly.?

Despite my advancing years I would like to see us get promoted with a team already built to survive and not one that just about manages to make it.

Wrexham and Birmingham last year had championship sides in waiting and are more than holding their own without major further additions to their squads.
So forget this season and maybe the next 2or 3 years and hope that a side will be built to win the division or come second as I don’t want the disappointment again of relegation so quickly.
On that positive note I have had my say but expect to be opposed by the super optimists.
If only we had an owner prepared to really invest but Hound I don’t think they will and Brogue no doubt feels the same.

[Hound]

Respect your points as always SCR and what you say makes sense

I do think as you acknowledge though there is an argument that whenever this is a sniff of promotion you have to grab it

Thinking from last two years Charlton and Oxford went up from the POs- I don’t think their squads were any better than ours is now

Oxford managed to stay up, and Charlton look ok this year as well. Wrexham and Brum are outliers and they have stupid amounts of cash to spend

I guess Ipswich would be one example of a team who were able to build a squad in L1 fully capable of challenging in Champ but seem to remember they spent a fortune on wages as well that year

Think Sunderland went up via play offs as well but obvs a much bigger club generally

I’m not too sure I see us building a top2 team in this league in the near future anyway. Our star men - Savage - may well go, Wing - getting on, JP - may fancy a champ side, Marriott - history tells us he prob won’t keep scoring like he has so far into next year, D Williams - knocking on etc

If we have a chance now, go for it imo

[yuomi]

Twatter abuzz as Ronan Hale was left out of the Ross County squad that beat Partick Thistle tonight...

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Of course you go for promotion - it's been the new owners' explicitly objective from the start of the season.

Staying in League 1 costs them £10M a year...

The costs of the Championship might be higher, but the rewards are greater also and the possibility of flipping the club if they want to...

They will go for it, within reason...