2024 Season, Arrivals and Departures

**Kingswood Rover** · 05/01/2024, 8:24 PM

Rovers really going for it, Kenny coming back on loan from Celtic looking likely, Mc Eneff now possibly returning and Marcus Poom deal with Flora almost across the line .....

**sulywaterfordfc** · 05/01/2024, 8:38 PM

Originally Posted by gufct

Looks like Coughlan to Fleetwood to be confirmed shortly . Don’t know what the link is doing for Waterford.

Coughlan would have left regardless who the owners are though. He didn’t want to be in Ireland this year, heard a rumour he wanted a move to England this year to be closer to his missus who apparently is English. He was a free agent, turned down a new contract. Not much more Waterford could do tbh, if a player doesn’t want to be here there’s little the club can do.

Would have been million times worse if this whole news about him leaving was because he was moving e to England and then he signed for another LOI club.

**SPXcyan** · 05/01/2024, 8:47 PM

Well let's hope he's good enough for League 1 football, we could very well find out tomorrow afternoon if he makes his debut at Fleetwood.

**Jd2793** · 05/01/2024, 9:12 PM

Originally Posted by Kingswood Rover

Rovers really going for it, Kenny coming back on loan from Celtic looking likely, Mc Eneff now possibly returning and Marcus Poom deal with Flora almost across the line .....

wonder what physical shape mceneff is in now. ye havent been the same team since he left imo. he had an unbelievable engine and work rate. total beast in duels and wasnt half bad at popping up with a goal here and there. great signing if his legs are still there.

**Bunny Kelly** · 05/01/2024, 10:15 PM

Does it feel similar to Towell? Their drive/athleticism a big part of what they were first time round but at the back end of their career & having a tough time away of the league is there enough left in tank?

Maybe there is still a player there but for the contract you’d prob give out to sign him I’m not sure it would be a smart move

**joey B** · 05/01/2024, 10:56 PM

Since he left Rovers in 2020 he’s had 42 appearances and completed 90 minutes only 14 times,he’s only 28 aswell ,I can’t see him having any bother in terms of physical shape,match fitness is a different one but that’ll come in due course….

**ontheotherhand** · 06/01/2024, 9:07 AM

Originally Posted by Bunny Kelly

Does it feel similar to Towell? Their drive/athleticism a big part of what they were first time round but at the back end of their career & having a tough time away of the league is there enough left in tank?

Maybe there is still a player there but for the contract you’d prob give out to sign him I’m not sure it would be a smart move

Not sure it's Towell's drive/athleticism that's changed to be honest. He's still well capable of getting around the pitch. I think the rest of the league may just have improved on that front since Dundalk showed what was possible in terms of conditioning.

McEneff would be an amazing signing but I hear you on the risk. He's had a fair amount of injuries since he left and hasn't played much. Bradley takes a few too many risks on players like that for my liking...but we've never replaced McEneff as Jd says. Been crying out for someone who has the engine to get up and down but is also clued in enough to know when to stay disciplined. That's where Towell falls down for me. Bit headless at times.

**total hoofball** · 06/01/2024, 9:48 AM

Waterford have signed Gbemi Arbui who was with Shels last season and in our U19s for a few seasons. He made 8 brief substitute appearances in the league, scored 2 goals in the LSC but other than that not much of a sample seen of him. Duff was quoted last season that he was still on amateur terms and he was over on trial with Lincoln City recently

I don't think he would be a direct replacement for Coughlan so I'd still expect Waterford to sign another forward with more experience probably from UK or abroad

https://waterfordfc.ie/gbemi-arubi-becomes-a-blue/

**Shinkicker** · 06/01/2024, 9:58 AM

Originally Posted by SkStu

Maybe not and to be honest, im not sure how good/bad Galway and Waterford are but a few on here suggest they'll be fairly bad. I just dont see much reason for optimism with the season 6 weeks away and some massive problem positions for us.

I'm Not very optimistic either. We let a lot go as well as losing our top goal scorer. We haven't brought in anyone who will add quality and better the squad. Other clubs all seem to be announcing new signings. We need to see some quality announcements soon.
We offered LONG TREM contracts to players who didn't perform and now we are rebuilding again.

**ontheotherhand** · 06/01/2024, 12:09 PM

any truth to Fenlon and Devine not agreeing on multiple signings? not ideal if that's the case. I wouldn't have thought Devine had enough credit in the bank to be rejecting signings for the DoF but I'm not sure what the set up is there.

**Jd2793** · 06/01/2024, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by ontheotherhand

Not sure it's Towell's drive/athleticism that's changed to be honest. He's still well capable of getting around the pitch. I think the rest of the league may just have improved on that front since Dundalk showed what was possible in terms of conditioning.

McEneff would be an amazing signing but I hear you on the risk. He's had a fair amount of injuries since he left and hasn't played much. Bradley takes a few too many risks on players like that for my liking...but we've never replaced McEneff as Jd says. Been crying out for someone who has the engine to get up and down but is also clued in enough to know when to stay disciplined. That's where Towell falls down for me. Bit headless at times.

towell got too big imo. very hard to move that frame around once you get older. was a beast with dundalk tbf

**joey B** · 06/01/2024, 1:47 PM

Shane Griffin joined Bray from Waterford,good signing for them….

**Bunny Kelly** · 06/01/2024, 2:21 PM

Originally Posted by joey B

Shane Griffin joined Bray from Waterford,good signing for them….

Surprised Waterford didn't re sign him, injuries more than anything held him back last season & with Baggley gone back to Fleetwood there would have been a role for him

**ontheotherhand** · 06/01/2024, 2:38 PM

Originally Posted by Jd2793

towell got too big imo. very hard to move that frame around once you get older. was a beast with dundalk tbf

yeah I'd agree with that as well to be fair. he was always a bit more jacked up than others but he's taken it too far. loves the social media a bit too much.

**outspoken** · 06/01/2024, 3:02 PM

Originally Posted by ontheotherhand

yeah I'd agree with that as well to be fair. he was always a bit more jacked up than others but he's taken it too far. loves the social media a bit too much.

I've seen that so often with young Irish players that go to the UK, they come back over built like ****houses but can't get around the pitch.

**WeAreRovers** · 06/01/2024, 5:05 PM

Lot of ill-informed opinions of Towell around. He was fantastic last season, the 3-2 win at home against Pats stands out but he was like a terrier all year.

He’s very mobile and plays a big part of Rovers press. Also scored Rovers goal of the season away against Derry in a team move that he started and finished.

He’s a different animal than he was at Dundalk but that’s what happens to players.

The longer people underrate Rovers players the better. See also Gary O’Neill, Lee Grace, Rory Gaffney, Markus Poom, all best in class and massively underrated.

**RealJohn91** · 06/01/2024, 5:49 PM

Those players aren't underrated at all

**ontheotherhand** · 06/01/2024, 5:55 PM

Originally Posted by WeAreRovers

Lot of ill-informed opinions of Towell around. He was fantastic last season, the 3-2 win at home against Pats stands out but he was like a terrier all year.

He’s very mobile and plays a big part of Rovers press. Also scored Rovers goal of the season away against Derry in a team move that he started and finished.

He’s a different animal than he was at Dundalk but that’s what happens to players.

The longer people underrate Rovers players the better. See also Gary O’Neill, Lee Grace, Rory Gaffney, Markus Poom, all best in class and massively underrated.

Absolutely. He might be a bit more mobile without the big arms but his contribution on the pitch was brilliant, particularly at the start and end of the season. He's added a real bite to his game. We've been missing that since Bolger left.

**Bunny Kelly** · 06/01/2024, 7:09 PM

Towell must be in the top 3/4 paid players at the club as they would have had to give him a nice deal at the time to bring him home, 15 starts last season isn't really the return they would have been expecting from their investment.

My original point comparing McEneff to Towell was not that these players cannot be useful but probably you will overpay for where they are now in their career

**oriel** · 06/01/2024, 7:20 PM

Originally Posted by Bunny Kelly

Towell must be in the top 3/4 paid players at the club as they would have had to give him a nice deal at the time to bring him home, 15 starts last season isn't really the return they would have been expecting from their investment.

My original point comparing McEneff to Towell was not that these players cannot be useful but probably you will overpay for where they are now in their career

Think I heard at the time when he had the choice to re-join DFC (but in P6 part 2 madness, he was right not to go back) and Rovers, the deal at the time with euro bonuses would be just under 500k for the duration of his contract. Big money.

I always think of Towell of having almost 4 careers, under the radar at Hibs (after Celtic), but he ran up some serious starts to be fair in a good standard Hibs side in a tough SPL season, then almost 'Blitzkrieg' pace at Dundalk 2013 - 2015, back to UK, did ok then again completely different level of football mainly at Salford, but a totally different role at Rovers last few seasons and to be fair he has been solid albeit pace going a little, I'd still pick him every week.

When he winds down his playing days, I think fair to say he can look back at having a very good career, always liked him as a player, was more than decent to towards kids / photos etc, good luck to him.