Personally I don't mind an objective view on a new player by a fan of one of his previous clubs including Sunderland. Gives another view albeit sometimes not without some bias. At least there is something interesting enough to read and discuss. What bores me and I'm sure many others and turns you away from the forum is petty arguments and mud slinging. Some banter is fine but post after post with nothing to do with the title of the original discussion is just tedious.
Imo you're more than welcome on here, whatever your views, that's the nature of the boards. I've had a run in with nearly every poster on your board over the years. I do tend to "tone down" my opinions on there though, you should hear what I don't post
At the end of the day, it's another striker in the squad - let's be honest, we'd have been better with him available for the Brighton game than relying on Perez - who put in a hell of a shift, but was never going to really trouble their CFs - if he scores a few goals and contributes to a hopefully successful promotion, then happy days. As to the fee, not my money, club clearly felt it was appropriate, it his contribution guarantees success, then it's money well spent - if the club/Rafa are happy to use Gayle/Mitrovic as their main strikers, then in all honesty, were we going to bring in anyone better as back up to a Championship club??
He's ****e. If ginger Schteve had signed him people would be raging. I can't believe people are defending this signing he's ****e
I informed you for months of your inferiority to Sunderland last season and that Mitro was a loose canon and would spend a lot of time on the sidelines. How objective do you want me to be
Marlon Harewood is ****e. He was still a very effective striker in the Championship. I know you'd like us to be signing really good players, but we are a Championship club. We don't have the pull. Its like Comm on a night out.
Putting the comedy aspect to one side, for a moment. I think looking at your squad, it does look strong and I still expect you to pretty much breeze through this season and get promotion. You don't have many players though, that I think could step up to the Premiership and compete competitively. Daryl Murphy, from what I can see, is just adding depth to your squad. I would have thought any additional players brought it now, would have been at a younger age with potential and plenty of scope for improvement. This guy is deadwood and certainly shouldn't be anywhere near a Premiership squad.
We have a massive re-building job come the summer if we get promoted. Personally I think Rafa is taking the correct approach given how tough the league can be. Worry about next season, next summer. We have a number of younger players, we lack experience particularly with our most senior pros leaving this summer (Colo, Cisse, Siem de Jong and soon to be Tiote). Lascelles, Dummett, Hanley, Shelvey, Hayden, Aarons, Perez, Mitrovic, Mbemba, Haidara, Yedlin, Sels, Woodman, Armstrong, Sterry, Lazaar are all sub 24. Sissoko is going (with any luck). We have a few around the 26-28 mark. Our experience comes in Elliot. Gamez, Diame, Gouffran, Murphy. Its obvious what Rafa has done to a blind man. He has signed a senior pro for each area of the pitch where we had a hole. Eliott, Gamez and Murphy probably won't play loads but its what they add on the training ground and in balancing the squad. Too many young players is not right. We ave a very good balance now between young players 18-23, players in their peak years 24-28 and senior players 29 and upwards. Realistically is Murphy going to dislodge Perez, Mitrovic, Gayle (or Diame who appears to have a forward role under Benitez)? Probably not. Benitez will know he will probably need to sign 5 new players next summer and offload around the same number. The problem is if we plan and sign for next season now you'll probably find this league a whole lot tougher and could very well end up with egg on our face. We have one goal - promotion. If Rafa achieves it then the business and squad building done this summer is correct. If we don't it hasn't and he has failed. Simple as that really. I'm pretty confident we'll do enough to nab one of the automatic promotion places.
Kodija looks very good and will score a ****ton, but I'd say they need to be spending a lot more. Still loads of their dire squad from last year that need to be offloaded or replaced, they've looked pretty average in the championship so far.
Only one thing to add to this: Regardless of whether Murphy is any good or not, it shows that Rafa has well and truly broken free of the transfer policy imposed by the Fat One. And I'm confident that Rafa knows more about football than Mike Ashley and the rest of the cockney mafia put together. So even if Murphy is individually a flop, it's good to see that Rafa is free to take gambles that, in his professional opinion, are worth taking.
I am very well fella. Just don't get on here much at present due to work. To be honest I don't think anyone posts with "fear", if they do then they really are a complete pussy.
