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

[Clark W Griswold]

Nearly half the transfer window gone and we have sold a striker while we still needed him and brought in a goalkeeper on loan.  This is starting to feel horribly Groundhog.  For all our fannying about in the transfer market we seem to get twice as many Elphicks as Kodjias.

I very much doubt it's a lack of trying.

Would have been nice to have gone into tomorrow's game with a couple of new players in though I must admit.

[passitsideways]

Not sure a lot of deals get done in the first half of January anyway.

[peter w]

Just me I suppose but I fear the last minute trolley dash will have us at the check out without what we were actually trying to buy.  Rather like Mario Ballotelli being sent out by his mother to buy an ironing board and coming back with a mountain bike.

To be fair if that is a player analogy then it sounds like Mario Balotelli should be in charge of our scouting.

[mattjpa]

Get some players in. Get on a run. Get into the play-offs. Get back where we belong.

In an ideal world. Just fear that we may end up buying a load of shit for exorbitant prices that we are then gonna have to try and shift next summer.
The only real criticism ive got of the Dr T regime is that there doesnt seem to be alot of thought put into the signings in the summer. The squad was left unbalanced, we were left with an inexperienced lad in goal, too many strikers with different styles, hangovers like agbonlahor and richards from previous regimes and a lack of real talent in the centre of midfield (although tshibola may turn out to be excellent)

[Clampy]

I think we all would have liked a couple of more faces in by now but it does sound like they're working on it.

[Phil from the upper holte]

January is always the same, nothing happens until the last few days

[Ads]

Selling clubs have the power and also the caution as everybody knows how hard it is to replace what you've got. No point buying for buying's sake, as we've got enough average players already.

I'd have liked the midfield sorted, but as others have said, its probably not going to happen until the last few days.

[JJ-AV]

They must have big plans if £1m Hourihane isn't being targeted. That seems a no-brainer signing especially for such a relative pittance. We've been playng with 3 midfielders under Bruce - assuming Lansbury comes in then right now its him, Tish and Jed with Gardner, Bacuna and Westwood as back-up for me.

[UK Redsox]

I thought that Tony had said (or at least indicated) that the club would be looking at MLS loans ?

If so, surely those could have been sorted by now

[Dante Lavelli]

Get some players in. Get on a run. Get into the play-offs. Get back where we belong.

I don't think Bruce trusting and testing the existing squad and going for the play-off are mutually exclusive options.  The current bunch should have been there or thereabouts anyway so any potential signings  should be considered against our long term targets rather than addressing short term, temporary problems (imo). 

[sirlordbaltimore]

There's no way Hourihane is going anywhere for 1 million

[PeterWithesShin]

He's out of contract in the summer so that's why he's cheap.

[paul_e]

Get some players in. Get on a run. Get into the play-offs. Get back where we belong.

I don't think Bruce trusting and testing the existing squad and going for the play-off are mutually exclusive options.  The current bunch should have been there or thereabouts anyway so any potential signings  should be considered against our long term targets rather than addressing short term, temporary problems (imo). 

but that's the thing, if he doesn't get some reinforcements in midfield I think the months of tish being sidelined and the weeks of poor performances become even harder to accept.

[sirlordbaltimore]

He's out of contract in the summer so that's why he's cheap.

He's still not going to go for a million i'm sure

[tony scott]

I don't get ,waiting till next season for a promotion push ,the payments for the relegated teams will have improved, making it more difficult.  It is difficult to see how Dr Z is going to splash the cash again, maybe we should pick up a couple of young strong running midfielders from Div1 / Div 2, and try to slot them in now ,instead of crossing our fingers and waiting until the end of the transfer window. Surely if Lansbury can leave for nothing at the of the season, a deal could have been done by now, it's in everybody's best interests!