The time to cast an opinion on our transfer dealings this window is when the window is closed and not until. Admittedly we were shocking yesterday, worse than shocking, we just didn't turn up. Is that down to the new players? not in my opinion cos everyone of them was missing yesterday. The system didn't work, there was no desire, no commitment, no guile, nothing. Leicester came out of the blocks wanting the points more than we did, i got the impression that the players thought they just had to turn up to claim the points. How wrong they were. We still need players in, a striker and a creative CM for starters, but now is not the time after just one game to be spreading doom and gloom.
This is my point mate. Our team resembled the shambles of the last two seasons because largely it wa the same ****e playing. I expected to see far better team but only Kaboul and Lens where additional to the rubbish we witnessed previously. Incredibly, one of the best players from last season was dropped in JOS. Dick wanted 5 or 6 players in the TEAM who were quality. We have one. I'm not making my commentary on one game I'm making it on the back of the 38 previously as well. We are not improved at all as things stand and relegation fodder already. I think Dick came back under the proviso that huge investment would be made. He looked shell shocked after the game yesterday and at his age, there is no way he will see out a full season of constant stress and struggle. Why should he? If the investment doesn't come I'd be the first one advising him to chuck it in too.
For me I'd rather have the general in charge then mon, Bruce or Gus.. This is a good challenge for him. He knows what he's doing and I can't see him walking away.. Until sept 1 we don't know what our 'full squad will be' disappointing result and all of their goals were the weakest you'll see in this league.. Plenty of work to be done on and off the pitch
No one is questioning the manager matey. I've said he is the best manager we've had for decades but he isn't going to be spending his last year in football struggling on week in week out with this **** squad. Even he can't make a silk purse from this pigs ear of a squad and why should he? What was the point of begging him to come back just to piss him off by not backing him in the transfer market? I don't rate Congleton and think he's just a puppet of Short. Dick has supplied a list which I am convinced didn't include second rate players like Mathews, Kaboul or Coates as the top targets. Apart from Lens, I don't think Congleton and Short have fulfilled one other of Dicks targets yet. The clock is ticking on the other 5 he said he'd supplied at the end of the last campaign. If he doesn't deliver them I can see a breakdown in relations between manager and hierarchy very quickly.
I'm confident that dealings are going on behind the scenes and we'll see at least another couple come in. Undeniably we were utter ****e yesterday but give it a chance man, it was the first game. M'villa is still to play and Lens is still getting to grips, maybe another couple of quality players in and we can then judge. I'm gutted after yesterday, but i'm not going to start condemning the team just yet. Give Dick a chance to turn it round, that's what he's paid for after all.
I'm not disagreeing mate you make some good points, I suppose until the transfer is officially over then I can thoroughly digest our squad.. Would you've taken Austin? Sow? Van dike? Was Kaboul brought because we couldn't get lombaets? Did we buy Matthews cause we were gonna spend big on a striker? So many ifs and buts mate, like I said I'll have a clearer view on the DOF plan come sep 1..
I'm sorry mate but this had been coming for a year not s few weeks. That team was barely good enough last season and scraped through by a bollock skin. We havent significantly improved IMO and indeed looked worse. Dick is a top manager but he can't make a decent team from this squad, including 3 of the 5 signings thus far. I'd hoped that after begging him to stay they would have invested £35m+ in 4 or 5 team changing players but with only 22 days remaining, I can't see them coming now. We might get in another one or two but we've pissed about again in the transfer market all summer and have missed the boat again. I'll be delighted go be proved wrong but just as with the transfer windows in recent years I'm not holding my breath. Yet another season of false promises and false dawns beckons.
Trouble is getting your 'old' players to give 100% whilst some of them know the club is looking for upgrades. It was a bad time to introduce a new CB pairing if you ask me, these things take time. It's all good DA saying he hasn't got the squad he wants but he's not immune from critique, he got it horribly wrong yesterday.
I'm not privy to that fabled list Dick gave Short but Aussie, I think we can both assume Kaboul and Mathews wasn't in it. They are not game changers. Coates? Back up only. M'Vila? Gamble. Lens? Definitely on the list and a good signing. We've sold Wickham without a replacement or else he'd be here like most clubs do. Make sure the replacement is in place before selling. My take is we've sold Wickham and are now deciding how much to spend, scouring the market for another cheapie. Austin, Sow? They cost money so no, I don't think we will be interested. Rhodes? I like him but again we will need £10m and that's a no. I expect to see a couple of loans and one more £4 or 5m signing snd that's it. Good enough? Not even close.
"The system didn't work, there was no desire, no commitment, no guile, nothing. Leicester came out of the blocks wanting the points more than we did" This Is what annoyed me, these are things that could and should have been worked in pre-season regardless of signings. I don't for a moment think that a pre-season is a magical time when bad players come good, but it is exactly the time to develop a team work ethic, out line the minimum requirements to be part of the squad and make sure the playing staff are ready for competition. As for this judge on Sept 1 line being trotted out, competition started yesterday not on September 1st Leicester (no disrespect to them) a club with a weaker infrastructure than ours knew this and were ready. How can we accept giving our squad the first month of games off purley because the window is still open
Hard to say M'Villa is a gamble mate, if you imply that for him then you may aswell imply that for every SAFC player ever signed.. I think Nads has watched a fair bit of him and a couple other fellas and they rate him.. Looks fat as a pig at the moment but he'll come good! Wickham was a strange one based on you'd think we would've signed a striker before Leicester.. The last time we spent decent money on gyan and bent we reaped the rewards, is it because of fletcher, Johnson and at the moment rodwell being flops that ES isn't keen to splash? For me their is no reason not to splash out on Atleast two or three signings. We have a manager with a decent record club/international.. Maybe we'll get three or four quality signings before the window closes cause yeah we need it mate..
NEWS FLASH The season has already started. A ****ing good chances in the first few games to put points on the table. Yet again. Not ready.
I'm thinking more about his temperament and how many games he's actually played over the last few seasons. Lens wasn't a gamble he's a good player. Coates, Mathews and Kaboul just not good enough.
Spot on mate. Our main targets should be in place and maybe one more required before Sept 1st. We have one in and are now desperately struggling to fulfill the rest. It's not going to happen. I'm waiting for the excuses in 3 weeks time and the promise of better in January. It's so predictable I could weep.
Well mate I reckon the little general will be the perfect fit for him, He's a no nonsense manager and the players want to play for him. I think he'll be perfect for M'Villa
I'd have said we should be looking to bring 2 more in at this time due to the nature of the market but we certainly should have been more prepared for the start of the season. All the talk has been of getting a good start, building a strong squad and not struggling. The club hasn't delivered and the dreams of staying between 11th and 15th all season has disappeared into the ether
