Read an interesting article by martin Jol saying, if he could have kept the 2 Ds, and adding a quality defender as well as Berb,Fulham could have been a top 6 team. I tend to agree. Another thread states in the transfer window Zaha & Douglas are on his shopping list. Jan will be the time we can go for quality,as there must be 20/30m in the kitty,+ the wages saved on AJ, BZ, DM, MD, & CD.We must splash some cash if we not only want to consolidate but improve.
Obviously we're not a million miles away from top 6, we're short of a couple of midfielders and a defender or two, but I think we've done incredibly well the past couple of weeks considering our situation. Losing Diarra, Berbs and Petric would've been a blow but to still be competitive against Man City, and to come close to beating Soton away is no mean feat, even more so as our squad was looking wafer-thin before those three got injured.
Agreed that we are not a million miles away but we are not there yet. We need consistency which we don't have yet. When away we tend to have a poor first half and then play catch up. Had Soton scored 1-2 more which they could have we would not be talking about this today! Think we need serious strengthening in the midfield in all the positions mentioned. Also Hangeland needs to improve.
You have the starting 11 good enough for top 6, your squad just isn't strong enough to get you there, or if you pull a Newcastle, keep you there. My opinion anyways.
I’ve been really pleased by our start to the season. I have to agree with what B Maart has said regarding our finish if we had kept the Ds but I guess there is little point discussing that now that have gone. I’d love it if we could bring in Zaha & Douglas in January. The Douglas link has been going on for some time and I hoped he would have signed in the summer but hopefully it may still happen. I think we have been quite fortunate is some games this season though. I couldn’t make the Southampton game but it sound as though we weren’t that convincing and fortunate to get the draw. Man City completely out played us as the score wasn’t reflective of the game at all. That being said we are down to the bare bone in midfield and only think we are one or two signings away from having a pretty impressive line-up. I’m getting a little concerned about Hangeland’s contract as that seems to be dragging on. I saw a few sites yesterday linking UTD making a bid for him in January. That is only going to unsettle the plays and from his point of view he may as well wait until January and see what happens. It would (sadly) surprise me if we were to lose him in January or for nothing next summer.
And Chris David who you may recall we thought had signed on deadline day, but the deal wasn't concluded on time apparently because a second medical opinion came too late. The story is that an agreement was in fact made and he is on his way to us in January. A Crystal Palace pal reckons Zaha is over-rated (too selfish) and hopes he goes because they'll never have another chance to get more than he's worth. There's no doubting with other clubs being mentioned as interested, it will up the ante and the figure being quoted at the moment is £10m. If that's the case I think I'd take my CP pal's advice and steer clear. Douglas would be a great buy. The rumour is that the summer transfer fell through because we couldn't agree personal terms. This would seem like the right time to use some of those wage savings that rosc mentioned.
Wouldn't have thought you were Cc, although maybe £6m if he went in the January window given that it tends to have the added 'panic' factor. We paid, what £4m, so even a small profit along with his 5 great years would soften the blow.
We should not sell Hangeland. I believe we should offer him the contract he wants (2-3 years). He is not injury prone and leading the defense with Hughes.
Agreed - selling Hangeland when we have no clear replacement would be a mistake. The fact that ManU would even consider it reflects how desperate their back four situation is. And Hangeland is very, very good. Considering the original topic, even if Dembele and Dempsey remained with us, I'm still not sure we could have made it into the top six. That would require us competing head to head with teams live Everton, Newcastle and Tottenham, which I'm not sure we're able to do week after week. Taking that a step further, I'm not even sure we're worse off without them. I think the new guys have added more offensive punch than we lost when the two Ds left us.
Agreed - selling Hangeland when we have no clear replacement would be a mistake. The fact that ManU would even consider it reflects how desperate their back four situation is. And Hangeland is very, very good. Considering the original topic, even if Dembele and Dempsey remained with us, I'm still not sure we could have made it into the top six. That would require us competing head to head with teams live Everton, Newcastle and Tottenham, which I'm not sure we're able to do week after week. Taking that a step further, I'm not even sure we're worse off without them. I think the new guys have added more offensive punch than we lost when the two Ds left us.
I don't think we'd be very far off at all. If we had the team we have now, with the two D's we'd certainly be up there with Everton and Newcastle. Both teams have a strong first 11 but not much beyond that, particularly Everton. Tottenham are a bit further away, I agree. But it's neither here nor there, I'm more than happy with our team without the D's, and we are without them.
I'm going to be a bit defeatist here but I don't think we will crack the top 6. Not because we're not good enough, but because of how football works. If by January it looks like Everton are going to mount a challenge for the CL spots, one of the big guns will come in for their star players (Fellaini, Jagielka, Baines, Jelavic etc) We know this more than most. The one season where everything maybe seemed to be in place for us to target a EL spot, Dempsey wants out and Dembele gets sold. The PL isn't designed for smaller clubs to make their way into the top 6 or top 4, if they do then it is down to a fluke (Newcastle last season) Everton in my opinion have the second best manager in the league, a loyal fanbase, decent stadium and very good players, these are all ingredients to see them reach the top 4, but the big guns will not allow their place to be taken, and so will take action to see that it won't be.
Good points Bandit. The one point I'd add is the need for a stable side to make any impact. Newcastle are again the prime example when Pardew was able to play the same side for (I can't remember the exact number of consecutive games ) certainly the best part of last season. Jol's comments, which caused the original post, appear to be him setting the scene for the January window and drip feeding the press. Today reports are saying -
It's not that I don't think we're good, either, but Tottenham and Newcastle have so much money and talent, I just can't see us unseating them. Everton, pound for pound, is probably the best managed team in football, as Bandit rightly pointed out. But if push comes to shove and Everton is forced to sell Side Show Bob or their new striker, they could suffer. But that still leaves the big five, Tottenham and Newcastle ahead of us, in my book. And don't forget about Stoke. They're looking very tough this year. I think they'll compete with us and Everton for the honorable mention spots below the big teams.
Tend to agree DR, always assuming, when you say "the big 5" you're including Everton and not Liverpool. Unfortunately you could be right about Stoke as well. They've had some stiff games in their first 7, coming away with a very credible 8pts, and of course don't have the distraction of Europe this year. However I like to look on the bright side and the inevitable dip with them in their normal mid table position. Forgive me posting this again, but it really is a wonderful blog about them and Pulis - http://onpunditwatch.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/stoke-city-why-such-outright-praise/
You've got to be kidding DR about Stoke. Is that an American trying to be sarcastic? Dude, if it is, it worked!
Yeah, I don't rate Stoke that highly. They won't go down but even Top 10 is a doubt for them, and as that blog outlines nicely, they're not going anywhere. To say they'll compete with Everton is a bit of an insult to Everton.
Absolutely loathe Stoke, would be my second personal choice to go down behind QPR, I know it won't happen but the league would be a better place without them. I loathe their thuggish players like Wilkinson, Huth, Walters and Shawcross (worst of the lot) but worst of all is their unbearable manager. I used to hate when Jol wore tracksuits on the touchline, but to see Pulis wear them week in week out is cringeworthy. He also, like most managers admittedly, refuses to criticize his team when a player breaks someone's leg. To criticize Suarez for diving was a bit rich, when his players get away with a lot worse.
