Summer 2010 Transfer Thread: B*llsh*t, Rumours & Wishes

[Greg N'Ash]

o'hara, doyle, keane - all 'meh' signings but i think thats probably the market we're in now.

[smudger]

O'Hara isn't good enough and neither is Doyle. I've learnt from the last four years that we need to try and take gambles on potentially higher quality players rather than steady players if we are going to threaten the top four. O'Hara, Doyle etc will just consolidate what we have.

I disagree that O'Hara and Doyle are not good enough in terms of the kind of player we will be looking at, and i agree very much that we need to 'take gambles on potentially higher quality players rather than steady players if we are going to threaten the top four.' But it won't happen, that's what i'm talking about in terms of learning from the last 4 years. So, i'm being realistic whilst still trying to come up with a possible better squad for at least some impovement. And we would be essentially swopping last seasons's best player (although no Platt / Yorke) and some dead wood for 5 players who could give us something different / better in the final third, which is what we need.

[paul_e]

The problem with young british players is purely down to what coaches/scouts look for in players.

Too often the criteria when looking for a 14-15yo for the academy is 'big, quick and strong'.  The idea being that smaller players won't cope physically with the league.  The equivalent abroad is to pick on technique and, if they happen to be small, coach them to work around that.

This is made worse by the fact that if someone small and technically sound does sneak through they get put on hefty weights programs and made to get alot stronger, but usually at the expense of mobility.

Until this fundamental flaw at youth level is resolved we'll never see a xavi/iniesta/sneijder/ozil come through in this country.  We'll also never see players like kaka/veron/muller either as they have the physical attributes but have been coached not to rely on them.

[smudger]

o'hara, doyle, keane - all 'meh' signings but i think thats probably the market we're in now.

Quite. I think they are the best we can hope for, unfortunately.

[Mazrim]

o'hara, doyle, keane - all 'meh' signings but i think thats probably the market we're in now.

Quite. I think they are the best we can hope for, unfortunately.

Why? What's happened?

[paul_e]

there is no way o'hara and doyle can be classed as the best we can hope for.

I'd rather see Bannan, Albrighton and the Fonz moved up into the first team than sign either of them.

I really can't believe anyone can think either of them would be worth signing, even for 2-3m each they'd be expensive and the reality is we'd be outlaying a lot more than that.

Keane I'd accept for about 4-5m but anymore would be a huge risk as it's not money we'll get back for him if he doesn't do well.

[smudger]

o'hara, doyle, keane - all 'meh' signings but i think thats probably the market we're in now.

Quite. I think they are the best we can hope for, unfortunately.

Why? What's happened?

Name me 1 'wow' signing since O'Neill took over. Yes, some have turned into good ones, but an actual signing that really got you excited? How, after 18 months of recession, is it going to be any different this time? And the point i'm also trying to make is that at least a couple of those i've mentioned would turn out to be good signings anyway, and improve us a bit. Just not great ones.

[Greg N'Ash]

reality maz. best we can hope for is to hang on to 6th with this manager and the funding available

[smudger]

there is no way o'hara and doyle can be classed as the best we can hope for.

I'd rather see Bannan, Albrighton and the Fonz moved up into the first team than sign either of them.

I really can't believe anyone can think either of them would be worth signing, even for 2-3m each they'd be expensive and the reality is we'd be outlaying a lot more than that.

Keane I'd accept for about 4-5m but anymore would be a huge risk as it's not money we'll get back for him if he doesn't do well.

Did you watch anything of them though or are you going off football manager stats? If you did, then i guess we'll just have to disagree.

[Mazrim]

o'hara, doyle, keane - all 'meh' signings but i think thats probably the market we're in now.

Quite. I think they are the best we can hope for, unfortunately.

Why? What's happened?

Name me 1 'wow' signing since O'Neill took over. Yes, some have turned into good ones, but an actual signing that really got you excited? How, after 18 months of recession, is it going to be any different this time? And the point i'm also trying to make is that at least a couple of those i've mentioned would turn out to be good signings anyway, and improve us a bit. Just not great ones.

Regardless of ones opinions on MONs signings, which in my opinion have ranged in scale from "Oh christ, why?" to "Fucking ace, just what we need", my point is that Keane, Doyle and O'Hara are not even close to "the best we can hope for". And neither are you realistic if you think so. I think its selling us short by some distance.

The next step up from such players is not the likes of David Villa. There is an ocean of difference between Doyle and O'Hara and Villa and Ozil and long may we sail it.

[Mazrim]

reality maz. best we can hope for is to hang on to 6th with this manager and the funding available

You dont live in the same Galaxy as reality greg. No offence.
And what's this about funding? Is that your latest bone?

We have signed a circa £20m sponsorship contract, may be selling anything from £20m-£50m of players and have a Billionaire owner who said there was money to spend on the team and has a proven track record of funding the team handsomely.
Are you trying to clumsily claim we'll be sniffing around the bins for players or something?

[pauliewalnuts]

reality maz. best we can hope for is to hang on to 6th with this manager and the funding available

You dont live in the same Galaxy as reality greg. No offence.
And what's this about fuunding? Is that your latest bone?

We have signed a circa £20m sponsorship contract, may be selling anything from £20m-£50m of players and have a Billionaire owner who said there was money to spend on the team and has a proven track record of funding the team handsomely.
Are you trying to clumsily claim we'll be sniffing around the bins for players or something?

You're right about the funding.

He's right about the manager, though.

[smudger]

o'hara, doyle, keane - all 'meh' signings but i think thats probably the market we're in now.

Quite. I think they are the best we can hope for, unfortunately.

Why? What's happened?

Name me 1 'wow' signing since O'Neill took over. Yes, some have turned into good ones, but an actual signing that really got you excited? How, after 18 months of recession, is it going to be any different this time? And the point i'm also trying to make is that at least a couple of those i've mentioned would turn out to be good signings anyway, and improve us a bit. Just not great ones.

Regardless of ones opinions on MONs signings, which in my opinion have ranged in scale from "Oh christ, why?" to "Fucking ace, just what we need", my point is that Keane, Doyle and O'Hara are not even close to "the best we can hope for". And neither are you realistic if you think so. I think its selling us short by some distance.

The next step up from such players is not the likes of David Villa. There is an ocean of difference between Doyle and O'Hara and Villa and Ozil and long may we sail it.

Go on then, stick your neck out and name some you think we should go for that we have even half a chance of getting.

I still maintain that those 3 would improve us. Who would you prefer out of Keane, Doyle and O'Hara and Heskey, Harewood and Sidwell?

[pauliewalnuts]

I still maintain that those 3 would improve us. Who would you prefer out of Keane, Doyle and O'Hara and Heskey, Harewood and Sidwell?

That's missing the point, though.

It isn't Sidwell, Harewood and Heskey we most need to be improving on.

It is Petrov, Carew and Agbonlahor.

[Mazrim]

Go on then, stick your neck out and name some you think we should go for that we have even half a chance of getting.

I still maintain that those 3 would improve us. Who would you prefer out of Keane, Doyle and O'Hara and Heskey, Harewood and Sidwell?

They may improve us but they're not the best we can hope for or even close.
Although why you've chose three players who dont start for us I dont know. Is that what we're looking to do then? Improve the quality of next years cast offs? No thanks.
I think we can do a bit better. We're not Bolton are we?