We need to buy experienced players - Charlie Austin.

The only thing that might make Austin want to move now is if he thinks he could have a chance of getting in the England squad for the Euros and that mattered to him more than a bigger signing on fee in 6 months time. Would still be a struggle to convince him that we were the right club for him though, I agree. Then there is the wanting to stay in London aspect. I think we'll get a striker but it will be someone else tbh.

 

I must confess to not being very excited by Austin. For roughly the same money I'd rather have Carroll.

All in all January will be very telling for a number of reasons; does Steve now have a say? Does Ashley et al get it? Was the "three windows" comment for real? We'll see. I think the squad and first team are actually good, and we have progressed away from a poor mindset. I like Cathro, Black is highly regarded and we have some talent to call on. If we could just add a few goals we would be laughing, and a lot of us here thought mitro was a cracking buy. Not a lot we can do about his subsequent profligacy. Thauvin was one prospect too many, we should have gone for local experience ahead of him, but I don't feel we are going down and it won't take a lot to get us winning. Call me idiotic, but I think we'll win our next three or four.

 

Yes.... We always blame pardew.... Don't we...

 

I have to say I'm really struggling to understand why anyone thinks we can sign Charlie Austin.
He's stated time and time again he wants to stay in London and also see the season out with QPR.

Throw in the little matter of £10-15m being deposited in his bank account in the summer as a Free Agent, complimented by a contract in the region of £4m per year.
Unless he has a serious bump on the head, and loses his marbles he wont be coming up this way.

Is he actually fit in any case?

 

Depends if he has a minor hamstring injury or QPR just want him fit for sale in January. I think you'd find he would have a lot better options than ourselves sadly

 

Got to agree whole heartedly.................... Pardew is still to blame for everything!!

 

I'd objectively rather have Austin than Carroll, he's a more regular and tidier goalscorer, and importantly he's not injury-crocked.

However, I see no real incentive to Austin coming to us above a myriad of other clubs who desparately need a goalscorer as well, and are better placed and more financially willing to be competitive.

My second concern with Austin, is that I think he deserves better than us. It's sad, but I feel for players who come and sign for us. At one point, the established path as NUFC as a stop gap to a top club's bench was well trodden, but now it seems like a final resting place, because the players don't fit a cohesive ethos. There was no plan when we bought them, other than to hock them for greater value, so we have players utterly unsuited to playing with one another, at least playing in a way McLaren attempts to play. Buy low, sell high. Great in retail, but nobody ever had to make a pair of jeans score a brace on a weekend.

It's becoming more and more obvious Mitrovic isn't up to the standard required to play in the league. In pre-season he was missing the same chances he's missing now. If we had stumped up the same cash for Austin, how different the table might look. As it is, that horse has firmly bolted.

Looking at the squad, I can only truthfully see one position McLaren will be allowed to strengthen.

Goalkeeper is full, we have 2 left backs according to Ashley, we have Willo and Lascelles to cover CB, Anita + Colback + Tiote for CM, Sissoko and Thauvin for RM, Wij + Gouffran (??) + Aarons LM, Cisse + Perez + De Jong + Mitrovic as strikers.

RB is the only thing I can see anybody in power looking at and being concerned about, and we only need a back-up. However, Mbabu and Anita might be seen as cover options, so practically I don't see anybody coming in unless we move some on.

 

Lost last 3 games,S'land have caught up with us,I'd say in deep **** now.

 

London and £100,000 min per week,if anybody signs him it should be Arsenal for their final push for league title.

 

Conversely I'd take Carroll, because I know he'd want to be here, there would be no agenda.

I agree with your sentiment about the ethos of buying players, though Pardew has said as much two or three times so no mystery remains! There's always a chance we get lucky and players we bring in do work. It's my hope this window that the first team head coach has some say in what happens and we strengthen with the team in mind first, resale second. Time will tell, though history and logic are set firmly against this!

I think Cisse, Gouff, Willo, Oberon and Marv are already "gone", with replacements in mind. The question again is whether the club accelerates the plans and listens to the coach. I think a CF, LB and CM have every chance of appearing. But it's Ashley, so I won't hold my breath.

 

You never know,he just gave everyone a 15p per hour rise in SD!

 

Lewis Dunk
Rico Henry
Sam Byram
Jonjo Shelvey
Alan Judge/Alex Pritchard
Charlie Austin/Big Andy

To stay up.

 

According to Sun, Crystal Palace have bid £7.5m for Austin. More chance of England career with CP than with us. Coming to us is a no brainer.
Chelsea have supposedly offered us Remy on loan, snap their hands off please, he's better than what we have at present.

 

Of the three I'd say Remy is your best bet. I would say 100% Andy Carroll if he could stay fit, he won't though.

Austin could be a great option right now but he'll be looking at a possible relegation release clause, a deal breaker I'd say.

Shelvey being linked is a big one, I think he'd be fantastic for you lot. English and has a bit about him.

 

Sorry but mitrovic has proved **** all. Doing well for anderlecht means nothing, zilch, nada. He's only shown himself to be a thug thus far.

 

Are Swansea going to want to sell to us though? considering where we both are in the table. Totally agree on Remy. If he joins us until the end of the season and stays fit I reckon he will hit at least 10 goals which could be the difference in staying up or going down.

 

Mitrovic is still just 21... True story.

 

This.

Charlie Austin has a young family and wants to stay in the London area.

I'd prefer Carroll anyway

 

Would you sell Norwich Cisse if you were gonna replace Cisse with Remy permanently?

It depends if they replace Shelvey with somebody more valuable to them.

Players have all the power, although I reckon Stoke and West Ham will both want Shelvey too... That's where the waiting game starts, who blinks first... You maybe can't afford to play that game.

 

Its all a load of bollocks along with the British player crap i hear people say..

We need good players simple as that