I'm starting to feel the same. We were linked with Wagner before the end of last season and now we're still running round after him and we've been linked to every striker in the world and still nothing.
I'm reasonably happy with the squad and the summer window. The only thing we need is a striker and to be honest it's a disgrace if we don't get somebody in. It won't be a big signing now but I'll throw a name out there. Vydra has been released by Burnley. He's a free agent. Sign him as a back up striker for a season.
Good Morning froma cool Bardsey to matt Doc Eire Rik WJ Shako etc Well we have the same scenario as every seasonwe need a striker and a left back wil we ever learn NO Raz is too busy conning the fans that we are after someone reminds me of Bates
The way I see it and this isn't a Bielsa vs Marsch post, just reflecting on our third season at the top level and the squad Bielsa season 1: Finished mid table things were looking great. Bielsa season 2: Injuries showed us how certain players were absolutely vital to a Bielsa team, we were not equipped to play Bielsaball without them, the small cogs and big wheel effect Marsch season 2: As injuries returned it was even more apparent that certain players would be more easily replaced under a new coach Marsch season 3: We now have a squad that is probably on par with the Bielsa season one squad with a bit more midfield depth but still woefully short in front of goal, the bonus is I don't feel it's as vital that we rely on all the small cogs fitting. The huge negative is Bamford and his injuries and even when fit he is prone to missing those easy chances It's also apparent that Perkins, Joffy, Joseph, we are trying to signed players who will be ready in 2-3 years but we are stunting their progress as they can't go out on loan due to our threadbare squad. Joffy isn't ready for PL football he is at least a season away, that season should have been last year loaned out I just can't get my head around the fact that we never replaced Roofe and we are into our third season in the PL with one genuine first team striker backed up by players who should be learning their trade out on loan
Hes a more polished version of Bates and employs people to do talking/spin. Bates did his own and didn't even try to do spin. He simply robbed the club unashamedly. Took some fans a while to cop onto him too
We do have young strikers on the verge of joining Bamford and Rodrigo as first team ready strikers. That's the reason I was banging the drum for Kieffer Moore and now Vydra. They will be stop gap alternatives to bridge that gap. The other alternative would be Diaz from Blackburn. I was never sold on him but I watched a bit of the Blackburn game and he looked a handful last night. He's only down the road at Blackburn and should be doable today.
I will be forever grateful to Bielsa and what he did for us on and off the field, he made us respectable and he got us back to the PL with some great football. It was time for him to move on although the circumstances and the emotions ruined it I will be forever grateful to Radz for making Cellino, GFH and Bates an unpleasant memory, grateful that he made us a properly run club and funded Bielsa when it was needed. But I did always say I saw him as a stepping stone never forgetting he is a businessman. I can understand fully him giving it a season back in the PL, I can understand the adrenalin of how we performed in season one and thinking I need to give season two a go. When season two turned out to be as ****ty as it was, he should have thought lucky escape cash in and move on What I can't and won't forgive him for is any kind of repeat of season two, we don't want another scrap at the bottom, I don't understand why Radz doesn't realise after two seasons he hasn't got the funds or ambition we need to go challenging for a top 6 I can understand the mistakes of season two, caught between a rock and a hard place in do we support Bielsa and give him total control of the players or not. Everything can have an excuse made for or against up until this transfer window but the board can't have any excuses exiting the transfer window with a net spend of zero, a smaller squad disguised by U23 promotions and still just one first team striker who obviously has broken down. I have never felt as frustrated about the state of affairs of the club since those dark days of GFH. I am not saying we are back to those days, it's just the most frustrated I have felt since they departed
I'd love to know how much we have spent not just in transfer fee's but the entire set up developing the U23s. They always sound great but year after year we let them go and the next batch enters. We were so excited about Joffy, next year it will be Joseph and Perkins, is it a case of we are looking too far ahead, rather than fixing the issues in front of us, are we throwing too much money at the future too soon? We could have so easily went down last season, it was so close, it was nightmare stuff. I have no problem signing the likes of Joseph and Perkins but yes I agree with you, we need a stop gap or a player able to play in the PL as a striker/forward/Main Attacker
Gakpo is only on something like £9000 a week. PSV could offer six times that, and Leeds would beat it.
