I heard a figure of £1.5M to £2M quoted somewhere. More astute signings by CH, without blowing a huge hole in our meagre budget. There must be a sizeable chunk of it left and I wonder where he's going to spend it. I would love to see cover for Tierney and a holding/defensive midfielder added to the ranks.
I still think there is three or four more signings to come in myself. If Ward does leave another centreback would definitely come in I would think. Definitely see him signing a striker, holding midfielder and left back. He has been using Lappin in pre season and he hasn't been too bad so that might be left back competition sorted in his view. Also Supers, I think everyone has a feeling how a new signing will do, I would love to be proved wrong about Whittaker but I am not confident. It's the same saying Michael Turner will be a good signing, we all have a pre-judgement on a signing based on their career so far.
of course people have pre-conceived ideas about new players but to slag them off before you've watched them is senseless. the people who banged on about 'who is ruddy, he's not forster' etc need to give people time to perform. i can see whittaker being one of the 'boo boys targets' if he makes one mistake in a match - it shouldn't be like that. people get too carried away with their 'suspicions' and if they have already made their mind up about someone, its difficult to get them back onside, ever, which is ridiculous. not sure if anyone watched the celtic match and i know he was only on the pitch for 20 minutes and he was technically playing in scotland but he was one of our best players in that opening period and nearly set up a goal. give the poor sod a chance!
Fair enough, I agree with that. Like I said will back him at games as long as he has a Norwich shirt on. Didn't watch the Celtic game though.
I was one of the few who spoke out in support of Ruddy when we first signed him (I was a very lone voice in his early days!!) - hence my username!!! I know there is now a small minority who still don't rate him, but that's their choice. I'm sure Whittaker and the other new signings will take a few weeks to adapt to the pace etc of the PL, but I know we'll get the 'fans' who phone 'Canary Call'/use the 'PinkUn' website etc who'll be saying we shouldn't have signed such and such a player - only to be proved wrong a few months later.
fact is, he might flop. but then so might snodgrass. we just don't know 100% but we cannot afford to buy top notch players - the ones we do sign have a limitation to their game for one reason or another - if they didn't, we wouldn't get them! its about understanding and accepting that our players do have limitations and to accept the positives instead, of which they will outweigh the negatives enormously in most cases. to say a player will flop and write him off just because he played in the spl is ignorant. to say he will fail cos he lacks awareness or lacks pace or something like that is different and perfectly acceptable.
My view on him is I think he may be not good enough defensively for the Premier League after watching him a few times. I have no qualms with him attacking wise, I think he actually looks good attacking but with goals conceded was a problem last season I can't see him improving that unfortunately. Again I HOPE I am wrong.
i tend to agree. from what i've seen of him he's a bit weak defensively. i mean, he not horrific, but you have to remember that he spends an awful lot of time in attacking areas for rangers and doesn't get tested defensively. i've got a lot of rangers fans as mates and they were split 50/50 as to whether he'd do well, but they all rated him around the £2m mark so for a freebie, that's good business and fills a hole for the time being. plus he's versatile and that's a good thing too. all i'm saying is people shouldn't get on his or any new players back simply cos they have concerns about them - what's the point?
Morning all, I hope you are well as not been on in a while. It is certainly interesting how things are shaping up. I agree and disagree with some comments here. It is indeed early days to cast to many views until the season is underway. My gut feeling is that we will have a tough season ahead but that is the nature of being in this league. I think Hughton will do OK though. Cannot comment on his style of play (not going to any friendlies)and from friendlies it can be a false picture. Signings , for me have been a bit mixed and I would like to see a couple more in before the window finishes, probably a striker (Lulaka? or lad from Man City) and LB. It would also be good to see Naughton back as I think he is a very good player. Not sure Whittaker will work out but will give him a chance, good Holt has stayed but he has to deliver for me after his "issues". Regarding Morison, in many threads last year this was debated. For me if you do not get him the service he has a poor game. If he plays the lone striker role you have to have the wide men deliver (the Sunderland game, for example).Turner is a good defender but lacks pace but so long as someone besides him is aware i.e Bennet it might be OK. Midfield is an area I cannot get me head around though. We have so many now. Is Hughton 4 4 2 or 4 5 1? Finally, perhaps it is time we looked at some overseas talent. If we can unearth decent players from lower leagues can we do the same from abroad as Newcastle did successfully. My team Naughton please! (or R.Martin) Turner, Bennet, Tierney No idea on midfield Holt (loan/new striker) or (Vaughan/Morison)
I think you mean Romelu Lukaku and the lad from Man City is, I assume, John Guidetti. Both would be great signings for us - I'd be happy to see Jackson leave for Guidetti to come in! Can't see us getting Lukaku tbh, but it could happen! Agree with you on the transfers, although with Ayala now out on loan we haven't got a single non-british player on the team! My main concern with bringing in a, for example, french-speaking striker (ahem) would be the language barrier. And Hughton has been tinkering with the midfield. We've seen 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-4-1-1, 4-2-3-1 already! I fancy one of the last two to be honest, sounded like Snodgrass had a stonker behind Holt at Hull!
Can we please sign Naughton? He is quality and in a position we need to address. If AVB doesn't want him, as rumoured, 3m?
from reading the spuds board on here, there's a mixed opinion on whether naughton should be sold or not. also he hasn't played that well in pre-season, or that's what i read. read into that what you will
Just in the name of accuracy, it was £4m that Sunderland paid us for Turner. Last night was a typical pre-season, decent in parts(from both sides), but fairly lacklustre overall, with numerous substitutions making both performances fairly disjointed.
