I also think Solano was, in effect, the repayment of a debt owed. He wasn't really here because of quality/ability was he? Not at his age, anyway.
He was here because he was dirt cheap and versatile. McLean hasn't been a great signing and but he's had half a season with us. Give him a chance.
Yeah Pearson and Walsh really dont know there stuff or do research: Mannone - Fantastic, everyone wants him on a full deal Guzan - Did ok but was out shone by Manonne Dudgeon - Not seen him play yet but rave reviews around him Hobbs - Tidy defender, will be a good signing, many clubs in for him Ayala - Great defender, everyone wants him back Gerrard - Composed leader, great season Chester - Great defender Rosenior - Best RB in league Solano - Did ok, would you rather have him or Macca? Stewart - Best player signed Koren - Great player, dropped of a bit towards end of season Harper - Not the greatest, personally not a fan, but look at our record with him in team, went on long unbeaten run Evans - Versitile player, decent enough, will develop well Belaid - Didnt fit into squad Amoo - Poor, but was great in Liverpool reserves, highly rated at Liverpool Simpson - Should touches of quality, took a while to settle McClean - Works hard but not to Championship standard, worth the gamble given we only had Simpson up front Fryatt - Brilliant player, needs more service and support though All on a next to nothing budget Yeah really dont know what they are doing
I really cant agree with that at all. McLean has played very well indeed in many matches - Leeds at home he was MotM by a mile - he just missed a couple of memorable sitters and people suddenly overlook all the good work he has done.
Simpson showed no promise in the first part of the seaosn and missed several one on ones, but he came good, so why won't McLean?
His credentials look good. If his knee holds up all season then yes he may do a good job for us, and thats the crux of the matter. If he signs on a managable wage then he may be a good signing.
How was/is Nobby versatile?? He couldnt play RM any more and was slow at ful back. Great fella no doubt and been a top player, you could see he still had a great first touch, but his legs had gone and he was poor in the air too.
I am not really sure Simpson came good, but maybe your expectations are lower than mine. Mclean has a very poor first touch and he will not rectify that at his age. Yes he works hard, but that is not enough.
Who are you Mystic Meg?? Didnt everyone keep banging on we were in exactly the same position in, as late as February, as our promotion season? Yet we didnt kick on. Why? Lack of support for Matty Fryatt, lack of quality in the midfield and an overly cautious manager.
Mclean needs to be given a chance, judging a player after half a season isn't fair- he did make some bad misses but he had a few tidy finishes and showed flashes of ability, and his work rate is phenomenal. He is also very good in the air which is a bonus for a smaller lad. Give it to the end of next season before being over critical.
Harper's strength is that he makes all the other players look fantastic.. you can't deny our record with him in the team, IMHO I think he does the little things well (which anyone could do surely?) and without Kilbane around we need someone to point a lot - it looks like leadership & makes the opposition think we know what we're doing..
Anybody confident that all the players signed after the first 4 weeks of the season, might improve slightly and gel better as a team with a full pre-season together under them? just a thought
Maybe, but how much gelling does it take before they solve these problems: Not having a goalkeeper. Only having one reliable CB in the squad*. Not having reliable cover for Rosenior. Not having a left winger or cover. Not having a right winger or cover (you can only use Stewart once, and that's not until October/November). Not having a hard tackling midfielder. Not having a striker with a physical presence to give us more than one dimension to our attacks. You could add not having a creative midfielder, but I think if we got a hard hitting midfielder then Koren could play centrally, he'd have more freedom and be able to get more involved, as well as allowing a proper winger to play wide right. *Chester, Cooper isn't reliable for the full season and McShane will be offloaded at the first opportunity due to wages so isn't reliable regardless of any debate on ability.
