becoming? its been that way for the majority of the season. Ever since ME decided to try to keep within ffp regulations we have been looking at the next 3 months rather than the next 3 years. Really is annoying me. How the hell is MM meant to plan for our future when 50% of the squad is not guaranteed to be here next year and most of those 50% are able to going to either return from their loans or walk away on freedom of contract which means we get sod all money in for them.
I really am beginning to contemplate relegation! MM's hands have been completely tied and its just a case now of us all buckling up our seat-belts because it's going to be one hell of a bumpy ride! We just don't have much quality where its needed and I shudder to think where the goals are going to come from. I just hope and pray that there are 3 worse sides than us in this league but in any event I think Marcus needs to go as he has proven in this window, and many previous ones that he isn't prepared to invest the serious cash we need on the team! Sorry boys but you can have Jose Mourihno et al in charge and it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference. The bottom line is that MM is trying to polish a turd!
In all fairness, it's a lot better than it was under PJ. MM has let the majority of the loans go back, and has brought in ones that could well be signing permanently. Out of the six loanees we have (Henderson, Kisnorbo, Stearman, N'Daw and McGoldrick and Maclean) i reckon all bar henderson will sign on a permamnent basis.
I really thought (stupidly as it turned out) that MM was going to pull a surprise out of the hat yesterday in the form of DJ! That would have provided a much needed boost in morale and would have shown Marcus Evans as being serious about this club. All we get in the end is Henderson back on loan! Where are the goals going to come from?
My take on it is these loans make more sense than the ones under PJ, most as has been stated could turn into signings rather than just helping talent progress at our expense. Also you have to look at Crystal Palace and Hull, they took 5 loans in the transfer window, are they struggling?
Guru, dont want to turn this into a manager debate but you mention these make more sense the Jewells - Im not quite sure on that. Out of the current loanees N'Daw, Murphy and Henderson were Jewell loanees, Kisnorbo adds to the squad albeit its helping a Leeds player regain fitness and McGoldrick and McLean look less likely to score combined than Jewells loan of DJ. Stearman is a sensible addition and Orr was in a position we needed aswell so I would say Jewells just about shades it but mainly for the DJ deal. I would also have liked to have seen us get Wellens on a long term deal which was another Jewell loanee. Stretchy says he believes all bar Henderson will sign for us. If we stay up I can see that being possible. Think N'daw may have other options to be honest and possibly Stearman. Mclean Im not sure if I would want us to sign in all honesty.
As did Richie Wellens for PJ? even though that was in a position where we had enough strength, whereas Kisnorbo is bulking up our defensive side which we seriously need.
Guru, I didnt mean to suggest there was any difference between those two in the reasoning. Sorry if it came across that way. I hated the fact Jewell took Wellens on only to get his fitness up before returning to Leicester. it was one of the most annoying aspects of this season but he did look like a great addition to the team and given the chance I would have signed him. Kisnorbo does add to the numbers and we definately need numbers at the back so fair play. Overall though DJ made a massive impact and so far none of the MM loans have done anything more than put in steady performances. Admittedly it is early days so lets hope one or two of them really impress during the next few months - we definately need them to.
I would rather have 5 loan players who all produce steady performances, rather than 1 fantastic and 4 who are absolute gash! Also lets take N'Daw, PJ got him in fair play, yet didn't play him! as soon as MM plays him he is by far and away our best player. so it also comes down to what you do with them as well as who you get in.
I wish we didn't get into these comparisons regarding who did what, why and how! There is no point as we are where we are and we just have to get on with it. One thing is for sure though as I have said in a previous post we are in for one hell of a bumpy ride till the end of the season!
Guru, I think thats a fair response although 1 great and 4 gash is harsh. I believe Jewell got in the better players (just) but MM can definately get more out of them.
I'm going to put it out there and say ultimitely we will be fine this season. Although Mick needs to change the personel around abit, we don't have great strikers (unless Chops finds form) so the service needs to improve a hell of a lot but on the positive side we may not being playing well, or the most inspiring football but we're staying in games and are still actually having chances!! Alot of the clubs have had a new manager bounce around us recently (as perhaps we did) but hopefully that will wear off soon!! I'd say our transfer dealings was 50/50 in this window. I like Stearman although would prefer him to be used as a CB, Wordsworth sounds like the kind of player I'd like and from the breif glimpse of Nouble he looks like he could become a good player (but may not help much this season). The Henderson loan to me is fairly pointless as is McLean, and I'm 50/50 on McGoldrick, I think he's a decent player but not sure where he fits in to the team or what he will actually bring to the team, does he create goals (not overly), is he a target man (no), is he a goal scorer (no) and then letting Scotland go (and not playing him) seems a fairly stupid decision to me!! I agree with JWM I struggle to see where the goals are going to come from Chopra is our only goalscorer at the club, all of our other strikers have a very poor goalscoring record in this division!! We either need to put more faith in Chopra or change the formation/bring in more creative players as if we continue with 2 defensive CM's and 2 poor wingers we will go down!! I agree with tractorbhoy, Mick is a much better man manager and better at getting the basics right but I've always thought the type of player he targets are generally pretty average, PJ could certainly spot a player it was the rest that let him down!! As tractorbhoy says what I hear alot about Mick and his signings are that they are 'steady', you need these type of players in your team but you need to mix it up a bit aswell and a Wellens and a DJ would significantly improve our chances right now!! Perhaps we might get them back on loan??
A player can't be loaned back to the same club twice in a season (well, in the emergency period, which will be next week) So no, we won't be getting them back this season.
Sounds to me like we're all saying the honeymoon period for MM is well and truly over. Loan signings aren't worldies but mcgoldrick I think will come good. Nouble with the right coaching may show his potential as for McLean........well....general concensus seems to be why. Wordsworth excites me and hopefully is what we need in the middle of the park. Getting Henderson back seems a waste. Loach is showing his mettle now and still got ALB. As for scoring murph is chipping in with a few but as already posted chops is or should be the main threat and surely MM needs to get him out there and firing on all cylinders. What he didn't see in Scotland is beyond me and after what he did to stay on with us and then get shipped out may prove costly. Ah the irony. I'm still confident we'll be safe this season,as warky said may be a bumpy ride but let's all hold on tight and see it out.
Not trying to be antagonistic, JWM, but I can't see where your evidence comes from that MM's hands have been tied by anything other than our position in the table, he has been able to bring in five new players. It's my impression he gave up on DJ before he even went back to QPR. He's got rid of Scotland and left us without a striker any of us are confident can score. In the same way it was jewells fault we didn't have adequate defensive players if we do end up struggling to score goals/ Scotlands goals for Barnsley save them at our expense then it will be on MM's shoulders. Having said that - hes got players in that he believes he can work with and to be fair I would prefer the team to be greater than the sum of its parts which I believe is MMs aim. On the players brought in, I never profess to be a scout but for what its worth here are my impressions Kisnorbo - Always a name ive associated with being a good player and we needed some back up at the back - good signing McGoldrick - seemed to be finding the net a lot at coventry, he's the signing im most confident will get us the goals (despite not putting him in my starting 11 in a previous thread - that was because, as i say im no scout and not a had a lot to go on in how he would play and fit in to the 11) Mclean - Nothing particularly against him, hope he can prove doubters wrong and he doesnt suffer fan criticism for not being DJ Nouble - Heard good things, heard bad things. Very much a wait and see player I think. Wordsworth - the stand out signing, maybe a slight worry in my mind that from what ive heard he wasnt exactly setting the world alight this season with Colchester, a team in a similar position to ours only a league lower, but new challenge for him to get stuck into im confident those worries will soon disappear. Henderson - Doesnt deserve the criticism he gets, maybe no better than loach, but he his better than ALB, maing our goalkeeping dept a lot stronger. In fact i cant think of a time where we've had a back up keeper who a large portion of the fans want to see as first choice for a while. In conclusion, it's not been a bad transfer window. MM maybe deserves criticism for seemingly giving up on DJ, potentially weakening our strikeforce, but he is moulding his team. Its pleasing to see the Murphy McGoldrick partership seemingly work quite well and hopefully with the addition of Wordsworth they'll be given the service they can work with. Will we be safe? When I started writing this I was very unsure, however while writing my optimistic self has come out in force and ive managed to convince myself we should be ok.
Richie Wellens is part of Nigel's plan here. He played at the weekend in the cup and he was on the bench last night. The reason why has hasnt been involved is because he got injured at the end of the loan spell with you which put him out injured for 2 months. With Neil Danns gone for the season and Matty James injured at the minute we only have Andy King and Danny Drinkwater fit along with Wellens so thats dead in the water
I agree with Mike, I also think it was an ok window for us. The only area we missed out on was a wide player TBH, I am not sure what was realistically available to us, please enlighten me if you guys know better.! We now have cover/choice in almost every position, they may not be world beaters but neither are ITFC anymore. GK; Henderson & Loach, hard to choose between them surely that is a good thing. Full Backs; we now have at least 2 players who can play at left back; Cressy & Smith. right back 1 from Carlos, Hewitt & Stearman. CBs; we have not had this much choice for 2-3 seasons, 4 players or 2 positions....our cup runeth over..! midfield; we have around 8 players in our first team squad, this for me is the one area I would like to have seen at least one more addition, but we have what we have, I am sure that Wordsworth will help freshen things up. Forwards; Murphy, Nouble, McGoldrick, Chopra & Mclean (Taylor may be back for the last few weeks) I just don't think it is as bad as we think, as was said earlier if things turn out as we hope and we survive there is a good chance of some of these loans becoming permanent....COYBs
