So it’s all done and dusted, as usual impossible to say how the new signings will do, but **** that nail your colours to the mast now. Bit of a weird window for me as I wasn’t as down on the majority of the squad as others were, especially at Champ level. The question was do we move on players that we know can do a decent/good job at Champ level but probably won’t make the grade at PL level? Or stick with what we’ve got in the main and just add some replacement players for the likes of Fernandes and Dibling who were always leaving and worry about PL if we go straight back up? On paper we’ve lost the players we expected to lose (except for maybe THB, but he was always the least likely of the ones who did leave). We’ve also managed to move on a few players the majority wanted to leave, albeit some of them on loan. I’ve been constant in my thinking that, even without Dibling, Ramsdale and Fernandes, the squad we had when the window opened was good enough for a top 6 finish, possibly top 2 as long as we got the right manager. Now we’ve added 9 new players (and lost about the same) I think we are probably weaker than we were last season, which is obviously expected after relegation. Right now my feeling is that this is still a top 6 squad, but with the right manager we have a good chance of top 2, possibly slightly better chance than we had at the start of the window. I’ll give it a 7.5/10 as an immediate rating, not higher due to not loaning in a few more which I think is huge at this level. Especially first season back where we have such a big financial advantage.
Yeah I'm giving it a similar score. Now I'm not looking to piss on anyone's chips, I'm genuinely pleased people are excited but I just don't recognise the majority of the names and remain to be convinced on the first two (Downs and Quarshie) so worry the others will be as poor. I'm praying I'm wrong and that these guys will be the ****ing tits. Exciting though, I'll give them that.
I put this on the original thread only for a new one to be started. On paper it looks as if we have brought in several players who are genuine first team contenders, as against squad fillers. With the exception of the goalkeeper, you could make a case for all the others either starting or being on a very strong bench, which is a great result and credit to SR, for hiring Spors and credit to Spors for getting players who play in the positions that Will Still wanted. No hiding place for Still, now, although getting the team firing on all cylinders starting with the Pompey game is a huge challenge. Has Stephens previously played in this derby, or will they all be South Coast derby virgins? McCarthy played in the 0-4 cup game so it will be up to him and Jack to get the message across to the team and manager just how important it is to give everything to win this. Instant legend status is there to be grasped.
Stephens was on the bench at Fratton Park, but he was around last time we played them in the league as well. Knows exactly what its all about you'd expect. Onus is very much on him to get the message across; exactly the sort of player you want in a Derby.
The only real negative for me is the lack of competition in the goalkeeping department. Being greedy, I'd have liked another no1 option there, to be honest. Competition for Bazunu; I don't feel he has that where we do elsewhere in the squad.
9.5. Only reason it's not a 10 is that I would have liked another DM. But I think Leo will become a fans favourite very quickly. But the balance of the squad is now a lot better and we have got options in every position.
Very hard to call, as don't know a lot about the new signings. I will give it 6.5, think we let both Fernandes and Dibling leave a little cheap. Hopefully I will look back at this in a couple of months and say, by christ the window was 9. The couple of signings we have made and played, look no better than what we had, I know they have not played much. In 2014 after the mass exodus, I bet we all gave the window a really low score and said Sadio who?, Dusan. Who?, Graziano who? We actually went up a gear. Hopefully this happens again, but it could be another 2022, where we spunk a load of cash on dross.
Hope they don't have any players with a ponytail. I am jesting, as Stephens has the character for a game like this
Well, I am going for an 8, as much for getting rid of the vast amount of **** that we have cleared out, as the acquisitions. I think it might actually be a 7.5 because I wanted a new GK and the striker position is a bit of a question mark But mainly it's nice to have a squad that is the right size (!!!) and has the right profiles for the way the manager wants to play. My feeling after the Watford game was that we were a playoff team, but that was without Jelert, Jander, Fellows and Scienza involved and Azaz had only just started learning people's names. Flynn was messing around with his chicken again and missed out also. So let's see... I am just glad to see it freshened up though, as that group last season had built a lot of ill feeling and made us all feel unenthused towards our football club. It was important to freshen it up on the pitch and likewise, to freshen up the dressing room. We've definitely done that, so credit to Johannes and Rasmus (!) Over to you, Will...
For me, this is a big question mark. Going on hype in Germany, we have signed some gems. Caspar, I think, has the potential to be another Fernandes for us. Azaz and Fellowes are undeniably two of the Championship’s top talents. Leo is a wildcard. To be honest, after the rigidity of our play over the last two years, all I want is wildcards and excitement. I also want us to compete physically over 90 minutes, so these signings all seem like positive steps. 8/10 for me. But is just me being cautious.
I pretty much agree with all of this, including the overall score. I'm hoping one or both of Edozie and Aribo may still leave so I'll go on the generous side and give the outgoing transfers a 9. I'm impressed they've managed to move so many players on and pleased how much money they got for some of the players we needed to get rid of. For a 10 they'd have needed to get slightly more money for Dibling and Fernandes and to sell a couple more of the players we don't want. Incomings would be more like a 7, or maybe slightly lower. I like the move towards bringing in more physical players and guys who've performed in this division before and there's a good mix of ages that have come in. While it's hard to say for sure with so many of them coming in late, the squad looks more balanced on paper and hopefully a dressing room with plenty of new faces will dispel some of the bad feeling from last season. Like you I'm not totally convinced by our strikers and, although he's done well so far, relying on Bazunu in goal still feels like a risk.
7.5 for me. Im ok with the goalkeeper situation, they did enough last time out and Ramsdale is ready to return should we make it back. The Danish right backs have huge boots to fill in KWP, but will be an improvement on Sugawara. Losing Bednarek is another loss when comparing our previous championship side, he may not be quick, but he was great against physical strikers and I worry Stephens and THB can be bullied, but we have options here to find a good combo amongst them. The money and the sell ons for Dibling and Fernandes were decent and I’m pleased it’s been reinvested, Jander looks promising and typical SR signing, but Azaz & Fellows are great ages and strong prior performances for this division and are almost no brainers Scienza looks an exciting talent and I’m hoping him and our Robinson will be able to provide that little X factor that we’ve lost from Dibling. The striker situation is not ideal, but I have faith in Archer being able to score regularly in this division and we should have the tools to get the ball to him. I think we could have made better use of the loan market, but maybe that’s something to explore in January.
I've actually been impressed, We've cleared ALOT of deadwood out.., More than i actually thought we would get shot of.. So for that alone it's a 7, Sadly we couldnt keep one of Dibling or Fernandes but i feel that we are a more balanced team now. The signings of Azaz and Fellows and also Scienza really excite me. So i give it a 9, It would have been 10 if they found that proper CF we need.
It's a 6 for me for a few reasons. And that's not to say that I'm not excited about the new signings. I always am even if I've never heard of them and never seen them play. I will also be supporting them and the team on the pitch. But... I think we look weak in a few key areas, and arguably weaker then last time we got promoted in 4th. On the outgoings: The fact that we've had to loan so many out, whether there is anything the club could do about that or not is disappointing. We were talking about a fee of around £5-8m for Smallbone and we are losing him for nothing. Maybe it was dumb of me, but I also thought we could keep hold of one of Fernandes, Dibling or Ramsdale. I also think we sold too cheap. Others can disagree and that's fine. I think last time we got promoted we made some real statement signings of potentially PL players that just needed a chance. Now it clearly turned out they couldn't step up enough, whereas our signings this time say to me that we are nothing more then a promotion candidate which will need a complete overhaul if they do get promoted. And maybe that's the only way to realistically do it now anyway but it's less exciting to me then having a team with lots of potential to grow with us. While Azaz and Fellows have been top performers in the Championship, I don't see either as having the attributes to be able to step up to the PL. And I've picked those two out because I've actually watched them play unlike Scienza, Jelert and Jander. Mads should be solid, and maybe even solid in the PL, but doesn't have the star quality that KWP had. Quarshie and Downs so far don't even look quite ready to make the step up to the Championship. I think we are going to be pretty reliant on THB, Downes and Armstrong stepping up to the mark again like they did last time in the Championship and I do worry that none of them have got it in them again here. Early signs are not great for a repeat of anything close to their promotion mentality and form. I just look down the spine of the team and think we are a bit weak if they don't step up. Baz isn't a strong GK and once again, he looks like a player that will cost us more points then he'll save. We don't have a stand out quality CB if THB doesn't step up again. Stephens is currently our best CB and he wasn't getting in the team except for a good shoehorning last time. The midfield should be a real strength but Downes has been way off so far and him and Charles don't appear to have worked out how to play together yet. And up front is just a big question mark and it seems that for some reason we are going to be pretty reliant on Stewart staying fit and remembering how to be a goal scorer. Che was miles better then any of our current strikers. Then you had PL quality like Brooks which we just don't have this time. Not dipping more into the loan market from PL clubs is a mistake and we are missing out on extra quality because of that. Don't really get why the club are so averse to it this time when that is the reason we got promoted last time. Ultimately, I do think we have the potential to be a promotion candidate, but look more like a top end playoff team to me. A lot is going to depend on Will Still actually being a good manager which is still an unknown, and our previous Championship standouts being able to shrug off last season and the fact that they once again have to try and get promoted, only this time they know just how **** that prize is going to be, bumper payday aside.
It's an 8 from me. Like most of us, I do still have some concerns about our GK and ST positions (and a little bit at CB), but then I console myself with remembering that Leeds romped the division last year with Meslier in goal, and I don't think he's any better than Baz. The striker situation is only a very, very slight concern too, as we now have the tools to provide the strikers with more than one chance a game (which has been what the issue *really* has been so far this season) and I'm confident that Archer can certainly feast on that, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Downs actually is now that we have players that can actually see the runs he's making. Excited by all the incomings, and particularly Scienza as I think he's going to be a bit bonkers, and it's always fun having a maverick in there.
Lallana is in the dressing room and he must have played in the three games of the Adkins era. He’ll get the message across.
I see your point on Smallbone as his contract is up next year. Maybe would have been better to just hang on to him. When used correctly he can contribute.
