USAcanary

[quote user="Branston Pickle"]Actually putting the squad down like this does make it look like we have a little more depth than I thought it might, particularly as several players can play in more than one position without too much grief. We clearly do need more depth in several positions, but with all the triallists and other rumours, I''d be stunned if more (3-4?) players didn''t arrive on permanents pretty soon, and there''s also the option of a couple of loans (sorry, didn''t mean to swear!). Things will then at least be looking good in terms of number of bodies - it is just the quality that we''re still uncertain of and won''t know for sure about until the season kicks off![/quote] Pretty much spot on......... I actually expect at least another 5 signings............. Another point is that as we move towards the begining of the season, most clubs/managers start to form a picture of the players that form their first team squad. They are then prepared to either sell or loan out players who don''t feature in their plans. Also some of the better free agents tend to wait to see what deals will be offered from various clubs. I am not against loans but would prefer some kind of proven quality. In the past players such as Hucks, Crouch, Lita...... ect ect have done well.  Unproven quality.......... not so much...... Talking of quality I would still like us to take a shot at signing someone like a Leroy Lita. The problem is he probably won''t come here for the wages we can afford to pay. It is strange that no club has signed him up yet? Must be asking too much even for champs clubs?

[quote user="BlyBlyBabes"] Ok, let''s suppose just for the sake of argument that there are 30 players in the party including say 8 trialists. Who do you suppose comprises the other 18? OTBC [/quote] I don''t get your whole point? Why is this so unreasonable? With 30 players, you have at least 8 coaches/managers, nutritionists, you have various kit men, you have coach drivers, you have tour managers and PA''s who look after all the various logistics of such a big travelling party. (lodging, food, transportation, equipment movement ect ect ect)      

OK, assuming we sign Whaley how does the current squad look at the various positions...... With recent annoucements many positions have started to become clearer. Here are my opinions. Goalkeeper..... Theoklitos, Rudd and Steer Pretty much set as all 3 are/will be getting minutes in pre-season. This looks like a strong trio of experience and quality young keepers. I don''t expect any moves in this area unless we get injuries. Centre backs....Doherty , Stefanovic, Nelson, Stephens,(Askou) (Joarder) A decent array of experience/cover in this position. I havn''t included Spillane or Drury who both could play at a push. I think its interesting we have Askou on trial who did well today by all reports. This with Dumic playing at RB suggest a shift of thinking. Right back... Otsemobor, Spillane and Dumic Big question marks at this position.Its obvious that we are lining up either Dumic or Spillane to be the cover for this position. It would not surprise me to see Spillane start the year as our number 1 RB. It was interesting in the Raith Rovers game they moved Otsemobor into right midfield. Left back     Drury, Habergham (Lappin ?) This is our weakest position by far in terms of squad depth. I would expect us to make some serious moves in this area pretty soon. Cen Midfield..... OTJ, Gill, Adeyemi Again we seem to be one short here. The fact we offered Stephen Hughes a contract kind of confirms that Team Gunn knows this. Spillane or Lappin can fill in at a push if we are hit badly. Left Midfield  Hoolahan, Pattison and Lappin With Hoolahan confirming he is staying this now looks stronger. The problem is do we have an out and out left sided attacking player? Oct 24th is the last regular season game for San Jose Earthquakes, They have very little chance of making the play offs. Maybe they might let one of their players out of their contract early? Even at his age Hucks IMHO would be a fantastic player to bring from the bench at this level. Right Midfield   Whaley, McVeigh, Corey Smith (Neilson) If we sign Whaley it looks like a decent improvement in quality at this position. I do expect McVeigh to have done enough to earn a contract Not sure what team Gunn thinks of the trialist Neilson. People reported he was decent against Dartford. Another possible option on the right is Chris Martin Strikers  Martin, Cureton, McDonald, Daley, (Maric) (Bridges) (Craig) (Powell) (I havn''t included Renton who probably won''t figure at all.) This is the area we are really looking to improve. The fact we have had a number of different trialists in (plus bids for Lee and Dickinson) suggest that we are looking to bring in a minimum of 2 strikers maybe 3. I think this is one area that Team Gunn must be aplauded for effort. (even if we lack confirmed signings as I make this post) Some people questioned why they have such a large pre-season fixture list. It should be obvious now that Team Gunn wanted to look at as many different players as possible. I also like the fact that Norwich won''t overpay for players that are not worth the outlay. Sir Alex just recently annouced he isn''t prepared to overpay for players no matter how good they are. (a guy with 80 million to spend) So far the Team Gunn gameplan is obviously to spend the limited budget wisely knowing the we needed to bring in a minimum of 8-10 players. I like the fact that Bryan Gunn kept his word that we are not going down the mass loan route again. All the players we have either signed or looked to sign were all on permanent deals. The important fact to realize is that with 7 subs this year, the game will become much more tactical. Having decent quality on the bench in most positions has never been more important. I also think once the Clingan and Russell deals are concluded (and their wages freed up) we will have a pretty good idea what our overall transfer budget will be. I expect us to be MUCH more active in the transfer market. I would be surprised if we don''t bring in at least another 4-5 players on permanent deals before the window shuts.

[quote user="St. Cluck"][quote user="Branston Pickle"][quote user="WeAreYellows49"] By Mr WAY49 Well what can I say?  If this story is found to be true, how glad I am that we claimed back our rebates, and how sorry I feel for the fans that trusted the club once again. I began to smell a rat when we took Bridges on trial, why would you do that if you were genuinely interested in signing Dickenson or Lee? When is somebody going to ask a) where has the rebate money and Foulger money gone?  and b) how was a new chairman and director appointed to the board when clearly they have not invested in the club? We are fast becoming even more of a joke, and before anybody says it, yes I know there is still time, but the latest instance of being outbid by Brighton!!!! and all these trialists are a sign of how low we have sunk. We will give our beloved club this season, but can really take no more. [/quote] If we are in such dire straits, for those who took a potential £1.3m out of the transfer kitty to now be so high on their horses about things is quite astonishing: it appears that it hasn''t even occurred to you that claiming your rebates has helped create the situation that you are now decrying. Astonishing. Of course, it was all ST holders choice, and a choice we were all free to make it. But could you really not see that the club might struggle in the transfer market as a result?[/quote] Utter...utter...utter bilge....... The classic Deliarite sycophant in full flight.........   [/quote] If you can''t fade the message its always a good tactic to attack the messenger......... Very weak Cluck, try talking about the issues if you can handle it? BP is spot on in my opinion. You can''t support giving less money to Gunn and then complain about the lack of quality.   Wasn''t that the whole point of "sending a message" ?  

[quote user="Delia Out"] Simon Whaley, Wade Small, Alan Lee, Liam Dickinson, Albert Adomah, will we sign any of them? Personally I would like to see us sign most, if not all of our apparent ''transfer targets'' but out of them all, I would like to see us but Whaley more than anyone else. What does anyone else think? [/quote] Gunn has a new video on canariesworld, you are a member right?

[quote user="Mister Chops"]Law #12 of the Pink Un Message Board: If we are linked with a player and don''t sign him, it shows our lack of ambition. If we are linked with a player, and sign him, it shows our lack of ambition because it''s obvious that nobody else wanted him. [/quote] Pretty much spot on. I dont think he was worth spending 500K plus wages on a player who played for Leeds in this division last year and was pretty unimpressive by most people who saw him. Personally I think Chris Martin is probably a better option at this level. I also think Alan Lee is probably also a better option. Once we sell Clingan and Russell it will probably free up more money to spend on players.    

[quote user="Loan City Fc "][quote user="Camuldonum"] [quote user="Sideshow Tim"]We need a statement from the club telling us what the hell is going on at our beloved football club. If the reports of Brighton outbidding us for Dickinson and winning with a bid of 100k then something is wrong. Please tell us why all of our signings have been free transfers, why we are not bidding sufficiently for our targets and why there are so many trialsts at the club which will end up costing zilch to buy. Is our club is in more crises financially than it''s letting on? WE WANT ANSWERS AND QUICKLY. COME ON MAKE A STATEMENT[/quote]   Sorry to disappoint - and please don''t let it stop you - but Brighton have paid around £500k for the player with around £350k as a down payment and the rest on hire purchase. [/quote] The fee is undisclosed , or have they made an exception with you and let you in on the details. [/quote] LOL, I guess it was fine when it was reported as 100K............ now its closer to 500K........LOL. I do find it ironic that those who are complaining we are not bidding enough are those who supported having a smaller first team budget.  

[quote user="Tangible Fixed Assets anyone"]He needs a season long loan at Luton or a similar club.[/quote] To be honest its unlikely because he did so poorly at King Lynn. Why would a LG2 club take him on if he did poorly in NL football?

[quote user="Its only my opinion"] [quote user="Big Bob"][quote user="Shyster"]The Airdrie fixture is to be broadcast on Radio 5 Live.[/quote] Haha [;)] [/quote] Also extended highlights on setanta :-) [/quote] Ironically one of our pre-season games last year was on Setanta. (Spurs)

I think people have to realize that its a new world in football. A lot of clubs are letting their better players go just to save money. The free agent market has never been better in the lower leagues, its all about wages. With 7 subs its also very much a squad game, meaning its better to have a decent all round squad than spending all your money on one star player. I think we a building a squad of our OWN players, some will work out, some won''t. The fact we are not spending much on transfers fees means we arnt taking much of chance. Some of the trialists might be offered limited deals such as 1 year deals or even pay for play deals. Most we will pass on. As I said a few weeks ago it makes perfect sense to have so many pre-season games so we can get to see some of these players in action.  

[quote user="Its only my opinion"] Are these 2 our strongest midfield pair? If clingan and Russell leave will these 2 be strong enough and stay fit long enough to drive our midfield out of this league?   [/quote] I think we are looking for at least one more solid midfield player based on the fact we have made an offer to Stephen Hughes. I also think Tom Adeyemi will be a force this year in the middle. 4 is probably enough with Simon Lappin and Spillane able to fill in if we are hit really badly.

[quote user="city till i die"]i think we should play 3.4.3 next season, get cody mac and martin chasing lees flick ons and knock downs, looks good to me. 3 centre defenders as are fullbacks are pants, nelson, doc, dejan and spillane as back up!! who knows about midfeilders could have so many different combo''s[/quote] Actually as Gill and OTJ are listed as somewhat defensive midfield players maybe playing Martin on the right might not be a bad option. I think this week will see a number of new signings. If we do sign Lee I don''t think it ends our quest for strikers, we could still go back for Dickinson or maybe one of the guys we have on trial. I still think we need at least two "big man" striking options, especially with a 7 man bench. If both Clingan and Russell go as expected I think we will make a bigger effort to try and land Stephen Hughes.  

[quote user="Loan City Fc "]Oh dear is that really the best we can do , a lazy old ex scummer who wants somewhere close to home to put his feet up , hope this rumour is wrong but with our manager you just know hes going to make the  massive mistake . [/quote] Just change you name to "Moan City FC" and be done with it........

also worth noting that Leeds might be forced into selling two of their best players.

I think we should take a calculated risk and overspend on players this year. I would even suggest bringing in some quality loan signings to bolster the squad. (ala Hucks and Crouch) With Saints and Charlton both on -10 points we probably wont get a better shot at promotion than this year.

[quote user="colneycanary"]If 700k is all Clingan is worth, i''d rather we keep him![/quote] If he had 2 years left then yes............ But basically with 1 year left and then he walks on a free we would be paying over 1.1 million for 1 year. Thats exactly the same reason why Leeds are willing to let Beckford go. They would keep him if he was willing to sign a long term contract. Without it they are better off selling him now rather than letting him walk in a year.

[quote user="1st Wazzock"][quote user="SNAP"] Be honest now.....is anyone who left their rebate money in the club to add to the transfer fund that MWJ said Gunn already had, plus the money that we received for Marshall plus Michael Foulger''s money getting just a little uneasy that these funds now seem to have evaporated when we need to get a new targetman signed up? Be honest again...are you really surprised? Seems like deja vu. Once again no lessons have been learned from last year when we started the season without a proper striker and continued without one all season with disasterous results. Nothing changes except our expectations - which get lower every year. I''ll wait for the usual "Give the guy a chance", "It''s not the start of the season yet", "He''s done well so far", "I''ll support them whatever division they are in" comments but I''ll bet they are the same comments as were made this time last year. As I said, nothing changes except our expectations..... [/quote] Just back from scorching Spain and guess what? No striker and no money spent. Is the rebate money and the other cash there for when the restaurant takings are down or for buying some players? [/quote] errrr................. we just brought in 4 players on permanent contracts, with more on the way. We just signed a number of youth team players to pro contracts. Where do you get "no money spent" from? At least try and make some kind of sense.

[quote user="SNAP"] Be honest now.....is anyone who left their rebate money in the club to add to the transfer fund that MWJ said Gunn already had, plus the money that we received for Marshall plus Michael Foulger''s money getting just a little uneasy that these funds now seem to have evaporated when we need to get a new targetman signed up? Be honest again...are you really surprised? Seems like deja vu. Once again no lessons have been learned from last year when we started the season without a proper striker and continued without one all season with disasterous results. Nothing changes except our expectations - which get lower every year. I''ll wait for the usual "Give the guy a chance", "It''s not the start of the season yet", "He''s done well so far", "I''ll support them whatever division they are in" comments but I''ll bet they are the same comments as were made this time last year. As I said, nothing changes except our expectations..... [/quote] http://norwichcity.myfootballwriter.com/full_article.asp?i=4761 It''s not like we are not trying, we have numerous bids for various strikers turned down, we have numerous strikers currently on trial with us. You act like we are doing nothing. It''s no secret we need a decent striker but do we just get ANYBODY or do we get somebody who can do a decent job at the right price............. not easy to find because everyone else is looking for that guy too. We have brought in 4 new players, given new contracts to several of the youth squad.  We are making some moves. But IMHO thats not even close to the end of the players coming in. I expect at least another 3-4 players. Not many LG1 clubs will bring in 7-8 permanent players this year. Saying the funds have evaporated is just silly considering we have a number of offers in on various players......... If Clingan and Russell move on as expected it will probably free up even more money. Expect us to then become much more active in the transfer market.    

[quote user="Hucks is Legend"]Gunn said he would let him recover from the different times, should see him in Scotland.[/quote] I actually think having so many pre-season games will allow Rudd and Steer to gain some useful experience with the first team squad.

[quote user="lincoln canary"]i know its only a pre season game but i find it very alarming that we should concede two goals and give away as many chances as we did to a team well down the non league ladder![/quote] Isn''t that kind of what these games are for............ Nelson and Doc havn''t played together before so we might need to work on some stuff. A lot of these games are pretty "relaxed" in terms of tackles and commitment. Everton lost to Bury yesterday.......... I don''t think they will struggle in the prem this year.

[quote user="Yella N Green Blood"]I stayed after the game last night and managed to speak to both Troy and Takura. Both really nice lads and want to come here. Was very impressed by both of them. Spoke to their parents'' for the best part of half an hour. these two could both be well worth a contract.[/quote] Thats good info........ some may disagree but I think character is very important in a team environment. With an 18 player matchday squad we are looking for good solid squad players who can do a job for us when we have injuries. The teams that have more options on the bench are going to have an advantage this year........ Some of the teams in LG 1 may struggle to get 18 pros let alone having a good balance on the bench.

[quote user="nu_matik"]Ans Takura Mtandari sounds a little like ''takeaway tandoori''... I s he indian, any info?[/quote] errrr....... no http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/players/reserves/takuramtandari.html  

[quote user="nu_matik"]They all have the letter ''o'' in their name except Takura Mtandari.[/quote] I did find out that like Maric he also had a trial at Crystal Palace.......... http://www.tribalfootball.com/crystal-palace-trials-tottenham-defender-takura-mtandari-241551   What is it between us and Palace?  

OK, from what I have read we have the following players on trial...... Takura Mtandari Troy Powell Nicholas Chrysantho Max Joarder Goran Maric Scott Neilson Anyone know anything much about any of these players that has not already been posted?              

According to this link he just played for Crystal Palace........ http://fypfanzine.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/palace-beat-boreham-wood-trial-serbian-striker/