Our squad...

Okay so it's more than safe to assume that as feared there will no new additions to the squad as our business was done in January. I (like the rest of you) am therefore at odds to understand why Kinnear was brought in if we never intended to do business.

Anyway, moving on from the transfer window I want to discuss our squad. It's widely accepted that in order to have sufficient depth you need two players for each position, currently we have:

GK:Krul, Elliott
RB: Debuchy
CB:Colo, Mbiwa, Taylor, Williamson/Good
LB:Santon, Dummett, Haidara
RM:Ben Arfa, Obertan
CM:Sissoko, Cabaye, Anita, Tiote, Gosling, Bigi
LM:Jonas, Gouffran, Sammy
AM:Marveaux
CF:Cisse, Remy, Shola, Campbell

Now I don't think I've missed anyone obvious (please feel free to correct me if I have). So I've listed 28 players there with 6 of them not being of the required standard (the players in bold). I know some of you may think I'm being harsh on Campbell due to his age but the fact Carlisle sent him back early speaks volumes for me, he's simply not ready.

I personally am happy with Elliott as a back up keeper, if you look at West Brom, West Ham, Southampton, Villa, Swansea, Sunderland etc they're all teams likely to be in and around us and he's no worse than any of their reserve keepers.

It's clear we're short at right back as although given time I think Debuchy will come good we just don't have any back ups. Although we do have Santon and I'd be more than happy for him to play there in Debuchy's absence with Dummett/Haidara filling in at left back. So in short I'm happy that we're covered in goal and in the full back area.

On to the midfield, in CM we're more than covered with four decent players and Bigi as the main reserve. I've listed Marveaux as an attacking midfielder (number 10) as for me he's just not effective as a winger. In the wide areas we're a bit short, obviously Ben Arfa is very good and happy for Sammy to be an option from the bench. I also think this should be Gouffran's niche if we'd managed to get a wide player today. He should be used as a sub to stretch teams when they're tiring. Jonas should be used against the bigger teams and Obertan just isn't good enough. We are one wide player from having good options on either wing for me but we are short.

Upfront we are short, again one striker would have made the world of difference. However as it stands we have Cisse and Remy fit, there are 17 games to the January window so provided these two don't suffer any bad injuries we should be ok. I may well get shot down for this but I do believe we'll do business in January. Under Ashley we've always done business in the winter window.

I know this is dragging on a bit now and I've pretty much written what most people already know about our squad but my point is that as it stands today we have a top ten squad barring injuries to our front line. We are very well stocked in midfield, we have options wide but are maybe a touch short in quality on the left hand side. We have four good full backs, three of which are very young and will only improve. At centre half I'm comfortable with Williamson as fourth choice.

It simply depends on the front line staying fit...for me there is still reason to be positive. On one final note we've also played the fewest long balls in the league this season so Pardew is learning. I've turned SSN off for the night now as nothing is going to happen. We are a Gouffran two yard sitter away from having a very good start to the season so I'm going to focus on the positives and look forward to the Villa game

 

Joke in Ear is an inept has been who is there as Ash mans drinking partner Should be sacked under trades description done sweet f@ck all apart from having his photo taken with Remy and he had nowt to do with that deal.

 

Thank you sir.

Balance in the face of overwhelming disappointment ia difficult to acheive.

And it ia true that, chatting starting 11s with a Mackem mate, you realise life couldbe worse

 

Fair assessment, don't think anyone missed off the squad.

One question and I don't know the answer.

Can the likes of Campbell still go out on loan after today to Football League clubs, as I thought the loan period normally went on for a couple of weeks, even if only for emergency cover.
If so, there could still be potential for the squad to be smaller again.

 

I'm really disappointed. We are literally 2 or 3 players away from being in a decent position squad wise. Instead we are relying on first teamers staying fit. Such a massive gamble.

 

Agree that it's very disappointing. Even more so that Shane Long seems to be available for a decent price. I do think all talk of relegation is over the top though.

We are no different to plenty of other teams, a good 13-14 players and after that we are short. It'll be whoever has the least injuries/suspensions that finds themselves at the top of the chasing pack.

 

You have one major flaw in your prediction in bold.
Alan Pardew is your manager.

 

Gouffran's predominantly a striker, in my opinion, which leaves us with three - Remy, Cisse, Gouffran. And that's a good selection compared to most of the league.

The priority should always have been creativity and wingers - plural, not singular. Ben Arfa's our only real wide option. I think Marveaux's extremely talented, FWIW - and he can play there if the system's right - but he should start centrally.

 

To not be interested in Long or Rhodes with the reported fees is mind boggling. David Craig hinting we have agreed a loan fee with Chelski for Ba but not interested. So probably bollocks.

 

5m is the quoted fee for Long...ridiculously cheap given the current market prices.

 

Should have definitely gone in for him at that price.

 

Was doing this earlier. I don't know what to think. Seething on the one hand for the sheer bare-faced bollox that is Joe Kinnear, but on the other we have quite a decent squad. We also have to consider that, as a club with no real loftier ambition than staying in the league, we will use utility players. Jonas, Anita, MYM can do jobs at full back. Gouff can play left or up front, Benny can play right or in the hole. Anita can also play wide right, Santon wide left, and so on. It's a pretty solid mix. We also have Remie Streete and James Tavernier.

When the dust settles we have what the owner wants us to have. An average squad which can pull enough results to stay safe, a cheap manager with just enough about him to keep us up and a mate who can dish out bollickings when they're needed.

The problem is it's the internet age, and there's not a Toon fan would run the club in this way. It galls that smaller clubs have 'strengthened', while we sit still. But this is life under Ashley.

 

I really think we need one attacking option be that a striker or winger. But apart from that we are not doing too bad. And your right we seem to be moving the ball better although the final ball is not happening at the mo.

Also I cant help wincing every time the opposition breaks as we look a bit exposed at the back. Thats just needing to be better organised rather than the quality of our defensive players. In fact colo and yanga look good.

 

I'm usually quite calm about all this **** and to be honest I still am. However there is a real sense of what could have been tonight. I feel sorry for Pards, he is going to get bombarded at press conferences again. He has applied as much media pressure as he can, and its made no difference. I suppose he just has to do a Moyes at Everton and press on.

Difference is though Moyes didn't have a hand up his arse saying "tell them we're in a decent financial position with money to spend and we're trying". Moyes was allowed to just front up and say "I've got nowt to spend"

 

I think our squad is short of quality in a few areas. I don't rate Elliott, Debuchy or Marveaux as being Premiership standard. I suppose that as close to a successful transfer window we're going to get is if HBA, Krul or Cabaye remain with us.

 

My big fear is we are two injuries away from Shola...........................

 

Don't feel sorry for him mate; he is a puppet and a 'yes' man.

 

Nah just doing the right thing. It would be a lot worse to throw the toys out a la KK and leave us with Joe..............

 

Championship bound with a manager
In pardew this will be certain

 

What are you talking about? We have like no injuries and he's getting regular games NOW!