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Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

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Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Tippy Tappy Football » Fri Dec 28, 2018 2:23 pm

Following on from the discussion on the "Thanks Dave" thread. No sitting on the fence.

I'd go for:

Hit
Joel Byrom
Shaquile Coulthirst (Loan)
Jake Kean (Loan)
Alex MacDonald
Hayden White
Ben Whiteman (Loan)
Conrad Logan
Bobby Olejnik
Jacob Mellis
Kane Hemmings


Miss
Yoann Arquin
Alfie Potter
Zander Diamond (Injured)
David Mirfin (Injured)
Johnny Hunt
Paul Anderson
Paul Digby
Will Atkinson
Calum Butcher
Omari Sterling-James
Lee Angol
Jimmy Spencer
Adam King (Loan)
Matt Penney (Loan)
Ricky Miller (Loan)
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Binghamstag » Fri Dec 28, 2018 2:35 pm

Agree with most apart from Atkinson who can play a number of roles and Omari sterling James who never had been given the chance to prove himself
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Tippy Tappy Football » Fri Dec 28, 2018 2:45 pm

I gave Will Atkinson and Omari a "Miss" because they just have not played enough. The same applied to Alfie Potter. Matt Penney is also clearly a good young prospect at Wednesday but hardly played for the Stags.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Stafford » Fri Dec 28, 2018 2:49 pm

Tippy Tappy Football wrote:Following on from the discussion on the "Thanks Dave" thread. No sitting on the fence.

I'd go for:

Hit
Joel Byrom
Shaquile Coulthirst (Loan)
Jake Kean (Loan)
Alex MacDonald
Hayden White
Ben Whiteman (Loan)
Conrad Logan
Bobby Olejnik
Jacob Mellis
Kane Hemmings


Miss
Yoann Arquin
Alfie Potter
Zander Diamond (Injured)
David Mirfin (Injured)
Johnny Hunt
Paul Anderson
Paul Digby
Will Atkinson
Calum Butcher
Omari Sterling-James
Lee Angol
Jimmy Spencer
Adam King (Loan)
Matt Penney (Loan)
Ricky Miller (Loan)


Agreed on them all there. Only one I had second thoughts about was Shaquille Couthirst.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Rob » Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:00 pm

I agree with your list Darren, the most damning indictment is that for all his signings (and he made absolutely loads) only Mellis, White and Conrad played on Boxing Day just 10 months after his departure. He has cost our club a lot of money, I am sure JR has learned a painful lesson.

What I would also add is from his hits, Mellis and Olejnik have both performed much better under DF.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Foresttownstag » Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:00 pm

Thought Alfie Potter was ok.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Big yella » Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:13 pm

I really don't think it can be as simple as hit or miss. Take Mellis as the prime example, under Evans an inconsistent flop, under Flitcroft one of if not the best midfielder in the League. As for Olejnik who can give an opinion of him under Evans, under Flitcroft, again, one of if not the best keepers in the League. For me it needs to be judged on who is still here and who, for whatever reason, a player was better under.

Better under Evans:-

Macdonald (long term injury)
Logan (dropped for mistakes)
Rose (unsettled by Evans)
Mirfin (injured under DF)
Anderson (still alive?)

No difference (be that still good, or still bad, or still average)

Atkinson (still average)
Omari Sterling-James (still average)

Better under Flitcroft:-

Pearce
Benning
White
Mellis
Olejnik
Hamilton
Butcher

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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby stagmanrob » Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:35 pm

I thought after a very shaky start where they looked terrible, Diamond and Mirfin started to come good and looked fairly solid. They have to be down as misses though simply because they have barely been fit for I'd expect a large outlay.

Hopefully Mirfin can get back to his full fitness because he'd be like a top new signing. He has POTS awards galore at previous clubs.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Forever Optimistic » Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:56 pm

For me, Mirfin was just starting to show what he had when he got injured last season. He was just starting to show that previous POTS tag. After this long out, can only see him being the filling in roll, but if we can keep him for the next season, defence will be infinitely stronger after a full pre season
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby geoffhill » Fri Dec 28, 2018 6:00 pm

Always liked Mirfin.Does anyone know his current injury situation.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Conker » Fri Dec 28, 2018 6:32 pm

I still believe Steve Evans would have got us promoted but how ridiculous does the decision to let Green go look, he’s done well at this level ever since and just got Lincoln probably £100,000 - meanwhile we signed Angol (maybe we recouped our money) and Jimmy Spencer who clearly not good enough.

I suppose you can consider Butcher to do better under DF but he’s still been a waste of time and maybe on his way out in Jan but that does go down to Evans.

A lot of you not like this but let’s remember who sanctioned all this - The Radfords, I mean no owners are perfect but they ain’t far off at least!!!!!
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby MTFCMAD » Fri Dec 28, 2018 6:38 pm

Never really thought much of Diamond and Mirfin. For what they were/are earning they were very rarely the better centre back in n the pitch.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Rob » Fri Dec 28, 2018 6:38 pm

Conker wrote:I still believe Steve Evans would have got us promoted but how ridiculous does the decision to let Green go look, he’s done well at this level ever since and just got Lincoln probably £100,000 - meanwhile we signed Angol (maybe we recouped our money) and Jimmy Spencer who clearly not good enough.

I suppose you can consider Butcher to do better under DF but he’s still been a waste of time and maybe on his way out in Jan but that does go down to Evans.

A lot of you not like this but let’s remember who sanctioned all this - The Radfords, I mean no owners are perfect but they ain’t far off at least!!!!!


He'd have got us into the play-offs, from there who knows. With the run of games we had I do not believe we'd have made top 3.

I think our owners will have learned much from the behaviour of Evans and his Posh mates, sadly an expensive lesson.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Bradders » Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:45 pm

Conker wrote:I still believe Steve Evans would have got us promoted but how ridiculous does the decision to let Green go look, he’s done well at this level ever since and just got Lincoln probably £100,000 - meanwhile we signed Angol (maybe we recouped our money) and Jimmy Spencer who clearly not good enough.

Angol is playing in League 1, Green in the Conference. Which one do you think would be the best signing if we had to go for one or the other (and we didn't have any history with them)? How you'd scoff if Flitcroft insisted that a 31 year old non-league striker was a better bet than a 24 year old League 1 striker.


On the main list, I don't think that you can include Diamond or Mirfin as "miss" just because they got injured. If they'd told Evans that they were heading for long term injuries I'm sure he wouldn't have signed them.
Jimmy Spencer I agree was a miss, and I have no idea why he was thought to be worth signing. Must have been cheap.
Paul Digby is highly rated by Forest Green and they're only just behind us in the league, so another that has to be a "hit" as a signing even if you don't think that we saw the best of him. Johnny Hunt, likewise, has done well at Stevenage and you could see why he was signed. It takes quite a bit to keep Benning out of the side, and Hunt is very versatile (11 goals in a season isn't bad for a left back, albeit playing up front for Wrexham!).
Atkinson still gets games for us and is another useful and willing player, so has to be a "hit"; even though he's not going to be a star, clearly Flitcroft rates him.
"Anelka" Arquin has never reached his potential and I agree was a "miss", even though he's the sort of player that some people want to sign next month.
Potter I think is 50:50, with some sensational games and some poor.
Overall I don't think that Evans' hit rate was too bad.

In any case, the original post from Rob was that we're still carrying too many of Evans' flops - so most on the list don't qualify as they've already left.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby ParisStag » Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:27 pm

Didn't we make a healthy profit on Angol? If so then that's a hit isn't it?
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby MTFCMAD » Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:36 pm

ParisStag wrote:Didn't we make a healthy profit on Angol? If so then that's a hit isn't it?



Depends what you take as a player being a hit.

Hit for me is a player performing well consistently.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby ParisStag » Fri Dec 28, 2018 9:09 pm

MTFCMAD wrote:
ParisStag wrote:Didn't we make a healthy profit on Angol? If so then that's a hit isn't it?



Depends what you take as a player being a hit.

Hit for me is a player performing well consistently.


My definition is whether it was worth signing said player.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Vice President » Fri Dec 28, 2018 9:59 pm

ParisStag wrote:Didn't we make a healthy profit on Angol? If so then that's a hit isn't it?


I doubt that we made a healthy profit on Angol. I believe we paid a lot for the dual signing of Angol & White. (I think it was rumored to be £300k?).

I would still label Mirfin, Diamond, Anderson, Atkinson, & Butcher as flops. Admitedly the first two have been long term injured, but the others have failed to consistently make the first team. (And OSJ can't even make the bench ahead of youth players, and yet Evans tied him into a longer contract just before he left, without doing the same with CJ).

Matt Green was better than any striker Evans brought in. (Spencer was particularly poor).

Macca & Potter were OK - nothing special.

Hunt was just for back-up cover. Byrom was good in his first season, but then faded - and is not in the same class as Bishop. (who i believe Evans also tried to sign).

Logan, Olejnik & Mellis were good signings (although Evans never played the better keeper and he rarely played Mellis).

The bottom line is that overall Steve Evans' signings weren't good enough to get us promotion. Hopefully, DF's signings will prove otherwise.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby ParisStag » Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:05 pm

Didn't we receive something like £350k for Angol though?
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Vice President » Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:19 pm

ParisStag wrote:Didn't we receive something like £350k for Angol though?


Really? I didn't realise it was that much. Well if that's the case then yes - a healthy profit!
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby MTFCMAD » Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:34 pm

ParisStag wrote:Didn't we receive something like £350k for Angol though?


Where’s this information from ? As far as I know it was all undisclosed.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Bradders » Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:37 pm

Vice President wrote:
ParisStag wrote:Didn't we make a healthy profit on Angol? If so then that's a hit isn't it?


I doubt that we made a healthy profit on Angol. I believe we paid a lot for the dual signing of Angol & White. (I think it was rumored to be £300k?).

I would still label Mirfin, Diamond, Anderson, Atkinson, & Butcher as flops. Admitedly the first two have been long term injured, but the others have failed to consistently make the first team. (And OSJ can't even make the bench ahead of youth players, and yet Evans tied him into a longer contract just before he left, without doing the same with CJ).

Matt Green was better than any striker Evans brought in. (Spencer was particularly poor).

Macca & Potter were OK - nothing special.

Hunt was just for back-up cover. Byrom was good in his first season, but then faded - and is not in the same class as Bishop. (who i believe Evans also tried to sign).

Logan, Olejnik & Mellis were good signings (although Evans never played the better keeper and he rarely played Mellis).

The bottom line is that overall Steve Evans' signings weren't good enough to get us promotion. Hopefully, DF's signings will prove otherwise.

That's not the bottom line though as they got us well on track for promotion during Evans' tenure, and he can't be blamed for what happened next.
Anyway that episode is closed, and the only effect is that a few of the current squad were Evans' players.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby Tess Tickle » Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:41 pm

Without looking into it , i would imagine mirfins contract will be up in the summer ?? . Hasn't kicked a ball for us in over a year ? At our level we don't dish out 3 year contracts do we?
As much as I liked him in the few games I witnessed him playing I don't think we will see him in a stags shirt again..
The way he used to hobble around the gym on the corner on crutches it would be a surprise.
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Re: Steve Evans' Signings - Hit or Miss?

Postby ParisStag » Sat Dec 29, 2018 1:13 am

MTFCMAD wrote:
ParisStag wrote:Didn't we receive something like £350k for Angol though?


Where’s this information from ? As far as I know it was all undisclosed.


It was officially undisclosed, but someone I know in football told me the price. Can't remember exactly, but it was either £300k or £350k. I thought I'd seen that figure verified by someone else either on here or facebook and that it was fairly common knowledge. Might be nonsense of course.
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