under equipped for a term in europe?

without getting to far ahead of ourselves if we were lucky enough to snag a place in the the Europa next year be it via a scabby 7th place back door entry or a solid top 6 spot do you think that we would be capable of competing for a place in it again the following season?

my point being that most teams in the eurpoa tend to have smaller squads and then suffer with a euro hangover after mid week games meaning they drop points they otherwise wouldn't have on the weekends. we have a small squad and its up there when we have our 1st choice XI out, but can you realistically see us signing on enough player to the squad to remain competetive in the league as well as europe?

i'd be tempted to take the money it brings make a few signings and mainly play our second string in the early stages until we got to the business end then start with the big guns.

is it too soon for us to have a sustained period of european football?

 

1. We're probably not going to get into Europe
2. Fat Mike's not stupid, he'll know it's a big pay day if we get there every year. He'll put investment in this summer if we qualify, I reckon.

 

I know europes a long shot. its just a hypothetical question. I would hope he would see the benefit and spend to remain competetive but i hope for a lot of things that he's never going to deliver. like that £4 donnay badminton racket i ordered...

 

Agree with this we're probably 4-5 players away from a team that can cope with Europe. We signed what? 6-7 last summer

 

Well with the wages of Smith going, there's enough money for another signing

4 or 5 and we'll be there.

 

True. Many expected 2-3 signings but the club brought in 7.
Perhaps Mike will do the same this summer.

 

If we got there and Mike Ashley expierenced Euope (and the extra revenue) he's not going to want to let it go. He's like a big kid, let him try somethign good once and he'll want it all the time.

 

We need a quality right winger, another quality striker, another center back, a quality left back and maybe another center mid.

We can finish 7th this season but I'm betting that one of those Europa spots will go to a lower club getting a cup or a Fair play thing.

 

Fair play is an additional slot on top of what is allocated

 

Really? My bad. But still, I could see a lower team getting to the final of the FA Cup.

 

Elliott/Harper
Raylor Willo (new signing) Ferguson
Obertan Abeid Guthrie Vuckic
Shola Best

This team could do a job in Europe. And that is what we have at the moment without any new signings (new CB apart).

Being in Europe is always a good thing. Always. You dont have to play your strongest side. Until the later stages.

 

Thing is many of those signing were for the youth side and although they've showed promise a lot haven't made a pucka breakthrough. but i think the likes of abeid and vuckic would be good enough for the early stages of the europa against some of the more obscure sides.

 

if this was our strategy i would agree with us being alright in the league too especially with a few new faces.

 

Stoke have had better results this year since getting into Europe so why couldn't that be us next year, could also end up being that we are the one's who qualify by getting to the FA Cup, as much chance of being us as the likes of Everton, Sunderland, Stoke or others

 

Absolutely. Plus being a european side always makes us more attractive to bring in these young european players.

Hope we qualify.................via winning the FA Cup

 

i concur

 

Our squad would obviously not cope with a full tilt at a european adventure alongside the league. The league needs to be this clubs priority if we are to maintain steady progress, with one eye on the domestic cups because you never know. Still wouldn't knock it back or crib getting in though, we could just use it to blood youngsters and give players out of the first team game time. The money is just a bonus.

I think the problem we'd face is if we got into Europe and then didn't have a go, what would the likes of Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Ba think? If we do have to deal with it then we'll worry about it then.

 

Keepers - Krul is our only top class keeper. Elliot is gash and if we play him in Europe we'll get knocked out IMO, even in the early stages. Think it's just too soon for Alnwick and ole doesn't seem to be rated =PROBLEM.

CBs - colo, saylor, willo. We need 1 more IMO and for a youngster to step up to cover injuries.

Rb/lb - simmo, santon, raylor. Probably just too early for tav (like Alnwick). We need 1 more quality player at fullback.

Cm - possibly the only position we're fine in IMO. Cabaye, tiote, Guthrie, abeid, gosling, vuckic.

Wings - jonas, barfa (I hope), obertan, marveaux. If barfa I played here we could be fine. If not, we need another.

Strikers - we have depth but little quality beyond ba IMO. Desperately need to sign 2 quality players to play with and to cover ba


5 in and shoot perch

 

If we do get into europe then I won't be too worried about our squad. Players like guthrie who were thinking of leaving for lack of first team action could be played in europe, also we would have less chance of players wanting to leave. Finally we would be able to bring better players in (and you can always play youngters as well).

 

Keepers - Krul is our only top class keeper. Elliot is gash and if we play him in Europe we'll get knocked out IMO, even in the early stages. Think it's just too soon for Alnwick and ole doesn't seem to be rated =PROBLEM.Forster/Harper/Sodeberg, i reckon we're covered

CBs - colo, saylor, willo. We need 1 more IMO and for a youngster to step up to cover injuries.I'd assume we'll get one in this transfer window, it is supposed to be our top priority

Rb/lb - simmo, santon, raylor. Probably just too early for tav (like Alnwick). We need 1 more quality player at fullback. Hopefully we'll sign a LB (or Fergie will start getting games)

Cm - possibly the only position we're fine in IMO. Cabaye, tiote, Guthrie, abeid, gosling, vuckic. Yeah, we're totally sweet here, although Guthrie's contract runs out in the summer

Wings - jonas, barfa (I hope), obertan, marveaux. If barfa I played here we could be fine. If not, we need another. I think we definitely need another RW - Hoilett please Pards

Strikers - we have depth but little quality beyond ba IMO. Desperately need to sign 2 quality players to play with and to cover ba I think one good signing would do us (preferably a young up and comer), especially if HBA is being played off a single striker


5 in and shoot perch I'd make it 4