Summer 2022 Transfer Thread

[SoccerHQ]

I thought Bailey was going to be our ASM, but he puts in a tenth of the effort.

In terms of style Traore is a better comparison I think given he can effortlessly score a worldie goal and also hit sublime crossfield ball in his own half to opposition. Usually within about ten minutes of each other.

[pauliewalnuts]

I don't think Gerrard's hard man attitude goes down well. Picking a fight with Mings, the genuine leader of the football team, and making an example of a player who's only ever shown commitment and desire for us, was only going to cause unrest. He has a desire to throw the cat amongst the pigeons and get rid of any comfort in being Ok and to drive the players forward but I don't think this way was the best approach.

I think Gerrard's hard man routine will be the end of him and after the next 7 or so games, as the bad results flow and his frustrations are taken out on the players you'll see him very, very quickly lose the dressing room.

I think you are right. He is usually a bit sly about how he does it, but there has been some definite throwing of players under the bus of late.

I also think LeeB is right when he says the players don't look like they believe in the system they're being asked to play.

The hard man routine is not going to work.

[Drummond]

I don't think the players believe in the system they're playing.

I wonder if that's why Mings lost the captaincy. I imagine he'd not be shy about having a chat with the manager; McGinn will show enthusiasm for anything he's asked to do and will go and do it.

[Footy-Vill]

In January we wanted Bentancur. He chose Spurs. Fair enough and now there he plays in double pivot with Hojiberg who's the 6 for them. That's the template we were obviously looking at.

Gerrard then confirmed after window closed we put in a decent bid for Yves Bissouma. Again same principle, a defensive minded 8 which is where he played at Brighton. Spurs also signed him and now he's warming the bench so they have three high quality defensive midfielders with two world class strikers upfront so yet again they'll  finish 20-25 points ahead of us.

What I don't get is we had those targets in mind, just missed out on them and have pretty much given up now.

Kamara was surely more of a replacement for Nakamba and Luiz and that's how it's played out so far with selection.

I thought the optics of giving McGinn the captaincy was all wrong. I'm far from the biggest McGinn critic on here but majority know he really shouldn't be starting week in week out for us anymore and needed to be replaced by someone better. That won't happen now.

If we sign Tielemans in next 10 days I'll take it all back but that is the calibre of signing we need to get me invested again in a Gerrard team and I just can't see us making it, we've taken the easy route out again.

But with these financial moves well the transfer negotiate is down to Lange as well as finding targets from a profile if the ones SG specifically keen on are unattainable.

[Risso]

I don't think the players believe in the system they're playing.

I wonder if that's why Mings lost the captaincy. I imagine he'd not be shy about having a chat with the manager; McGinn will show enthusiasm for anything he's asked to do and will go and do it.

The only problem being, he usually does it badly.

[Drummond]

I don't think the players believe in the system they're playing.

I wonder if that's why Mings lost the captaincy. I imagine he'd not be shy about having a chat with the manager; McGinn will show enthusiasm for anything he's asked to do and will go and do it.

The only problem being, he usually does it badly.

Which is why it's a bizarre choice. Though it has to be said, everyone else seems to admire him.

[Footy-Vill]

Lange job is recruitment and player identification.
We require upgrades, but he is having difficulty obtaining them. Gerrard stepped in to help with some moves.
All Lange appears to be doing is bringing in younger players for the academy level.

[ozzjim]

We don't know how many Lange has suggested and Gerrard has turned down.  Palace had a midfielder at the weekend we know Lange was interested in last summer and for whatever reason we didn't sign.  Strikes me there is a disconnect between the manager and Lange at the moment,  certainly with how the team is set up. 

[boozey182]

I don't think Gerrard's hard man attitude goes down well. Picking a fight with Mings, the genuine leader of the football team, and making an example of a player who's only ever shown commitment and desire for us, was only going to cause unrest. He has a desire to throw the cat amongst the pigeons and get rid of any comfort in being Ok and to drive the players forward but I don't think this way was the best approach.

I think Gerrard's hard man routine will be the end of him and after the next 7 or so games, as the bad results flow and his frustrations are taken out on the players you'll see him very, very quickly lose the dressing room.

I think you are right. He is usually a bit sly about how he does it, but there has been some definite throwing of players under the bus of late.

I also think LeeB is right when he says the players don't look like they believe in the system they're being asked to play.

The hard man routine is not going to work.

It must be confusing for him. That tactic worked brilliantly when getting Phil Collins to be played in a bar - who would have thought it would be less successful when a manager of a Premier League club?

[Hookeysmith]

I don't think the players believe in the system they're playing.

I wonder if that's why Mings lost the captaincy. I imagine he'd not be shy about having a chat with the manager; McGinn will show enthusiasm for anything he's asked to do and will go and do it.

Listening to Talk Sport just now and Danny Kelly made a very interesting point. Going back to the time that Chelsea were still a force under Mouhrinio and he openly had a right go at the very attractive medical woman when she went onto the pitch.
It was alleged that all the players took the hump and it became evident in their play that they lost respect for Mourhinio.

I wonder if Mings did mention tactics and was then subsequently taken off the Captain role by Gerrard and the players have had the hump since?

Its clear that the players are not on message as they were when he first came in

[eamonn]

Lange job is recruitment and player identification.
We require upgrades, but he is having difficulty obtaining them. Gerrard stepped in to help with some moves.
All Lange appears to be doing is bringing in younger players for the academy level.

You blame Lange for everything and Gerrard for nothing 

[RamboandBruno]

I don't think the players believe in the system they're playing.

I wonder if that's why Mings lost the captaincy. I imagine he'd not be shy about having a chat with the manager; McGinn will show enthusiasm for anything he's asked to do and will go and do it.

Listening to Talk Sport just now and Danny Kelly made a very interesting point. Going back to the time that Chelsea were still a force under Mouhrinio and he openly had a right go at the very attractive medical woman when she went onto the pitch.
It was alleged that all the players took the hump and it became evident in their play that they lost respect for Mourhinio.

I wonder if Mings did mention tactics and was then subsequently taken off the Captain role by Gerrard and the players have had the hump since?

Its clear that the players are not on message as they were when he first came in

I listened to that, it was a good analogy about invisible lines or ropes or whatever that bind a group of players or teamates together. Whether we’re reading too much into the Mings thing or not, something feels wrong. He’s sold McGinn down the river as well as he needs to be taken out of the team.

[cdward]

I posted on another thread, that i thought comments made by SG about the signing of Augustinsson pointed to the fact he wasn't the player he wanted.
SG identifies the need for a player in a position and Lange and co, go and get someone. Maybe that's why he doesn't seem to fancy playing Chambers either, but persisted in playing Countinho coz' he was one of his and wanted to prove a point.
Having said all that the Sarr "signing" doesn't seem right either, as why would SG want a wide player?

 Something doesn't feel right.

[villainabroad]

Something's not right at all. Sarr deal off. The madness of making an example of Mings and choosing McGinn (!) as 'my captain'. Signs of exasperation on the pitch too - Cash (lot of weight on his shoulders in this system, unfairly) looked particularly p1ssed off on Saturday.

[Toronto Villa]

We started this summer the envy of every club we were realistically competing with. Brilliantly securing Coutinho, and then followed by Kamara and Carlos. Every fan of those other clubs thought “how are Villa doing it?”. Fast forward to August 22, and we have lost 2 out 3, our key CB a broken until the new year at the earliest, and we just pulled out of a deal last minute for brilliant winger most of didn’t think we needed. It’s looking quite a shambles.