Summer Transfer Thread and Gustavo Cisneros Type Rumours.

[olaftab]

Slammed shut.
What a bloody let down

Yes I can't believe we have let Everton snatch Salomon Rondon from right under our nose.

[Flin5tone]

I think Dean and Purslow will regret the 18 months off Champions League Football comments.  Always the same with us all talk of where we 'deserve' to be but dont back it up with European position quality signings

[VILLA MOLE]

I think Dean and Purslow will regret the 18 months off Champions League Football comments.  Always the same with us all talk of where we 'deserve' to be but dont back it up with European position quality signings

subtle , ha ha oh mate

[paul_e]

How many teams have a 3rd choice keeper that they'd trust to start a run of games? Sinisalo had a very good loan out to Ayr and deserves a chance to be involved with the seniors in my opinion.

What level is the Scottish Championship though? Surely League 1 at best. Not saying he’s not a good player (never seen him play) but not sure I’d trust him to be our number one yet, having only played against the likes of Alloa and Queen of the South.

well no but he's a solid shout for 3rd choice, there really aren't many 3rd choice keepers in the league that are significantly better than he appears to be.

[sickbeggar]

Well that's it then. Personally I think Smith will be out of a job come October/November just because that's the period chairmen and fans get worried. And with the best will in the world, this fixture list has presented itself rather cruelly, along with the lack of luck/preparation upto now.. I doubt we'll be midtable then. And lets face it he got pelters on here last season for finishing the highest in the league for 10 years.

I've heard mention of us playing this Southampton system when everyone is fit where we ignore the centre midfield. Great, but Southampton play it because they haven't got many good players so a slightly better Southampton? Good luck with that. The other alternative is he keeps the ratboy formation. Good luck with that as well. Maybe he's got another formation up his sleeve. I hope so. I just think it's inevitable how its going to pan out now unfortunately.

[Flin5tone]

The fact after 3 very unconvincing performances we still don't know our best formation or a style of play is a big concern.The fact is without Jack Grealish we were terrible and had no real game plan should set alarm bells ringing.

I'd love to know what the owners are thinking. It's been a very odd summer and we still haven't replaced JT or ROK.

[Villan82]

This summer has been a big bump on the road. The first under these owners. I honestly think that while they knew he had a release clause they expected him to give us another season- that we would keep progressing and he would stay.

That's my gut. I think all the evidence since he left would suggest we have been scrambling around in crisis mode trying to find a way to steady the ship.

[paul_e]

The fact after 3 very unconvincing performances we still don't know our best formation or a style of play is a big concern.The fact is without Jack Grealish we were terrible and had no real game plan should set alarm bells ringing.

I'd love to know what the owners are thinking. It's been a very odd summer and we still haven't replaced JT or ROK.

Mcphee has replaced one of them, by numerous accounts the replacement for the other one is already sorted and will join up soon.

We still don't know our best team or formation because 3 major players have barely featured due to injuries but should all be fit for Chelsea. What has happened without Grealish in the past means fuck all now, before our best player was sat in the stands watching and it had an impact on everything that's not the case any more and we need to adapt, writing the chances of that off after 3 fucking games is just weird.

[Dante Lavelli]

The fact after 3 very unconvincing performances we still don't know our best formation or a style of play is a big concern.The fact is without Jack Grealish we were terrible and had no real game plan should set alarm bells ringing.

I'd love to know what the owners are thinking. It's been a very odd summer and we still haven't replaced JT or ROK.

Mcphee has replaced one of them, by numerous accounts the replacement for the other one is already sorted and will join up soon.

We still don't know our best team or formation because 3 major players have barely featured due to injuries but should all be fit for Chelsea. What has happened without Grealish in the past means fuck all now, before our best player was sat in the stands watching and it had an impact on everything that's not the case any more and we need to adapt, writing the chances of that off after 3 fucking games is just weird.

What have you heard regarding an additional coach?  And do notice periods between jobs exist in for football coaches?

[paul_e]

The fact after 3 very unconvincing performances we still don't know our best formation or a style of play is a big concern.The fact is without Jack Grealish we were terrible and had no real game plan should set alarm bells ringing.

I'd love to know what the owners are thinking. It's been a very odd summer and we still haven't replaced JT or ROK.

Mcphee has replaced one of them, by numerous accounts the replacement for the other one is already sorted and will join up soon.

We still don't know our best team or formation because 3 major players have barely featured due to injuries but should all be fit for Chelsea. What has happened without Grealish in the past means fuck all now, before our best player was sat in the stands watching and it had an impact on everything that's not the case any more and we need to adapt, writing the chances of that off after 3 fucking games is just weird.

What have you heard regarding an additional coach?  And do notice periods between jobs exist in for football coaches?

There's been comments from a few journos on twitter that we've reached an agreement with a new coach and we're waiting for him to finish up where he is before being announced. It seems like a really strange thing to make up so I assume it's true. I have no idea if notice periods exist but I do think we're run in a way where we'd be more respectful than most clubs in letting a club hold on for a few weeks to sort things themselves.

[brontebilly]

I think Dean and Purslow will regret the 18 months off Champions League Football comments.  Always the same with us all talk of where we 'deserve' to be but dont back it up with European position quality signings

We finished 11th last season and our best/most famous player forced his move away this summer. It's hardly the easiest to attract top quality players as a result no matter what money we have.

I think we have done very well to get Danny Ings in as I would have thought post Grealish leaving he would have had more attractive offers in the prem. Bailey and before then Sanson and Traore suggest we are an attractive proposition for decent players in the European leagues.

[paul_e]

I think Dean and Purslow will regret the 18 months off Champions League Football comments.  Always the same with us all talk of where we 'deserve' to be but dont back it up with European position quality signings

We finished 11th last season and our best/most famous player forced his move away this summer. It's hardly the easiest to attract top quality players as a result no matter what money we have.

I think we have done very well to get Danny Ings in as I would have thought post Grealish leaving he would have had more attractive offers in the prem. Bailey and before then Sanson and Traore suggest we are an attractive proposition for decent players in the European leagues.

It's also a bit of misunderstanding to focus on the 18months thing. Both said we were 18 months (so 1-2 seasons) away from offering HIM champions league football, now he's left they may shift that back a little and treat this season as a 'pause' where we focus on getting the base of the club and squad more stable and less reliant on 1 player. I guess what I'm saying is that if we're not challenging for top 4 next season I hope those quotes aren't used as a stick the beat them with (which they inevitably will be by some on here).

[brontebilly]

I think Dean and Purslow will regret the 18 months off Champions League Football comments.  Always the same with us all talk of where we 'deserve' to be but dont back it up with European position quality signings

We finished 11th last season and our best/most famous player forced his move away this summer. It's hardly the easiest to attract top quality players as a result no matter what money we have.

I think we have done very well to get Danny Ings in as I would have thought post Grealish leaving he would have had more attractive offers in the prem. Bailey and before then Sanson and Traore suggest we are an attractive proposition for decent players in the European leagues.

It's also a bit of misunderstanding to focus on the 18months thing. Both said we were 18 months (so 1-2 seasons) away from offering HIM champions league football, now he's left they may shift that back a little and treat this season as a 'pause' where we focus on getting the base of the club and squad more stable and less reliant on 1 player. I guess what I'm saying is that if we're not challenging for top 4 next season I hope those quotes aren't used as a stick the beat them with (which they inevitably will be by some on here).

There won't be too many on here complaining if we aren't challenging for top 4 next season, the "Big 4" seem to be immune from economic challenges given their spend this summer. But we all want to see progression, can we compete with the other 6 clubs that finished above us and pass us out.

The stats without Grealish in the team have been terrible for years so the pessimism is understandable.

[Smithy]

After their take-over, it took Man City three seasons to go from 9th (their last season pre oil money) to the top 4, and that's three years of spending god knows what on anyone they liked.  And it STILL took them three seasons to go up six league places.   Chelsea were already IN the top 4 when Abramovic took over.

We have to stop thinking that simply because we have rich owners, the top 4 is a foregone conclusion for us in the next couple of years.  The current mega-rich owners with Champions League clubs either inherited existing champions league positions, or took a number of seasons and from a starting point well ahead of us.  Leicester are the only team to have done what we want to do, and they haven't qualified for the champions league again since they won the league.

I love the ambition of the five-year plan to be challenging for the top 4 places, which means next season we WOULD be challenging, but I've always felt it was going to be much harder than some people seem to have assumed to get INTO the top 4.  I think we can definitely be challenging at that end by the end of next season, but 'challenging' doesn't mean being sat comfortably in the top 4.

[Hookeysmith]

After their take-over, it took Man City three seasons to go from 9th (their last season pre oil money) to the top 4, and that's three years of spending god knows what on anyone they liked.  And it STILL took them three seasons to go up six league places.   Chelsea were already IN the top 4 when Abramovic took over.

We have to stop thinking that simply because we have rich owners, the top 4 is a foregone conclusion for us in the next couple of years.  The current mega-rich owners with Champions League clubs either inherited existing champions league positions, or took a number of seasons and from a starting point well ahead of us.  Leicester are the only team to have done what we want to do, and they haven't qualified for the champions league again since they won the league.

I love the ambition of the five-year plan to be challenging for the top 4 places, which means next season we WOULD be challenging, but I've always felt it was going to be much harder than some people seem to have assumed to get INTO the top 4.  I think we can definitely be challenging at that end by the end of next season, but 'challenging' doesn't mean being sat comfortably in the top 4.

Absolutely spot on - in fact i would hate us to do the Oil city method and i am hopeful that (and i have a little bit of sick in my mouth even thinking this) that any success we have over the coming seasons will have at its heart the nucleus of a team that is home grown (shit here it comes) just like Red filth did in 92.
Surely that must of been the most satisfying thing as a fan to have the core of your team come through your own academy.

The issue is that we need to have a team of them as if a single one makes it (Think Greedlish) then the predators can pick them off