Summer Transfer Thread - The Verdict.

[ChicagoLion]

The NSWE era brought a new regime and a plan backed up by good decisions.
Since the Greasy saga all that has changed. I have no idea what the plan is and the decisions since then have brought us to where are today. Losing to fkin Bournemouth, an unpopular manager, pissed off fans, bottom of the league, horrible football and a disappointing transfer window.

[steamer]

Agree with others
A few gap fillers to strengthen the middle and centre
Not a window that had pushing on in its mind, rather damage limitation until the next guy comes in

[Goldenballs]

5/10

If we change systems and play Dendonckor and Kamara together, then that might prove to be a decent bit of business and up it to a 6. Carlos and PC were exciting signings that pretty much everyone was up for at the time, although I still have my doubts over PC, after his first handful of games he's contributed fuck all.

With this manager and squad I'd take 15th now if offered

[algy]

Overall, a bit disappointing.

Started off well - Kamara & Diego Carlos both signings of a club that wants to play in Europe. Augustinsson seems decent as a backup, though having not knowingly seen him play that's not guess than anything. Olsen likewise. Getting Trez off the books was the right thing for both him & us.

Coutinho is good for the price we paid *if* he starts performing.

Then there's everything else. Losing AEG and Traore, and not signing a replacement (Sarr) feels like the squad has been built for one particular formation - Gerrard's - and few expect him to last for more than a few months at most.

There's nothing wrong with Bednarek or Dendoncker, but neither screams ambition. They feel like the sort of players a newly promoted club would sign.

I don't think we had a bad squad overall last season - slightly underperformed and was a solid mid table squad. Now, it looks unbalanced to me. No width, far too slow, not athletic in the slightest. It's that, more than the slow start to the season, that make me think it's time for Gerrard & co to pack their bags (before they do any more damage).

[MillerBall]

The seeming lack of pace in the side is an obvious worry but perhaps this is made worse by just how slow our build up play is.
Quite what the game plan is, is indeed anyones guess.
The transfer window could have been worse  I think our recent results have not put the manager in a good light and its clear his support is dwindling fast so tempting people in the latter part of the window was difficult.
Totally unconvinced by Gerrard so far

[Rigadon]

We had half a good window, but have come up short again.  4/10

[Villan82]

The NSWE era brought a new regime and a plan backed up by good decisions.
Since the Greasy saga all that has changed. I have no idea what the plan is and the decisions since then have brought us to where are today. Losing to fkin Bournemouth, an unpopular manager, pissed off fans, bottom of the league, horrible football and a disappointing transfer window.

That's why a good number of us despise him.

[rougegorge]

There's a fair bit of squad filler and if the style's going to be changed to allow for two defensive midfielders, surely to God we could have done better than Dondecker? It has the feel of a newly-promoted side - we're still signing players to stay up, rather than to kick on.

This last sentence is spot on.

[kippaxvilla2]

The one small hope I’m clinging on to is that they’ve decided to keep Luiz because they’re hopeful a new manager will play him correctly and therefore persuade him to sign a new deal.  Ditto Bailey, Sanson (not new deals but to be played).

[Rigadon]

The NSWE era brought a new regime and a plan backed up by good decisions.
Since the Greasy saga all that has changed. I have no idea what the plan is and the decisions since then have brought us to where are today. Losing to fkin Bournemouth, an unpopular manager, pissed off fans, bottom of the league, horrible football and a disappointing transfer window.

That's why a good number of us despise him.

Which is fair enough I suppose.  But the level of signings we've made (Coutinho aside, and the money involved there wasn't astronomical) doesn't help stave off a nagging doubt as to how hard Villa actually tried to keep Grealish.  An equivalent would be that West Ham haven't sold Rice.  Somebody might say "yet", which would be fair, but there isn't even much speculation.  He's easily as high profile and as important to West Ham. 

Fuck knows, it just feels a bit bloody miserable at the moment.

[ozzjim]

Had we actually signed Sarr, I would look at it and think we are trying to move to a lower block 4-2-3-1, with pace out wide and a bit more solidity in midfield, and giving Cash and Digne a bit of respite. But we didn't. So I'm not really sure what we are trying to do.

[richtheholtender]

Massively underwhelming.

Lots of fighting talk from Purslow and the owners but next to no actual substance.

It's funny because if I had put this I'd have been hounded by a pack of wolves until I was forced to no longer give an opinion. Be careful posting things like this, they'll come together and try to ridicule you with "you're stupid", "you're ridiculous" and "grow up" all personal attacks without once me doing it to them or retaliating. They won't attempt to beat you with debate or fact, they need to turn it in to farce to come across as alpha to anyone who rarely posts or is a new poster. Might as well just be a group of people down the pub. Anyway, great points, completely underwhelmed.

[ROBBO]

Settle down.

[ozzjim]

No they wouldn't.

Saying the board are treading water, or underwhelming after all the talk is not something anyone is disputing.

Calling them names and and having a go at them continually on every thread going is what results in people growing very tired. Rant after rant. We know your opinion. Others disagree. Others have a slightly more nuanced one that says they saved us, have spent heavily to get to the prem, and may well be restrained by other factors at this point. Either way, Lange, Purslow and Gerrard have a lot less in the bank than the owners.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

All a bit meh really not helped by the position the club finds itself in the pl, through rank bad management.
Coutinho hasn't impressed since signing permanently, Carlos has been unfortunate , Kamara looks like being the best of the lot in a position we needed filling. The rest don't shout ambition and Europe to me, more, we need to ensure we have enough to escape the bottom 3. A change of direction by the club that some fans may feel duped by?
I'd personally have held onto Traore as an extra winger in the squad, as the rest were sold off. I'd also have held onto one or two of the youngsters (Kaine and Tim especially) and managed/coached their progress better from within the club, rather than relying on an unpredictable 3rd party to do so.
The Ceo and owners can resurrect the feeling of being ambitious by appointing a top end manager to get us out of the mess we find ourselves in and providing him with necessary funding in January, that is unless it's all about the stadium plans.