Just getting back on my feet after suffering serious head injuries in a bus crash so been off the radar for a while but its been interesting to come and read all the ins and outs and what perfect time to be back with the internet in time for our first game of the season! Overall I think there is a lot to be positive about with our business so far. I am not Redknapp's or Fernandez' biggest fans but to be fair to them, they seem to have matured, shut up and done some decent business. I am thrilled about the signing of Charlie Austin, what a great buy at a good price, he looks the part and his record speaks for itself. Anyone worried about the medical failure at Hull should look to Demba Ba's similar situation when he was due to sign for stoke. Football medicals are so black and white, if a club's insurers say no because of X, then he fails, even if he's been playing with the condition and will continue to play for the forseeable future. I can only guess that Hull could not get assurances from their money lenders, banks or he simply fell foul of very strict rules at their medical centre. Either way, a bonus for us and I actually prefer him to Gary Hooper who scores less goals in what I consider an easier league. The other ins speak of one thing, grit. This is exactly what got us promoted two years ago along with Taarabt's flair and I think we have signed some good faces in Dunne and the expected arrivals of Baird and O'Neil. I am not thrilled about Karl Henry as much but one must remember he was part of the Wolves side that got promoted two years ago or so, so he knows the league and what its like to succeed in it. I think we will be seeing some more come through the door too. I still would like to see a mobile center half to slot in there. I do hope Onuaha is given a clear squad position this time around though rather than act as filler accross the back four, I would put him centre back with Dunne and that looks a handy pairing. If we keep Taarabt then we dont need much more creativity though if we loose him, then i think we need a bit more guile in the midfield, Matt Philips would be a great addition though I am disappointed we missed out on Harry Forrester as he looks an exciting young product. The talk of hungry young players is still fresh in my mind and we have not really managed it so far, Austin is 24 and established, he is the mold we want but i'd still like to see a couple of 20-24 year old's come in and spice things up. Departure wise I think we're doing the best we can. Ceasar must go soon and I think as the window clock ticks he will move with his WC Brazil place at risk, particularly as its in his home country and he should start at number 1, harry needs to leave him out of the 16 until he leaves. Shame as he is a good player and seems a good pro, but he needs to go. M'bia and Diakite need to be moved on but neither really sold themselves last year. M'bia, the game at old trafford aside, would be a terrible signing for an english team and we must hope someone from abroad buys him or we can get him playing CB. When the play comes toward him he looks half decent, its just when he chases play he looks clueless and usually ends up bumping into people. Not the quality of a midfield player. I would like Barton to stay as i think he would be an asset and seems to respond to Redknapp, if we can find a club to take him that he is happy with though i am sure he will go though i have a feeling Redknapp isnt looking too hard for this. Remy is an interesting one, a loan isnt a bad option but i would love him to stay. At present he isnt a regular for france so i would expect he wants a move to the prem to really stake a claim. Newcastle just bought Gomis though and i cant see spurs or arsenal going for him. Might run out of options and still has the court case pending. I cant see him playing until Jan 1 if we do keep him. Taarabt is another i want to stay, i think we need to fit him into the system without building the system for him. If we do this again we will never progress and if we gain promotion we will be lost again as he is not good enough to control a premiership game. His match winning alone should keep him here, probably as a foil for Austin. If we do sell him and bring in Townsend, I would consider it a fair bit of business though. So, excited about the game today, im going for a 3-0 hoops win and i think in the next 2 weeks we will have more of a clue about our full strength team,
Welcome back fella and hope you continue to make a full recovery Good post, its all up in the air. Gonna be fun I'm sure.
haha! yeah it is, the painkilling injections I got given hurt more than the pain of some of my head falling off. Perfect remedy!
Sounds like you've had a very lucky escape indeed, best wishes for a full recovery. No lasting damage I hope? Today's result has been just the tonic all of us needed, don't think I could have coped too well with another opening day defeat.
