January transfer rumours!

[Canaryboy]

As for the business we did in the summer, I'd actually say overall it was decent. Individually I'd say:

Trybull - Fantastic signing on a free transfer. 9/10
Gunn - One of the best goalkeepers in the league and one of our best players this season. Shame he won't be here next year. 8.5/10.
Hanley - Think he's a great centre back at this level who's looked better with each game. Fee was steep by our standards, but certainly a good signing. 7.5/10.
Zimmermann - Free transfer and a solid centre back at this level. Still only 24 so not that young but room to get better. 7.5/10.
Reed - Shame that he's competing with Trybull and Tettey or he'd have been a key player for us. On loan though another good signing. 7/10.
Stiepermann - Can cover a lot of positions and we haven't had a chance in his supposed natural position yet. Been solid enough at left back so far. 6.5/7 out of 10.
Vrancic - Started slow but is getting better despite the determination of some to scapegoat him. If he can toughen up a bit then he could be key for us next year. 6/10.
Husband - Again started poorly but gradually got better before getting injured. Since coming back from that injury though he's looked very poor. 4/10
Franke - Had a few crap games, hasn't been seen since and was then loaned out. Suppose there's chance he could be involved next year, for now though: 2/10
Watkins - Sh*t. 1/10.

Then there's Raggett and Phillips as well who it's yet to be seen, but both have a lot of promise.

Don't know what others make of that, but perhaps that shows that Webber and Farke are capable of finding some talented players on the cheap. The problem I suppose is out of that list of 10, only 3, 4 at most are signings that have made a notable difference, and are players that you're disappointed if they're not in the side. Webber said that it'll take him 3 or 4 windows to assemble the side him and the manager want, but at the moment I am struggling a bit to see how after 3 transfer windows we're going to be a better side next season than we were at the start of this one.

So the reality is that 3 of our top 5 signings according to you are on 1 year deals, and that our 4 worst signings are all on 3 year deals. 

Also none of our top 6 signings are attacking players. We've just lost our best attacking midfielder.  

I'm alarmed to be honest and although being a selling club is hardly optional at the moment, and Webber inherited expensive deadwood like Jarvis and Naismith, it very much feels like the Roeder/Grant/Gunn days again of annual decline until you reach the point where you've got a squad which simply isn't good enough to stay in this league...

... I hope we can come out of all this turmoil (will be the next window too) with a squad good enough to compete in the Championship, even if its just mid-table mediocrity like Ipswich, because we're not too big to be stuck in League One for a substantial period of time (ask Sheffield United fans, Leeds fans, or at current Charlton fans). 

 

[morty]

Yanic joins Cardiff for the rest of the season. The wailing about this on social media yesterday was incredible, with people actually calling him our best player.

https://www.canaries.co.uk/News/2018/january/wildschut-cardiff/

 

[Canaryboy]

I actually really do like him as a player, but I suspect a player nicknamed "two burgers" may not be Farke's cup of tea, considering he's known as being obsessed with fitness levels. 

And Wildschut has impressed mainly off the bench, we don't really even know if he can do a full 90.... perhaps he's just a bit of a lazy fatty? 

Suspect this means we've got a signing to announce shortly as I can't see him being allowed to leave without another winger coming in. 

 

[Fenway Frank]

Nicked from the pinkun, you can find sensible posts if you look hard enough ?

“Yanic has scored 1 goal, created 0 assists, and averaged 0.2 accurate crosses per game, that's 3 accurate crosses in 16 games, plus 17 inaccurate.But looking at the state of some fans you'd think we'd loaned out a club legend... he's on high wages and likely has add ons to be triggered if he plays more games for us, it's a good deal”

 

[morty]

Nicked from the pinkun, you can find sensible posts if you look hard enough ?

“Yanic has scored 1 goal, created 0 assists, and averaged 0.2 accurate crosses per game, that's 3 accurate crosses in 16 games, plus 17 inaccurate.But looking at the state of some fans you'd think we'd loaned out a club legend... he's on high wages and likely has add ons to be triggered if he plays more games for us, it's a good deal”

Yeah saw those stats put out by David Freezer on Twitter. I maybe feel a bit sorry for Yanic to be honest, but he really just doesn't fit in to our system here. I bet Warnock will get more out of him, which will lead to much howling and "I told you he was good".

 

[morty]

Pritchard confirmed.

"Undisclosed" 

 

[Canaryboy]

Cardiff have signed him because Warnock has fallen out with Anthony Pilkington. 

Pilks was a bit of a man baby towards the end of his time here too wasn't he, and Warnock doesn't take any prisoners so easy to see how those two have fallen out.

But Pilks is now being linked to Ipswich! 

I'd be a bit gutted if he went there because he was one of my favourite players in that Premier League season under Lambert, the boy was class that season. QPR and Bolton also linked so hope he chooses one of those two teams! 

But if we want a left winger with end product then he'd fit the bill on loan until the end of the season wouldn't he??? 

 

[morty]

Rumoured bid of 8m from Derby for Nelson.

 

[Din]

Rumoured bid of 8m from Derby for Nelson.

Try and get them up to £10m. If not, take the £8m and throw a certain amount of it at Barnsley for Bradshaw.

 

[morty]

Try and get them up to £10m. If not, take the £8m and throw a certain amount of it at Barnsley for Bradshaw.

Or player plus cash and bring super Chrissy Martin back home?

 

[Din]

Or player plus cash and bring super Chrissy Martin back home?

Wouldn't be against that. Only problem is he hasn't been doing great for the last 18 months so have to wonder whether he's past his best at 29 years old. I do think he would fit our style, good at holding the ball up, good in the air, decent finisher etc.

Reading through a Barnsley forum though it seems it their current situation they'd take £3-5m for Bradshaw. If we get £8-10m for Oliveira, and then offer perhaps money and Raggett on loan/Watkins back perminantly for Bradshaw then we could potentially get him at a snip.

 

[morty]

Wouldn't be against that. Only problem is he hasn't been doing great for the last 18 months so have to wonder whether he's past his best at 29 years old. I do think he would fit our style, good at holding the ball up, good in the air, decent finisher etc.

Reading through a Barnsley forum though it seems it their current situation they'd take £3-5m for Bradshaw. If we get £8-10m for Oliveira, and then offer perhaps money and Raggett on loan/Watkins back perminantly for Bradshaw then we could potentially get him at a snip.

The Chrissy Martin thing was maybe a little tongue n cheek lol. I think the days of paying 3 or 5 million for players may be slipping away frankly.

 

[morty]

 

[Number 9]

John Percy of the Telegraph just tweeted that Derby are in for Cam, talks ongoing looking at £2 Million, Cardiff also interested.

 

[morty]

John Percy of the Telegraph just tweeted that Derby are in for Cam, talks ongoing looking at £2 Million, Cardiff also interested.

Yeah saw that. I'm getting cold feet about it all now, and would actually rather he stay. I just feel he could be one of those when you see him playing for another team, you would wish you hadn't let him go. Yeah I know he was never prolific, but my God he could bully a defence.

 

[GJP]

Yeah I know he was never prolific, but my God he could bully a defence.

That is the thing though. I've been saying for a while. He doesn't do that anymore. He's been too nice. You don't see enough of the player breathing down the neck of a defender causing an error.

 

[Number 9]

I just focused on the number, two million, what experienced player can you get for that?

 

[morty]

I just focused on the number, two million, what experienced player can you get for that?

Unfortunately Cam is on a long (another 2 years I think) contract and on good wages. So its more about that.

 

[Number 9]

This all seems such a long way from the mantra of "Success on the pitch = success off the pitch" 

All resources were pumped into the team because winning games meant money in tills. That's gate receipts, shop takings, TV money, hospitality income, league placement money, income from cup runs etc etc.

 

[morty]

This all seems such a long way from the mantra of "Success on the pitch = success off the pitch" 

All resources were pumped into the team because winning games meant money in tills. That's gate receipts, shop takings, TV money, hospitality income, league placement money, income from cup runs etc etc.

The balance between success and sustainability has to be right though. The widening gap between the Champs and the Prem means you can no longer have the attitude of "Hell, lets just spend, spend, spend, whats the worst that can happen?" for a good current example of that see Sunderland.

What we are doing now is necessary unfortunately, not only because of our drop from the Premiership but also because of some very poor recruiting, and even poorer selection of contract lengths.