We were never going to sign more than5 or 6 players top because weâve signed far too many under Hughes. A January window is difficult as it is so would but for a club in our position with wealthy owners to try and milk we would never be able to sign a whole new team in January. Crouch deal was close to coming off and so was Odemwinge but there clubs were being silly with us because we were desperate because of the position Hughes left us in. West Brom chucking in Hoileltt on loan with us paying his wages and Stoke moving the goal posts constantly on the Crouch deal. Samba in excellent signing in general but with the addition he has given us at defending and attacking set pieces Iâm not sure how you can begin to argue we havenât improved the squad in January. Remy showed within 10 minutes of signing that he has quality and he is a current French international. But he got injured, HR cant be blamed for that. Both these players have resale value and if not theyâll be a great asset in getting us promoted if we do go down. Potential alternative was to give up and sign a squad that would be good purely for championship promotion but as youâve already said the aim was survival. Nelsen left (not what Arry wanted) but Samba replaced him. Cisse out after not trying hard enough all season and continuing to sulk on the pitch after Arryâs arrival. So Remy in there. Betty back in and DJ sent out again. We need a second target man and with Crouch deal not going through it was a choice between these two. Without Zamora this year we were stuffed as we were incapable of holding possession in there half. Betty is more of a targetman than DJ but other than 2nd half West Brom away he has been poor. DJ is not a target man so he went. Donât think he was the answer to our problems if he stayed. Ferdinand out and Ben Haim in. Marginally better partly because he is versatile. Jenas in and an out of form Faurlin out. I would say his biggest mistake. Dyer out and Townsend in. Great signing, hope we can convince him to stay.
This is well argued mate, but I have to say that whatever the problems, Harry couldn't get Cisse, who was rarely out injured, playing to his full potential, and replaced him with Remy who had a rep in France as a sick note. With Zamora and AJ injured, we remain as most of the season very, very short up front, which was the No 1 priority position we needed to improve most. Same with priority no 2 at CB, with Samba coming but Nelsen leaving, we have not really strengthened at CB either, and Harry has really only improved us at the back by packing it, and reducing us as an attacking threat. In central midfield with Granero not fulfilling his early season potential, and Ale now gone, we are not passing the ball around as we need to, and don't seem to be capable of it. Without Adel and Remy getting into some really hot form, and staying fit, I find it depressingly hard to see where we are going to pick up the many points we now need.
North, have you any recollection at all at how shockingly bad Cisse was? He was dire. Absolutely awful. In the last game at WBA he was nothing short of a disgrace. Everything else you said is spot on though.
You're dead right COL, but adding another useless cu*t isn't going to improve anything. In fact, Cisse's attitude would likely infect some of the others. His situation became untenable when Harry came in and gave everyone a clean sheet yet he wasn't interested. After the WBA game he just had to go. I did say though that I agreed with the rest of North's post. I think Harry performed badly in the January market and he's not doing near as well as I thought he would. When the inevitable relegation comes he'll have to shoulder some of the blame.
You could be right about Cisse, but I have a suspicion that Harry just didn't rate him from the off. Either way, we could do with some of his goals right now. Pray Remy stays fit, as I think he could be the real deal.
Is he okay for 90 minutes now? I agree with you. I thought he looked like a real striker on Saturday when he came on. He was only on a few minutes when he forced United's keeper into his only real save of the day. I know I said in another post that I might rest Tarbs for the next game - or at least bring him off the bench - but with Remy playing, Tarbs would be vital in threading ball through to him. If the two of them can get on their game, there's goals in them.
I agree. Get Taarabt in behind Remy with Townsend and Hoilett attacking each side and try to get some goals. Got to go for it now.
On the basis we have to win over half our games to survive and we have scored 2 league goals in 2013 then Arry has to be creative and tip the balance towards a more attacking approach. This does depend on both our defensive midfield and attacking midfielders displaying some basic contro; passing skills that have been shockingly absent for most of the season. I would have hoped Granero would have been the one to knit the defence and attack together but his drop in form from the Spurs away game has been staggering and can only partly be blamed on Hughes management and team selection. Onouha/Samba/Hill/Fabio sort of picks itself although Hill is starting to show signs of age catching up and Soton's quick passing could leave him in a spin. We've tried so many combinations in midfield but on balance I would probably go with M'Bia / Jenas as the defensive 2. Tackle, pass to a teammate and keep it simple. Assuming fully fit the attacking 3 behind Remy should be Hoilett/Taraabt/Townsend and they all have the ability to be interchangeable. Sorry, just don't see the attraction of BZ even when fully fit - think he's lazy and now he's half crocked he is a complete waste of space. Sadly not many options beyond this lot as SWP/Mackie/Bothroyd/Derry etc all look well out of their depth at this level....No idea whats happened to Diakite but it really would be a roll of the dice to play him with M'Bia so he would be an alternative alongside Jenas.....still can't see us sneaking more than a point as Saints have a system they're comfortable with and in Lambert an all round threat up front...here's hoping
On the basis we have to win over half our games to survive and we have scored 2 league goals in 2013 then Arry has to be creative and tip the balance towards a more attacking approach. This does depend on both our defensive midfield and attacking midfielders displaying some basic contro; passing skills that have been shockingly absent for most of the season. I would have hoped Granero would have been the one to knit the defence and attack together but his drop in form from the Spurs away game has been staggering and can only partly be blamed on Hughes management and team selection. Onouha/Samba/Hill/Fabio sort of picks itself although Hill is starting to show signs of age catching up and Soton's quick passing could leave him in a spin. We've tried so many combinations in midfield but on balance I would probably go with M'Bia / Jenas as the defensive 2. Tackle, pass to a teammate and keep it simple. Assuming fully fit the attacking 3 behind Remy should be Hoilett/Taraabt/Townsend and they all have the ability to be interchangeable. Sorry, just don't see the attraction of BZ even when fully fit - think he's lazy and now he's half crocked he is a complete waste of space. Sadly not many options beyond this lot as SWP/Mackie/Bothroyd/Derry etc all look well out of their depth at this level....No idea whats happened to Diakite but it really would be a roll of the dice to play him with M'Bia so he would be an alternative alongside Jenas.....still can't see us sneaking more than a point as Saints have a system they're comfortable with and in Lambert an all round threat up front...here's hoping
The only thing I'd change in your team is Fabio at right back and Traore at left back. Jenas was poor against UTD but he may keep the ball better, so I would be ok with him playing. I also feel the same way as you about Zamora.
Disappointing to have Northolt, Col and Oslo moaning with their 20/20 vision of hindsight about what was wrong but not offering any solutions. Also disappointing how much you are underplaying the situation Harry began in and more importantly how fragile their confidence is. Be interesting to know how many of you moaned when we signed Remy and who you would have guaranteed making a feasible signing of instead? I think that Harry was always intending to survive and scrap as many points between the Chelsea and the United game (Norwich game the exception). I mean since the start of January we've played Chelsea, West Ham and Swansea away and United, City, Norwich and Spurs at home. We got 7 points from a difficult 7 games and id Adel had scored a penalty could easily had 9. How many more do you think we would have had if we kept DJ and Cisse? We are now coming into games against beatable teams and somehow only 7 points away from survival. We stayed up last year by putting a run together in a far more difficult fixture list. I feel we should be far more supportive in the circumstances
It's a shame that you're disappointed in our opinions, but hey.......it's a forum, made up of the things (opinions). You're right in that we have had a really tough run of fixtures and the players' confidence is rock bottom. How Harry sets up in the remaining games will tell us everything imo. (Hope it's ok with you for me to have an opinion).
By saying I was disappointed in your opinions by no means meant your not allowed to have one. Just picked out the three of you because your opinions are normally more considered and well thought out. I think this long depressing season has knocked reason and sense out of people who are looking for someone else to vent their frustrations at. Arry is not that man and this season is still recoverable
Fair enough mate....sorry for being a little acerbic. As I said, I agree about the run of difficult fixtures now being behind us, so the real assessment of Harry begins from Saturday for me.
My problem with this (Yes I know problems not solutions) is we will still only have one person in the box, Adels not going to get in there, Jnr isn't and from what I've seen of Townsend isn't. Need people in the box if we want crosses, with this bunch I think we need two strikers on the pitch to stand a chance.
Point taken mate, but surely if Townsend and Hoilett are TOLD to get in the box when we attack from the opposite side they should be able to do it. They're both quick which enables them to get up and down the pitch well. Also, I seem to remember Hoilett getting forward all the time last season for Blackburn. Frustrating doesn't begin to cover it.
