Transfer Rumours Transfer Rumours - Summer 2018

Davis lost his place in the team before Christmas, got injured and missed half the bloody season didn't he? Also was ominously quiet during the run in. Great servant but time to move on with the arrival of Armstrong

 

For me that is the case regardless of his wages. But then I am biased.

But I specifically highlighted him earlier in relation to his wage, as I did with Fraser's too. Trimming down a squad isn't just about numbers (although clearly that is very important, if we're looking at exceeding 25). It's also about the wage bill. I can't be certain, but my understanding is that Fraser and Davis are two of our highest earners. If two of our highest earners aren't going to feature much, then moving them on makes perfect sense. We're not Everton or West Ham (or Villa or Sunderland of the recent past), and I don't wish to become them. Don't carry high earners. Play them or move them on and free up the wages.

 

Just imagine if we'd been relegated. These guys would have been dragging us to financial ruin. I do hope we have learned a lesson from some of these contract extensions.

 

I understand Fraser is highly paid but don't know about Davo. For me its about improvement. Davo can go when we have better options and I don't know if that's the case yet. But clearly Sparky will be thinking exactly the same he won't blow his budget if they aren't going to contribute.

BTW as Davo missed most of the season that we were almost relegated that seems like a recommendation to me

 

I am agreeing with both of you to some degree. Davis has been an excellent pro and I have no issue with him staying, however I do imagine that we need to trim our squad and as Brendy states I imagine it could be determined by who is of interest to others; perhaps Hughes is encouraging fringe players to consider their options.

 

I think you may be seriously underestimating how serious Wolves owners and their super agent friend have been about their project. I reckon Wolves will be top half. More signings and they'll be pushing for Burnley's spot.

 

If future purchases depend on moving players on then sadly Davis is one I would move on. As said VVD said he had lost his place in a poor team with some well below pair performances so we have to react and move him on

 

Good. Garden could do with a bit of rain.

 

In a dramatic turn of events it keeps raining in Serbia, the parks are green and the rivers are full. (it's usually like a desert this time of year) We'll be selling our best player to Ajax soon

 

I do agree with you, but on the flip side, I do hope some of our fans don’t moan when we sell our first team squad players. *

* I know people will go “Davis wasn’t any good, Fraser was ****,” etc, but it just shows it ain’t easy.

 

Or take the lesson from Villa. We need to more aggressively shift the fringe players on big wages, or in the event of relegation we'll have a 1-2 year window to get promoted, or we're looking at administration.

 

He didn't miss most of the season he was a regular starter up until about March when he got injured, we were well on the rocky path down then.

I have liked Davo as a player for most of his time here and appreciate his contribution, but he did struggle a bit last season, as did other senior players and the rest of the squad for that matter. He is 33 now and possibly in decline and Stu seems very much a like for like replacement but we shall see how things pan out.

 

Davis seems like a good guy and an experienced premiership pro, I think with all the new signings it would be good to keep him in the squad - he can certainly still offer some thing on the pitch. Hughes seems to like his old pro's; Crouch, Whelan, Cameron, Walters, Adam etc.

 

I'm actually pretty happy with our business this summer and am very relaxed about Gallagher Sims, Reed, and Hesketh getting opportunities over bringing in new mercenaries. I'm not expecting us to wreck the opposition this season but at least I will be able to cheer on players I feel connected to. One more striker in and one out would be a great window but if it doesnt happen, so be it.

 

Talking of Davo, the company I work for has part of the IT team based in Glasgow, I keep pissing them off (on purpose now) by mentioning Armstrong to them - they are mainly Celtic fans, then I innocently say and that man Davis has done good for us too. When they point out he was a Rangers man, I just say "oh you know, same difference" and carry on

Gets them EVERY time. Though they keep quoting me with it isn't coming home now as I used to sign off every email with it's coming home.

 

Football is so much about momentum and confidence and our club has clearly lost its way and unfortunately it’s difficult to get back that winning formula.
Without double checking facts, I think we’ve achieved European football within 2-3 seasons of each of our promotions, but then it’s been a challenge after the loss of key players/managers to maintain that level.

This window has to be a little bit of back basics. Burnley, Brighton etc had decent seasons with more limited squads, but players who worked hard and fans that got behind them. If Hughes can achieve that this season then that would be a result.

 

It does feel like the working hard and working as a team parts of our game werent there last season.

I remember playing Watford early on and watching them run rings around our players and thinking, that's how we used to play....

I really hope we can recapture that spirit somehow.

 

I think we will concede less than last season, but I don’t think we will score a lot more.

Tadic is a player that in the last two seasons I didn’t rate at all, but I actually missed him on Saturday

 

I expect that feeling to last half a season. And if we don't do well his sale will be cited as the main reason. Its inevitable.

 

This is the best thing Sky could find to say about our last season: "Despite battling relegation for most of the previous campaign, the struggling south coast club actually only conceded one goal from a penalty during the whole season - the joint fewest number in the entire top flight."

Let us hope that when we sign our new striker and AM player they have something more positive to say about us next season.