There's been quite a bit of talk recently with people getting a bit nervous with the lack of transfer activity going on around town atm. Looking at our squad today, and comparing it to who we had by the end of last season, it does make quite grim reading. We've sold/released 4 players (Hyam, McG, Webster and Bru) The loanees/short termers that have gone back total 6 (Iorfa, Connolly, Carter-Vickers, Celina, Gleeson and Carayol) Currently, we have only brought in 2 players (Roberts on a free, and Chalobah on loan) That means we are in effect 8 players down. I suppose you can offset that slightly with the returns (hopefully) of Adeyami, Huws, Bishop and Dozzell - even still we are at least 4 players short., especially in defence where we are seriously lacking in quality (unless the likes of Wolfy and Cotter can step up markedly). If we don't go and and sign 3 or 4 more, and invest the Webster money, then i will finally lose my patience with Evans. We have 4 weeks roughly to kick off - now is the time we should be getting the new players in, getting them fit and integrating with the rest of the squad. On top of that, you still have the outside chance of more players leaving (i think extremely unlikely), in the likes of Bart, Waggers and Garner who have attracted interest from other teams. Evans now needs to put his money where hi mouth is, and back Hurst with the funds to get more players in, otherwise it'll be the same old same old where we wait to the last minute and get journeymen or kids in on loan.
I'm hoping that Hurst can better utilise what he has already at the club.. Something that was a major positive were the noises he was making about improving players that are already within the squad (along with some history of this at his former clubs) I expect he's got some targets in mind but has (perhaps) rightly not rushed into any major signings just yet as he gets a better understanding of the capabilities of the squad already at his disposal. For example he might be looking at Smith and Wolfenden and think they are both capable of being adequate competition/cover and therefore is only looking for 1 centre back signing. The same could be said of the strikers if he is impressed by Folami, Drinan or Morris I would like to see some new faces in next week though...
I think a part of the reason he got the job was because he said he could largely work with the existing squad.
As stated above, I think Hurst is assessing the squad and seeing where he needs to add quality, however, he has gone on record saying we lack wingers. So it's a little disconcerting that we've only brought one in so far, but as Weighty says, we do have time. I think you've got a point when it comes to the overall squad depth though, Stretchy, because when you tot up the outgoings (including loanees), then it's clear we do lack numbers and cannot expect this to be plugged by academy kids, particularly in a transitional season. I'm optimistic we'll start bringing in a few more players over the next couple of weeks because it must be considered a priority.
Does the 2-0 loss against Braintree underline the need for reinforcements, despite being a pre-season friendly? Good to see Bart signing a new contract (or on the verge of signing one). Reportedly for £20k a week, well worth it in my opinion.
It was a comment I saw on twitter at the weekend, after someone posted we had gone 1 down at Braintree, made me laugh. Hopefully he will do a good job with what he has. Are you feeling optimistic ?
I see he's criticised some of the squad, in that they're not good enough . Let's hope he doesn't try to be the next MM .
I'm quite the opposite - very VERY dangerous media handling by Mr Hurst. Digging out the players already, hanging them out to dry. I don't think a lot of players will be whatsoever happy with this approach. While I'd LOVE to know a hell of a lot of the goings on at Ipswich that I have zero clue about, NEVER a fan of the manager saying stuff like this ever. The fans lap it up, but unless he gets the squad he wants 100% / offloads all the players the references are about - then straight away a good %%% aren't going to play for Hurst. I wish him well and am pleased Mick's gone, Hurst is in - just find this kind of approach worrying to say the least. Have to see how it pans out
He's got to honest with the players, if someone is not up to the standard required and Hurst feels there's no more improvement to be had then they have to move on, this applies to old favourites as well as youngsters otherwise we end up keeping players just to make the numbers up. With the Webster money, the £400,000+ from FIFA, and didn't we get some money for Knight? Plus wages saved from players who have left, we should be able to sign some replacements no problem. Over to you Evans.
Refreshing news to my ears, for too long we've put up with players who just aren't good enough but because they were in with Dino it didn't matter. I suspect Hurst is finding there's a lot behind the scenes that needs attention and over time things at the Club will change, new broom and all that!
Absolute bollocks. The players who step up are pleased that everyone else has to pull their weight. The players who are unhappy to have to work hard belong in a Mick McCarthy team. There will be 4 or 5 teenagers ready for their chance if that leaves us short of players for a while.
I also think Hurst was right to voice his concerns in the press. Some of those players need shaking up and I think that after such a prolonged period of time under one manager, a sense of stagnation has crept in and we were never the most competitive in pre-season friendlies under McCarthy. If it serves to drive out some players who are not putting in the effort, then that will only benefit us in the long term. I recall McCarthy doing something similar when he first started here and had a pop at the players after winning his first game against Derby, asking why they didn't put in the same effort during Jewell's tenure (or something along those lines).
Jesus christ - think about it a little bit mate. Of course Hurst like Mick / Magilton / Keane / Jewell will say x y z to players behind closed doors - I just don't think it's a particularly wise idea to air your dirty laundry in public. Sure, fans will lap it up and like you / everyone else I want to know as much about ITFC as I possibly can. However, having quite a scathing attack so short into your reign is clear as day going to have 2 outcomes. There is no middleground. 1 - All the players buy into it. Hurst offloads the players he doesn't rate, buys the players he wants, happy days. 2 - He cannot offload the players he doesn't rate, cannot get the players in he does and loses the dressing room in no time at all. If the players do not buy into his mantra, they will not tolerate him saying that in the press. Hopefully it's option 1. Brave Hurst, very, very brave.
