So with Henderson becoming our 8th signing of the summer on Monday, where are you hoping signing number 9 will fit in the team? Goalkeepers - I expect Roberts will want to keep Nick Pope, at least till October, to push Henderson for the number 1 jersey. However, I wouldn't expect them to keep Pope as a back up for the whole season and if Henderson makes the number 1 jersey his own I can see the former being allowed to leave on a temporary basis. So does that mean we probably need a third keeper, or have Phillips in reserve and Pope on a call back clause? Defenders - I think this is our most covered area, and would be surprised if we made any further moves in this department. Midfield - Again, we appear covered in this department. On paper, I still feel that we are lacking something in this department - a game changer if you will, but if Moussa and Gudmundson adapt to Peeters style of play it is possible these are the players. A creative central midfielder would be ideal if available - a replacement for Stephens. Strikers - I still fear we don't have the answers to last seasons problem in this squad. To be fair, it is the unknown that concerns me so it is possible that Igor or Tuducen take to the Championship like duck to water but from the little I've seen, I don't see it. I was personally hoping Reza would come back and have a big season but there now seems to be too many rumours about him leaving to not warrant it being true. If he does go we really need to make his replacement count! Someone with experience of English football isn't too much to ask for and would go a long way to appeasing myself that we have a team to build on from last season. So overall, I'd expect at least another 3 to come in. Definitely an experienced 3rd choice keeper and striker - and live in hope we replace Stephens in the middle.
I don't see a striker being signed unless Reza is sold, but I've heard rumours on here, but that is it, not seen it anywhere else. I wouldn't be too keen on a veteran keeper as I don't often have a keeper on the bench, have Henderson and Pope fight it out at start of season then ship Pope out on loan with Phillips as back up, just as you said Super. Midfield not too much a problem with Cousins in the holding role, a role I could see Jacko adapting to as a back up seeing we can't expect Cousins to play 48 games a season (assuming we lose both our cup games) and Jacko's legs are shot so a holding role in front of back 4 sounds good. Defence I'd like back up for LB and to send Fox out to get the game time to help his development, but that's just me.
Stephens had some good games and a lot of mediocre ones. As an individual you could see he had a lot of ability but I never thought Charlton got the best out of him. I never thought he was an integral part of the team's pattern of play, in the way Kermorgant and Jackson were, so in that sense I don't think he needed replacing. A lot of it was simply that the ball spent a lot of time flying over his head from back to front and he was tactically by-passed. The other problem was that anywhere near our penalty area he could be a liability trying, and often misjudging, "cute" short or square passes. For every wonder goal he scored, he cost us one giving the ball away irresponsibly. I always wanted to see him further up the pitch because he seemed to have the skills to be more of a playmaker and had a ferocious shot, but he never developed into that role. Perhaps because Kermorgant occupied that space behind the striker. Square pegs in round holes don't have to be replaced. We do need a creative midfielder, though, just not one like Stephens. Maybe Moussa will play centrally and fill that need as well as scoring a few, but didn't Bob say he saw him "coming in from the left"? In that case we would need a left-midfielder able to assist in attack and defence as Wilson does on the right. Harriott's defensive abilities need a lot of work. We know about Gudjonsson's attacking capabilities but I don't know if he can, or is willing to, defend as well. He is big enough. We have just such a player in the u21's in Holmes-Dennis, but it seems he is not ready yet as none of our three recent managers have tried him out. We definitely need a striker who has some"presence". Bob seems willing to give Pigott every chance but I think he needs at least another year. I have no confidence in the others we have. I especially think Vetokele will be a massive disappointment. I see nothing in his resume to suggest he is worth more than half million pounds, tops. If we really paid big money for him it is either total folly, or some financial slight of hand by RD. He scored 16 goals in 43 games for Copenhagen. That would be a satisfactory record in the Championship, but fans are looking at this all wrong. They say that Copenhagen are the equal of a good Championship side which is true, but it is not hard to score goals playing with a good side against feeble opponents. At least one of the teams in the Danish league has no full-time players and has an average attendance under 3000. And all he does is score goals. He doesn't put in all the other work that Kermorgant did, or even Church does. For the money we were alleged to have paid he should have scored at least 30 in that Mickey Mouse league.
It only takes one rumour and it becomes self-perpetuating as others quote it until it comes back around again. I'm not saying it's not true, none of us will know until the club or Reza say something.
Very true. But a lot of our "ins" and "outs" have seemed to make little sense. This one would. He is probably now at the peak of his saleability. Also he is better suited to playing in another country, and Qatar looks ideal for him. It is maybe the only country where there is a sizable Iranian ex-pat community living peacefully.
I agree, but the sources are coming from different directions which makes me believe this to be true. The fitness staff not drawing up a plan for him upon his apparent return is pretty damning.
Astrid would offer something we don't already have. And now we are more combative in central midfield is feel more comfortable with him only having 60 minutes. But liege fans are under the impression he is back in the first team squad this season.
That means one of your three subs is committed every game. Not many managers (or had coaches) would be happy with that. But a bigger problem is that it is not as if he plays like Modric for 60 minutes then switches off. He only functions in spasms and is down to walking pace by half-time. If a professional footballer of that age (mid-twenties) and those skills cannot get fitter than that there is some serious underlying problem, maybe metabolic or behavioural. George Best was like that at the end of his career with Fulham. Brilliant flashes then didn't get near the ball for ten minutes, then another brilliant flash, only to limp off after 30, 45 or 60 minutes. We know what his problem was. Not sure about Astrit, but he has got one.
I don't think Astrid plays "in spasms". I think he made us "tick" every time he played. He was subtle sometimes, but give him a yard he created a chance, started an attack or kept us going. But that's my opinion. Poyet was a perfect foil. We need that from buyens now.
