Good post, RCL, there's a few bits I'd counter with though: For sure, we can't compete with those guys financially but does that mean we shouldn't try spending where neccessary to try to improve? The problem with this one is that he wasn't initially £30m. He was circa £15m. We dallied about with a supposed offer of £5m plus Onomah to which at the time, even a pennyless Villa laughed at. New owners came in and upped the price to £25m. We then tried lowballing. Finally we met the £25m fee, by that time, Villa's new owners basically said "you know what, **** you, you tried haggling and now it's too late". You say "these types of signings" with reference to likely flopping but young, English talent is generally where we excel - Jenas, Huddlestone, Lennon, Dawson, Rose, Walker, Dele, Dier etc. If we'd have got Grealish for £15m, I think it would've looked an asbolute bargain. You have to take the rough with the smooth with transfers, especially a club like us who can't always buy the best thing on the market. Even if on general, just one in three signings turns out a success, it's still a successful model. We however opted to not try anything this past summer, which in essence, is a failure. All of those you listed are quite rightly flops (with Foyth still yet to prove himself) but at the times of signing most of those players, we completed deals for the likes of Eriksen, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Lamela, Chadli (who was moved on for profit), Dembele, Davies, Wanyama, Son. So as I said, it's about taking the rough with the smooth. We'll never know if a player will be a success or a flop if we don't actually sign them.
So you say you get very depressed at certain results and thus choose not to post but then proceed to call those that do post doomsayers and negative? Makes sense. As for Seri, he's actually been a shining light for Fulham, the problem however is that he chose to join a relegation threatened side and the calibre of players surrounding him are letting him down. A goal and two assists from nine games is more than any of our CMs have managed so far. People don't expect us to compete financially with City and co - I haven't seen anyone say we should be spending circa £200m every window. But it's not out of the realms of possibility to expect our club to try and strengthen when all our rivals were doing so. Near enough every fan was in agreement we needed to make improvements at CM during the summer, the club were even looking at players such as Seri, Grealish, Brozovic etc, yet chose not to sort a deal, or in some cases, failed to agree a deal. This is now coming back to haunt us, Dembele has looked bang average in the games he's played and was lucky not to be sent off yesterday with the amount of times he was using his arms, while Winks, with a couple of half decent performances aside, has done nothing of note. Wanting your club to progress and suggesting possible examples of how you believe they can do so - or what they should've done - isn't neccessarily negative, it's constructive criticism usually stemming from a worry that all the hard work the club has done over the years could come unstuck if we stagnate.
Lots of views and I agree with bits of all of them. However, there's one person who is escaping criticism - Mauricio Pochettino. I love what he's done for us and I dread to think who we might appoint to replace him, but his in game management leaves me mystified on occasion. Last night, was no exception. His decision to take Lucas off left me scratching my head. Sonny wasn't having his best night and HK looked knackered in the last quarter. Lucas' pace would have been a threat to their back line. Plus, the guy's like the Energiser Bunny in terms of pressing and closing down. However, off he came. I questioned it at the time and do so even more now He left Christian Eriksen on the pitch for the full 90 minutes, after having not played for a month. Tired players make mistakes and Eriksen did just that. On the bench was Moussa Sissoko. His main worth is in closing out games. Last night was made for him to come on at about 70-75 minutes. He never got on the pitch. There's also the question of what Mitch Vorm had done to displace Paolo Gazzanigga on the bench? Right now, it's a given that Vorm inspires zero confidence in defending high balls into the box. That we conceded from that high ball into the area didn't come as too much of a surprise to me. Given that we HAD to come away with a win and had chucked away the game in Milan, there's some poor decisions going on here. I could understand when we were filling the bench with full backs and a 17 year old but last night that wasn't the case. In the past, I've banged on about us being unable to convert winning positions to wins in big games. This season has given 2 further examples already and we've hardly played anyone yet. We need to address this tactical naivety or be condemned to repeat it again and again.
So the morning after, and what is nothing more than the case of poor game management in CL away games in succession (purely ON-PITCH matters) has turned into rants about summer spending, the ambitions of ENIC etc.
Yes...lack of options means churning out the blood sweat and tears of the usual suspects who don't seem to have it in them to get over that line. To think transfers and options on a pitch are not related is absurd. Every game has XI starters...so don't you think this squad lacks the minerals when it's faced with certain challenges? How does that change? A few additions I'd say is a good start. If Poch says they tried there hardest but couldn't get who they wanted then fair enough but I doubt it...mixed messages from those at the top. The smaller picture which was on the pitch and repeatedly making the same errors can be tackled with the bigger picture. We need to stop fawning over the group that was challenging Lesta. Look at us driving Dembele to the ground because it's Dembele...a football club at the top end of the English tree is struggling to find anyone who can play a similar role...I'm shocked. Bri is right about Poch too....keeps on making rookie errors but I think his Daddy issues with the squad is blinding him a bit.
This is not what I said. 2+2 does not equal 5. Seri - confirmation bias. Maybe he would have been a good signing for us and maybe all the others, but then again maybe not. He chose a relegation threatened side to help push them up to the next level ( the point of any team buying players ) but he hasn't, they are still struggling. If we are to buy we need players able to take us to the next level. Seri hasn't moved Fulham to the next level-yet.Point is , those teams I mentioned spent loads and it hasn't helped them. Even if on general, just one in three signings turns out a success, it's still a successful model. You can say the same about promoting from within the academy. Maybe had Amos not torn his ACL,...... Of course I want my club to succeed but the only ''constructive criticism'' people are suggesting is 'SPEND'. I am saying this is a match thread- criticize how we played or how the manager failed yesterday. (Or the Ref.)
Who are your suggestions ?? The players that at the minimum are as technically capable as those in the squad you wish to retain/replace, but also have the "minerals" . "We need to stop fawning over the group that was challenging Lesta." Why would anyone fawn over them ?? If anything I would be "fawning over the group" that played the season after.
Mourinho drops Pogba, Martial...they start playing for their place by upping their game ala Martial v Chelsea Pep drops Aguero...he finishes leading goal scorer Fergie would drop a whole host of stars and even sell them..the United team kept on producing It's results on the pitch that matter...Poch spends most of his time breastfeeding the class of 15/16 and that's why they act like they are extremely comfortable in this position...cruising whilst we are 2-1 up and probably one of the most wasteful attacking group of players when shots on goal and conversions are brought into the equation.
It's the same group and we get a bit touchy when someone suggests there might be improvements to be made. Who do I suggest? Do you think that's the question the scouts ask each other? I won't churn a name out but I think I'd be totally shocked if there are not players out there. Problem is though...we don't have the ambition and we won't take the risk. Levy doesn't have ambition on the pitch..he wants a player that will cost peanuts and guarantee him a windfall. If that's the criteria then I can't suggest anyone
Who said we don't have the ambition? Have you: 1) spoken with DL? Or 2) read his book? Or 3)listened to the hacks?
It has the desired affect on upping the individuals game. Look, there's many ways but I think putting players on a pedestal and making them feel untouchable is at the bottom of the list.
It's like me saying, how do you know we have? and how do you or anyone else reach a conclusion unless you have spoken to DL. I'd say Levy has got great ambitions for building the club from a business POV but from a building a team on the pitch I think he plays the number game. That's based on what manifests itself in and around our club. If we get lucky and a player is good..great...if not..he takes the piss with his asking price...no one buys so he then puts it on the manager to make the most of it. That's how I know...Liverpool showed ambition on the pitch...how do I know? Backed the manager to improve the team and hit the positions that were important..but then I keep on forgetting our first team is beyond improvement.
One of the reasons for our success since the arrival of Poch is the togetherness of the squad. Poch and his staff certainly know more about the suitability of any incoming player in both football ability and compatibility with the current players than any of us do. If he considered that there was nobody willing to join us us that fulfilled all his requirements, then I will respect that decision. I am disappointed , of course, when we don’t play well, but I don’t look to scapegoat Levy, Poch or the stadium for the performance. Our team is good, eight of them played in the last two matches of the World Cup. Can it be improved ? Certainly, but not as easily as it could be improved five years ago. Big names don’t always mean improvement ( see Sanchez at United). Whoever comes in must conform to the team ethic. That is what has made us successful
What bias is there in pointing out that Seri has statistically been better than our CMs? I haven't made the numbers up. His goal helped them to a 4-2 victory over Burnley and one of his assists helped them get a point at Brighton. Feel free to list what our CMs have done this season. I'm a strong advocate of promoting from within the academy but it'd be foolish to expect the academy to be the sole source of success/ potential success. It also takes years to nurture a talent, even our best - Harry - was around the first team picture for a few years before becoming the beast he is today. This is why you need to delicately mix bringing through youth and spending what's neccessary to bring in the right amount of talent. If we were to list our top five players (in my opinion: Harry, Eriksen, Dele, Jan and Toby), only one came through the academy, surely that shows you that spending IS a viable and key option for success? If you have other suggestions then by all means feel free to share them and it can be debated on, rather than just calling people negative for suggesting so. People have criticised how we played, along with the manager, and part of that criticism has stemmed towards fatigue, lack of ideas and the lack of desirable options to use which then reverts back to why people wanted strengthening in the summer/ want strengthening in the winter.
Proof of lack of ambition to go for the big prizes was evident in the summer when we failed to sign anyone at all. Other than Kane and probably centre backs, we can find improvements in every other area.
