i guess it depends on how out of the blue the bid came in for him, if the club were aware he was being scouted than the wise decision would be to compile a list of keepers especially when we needed one in the first place with tyler miller never making an appearance. with him leaving, it left us to find someone to fill that place but now we have to do it again. could we try to talk to miller to get him back? i am hoping we can sign someone who is just as good as alex bass.

its gutting to see him leave, i am getting sick of forest fans gloating that we dont seem to be strengthening and making comments about relegation looming.

like they know enough about the squad, but it feels like we do need to get a good signature to boost morale with losing such a quality keeper.

It’s hard to blame Alex Bass for grabbing this opportunity. At 27, he’s entering the peak years of his career, and if Peterborough are aiming for the Championship, it’s a clear step up. Moves like this are always a reminder of how tricky it is to hold onto top players when they catch the eye elsewhere.

From the club’s side, though, the key now is what happens next. If there’s a decent fee involved, it could help the board take a steady, thoughtful approach with the next signings. Fans will want to see that the money is being used wisely, not just to fill gaps, but to push the club forward with purpose.

Great news to start the week, the feel-good factor has just dropped another level… Again I get it, Peterborough have probably spent a lot of money to get him, but it’s saddening to lose another great player.

We should probably get a topic going called “Who will sell for a lot of money next?”… It’s inevitable isn’t it, when you’re good you lose players and when you’re rubbish you can't get rid of them! You just can’t win.

I think he’ll be tough to replace, statistically Bass was the best at claiming high balls last season in League 2 and had the best save percentage. Carlisle's Gabriel Breeze would be my replacement pick, if you look past the relegation he was their stand-out player and his stats aren't far off Bass' either which is impressive considering he was in front of a worse defence/team. That said I can imagine after one good season with us, given his age, he’d be on his way to a Championship club...

I'm absolutely gutted to see Bass leave. One of my favorites. Possibly the best keeper in L2 and will continue to be very competitive in L1.

I'm very interested in seeing Bass being replaced. All honours to them if they manage to do so.

It’s a tough one to take. Bass didn’t just pull off big saves, he played a huge part in how we moved the ball from the back. His calmness and passing gave us so much control in games. I was hoping he’d stay at least another season, especially with how well things were shaping up.

Still, you’ve got to respect the move. It’s a big step for him at an exciting point in his career, and to have all this happen over his wedding weekend is quite something. Best of luck to him in the next chapter.

Really disappointed that we’ve sold him but not surprised after failing to get promoted. The timing of it isn’t great, and unless we start bringing in some quality players in the next few weeks, many of us are questioning how we are going to compete this season! It’s absolutely crucial we recruit a decent keeper whether it’s permanent or a season long loan deal.

17 hours ago, TheSkipper said:

The club didn't replace Macualay Langstaff properly when we sold him to Millwall, a decision which cost us up front and meant we had to rely on others to come in. Had we signed someone sooner to add firepower, the season might have turned out differently. Now, we have made the same decision, but at the other end of the pitch. I know there has to be a balance with in and outgoings, but honestly, the club is kind of ruining the hype for the new season. It's like they're about to hit the panic button and totally drive the fans crazy.

I hate meltdowns, but this is almost justified considering all the recent news.

Hopefully, the money in does help us strengthen, but with every club doing the same, losing such a quality keeper like Alex Bass is extremely disappointing. I get that Notts can't reject big bids, but they should do more to make sure they balance the news. Harry Griffiths could easily become the target of those who just moan, and it only puts pressure and expectations on him.

I doubt he will be the first-choice keeper, but you have to feel sorry for him arriving as we allow our best keeper in recent years to leave.

Sacking Stuart Maynard by declaring promotion was our target could be the words that come back to haunt the board come the end of the season. Nothing so far gives the feeling that we are aiming to gain promotion.

Not too sure I agree with you. We replaced Langstaff with Jatta who was already here and being bedded in for the transition as we knew we'd probs lose Langstaff. It worked in our favour as well at the beginning of the season, it was just the second half where Jatta wasn't performing due to whatever went on behind the scenes with the Saunders and Maynard.

I do agree this is disappointing as he's been probs one of the best keepers we've had since Bialks, but I doubt Griffiths is even second choice. Given we've just had B team stuff announced, he'll be most likely featuring in that team.

The main thing that many people are alluding to is asset stripping the club, which is scandalous (not saying you are @TheSkipper ) but I think the money in which we've made from on Burchnall, Williams, Langstaff, Crowley, Bass, Nemane is being invested into "the club". Training grounds cost a fortune and so does the uptake and upkeep of a stadium and it's facilities - including the wages of the senior technical board. This doesn't mean, however, we're not willing to spend on players. I imagine majority of the profit is ringfenced for certain players when their stats or themselves become available - like Jatta and Traore. I'm glad we don't just buy frivolously like the Trew/Hardy days.

I'll make my judgements at the end of the window as I'm disappointed at where we currently are, I ackowledge we're a transitional club in League 2.

Interesting post @piedestrian. I agree that Jatta was brought in to replace Langstaff, who everyone knew would be leaving sooner rather than later. I think Jatta's form tailed off because he was overplayed and we had no alternative to him, but that's a separate issue. I don't think we replaced Crowley adequately, but maybe Jarvis or Grant can step up after a full pre-season.

However, the Bass sale is a bit different. By the board's admission the offer came out of the blue, so now we're suddenly looking for a new number 1. It clearly won't be Griff, but we'd do well to get an upgrade on Bass. We have started pre-season training with one striker and no senior goalkeeper and an awful lot of work to do.

Talk of asset stripping is way OTT though. The club is a long way short of breaking even and is dependent on yearly funding from the owners. If they wanted to cut their losses, they'd sell up.

Bass is a big loss. It's going to be difficult to replace him. I just hope the club isn't sifting through the bargain bin of potential replacements. Quality needs to replace quality here. It's a pivotal position.

Notts took a risk by making Aidan Stone the first-choice keeper, then pulled off a masterstroke by bringing in Alex Bass. The two are miles apart in quality, which just goes to show how vital the role is.

Stone never seemed to get the backing that Sam Slocombe had. Maybe with that support and a stronger defence, he'd have come on more. It's hard to grow when you’re constantly firefighting.

Now that the defence has settled, it's key the club brings in another keeper like they did with Bass. Someone solid who gives confidence right through the team.

I’m gutted the club sold Bass. Some positions should be off-limits unless the offer is silly money. It’s much harder to find a quality keeper than it is to plug a gap outfield.

We nailed it with Bass. Before that, it was more of a lucky dip with gloves on.

With all those £s coming in over the last year or so is a loan move for Macca completely out of the question????....it would certainly bring us fans back from the brink!!!!

3 hours ago, piedestrian said:

Not too sure I agree with you. We replaced Langstaff with Jatta who was already here and being bedded in for the transition as we knew we'd probs lose Langstaff. It worked in our favour as well at the beginning of the season, it was just the second half where Jatta wasn't performing due to whatever went on behind the scenes with the Saunders and Maynard.

By choosing to only have Alassana Jatta and David McGoldrick as our attacking options, and allowing Junior Morias to go out on loan, we did remarkably well not to burn out sooner. If we think of Jatta as the new guy replacing Macaulay Langstaff, we’re still pretty short in the spot that really matters on the field.

The way we play, we know we can create chances, but I still think Langstaff should have been replaced with someone similar. Even Cedwyn Scott couldn't get much of a chance in his natural position because the club wanted to focus on two strikers. Jatta was always going to lose his form; maintaining it through the season would have been a miracle, but I don't blame him. I don't blame the club as such; I just think we needed to add a finisher.

4 hours ago, piedestrian said:

The main thing that many people are alluding to is asset stripping the club, which is scandalous (not saying you are @TheSkipper ) but I think the money in which we've made from on Burchnall, Williams, Langstaff, Crowley, Bass, Nemane is being invested into "the club". Training grounds cost a fortune and so does the uptake and upkeep of a stadium and it's facilities - including the wages of the senior technical board. This doesn't mean, however, we're not willing to spend on players. I imagine majority of the profit is ringfenced for certain players when their stats or themselves become available - like Jatta and Traore. I'm glad we don't just buy frivolously like the Trew/Hardy days.

It's not that bad; we have to accept bids, but that reinvestment needs to be made on the pitch just as much as off it. We can't do it halfway, or gamble on signings hoping that they will come good. We have to invest in certain areas, and I think those crucial areas are up front and in goal. The Reedtz are doing well to improve the infrastructure and to look at other revenue streams. Yes, money from the players needs to be balanced out.

Any fan questioning the brothers is living in a cloud, but what I think most people would agree with is that if we lose one player, make sure to sign a solid replacement.

Not every time a player leaves this will happen, but we are attracting bids for our better players, and we aren't always replacing them as wisely as we could.

4 hours ago, piedestrian said:

I'll make my judgements at the end of the window as I'm disappointed at where we currently are, I ackowledge we're a transitional club in League 2.

This is the thing: it's disappointing to lose good players, and as fans we might overvalue their price or worth. I am sure the club is working hard to bring in players, and we might not always be in a position to strengthen, but the only way the club can improve the morale of the fan base is to keep focused on the need for quality additions.

34 minutes ago, gtownjohnno said:

With all those £s coming in over the last year or so is a loan move for Macca completely out of the question????....it would certainly bring us fans back from the brink!!!!

I don't think the club sees using money in the short term benefits us in the longer term.

It would be nice to have Langstaff back even as a loan, but his wages might be the stumbling point. If Millwall were happy to loan him out and contribute to his wages, for him to do well with us and later be sold. It could work, though Millwall look like they want to get a fee now.

With the pre season looming (4 days away) are we prepared? No replacement goalkeeper, and only a week back on the training ground. Let's see what happens over the next week or two 🤔 These men and boys who make up our squad do not and will not go out onto the pitch, whoever they play, to fail. Our support from this time on all the way to the end of the season is paramount as WE ARE THE 12th MAN. So let's all stay positive and get behind our beloved team COYP. ❤️

9 hours ago, allardyces tash said:

Notts took a risk by making Aidan Stone the first-choice keeper, then pulled off a masterstroke by bringing in Alex Bass. The two are miles apart in quality, which just goes to show how vital the role is.

I'm hoping we've learnt our lesson after the Stone transfer, where I think we over-prioritised the ability to play out from the back. I've gone back to the announcement (🤓) when we signed Stone and before even mentioning things like shot-stopping, clean sheets, high claims etc, the board said “It’s crucial that the player is comfortable on the ball and able to distribute well with both feet, while they must also be adept at playing high up the pitch and defending the space behind our back line".

I'm hoping we can get someone who is very similar to Bass, he really did improve us defensively. And he was fine playing out from the back, he just sometimes struggled kicking it under pressure. But that was probably his only real weakness, everything else about him was really good.