Michael Appleton 2020

Division: League One

Estimated Budget: Wage Cap Leveller

Ins: James Jones, Lewis Montsma, Ethan Ross, Conor McGrandles, Liam Bridcutt, Adam Jackson, Joe Walsh, Theo Archibald, Remy Longdon, TJ Eyoma, Alex Palmer, Callum Morton, Brennan Johnson

Outs: Charlie Andrew, Michael Bostwick, Neal Eardley, Lee Frecklington, Akeem Hinds, Jamie McCombe, Tom Pett, Jason Shackell, Alan Sheehan, Grant Smith, Josh Vickers, Jack Payne, Cian Bolger

Rating at the time: 8/10

Rating with hindsight: 8/10

The last time a manager needed to undergo a summer rebuild was 2020 when Michael Appleton was in charge. To add context, our budget might not have been the biggest, but we were in a good position; we’d shed some higher earners, and were, therefore, ready to move and develop under the wage cap. Other clubs might have had better budgets but didn’t have room to manoeuvre because of the wage cap. It didn’t mean we had our pick of players, but we did have scope to develop.

However, it was also the end of an era; Danny’s League Two winning team was dismantled and cast aside, and a whole load of new faces came in. It was certainly an exciting summer, new faces were announced every day it seemed, and in fairness, they did alright; we were 90 minutes from being a Championship side. One or two didn’t work out, one or two were great for one season and have faded a bit, but it is still held up as an example of when our recruitment was spot on.

Biggest Hit

Can you imagine if I picked anyone other than Brennan Johnson? The boy fired Forest to the Premier League last season, he’s going to be at the World Cup and yet just 18 months ago he was appearing for Lincoln City. In a summer of strong recruitment, he has to go down as one of the very best loan players we’ve ever signed.

Biggest Flop

In a choice perhaps reflective of how transfers are these days, my biggest flop is also a loan player; Callum Morton. I remember when he signed I felt we’d got the options up top to make a real difference, and perhaps his early injury didn’t help, but when he came back he just wasn’t the same player. I had really high hopes for Callum, but with Tom Hopper out, it really felt like we needed something different to the tall striker. We never saw the clinical finishing that he showed with Northampton, and sadly that’s why he’s my pick.