Summer transfer rumours

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I really don’t know how we are going to compete against the footballing juggernauts in this division...

Jesus Christ. I know we’re a couple of first team players short but people are going on like we’ll be cut adrift at the foot of the table if we don’t sign a left back before the season starts.
We had players in the building the last 3 years and those juggernauts still beat us to promotion. All I want is promotion. I think that's all any of us wants.
 
All this "its crucial we get players in early in the window" is rubbish. It obviously has its benefits and I'm sure managers do say this in interviews but I've also heard of them saying the exact opposite and that patience is key to good recruitment.

Also, no full backs... I must have played every position on the pitch during my thoroughly unremarkable amateur football career and I was adaptable enough to be able to do that. Imagine how difficult it must(n't) be for some who is paid to play the game every day to be that adaptable.
 
I think it’s fair that most managers would want all players in for pre season.

but not having them in doesn’t mean disaster.

disaster is signing the wrong players, giving them 2 year deals then spending the next 3 windows not being able to sign the right ones until you’ve got the wrong ones off your books

There’s no way Speakman or Johnson are happy with our business or comfortable with where we are. But it’s a darn sight better than an alternative reality where we have filled our squad up with future deadwood
It's nit a binary choice though. It's possible we have missed out on perfectly good players nit poor ones.
 
So your happy to right off 5 games and 15 points.
Not having any full backs or a centre half to play with Doyle and another striker. It all mounts up. It may be 15 we miss out on it may be less but we can't afford to give anyone a head start.

What happens if no one wins all their 1st 5 games and are on about the same amount of points as we have at that time when we have say 2 full backs and a striker to sign on the dotted line the next day? No one knows whats going to happen the first few games. Take Ipswich or Wigan for example - they've signed players they wanted - are they gonna hit the ground running and win their 5 games or does the team not gel as quickly as the manager would like? Lets just take a back seat and see what happens
 
I'm not too concerned with the lack of incoming players as there's still time but the thing that does concern me is a lack of a 'style or pattern of play'. There's been a lot said about developing a style of play throughout the club so people moving up through the teams would slot straight in but I've seen nothing to suggest we're even starting to develop a particular way of playing.
Now, is it a case of we can't play the style we want as we don't have the players (yet) to play the style we want to? In which case it was even more important to get those players in early. Or do we not really have an idea of how we want to play?
Looking at the pre-season games so far (3 I've watched on tv and the other 'live') we've looked slow in the main, the odd burst from the odd player (Embleton v Harrogate, Gooch v Hearts) and in none of the games can you say "this looks similar to how we played in the last game".
I honestly think the Hull game tomorrow could be a right wake up call, if they're pacy, up for it, then I think we may get a hiding if I'm honest. We start slow and don't dominate games, have no natural leader, still too ponderous.

I know it's still pre-season but players aside, you can't say the football on the pitch has actually improved since last season.
I've actually enjoyed the style of football we are trying to implement. You can certainly see progress being made. As for new players it shouldn't take them long to fit in as we are targeting players who will fit the system. In the past we've signed players then have had to try to fit a system around them.
 
It's nit a binary choice though. It's possible we have missed out on perfectly good players nit poor ones.

yeh I agree. I’m just saying it could be worse.

As I posted earlier, I’m nervous as hell about the clubs ability to turn this round and my optimism has dropped quite a bit. But I still understand and back what they’re doing and think it could have been a lot worse.

I mean for example we were linked with Vokes and Lichaj - would you feel better if they’d been signed?

It’s so so so frustrating obviously, as this is our first preseason in 4 years that hasn’t been disrupted by a takeover snd should have allowed us a whole summer to plan and do business early. And whilst we’ve clearly planned, it’s not resulted in early business.

we still might get what we want. I’m not as confident as I was, but it’s far from over. Major questions will be asked in September if it hasn’t gone well.
 
So you'd happily be bottom half or worse after 5 games which I'd what I'm saying could happen. It's not just one game it's 5! We need to get into winning mentality and stay there. Anyone content nit to win is by extension a loser. That's the mentality I loved from Keane.
In Keanes first season as manager we didn't get out of the bottom half until the new year.
 
So you're not quoting anyone but claiming they said it ...

... I think you're choosing to remember it how it suits you tbh.

Your paraphrasing is inaccurate.

You're starting to look a bit manic so I'll bow out.
No not at all. Re watch the interviews. Both agreed they want players In early. That's not inaccurate at all. If it doesn't suit your argument so be it but diet make it less true. Neither does it prevent it being accepted that coaches want players in early to work with them. Our currebt position is a position the club can't have planned to be in.
 
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What happens if no one wins all their 1st 5 games and are on about the same amount of points as we have at that time when we have say 2 full backs and a striker to sign on the dotted line the next day? No one knows whats going to happen the first few games. Take Ipswich or Wigan for example - they've signed players they wanted - are they gonna hit the ground running and win their 5 games or does the team not gel as quickly as the manager would like? Lets just take a back seat and see what happens
The whole league draws the first 5 games :biggrin: your right that no one knows but that old saying fail to prepare and prepare to fail springs to mind.
 
I've actually enjoyed the style of football we are trying to implement. You can certainly see progress being made. As for new players it shouldn't take them long to fit in as we are targeting players who will fit the system. In the past we've signed players then have had to try to fit a system around them.

Totally agree we've signed players in the past and try to fit them into a system rather than the other way round but I certainly can't see a style of football across the 4 games so far. Maybe in patches but cerainly not regularly.

What would you say the style of football we're trying to implement is?
 
We had players in the building the last 3 years and those juggernauts still beat us to promotion. All I want is promotion. I think that's all any of us wants.

I agree, and there’s nothing to say that can’t be achieved even by going into the season a few players short.
 
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No not at all. Re watch the interviews. Both agreed they want players In early. That's not inaccurate at all. If it doesn't suit your argument so be it but diet make it less true. Neither does it prevent it being accepted that coaches want players in early to work with them. Our currebt position is a position the club can't have planned to be in.

You've gone from 'key' to 'need' to 'wanted' in two pages man <laugh>
 
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Yeah Phil McKrakin
K9
That's pure speculation from you, RR and whoever they've been gossiping with ...

... and it certainly isn't LFC.

"Been talking to people with their eyes on the Gallacher deal from the Liverpool side, and they were shocked .... blah, blah, blah."

It's just another forum or fanzine, not Jurgen Klopp.
RR are so far up their own arse, only their feet stop them dissappearing
 
Imagine the meltdown if we'd have signed 10 players on the first day of the window for a total of 5m+ quid, did **** all for the rest of the window and Wigan spank us 3 nowt first game.

I read the Chronicle article and the journo said he has covered 18 managers at SAFC under numerous owners and it's always been the same.....slow. Only constants I can see in that equation are the fans and the geography. All the other variables like owners, managers, scouts etc have changed over the years. :emoticon-0126-nerd::emoticon-0127-lipss
 
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yeh I agree. I’m just saying it could be worse.

As I posted earlier, I’m nervous as hell about the clubs ability to turn this round and my optimism has dropped quite a bit. But I still understand and back what they’re doing and think it could have been a lot worse.

I mean for example we were linked with Vokes and Lichaj - would you feel better if they’d been signed?

It’s so so so frustrating obviously, as this is our first preseason in 4 years that hasn’t been disrupted by a takeover snd should have allowed us a whole summer to plan and do business early. And whilst we’ve clearly planned, it’s not resulted in early business.

we still might get what we want. I’m not as confident as I was, but it’s far from over. Major questions will be asked in September if it hasn’t gone well.
I agree to a point. Vokes was just a rumor and lichaj thankfully tanked in trial. I've repeatedly said nut just to sign anyone but quality. It's nit unreasonable to have expected more by this point.
 
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