The Transfer Window Is Closed! So How Did We Do?!

I could go on for hours about Deadline Day, and the £35million, and lots of things. But I won't. I'll keep it very straight forward and just look at NUFC's Priority's since the Window opened from July 1st and how we did at achieving them.

Priority No.1:- One World Class/Potentially World Class Striker or 2/3 Good Strikers.

Actions:- Demba Ba on a free transfer. That is all.

Result:- FAILED. Rating:- 1 out of 5.

Conclusion:- The fact we had at least a £12 million cheque burning our pockets, given the 'transfer offers' we apparently made, makes our No.1 priority a BIG FAT F*CKING FAILURE. Not to mention the fact we sold a striker for £35million and replaced him with a Free. Not to mention the fact the striker we have brought in looks a total f*cking donkey with a lame leg. So we now go into the next 4 months with Best, Ba, Shola and Lovenkrands as NUFC's Fab Four up front. F*cking Farcical. Pardew my French.

Priority No.2:- Keep hold of key players.

Actions:- Lost/Sold Captain Kevin Nolan, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton. Kept Tiote and Coloccini.

Result:- Have to say FAILED, but could have been worse! Rating:- 2 out of 5.

Conclusion:- Losing Capt Nolan and Joey Barton will hit the team harder as the season goes along. You need these types of characters to keep the spirits up if things start to go pair shaped. They were instrumental in our season last year. Enrique was also a key player who will be missed in our defensive line. At least Tiote and Coloccini are still here for now...they cannot be aloud to leave!

Priority No.3:- Improve the squad's quality.

Actions:- Signed Ba, Marveaux, Cabaye, Obertan, Elliot and Santon. Sold Nolan, Barton, Enrique, Routledge, Campbell and Forster (loan with option to buy).

Result:- Neither Failure or Success. Rating:- 3 out of 5.

Conclusion:- If we had brought in these players I mention and ADDED to the squad we had than it would have been a Success. They all look quality/good additions to the team. However, we have REPLACED the players that have left. Who also had quality. We will have to wait and see if we improve on last season's 12th place finish.

Priority No.4:- Improve the squad's quantity.

Actions:- Signed Ba, Marveaux, Cabaye, Obertan, Elliot and Santon. Sold Nolan, Barton, Enrique, Routledge, Campbell and Forster (loan with option to buy).

Result:- FAILURE. Rating:- 1 out of 5

Conclusion:- As I have already said, we have replaced like for like, not improved. Which when you consider we didn't have a big enough squad to begin with is very worrying long term. Centre of defensive looks total bare with Williamson injured. We lack bite up front still. The fact we don't have a NETT Spend in the transfer window is an absolute disgrace considering the astronomical fee Carroll went for, on top of the sales we have made and including the transfer budget we would have had anyway! Total disgrace!

Priority No.5:- Get rid of Deadwood off the wage bill.

Actions:- Xisco (loan), Routledge sold, Campbell released. Ranger, Smith, Perch are still here picking up wages.

Result:- Neither Success nor Failure again. Rating:- 2.5 out 5.

Conclusion:- Details of the Xisco loan are obviously kept quiet, but it's hard to see Deportivo paying anything more than 50% of his wage maximum considering they are in the Spanish second division now. The lad is still on our books raking in £50 - £60k a week. Just get rid! The same for Alan Smith. Except he isn't even out on loan, he is still here! Just get rid! If we can afford to get rid of Joey Barton for a free transfer.....why not these 2?! Someone has to explain that one to me. Xisco has 2 years left so compensation may be that stumbling block, but Alan Smith's contract is up at the same time as Barton's was! Ridiculous. Getting rid of Sol Campbell a year before his contract was due to end was a good move, although to not retain his services in some kind of coaching role does seem a total waste. Routledge has gladly gone. Birmingham and Blackpool have been chasing Ranger all summer but yet he is still here?! Showing off fake guns, getting arrested for breaking people's jaw's and not looking like getting even a minute in a NUFC shirt this season. Again, ridiculous. And if James Perch gets any playing time this season it will only be due to a crippling injury list to every player who has ever played full back in his life/youth...!!!!

After all 5 priorities are taking into account:-

Overall Result:- FAILURE. Overall Rating:- 2 out of 5

Overall Conclusion:- We dont have one striker of any real quality, even though we needed at least 2. We dont have enough strength in centre defence if god for bid Saylor or Coloccini get injured or suspended. We have lost key men in the dressing room, training ground and on the pitch in Nolan, Barton and Enrique. They will be missed. We have brought in some good talent in midfield and at full back with Marveaux, Cabaye, Obertan and unbelievably Davide Santon. Its a shame this Davide Santon transfer is pretty much short lived given our EPIC failure to bring in key players in other areas, but he should come good. For Ashley to sell on for a tidy profit at some stage in the next few years....cynical but blatantly true.

Basically I cant see us finishing higher in the league then last year or going that much further in the cup competitions. We will have up and down games a plenty given the unknown nature of the players we have acquired. We wont go down, that I am sure of. But the fact we had a genuine chance to improve the squad's quality with quantity given the financial clout we suddenly acquired, and chose to use it to pay for bills basically instead of the squad is angering, frustrating, disappointing and unfortunately unsurprising seeing who is STILL running things NUFC at the end of a phone from somewhere down south.

We will all be looking to the January transfer window to see what the mastermind's decide to do or not do after we go through the next 4 months with the team we have.

Howay the lads!

 

1- we were never going to get a "world class" striker. We should have got at least someone else good in though


2-Do you count Enrique as a key player? aslo in the cases of Barton and Nolan it wasnt really a case of failing to keep hold of them (not that we should have got rid of them both)


3-i terms of technical football ability i think we are better than last year


4-The squad has quantity, it's just not evenly enough spread

 

This. We're only 2 players off of a good squad.

 

The only failing in this window for me was signing an additional striker.

I'm pleased with who we've signed and fine with the players who have left.

Nolan was a fading player who many left out of their starting XI's when he was still at the club but Cabaye and Ben Arfa will fulfil his role and I reckon they will be better at it.

Enrique really was wanting away and we've got a good replacement in Santon.

Barton is perhaps the one player for his battling qualities I'll miss but I think in Marveaux and Obertan we have enough to replace him.

Ba may not be 'world class' or a '20 goal a year' player but he's getting better and still needs time to improve.

I'd say that the transfer window is a 3.5 out of 5.

Had we managed to get that additional striker then it would have been a 4.5/5 out of 5 depending on the players quality.

NOTE: Carlton Cole would have dropped the overall rating if he'd signed.

 

All we need to have a very strong squad IMO is a quality striker and centre back cover.

 

posted this on another article but i genuinly beleive we're getting into too much of a panic
of course ashley should be spending more cash but we have to applaud him for the deals he has done for us on his measliy budget we could have ended up with a lot worse bentdner crouch (10mil?!?!?!) and cole


XD oh god the window wasnt that bad i still think we're on for top 10 baring any rediculously unlucky luck...
imo we've done well this window considering we're a club re-establishing ourselves at the top level
santon and cabaye were both HUGE coups and i think as the season goes on we'll see just how lucky we were to land them
to lesser extent marveaux (who liverpool wanted lets not forget), ba and obertan are all players who would stroll into most peoples starting XI (Barring top 6 oc)
same with our strikers I think in a list
Ben Arfa- is a striker who would stroll into anyones team bar man u and city possibly one of the best players in the league if he plays like he's capable of and that may seem like a slight exageration but i really beleive that
Best- many people remain sceptics but i really think you cant argue with his scoring stats, especially in the pl the anount of goals he's scored is not an easy thing i think its now 10 goals in 12 starts? how many fowards in the pl can match that
Ba-we havnt seen the best of him yet ( although there were glimmers against fulham) scored a lot of goals for a poor west ham team and has a great record for all his prior clubs

away from these three we have scoring midfeilders and defenders who can all chip in (raylor, saylor, colo and cabaye)

its really not all doom and gloom but we probably are a bit thin squad wise at the back and i think a loan move for eithe macheda or giniac(whos availible) and a decent cb would be nessissary till jan comes around

 

I'd give us a 2 out 5. That could easily have jumped to a 4 out of 5 if we signed a quality striker, such was the need for one and such is the importance of strikers/goals. I'd have preferred to have kept Nolan but can understand his sale as how many big wages do you take on? We could do with his goals right now of course! I'd have kept Barton and feel we dropped an absolute bollock here, preferring to get involved in an ego battle than protect the clubs interests, which are first and foremost out on the pitch. We'll miss him as the season rolls on. Disappointed to lose Enrique and worried about young Santon being asked to play left, but I can understand you do not pass up the opportunity to sign a 20 yr old who was being touted as Europes next big thing full back wise not two years ago. If we do eventually sign a left footed full back he can switch over to his natural role, and I think he'll do a job for us on the left in the meantime. I'm just worried by what I saw Palermo and Sampdoria do to him. Quality signing though. And Enrique had to go as his career was progressing far too quickly for us.

 

But you did

 

To be honest with the players we have now I wouldn't want Barton or Nolan in our first team over Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Tiote, Jonas, Marveaux or Obertan as those players play more exciting football. Also getting rid of them frees up a huge amount of wages.

 

Barton may not play as exciting football but i'd certainly still want him in the team

 

We didn't sign the extra striker. That is definitely a failing because everybody (fans, manager, owner, players) knew we needed another one. I don't think any excuse will really hold water. We had the means and the time so that is a downside. I just hope we don't suffer too badly until the next window when hopefully we will correct this mistake.

Other than that I am content with what we did. Signed some great players and/or prospects and I think overall we are slightly stronger than before the window opened. Furthermore we did it with only a small outlay £2.5m net spend according to SSN so that is good for the books too.

I don't buy in to the rampant negativism that is hitting some fans, I think we will do okay this season. Mid table safety for sure possibly even an improvement on last years finish.

 

Missed off one more priority...


Priority No.5:- Get rid of Deadwood off the wage bill.

Actions:- Xisco (loan), Routledge sold, Campbell released. Ranger, Smith, Perch are still here picking up wages.

Result:- Neither Success nor Failure again. Rating:- 2.5 out 5.

Conclusion:- Details of the Xisco loan are obviously kept quiet, but it's hard to see Deportivo paying anything more than 50% of his wage maximum considering they are in the Spanish second division now. The lad is still on our books raking in £50 - £60k a week. Just get rid! The same for Alan Smith. Except he isn't even out on loan, he is still here! Just get rid! If we can afford to get rid of Joey Barton for a free transfer.....why not these 2?! Someone has to explain that one to me. Xisco has 2 years left so compensation may be that stumbling block, but Alan Smith's contract is up at the same time as Barton's was! Ridiculous. Getting rid of Sol Campbell a year before his contract was due to end was a good move, although to not retain his services in some kind of coaching role does seem a total waste. Routledge has gladly gone. Birmingham and Blackpool have been chasing Ranger all summer but yet he is still here?! Showing off fake guns, getting arrested for breaking people's jaw's and not looking like getting even a minute in a NUFC shirt this season. Again, ridiculous. And if James Perch gets any playing time this season it will only be due to a crippling injury list to every player who has ever played full back in his life/youth...!!!!

 

Once again, Warm Pouch has surpassed himself with sense.

I would have gave us a 4 out of 5 also if we had that quality striker we really need, even if it was just a loan signing will do!! And if we kept hold of Barton like we should have. Stupid decision. Why not just release Smith instead if it is to reduce wage bill?

To evryone that is saying we aren that far away, I agree we arent............which is why it is so frustrating. Just get what we need in and look forward to the season! Its not as difficult as they try to make out. If Stoke and QPR can get what they want............

 

People need a reality check; we were promoted from the championship last season and are trying to build a squad for the future. It takes time. We arent throwing silly money (or arguably any money) at players anymore and are grinding out results to stay in this league and slowly improve on that. Chill the **** out!

 

...and comparing us to Stoke and qpr after their signings... Do we want to spend over the odds for average players like Crouch on SWP? That was the problem in the first place!!!

 

....? Reality?

 

Reality? Dreaming?

Dream within a dream within a dream=pasty within a pasty within a pasty.

That's where the 35mil went

Greggception.

 

No, No. Promoted from the championship last year....?

Reality...? Forgetfulness....?

 

I said last season, and I meant the beginning of last season... Kind of missing the point I was making but appologies.