Nail on head. Many fans, irrespective of hoe good Mulumbu, Dorrans and brady are, would have been hoping to see us emulate other lower Prem clubs in being a little more flamboyant with the cut of our cloth. West Brom, Wet Sham, Palace, etc have all brought in at least one player who causes a stir of genuine excitement among fans and would appear to show a ££ desire to compete and survive in this division. Our lack of a comparable 'marquee' signing (I 'king hate that expression ) sends a subliminal message that we're looking to 'muddle through with what we've got' which is a) not the case and b) AN himself has highlighted some of the reasons that the club finds it difficult to attract it's targets. Point is our rivals have been seen to be proactive and spend some big(gish) wonga, whereas we've (more or less) stood still. Fan jealousy may well be a factor as a result of my last point.
Good, forums are for discussion. Of course there is. Am I sat at home wailing in despair that Norwich weren't in the hunt for Pedro? Of course not, I'm simply saying that whilst we've done eminently sensible business, it's been dull as something to read about in gaps at work. Thankfully the cricket is back today! If I ever thought being a mod was going to impact on my ability to state my opinion on this forum, even if that means disagreeing with posts and people, I'd never have taken it on. I'd equally give it up in a heartbeat. I also felt I argued with the content of the post, rather than just the style which was what that last comment was about. I dislike "arguments from authority", which I felt that post had more than a tinge of.
Transfer Centre Live @TransferCentreL Norwich City are the latest club to make a bid for Nottingham Forest winger Michail Antonio. But why? With Redmond and Brady as first choices, E Bennett and Murphy as back up - and more midfielders than we can cram into a 25 man squad already, why? 1)Striker to cover CJ 2)CB to cover / improve on R Martin. 3)Shut that stupid transfer window!
He can play both wings I suppose, but yes I would have like to think we were prioritising other areas.
I don't believe any rumours about us going for a winger, but if there is any truth in it I imagine it would be down to a big money bid for Redmond. On the transfer window - DH hits the nail on the head. Rubbish was the wrong word - it's been dull. Tediously dull. Frustratingly dull. Our best signing (IMO) has got injured at pretty much the worst point in the season, our biggest money signing is a decent but utility player and our other signing we'd already seen for six months and known about. If that's not dull, people must find watching paint dry fascinating.
Agree with that Rob, I can possibly see us sounding out Forest about Antonio is in case someone (probably Liverpool...) makes a late, utterly obscene offer for Redmond. It's easier to entertain a bid if we know where we can get a replacement. Only other way I could see there being anything in it is (like with Assaidi linked earlier), we want another outright winger to cover Redmond or offer a different option on the left. As 1950 said though, would surely be a very difficult move to justify without shifting a couple of players first.
We made a marquee signing, smashing our transfer record last time we were in the top flight - that went well didn't it? I just think this is all about people's level of expectation, and also that we've become (perhaps unknowingly) rather spoilt over the past few seasons. I'm personally happy with our business so far, I would like another quality forward and centre-half, but wouldn't be overly disappointed if we didn't get either - and there's still a week and half to bring in that striker so many people are clamouring for. Really hope we don't sign that Mbokani guy though, that would be a desperation signing if you ask me, completely untested and could unsettle the shape of the team given that he wouldn't come if he didn't think he was going to be a regular starter. Don't really understand why people are so excited about the prospect of him signing myself, must confess I'd never heard of him and his record in competitive leagues is far from special. I'd rather we try to re-integrate The Wolf if I'm being honest - and yes I know they offer different things.
Yeah, I'd agree with that. I know early on my expectations were for a window more like those before our 2nd and 3rd PL season, but financially I guess we've a similar amount of money to play with compared to when we first went up. TV money may have increased, but our wage bill has too. I think Ryan Bennett and Steve Morison were our most expensive signings that summer. We've signed a higher calibre of player this summer in Dorrans, Mulumbu and Brady. I'd like to see the Wolf given a chance too. Mbokani would be a gamble, if we've got the money and can't do better it might be worth taking, I'm not sure. The changes in work permit regulations Supers outlined earlier probably make it a moot point anyway.
I don't see anything of a desperation signing about Mbokani in the slightest. It's quite clear he was high up on our hitlist of strikers that we would want right from the very start given when rumours began and that makes sense because he is big, strong quick, has a good finishing record and at 29 is at the top of his game - for the price he was being sold at, he represented very good value and about as safe a bet as any foreign player could be (every player is a gamble). The sticking point was simply that he doesn't qualify for a work permit, so we can't get him. By all accounts he would have signed before the first game of the season if that hadn't been the case.
I like many am disappointed with where we currently are in signing players this transfer window, but I don't think the current position is necessarily due to lack of ambition on behalf of the club. I think the signings we've made so far are sound and add to the squad (Although I think we paid 1 million too much for Brady). Our 1st choice midfield / goalkeeper option(s) is strong and we seem to have good quality in depth in these areas. I think we are only a couple of signings away from having a very competitive starting 11, considering the current size and position of the club. So for me like many on here I would like to see us sign a premiership quality CB who is better then what we currently have (DVD would seem to fit) and a striker who is of similar quality & playing style to Jerome (We have been linked to several who would seem to fit). We also need to get rid of 2 (possibly 3) of RvW, Grabban, Laferty & Hooper to make way for the 2 new signings. I think we started the window looking for a new CB / Striker and had players in mind, but they have either not happened for a variety of reasons (clubs not wanting to sell / wanting too much money or players not wanting to come to Norwich or holding off in hope that a better offer comes. fallen through or clubs have not been willing to sell) and our list of potential targets was too short. My main concern at the moment is that the list of potential CB signings was not long enough and the club has decided that they are not willing to shell out the necessary cash to buy a better CB than those we currently have. DVD is unlikely to become a Norwich player and it appears we have decided to stick with what we have, hence new 2 year contract for Bassong. I think we will regret this particularly as it is unlikely that Martin / Bassong will to go the whole season uninjured and our strength in depth is weak (particular if you consider a CB pairing). I wouldn't be surprised if we end up paying over the odds for a CB in the January transfer window. I think there is still a chance of us signing another striker (although probably of a similar or less quality than Jerome, but better than our other options) and off loading one or 2, but clearly the odds of this is reducing by the day. Anyway if things remain as they are now at the end of the window I will be very disappointed and although I wouldn't be too critical of the club I think they will need to reconsider how much they are willing to pay for players in future windows.
See your points and tend to agree mainly - but as new arrivals to the PL - albeit after an absence of only one season it's clear we don't have the resources of most other clubs. Survive this season, however and things will be rosier in future. Financially and as a viable option for players looking for a route into the PL. At the mo (people tend to forget 3 of our last 4 years were in the top flight) we're a bit of an 'unknown quantity' compared to clubs like Stoke, Palace, West Brom, etc.
Oh look out - McNally vs Bruce, round two alert http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/footbal...h-to-make-nikica-jelavic-approach_240552.html
There's a rundown here of all players yet to feature in a PL matchday squad, who aren't injured: http://www.football365.com/watford/9956788/-...? Can't see any there we'd be interested in.
I'm going to have to smile about the complaints with our defence - none of the goals we conceded against Palace can really be blamed on our CBs and, for what it's worth, of our five top-rated players on Squawka, three of them are Martin, Whittaker and Bassong (in that order...) I think it's pretty clear that our manager does not view signing an improvement on our CBs as a priority because any that would be are out of our league currently (Koulibaly, van Dijk).
Brilliant! Can't wait to see how it unfolds. I don't really know that much about Jelavic TBH, I know he has had a good season or 2 with Everton I think? Might be wrong. I wonder what bid McNally will start with? £10 and packet of smarties? Or maybe get Delia to give Brucie a gander at her treasures.
Oh definitely level (1) - insulting. Seriously though, is this likely? I cannot see us being able or prepared to meet his rumoured £55kpw wages (even if that was before the relegation clause bit)
Hopefully not. As Kemp said, barring a decent spell at Everton early on, his star seems to have been waning since then. In an ideal world, a p/ex deal with RvW or Lafferty going the other way would be ideal...but not realistic, sadly.
The issue with RvW is that his confidence is shot to bits. I fear that if he messes up another one-on-one or guilt edged chance he may well disappear completely up his own arse. It's a worry to give someone like that a squad place.
I personally love the way that McNally conducts his business and will support him on pretty much any decision he makes. In the world of silly money it's nice to have some one with some sanity running our club. Obviously you can argue that you have to keep up with the other team, even if it goes against your philosophy, but I say I'd rather follow the one challenging the curb than going with it. Vote Corb... I mean McNally!
