Here's a question i would like to throw out... We need a keeper and Bentley is a great up and coming young talent who I think should be signed as he will only get better and better. Would Bruce buy him then put him straight into a virtually two division jump as 1st choice? Or do we need a ready made experienced keeper now instead?
Maybe just maybe the penny has dropped with UnAbel that nobody wants him atm. So he has to up his game big time and show people what he can do. 2 weeks is a long time in football/soccer. Akpom should suit UnAbel more than Jelly as a partner. imo. I think that any keeper that comes in will be a loan when the loan window opens. However after sunday McGAFFer must now be in the last chance saloon. Calling Steve Harper....we need you afterall.
The way our keepers have been performing, he'd be straight in as first choice. Absolutely no question about it.
Looks like we can scrub the Hammers off anymore reported interest in Tom Huddlestone. Hammers now confirm they have a deal in place for midfielder Alex Song from Barca.
We are by all accounts. LVG/SB have talked about it but we are waiting on Man Utd to get themselves sorted out especially now that they have messed up the Pedro deal. Who knows what will happen with MU getting in more forwards.
Man Utd surely need more forwards before they would let one out on loan. Problem would also be guaranteeing him game time given Akpom's start, unless we knew we were losing Jelavic and Hernandez. If that were the case, we would probably want someone more experienced in.
Good, I was on the right track then. Plus I agree with most of what you say here. It's folly to "panic" buy. I think Bruce is confident that Gray would be a good fit, even some of his recent press soundbites ( "...helpless to stem loss of players if offers come in" etc) seem to be subtle nudges to get those in charge of the purse strings to do something about bringing in his recommendations. Notwithstanding FFP etc, I sense the paymasters may be more wary of his recommendations than they were since we were promoted last and somewhat skeptical of his track record in that period. The trust between owner & manager currently is far less than that of the bygone era. I agree that the fees paid for Waggy, Houghton and Butler were top $ plus at the time, and many were shocked indeed, but in the same breath many, in my experience ( I was 18 at the time- going to the games with my granddad & his mates - all vintage City supporters) were recognizing the new recruits track records were a perfect fit to augment the talents of one Chris Chilton and would make the team a very potent force in the Third Division. In other words, they were projecting that they would be bargain buys from a risk/reward stance. Hindsight was not part of the equation at the time. Their faith in Britton & the new recruits worked. It's a pity the foresight of Needler/Britton waned too soon thereafter as they neglected the next step - beef up the defensive contingent to match the potency of City's attacking threat. We may not have needed to wait 104 years !
Midfield still an issue for me, at least in the short term. I know we may have Diame and Snodgrass to come in, but it may be December before they are both up to full speed. I wouldn't mind another loan in for someone like Nick Powell, or another Arsenal guy like Gabriel Zelalem. The latter would certainly add a bit more pace and direct running into our midfield.
When they bought the three of them I was only 12 and didn't have any idea of the wider football world other than the FA Cup Final.
Gedion Zelalem would be great, but he is off to Rangers I think. I'd like us to test the water for Dave Edwards or Conor Hourihane at Barnsley.
So we're just naming players we've never seen apart from 3 seconds on a highlights show now!! Great. If anyone ever says i've watched Albert Scroggins at Barnstoneworth for the last 5 games and he is excellent. I'll give it some value. But pretending people are really really knowledgable about X player just from FIFA or scouring who Arsenal/Chelsea have in their reserves GTF
My mate down here is an Arsenal season ticket holder- goes to loads of their U21 games as well. If he says Zelalem is what we need I believe him...can't believe he would go to Rangers in the Scottish Championship though???
