It has been a busy transfer window so far for City and hopefully there may be a little more to come. But honestly after last season a clear out was definitely needed and Bowyer needed to build his own team. Last season was some of the worst football I had seen in a long time from City and I believe it was a mixture of mistakes from those higher up (bye bye Rahic) and managers bringing people in to try salvage any last hope they could. So given we were relegated I don't think there was any doubt Bowyer was going to make changes and in all honesty he hasn't disappointed. He got rid of plenty much to most fans delight and those players were...
Players out
Adam Chicksen - I was so glad to see this as he really didn't have a good season last season at all. Constantly caught out of position and cheaply giving the ball away then making rash decisions which cost the team greatly.
Ryan McGowan - I was actually quite gutted about this one as I don't think he was actually given a fair shot plus he did pick up quite a few injuries. In the end he ended up leaving to go back home which I think is a very valid reason, it can't be any good sitting on a bench week in week out or even being forgotten about when you could be getting game time and being with those you love.
Ben Wilson - We didn't really get to see much from Wilson as he was our backup keeper , but honestly I think that at times we could have done with a change to show other fans it wasn't all O'Donnell's fault (yeah he made a few mistakes on his own) but was in fact the defences fault for not playing as they should.
Billy Clarke - This one I was absolutely gutted about, even if they just gave him another season long contract I think we would have been laughing our way to the top of league 2. Clarke would have been brilliant in the lower league as he never fully lost his pace and his movement on and off the ball was actually fantastic. But I guess our loss is another clubs gain.
Alex Jones - In all honesty I was glad to see Jones off our books, he always seemed to be injured. I would much rather have a striker who can play more than half an hour being paid a little more money, than someone who comes on, can't move right well and gets injured again.
Nathaniel Knight-Percival - I won't tell you what I called him for 90% of the season but it wasn't good. With him and Chicksen in our back line we were a liability. I don't know what it was with Knight-Percival but it was like he lost the ability to play week in week out, giving possession away in ridiculously dangerous positions as well as been caught out of position far too often which did us no favours at all.
Calum Woods - I can't really comment on Woods as again we didn't see much of him due to injury. From what we did see though I think honestly he could have helped us a little if he just stayed injury free.
Cameron Hawkes - Hawkes only played in about 2 games for us before being sent out on loan for the remainder of last season. So you can't really say much about him, at only 19 years old though he could be a player to keep an eye out for in the future.
Callum Gunner - Gunner is another player that we never really saw as he was sent out on loan then left the club at the end of the season.
Tom Clare - Another we picked up and sent out on loan and eventually sold. To be honest he may have been a better choice upfront for most of last season as he may have actually got a goal for us.
Paul Caddis - This is one of the ones I really couldn't understand, Caddis was one of our best players last season and would have done really well for us in league 2 I believe.
Josh Wright - I don't know what went on with Wright, one minute the club is bigging him up, making him captain next thing he is nowhere to be seen, not even just on the bench. It wasn't until Bowyer came in that he started playing again and to be fair to him he did quite well in those last few apperances and he ended up leaving to go to Leyton Orient this season.
So after seeing all those players leave, I think all the fans were getting excited to see who Bowyer was bringing in as most of us know that Bowyer is a manager who can really do well, as we saw at his previous clubs. SO what could he do with City when he built his own squad? Well this is who he brought in...
Players In
Sam Hornby - Finally a goalkeeper who is going to make O'Donnell work for his spot. Apparently when he signed he said he didn't want to be 2nd choice so it is definitely going to be an interesting season to see if the time is split or if Bowyer just sticks to the 1 goalkeeper.
Jackson Longridge - From what I saw of Longridge in preseason he could be a great addition to our bsckline, let's just hope he carries on playing well.
Paudie O'Connor - We got Paudie on loan from Leeds last season and he looked good in those games he played for us, so I was glad to see we signed him on a permanent deal. He is only young and you can already see a lot of potential in him so let's hope he keeps it up this season and becomes a permanent feature for us.
Ben Richards Everton - Another addition to the backline and one I am loving, from what I saw in preseason he was fantastic. Commanding the line and barking out orders to get people to be where they should be. This is something we were really lacking last season as there seemed to be no communication at the back so lets hope this works well for us.
Tyler French - Another defender to add to the options. I think French may be used more as a backup in case of injuries but after seeing him in preseason he is definitely a good backup to have. He definitely isn't afraid to get stuck in.
Adam Henley - Another defensive option but one who can play in a position we really need, left back. Granted he may naturally be a right back but he can play left too and he is doing pretty well for us already, definitely better than the one he has come in to replace.
Zeli Ismail - To be honest I haven't seen much from Ismail, but what I did see was 2 missed penalties. I think he is a player that could do well for us but may benefit more if we were to send him out on loan for a bit.
Matt Palmer - Palmer has come in on loan and what a loan signing he could be. When I have seen him play he has given me the impression he is going to be a bit like Jack Payne as he is quick, skilful but he is also good at winning the ball back when he has lost it and doesn't seem to give up.
Clayton Donaldson - The local lad is back, after being released as a youngster Donaldson has returned home and could just be the striking threat we require plus with his height he really could be an aerial threat. Let's hope he get's on the score sheet plenty of times.
James Vaughan - Our new captain and a fantastic player, Vaughan has done really well at his previous clubs. I think it is a name we will be seeing on the score sheet plenty of times throughout the season and I can't quite believe he has come to us. With his experience I think we can really do well.
We have brought in plenty of defensive options and a few who can actually score goals for a change so I really can't wait to see how this season plays out for us hopefully we can score plenty and actually keep plenty out for a change.
Do you think we have enough now? Or do you think we could do with a few more signings?
See you soon,
Lucy.
