January transfer rumours!

[morty]

Yeah the academy donation thing was an odd one, I did it in previous seasons and would have been happy to continue. There was a lot of backlash about it though, and it couldn't carry on in its current guise due to legislation change meaning you can't opt people into something and require an action to opt out. I think with the grumbling about season ticket prices (people actually expected a reduction rather than a freeze) they just decided to totally remove the two from each other. A lot of academy improvements will be funded by the money from the Arsenal and Chelsea cup games, but expect to see something soon, perhaps along the lines of a supporter lottery or crowdfunding of some sort.

I don't think that young lad has been specifically signed as backup for Pinto per say, but maybe it has been identified that we don't have someone likely to come through at academy level, in that particular position.

I find it exciting that we are buying young prospects like this.

 

[OldRobert]

We've only got peanuts, so unfortunately we're going to get our fair share of monkeys.

But at the same time... we paid a few hundred grand each for Hoolahan, Drury and Tierney (off the top of my head) and only £600k for Grant Holt. Think it was half a million for Ruddy too (who, incidentally, came here after a year on loan at Motherwell in Scotland).

And I don't think there has actually ever been a time in our history when we've succeeded with a big transfer budget. Obviously we could have done with spending more when we went up under Worthington (e.g. buying Ashton in the summer, not January).

But that Worthington team was constructed for nowt + the generosity of a wealthy fan to sign Huckerby.

The Lambert team was built for peanuts + the generosity of fans to buy Grant Holt (technically not a Lambert player of course).

Mike Walkers team was built up of big club cast offs + players from lower leagues + young products (built by Stringer, right place right time for Walker).

And every time we've attempted to spend big we've managed to get it terribly wrong. Hughton's second summer window + Alex Neil's January window are the two times we've attempted to sign high profile players for big money... Naismith and Van Wolfswinkel being the flagship signings of both windows.

Not really got any choice but to hope we can spend what little money we have well, by finding gems on the cheap. That strategy is going to bring some players that in hindsight are going to be perceived as bargains, and others that are going to look like they should have cost the £250k or £500k or whatever that we pay for them and need to be at Rotherham or Dundee.

Franke looked to fall into the "dud" category, from what we've seen of him, Zimmermann didn't... you'd probably have guessed the other way round based on their CV's. So McLean may be a Franke and heading home in 6 months, or he could be a Zimmermann...

... but I don't think we've had a left footed centre mid since Surman, so I'm looking forward to seeing if it adds some balance to our team?

It's hardly relevant to quote the transfer fees of players like Hoolahan, Drury, Tierney Holt etc., some of them must be 20 years ago when the fees where nothing like what they are now. Whatever we paid for a player like Paddon would be peanuts today. Hardly a monkey? Many more like him.

Neither Walker's, Worthington's, or Lambert's teams were assembled from the nether regions of the Bundesliga, more like the lesser regions of the English Leagues. If the current City supporters are happy with watching a bunch of monkeys at £100-500k running around Carrow Road in ever decreasing circles, playing a form of foreign to City type football, fine. This is all part of this so called revolution, that is boring the pants of a majority of the fans, as the quality gets sold off and we join our near neighbours in football obscurity. What a come down for our club. I started watching in 1958, not sure how much more I can stand.

 

[Canaryboy]

I don't entirely disagree with all that you are saying, think its becoming increasingly obvious that we just don't have a pot to p*ss in and that Webber isn't some sort of messiah.

But that doesn't mean McLean isn't a decent signing for the price, not every Scottish player who comes down to England goes back with their tails between their legs... Dorrans came from Livingstone, where he played with Hoolahan, and Whittaker weren't as bad as he often looked.

We are a club in decline, and we are probably stuck in the Championship now like Ipswich... but it is what it is? We've been stuck in this league for long periods before, and been through all this thing taking punts of foreign players before. Derveld, De Waard, De Blaissis, Brellier, Velasco, and all sorts of deadbeats...

Nothing is ever new, Webber isn't doing anything innovative.... We've even had a Nelson Oliviera before, a hugely talented and charismatic striker who turned crap when he couldn't be bothered anymore.... Marc Libbra!

All character building, you need this shambolic periods to truly appreciate it when a hero comes along. E.g. McNally and Lambert, after 5 years of Neil Doncaster.

 

[Fenway Frank]

I don't entirely disagree with all that you are saying, think its becoming increasingly obvious that we just don't have a pot to p*ss in and that Webber isn't some sort of messiah.

But that doesn't mean McLean isn't a decent signing for the price, not every Scottish player who comes down to England goes back with their tails between their legs... Dorrans came from Livingstone, where he played with Hoolahan, and Whittaker weren't as bad as he often looked.

We are a club in decline, and we are probably stuck in the Championship now like Ipswich... but it is what it is? We've been stuck in this league for long periods before, and been through all this thing taking punts of foreign players before. Derveld, De Waard, De Blaissis, Brellier, Velasco, and all sorts of deadbeats...

Nothing is ever new, Webber isn't doing anything innovative.... We've even had a Nelson Oliviera before, a hugely talented and charismatic striker who turned crap when he couldn't be bothered anymore.... Marc Libbra!

All character building, you need this shambolic periods to truly appreciate it when a hero comes along. E.g. McNally and Lambert, after 5 years of Neil Doncaster.

I would have liked that twice if I could

 

[morty]

*Drums fingers, refreshing Twitter every 5 seconds*

 

[hogesar]

Really surprised we haven't had 2 or 3 through the door at the start of this week so they'd be relatively ready to bolster us for this weekend. Looks like we'll be going into another game with one striker, and that striker being Oliviera. *sigh*

 

[Fenway Frank]

Couple of days yet, still a bit of time

 

[hogesar]

Couple of days yet, still a bit of time

Yes, although i'd be surprised if anyone coming in now would stand a chance of featuring on Saturday. After half a season our players still haven't got a full grip on Farke's philosophy, 2 days is probably pushing it!

 

[morty]

Paddy Davitt on Twitter hinting something could be imminent.....

My guess in Onel Hernandez.

 

[morty]

http://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/paderborn-striker-srbeny-in-talks-with-canaries-1-5367553

 

[hogesar]

6ft 2, young-ish at 23 and 1 goal every 2 games. It's only the German 3rd tier but who knows? If he copes as well as Zimmerman then we'll all be happy!

 

[morty]

6ft 2, young-ish at 23 and 1 goal every 2 games. It's only the German 3rd tier but who knows? If he copes as well as Zimmerman then we'll all be happy!

Cheap, German, big, young and hungry. All boxes ticked. He has a good assist rate too.

 

[Canaryboy]

Germans have the best words for things, "Volley-Hammer"

 

[morty]

Good to see the same old names on other forums writing him off already

 

[morty]

 

[morty]

 

[Dubai Mark]

Lets keep everything crossed that they are both as successful as Trybull and Zimmerman .....and not a Franke!

 

[Canaryboy]

Leitner is actually one I've heard of, he was a huge prospect at one point.

 

[Canaryboy]

Its getting to the point where we have to ask whether the club are considering Brexit negotiations with all these young(ish) German players, if free movement ends then there will be some sort of visa requirement and also likely a limit on foreign players imposed by the FA?

 

[morty]

Leitner is actually one I've heard of, he was a huge prospect at one point.

Yeah been trying to do a bit of digging, I think Augsburg bought him for 1.5 million Euros a year ago, he in contracted until 2021. Word is he is a bit like Trybull and has lost his way a bit. Not sure if this would be "try before you buy" due to how long he has left on contract, unless he has really, really fallen out of favour.