If you were sitting in the JFH's seat right now, where would you strengthen. Personally, I would like to see two new strikers come in and a decent centre half that can concentrate for the full 90 minutes. Strikers that would add competition and also be available should Charlie leave or should we get injuries. I could also be tempted to bring back Caulker to see if under JFH, he could become the centre half we need.
Ninj - I agree totally. The way out of this division is through 2-3 quality strikers and a solid defence. Apologies for 'a statement of the bleeding obvious'! I'd love to be surprised by a couple of scouted attackers coming in - in the same mould of Yannick Bolasie or Riyad Mahrez - unknown until they begin pulling up trees.
Bolasie was first offered to Warnock just after we won the Championship but the Goons wouldn't sanction any transfers unless we sold players, we ended up with bloody DJ Campbell...
Caulker has proven to be a bad egg for any club, not to mention a very poor defender. With a new young manager, this type of disruptive player is the last thing we need at present. We need go-getters, someone with a bit of mungrel in defense to steer the ship.
Caulker is the last thing this group of ****s needs. Don't buy anyone unless they're dirt cheap, fit a position we need and under 25. Sell Caulker, Fer, Phillips and Green if anyone is stupid enough to give a serious fee for them. Send Konchesky back. Work with what we've got and play ****ing Luongo in the ****ing midfield. If a player isn't going to be here next season and isn't the only option, don't play them.
If this transfer window is as quiet as last January, we are condemned to low mid table obscurity but flirting with the hint of a relegation battle on today's showing.
If JFH is not going to play Furlong, Kpekwa or Yun (which he should), we need a couple of full backs brought in. That, for me, is top priority. Smithies should be given a run. Onuoha and Hall look a good pairing at CB. We have plenty of midfield options, if only JFH could select the right players and right formation. Nothing wrong with Faurlin, Luongo, Chery and Sandro. I still rate Phillips (playing wide) and Hoilett to give us the necessary pace. I believe JET and Polter will score goals at this level, if they get on the pitch. So no radical personnel changes required imo.
I think the best we can hope for this season is mid-table, we just haven't got the quality in key positions to go up. JFH needs to assess the squad through the rest of this season and then earn his wages by reshaping the team to play proper football. Yesterday we were outplayed by a bottom-half side who will not trouble the play-offs, that is not unusual this season and is very worrying...
I've given this around 3-5 seconds of deep, deep thought and I'd get rid of the following during the transfer window: Green, Hoilett, Onuoha, Perch, Konchesky, Polter, Thomas, Sandro, Henry, Tosser, Fer, Chery, Angella and Hasselhoff. Then I'd give up and make myself a sandwich.
Hold my hands up - with the way we're playing I keep thinking of all positions needing replacements. Can it be that bad? We will need to replace Austin, I think there's a fair chance he will go in January. If what we have aren't good enough to play, then we need to invest in a good quality striker replacement - not a cheap option as we have done so far. Otherwise, I see no point in spending anything until the end of the season. Loans going back, contracts ending, players being moved on. Then make the right choices of up and coming players.
I don't want any more signings in January. Let's give youth and the summer signings a go. We can decide then at the end of the season who is worth keeping and who is not.
I'd be surprised if we did much business. We don't have any money to spend and most of our 'assets' have little value and clearly lack the character to help a struggling team who might want them anyway. There might be an argument for giving lots of them a free to get them off the wage bill. I would allow Mackie to retire on humanitarian grounds and as a special gift to me.
I thought the last time we heard from TF promotion was the main priority again. Ramsey wasn't considered able to get us top 6. So we get in JFH and surely with that target some funds are to be made available to strengen where we need to. A RB who can defend and get forward, a LB who can do the same, a creative central midfielder if Fer and Chery aren't up to it ( they don't appear to be), a left winger and a decent goal scorer. Possibly a good CB and a Keeper if the reason Smithies hasn't replaced Green yet is that he's not any better. Quite a few should be going the other way too.
I said back in the summer when we bought Smithies from Huddersfield that we should've got Nakhi Wells too - would be a good fit up front, especially if Charlie does move on.
