Essjayess

Joe Mullett and Charlie Crickmore...well dang...oh...i remember Alan Black being some kind of City Legend, but for all the wrong reasons...cant even recall the reasons anymore, to many years fly by and the memory fades.

I said before season started  City for 33 points and will not change halfway thru the season, so relegated for me, along with Villa and the Swans.Having said that im thinking of the positives...Alex has now had 19 games of Prem, experience, hes learnt a lot no doubt. Also we start the 2nd half with Declan in goal, and Martin at RB, and no sign of Whitts. Ryan Bennett has done well at CB. Think much will depend on how Mbokani plays upfront, also how many injuries / suspensions we get. Even if relegated, i would stick with Alex, hes had a  super year at City and deserves  a long run as our manager,,,saying that he ll probably get poached by a bigger club.Finally, yea this window...which ding! just opened, could be vital, but im just expecting a re run of the summer window

Thing about Nkoulou is even Alex has seen him, if you recall that plane trip to Marseille in the summer, and the reports say Marseille have had a very average season but hes been the one defender constantly good every match. Hes very pacey to, unlike Rano it seems. Honestly, unless City have some unknown CB lined up that even the media havent sussed out, i find it hard to see where a decent CB would come from. Ya maybe Seb could help with Nkoulou, much like Mulumbu had a hand getting Dave here.

Well anyway,as ive been saying for the last 48 hours and as every city fan knows anyway, hes off to Bologna.  I think my posts about us not getting a dedicated CB this window are still very much on.  Sunderland are grabbing two of our rumoured targets in Kone and Caulker and Rano is off to Bologna, so now we need new rumours lol...any suggestions?To my knowledge NKoulou is still available at Marseilles for around 10 mill euro, but betcha by golly Liverpool or a club similar will be in for him very quick.

I apologise for not choosing one of the 3 OPs points but i will put this in as best of 2015...easy to say what a year Alex has had and its justified, but ive not forgotten the guy who was in the spotlight a year ago...Neil Adams. He stepped up when Houghton finally went, did his very best  and was gracious to know when it was not fully working. He still had us in 7th place, enough for Alex to push the club to Wembley, then left a few months to recharge and came back to accept the loan arranger post. Not a spotlight job but looking at the amount of players who have loaned out to other clubs, he must have had as important post as anyone at the club. Well done Neil!.Best player overall in 2015?...Cam.

Im not completely sure but seems to me its essentially an Italian psyche problem. I dont know if Parma would know more than most of us, but Italians seem so insular, to them an English destination outside London, Liverpool or Manchester may as well be Outer Mongolia. Most footballers from other Euro nations seem ok coming to clubs in England, even outside the big 6. African footballers to have no hesitation. If little Norwich cant attract guys from outside England then how did we get RVW?...how did we get Dave, a Congolese playing in Ukraine? or even hopefully Ivo Pinto, a Portuguese playing in Croatia?..maybe with Ranocchia its the question of making the Italian squad, but if hes as awful as the Inter fans make out, also not getting game time, then hes no hope of  making the Italian squad anyway.

It looked much like Wolves fans already know, their team needs a huge amount of work to even be considered as a real play off contender, and they know they are not going to get that in a hurry. Afobe is suffering in that team, Graham has the potential but its early days.

Everythings in place, City apparently offering a sum that Inter are happy with, but as ever its the player himself...the Beeb are saying Ranocchia is less than thrilled at Norwich as a destination. Same old issues  then, Italians are very insular, and a loan move to Bologna is his cup of tea as its  the safest move. If we were a Man. Utd or a Chelsea of course we may have more of a shout, so i think getting this guy would be hard, our people would  need to sit down with him or his agent and do a persuading job...not easy i can imagine.

1st January Ron...impossible to sign  seal and deliver anyone until the window opens, even Matty Jarvis has to wait  until tomorrow to sign officially.

miggsy really...i think your lil pic under your name is apt as answer to your questions.

Ya actually in these artificially manufactured summer and January  transfer windows i do have some sympathy for Wolves, but also for any other of the 92 football clubs that make up the Prem. and Football League. So much ridiculous gossip and rumours come from the media, also even ordinary folk, in these days of the internet, that it just breeds so much confusion, anger, frustration and other negative emotions.As for Wolves, that long running Afobe saga in the summer caused me to take a peek at how the Wolves fans were feeling at the time.  Plenty of City fans peek at other fans forums, im sure many City fans  like to gawk at the binner sites on occasion to. Over the past few seasons they have trod a similar path to City in a way, going down to L1 like us, but they are now stuck in the Chumps, with a pretty average team, and off the pitch seemingly going nowhere. Afobe was the one bright  spark for them to cling to last summer, so i could understand how they vented at Norwich  after we put in 3 long drawn out bids. Slightly different scenario but, we had  much emotion also with the Brady saga which ran on for weeks. I will go as far as saying kudos to Wolves for hanging to Afobe. But now some rag like the Daily Mail sticks our name to Jordan Graham, which is just nonsense random journalism far as i can see, and just causes more ire feelings for some Wolves fans concerning  our club.Im an avid City fan, but also an avid footy fan in general. and im interested in what happens  to other clubs, and more important, how their fans are feeling. If anybody else is so blinkered that they only have eyes for City thats fine, but i find nothing strange in having interest in the wider field of football.

Thanks Daily Mail...Wolves fans are still seething over the long Afobe saga in the summer...many of them regard our  club as pariahs..now they print a ridiculous  story  that has  complete tosh feel to it...about a young player who has come back from Oxford to play a few real good games for Wolves...and they slap our clubs name on it..wonderful. Hope the Wolves fans see this for what it is..just newspaper nonsense.

Just read a report  in French Football Weekly, via Newsnow, touting Nkoulou to Norwich again. Absurd thing is that it states nothing less than 8 mill euro would entice Marseilles to sell him. Are they kidding? Ive seen reports of about every major english  club wanting this guy, inc. Chelsea and Liverpool, hes one of the most sought after defenders whose contract expires in the summer.I would have expected the  weekly to say 18 million or higher. 8 mill euro is a very small sum for such a talent, even for City.

Guess we  can always  try for that Sheff. Wed. CB if  Ranocchia bid is turned down. What was his name...oh ya...Michael Turner.

Just been  watching youtube vids of him, the good and the not so good. Inter fans nicknamed him "The Frog", not hard to see why. He is very two footed, but one of his traits is the two footed slide tackle. 9 times out of 10 he gets it  timed perfextly, but of course in the Prem, if he occasionally times it wrong, he will end up scything a player to the ground...instant red card. Seems  very springy and really good  header of a ball. Cannot believe we could land a guy of this quality for 7 or 8 mill pound. Just wish he wasnt in Italy lol...oh well we can but dream.

This is old news, it was reported days and days ago that City had supposedly bid 10 mill euro. Guess its been revitalised  coz some staff member at Auntie Beeb has started trawling thru the Italian sports mags...bad move Auntie lol.  Anyway, hes an Italian international, he will loan out to Bologna or stay warming his posterior on the Inter bench. But kudos to City if the  bid / salary rumours are true, least they  are showing intent. Its just...Destro...Zaza...Eder...the Milan Japanese  defender, forget his name..weve been here so often.

Hope Alex plays him more than hes done up until now, something about Mbokani i just love, hes such a strong guy and a real character. Much could depend on how he feels playing here at City, also how much the crowd respond to him. Has the potential to become a city hero, the first striker since Grant Holt for that. If he is given the chance to play enough minutes, and he keeps playing well, then at seasons end i would snap the guy up for the 3 or 4 mill he would command.

So Ellis...you regard the summer window as pretty successful?...ok you are entitled to feel that. I regard it as a failure because we did not strengthen in the areas that needed it. I agree Brady has been a good buy. Dorrans?..he was already here and the feeling about him  from fans is a mixed bag....Mulumbu?...who knows, hes hardly played so cannot make a judgement on him..Mbokani?...ya looks good...the few times hes actually played. Matty Jarvis?..started well then got injured.But really look at the table, without that win against Villa, we would be bottom 3. Alex has overall done the right things over  the first half of the season, bringing in Ryan B  and Declan...finally. But we have been very lucky with injuries / suspensions so far, and its the 2nd half of season that really really matters. Alex has called our squad threadbare so he does know the situation, but, i look at the transfer windows from the last few seasons in the Prem, not just the last summer one, and im not confident we will get what the fans  know we need. But i dont doubt Alex has a shopping list, problem is  picking the items up, putting them in the basket, and paying for them at the check out.

Already posted this once  but this transfer wimdow is going to be almost identical to the summer one. Its clear once again that our two main needs, signing a dedicated striker and a dedicated CB will not happen. Not even into the window yet, and the two foreign CBs so talked about the last week or two are already spoken for, Kone off to Sunderland and Ranocchia off to Bologna. Who else was rumoured, Lees? lingering hamstring injury so likely to fail a medical, in anycase Sheff. Wed. will almost surely want him for their promotion drive. Caulker?..cant see it happening.What of strikers..my personal favourite, Haller?..its gone deathly quiet about him..Bamford?...he would likely choose Bournemouth, in anycase would be a loan like Mbokani. What are we likely to get? Matt Jarvis yes...2 n half mill...maybe Pinto..a RB who can play CB...just like Wisdom and Russ Martin then...Godfrey?...a young midfielder for the future 80k ...Naismith?...who knows, depends onhim and Martinez, a midfielder.So, looks like Matt Jarvis, 2 more midfielders (if Naismith signs) and a RB who can fill in CB (oh joy another one of those type),  and in the striker / CB department  loans at most. So maybe 5 or 6 mill in the window if we get Pinto and Godfrey, or 13 mill if we add Naismith. Not zero spending, but  of DMs speech...yes we will spend, but will not be reckless. Of course im sticking my neck out here with a simple personal opinion, but based on NCFC transfer windows of the past. City, prove me wrong!...lol

I can so very much see the January window  heading the same way as the summer window, just recall what DM has said...no reckless spending...2 or 3 players to come in. Most City fans are listing 5 or 6 new faces already just from rumours, and its not even January yet. OK,presuming Matt Jarvis is 1 of the signings that leaves just 2 more max. Lets say  for fun its Ivo Pinto...a RB who can be called to do a CB job if needed. Sounds much like a Mr. Wisdom in the summer yes? Lets also suggest Steven Naismith comes...an attacking midfielder who can score goals. There it is...Mr. Pinto would cover RB and be our CB if needed and Mr. Naismith could fill the striker role  albeit that hes a midfielder.So...no dedicated new CB to join...no dedicated new striker..can see this happening, its so very Norwich City. Forget the Seb Hallers and Afobes up front, or the Rannocchias or Kone at CB, be realistic and stick to how we all know City conduct transfer windows.

No need to  understand it all...most important line is...its up to the player...he has the final decision...so...hes off to Bologna to join Mr. Destro on loan,,,case closed. Right then Italian Sports mags, whos next in line to be rumoured for Norwich City?..be quick..January will go by quickly so keep us amused before its back to normality >.>

[quote user="kirku"]"Martinez to discuss Naismith’s future with the player over the next couple of weeks." From Everton Twitter[/quote]Ipointed this out dinner time yesterday from a report in the Liverpool Echo, this is a long way from being a done deal, yes City are interested and yes they have seemingly offered 8mill, but right now thats all it is. Martinez is determined to sit down with Naismith sometime in next few weeks, so anything could happen. By sound of things we could be quite a way into January before we know one way or the other.

I think until Mr. Naismith is wheeled out officially as a City player it should not be assumed this is a done deal. Indeed the Liverpool Echo in the last half hour are saying that Roberto Martinez still plans to have talks with  the player in January and that the final decision rests with the manager. Maybe the Echo are being overtaken by the speed of this transaction?...or maybe the BBC are  jumping the gun a bit to quick?..proves its best to wait, but until we actually see  him holding up the yellow and green shirt its not a done deal.

As the season has gradually progressed so has the clarity for Alex concerning our strike force has developed it appears. Seems now that in certain games Jerome is more suited and in others Mbokani is the better choice. Seems to work, and so it must put into doubt if Laffs will ever get any real game time for us, also questions the future of Grabban to surely.Must admit, i think Mbokani is fantastic, he offers City so much up front, and has shown he can and will score goals. I think he is well worth buying, and  if its around 3 or 4 mill, say for 2 years with another 1 year option, then do it City, it would be a terrific bargain at a good price.

[quote user="Paris aint German!"]Allegedly medical this morning for a fee of 3million euros, Portuguese right back who has recently broken into the international squad[/quoteIf i was Mr. Pinto i would refuse to pay 3 mill euro for a medical. Someone tell him that its free on our NHS.