There was me thinking that the world had come to an end and was seen wearing my sandwich board with the end is nigh, when all along, the club were making plans to regenerate the squad and targeting players that have been very encouraging. Westwood; Larsson, Won; Gardener; and Wickham look like done deals and Vaughan and N'Gog still on the radar. N'Gog is an okay gamble so long as he wasnât the main striking target. He wasnât and isnât. O Shea, Brown and Gibson are all supposed to be sitting down next week to talk turkey on contracts (already accepted by their respective agents by all accounts) and even if Brown opts to stay in the NW, the other 2 would be good additions. 2 marquee signings still to come IMO, with N'Zogbia still a major target and a striker to partner Gyan in the mould of Pavluychenko or Crouch? Maybe even Danny and Nedum could return, even if they are only on loan. The standard and calibre of the players we have brought in, targeted and gone for are great pieces of business. Bruce and Quinn have obviously done some soul searching and planning over the past few months and that planning is beginning to show dividends. I think the club are reversing the impression they have thrown in the towel at this level and that will impress any bigger names we may hope to attract. I'd like to be involved in the dressing room with these players. I've been very critical recently and with some justification to be fair but I have said all along that this summer was a crucial one for the club and especially the manager. As things stand today, he is well on course to rekindle my belief that he is indeed more than merely rhetoric and blather. My humble pie is in the oven. Get NâZog and Pav on board in the next few weeks and Iâll eat it with pleasure. Well done SB and NQ and of course ES. Next season could turn out to be a very exciting one indeed
You feeling alright cest Only kidding mate - nice to see some positivity on the boatd and have to agree with you... Looking forward to the new season now!!
I think the title says it all Cest. We haven't gone for players on a whim, Westwood and Larsson we know where long term targets, and Gardner, well if Brum had stayed up, he'd never have been available. We will have been scouting Whickham since January, and in that period the lad has kicked on with an impressive 9 in 20, a sure sign that he's already finding his feet as a pro. If we got Welbeck, Ned and a classy CB, i'll be delighted. Add Gibson and O'Shea and i'll be doing catwheels, as the strength in depth would appear there. Add all of the above plus a left winger of substance, and i might actually explode. I just wonder if we need Frenchy assuming we had Gardner and Gibson, as Larsson - Catts/Meyler/Colback/Gibson-Gardner-Sessegnon looks solid to me.
You can add Richardson to that central midfield competition, the forgotten man although I wonder if he could one of the lads to leave
BB - N'Zogbia is that something a bit special for me. He maybe isn’t top a top 4 player but he would be a game changer for us. That little but of skill or trickery that can open up a defence and nick a goal in a tight game, is something we have been lacking of late IMO. Bobby/Marcus - fair play to the club and credit to the 2 men in question, Mr. Quinn and Bruce. As fans, we get too wrapped up in the passion and forget the professionalism required to run and build a club. I hold up my hand and admit I have allowed passions to cloud judgment. If it takes me looking a complete knacker on a message board to mean the club is doing well, then I'm happy to look a knacker for the rest of my natural on here.
We haven't actually signed Whickham yet so we of all people should know by now not to count ya chickens yet like! I don't think we will even go for Pav and I think he is a bit over rated tbh and if we can't get Crouch i'd like to see us go for Carlton Cole or maybe even Sturridge (on loan). Bruce has already said he will get some more loan signings in...
I do admire the way that Bruce and Quinn go about their business. Seems the first official news on a player is when he is up having talks/medical. Just tired of waiting like, my nails are chewed to bits!
I am quite willing to try the tablets Cest. Yes a couple of good signings, but none that has made me go wow! But I will reserve the right to eat my humble pie, when I see it happening on the pitch. If we manage to finally land Zog after all the farting about, I shall be amazed. We all want what's best for SAFC, to me that doesn't include relying on loanee's lets build a team.
Not too keen on Cole tbh. My mate from WHU, said he is very hitty missy. He would have driven him up personally for the 10m being bandied about 12 to 18 months ago. Seems he is a bit too like KJ with agood game every 4 or 5. Not for me. Pav a far better player and Crouch the best of the 3 IMO. Sturridge didnt impress me in the under 21 tournament tbh. Looks like another player with loads of attiude and no desire. I'd much rather have Welbeck any day.
Well said Cest. I don't always agree (understatement) but I always enjoy your posts. It's nice to have some harmony for a change.
MR -I get where youre coming from but I think Wickham is a bit of a wow factor to be fair. He is a very hot prospect being tracked by some very big clubs and if he does come, its a huge feather in our cap. Of the others, Larsson and Gardener are very good signings and add a bit of goal threat and dead ball expertise and Westwood a bargain when you consider what Man Utd have just paid for an unproven kid? The capture of N'Zog and another top striker will really set fire to the theory we have no money as well and will kick start the new season for us all. PS - I'll save some pills for you too mate? Lol
Agreed, the players have signed and the players we are talking with are a good balance between excitement and experience. And I am also confident there will be more signings we have not heard about too, still to come.
Cyprus - like with all things, the actions of the club determine the reactions of the fans. I guess a bit of steady Eddie thinking would stop the polarised reactions but it wouldn’t be as much fun would it. I'm happy to be proved wrong every time if it is to the benefit of the club. This time that is the case but it doesn’t mean I won’t be critical again of course, if I think something is not right. However, today, there is some welcome and justified harmony imo.
Cest, lets not get too previous, when the start of the season comes we will see what the team is..it may be a time for cautious optimism but just that atm.
"the actions of the club determine the reactions of the fans" Agreed. Funny how we can all interpret the clubs actions in a myriad of different ways. As long as the club continues to improve though, we'll all reach our own little utopia one day.
I'm not saying we have cracked it Sunderpitt but after the poor end of the season slump and then the selling of Henderson, I was at a real low. The signings we have completed and the offers for others we have on the table has rekindled my enthusiasm as they are of a calibre to make us much stronger all round next season. It shoes Bruce has learned from his recent mistakes and has acknowledged the squad was too thin. Our midfield next year will have 7 or 8 good players vying for 4 places and hopefully, 4 or 5 strikers competing for 2 places. Our defence is still an Achilles heel at the moment but will be addressed before August IMO. We are not there yet but there are reasons to be cheerful that’s for certain, I’m sure you will agree.
It would be a disaster if we all thought the same though? One thing we ALL agree on in the end is the good of the club.
