January Transfer Window Rumours/Suggestions/Hearsay/Heresy/Horseplay

[oswald funkletrumpet]

So...

Outs:
Gestede 6m
Westwood 5m
McCormack Loan
Tshibola Loan
Ayew 5m
Gollini Loan
Toner Loan

Total - 16m

Ins:
Taylor Free, Swap
Hogan 9m
Hourihane 2m
Bree 3m
Lansbury 3m
Bedeau 1m
Bjarneson 2m
Johnstone Loan

Total 20m
There is also a good chance of McCormack turning permanent for a fee, I would say that for what will most probably end up being a break even scenario, that is some really good business

I wouldnt be banking on that, forest are piss pot poor and will be paying about 25% of his wages

[mattjpa]

So...

Outs:
Gestede 6m
Westwood 5m
McCormack Loan
Tshibola Loan
Ayew 5m
Gollini Loan
Toner Loan

Total - 16m

Ins:
Taylor Free, Swap
Hogan 9m
Hourihane 2m
Bree 3m
Lansbury 3m
Bedeau 1m
Bjarneson 2m
Johnstone Loan

Total 20m
There is also a good chance of McCormack turning permanent for a fee, I would say that for what will most probably end up being a break even scenario, that is some really good business

I wouldnt be banking on that, forest are piss pot poor and will be paying about 25% of his wages

True. but I think Bruce will be here for a while regardless of how he does this season so i cant see a way back for mccormack. Hopefully if nothing else it will put him in the shop window

[dave shelley]

Personally I find it difficult to criticise the business carried out this window.   We can argue as much as we like about the quality of the incoming players, the fullness of time will decide that but, we've been crying out for a competent midfield and we got one, certainly an improvement on the previous IMO.  We also got a striker which we were crying out for.  That in itself has shown that the powers that be were aware of what was needed and addressed it.  No complaints from me.

[Clark W Griswold]

Yeah, on the face of it they've done a great job. Player for player we look really strong, but as a team we're really shocking and it's probably just going to require patience this time. Use the rest of this season to experiment and tweak.

[Toronto Villa]

The game last night deflected from what was a very good transfer window. But it doesn't tarnish it and doesn't in any suggest the players we bought are bad. They just need to play together and come to an understanding.

[Steve67]

The game last night deflected from what was a very good transfer window. But it doesn't tarnish it and doesn't in any suggest the players we bought are bad. They just need to play together and come to an understanding.

I think this nails it.  I dare say, we also missed Jedinak last night as Brentford had the skill to find their men in lovely holes of space.  Jedinak might have defended the back four a little better.  It was a good window.  We asked for players with good passing and movement, good delivery, finishing prowess etc and we have it.  It will take time to get them sorted now as we have had surgery yet again on the club with a 15 player turnaround, after having a 25 player turnaround in the summer.  Time to pause and plan now for Bruce.  We are unlikely to get anything out of this season, so sow the seeds, lay the foundations, bring in a centre half and keeper in the summer, perhaps a left midfielder and really go for it next season.  My one only fear with this windows signings; if you buy enough Championship players, you become a Championship side.  I guess that's where we are, no denying it.  I do hope though, that the likes of Hogan, Lansbury and Hourihane have the hunger and desire to want to play at the higher level and are not happy where they are, mid-table, earning shit loads of cash, and lose their desire and hunger to go higher.  Overall, a great window and we now need to get organized and start scoring goals.

[Holtemeister]

Last night was incredibly dissapointing ... not just the result or performance but for what is yet another false dawn.

I was really looking forward to seeing the new lads play last night ... i thought we had bought well and resolved problems that had been with us for years.

I was also excited by the timing of most of the signings with the break before last night we had a bit of time for some of the new boys to gel.  I thought we would come out all guns blazing and to be fair first 10 minutes we looked good.

So what happened...Brentford reacted we didnt and went from having the best midfield (on paper) to no midfield at all on the pitch.

I think Bruce would have learned an important lesson last night ... you cant play with all your new toys at once !!! Last night may just have been too much too soon.

[themossman]

Yeah, on the face of it they've done a great job. Player for player we look really strong, but as a team we're really shocking and it's probably just going to require patience this time. Use the rest of this season to experiment and tweak.

There's the rub. Loads of us (me included) were crowing about how much better balanced we'd be with all these new French lads instead of Benteke. They were actually all decent players but came together to form a shit team. Sadly early evidence is we might have pulled that stunt a third time in a row. I know I know it's very early days but I'm not flushed with confidence.

[PaulWinch again]

Last night was incredibly dissapointing ... not just the result or performance but for what is yet another false dawn.

I was really looking forward to seeing the new lads play last night ... i thought we had bought well and resolved problems that had been with us for years.

I was also excited by the timing of most of the signings with the break before last night we had a bit of time for some of the new boys to gel.  I thought we would come out all guns blazing and to be fair first 10 minutes we looked good.

So what happened...Brentford reacted we didnt and went from having the best midfield (on paper) to no midfield at all on the pitch.

I think Bruce would have learned an important lesson last night ... you cant play with all your new toys at once !!! Last night may just have been too much too soon.

One game is way too early to determine if this is another false dawn.

[paul_e]

Yeah, on the face of it they've done a great job. Player for player we look really strong, but as a team we're really shocking and it's probably just going to require patience this time. Use the rest of this season to experiment and tweak.

There's the rub. Loads of us (me included) were crowing about how much better balanced we'd be with all these new French lads instead of Benteke. They were actually all decent players but came together to form a shit team. Sadly early evidence is we might have pulled that stunt a third time in a row. I know I know it's very early days but I'm not flushed with confidence.

You don't build a team by buying people and throwing them together.  You build a team by making sure everyone knows who is doing what and can trust each other to do it.  What Bruce should've been doing for the last 4 months was working on those jobs with the players he wanted to keep or who he thought were worth keeping around the squad and then as he added in the window you just start focusing on the role you've bought each player for and fit them into a team which is largely ready to go.

[cheltenhamlion]

Yeah, on the face of it they've done a great job. Player for player we look really strong, but as a team we're really shocking and it's probably just going to require patience this time. Use the rest of this season to experiment and tweak.

There's the rub. Loads of us (me included) were crowing about how much better balanced we'd be with all these new French lads instead of Benteke. They were actually all decent players but came together to form a shit team. Sadly early evidence is we might have pulled that stunt a third time in a row. I know I know it's very early days but I'm not flushed with confidence.

You don't build a team by buying people and throwing them together.  You build a team by making sure everyone knows who is doing what and can trust each other to do it.  What Bruce should've been doing for the last 4 months was working on those jobs with the players he wanted to keep or who he thought were worth keeping around the squad and then as he added in the window you just start focusing on the role you've bought each player for and fit them into a team which is largely ready to go.

Whilst I don't disagree, that is tough when you plan on removing your whole midfield.

[Ads]

He's got to be starting Bree.

[paul_e]

Yeah, on the face of it they've done a great job. Player for player we look really strong, but as a team we're really shocking and it's probably just going to require patience this time. Use the rest of this season to experiment and tweak.

There's the rub. Loads of us (me included) were crowing about how much better balanced we'd be with all these new French lads instead of Benteke. They were actually all decent players but came together to form a shit team. Sadly early evidence is we might have pulled that stunt a third time in a row. I know I know it's very early days but I'm not flushed with confidence.

You don't build a team by buying people and throwing them together.  You build a team by making sure everyone knows who is doing what and can trust each other to do it.  What Bruce should've been doing for the last 4 months was working on those jobs with the players he wanted to keep or who he thought were worth keeping around the squad and then as he added in the window you just start focusing on the role you've bought each player for and fit them into a team which is largely ready to go.

Whilst I don't disagree, that is tough when you plan on removing your whole midfield.

Indeed it is, but if you're paid a fortune for your ability to manage a football team you should be able to start the job with 17-18 of the 24-25 players you want to keep, even if getting gardner to 'be' lansbury isn't going to happen you can get him playing in the right areas.  It might not give us the results and if I could see that the plans were being worked on but we were failing to execute them I'd be much more forgiving but I just don't see it.

Also it doesn't cover the fact that the first time we got dragged deep and left a gap of 25-30m between the forward and anyone else he should've been working withe the squad (specifically with Adomah, Grealish, Green, Kodjia, etc) on ways to stop that from happening but instead it's become our 'style' away from home that our striker gets more and more isolated until we throw a few more attacking players on for the last 10 to try to save face.  It doesn't hide the fact that he, as a very experienced central defender with another as his assistant, should have been working with Hutton, Amavi, Chester, Baker, Elphick and a few kids getting them talking to each other more, understanding each others game and working as a unit.  He doesn't seem to have bothered and so we leave bus sized gaps right through the middle of the team as soon as a team offers some movement.

My real concern is, as i said, he bought into the idea that his job from October to December was to hold things together until he could buy better players and he focused entirely on signings and ignored the squad.  This is backed up by the sheer amount of business we've done.

[PeterWithesShin]

He's got to be starting Bree.

Amavi needs replacing at present more than Hutton imo.

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Amavi can cross a ball, but I wouldn't disagree that Amavi's form has dropped right off.