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

[Greg N'Ash]

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?

i don't think the money or know-how is there for a 4th place finish, but go on then. pretend mon likes foreign players and come up with some transfer ins and outs with money spent that will give us a realistic chance of 4th. yet to see anyone manage it

[Percy McCarthy]

I know lots of posters have a downer on him, but I think Doyle would be a very good signing. He's quick, clever, good in the air, technically excellent, gets through an unbelievable amount of work and is a decent finisher. I think Wolves will want more than we are prepared to gamble, but he will end up being a very good player at a big club quite soon IMO. I see Keane as a step down from him when considering possible purchases. He's not at all a 'wow' signing of course, but as Germany and Argentina proved today, for the thousandth time in football, the best individuals don't always make the best teams.

I'm a fan of Bentley too. Still the best right-sided midfielder in the country at his best, and no slouch in a central or advanced role.

I would sell Milner (if he wants to go and/or our budget depends on him), NRC, Sidwell, Shorey, Osbourne, Beye, Davies and Heskey, and bring in Ireland, Parker, Bentley and Doyle.

I rate Davies, but a combination of our existing strength in his position, his pay rise that kicks in on 60 games, and the worry that players sometimes don't fully recover from dislocated shoulders makes me think that maybe we should cash in. I would keep Luke Young and play him more often, and also as for back up for Warnock unless we have our eye on a promising youngster.

[Monty]

I'll name a couple: Stephen Ireland. Surely on his way out of City and we can offer him more than any other club who I suspect wants him. Rodallega: if we wanted him I suspect we'd be in with a big chance. Eduardo: looking for a new start and we could provide him with football.

I think that's better than Keane, Doyle and O'Hara, and that's just players in England we've been linked to.

[smudger]

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.

If you think MON will buy someone considerably better than Gabby and Petrov and drop them to the bench next season you must be a very optimistic individual. In actual fact i would expect Keane to start anyway, at the expense of one of those strikers, and Doyle would certainly be a better alternative option that Heskey or Harewood.

[smudger]

I'll name a couple: Stephen Ireland. Surely on his way out of City and we can offer him more than any other club who I suspect wants him. Rodallega: if we wanted him I suspect we'd be in with a big chance. Eduardo: looking for a new start and we could provide him with football.

I think that's better than Keane, Doyle and O'Hara, and that's just players in England we've been linked to.

Well, i'd got Ireland down myself. Rodellega i havn't seen much of to be fair.

[Monty]

I'll name a couple: Stephen Ireland. Surely on his way out of City and we can offer him more than any other club who I suspect wants him. Rodallega: if we wanted him I suspect we'd be in with a big chance. Eduardo: looking for a new start and we could provide him with football.

I think that's better than Keane, Doyle and O'Hara, and that's just players in England we've been linked to.

Well, i'd got Ireland down myself. Rodellega i havn't seen much of to be fair.

But you will accept that they are comfortably better (if you take my word on Rodallega, realistic options than the three you mentioned as the best we could hope for.

[Percy McCarthy]

Two players we have been linked with who I'd be very happy about signing are Guadardo and Boussafa.

[Greg N'Ash]

I'll name a couple: Stephen Ireland. Surely on his way out of City and we can offer him more than any other club who I suspect wants him. Rodallega: if we wanted him I suspect we'd be in with a big chance. Eduardo: looking for a new start and we could provide him with football.

I think that's better than Keane, Doyle and O'Hara, and that's just players in England we've been linked to.

i like ireland but not at the expense of milner. edurdo is a huge risk after that injury and Rodallega don't score enough

[smudger]

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?

Those were 3 players i suggested we sell to raise funds. At the end of the day, you obviously don't rate those players as highly as me, and appear to think that we are going to sign some bigger players (although haven't said who), but everyone has there own opinion. I reckon the 2 strikers in particular would surprise you.

[paul_e]

Thanks for that, I disagree with you so it must be that I only know anything about the sport from a computer game.

Either that or:

-  Doyle is an average premier league striker with limited technique who is unlikely to improve beyond where he is and would do nothing to help us break down teams, he holds the ball up reasonably well, but no better than carew or gabby, he works hard out wide, but no better than gabby, he finishes pretty well, but not really any better than gabby or carew.  So he'd bring 10-15 goals a season but do nothing to change our playstyle.

- O'hara typical premier league plodder in the middle of the park.  Sprays the odd 40yard pass which people think makes him a star but hasn't got the brain to play in triangles in the middle of the park and drag defenders/midfielders out of position, so offers nothing more than petrov in that regard.  He works reasonably hard and can tackle back ok, but is not as good as NRC in that regard.  He's got a decent shot on him, but is bit scattergun and won't get more than 6-7 in a season, so unlikely to better milner in that regard.  Overall, a decent player but not a step up over anyone we have and most definitely not a replacement for Milner, and again totally unable to provide us something we don't have already.

The reality is we need to be looking for players who will improve us, the likes of doyle and o'hara strengthen the squad but not the team and are therefore utterly pointless signings unless we're in desperate need of them.  Given the fact that our youth and reserves have been among the best in the country for a few years they deserve the chance to bulk out the squad.  That means we can then concentrate on 3-4 players who make our best 11 better, that then makes our current best 11 players squad members, which is how we get the quality in depth.

As for who to buy I don't know names but the types of players we need are:

a right footed warnock, able to attack and defend and with the right attitude.  Young has the first 2 so I can only assume he fails on the 3rd criteria.

An Essien style defensive midfielder.  Can be nasty and give someone a kick but also finds space and keeps the play ticking and has the technique to create things when he finds himself further forward. (I like to call this NRC with a brain).

A Xavi/Sneijder style midfielder who bosses the tempo of the game and dictates play, not spectacular on his own but allows people like ashley young to do their stuff where it hurts teams.

A Muller style forward who can score when the chances are there but is also comfortable getting involved all over the pitch and is as happy laying it on for someone else as he is scoring himself.

The only one of those that I have a specific name for is Annan for the defensive midfield role.  I've been very very impressed with him in the world cup but I understand it's very brave to go for someone on that basis.

Also note I'm not saying we have to be going for established players for those roles as clearly that would be out of our budget but our scouts should be told to look all over for the specific traits and we should be getting players who can become top players in those roles.

[Monty]

Two players we have been linked with who I'd be very happy about signing are Guadardo and Boussafa.

We've been linked with Guardado? That's interesting. I like him, tempo setting sort of midfielder. Him and Ireland could work a treat.

[smudger]

I'll name a couple: Stephen Ireland. Surely on his way out of City and we can offer him more than any other club who I suspect wants him. Rodallega: if we wanted him I suspect we'd be in with a big chance. Eduardo: looking for a new start and we could provide him with football.

I think that's better than Keane, Doyle and O'Hara, and that's just players in England we've been linked to.

Well, i'd got Ireland down myself. Rodellega i havn't seen much of to be fair.

But you will accept that they are comfortably better (if you take my word on Rodallega, realistic options than the three you mentioned as the best we could hope for.

I put Ireland down myself in addition to those 3. Rodellega may be a better option than SWP, but i think a few teams have looked at him so may be harder to get.

[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.

If you think MON will buy someone considerably better than Gabby and Petrov and drop them to the bench next season you must be a very optimistic individual. In actual fact i would expect Keane to start anyway, at the expense of one of those strikers, and Doyle would certainly be a better alternative option that Heskey or Harewood.

No, I don't think he will. That's the problem.

The point i was making was that, whilst improving the hardly-ever-play peripheral plays will improve us in the literal sense, just improving those players alone will not be anything like enough.

We have to get players in with the potential to make the current first teamers second stringers.

I can't believe anyone in their right mind thnks Doyle, Keane and O'Hara would be enough to do that.

[smudger]

Thanks for that, I disagree with you so it must be that I only know anything about the sport from a computer game.

Either that or:

-  Doyle is an average premier league striker with limited technique who is unlikely to improve beyond where he is and would do nothing to help us break down teams, he holds the ball up reasonably well, but no better than carew or gabby, he works hard out wide, but no better than gabby, he finishes pretty well, but not really any better than gabby or carew.  So he'd bring 10-15 goals a season but do nothing to change our playstyle.

- O'hara typical premier league plodder in the middle of the park.  Sprays the odd 40yard pass which people think makes him a star but hasn't got the brain to play in triangles in the middle of the park and drag defenders/midfielders out of position, so offers nothing more than petrov in that regard.  He works reasonably hard and can tackle back ok, but is not as good as NRC in that regard.  He's got a decent shot on him, but is bit scattergun and won't get more than 6-7 in a season, so unlikely to better milner in that regard.  Overall, a decent player but not a step up over anyone we have and most definitely not a replacement for Milner, and again totally unable to provide us something we don't have already.

The reality is we need to be looking for players who will improve us, the likes of doyle and o'hara strengthen the squad but not the team and are therefore utterly pointless signings unless we're in desperate need of them.  Given the fact that our youth and reserves have been among the best in the country for a few years they deserve the chance to bulk out the squad.  That means we can then concentrate on 3-4 players who make our best 11 better, that then makes our current best 11 players squad members, which is how we get the quality in depth.

As for who to buy I don't know names but the types of players we need are:

a right footed warnock, able to attack and defend and with the right attitude.  Young has the first 2 so I can only assume he fails on the 3rd criteria.

An Essien style defensive midfielder.  Can be nasty and give someone a kick but also finds space and keeps the play ticking and has the technique to create things when he finds himself further forward. (I like to call this NRC with a brain).

A Xavi/Sneijder style midfielder who bosses the tempo of the game and dictates play, not spectacular on his own but allows people like ashley young to do their stuff where it hurts teams.

A Muller style forward who can score when the chances are there but is also comfortable getting involved all over the pitch and is as happy laying it on for someone else as he is scoring himself.

The only one of those that I have a specific name for is Annan for the defensive midfield role.  I've been very very impressed with him in the world cup but I understand it's very brave to go for someone on that basis.

Also note I'm not saying we have to be going for established players for those roles as clearly that would be out of our budget but our scouts should be told to look all over for the specific traits and we should be getting players who can become top players in those roles.

I didn't say that, i just asked the question. I get the impression one or two on here are like that. Anyway, as i said, we will have to disagree then. I also admire your optimism but fear you will be disappointed come 1/9.

[Percy McCarthy]

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.

If you think MON will buy someone considerably better than Gabby and Petrov and drop them to the bench next season you must be a very optimistic individual. In actual fact i would expect Keane to start anyway, at the expense of one of those strikers, and Doyle would certainly be a better alternative option that Heskey or Harewood.

No, I don't think he will. That's the problem.

The point i was making was that, whilst improving the hardly-ever-play peripheral plays will improve us in the literal sense, just improving those players alone will not be anything like enough.

We have to get players in with the potential to make the current first teamers second stringers.

I can't believe anyone in their right mind thnks Doyle, Keane and O'Hara would be enough to do that.

Doyle and Keane would massively improve our technique and imagination around the box. There would be a big sacrifice in terms of power and pace however. So I suppose it depends on what you consider most important, which is a purely subjective judgement.