Transfer Speculation / Gossip

[Clampy]

It would be nice if we could do a bit of business this week to improve the midfield. You cannot help but think that if we're able to keep Vlaar, then him and Okore will be pretty steady at the back. Some big horrible bugger in midfield to shield and protect them would have a big impact on our play.

I think that's exactly what we need as well.

[Des Little]

Now that David Villa has moved to New York, I don't even have the fleeting glimmer of excitement when I see the word 'Villa' in the transfer news pages. 

[papa lazarou]

It would be nice if we could do a bit of business this week to improve the midfield. You cannot help but think that if we're able to keep Vlaar, then him and Okore will be pretty steady at the back. Some big horrible bugger in midfield to shield and protect them would have a big impact on our play.

I think that's exactly what we need as well.

The thing is chaps, we can see the obvious need for this going back months and months, but can the manager? Or does he want to? He's had a long time to take action on this position.

[Matt Collins]

I am looking fed to vlaar and Okore. But they're not too tall and that might be a problem.

[villasjf]

It would be nice if we could do a bit of business this week to improve the midfield. You cannot help but think that if we're able to keep Vlaar, then him and Okore will be pretty steady at the back. Some big horrible bugger in midfield to shield and protect them would have a big impact on our play.

I think that's exactly what we need as well.

Grant Holte to re-sign then?

[Damo70]

We got 4 points out of a possible 24 without Benteke.
We have players we rely on every week that are not premier league standard.
We have re-introduced 3-4 experienced players that Lambert, for whatever reason, deemed not worthy of inclusion in the squad last season & hope they are motivated!
We have 2 of our better players running into the last year of their contract plus Gabby who is supposedly our main goal threat.
We have a manager that is tactically inept, no CEO & a Chairman desparate to escape at any what seems any cost.

A bad start to the season & all hell will break loose.

Who in their right mind would want to join that?

By the end of the season Lerner will be lucky to get back the price he paid Doug.

I really, really wanted to argue with some or all of that , but I can't. Except maybe the sale price of the club. If anything I would question how good our points ratio was when Benteke was playing. I suspect it was better but still not hugely impressive.

[supertom]

It would be nice if we could do a bit of business this week to improve the midfield. You cannot help but think that if we're able to keep Vlaar, then him and Okore will be pretty steady at the back. Some big horrible bugger in midfield to shield and protect them would have a big impact on our play.

I think that's exactly what we need as well.

The thing is chaps, we can see the obvious need for this going back months and months, but can the manager? Or does he want to? He's had a long time to take action on this position.

The worry could be if he becomes fixated on one target, as he did with Hoolahan, and leaves himself no time or options for alternative avenues. If we're genuinely after Ki, how long do we chase until we switch to alternative targets.

It may well not be for the want of trying but, Lamberts on his 5th transfer window and he's still miles off getting us a suitable midfield sorted for this league.
He's not signed anyone for the middle of the park since Sylla, and it's becoming very clear that Sylla, and to a lesser extent, KEA and Westwood, aren't cutting the mustard. It's all on Delph at the minute and we could be in danger of hampering Delph's development if he's having to cover another 1-2 positions to account for the ineptitude of others.

If Delph only has to worry about his own tasks he could evolve even further and perhaps develop into a goalscoring midfielder. He's shown flashes of it last season, and at Leeds. All too often though he's having to carry the can for the entire midfield almost single handed because the others aren't good enough.

[pauliewalnuts]

We got 4 points out of a possible 24 without Benteke.
We have players we rely on every week that are not premier league standard.
We have re-introduced 3-4 experienced players that Lambert, for whatever reason, deemed not worthy of inclusion in the squad last season & hope they are motivated!
We have 2 of our better players running into the last year of their contract plus Gabby who is supposedly our main goal threat.
We have a manager that is tactically inept, no CEO & a Chairman desparate to escape at any what seems any cost.

A bad start to the season & all hell will break loose.

Who in their right mind would want to join that?

By the end of the season Lerner will be lucky to get back the price he paid Doug.

I really, really wanted to argue with some or all of that , but I can't. Except maybe the sale price of the club. If anything I would question how good our points ratio was when Benteke was playing. I suspect it was better but still not hugely impressive.

With Benteke in the league, W8 D5 L13 so 29 points from 78

[brian green]

I don't want to focus on Lambert's failings. I simply feel that we have to assess our whole situation openly and honestly. It galls me when Lambert rides out a catalogue of mistakes and gets more time to sort out messes of his own making when his predecessor whom I believe to be no worse than the present manager was given the Bolton treatment.

[Surrey Villain]

It would be nice if we could do a bit of business this week to improve the midfield. You cannot help but think that if we're able to keep Vlaar, then him and Okore will be pretty steady at the back. Some big horrible bugger in midfield to shield and protect them would have a big impact on our play.

I think that's exactly what we need as well.

The thing is chaps, we can see the obvious need for this going back months and months, but can the manager? Or does he want to? He's had a long time to take action on this position.

The worry could be if he becomes fixated on one target, as he did with Hoolahan, and leaves himself no time or options for alternative avenues. If we're genuinely after Ki, how long do we chase until we switch to alternative targets.

It may well not be for the want of trying but, Lamberts on his 5th transfer window and he's still miles off getting us a suitable midfield sorted for this league.
He's not signed anyone for the middle of the park since Sylla, and it's becoming very clear that Sylla, and to a lesser extent, KEA and Westwood, aren't cutting the mustard. It's all on Delph at the minute and we could be in danger of hampering Delph's development if he's having to cover another 1-2 positions to account for the ineptitude of others.

If Delph only has to worry about his own tasks he could evolve even further and perhaps develop into a goalscoring midfielder. He's shown flashes of it last season, and at Leeds. All too often though he's having to carry the can for the entire midfield almost single handed because the others aren't good enough.

And we could lose him to a good offer!

[pauliewalnuts]

I don't want to focus on Lambert's failings. I simply feel that we have to assess our whole situation openly and honestly. It galls me when Lambert rides out a catalogue of mistakes and gets more time to sort out messes of his own making when his predecessor whom I believe to be no worse than the present manager was given the Bolton treatment.

My take on all this is that nothing can get any better until we have a takeover.

Randy is clearly going to spend as little as possible, he's not going to sack the manager and appoint a new one, he's almost certainly not going to appoint a new CEO, either.

The takeover is the key to all this. Until that happens, all the other stuff seems - to me at least - to be locked as it is now.

[bobdylan]

I don't want to focus on Lambert's failings. I simply feel that we have to assess our whole situation openly and honestly. It galls me when Lambert rides out a catalogue of mistakes and gets more time to sort out messes of his own making when his predecessor whom I believe to be no worse than the present manager was given the Bolton treatment.

My take on all this is that nothing can get any better until we have a takeover.

Randy is clearly going to spend as little as possible, he's not going to sack the manager and appoint a new one, he's almost certainly not going to appoint a new CEO, either.

Agreed, I think we'll get 2 loans in just before the season starts to see us through, a defensive central midfielder and another wide forward/creative option.  Hopefully the takeover happens this side of the next window so we can begin to rebuild.
The takeover is the key to all this. Until that happens, all the other stuff seems - to me at least - to be locked as it is now.

[aj2k77]

Yeah, we will be dieing a slow death until someone takes over, hopefully it's sooner rather than later because we won't survive in the league for much longer now and a lot of people must be starting to lose interest.

[Toronto Villa]

I don't want to focus on Lambert's failings. I simply feel that we have to assess our whole situation openly and honestly. It galls me when Lambert rides out a catalogue of mistakes and gets more time to sort out messes of his own making when his predecessor whom I believe to be no worse than the present manager was given the Bolton treatment.

My take on all this is that nothing can get any better until we have a takeover.

Randy is clearly going to spend as little as possible, he's not going to sack the manager and appoint a new one, he's almost certainly not going to appoint a new CEO, either.

The takeover is the key to all this. Until that happens, all the other stuff seems - to me at least - to be locked as it is now.

the optimistic in me is trying very hard, working many hours in addition to those scheduled to believe that the current dearth of any positive activity in the areas mentioned is due the takeover being not far away. Why would Randy Lerner, who came to the club and spun all of the positivity that he did let the club die on a vine as the final chapter in his story? I don't see him being that person, yet every day erodes some of that belief. What I am clinging on to is that the takeover won't be one of those drawn out things when it finally happens. That it is happening behind the scenes and when it takes place the news will break, and soon after it will be wrapped up. Off course I sincerely hope this happens in the next couple of weeks, because the thought that this is it in terms of our summer transfers in doesn't fill even the bright eyed optimistic with much hope for a good start to the campaign.

[brontebilly]

There wouldn't be any point sacking Lambert, given the current uncertain situation.

I know he deserved the bullet ages ago, and I too have zero faith in the bloke, but we are such a mess at the moment, sacking him would just create another element of instability.

What sort of manager would come here and work under these circumstances?

we've basically become the dignitas of managerial careers.

:) , facking quality

So true too