Will Evans signing for Mansfield

Will Evans signing for Mansfield on Monday, a decent player for Newport, hopefully he can be just as good in league 1

What should worry us all is that coaching staff and playing squad all have a bargain basement feel to them, with very little sign of HJ’s much vaunted investment. If, as is now looking likely, Will Evans departs then what happens to the sale proceeds, dividend, rainy day fund, or very necessary squad strengthening, particularly up front?
Right now I’m not sure it will be the latter and instead, along with the FA Cup windfall, will be used to take further pressure off Huw’s financial commitment. For the first time I’m starting to fear for our future in the League, and am also beginning to wonder if the Trust may have backed the wrong horse.

That's very possible I'm afraid. I can't see how we can get our club back from him.

As I said yesterday.in the Hereford game thread, I fear we are in trouble. The strategy is high risk, signing players who are supposed to be investments on 2 year contracts is a highly dangerous position to put the club in. It's easy to say we need to be a club that brings players on and sells them but look around the country, how many teams find players like that? We need to invest in the youth, bring them on and you may find one or two to sell on, trying to find them all externally is madness. Look at Sam Bowen, James Waite etc so many more over the years. Not using the loan market is also wrong, we shouldnt rely on it as we have other years but not using it at all is a risk too, when we had a good name for bringing players on then that name will go and when we want to use the loan market we will be back to square one.

I hope I'm wrong and it works but scared for our future. Where are the goals coming from?

Mansfield have reportedly had 2 previous bids turned down by Jenkins so it seems likely that they have come back with a third bid. It also seems that Jenkins has known that he would eventually sell hence us bringing in Courtney Baker-Richards as his replacement, a signing that is out of step with almost all of the other players we have brought in this summer.

George Guest wrote:That's very possible I'm afraid. I can't see how we can get our club back from him.

It was a travesty that those with charge of our club continually lied about the financial situation which brought us here in the first place. It is regrettable that in one final act of crass stupidity and hubris they chose not to allow the supporter owners to know the full facts and thus make an informed decision as to who should take control of our club. However that is all in the past now and there is nothing that can be done.

If Huw Jenkins pulls it off then he makes makes money and a successful Newport County will mean everyone his happy. If Huw Jenkins fails then the income from the Manchester United Cup run, the Will Evans transfer will I'm sure mean that Mr Jenkins won't lose a penny. I believe it's what snooker players call a shot to nothing.

And if County plummet it will be the heart broken fans who will pick up the pieces. Or as us Catholics might put it. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.

It probably has no implications for the signing of Evans but Mansfield signed Ben Quinn yesterday following a successful trial. He is a wide player who scored a lot of goals for Celtic B in the Lowland League.

I think some supporters need a little faith. Huw did a brilliant job with Swansea. He has done it all before, so he obviously knows what he is doing. Let’s see where we are in 2025, 2026, 2027…

I think we all knew that Evans would be off during this window. If he isn't sold then the loss of money would be something County can't afford to lose. And people will complain. So HJ is blamed for any decision.

I'm not sure that the current forward roster has goals in them, or that essentially having one main striker and two wingers is the best formation but that is how County are going to start the season.

I am sure that HJ had to change things, and I think the idea of reducing the average age of the squad can only be a good thing. It's what Toshack and Brian Flynn did when taking over Wales and look at the players that were given a chance and flourished. I think there is enough experience in the squad to help the youngsters through this first year and that the real benefit comes in 2025-26. I think it's still possible to get someone in that will score goals before the end of the summer window.

Lets not go for the knee-jerk response. Lets embrace the situation and get behind the club. Lets cheer the endeavour and hopefully that'll help the players to flourish...

Eric the Amber wrote:I think some supporters need a little faith. Huw did a brilliant job with Swansea. He has done it all before, so he obviously knows what he is doing. Let’s see where we are in 2025, 2026, 2027…

Well yes, not that we have any choice but to wish for the best and support the boys. Yes, let’s see where we are on a shorter timescale though, on the way up or on the way out! Let’s assess where we are around Xmas time. We should have an idea whether the experiment is working by then.

[quote="Stan A. Einstein"]

George Guest wrote:That's very possible I'm afraid. I can't see how we can get our club back from him.

It was a travesty that those with charge of our club continually lied about the financial situation which brought us here in the first place. It is regrettable that in one final act of crass stupidity and hubris they chose not to allow the supporter owners to know the full facts and thus make an informed decision as to who should take control of our club. However that is all in the past now and there is nothing that can be done.

If Huw Jenkins pulls it off then he makes makes money and a successful Newport County will mean everyone his happy. If Huw Jenkins fails then the income from the Manchester United Cup run, the Will Evans transfer will I'm sure mean that Mr Jenkins won't lose a penny. I believe it's what snooker players call a shot to nothing.

And if County plummet it will be the heart broken fans who will pick up the pieces. Or as us Catholics might put it. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.

Not just Catholics Stan.

We are now a selling club. Cash in on Evans after 1 good season. All these signings are cheap. Have a good season and sell them in the summer with 1 year left.

CountyKiller wrote:We are now a selling club. Cash in on Evans after 1 good season. All these signings are cheap. Have a good season and sell them in the summer with 1 year left.

We’ve always been a selling club - at least for the 70 odd yrs I’ve supported us! So I don’t mind that so much just so long as we maintain our league status. When I was young we had Billy Lucas guarding the trap door at the re-election meetings ( young ‘uns read it up ) but that no longer applies and this is an unforgiving league. We’d better pray Jenkins’ scouting is good or we’re in real trouble.

CountyKiller wrote:We are now a selling club. Cash in on Evans after 1 good season. All these signings are cheap. Have a good season and sell them in the summer with 1 year left.

Nearly every lower league club would be a selling club if they could be. Not very often you find a player that can make someone else pay a fee. Therein lies the problem with 2 year contracts for inexperienced players.

Exactly. People should not confuse disappointment at Evans leaving (we expected that) with the real worry which is the untenable commitments to long contracts for untried players that could well ruin the club financially. Selling 4th division players for significant cash is a rare event. County have been doing that for years, occasionally, but freedom of contract makes it a lot harder nowadays. Poaching clubs can simply wait until their contract expires. Then your Farquharson's, Arron Lewis's and Demetrious are gone without compensation to the transferring club.

Eric the Amber wrote:I think some supporters need a little faith. Huw did a brilliant job with Swansea. He has done it all before, so he obviously knows what he is doing. Let’s see where we are in 2025, 2026, 2027…

Huw didn't do a brilliant a job at Swansea on his own like he's attempting to do with County. He was a minor investor and shareholder of a 9 person wealthy consortium. Also had a local Council who facilitated the building of a 20,000+ stadium.
It cannot be said he's done it all before, as the situations are different.
It cannot be denied, however, that he has brought with him 15 years experience of being a CEO and Chairmen of a very successful club.