Summer 2015 - Transfer Rumours, Speculation & Suggestions

[SirSteveUK]

...................... but I can only see a season of struggle ahead again.

Turn your telescope round....

WTF ? On what basis ??

[Steve67]

I'm not sure that these players will suddenly improve, if we don't bring anyone in of course, to the degree that they suddenly become better than lower half players. Sherwood needs a real boost of energy and toughness in midfield and another goalscorer if we are to improve. We also desperately need a quality leader at the back. Lots to do.

[ozzjim]

...................... but I can only see a season of struggle ahead again.

Meek home defeats to Swansea, Burnley and Stoke, defeat at Newcastle, a 6-1 battering at Southampton? Sherwood has done very well to keep this lot up, but the side needs some decent surgery to make it comfortable in mid table.
Turn your telescope round....

WTF ? On what basis ??

[ciggiesnbeer]

Scraping survival in the bottom place that stays up should not give any of us optimism. What should is some of the great displays we have seen under Sherwood.

Its funny how clubs have momentum one way or another. It seems no matter how much money gets thrown at Sunderland they are destined to struggle, likewise no matter how little gets thrown at Swansea they seem to be just fine.

Strange stuff.

[frank black]

One can only assume it's business as usual, unless we've been sold.

Probably have a few more quid to spend, but need to get the ageing players off the payroll. Cole, Senderos and Given. I would hope we chuck some of Bents wages into getting Benteke for another season.

It's going to be an interesting summer, no doubt.

[villa `cross the mersey]

What worries me is that ok we have gotten 5 victories under Sherwood but there are 7 losses in there too - we could have done with a few more gritty draws - for me the biggest signing in the summer should be a top quality defensive coach.

[Dante Lavelli]

Its funny how clubs have momentum one way or another. It seems no matter how much money gets thrown at Sunderland they are destined to struggle, likewise no matter how little gets thrown at Swansea they seem to be just fine.

Strange stuff.

A good choice of clubs: Swansea have a defined style of football and any manager must adhere to this blueprint, whereas Sunderland have jumped from MON to Poyet who have completely different philosophies.  Villa have recently been closer to Sunderland because we do not have a footballing identity.

I'm not sure what Sherwood's style is yet but I'd like to think that the club can identify something in his management which can become the club's unique selling point.  Maybe the promotion of young english players or the fact that we excel at coaching (no more 'bibs' and 'cones' malaise).

[aj2k77]

What worries me is that ok we have gotten 5 victories under Sherwood but there are 7 losses in there too - we could have done with a few more gritty draws - for me the biggest signing in the summer should be a top quality defensive coach.

I think over the course of a season we'd be in line for 45/46 pts from what Sherwoods done, in other words 13th. Picking them up from the gutter of a pathetic season where we'd become a bit of a national joke to achieve 16pts from 13 games is not bad in my eyes. I wouldn't even say a defensive coach would help that much, more we just need better defenders. How many individual errors have cost us goals this season? Absolutely bucket loads, by the lot of them.

[OCD]

We do need to sort the defence out, it's very obvious. I like that he's prepared to lose a point in order to get 3 points, we'll benefit more from that approach and it was vital with where we were when Sherwood took over. There were games like Stoke where we stupidly threw a point away but that should be better next season.

[paul_e]

What worries me is that ok we have gotten 5 victories under Sherwood but there are 7 losses in there too - we could have done with a few more gritty draws - for me the biggest signing in the summer should be a top quality defensive coach.

I think over the course of a season we'd be in line for 45/46 pts from what Sherwoods done, in other words 13th. Picking them up from the gutter of a pathetic season where we'd become a bit of a national joke to achieve 16pts from 13 games is not bad in my eyes. I wouldn't even say a defensive coach would help that much, more we just need better defenders. How many individual errors have cost us goals this season? Absolutely bucket loads, by the lot of them.

It's not entirely down to better defenders, more just fit defenders.

For the 6-1 we had hutton playing out of position just back from injury and okore playing with an injury, Burnley we had Nzog at left back and Baker playing just back from injury.

Our record when we had Clark and Okore both fit and available was a lot better, it's been the problem in our defence for years now, every time we get a settled back 4 we start picking up injuries and end up with a group who look like they've never met.

[Goldie.7]

If manure don't wan't Hernandez we'll have him.

[silhillvilla]

If manure don't wan't Hernandez we'll have him.

Agree but suspect he will want a CL club.

[Goldie.7]

If manure don't wan't Hernandez we'll have him.

Agree but suspect he will want a CL club.

Agreed but he tried that last year and hardly played in it. In fact he hardly played at all.

[Toronto Villa]

Just because it didn't work at Real Madrid I doubt he's about to throw in the towel and settle for mid table PL. I'm sure he'll have plenty of suitors willing to offer him better prospects and very likely in the CL.

[KevinGage]

I wonder just how damaging that mini collapse at the end of the season could be to us.

We were safe pre Burnley/ dead rubber yada yada yada. But the table looks ugly. And overseas players who we might have targeted could look at that and steer clear.

Finish 14 and you can argue that you were just a wee bit below mid table, and with fresh impetus, you could be pushing for Europa League next season.  Finish 17th with only one win separating you from the doomed and finishing below such utter dross as Newcastle, Sunderland, Leicester and West Brom - and the job becomes harder.

From the outside looking in, finishing 16th, 15th, 15th and 17th doesn't look like a club on the up.