Transfer Rumours transfer thread fact and fiction

[humanbeingincroydon]

Would disagree tbh.

we dropped 11 points in the first 4 games of the 2008 season (when we only signed strikers in the last days of the window).
We missed out on EL qualification by 2 points that season.

In 2010/11 we dropped 7 points in the first 4 games (signing Gallas, Sandro and VDV late on in the window). We missed out on CL qualification by 2 points iirc.

In 2011/12 we dropped 6 points in our first 4 games (Scott Parker and Adebayor signing late in the window). We missed out on CL football by 2 points.

In 2012/13 we dropped 7 points in the first 4 games (Clinnt Dempsey and Dembele sign late on).
We missed out on the CL by 1 point.

4 seasons.
1 cost us a EL place (worth a couple of million).
3 cost us CL places (worth a minimum of £30m per season).

That's approx £90m plus lost.

But it also cost us the chance to keep Modric and Bale. And it also cost us the chance of signing better quality players who wanted CL football.

That would only make sense if signing players late was the main source of not picking up points, or if we mainly frontloaded our dropped points - and the fact is we didn't

2008 saw us get off to an abysmal start because, even though we had Modric and Gomes in place since July, we had a manager who didn't think it was necessary to prepare for half our league matches every season who had us in borderline relegation form for the back end of the previous season due to him being more focused on banning ketchup from the canteen than anything else

2010-11 it was a poor end to the season where we picked up 13 points from our last 12 games and it does have to be said we did have a habit of dropping points in games directly after CL matches that season, and it's probably worth adding how we spent that season wrapping Sandro in cotton wool because, even though he arrived in June, he'd played a good twelve months solid of football for Internacional before arriving so the first few months of his season were effectively his pre-season

2011-12 again saw our form crash at the end of the season, with 17 points from our last 13 games which was exacerbated by the mass loan purge that January where we willingly reduced our available players by loaning out not just first teamers in Corluka, Bassong and Pienaar but also players who could break through like Townsend and Carroll which ultimately bit us on the ass when Dawson got crocked against Stevenage (in a replay that only happened due to our baffling tactics for the initial game)

2012-13 saw us drop points because our manager had some baffling selection choices, especially constantly picking Gallas over Dawson, but the real damage was done in that spread of five games in October-November where we picked up three points from five games with the loss to Arsenal ultimately being what had them finish ahead of us, and that can't be blamed on signing players late in the transfer window because by that point Dembele and Adebayor had had a couple of months to bed in while Sigurdsson and Vertonghen had been in place since July

And this is the thing: the only manager of ours who can say our form didn't peter out late in the season is LAdPCeV-B because under Ramos, Redknapp and Poch we all had seasons where we fell away late and that ultimately cost us one way or another, and that can't be blamed on signing players late in the summer transfer window because the summer transfer window ended at least four months before our form started to slip

 

[remembercolinlee]

In the above seasons, there was also bad collapses in form
over an interval at the business end of the season (2012 infamously so) .

So we have correlation with the end result and two different dimensions.
Can you make the case that your dimension is the dominant factor
rather than mine (2011-12 is immediately very weak for you) ??

Good point tbh mate.
I was simply putting an alternative view about players missing the beginning 3 or 4 games due to being signed late not being an issue.

In all the seasons mentioned bar 2008/09 we staggered over the line. If we had finished better in any of the other 3 seasons we'd have qualified for the top 4 too.

 

[remembercolinlee]

That would only make sense if signing players late was the main source of not picking up points, or if we mainly frontloaded our dropped points - and the fact is we didn't

2008 saw us get off to an abysmal start because, even though we had Modric and Gomes in place since July, we had a manager who didn't think it was necessary to prepare for half our league matches every season who had us in borderline relegation form for the back end of the previous season due to him being more focused on banning ketchup from the canteen than anything else

2010-11 it was a poor end to the season where we picked up 13 points from our last 12 games and it does have to be said we did have a habit of dropping points in games directly after CL matches that season, and it's probably worth adding how we spent that season wrapping Sandro in cotton wool because, even though he arrived in June, he'd played a good twelve months solid of football for Internacional before arriving so the first few months of his season were effectively his pre-season

2011-12 again saw our form crash at the end of the season, with 17 points from our last 13 games which was exacerbated by the mass loan purge that January where we willingly reduced our available players by loaning out not just first teamers in Corluka, Bassong and Pienaar but also players who could break through like Townsend and Carroll which ultimately bit us on the ass when Dawson got crocked against Stevenage (in a replay that only happened due to our baffling tactics for the initial game)

2012-13 saw us drop points because our manager had some baffling selection choices, especially constantly picking Gallas over Dawson, but the real damage was done in that spread of five games in October-November where we picked up three points from five games with the loss to Arsenal ultimately being what had them finish ahead of us, and that can't be blamed on signing players late in the transfer window because by that point Dembele and Adebayor had had a couple of months to bed in while Sigurdsson and Vertonghen had been in place since July

And this is the thing: the only manager of ours who can say our form didn't peter out late in the season is LAdPCeV-B because under Ramos, Redknapp and Poch we all had seasons where we fell away late and that ultimately cost us one way or another, and that can't be blamed on signing players late in the summer transfer window because the summer transfer window ended at least four months before our form started to slip

See above...wouldn't disagree tbh

 

[BobbyD]

I worked there for 8 years.

I love the Thames Tunnel and where the Firepower Museum was (trying desperately not to say the Arsenal). General Gordon Square is very impressive and I love the Thai Tip Mein noodle house by the station.

I didn't like being there after dark.

That Tai Tip Mein restaurant is crazy. I don't think i've ever seen portion sizes that big for the cost that it is.

Woolwich has changed a lot, it's not rough like it used to be imo

 

[humanbeingincroydon]

See above...wouldn't disagree tbh

The real question is why our form kept petering out from february onwards

Ramos at least has an excuse given the usual Season Killer Cup-winner's hangover took hold, although given he didn't bother preparing for games that surely added to the malaise in the back end of the season

2011-12 can very easily be blamed on Redknapp publicly batting his eyelashes towards The FA and taking his eye off the ball with us, although given our form slipped in the exact same period the previous season even though he was sacking off cup competitions left and right early in the season he doesn't have the fallback of saying the continental hangover did it

For Poch it's a combination of the entire squad being mentally broken after the CL final coupled with how his authority had been slipping for a while, starting with him not jettisoning Danny Rose after that interview with Murdoch's Hate Comic even though Townsend and Bentaleb had been Unpersoned for less, and the damage was terminal after he pulled his punches and didn't sell Mike "****" Dean down the river after the Burnley match

As for the ubermensch, that is simple: the usual divisiveness and toxicity that plague his tenures at every single club arrived ahead of schedule, and I still maintain to this day it all stems from him not having Erik Lamela on the bench for the West Ham game because that result seemed to have broken his brain as that match led to him obsessing over having as many people protecting Aurier that it destabilised everything else about our play (what little play we had, anyway...)

 

["Thanks for that Brian"]

Where did you work mate?

General Gordon Square used to be a druggie hangout but about 10 years ago they put in a huge TV and water feature and it is really a lovely place now.
Watched the world cup games there...was excellent atmosphere no matter who played!

I worked for the council in the old Wellington Street building, then Riverside House and finally the swanky new civic office. My role used to take me around the borough. I went to all the big housing estates and schools over the years and saw pretty much all of human life...but I'd seen most everything life can offer up before....FFS, I lived in Croydon!

 

["Thanks for that Brian"]

That Tai Tip Mein restaurant is crazy. I don't think i've ever seen portion sizes that big for the cost that it is.

Woolwich has changed a lot, it's not rough like it used to be imo

Have the squid. It's insanely good.I've never had better anywhere and I love squid and have had it all over the world.

 

[KingHotspur]

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Nobody gave Arsenal the memo about business being done before the season starts?

 

[PleaseNotPoll]

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Nobody gave Arsenal the memo about business being done before the season starts?

Jose-Paul M'Poku's brother.

 

[humanbeingincroydon]

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Nobody gave Arsenal the memo about business being done before the season starts?

Grossly overpaying for Ben White is what we should be doing, is it?

 

[The Changing Man]

Hope you're at least getting paid for having to isolate...fingers crossed you remain covid free mate

Yes I am lucky enough to be on full pay, and we have tested negative 3 times in the last week and I am double jabbed so should be ok thanks.

 

[PowerSpurs]

I understand not rushing in and signing just anyone. But the numbers of players available/affordable that can actually improve Spurs is already very small, so waiting until the end of the window in case a better option comes up seems very risky to me.

Everything is risky. Nothing wrong with moving early if we really like the look of someone, but no need to panic if nothing happens early either. Especially in a window where about 1000 players were involved in the Euros, Copa America and the Olympics so wouldn't be available now in any case. I would expect at least three signings from that group.

 

[humanbeingincroydon]

Everything is risky. Nothing wrong with moving early if we really like the look of someone, but no need to panic if nothing happens early either. Especially in a window where about 1000 players were involved in the Euros, Copa America and the Olympics so wouldn't be available now in any case. I would expect at least three signings from that group.

In the case of White it's pretty obvious that Brighton are looking to do a small scale rebuild with the cash and will likely be signing a CB as well as a striker, and possibly a CM as well given the whispers about Bissouma weighing up his options this summer

It's the same reason why signing Dortmund players is something we should avoid, because they get top dollar and reinvest that into 3-4 players and repeat the cycle, and more often than not that coincides with the player not reproducing their Dortmund form

 

[Diego]

In the case of White it's pretty obvious that Brighton are looking to do a small scale rebuild with the cash and will likely be signing a CB as well as a striker, and possibly a CM as well given the whispers about Bissouma weighing up his options this summer

It's the same reason why signing Dortmund players is something we should avoid, because they get top dollar and reinvest that into 3-4 players and repeat the cycle, and more often than not that coincides with the player not reproducing their Dortmund form

Why do you think that should be?
Is the BL piss easy or do Dortmund have fantastic coaches.

 

[remembercolinlee]

That Tai Tip Mein restaurant is crazy. I don't think i've ever seen portion sizes that big for the cost that it is.

Woolwich has changed a lot, it's not rough like it used to be imo

Very true ... the riots of 2011 were brutal in woolwich.
The old bill were run off the streets at one point and an old bill car was set alight in broad day light. The great Harry weatherspoons was burnt out as were 2 shops on the High Street.

It's chilled since but unfortunately a 15 Yr old was murdered at 5 in the afternoon last week by other 14 and 15 Yr old.

Houses round here are going for 350k ffs
On the serious side...youngsters can't afford to buy round here so most sales are buy to rents which are driving prices and rents up.

Taking my other half to the tai tip mein on Friday... both the girls are out so we get a date night...last week of term so 5 and a half weeks off too!!!!

 

[remembercolinlee]

I worked for the council in the old Wellington Street building, then Riverside House and finally the swanky new civic office. My role used to take me around the borough. I went to all the big housing estates and schools over the years and saw pretty much all of human life...but I'd seen most everything life can offer up before....FFS, I lived in Croydon!

I worked in Riverside House from 97 until 2011 doing various jobs.
Was in the civic office for a month before I went back to working with kids.

Small world huh?

I stayed local cos of my kids being young ... my other half earns good money so I worked pt and local to get them from school when younger.

 

["Thanks for that Brian"]

I worked in Riverside House from 97 until 2011 doing various jobs.
Was in the civic office for a month before I went back to working with kids.

Small world huh?

I stayed local cos of my kids being young ... my other half earns good money so I worked pt and local to get them from school when younger.

It really is a small world.

I was in charge of distributing government grants to small businesses affected by the riots. I was due to be on annual leave but it got cancelled.

Rioters broke into MacDonalds and turned on the fryers and grills and cooked up burgers and fries for their fellow scum bags. Someone broke into a car parts store and created some flame throwers. Some proper criminals used the chaos to use a thermal lance to open up a jewellers! It was ****ing chaos.

 

[PleaseNotPoll]

Various claims coming through that Pierluigi Gollini is either done or close to it.
One year loan with an option to buy seems to be the most popular theory.
Spent some time at both Utd and Villa, so I think he may qualify as homegrown, but I'm not 100%.

 

["Thanks for that Brian"]

Taking my other half to the tai tip mein on Friday... both the girls are out so we get a date night...last week of term so 5 and a half weeks off too!!!!

No 42 - Mixed Meat Singapore Fried Rice Noodle (no egg - a personal choice)

I ate there so often that I didn't need to speak when I ordered. The staff knew what I was going to order...and I knew how much it cost.

 

[remembercolinlee]

It really is a small world.

I was in charge of distributing government grants to small businesses affected by the riots. I was due to be on annual leave but it got cancelled.

Rioters broke into MacDonalds and turned on the fryers and grills and cooked up burgers and fries for their fellow scum bags. Someone broke into a car parts store and created some flame throwers. Some proper criminals used the chaos to use a thermal lance to open up a jewellers! It was ****ing chaos.

A mates niece worked in JD sports and in the days after had grown arsed adults coming in claiming staff forget to remove tags from their new trainers