Summer Transfer Thread - The Verdict.

[Rory]

We won't be pushing for Europe, but with the right system, coaching and motivation the squad is good enough to be securely 10th-13th. Just a question of if/when we discover those three things.

[Chris Smith]

The signings today suggest we are trying to make us a little more defensively solid. The theory I suppose is that frees up the attacking players to do what they’re supposed to be good at. Time will tell but I can’t say I’m convinced.

[Paul.S]

Hasn’t worked out as promised. Maybe we’ve tried and failed but I just don’t see how we’ll improve much with what we’ve done today. Something was needed to lift the gloom and it hasn’t happened. Let’s see what a new manager can do with this squad.

[OzVilla]

Dendonker fits well into a 4-2-3-1 formation which would work best for us but not sure Gerrard sees us as that.

[Toronto Villa]

Get rid of the manager this window and the squad are just fine. I’m pretty sure we have kept money in the safe for the next bloke.

[Paul.S]

Agreed. Can’t see a change in formation either but I live in hope. If we are as open as we have been I fear for us.

[brontebilly]

To be honest this transfer window sums up where we are as a club. No strategy and no direction. There's clearly a complete lack of cohesion from board to CEO to Sporting director (or whatever Lange's role is) to Head Coach. This is replicated on the pitch. I'd like to see the owners take a lot more interest and review if it's just Gerrard that is the problem or most likely it's Purslow. We are going nowhere bar a relegation battle without this addressed.

On the players signed, Gerrard's profile was key in getting Kamara, Carlos and Coutinho in. I think the two today might work out ok actually. The long lost mythical number 6 issue finally addressed.

I suspect Gerrard wanted to move Mings on earlier in the summer but didn't happen, maybe the board didn't back him on it. Surprised we didn't take the cash for Luiz today, would have been one player we actually made a profit on. Poor we didn't try and move Ings on too, we need something different up front. We have a real problem as a club knowing when to move players on.

Wouldn't blame him for losing Chucky as he gave him every chance, many undeserved I felt last season. Giving away the likes of Hause, Trez, AEG, Traore for little or nothing is just poor management from the club. Still another sizeable bombsquad Guilbert, Nakamba, Sanson with no future bar being given away. It's a mess.

[gpbarr]

The owners have rightly refused to splash more cash until they see a return on their investment. That’s why it’s almost certain the next tsfr we make will be managerial.

I expect NSWE will invest millions again once they see the people they are paying shit loads of money, actually do the job they are paid to do.

[LeonW]

Think it was a window that hinted at fault lines and inconsistencies within the club.

We've got the club stating ambition but not necessarily reflecting it in the business we've done - a hostage to fortune if ever there was one, particularly with a fanbase all too familiar with promises around season ticket renewal time. It's good to be smart (e.g. Kamara signing), but don't hype people up if you're not going to make a splash.

We've got the situation with Sarr - a player we walked away from but whom isn't aligned positionally with what Gerrard has been building last season and this pre-season. I also still have a nagging doubt as to who walked away from the fabled 3 decision makers and why.

And we've got the debate on the manager which is relevant in the sense that if the club truly believe he is the guy to push this club on, they either back him 100% or get rid. The business we've done seems to fall in the middle of that, which is a failure in my eyes.

[tomd2103]

The owners have rightly refused to splash more cash until they see a return on their investment. That’s why it’s almost certain the next tsfr we make will be managerial.

I expect NSWE will invest millions again once they see the people they are paying shit loads of money, actually do the job they are paid to do.

That might be the case, or Steven Gerrard may have genuinely felt that he'd done all his business in pre season, only to panic after making such a poor start.  Given our current situation, we weren't really going to be making significant last minute signings.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Coutinho, Olsen, Augustinsson, Carlos, Kamara, Dendonker and Bednarek.  A bunch rather than a planned set, with a plan and a jigsaw piece in mind. 

It's what we call down here a fish stew. A few decent bits thrown in with those that you'd never buy for dinner.
On a positive note, the flavour's great.Maybe just maybe..nah!

[Matt C]

Not as billed.

Lots of big talk about improvement, Europe and “upgrades” at the start of the summer, went about our early business well but then stood still while a whole bunch of clubs sailed past us. Massively underwhelming.

We were desperately unlucky with Carlos of course, but to my eye we’ve only improved the first XI by one player and have added a bunch of squad players. Stand still in this league and you go backwards - I thought we’d learned that lesson but I now have my doubts.

[CT Villan]

Do you think it really is a lack of ambition and being sold a lie about a European challenge, or could it be that Gerrard is effectively already gone and the owners are waiting until after the City game to push him. That and we probably don't have a replacement lined up yet anyway. NSWE could be playing this very astutely or it could be the blind leading the blind, we will find out soon enough.

[aj2k77]

Crap, the charade that we are aiming for Europe has been exposed by a failing rookie manager and signing mid table reserves.

[ROBBO]

We manage to get all premiership games over here, seeing a lot of our opposition I can see that even the newly promoted sides are going to be tough games. We look so disjointed in comparison and I can only put that down to the coaching. One point of optimism is that now Luiz is staying he could turn out to be our leading goal scorer if we get enough corners.