Transfer goss and rumours, Summer 2016.

But the down side is that if we do not sell him to Villa they will likely go out and buy a better player, so we have, in effect, cut off our nose to spite our face. If they are willing to pay our asking price it is a no brainer as far as I can see.

 

If he isn't going to feature regularly here, better to get him off the squad list & wage bill, regardless of who is pursuing him. As highlighted above, AN spent way too much time analysing the oppo last season - and annoyingly, tweaking our starting eleven virtually every week based on his findings. And as a result, we never once had a fully settled eleven at any time between August and May!
Well sorry, but that is crap and mustn't be allowed to continue, we need stability certainly in the back four, and ideally other central areas of the pitch too.
As things stand, O'Neil, Tettey and Mulumbu (and Howson if required) can all do what Dorrans does - often far better, so we should listen to any sensible offers.

 

I see both Villa and Newcastle are looking at bringing in Patrick Bamford. Sure as hell isn't through watching him play for NCFC last season - he got what 80 minutes in his whole time here?
Good luck to the guy, he scores goals yet spent 80% of last season sat on the bench, either at Palace or Norwich. Waste of a season.

 

Four centre backs NCFC should consider, according to Vital Norwich.
Bit odd that he (the writer) deems us a much better prospect for next season than either Brighton or Sheff Weds, who both had top 6 and play-off finishes?
http://www.norwich.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=448934

 

The bookies have us up as one of the favourites so the writer is not alone. I think to an extent he's right too. In theory with parachut payments the relegated clubs have a precarious position between the appeal of the PL and the Championship. We should have/do have more money and can in theory pay greater wages than the rest of the championship. So between us and Newcastle, I think most would think that we can potentially offer a greater chance of promotion and further improved wages. Wednesday and Brighton have had one good season (13th and 20th resepectively in 14/15) and missed out, will a player risk staying to see if they will challenge again if bigger wages and better prospects are on offer? We have of course been in the PL 4/5 of the last few seasons and newcastle 5/5. Brighton and Wednesday 0/5!

Bah!

 

There's absolutely nothing I can say in reply to that, general

 

Bamford still looks a very good prospect. He has performed well in the Champ before and is young enough and in my opinion good enough that we need not write off his chances of excelling in the Pl in the future. i think all three relegated sides and Derby (Where is all their money coming from, cough.... FFP!) should all be looking at him. I would rather buy him than McCormack, though both would be nice!

Bah!

 

You could have highlighted that Brighton are a club on the up, well run, well financed and that the season they finished 20th was a meer blip as they had finished in the playoffs the two preceeding seasons! Now on a run of 4th, 6th, 20th and 3rd. They are knocking on the door. I have no idea how their wages compare though! or whether they can build on last seasons near miss. They still don't look as good a bet, but they are not a club that is a prospectless basket case like Feeds or the Suffolkbunch!

Bah!

 

If we'd spent a bit less time this season worrying about our rivals and spent a bit more time putting our own house in order, then Aston Villa may not have been our rival next season.

Lets build the best team we can, play to our strengths and let everyone else worry about us for a change.

 

Steven Caulker wouldn't come to us, and too much money on wages.

Stefano Denswil I really can't see dropping to us, it would be mad! He'll go to a club fighting for Europe!

Lewis Dunk And Tom Lees I think would be very smart signings for us. The right age, great in the Championship, often scouted by Premiership teams, could make the step up.

 

From twitter/reddit, apparently we're in talks with Conor Coady of Wolves. 23, defensive midfielder, played 37 games for them last season. Wolves paid £2m for him last summer, so wouldn't come cheap.

 

I told you all we would put Redmond money towards another Defensive Midfielder.

FFS

I don't really want him, he's decent but we have tons of negative CM's and he's a bit of a hot head. Plenty of bookings.

 

ANOTHER defensive midfielder? Must have enough to make a full first team now!

 

Dorrans is going, Tetty will also go, Mulumbu? I would guess that we WILL need a new DM for the new season. Tetty said weeks ago that he was not prepared to spend another season in the Championship, but that depends on another team in a higher position being prepared to buy him.

 

I've heard this a few times and I keep wondering what sort of response AN would have received had he sent out the same team each week regardless of our opposition and their set up / tactics. He was a tinkerer no doubt but if he'd blindly sent out his "best" team without consideration for the likely strengths or tactics of the other team I dare say we would have had equal number of comments calling for his head as a naive manager with no clue how to combat the opposition.

I liked the idea of the defensive W formation used for example and there was method in the madness of some selections but ultimately it didn't work so perhaps we'll see a more settled side next season as we aim to impose our strengths on the opposition rather than concentrate on how to limit the oppositions' strengths.

 

Well said HQMC and looking back, it seems as though AN was damned if he did and damned if he didn't change the team last season according to the opposition - it nearly worked if the players had turned up against the likes of Villa and Sunderland.
I'm pretty sure we'll see a much more settled starting 11 this starting on august 6th!!!!

 

IMO this is a key question for next season, but the answer isn't simple. If AN plays 'a settled side' all season what happens to competition for starting places? Morale would drop hugely for those not selected and I think these factors are in AN's thinking. You want all your players fighting tooth and nail for a starting place and that's the way it should be. Then you have the issue of poor performances and/or critical errors that cost games and many of those on here were calling for players to be dropped and then complaining about 'tinkering'. Then there is the issue of injuries. Finally, 46 games is a long season and even longer if you play the same players every week.

 

Fair comment RER, but playing the same starting 11 for around 12 weeks I think it was didn't seem to do Leicester much harm!!!! You can also look at it from the point of view that whoever is not making the starting 11 will work harder in training to try to become the next player to be selected for the starting 11.

 

I have no problem with us signing a defensive midfielder, especially if we're going to see departures in that area. What I wouldn't like to see is another 31 year old defensive midfielder who has just been released by a Premier League club coming in because they're 'experienced'. We've got enough of those already.

As it happens, I thought we were incredibly reliant on Tettey last season. Things went downhill when he got crocked. If he is going to be one of the ones leaving then I'd say we need sign a DM.

 

Funnily enough I thought the opposite. When Tettey was injured we played O'Neil holding on his own and that was the point I thought we looked like we may stay up. It was when Klose was injured that it all went down hill, literally in the middle of the match at Selhurst. We could have gotten something if Seb didn't come on.