January Transfer Thread: Speculation, Lies, Absolute Cr*p and Bosman Rumours

[supertom]

Our midfield needs 2-3 quality additions, and amongst that, some experience and leadership. We're so poor in midfield right now. It's almost to the point that GT's midfield with players like Leonhardsen and Kinsella looks quite good.

[PeterWithesShin]

We were something like three points off the bottom of the league after losing at home to Wolves mid>late March.   Any season when you are that far down the league that late into the season can safely be described as a season of struggle.

And we only lost 4 of the last 17 games. Which is why we finished 9th.

[dave.woodhall]

When we signed Bent we were in a similar league position to what we are now, but that was January, it's only October now, so I would say we were in a worse position then than now.  Finishing 9th under Houllier/GMac felt like an awful time, following relative success of previous years, I'd bite someone's arms off for 9th this year however.

I keep getting into rows with Dave about this but  we finished ninth but we weren't ninth until the last game of the season. With three or four games remaining we were still looking over our shoulders at the trap door given that our last two games were Liverpool and Arsenal. That was by and large a season of struggle up until April when it clicked just in time. 

We had some luck too. We played Arsenal at a good time. They'd been struggling with their form a little and with naff all to play for had pretty much half a mind on their hols. Liverpool were just typically inconsistent, and again, we caught them on a day well below par. That 9th placing really masks how poor we were for most of the season. We were by no means worthy of a mid-table finish.

When we signed Bent we were in a similar league position to what we are now, but that was January, it's only October now, so I would say we were in a worse position then than now.  Finishing 9th under Houllier/GMac felt like an awful time, following relative success of previous years, I'd bite someone's arms off for 9th this year however.

I keep getting into rows with Dave about this but  we finished ninth but we weren't ninth until the last game of the season. With three or four games remaining we were still looking over our shoulders at the trap door given that our last two games were Liverpool and Arsenal. That was by and large a season of struggle up until April when it clicked just in time. 

We had some luck too. We played Arsenal at a good time. They'd been struggling with their form a little and with naff all to play for had pretty much half a mind on their hols. Liverpool were just typically inconsistent, and again, we caught them on a day well below par. That 9th placing really masks how poor we were for most of the season. We were by no means worthy of a mid-table finish.

One manager walking out days before the season started, another being taken seriously ill and more injuries than a motorway pile-up yet we were lucky. We must have the only supporters in history who moan that we shouldn't finish as high as we do.

[Toronto Villa]

When we signed Bent we were in a similar league position to what we are now, but that was January, it's only October now, so I would say we were in a worse position then than now.  Finishing 9th under Houllier/GMac felt like an awful time, following relative success of previous years, I'd bite someone's arms off for 9th this year however.

I keep getting into rows with Dave about this but  we finished ninth but we weren't ninth until the last game of the season. With three or four games remaining we were still looking over our shoulders at the trap door given that our last two games were Liverpool and Arsenal. That was by and large a season of struggle up until April when it clicked just in time. 

We had some luck too. We played Arsenal at a good time. They'd been struggling with their form a little and with naff all to play for had pretty much half a mind on their hols. Liverpool were just typically inconsistent, and again, we caught them on a day well below par. That 9th placing really masks how poor we were for most of the season. We were by no means worthy of a mid-table finish.

When we signed Bent we were in a similar league position to what we are now, but that was January, it's only October now, so I would say we were in a worse position then than now.  Finishing 9th under Houllier/GMac felt like an awful time, following relative success of previous years, I'd bite someone's arms off for 9th this year however.

I keep getting into rows with Dave about this but  we finished ninth but we weren't ninth until the last game of the season. With three or four games remaining we were still looking over our shoulders at the trap door given that our last two games were Liverpool and Arsenal. That was by and large a season of struggle up until April when it clicked just in time. 

We had some luck too. We played Arsenal at a good time. They'd been struggling with their form a little and with naff all to play for had pretty much half a mind on their hols. Liverpool were just typically inconsistent, and again, we caught them on a day well below par. That 9th placing really masks how poor we were for most of the season. We were by no means worthy of a mid-table finish.

One manager walking out days before the season started, another being taken seriously ill and more injuries than a motorway pile-up yet we were lucky. We must have the only supporters in history who moan that we shouldn't finish as high as we do.

throw in a few punch ups and it's actually quite the acheievement that we managed to finish where we did that season.

[Irish villain]

I'm not moaning, I was thrilled we got 9th that year! Thrilled!

Just saying it wasn't a great season and we were in a real scrap for survival until quite late on. It is the only season where I found myself stunned that we had finished that high.  At the time it seemed a minor miracle we crept into the top half after beating Arsenal and Liverpool.

I just feel it isn't correct to portray 10/11 as a fine season where we had nothing to worry about and that it was followed by a season which was but a temporary blip.

I wouldn't fall out with somebody over it though, it's just a difference in interpretation.

[dave.woodhall]

I'm not moaning, I was thrilled we got 9th that year! Thrilled!

Just saying it wasn't a great season and we were in a real scrap for survival until quite late on. It is the only season where I found myself stunned that we had finished that high.  At the time it seemed a minor miracle we crept into the top half after beating Arsenal and Liverpool.

I just feel it isn't correct to portray 10/11 as a fine season where we had nothing to worry about and that it was followed by a season which was but a temporary blip.

Nobody has ever said it was fine. I would say that under the circumstances it was the best we could have expected. My gripe is when people say that we didn't 'deserve' to finish where we did and believe that for some reason we were lucky.

[Irish villain]

I'm not moaning, I was thrilled we got 9th that year! Thrilled!

Just saying it wasn't a great season and we were in a real scrap for survival until quite late on. It is the only season where I found myself stunned that we had finished that high.  At the time it seemed a minor miracle we crept into the top half after beating Arsenal and Liverpool.

I just feel it isn't correct to portray 10/11 as a fine season where we had nothing to worry about and that it was followed by a season which was but a temporary blip.

Nobody has ever said it was fine. I would say that under the circumstances it was the best we could have expected. My gripe is when people say that we didn't 'deserve' to finish where we did and believe that for some reason we were lucky.

Sorry, I had just edited my previous comment as you posted yours. As I say, it is simply a difference in interpretation and we did deserve to finish 9th, the table doesn't lie. We played well in the last two games but then sold our two creative players.

[Gareth]

One manager walking out days before the season started, another being taken seriously ill and more injuries than a motorway pile-up yet we were lucky. We must have the only supporters in history who moan that we shouldn't finish as high as we do.

there was a guy on the WM phone in either last night or the night before offering excuses for the points that we have won this season - apparently Swansea were in turmoil when we beat them and Newcastle had a hard European trip just days before - unreal!!

[hilts_coolerking]

Nobody has ever said it was fine. I would say that under the circumstances it was the best we could have expected. My gripe is when people say that we didn't 'deserve' to finish where we did and believe that for some reason we were lucky.

9th was certainly better than most had been expecting for the majority of the season.  My gripe is that simply saying we finished 9th doesn't tell the whole story of the season.  For much of the time we were well below 9th and I don't think it's unfair to say that an unexpected set of circumstances on the final day boosted us up the table right at the most opportune moment.

[Risso]

And we only lost 4 of the last 17 games. Which is why we finished 9th.

We lost 6 out of the 8 before those 17 though!

[PeterWithesShin]

And we only lost 4 of the last 17 games. Which is why we finished 9th.

We lost 6 out of the 8 before those 17 though!

Indeed, which why we finished 9th. A reasonable(ish) start, a few months of pretty much wank and a more than decent finish. We deserved to be 9th and didn't have a season long struggle.

[KevinGage]

In your opinion. 

It sure felt like a struggle for most of that season.  Or did we all just imagine the anxiety around the place around the time of the Wolves, Newcastle and Wigan home matches? 

GH even mentioned the 'r' word as part of the reason for his game throwning antics at Man Citeh, so with respect, you're talking shite.

[PeterWithesShin]

In your opinion. 

It sure felt like a struggle for most of that season.  Or did we all just imagine the anxiety around the place around the time of the Wolves, Newcastle and Wigan home matches? 

GH even mentioned the 'r' word as part of the reason for his game throwning antics at Man Citeh, so with respect, you're talking shite.

Just because I and many others see the season in a different way to you doesn't make us wrong or "talking shite". We had a spell of a couple of months where things looked very dodgy. That is not the same as a season long struggle.

Out of interest, which part of "A reasonable(ish) start, a few months of pretty much wank and a more than decent finish. We deserved to be 9th" is incorrect?


And as an aside, i'm starting to get tired of us asking people that when having a debate/discussion, to do so without insults. There's been enough mentions of this over the past week on various threads that everyone should have noticed. So please, debate and disagree as much as you want, but do so respectfully as we'd hate to start sending folks on their holidays.

[hilts_coolerking]

One manager walking out days before the season started, another being taken seriously ill and more injuries than a motorway pile-up yet we were lucky. We must have the only supporters in history who moan that we shouldn't finish as high as we do.

Appointing a manager with a history of serious health problems and then losing him to serious health problems wasn't bad luck.  It was a high risk gamble that shouldn't have been taken in the first place.  Neither was O'Neill's departure bad luck, in the sense that it wasn't an unavoidable chance event.  These are all management / judgement issues and indicative of how things have been over the last two years.

[KevinGage]

In your opinion. 

It sure felt like a struggle for most of that season.  Or did we all just imagine the anxiety around the place around the time of the Wolves, Newcastle and Wigan home matches? 

GH even mentioned the 'r' word as part of the reason for his game throwning antics at Man Citeh, so with respect, you're talking shite.

Just because I and many others see the season in a different way to you doesn't make us wrong or "talking shite". We had a spell of a couple of months where things looked very dodgy. That is not the same as a season long struggle.

Out of interest, which part of "A reasonable(ish) start, a few months of pretty much wank and a more than decent finish. We deserved to be 9th" is incorrect?


And as an aside, i'm starting to get tired of us asking people that when having a debate/discussion, to do so without insults. There's been enough mentions of this over the past week on various threads that everyone should have noticed. So please, debate and disagree as much as you want, but do so respectfully as we'd hate to start sending folks on their holidays.

Get over yourself, you big girl.

It was you passing your opinion of as fact I had an issue with, not you personally.

As for that season, I remember it as a largely indifferent/shite start to the campaign (where throwing away leads and conceding from set pieces became de rigueur) a brutally bad 4/5 months between Nov-April and a final flourish that offered promise for 2011/12.  Little did we know.