Deadline Day Dealings

[Canaryboy]

So our summer signings are:

• Andre Wisdom (Loan)
• Dieumerci Mbokani (Loan)
• Robbie Brady (£7m)
• Graham Dorrans (£2.5m)
• Youssouf Mulumbu (Free)
• Jake Kean (Free). 

Our summer sales are:

• Bradley Johnson (£6m)
• Michael Turner (Loan)
• Ricky Van Wolfswinkel (Loan)
• Vadis Odijda-Ofoe (Loan)
• Tony Andreu (Loan)

We've basically spent peanuts, what have we spent, £5m net? 

I just feel really deflated. I doubt it is a lack of ambition, we just weren't appealing enough to players for one reason or another. 

I'm actually worried about our lack of squad depth. We could all pick a good XI when all players are fit, but we are a couple of injuries away from some serious problems. We are an injury to Redmond away from Elliott Bennett, assuming he stays, we are an injury to Brady away from goodness knows who, an injury to Bassong away from playing Bennett with Martin. 

Any two injuries in defence, or any winger injured, and we are weaker for not having reinforcements. 

I don't rate our squad as anywhere near as strong as our best XI, and this is the Premier League.... 

I know that people don't always like negativity, I'm just down in the dumps. 

 

[KeiranShikari]

Decent signing. 

Once you take your Johnson coloured shades off that could be considered an improvement.

 

[Canaryboy]

Ha, just typed all of the above and we've signed Matt Jarvis.

That does make me feel better about losing Bradley Johnson, who we don't need for that anchor role now that we have Mulumbu to compete with Tettey.

We now have to hope that Alex Neil can make up with Lewis Grabban, because we are going to need him. 

 

[Gaffer]

McNally said the reason we got relegated was that we didn't strengthen so what do we do? We don't strengthen again. Pathetic.

 

[Canaryboy]

Decent signing. 

Once you take your Johnson coloured shades off that could be considered an improvement.

Its still a very disappointing transfer window, it feels like we've under-invested. Probably not intentional, I'll give the club that, but we must be sitting on a fairly big pot of unspent cash. 

 

[Canaryboy]

McNally said the reason we got relegated was that we didn't strengthen so what do we do? We don't strengthen again. Pathetic.

I don't for one minute believe that the club haven't tried to spend their money this summer, although the fact remains that they haven't.

Our net spend must be something like £5m. 

 

[dj161]

the worry is we could get to the January window and it could be too late, now if we get there with 25-30 points i'll be more than happy

 

[KeiranShikari]

We're stronger now than we were last time in the league and we have a much better manager. We've made 3-4 first team signings to a squad that was already decent.

Just can't afford injuries at CB. Must get that sorted in January. Shame about Grabban too, obviously.

 

[Gaffer]

How does selling BJ benefit us? With transfer fees constantly going up why not keep hold of him and sell him later? 6 million might seem a lot now but it'll be nothing in a couple of years.

 

[Canaryboy]

We're stronger now than we were last time in the league and we have a much better manager.

I think our back 5 is weaker. 

And that's my biggest gripe, the complete failure once again to improve a back 5 which has required surgery for several seasons. 

We've lost Turner to age related decline, have plugged the gap with our best right back, have promoted our 2nd choice right back to the XI, and have no backup left back. 

We certainly aren't stronger at the back.

The fixture list has been very kind to us this early season. What we have now is what we will have for this run of games...



I don't care how good Alex Neil is, we aren't strong enough defensively, I'm feeling down. 

 

[KeiranShikari]

I prefer our back 5 now to during the last prem season but I obviously am worried about lack of depth.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Matt Jarvis softens the blow, but agree about the off colour comment.

Im also a little confused. I thought you could only have two loans at any one time, four in a season - Im sure I saw this explained earlier by Sky in relation to another deal.

But we have Wisdom, Mbokani and Jarvis on loan. So that cant be right?

 

[KeiranShikari]

Mbokani is an international loan so it's okay.

 

[eatonparkboy]

I prefer our back 5 now to during the last prem season but I obviously am worried about lack of depth.

How is our back five any different? The starters so far excluding Ollson because of injury, were in part responsible for our last demise in this league. Russell Martin was playing CB as far back as 2011 so I can't understand your preference.

 

[KeiranShikari]

Unless I'm remembering things incorrectly he was only occasionally used at CB under Hoots. He switched there full time with the last 5 games under Adams.

Bassong is a different player imo. Can't see him getting beaten in the air by 5ft 5 Nathan Dyer this season. 

The entire team were to blame for the relegation last time around, not just the defenders.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Do you think the Vadis and Andreu deals were born out of the cup game? Or is it just coincidence they've gone to Rotherham. Could it be there was a chat during the customary post-match sherry?

 

[eatonparkboy]

Unless I'm remembering things incorrectly he was only occasionally used at CB under Hoots. He switched there full time with the last 5 games under Adams.

Bassong is a different player imo. Can't see him getting beaten in the air by 5ft 5 Nathan Dyer this season. 

The entire team were to blame for the relegation last time around, not just the defenders.

I agree the whole team/club was responsible not just the defenders. But that doesn't improve the back five's position.

Even Lambert played Martin at CB in the Prem. And the debate about his best position has gone on for some time now. And I don't dispute his better position is CB as I don't think his distribution is good enough for right back especially in the Prem.

Full back is an important position in football nowadays and because of the style of at least two midfield players sitting in front of defences, full backs are now expected to be good passers and crossers of the ball and be able to make decisions any other midfield player would be expected to. CB's can still bang it away if they have to.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Unless I'm remembering things incorrectly he was only occasionally used at CB under Hoots. He switched there full time with the last 5 games under Adams.

My memory is that Hughton did indulge Russ in his centre-back claims, but did shift him back out to right-back after a period of poor form. I remember Russ changing back and forth from CB one week to RB the next. I also remember Adams installing him at centre-back as the first thing he did, and Martin's cat that got the cream expression in the wake of it. 

I dont know how I feel about him at centre-back, I just wonder whether he has become too big for his boots. As captain is he undroppable? And is this the real reason we havent upgraded on him? I dont think he is a bad centre-back. I just dont think he's a great one and that we could bring in someone better. Of the two, I think Bassong is the better CB. So any new CB we bring in has to displace Russ. Its a problem if you're not going to drop the captain, or make him play at right-back, something he clearly doesnt want to do.

I know we were never going to sign him, but I think of the idea of Van Dijk and Bassong at CB, and it excites me

 

[Canaryboy]

I agree the whole team/club was responsible not just the defenders. But that doesn't improve the back five's position.

Even Lambert played Martin at CB in the Prem. And the debate about his best position has gone on for some time now. And I don't dispute his better position is CB as I don't think his distribution is good enough for right back especially in the Prem.

Full back is an important position in football nowadays and because of the style of at least two midfield players sitting in front of defences, full backs are now expected to be good passers and crossers of the ball and be able to make decisions any other midfield player would be expected to. CB's can still bang it away if they have to.

We don't have to debate Martin's best position to know that 6 defenders in a Premier League squad is nowhere near enough, and I'm just flabbergasted that we've let Turner leave without another body coming in, even if it were a veteran on a one year deal. 

I forgot that football can make me feel so bloody depressed actually, I'm even questioning Alex Neil's judgement now, selling our player of the season and leaving us with just 3 centre backs, it just doesn't feel right. 

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

I'm even questioning Alex Neil's judgement now, selling our player of the season and leaving us with just 3 centre backs, it just doesn't feel right. 

I am also seriously questioning Alex Neil's judgement.

I think I said a few months ago that whilst seemingly everything Neil touched turned to gold, what we had no idea about was his ability in the transfer market, seeing as this is his first window with us really (properly) and that he'd never done a great amount of dealing whilst at Hamilton.

His only real signing previously had been Andreu, who lets face it has been a flop. As a club we havent been attractive enough, and I suggested a few months ago his lack of reputation in the game might be a problem, contrast that with Laudrup or Koeman at comparative clubs in recent years.

I have to say Im yet to be impressed with Neils dealings in the transfer market. I think there are some poor decisions that have been made