Midfielders

• Barton
• Tiote
• Ben Arfa
• Jonas
• Cabaye
• Marveaux
• Guthrie
• Gosling
• Ryan Taylor
• Routledge
• Alan Smith
• LuaLua
• Vuckic
• Ferguson

That might seem like a lot, but we need 5 midfielders (including the CAM). There are 5 midfielders who are of the quality and class we need on a regular basis to push up the table:

• Barton
• Tiote
• Ben Arfa
• Cabaye (if he adapts to the league)
• Marveaux (if he adapts to the league)

That's all five midfield slots filled. If one of those players is injured, it isn't so bad, because we have quality back-ups which we didn't have as back-ups last year:

• Jonas
• Gosling
• Ferguson

However, if more than one midfield player is injured/suspended, say 2 or 3 or even 4, then the original quality of our strong midfield starts to diminish rapidly. We would have to start putting players into the starting 11 who are absolutely no improvement over last season and even our Championship season. In fact, just look at the list if you take out some of the dross players.

• Barton
• Tiote
• Ben Arfa
• Jonas
• Cabaye
• Marveaux
• Gosling
• Guthrie (at times)
• Ferguson

Considering that we'll have a 5 man midfield, that's only four decent quality back-ups. We don't even have one quality back-up player for each position if injuries, suspensions and the African cup start taking their toll on our squad.

And then, we have the stories coming in. Barton might be off, Guthrie might be off and so on, and that would make our midfield squad even more fragile. Just look at the decent quality midfield players we would have if that happened:

• Tiote
• Ben Arfa
• Jonas
• Cabaye
• Marveaux
• Gosling
• Ferguson

We would have to put Jonas/Ferguson in the starting 11 and be left with TWO decent back-up midfielders for our starting midfield. That's perilously fragile.

So don't tell me that we have more than enough midfielders, because if we want to up our game and start regularly rotating good quality players, we haven't got anywhere near enough.

 

wholeheartedly agree.

Although Smith, Lua Lua and Routledge are all but gone I reckon

 

Gosling is still untested as well. We've not seen enough of him to consider if he's starting 11 quality.

A few more additions in there and all will be well for a solid campaign next season.

We do need more strikers though unless the midfield are supposed to be our highest scorers

 

Ba, Shola, Best, Lovenkrands, Ranger competing for 1 place next season

Would love that to be

Ba, Best, Erdinc, Sturridge ---------- total fantasy but what a fantasy that is

 

What? Vuckic dross hardly seems fair with him hardly playing

 

Plus I don't see having to play Jonas (or indeed Fergie) as a drawback in any way, and there's nothing stopping us from sometimes playing two up top. I expect a right winger to come in, especially if Barton does go, so our midfield is certainly better stocked than our back four, which consists of 5 possible first teamers plus Perch, Kadar and Ryan Taylor at an absolute push.

Edit: my phone auto corrected Kadar as karate. Amazing.

 

Would be nice to see Moussa Sissoko come to the club, if we can beat Liverpool and Inter to sign him. (should sky sports reports be correct anyway)

 

We're definitely short at the back with any injuries whatsoever. Seems to have gone unnoticed by most and haven't heard of any defenders linked (Except Naylor but Enrique will go)

 

Whilst I sort of agree with you I would say that midfield is our strongest position on the pitch. We need to concentrate on strikers and defenders now.

 

If Pardew is to be believed we have a DL lined up for when Enrique leaves. Would like another DC though as well as Saylor, Colo, Willo and the unproven Kadar

 

I would like another left back, right back and centre back (not going to happen though)

 

Midfield is probably our strongest area - despite your concerns. Whilst we have decent cover for the midfield in Jonas, Guthrie & young Ferguson. We dont have any cover in attack or either fullback position.

Considering you register 25 men for the season, and 3 must be keepers.

3 GK's (Harper, Krul, Forster)
7 Defenders (STaylor, Coloccini, Simpson, Enrique, Kadar, Willo, Perch )
9 Midfielders (Barton, Jonas, Guthrie, Gosling, Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Tiote, Marveux, Raylor)
5 Strikers (Ba, Erdinc, Shola, Best, Lovens)

= 24.

(under 21's dont have to be registered, hence why I didnt register Ferguson.)

 

CM : Cabaye, Barton, Guthrie, Gosling.
AM : Vuckic, Ben Arfa, Guti.
DM: Tiote & Gosling.
LM : Guti & Marveux, Ben Arfa.
RM : Raylor, Barton, Guti.

I think that's strong enough. With the signing of Barnetta we will be even stronger in the RM department, plus he can play in the centre if needed(very good versatile player).

 

Is that Barnetta deal still being mooted?

I've not heard much else since it was first rumoured.

 

We need strikers first of all, I'm really worried about the striker issue. Another Ba please!

 

A striker without glass knees would be nicer!

 

There is literally no way on earth Barton will be playing for us next season. You can't publicly slag off your boss in any wlk of life and expect to get away with it. Barton, or rather his publicist, knows exactly what he's doing, he'll come out of this blame free with Ashley looking like the bad guy. If he had any intention of staying, none of this Twitter business would have taken place.

 

1) the transfer market is far from closed, in fact its still not fully open!
2) As you've stated there will be more incomings and outgoings in midfield
3) We are also looking at 2 more strikers and we'll probably start the season with Ba, Shola, Lover and 2 others, if we got a large amount of injuries and suspensions in midfield we could just play 4-4-2

Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride, there's plenty more where Cabaye and Marveaux came from, quite literally. More Frenchies on the books before season starts!

 

this article is dumb

we have loads of good mifielders and we dont HAVE to play 5 in midfield every game, even with some injuries we should be fine.

should be focusing on a striker

 

And you're a moron.

This thread goes out to the people who keep harping on saying "I don't want anymore midfielders". Well more midfielders will be integral to some quality squad depth, so I think it's stupid to just shut the gates on signing anymore midfielders because people believe that we have 'enough' - whatever that means. If some midfielders leave this summer, it only takes a few injuries in key areas before we have almost the same midfield quality as last year. I thought next season we were aiming for a leap up the table?

Sure we should sign some strikers and defenders, but we should still keep our eyes open for good value quality midfielders who can be rotated. Doing this doesn't take anything away from signing players in different positions. I think the club is capable of working (or 'focusing') on more than one deal at a time. Just because the press is spewing out stories about midfielders we're linked to, it doesn't mean that we're ignoring potential strikers or defenders.

Plus, as some people have already said, there are many, many weeks left, and quality strikers will always take time due to added competition for their signature. Especially if we're going for some rising European talent.

And whoever left me this neg rep:

Don't be a pussy and at least have the balls to say your opinion in public instead of hiding behind an anonymous rep comment