I just want to clarify something from my view. I am not saying that we have had a perfect window and that I expect us to run riot with 3 or 4 goals every game. I wanted another creative player signed too. I get a lot of stick for calling some of our fans too expectant and always seeing the good in the club. However when we have our first post Premier league season where we have not sold any key players and have made what appear to be good additions (and at sensible values in a mad market), I do find it disheartening that some people focus on the downside the moment the door is shut. It's like getting 75% in an exam, receiving an A and your Dad moaning that you didn't get an A* or come top of the class. Fans have been crying out for us to stop selling our best players and we have come through a window having matched that request (although that will still happen in time). We've sent a message to say we are no pushovers in the market, if you don't do it our way. Life isn't perfect.
I didn't see the Newcastle move for Matt Targett coming. Whenever I have seem him play, he always looked like he had loads of potential although I never believed the hype I was told that he was considered a better prospect than Luke Shaw. It seems odd that Newcastle are looking for loan deals too. The Radio 5 commentary of the day's dealings last night was particularly scathing about Newcastle's ability to perform in the transfer window and I suppose that it is a reflection upon Saints that we are looking to place loan moves to teams like this to further develop players instead of the usual Championship destinations. It was mooted that the transfer business by Newcastle this summer had been the least successful in the Premiership and it was suggested that the team would now find staying out of a relegation battle extremely difficult.
I know Schad, but Boufal, Tadic, Redmond could come good. Don't forget also, that someone got the ball to Mane. Yes he was very direct and caused problems but just take the Redmond chance against Huddersfield as an isolated incident. Ball in the channel. Wide forward runs on to it. Shot goes wide. Remember the early Mane? Could have been him. I'm not saying Redmond is Mane, but if the coaches work on the right things, we could still be an attacking force this season. 29 chances against Swansea and we miss d some easy ones against Huddersfield (albeit not as fluid in attack), so we could have started this season with 3 goals in each game. That tells me that some of the ingredients are there. Ps. Remember I have said that I'd have preferred us to sign a creative player too, I'm Just countering the down beat feel a bit.
Shouldn't be hard to find. On Football Manager. In real life, not so easy. I think you continue to underestimate Steven Davis, btw. Fortunately, our last 3 managers haven't.
I agree with those people's assessment on Newcastle, however it is football and two years ago those same people were probably assessing a very good transfer window from Newcastle. They were relegated.
Don't think I suggested that it's easy. Rather, that in lacking such, and with our current combination of other players, we aren't going to score a lot of goals.
I'm not particularly downbeat; I didn't really expect us to sign anyone, though I was hoping we might. We aren't a bad team by any stretch, and should be quite good defensively. But that doesn't change the fact that we aren't likely to be in the early minutes of MOTD much this year, heh.
Sure. I'll even set a fairly low threshold: less than 50 league goals. 9 teams scored 50+ last year, including mighty Bournemouth, and we handily exceeded that in the three seasons preceding last (and scored 49 in our first season back). Edit: also, I like Davis, but a creative midfielder he is not (and a goalscoring mid he definitely is not). He has not been one over the course of a long and productive career, and he will not start to be one this season.
My concern is it is not just this season - they have been missing chances, some gilt edged, for months. I hope they come good too but there is nothing to suggest JWP or Davis or tadic will suddenly be able to hit a ball into a net from 10 yards. They miss every time. For me boufal must play. If he had been given half the game time the rest have been afforded week after week we might be seeing a different player by now.
Is the Vietto link now dead for this window? Spanish window shuts tonight and AM still want Costa supposedly. Can Chelsea move him on if our window is shut?
Can't disagree. I have been calling for Boufal to have a run of games for a while. I will say though that with what you've said above, chances falling to Charlie and Gabbi could change all that, which brings me back to us possibly having the right ingredients, just the coach needs to get the mix right.
A club can only sign a player within their transfer window, so Costa can go to Spain, but we can't sign anyone. Anyone know why the windows are different?
50/51 is a fair benchmark. Fancy a charity bet for the season? You're familiar with spread betting? Sell or buy goals at 50/51, £5 a point. So if we finish the season on 50 goals you're a fiver up, 51 and I'm a fiver up. 49 goals, I owe you a tenner etc. End of the season, the loser makes a donation to the winner's chosen charity. Deal?
Sure, that works. Used to have problems dealing in foreign currencies which made bets in GBP difficult, but Paypal seems to be more forgiving than my credit card. Bookmark this if you would, because there's about a 95% chance I'll have forgotten by next week.
Wouldn't worry too much about the exchange rate btw. With the clowns the UK has in charge of Brexit negotiations, we'll soon be at parity with the CAD.
Absolutely! Going to be very interesting if he can get our AM's to tick going forward. We need MP to get all / some of them to shoot straight, provide regular goal assist's & maybe even the occasional goal. I'm pretty confident the defence, stoppers, wing backs & forwards are sorted without too much tinkering & even FF will step up once the back 6 are settled but if MP can get Boufal, JWP, Davis, Tadic, Redmond ticking, we could have a really good season. Really hate international weekends - roll on Sept 9th! COYS
We played a different style then, we didn't rely on a 10 to create chances. We relied on Pelle & Tadic linking up and Mane causing mayhem.
