National Jim White Day

Dubravska - Tick
Kenedy - Tick
Ki > Merino - Same
Schar > Mbemba -Same
Fernandez > Lejeune/Yarney - Trash
Rondon > Mitrovic - Tick
Muto > Gayle - Tick

Overall it has improved our squad but to what degree.

 

Maybe that is the issue - playing Perez at left back

 

Par is right. We replaced people who've left with those who are slightly better. But we haven't proactively strengthened. We'd not even have gone for Fernandez had Lejeune not been injured.

 

Schar was relegated with Deportivo last season as well, hence the cheap release clause

 

Good chance he'll do both but in what order would be the worry.

 

When I say it sounds pretty good what I mean is it SOUNDS good but isnt!

I then ask the question (patronisingly) is it a successful window - in other words does getting 5 ****e players in, 1 good goalkeeper and 1 loaned winger from Cheslki constitute a good window!!!!!!

 

Awesome, I knew there was a negative spin I missed!

 

The best kind of supporter - one who writes off new players before the season has even started. I know what you mean though - the frustration at Mike's penny pinching is extreme, and other than Muto and Rondon (who were both pretty high up the wishlist apparently) we should have been aiming for players higher up Rafa's list.

 

I would rather sign 2/3 quality players than sign 5 duffers.

We have been down this road before, cheap and cheerful gets us crap.

I am not writing off the players, I am merely suggesting they are ****e! ;-) Theres a difference ha ha ha

But fact of the matter is 4/7 of these players got relegated with their respective clubs and 1 just avoided relegation.

The worst part of this signing is that we wont now officially be top of the negative net spends which is clearly what Ashley was hoping for but 2nd place will do!

 

Point is you can't judge any new signing unless you have seen plenty of them at their previous clubs and have a decent understanding of their game and whether they have the attributes required to adapt to the Premier League.

Cabaye was cheap due to a release clause. HBA was cheap due to his temperament. Remy was a cheap loan. Ba was cheap and from a relegated team. Simpson was a cheap cast-off. Tiote was cheap from a weak league. Nolan was cheap from a struggling team. Debuchy was cheap... The list goes on. As I say, I fully share the frustration and Rafa should have been backed fully using all club profits, but you cant use transfer fees and status of previous clubs to judge a player before seeing them play.

 

I think it's more the mood of despair Ashley creates. As you rightly say Rafa should have been spending between £30m-£60m on players this Summer. And that's net spend, so by my reckoning Ashley's fcked Rafa, the club and the fans our of near £80m somehow.

I'm with you, though, expensive does not equal 'good'. Transfer fees are insane - there's no better example than Kepa the Keepa. We owe it to these players to give them all a chance. Just because we've had to suffer the performances of Joselu, Manquillo, Lazaar, Gamez and Hanley doesn't mean the next five aren't better. However, we should have been funding a £26m move for Willian Jose or Allessane Plea without a blink, bringing in Rondon as backup. Vlasic, Denis Suarez or Praet should have been next, with Perez as backup. And we should have gone for Rose, Shaw or Zinchenko at left back. Three stellar signings all upgrading the first XI, then put some austerity in with the likes of Kenedy, Dubravka, Schar, Ki.

We're effectively those three players short, as usual.

 

Here's another I cannot for the ****ing life of me work out. Hayden hands in a transfer request. It's effectively accepted. But Charnley somehow cannot get rid of him, in spite of Brighton interest. Meanwhile, on deadline day, Leandro Dendoncker is signed by Wolves on loan with a £12m option to buy. From a club we know well.

It just plain boggles the mind how our club is allowed to **** about in this fashion.

 

We've sold a few decent players following relegation the last couple of times so not sure that's a barometer of quality like! There's plenty decent players to be had from relegated teams most seasons mate, Grealish to name but one!

 

If we had signed Grealish I would have been happy.

But the ones we have signed are questionable. But more a reflection of the owner. Buy Cheap rubbish get cheap rubbish.

Look please do not get me wrong, if we finish higher than 10th this season then its progress. If we are in another relegation battle then we have gone backwards.

Can you honestly say that the signings we have made are progress? I think its a case of out with an average set of players and in with an average set of players that IMO are not any better than what we have sold/released.

But I stand to be corrected and would love to be proved wrong. I look at other teams around us signings and I believe they are better than ours. Have we just filled our squad with dross like we did in the championship season?

 

It's all a big unknown innit? Muto potentially could be a real find but it's still an unknown. Rondon, i struggle to believe that he was Rafa's #1 target when the transfer window opened...surely we need to be aiming a bit higher than that? That being said, he's a decent unit and given the chances will put them away and I'd rather give him a go over Gayle as he was woeful for us last season. Ki, again a big unknown but again might prove to be a find. They're not the marquee big name (or even medium name) signings that everyone would like. There has to be a hidden agenda other than just not giving Rafa money to spend (without having to sell), clearly if Ashley is still here this time next year with nothing having happened regarding a takeover between now and then, there will be some serious fallout, Rafa will walk and the place will just become toxic.

 

A cheeky £2m bid for Pieters,did we not try to sign him years ago?

 

If this is true I would have him for £2 mill!

 

The squad is probably a little better but it's not progress when everybody around you has improved their squads by larger amounts. That is going backwards. I can see us finishing significantly lower than 10th this season.

 

You can imagine their response,begins with F

 

Especially as they are actually buying players for more than a bag of crisps