Want want want! I agree you need competition, but The issue is not what we want but what we can get Its one thing getting Salisu because he's expecting plenty of game time, but if we try and get someone else of his alleged standard then 2 CBs are going to be seeing a lot of the bench and we can't keep players happy that way the same as City etc where they have the recompense of getting extraordinarily rich and winning stuff Also, how do you offer real youth development when there's 2 'senior' players for every position, they'll never get a game Salisu and a good development CB woukd put enough pressure on the incumbents (and let's face it Jack & Bednarek have been great with no-one to put the pressure on them)
This has been one of the fundamental tensions on here for years: opinion seems to whipsaw between "two senior players (minimum) at every position!" to "16 senior players is enough!" and back again regularly.
Then sign a talented youngster in that 18-20 range who can get development games but also serve to challenge the first team. Not a mid-20s regular starter which will cost far more and where it's a virtual guarantee that there will be a wantaway within months.
Slightly on a tangent, but I’d actually prefer the rules to be something like the latter. Smaller squads which would dictate more youngsters having to come through, but they aren’t the rules yet. Sadly.
Heh, in general I think that's the best use of any 'bonus' resources we have: if we believe in our Academy and scouting, spend to supplement it. Talented pre-breakout players are relatively cheap and your hit rate doesn't need to be particularly high for it to be a boon both competitively and for our bank balance. We have begun to do so with Jankewitz and Klarer and supposedly Jeremi Rodriguez, but there's no such thing as too much good young talent.
We should PiP Everton of the signed of Ivanavic for a year, Can cover RB and CB.. Wont be begging for loads of cash, And has experieince... Also prob be happy to be 4th choice at the young age of 36.
I've just checked and all the other clubs in the PL had 4 senior CBs last season, I don't see why we would be the only club that fails to keep them all happy. I'm not against Alfie Jones or Klarer being promoted to the squad if Ralph feels that either is ready.
We kinda need someone in the Stephens or Bednarek role from a few years ago. Someone who isn't yet ready to start on a regular basis, but bring them in to develop them and over time, work the way up and into the team.
I had to look at the title twice because I thought it said "Should we sign ine or two All Blacks!" Pity Clive is no longer involved!! Perhaps SFC could become a sporting franchise as there are hordes of rugby fans on the South Coast and not a top club in sight. Back to the question. Take away the Leicester and Liverpool hammerings, was the SFC defence that bad? No would be My answer.
Interesting. But what standard were their 3rd and 4th choices? The bottom 5 all shipped more goals than us despite ‘the game that shall not speak its name’ and the top 6 all got criticised for central defensive frailties when their 1st choices weren’t available
Sign as many defenders as it takes to prevent Vestergaard getting on the pitch please! Since Ralph abandonned the 3 CB formation we've mostly looked good in defence. Bednarek and Stevens are good enough, hopefully the new guy will be too. The Danish lamp post fills me with dread every single time he ambles onto the pitch.
I’ve always felt that 2 at every position is a mistake for clubs our size. Especially if you rate any of your young players. It leaves a slim pathway for academy players to develop and then either become valuable assets for sale or useful players in the squad. Looking at previous comments I think for us Ralph said he wanted a first team squad of 18-20. Of course that would probably be bigger if we’re in Europe, but we’re not, so it isn’t. I think it’s one in for a start. Two if we also sell Vestergaard.
