Summer transfer madness thread

[tomd2103]

There must be kids at the top premier clubs in particular who could add creativity while jack is out in particular 
But the clubs might want assurances on them starting games which could be tricky unless they're genuinely stellar

We had two of those at the club at the start of the summer in Gil and McCormack.  It points to poor planning and preparation by Bruce if we are left short in that area.   

A bit unfair considering Grealish only got injured 3 days ago. As for Gil, he's been out of favour for a while and McCormack is not a Grealish type player anyway. Besides, the window does not close for another month.

Maybe, but if you are going to play a certain formation though, surely you ensure that you have enough options that one injury isn't going to throw your plans into turmoil.  There might be other factors involved with Gil and McCormack that we don't know about, but I would say in both cases that the 'number 10' position is really the only role they are going to be effective in, so it would have been worth having a look at them.  As it is, Bruce seems to have stumbled across the idea of playing a 'number 10' in the last couple of weeks of pre season and now don't seem to have many options there with Grealish's injury.     

[Clampy]

There must be kids at the top premier clubs in particular who could add creativity while jack is out in particular 
But the clubs might want assurances on them starting games which could be tricky unless they're genuinely stellar

We had two of those at the club at the start of the summer in Gil and McCormack.  It points to poor planning and preparation by Bruce if we are left short in that area.   

A bit unfair considering Grealish only got injured 3 days ago. As for Gil, he's been out of favour for a while and McCormack is not a Grealish type player anyway. Besides, the window does not close for another month.

Maybe, but if you are going to play a certain formation though, surely you ensure that you have enough options that one injury isn't going to throw your plans into turmoil.  There might be other factors involved with Gil and McCormack that we don't know about, but I would say in both cases that the 'number 10' position is really the only role they are going to be effective in, so it would have been worth having a look at them.  As it is, Bruce seems to have stumbled across the idea of playing a 'number 10' in the last couple of weeks of pre season and now don't seem to have many options there with Grealish's injury.     

Grealish being out is not ideal but it's hardy going to throw any plans into turmoil. Green has played most of pre-season so he can come in and play wide. McCormack has played a couple of pre-season games so it's not as if he's been totally ignored and Gil possibly didn't want to hang around anyway. Now we know how long Grealish is out for, he may well bring somebody in.

[eamonn]

I seriously doubt they would loan a player to us. And why should we help develop one of their players?

Because it could be a win / win. Every other Championship side takes good youngsters on loan from Premier clubs bar us. They would get a talented youngster developed, he could make a difference to us. Look at Chelsea and Izzy Brown last season. As for whether they would loan a player to us, it's the way professional football mangers think , us fans don't react the same way.

Izzy Brown? Wasn't she in Hollyoaks?

[Damo70]

I do agree that we don't seem to use the loan system enough, Johnstone aside. Some of the best players in the Championship last season were on loan from PL clubs.

I always thought that when he was at Small Heath Steve Bruce always used the loan system well. He was usually pretty smart in the January transfer window too.

[tomd2103]

There must be kids at the top premier clubs in particular who could add creativity while jack is out in particular 
But the clubs might want assurances on them starting games which could be tricky unless they're genuinely stellar

We had two of those at the club at the start of the summer in Gil and McCormack.  It points to poor planning and preparation by Bruce if we are left short in that area.   

A bit unfair considering Grealish only got injured 3 days ago. As for Gil, he's been out of favour for a while and McCormack is not a Grealish type player anyway. Besides, the window does not close for another month.

Maybe, but if you are going to play a certain formation though, surely you ensure that you have enough options that one injury isn't going to throw your plans into turmoil.  There might be other factors involved with Gil and McCormack that we don't know about, but I would say in both cases that the 'number 10' position is really the only role they are going to be effective in, so it would have been worth having a look at them.  As it is, Bruce seems to have stumbled across the idea of playing a 'number 10' in the last couple of weeks of pre season and now don't seem to have many options there with Grealish's injury.     

Grealish being out is not ideal but it's hardy going to throw any plans into turmoil. Green has played most of pre-season so he can come in and play wide. McCormack has played a couple of pre-season games so it's not as if he's been totally ignored and Gil possibly didn't want to hang around anyway. Now we know how long Grealish is out for, he may well bring somebody in.

Turmoil might have been a bit over the top - disrupted may have been more suitable!!  If you are going to play a certain way (ie. with a number ten) it hopefully involves work on the training ground in that particular shape and a number of games to get used to it.  To have to abandon it due to one player getting injured is not ideal at all really and will involve more work.  Lansbury or Bjarnason might well step into that role (they did on Saturday but were not overly impressive) and as you say there might have been other issues with Gil and McCormack that meant they needed to be moved on, but it does hint a bit at a lack of real planning.

[paul_e]

Given where and how Bruce seems to put a 10  think Gil is a loss but RM isn't really, I don't think he plays the role in the way we want/need which is why Bruce is looking to move him on.  Gil fairly obviously wanted to go so I don't fault him for that either.  I just hope he tries to address this before the end of the month but I think he sees Bjarnason as the main cover for the left wing and maybe even the 10

[RussellC]

It's a shame about Gil, as a little bit of guile goes along way in this league. Look how effective the likes of Forestieri and Knockheart have been in the previous few seasons. This is exactly the type of player we should be focusing on now.

[tomd2103]

It's a shame about Gil, as a little bit of guile goes along way in this league. Look how effective the likes of Forestieri and Knockheart have been in the previous few seasons. This is exactly the type of player we should be focusing on now.

In any other formation, I would say him and McCormack would be ineffective in this league, but 4-4-2 with them as a second striker type of player is the formation to best utilise them.  I would have liked to seen Gil given a run of games if we are to play that formation, but not to be. 

[LukeJames]

It's a shame about Gil, as a little bit of guile goes along way in this league. Look how effective the likes of Forestieri and Knockheart have been in the previous few seasons. This is exactly the type of player we should be focusing on now.

Exactly this, the theory that you can't use these type of players in this league is a lazy stereotype.

[paul_e]

I agree, I think Gil in behind Hogan or Kodjia would've been effective but he made it very clear that he wanted to go back to Spain so I don't think Bruce really had much option there.  I would like to see him bring in a left/central player like him though.  I don't think RM is busy enough to do the job, he seems like a less talented, and much shorter, version of Berbatov in that he has talent but only wants to get involved when he feels like it.  That might be harsh but it's the impression I got last year and nothing this summer suggests a change in attitude despite him looking much fitter.  It also explains why he has fitness problems, if he can't be that arsed in a game he's probably a terrible trainer.

[Gareth]

It's a shame about Gil, as a little bit of guile goes along way in this league. Look how effective the likes of Forestieri and Knockheart have been in the previous few seasons. This is exactly the type of player we should be focusing on now.

Can't say I ever saw anything in Gil to suggest he was anything like as good as Forestieri or Knockhart, both of those you carry when they are doing nothing because they have the ability to turn a game with a power dribble or an incisive pass - in the games I saw him play for us & the couple on tv last year Gil moves nicely sideways but that was it.

I said it the day we signed him and stand by it, Valencia don't sell you a lot for 3m.

[passitsideways]

It's a shame about Gil, as a little bit of guile goes along way in this league. Look how effective the likes of Forestieri and Knockheart have been in the previous few seasons. This is exactly the type of player we should be focusing on now.

Can't say I ever saw anything in Gil to suggest he was anything like as good as Forestieri or Knockhart, both of those you carry when they are doing nothing because they have the ability to turn a game with a power dribble or an incisive pass - in the games I saw him play for us & the couple on tv last year Gil moves nicely sideways but that was it.

I said it the day we signed him and stand by it, Valencia don't sell you a lot for 3m.

Um, this entire video is basically him beating a man and then moving it quickly on, and this all happened, remember, at the very peak of the Lambert anti-football era:

If he could do it against Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, there's no reason why he couldn't have managed it against some of the chancers at this level. I can understand us getting rid on the grounds of mentality/tactical fit (especially the latter - he's not a right winger to play in a 4-4-2, and I doubt Bruce would be up for giving him a free role with no defensive responsibilities), but talent is absolutely not the issue.

[Hookeysmith]

There's a lad at the Boggies called Jonathan Leko who is very quick, can beat defenders for fun, but very raw. Tiny really rates him, but maybe a season's loan an outside possibility? Plays wide right I know , but maybe could give an option on left cutting back inside a la Ashley Young. Come to think of it , reminds me of him a bit.

If it's the kid I'm thinking about then I believe Pulis dropped him from the squad because he developed a bad attitude in the mold of Berahino?

Or with Pulis because he probably was not a centre half or a brick shithouse

[Hookeysmith]

It's a shame about Gil, as a little bit of guile goes along way in this league. Look how effective the likes of Forestieri and Knockheart have been in the previous few seasons. This is exactly the type of player we should be focusing on now.

Can't say I ever saw anything in Gil to suggest he was anything like as good as Forestieri or Knockhart, both of those you carry when they are doing nothing because they have the ability to turn a game with a power dribble or an incisive pass - in the games I saw him play for us & the couple on tv last year Gil moves nicely sideways but that was it.

I said it the day we signed him and stand by it, Valencia don't sell you a lot for 3m.

Um, this entire video is basically him beating a man and then moving it quickly on, and this all happened, remember, at the very peak of the Lambert anti-football era:

If he could do it against Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, there's no reason why he couldn't have managed it against some of the chancers at this level. I can understand us getting rid on the grounds of mentality/tactical fit (especially the latter - he's not a right winger to play in a 4-4-2, and I doubt Bruce would be up for giving him a free role with no defensive responsibilities), but talent is absolutely not the issue.

Where is the other montage of him losing the ball, being caught in no mans land and shrugging his shoulders and not running back

Video as we know can be deceiving

[passitsideways]

It's a shame about Gil, as a little bit of guile goes along way in this league. Look how effective the likes of Forestieri and Knockheart have been in the previous few seasons. This is exactly the type of player we should be focusing on now.

Can't say I ever saw anything in Gil to suggest he was anything like as good as Forestieri or Knockhart, both of those you carry when they are doing nothing because they have the ability to turn a game with a power dribble or an incisive pass - in the games I saw him play for us & the couple on tv last year Gil moves nicely sideways but that was it.

I said it the day we signed him and stand by it, Valencia don't sell you a lot for 3m.

Um, this entire video is basically him beating a man and then moving it quickly on, and this all happened, remember, at the very peak of the Lambert anti-football era:

If he could do it against Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, there's no reason why he couldn't have managed it against some of the chancers at this level. I can understand us getting rid on the grounds of mentality/tactical fit (especially the latter - he's not a right winger to play in a 4-4-2, and I doubt Bruce would be up for giving him a free role with no defensive responsibilities), but talent is absolutely not the issue.

Where is the other montage of him losing the ball, being caught in no mans land and shrugging his shoulders and not running back

Video as we know can be deceiving

Right, because I'm sure every no. 10-type who's done a decent job at this level never lost the ball, was always in the right position, always had a top attitude, and always worked their bollocks off defensively.

I don't deny that he had his faults, but I simply don't agree with the assessment that he didn't have the talent to do well at this level. I'm much more receptive to the suggestion that providing him with the platform to shine as an individual probably wouldn't have benefitted the team as a whole though, results-wise.