City transfer thread

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Bigelow said:
Here's hoping Malcom and Eddie Healey.

Although I'm not in the a hate the Allams and think they are the course of everything bad in the world.

The Allams are both the best and worst owners we have ever had.
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I'm half inclined to agree with you. <ok>
 
Fez said:
I have read quite a bit about our goalkeepers and Vito Mannone (transfer gossip) as a replacement and I have not really understood much of the thinking.

I recall the blunders of Jakupovic, but really, does anyone, at any price, not get some leeway? I know he is not top drawer (do we pay him top drawer wages?), but how would you rate him against Alan McGregor?

Alan McGregor is a flawed talent. He is one hell of a shot-stopper, but his peripheral awareness is now shown to be unreliable; especially in important games (are there any unimportant games?). But seriously, is it as bad as the bandwagon is making out? Is Bruce losing confidence in him or himself?

The big questions are can we afford better and can we find them?

I think knee-jerk reactions can destroy a goalkeeper; the fans can get on his back more directly than any other player on the pitch. Sometimes, but not always, I have seen a decent goalkeeper sacrificed to a manager’s defensive frailties.

I would persevere with McGregor (we can spend our coin better, or we could have done!); yes, he has frustrated me, but the embarrassing ****-up of the conceded goal was an aberration I would never expect to see again – it will have focussed him. We had Myhill and Duke against the very best and this board waxed lyrical on their abilities and I recall asking if we could afford better – we haven’t have we?

But back to Vito Mannone and my point; I have deliberately not dug back into the facts of it all, I am relying on my memory – honestly, I am. Was he really so indifferent? I recall a goalkeeper we all (ish) wanted, we loved his attacking release of the ball, we loved his confidence, we loved the fact that he seemed to give us everything that two lads we liked did not.

We didn’t keep him, he went to Sunderland (eventually) and Sunderland kept him on the bench and then he came on as a sub – against us as **** happens – and he played a blinder, then another and then another and so it went. Sunderland loved him – I know because I live there. Then he has a mare, a real bad game, a goalies worse nightmare, he lost the confidence of his manager and he then lost his own confidence. Sunderland supporters did what they tend to do, when they stay long enough to form an opinion. Did he suddenly turn into a bad goalkeeper or did he simply need a bit of space and support to recapture his previous quality?
I would have Vito Mannone back tomorrow, but I would also play Jak and Greggs. We give forwards so much more sympathy, I think managers should be far stronger in supporting goalkeepers, as they, especially, should realise that they often pick up the pieces of piss-poor midfields and defences.
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I'm really not even sure McGregor is consistent enough to be considered one hell of a shot stopper. Last season he was beaten more times than any other keeper from outside the area. He has a howler in him with alarming regularity - I can't remember in recent times having had less confidence in our current goalkeeping options.

I really don't rate either of them! McGregor Wolves away, Chelsea at home last season with that pathetic Remy winner not to mention the number of shots that he conceded from distance. Some of them you accept, yet others he's just completely flat footed. He undoubtedly has concentration issues.

It must be a nerve wracking experience as a defender playing in front of him!
 
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Paul Jewitt said:
A large section of our fans have been calling for the Allams to sell up and leave, so perhaps the strategy is to recoup some money to reduce the club debt, thus making the club a more saleable prospect to satisfy that section of the fanbase? Surely none of the fans clamouring for the exit of the Allams will object to this firesale and lack of reinvestment?
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If it means they go then I won't, although it would not be in-line with what they've said about focussing on promotion.
 
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The Allams have already said they plan to pay down some of the debt this season and that's fine by me, it's their money and we're carrying too much debt, so it's a good move.

Though even with the recent sales and a couple of potential additional one's, there's still going to be a hefty lump of it remaining and they still need to be back in Premier League to recoup it when they sell (and they will sell as soon as they can).
 
Nolan would be worth a shout. He's getting on a bit but there's probably another season in him.

He was a major part of Newcastle getting promoted from the Championship the season they went down when we didn't, basically playing upfront with Andy Carroll, they scored a hatful.

No finesse. No nonsense. A leader. A winner.


He wants to play and wants to succeed.


Bring him in.
 
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The criticism of the Allams goes beyond the name change, they are just inept with decisions and communication. Bruce shouldn't really have been kept on and they seem useless at conducting transfer negotiations, the whole Airco Arena thing, the whole attitude of them really. I think this attitude meant there were always going to be problems of some kind over something even if the name change attempt had never happened.

The problem is unless they get promotion it's hard to see them selling the club off for several years. That's another reason why people really want promotion. I don't think this really needs explaining to most here.
 
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SydneyTiger14 said:
Really baffles me that they haven't made more of an effort to bounce back up with so much riding on it for them personally.
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I think if you took your anti-Allam glasses off for a moment and looked objectively at the squad we've got now and compared it with the squad that won us promotion from the Championship last time then you'd realise the error of your words.
 
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