So as we stand NOW we have jak,Dawson, hudds, Robertson, clucas, meyler, mason & Hernandez and can't put a promotion bid together ???? Think you need to take a look at who we still have yes we need new players but midfield looks strong in championship
As things stand we have no right back and 1 centre back with our first friendly around the corner. It's looking increasingly likely that Ehab is up to his normal tricks and we could start the season with no right back and 1 centre back with all our transfers done in the last 48 hours. Thats taking into account the fact we still have Robertson which is unlikely to be the case come the season opener. The same can be said for Elmo, Kamil and possibly Hudds and Clucas. The manager is trying to implement his thoughts and philosophys into this 'squad'. We are going to be at a major disadvantage if the majority of our players we sign are done so in the last week of the transfer window as it means the manager starting this process again, where as they could be in now and adapting. I don't fancy coming up against Villa opening day with no right back, 1 centre back and potential no left back. I'm not sure where you get this blind belief that we are waiting for the correct players to come available or that this is the right strategy to take in the transfer market. Last two seasons Ehab has shown how he conducts his transfers and it's exactly the same this year. Someone has already mentioned it but it wouldn't surprise me to see Leo go before the transfer window is closed.
If we don't lose any more we'll have a decent squad going forward, but so have Villa, Derby, Mbro, Sunland, massive club, Fulham, Wolves, Reading..
Totally agree WST. Any team with serious intentions of mounting a promotion bid, that's SERIOUS intentions, has everyone in place before training camps and friendlies come around. It worries me Slutsky openly saying in his interview that he has sat and talked with certain players about his vision, and why he needs them. Also he mentions about how some of them still think they are Premier League players. I wonder if he is starting to think, 'what the **** have I got myself into here'. Probably not because he comes across as really enthusiastic and endearing. It's one thing having the threat of Gulags and Gruel for your players, but he's up against it with some of these agent driven, over paid pampered poodles that we have, plus Ehab.
im not saying we will but its not a relegation threatened team atm I said we need new players If we dont get players in soon we will be on the back foot AGAIN but i would rather see quality players come in from now rather than have 8 new squad players in already We need quality
I'm pretty chilled out about it but I can understand why people aren't. If this was a new situation, I'd agree wholeheartedly but we had this **** show last year and it didn't end too well. The biggest worry for me is that the targets set by Ehab and Sluts are consistently broken, particularly if the "before Portugal" is broken too. That points to something being wrong (No cash, players aren't interested, don't like manager/club stability etc.) I fully expect to have a squad in place before the transfer window closes but just because something takes a long time, doesn't mean it's not rushed.
We are very close to getting Ola Aina on loan so that's one full back in. Slutsky already said about the centre half position and if Robbo goes then he will no doubt plug that gap as well. It isn't blind belief, it's common sense. We know we are going to get loans from Chelsea, but if they aren't back for pre season they aren't going to be send players out on loan until they've assessed who they want to keep. Aina was on the fringes of the first team, presumably he will sign in the next 48 hours. We have no idea who Slutsky is looking at, if they are big targets then it's going to take longer to get them in and he's said we are close to a few coming in. That wasn't Ehab that said that, it was Leo. We could easily sign a bunch of League 1 and 2 players tomorrow, but would you be happy with that just to say we've signed a player? I accept the last window was farcical, I honestly don't think we will see that happen again. Slutsky isn't going to walk, that's just paranoia based on nothing but fearmongering by impatient fans.
Call me a knicker wetter if you wish but I fail to see where the optimism is coming from. In Ehabs promotional video we are getting a Director of football to run the show, we were supposed to have 90% of the squad by pre-season, our new manager is best mates with Abrahamović so we get 4 good loans, we're not a selling club and some other stuff which I can't remember. It's not looking good, hope things improve soon.
I'm not saying your wrong sterling but they've already sent out Abraham to Swansea and Kasey palmer to udders
I think the problem is, as has been said by the players, Slut is already implementing ideas and strategies. How do you do that with one centre back..? The whole idea of pre season is for exactly the reason of a 'team' or 'squad' understanding their role, developing a relationship with another centre back as an example so that you know when he goes one way, you go the other or whatever that strategy is. We have experienced too many times players not working with each other, Moses and Elmo never ever worked, many times Curtis and DAWSON didn't and surely these are the problems you sort before you set foot on a pitch, Not signing gung ho with a week to a season start which looks ever more likely as was the case last season. When we have rushed last minute into the window what have we got in the main!!!!!!!!
Slutsky was recently asked about what football cliches he knows, maybe he should also be asked about what proverbs he knows. Like 'no smoke without fire'. Jakupovic - linked with move to Leicester. Or was he? McGregor - - linked with move to Hearts. Mason - difficult to call. If / when he plays, how will his injury affect him? Clucas - linked with Newcastle amongst others. Huddlestone - linked with Newcastle also. Wonder if Bruce Senior might add him to his ranks? Hernandez - 'want away' striker, if ever there was one. Robertson - Premier League or Holland. Elmo - probably going to a competitor. Maloney - who knows. Gosicki - Watford bound? Meyler - still injured. Dave Moses - still injured. Keane (remember him) - still injured. Davies - gone to a competitor. McGuire - gone. Tymon - gone. Which leaves Dawson, who last time around we got relegated said 'everyone wants to play in the Premier League' and is that stage in his career like Hudds, who would leap at the chance of one last pay day contract with a Bournemouth, or Watford, or Huddersfield type of club. He was appointed on the 9th June, a month ago and we have signed some young lad from Swansea and are about to embark on a pre season tour. I desperately want this fella to succeed, he comes across as a breath of fresh air. But taking in the gossip (that he doesn't do) flying around, it looks like he and the team have got their work cut out.
- Common sense says what happened last year is happening again. - Aina has been close for a week and still not happened - U23 centre back has just left the club (and relying on one fit senior centre back who is injury prone is hardly setting the team up for promotion!) - Clucas, Moses are two players from the lower leagues in recent history. What is wrong with that? We need squad numbers, they can't all be big signings. If this was one off of Ehab had a proven record of signing players then fair enough but this isn't a one off and he doesn't!!
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with signing players from the lower leagues, but there's no point in signing players just for the sake of it.
