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Author Topic: Previous Transfer Approach  (Read 7354 times)

Offline Nii Lamptey

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #15 on: March 31, 2020, 10:55:41 AM »
A lot of them were the right players, sadly at the wrong time with the wrong coaches.

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #16 on: March 31, 2020, 02:35:12 PM »
Great article.

As much as Tim Sherwood would have us believe signing likes of Lennon and Cleverley would've lead us to glory, both did next to nothing at Everton (indeed Lennon also had mental health issues while he was there).

Had to laugh at Jay Emmanuel Thomas, he played 12 games for QPR in 3 years after joining them in 2015.

Think guys like Joe Gomez and Pavard would've been the same as the others who came in that summer. Would've still needed 12-18 months to get used to top level. Pavard was only 19 at that stage and at Lille B so hadn't even played any senior football at that point.

Someone who could've made a difference would've been N'zonzi. Him and Gueye would've been nice powerhouse central midfield to fill the Delph void but that was where we were in the Lerner era that we couldn't afford someone from Stoke.

Ultimately the experienced players signed simply weren't good picks and that meant we didn't have the base to build the younger ones new to English football around. And of course we lost far too much quality that summer.

Would've actually been nice to have had that sort of transfer policy in place in the early years of Lerner's reign when he was fully invested in the club. However O'Neill would've quit within minutes if we'd tried to impose a stats based transfer system on him.

Online LeeB

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #17 on: March 31, 2020, 02:38:21 PM »
Fucking beat Leicester to their top two picks, turn down the chance to sign Vardy, we get relegated and they win the league.

You couldn't make shit like that up.

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #18 on: March 31, 2020, 02:43:48 PM »
No matter who we signed that summer, we were doomed with a clown coach, woeful board and a toxic core of experienced players. Some clearly talented players were signed but we couldn't provide them with the structure to succeed. Seems like we dodged some serious bullets with some of Sherwoods targets, Cleverley, Lennon, Adebayor et al....

Very interesting article. The core of the team had been lost (Benteke, Delph, Vlaar) and replaced  utterly inadequately. Did anybody really believe Rudy Gestede could follow in CB's footsteps? I remember during that time thinking that Amavi, Ayew, Gueye and Vertout all had real potential. However, Sherwood's (apparent) signings were abysmal flops and provided no leadership or cohesion. Once things began to unravel the blame game started and divisions within the camp became toxic.

Did Sherwood really want them? Were they signed above his head? Didn't he want Adebayor, Townsend and others?

Like Smith wanted Behrama & Philips?

I'm just not sure the Director of Football approach works when it seems managers don't have a say

So you'd rather a manager gets his first picks even if they're no better or even worse than what we sign as we did with Sherwood that summer?

Benrahama and Phillips do look excellent in championship but again neither have played in top divisions. I would've been happy signing Maupay last summer but after doing o.k for Brighton up to xmas the goals dried up in last few months.

If Dean Smith had last summer Gary Cahill and Maxi Gomez at the training ground ready to sign then that's a different story.

The key is to have these sorts of transfer summers when you're on the rise and actually keeping your key players.

Going back to mid 90s and we signed Savo and Collymore when we were keeping Dwight Yorke rather than signing either to replace him. O.k it didn't work out on the pitch but on paper it gave us a pretty good looking strikeforce and fuelled the optimism.

Lots of people like citing Leicester as a great example but let's remember they sign up and comers like James Maddison knowing they have one of the best strikers around as a constant up front.

When Benteke did a u turn and decided to stay in summer 2013 we "strengthened" up front by signing likes of Tonev, Helenius and Bacuna.

I actually think that summer did lots of damage to us in the long run. 2015 was just the death knell to our premier league status.

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #19 on: March 31, 2020, 02:49:24 PM »
Fucking beat Leicester to their top two picks, turn down the chance to sign Vardy, we get relegated and they win the league.

You couldn't make shit like that up.

Vardy had only actually scored 5 league goals in 14/15, he went from September 2014 to 21st March without scoring so you can only imagine the reaction if we'd signed him for 15m that summer (was 28 aswell so was probably ruled out on age grounds). One more goal over the season than Weimann managed.

At least Gestede was a prolific scorer even if we quickly saw he was out of his depth in the premier league. In any case the article states he was only ever going to be a plan B rather than actual Benteke's replacement but again we couldn't get in our first choice striker that summer for whatever reason.


Offline darren woolley

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #20 on: March 31, 2020, 05:15:28 PM »
A good read well written.

Offline cdbearsfan

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #21 on: March 31, 2020, 05:20:27 PM »
It's mad how much Vardy improved.

On a completely unrelated note, how often do players get drug tested?

Offline Steve67

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #22 on: March 31, 2020, 07:56:00 PM »
It's mad how much Vardy improved.

On a completely unrelated note, how often do players get drug tested?

Not nearly often enough!!

Offline Dante Lavelli

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #23 on: March 31, 2020, 08:09:33 PM »
Slight tangent, but there are similarities with this year’s recruitment.   A few young players who look to have potential but would benefit massively if they were joining more established sides.

Offline brontebilly

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #24 on: March 31, 2020, 09:43:48 PM »
Slight tangent, but there are similarities with this year’s recruitment.   A few young players who look to have potential but would benefit massively if they were joining more established sides.

Thats true, we really missed out on an experienced midfield player still capable of more than holding their own at this level. Luiz and Nakamba have sunk without trace but an experienced head in there with them and they may have thrived. Similar to Veretout and Gueye perhaps.

But there is no rationale that backs up signing semi retired duds like Reina and Drinky in January to turn around a sinking ship.

I dont see much potential in the likes of Wesley, Targett, Trez and Konsa unfortunately.

Offline PeterWithesShin

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #25 on: March 31, 2020, 09:47:19 PM »
In fairness there were loads thinking Reina was a cracking signing. Drinky, less said the better.

Offline brontebilly

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #26 on: March 31, 2020, 10:46:28 PM »
In fairness there were loads thinking Reina was a cracking signing. Drinky, less said the better.

One in particular thought Reina was 'oven ready' but 5 league appearances in two seasons should have suggested a lot different...

Only reading just now about how sick Reina was recently with this dreaded virus, good luck to him

Offline in exile

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #27 on: April 01, 2020, 10:52:00 AM »
It's mad how much Vardy improved.

On a completely unrelated note, how often do players get drug tested?
The players? After what I have read on here in the past couple of days some forum posters need it too

Offline ktvillan

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #28 on: April 02, 2020, 10:15:04 AM »
A very interesting and revealing article.  Sounds to me like we had a pretty sound scouting system and recruitment plan, a combination of spotting talent early for development and combining them with experienced pros who could keep the club ticking over.   The scouts are reasonably vindicated by the fact both the recommendations we did sign, and many of those we didn't,  have gone on to become top level performers.   

Sadly the person choosing the experienced pros seems to have been Sherwood and they turned out to be crocks, past-its and ne'er do wells like Richards and Lescott or out of their depth like Gestede.   His other preferences don't reflect well on him either although one or two (Townsend?)  may well have improved us.  Not duds like Lennon and Cleverly though who would have just drained the coffers even further.

Little wonder we ended up with a rift between the young foreign players and a clique of British "pros".  It was never going to work if Sherwood wasn't bought in to the process.  I get the feeling that even if we'd signed Gomez, Vardy, Kante, Praet and some of the others mentioned Sherwood would still have found a way to fuck it up - like telling the scouts he wanted wingbacks for 3-5-2 and then never using it.  The fucking moron.     

Offline ktvillan

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Re: Previous Transfer Approach
« Reply #29 on: April 02, 2020, 10:24:33 AM »
As for comparisons with more recent recruitment the problem again seems to be an imbalance between the untried younger players with potential and a more experienced spine of players to hold it together.  I don't think the likes of Guilbert, Targett, Luiz and Nakamba look significantly worse than Ayew, Traore, Amavi or Veretout did in a struggling team.  Guye admittedly adapted quicker but was the exception.  I can see quite a few of the current crop being top players in 2-4 years time, just not necessarily with us. Not Trezeguet though, he's Tonev/Helenius #2.

 


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