January transfers
- Thread starter cardinalcanary
- Start date
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For those of you thinking we missed out on Bridcutt, he would not have come here, he only wanted to join up again with Gus Poyet!
With Yobo in and excluding the youngsters I make it that we have exactly a 25 man squad now including Fox, Hoolahan, Elliott Bennett et al.
So how do people feel we have faired relative to our rivals?
I thinkwe have lost ground on Fulham . They have brought in 3 players (esp Holtby) that really improve their starting XI, we have brought in 2 squad players. We both had a wantaway flair player; they have moved Berbatov on and replaced him
with quality. Hoolahan will now sit complaining in our reserves.
Hull have also really improved their starting XI. In December they had the worst strike force in the bottom half; in February it is among the best!
I think we have improved relative to Cardiff and Palace.
I'm surprised by Crystal Palace's approach.Holloway admitted he made too many changes in the summer, but Pulis managed to bring them confidence and stability. So why respond by bringing in 5 deadline day signings, most of whom are no better than what they have? Likewise Cardiff have spent big on average players.
I thinkwe have lost ground on Fulham . They have brought in 3 players (esp Holtby) that really improve their starting XI, we have brought in 2 squad players. We both had a wantaway flair player; they have moved Berbatov on and replaced him
with quality. Hoolahan will now sit complaining in our reserves.
Hull have also really improved their starting XI. In December they had the worst strike force in the bottom half; in February it is among the best!
I think we have improved relative to Cardiff and Palace.
I'm surprised by Crystal Palace's approach.Holloway admitted he made too many changes in the summer, but Pulis managed to bring them confidence and stability. So why respond by bringing in 5 deadline day signings, most of whom are no better than what they have? Likewise Cardiff have spent big on average players.
Shame you weren't able to find a suitable one, at least we didn't knee-jerk panic buy!
Our modest strengthening in this window is the best news we could realistically hope for. What it tells us is that CH and the board are confident that we can meet our targets with our existing squad (with a bit of extra insurance against injuries in the form of Gutierrez and Yobo) and without paying over the odds for players who lack the quality to lift us up a level. If we had approached this window in the way the bottom six have done I'd be seriously concerned.
I agree with all this except Hull. I don't think they've improved their strike force much, other than strength in depth. Jelavic is a classier player than Danny Graham, and Shane Long is very fast, but neither player has managed to score as many goals in a season as Graham. I'm not suggesting Graham's better than them, he's not, but just that he's not noticeably worse than either, though much maligned. Hull's problem is the same as ours though - getting their strikers in goal-scoring positions. I don't think either of their newbies is leaps and bounds ahead of their previous in terms of actually scoring.
On paper, squads have been strengthened, but we have yet to see how things pan out in reality. Too many new players can take a fair while to gel, of course some loan or new signings are fantastic and immediately improve the team; Loukaku comes to mind. A fully fit Norwich is just around the corner, hopefully, and I am confident, we'll be watching Norwich in the PL with some new signings - there should be a bigger transfer budget next season
I agree, Longsight. To change 5 players mid-season is a big gamble. Remember that in most cases every player coming in means another player going out. With no pre-season to bed new players in that means a period of adjustment. By comparison, City have added two quality players at the expense of Ayala, who has been out on loan anyway. Two gains, nothing lost, IMO. Gutierrez has already had a start and two weeks of practice to bed in and Yobo will provide cover along with Martin at CB. No disruption, but building on what we have. It's a pity about the Wes fiasco, which has lowered my estimation of Lambert after his deliberate tapping up and disruption. I'll always appreciate what he did for City, but he is now showing himself as a spiteful and nasty piece of work.
You may not know this but I am an administrator on a Sunderland forum and, yes, he has said exactly that!
Don't follow that Rick. Lambert needed an experienced midfielder and, like most Managers, went for a player he knew and, on top of that, was not getting starts. If it had been just paper talk or the subject of 1 silly bid that I would have some sympathy with your views but Villa made 3 bids and only went away when City refused to sell him. The only thing spiteful I can see is our reaction to the position of Wes who is not getting games here. How many bids did we make for Hooper when Celtic were refusing to sell?
Did he?! Well, I, never. What are the chances that a signing would come out and pledge allegiance to the new cause, manager and team. Rare.
Not really, Gus was the manager who gave him his chance at Brighton, rescuing him from Chelsea where he was not featuring at all!
Well, yes, he have him his chance, but rescued? At 20-21? I don't think it was the foregone conclusion you think it was or it would've happened earlier In the window
They went in for him as soon as the window opened, Brighton were refusing to let him go until near the close of the window once they realised he would never give his all for them!