Lavanche

Like as Mervmeister, I think someone will come out of bushes next. No idea who it would be, but as we imo need that CAM and Diego has 1 year left from deal in Wolfsburg lets say him! ^^

I dont get it. Why do we need 4 ->strikers

No definently not. I think he will be great for us, but I dont expect miracles from him at his first season, but even said that he probably will be better than anything else we have to throw for our middlefield. What is best about him that even if he doesnt succeed for what Hughton tries him first, he is very versatile player and can be tried in different role. Not to mention he still is young that he can grow in almost every role. I just feel most of people are at the moment overhyping everything linked for us and dont want anyone to get disapointed and start bashing player a he wasnt on the level he was rised before the signing ^^ As said already he is good player and I think he will fit our gameplan quite well, but as a player he isn''t M''Vila, Verratti, Kondogbia or not even Van Ginkel at least yet, so I dont expect immediate success and glory for him when he have to face faster game tempo and physicality of premier league. So we need to give him time to adapt and grow as a player. Ofc I''m happy if I''m wrong and he makes more interceptions than anyone else in league and scores for fun from middlefield at his first season here.

Sorry I''m not familiar with term "dud"?

Twente ofc in place of PSV ^^

[quote user="Stig"]All of us, anyone who days otherwhise is a liar. He is great on fifa! He helped me win the league![/quote] Pff I probably have seen every youth national team game in U21 from him that has been broadcasted. Few of his euro league games and quite many Eredivisie games both in Feynoord and PSV ^^ Probably thats why I''m not hyped as most of here as I know his limitations. Anyway were you youtube watcher or jsomeone who has followed him, everyone can see his strenghts and if he developes areas like positioning and long passing he can become anything,

Great box to box middlefielder with both physcality and pace was something we lacked. Great signing for both immediate need and future. Hopefuly he will stay fit and keep developing.

Keeping offtopic going, but Hart is world class, but to be honest he doesnt fit the top-5. From big teams Casillas, Neuer, Cech, Lloris and Buffoní all go quite easily front of him. If someone argues about Lloris being behind Friedel you didnt watch any of Tottenham''s games. He was so in form it was almost impossible to drop him ^^ I would rate Hart somewhere around Valdes and Mandanda. Exellent keepers, but all got big flaws in their game, but they play for national teams because they know how to operate world class defence, where Ruddy is at least equal in stopping shots and crosses pressure of big team day after day is one of the main reasons why certain keepers get caps in national team. Ofc this is opinion of mine and in goalkeepers you really cant say for a fact who is best, but Hart isnt in my top 5, but probably would fit my top 10.

And Chiellini ;)

Heh I wouldnt call him world class signing before he has proven himself ;) He is decent player no question there, but I get a feeling he isnt our first choise target and I dont really know how to feel about him. I have to admit that Serie A is league that I watch least from big leagues, but when I have talked with Juventus fan''s they dont rate him too much and think he is big mood player. Anyway with our resources he still is really good player and probably will do fine. He just lacks that something for me.

I can see no reason for them to tell anything related to Toby if he isnt coming ^^ Most likely it is Fer as he was in medical already. Doubt there is two players.

Most certainly Dennis Bergamp. Genious with athletic build. Messi would be horse poo compared to him if he would have to play with level of physicality and heavier ball that he endured. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drScL8q956o This video never gets old ^^

[quote user="chicken"][quote user="Lavanche"]Nah with Kamara we didnt go for 4-4-2 but played one striker either wing or in pocket. Also 1 upfront isn''t negative tactic itself. I dont know what Hughton is planning, but watching our current squad and those rumoured to us I would guess he will continue with 4-2-3-1 or go for 4-3-3 by pushing wingers bit forward and removing pocket player by using players like Howson and Fer front of Johnson or Tettey at the middlefield. I personaly hope we get someone like Toivonen to make our middlefield real threat.[/quote] Sorry but we did, not for all of his games but we certainly played two up front for some of the home games whilst he was with us. Also you talk a lot of ''shadow strikers'' well couldn''t that also be an option, to have a deeper lying 2nd striker? Also have a look at how Hughton liked to put the team out for Newcastle and Birmingham.[/quote] Well I think I missed two games with Kamara and cant remember which those few late season games were where we used 4-4-2 and changed back to 4-2-3-1 soon as we realised it isnt working. It was time when Pilks was injured. But I see those tries were mainly because injuries and poor form. I see it possible that we use deeper lying striker, but he must be cabable of making the plays. Quagliarella could be option for this as is Toivonen. We dont have a playmaker at the moment except Hoolahan and Snoddy really cant make the plays from the wide as his options are limited. That is the reason 4-4-2 didnt work last season when it was tried and I cant see Hughton going in to same trap again with two high profile goal scorers. Also it doesnt matter what he have used in the past and I personaly didnt follow Birningham almost at all so I can''t tell what he has used there. But in Newcastle he at least tried to get rid of pure 4-4-2. But in his comments Hughton have always been supporter of modern football which means 2 out and out strikers wont fit that picture very well as it leaves big gaps in the formation either between strikers and middlefielders or middlefielders and defence which means lot of long balls and losing the hard earned posession. Itcan be 4-4-1-1, 4-3-3, 4-1-2-1-2, but purely english 4-4-2 it probably wont be. Sorry I''m tactic nazi and I 4-4-2 is kind a curseword for me. I know some people doenst always mean old traditional 4-4-2 when they mention it, but for example diamond or unbalanced wing play which both could work for us.

Nah with Kamara we didnt go for 4-4-2 but played one striker either wing or in pocket. Also 1 upfront isn''t negative tactic itself. I dont know what Hughton is planning, but watching our current squad and those rumoured to us I would guess he will continue with 4-2-3-1 or go for 4-3-3 by pushing wingers bit forward and removing pocket player by using players like Howson and Fer front of Johnson or Tettey at the middlefield. I personaly hope we get someone like Toivonen to make our middlefield real threat.

[quote user="Budapest Canary"]If played in this revolutionary 4-4-1 formation, no-one will be able to stop us![/quote] No the twelftt player is the true shadow striker and we just can''t see him.

Fer, striker, CAM and CB for me ^^ As I keep repeating with 1 striker system 3 is enough. Ofc if we decide to go for pure 4-4-2 then 2 strikers and no need for CAM, but I hope that is not the case.

It is true that premier league is bit different than most of the leagues in Europe. More straightforward and physical for example than La Liga or Bundesliga. But what we lacked last seasons in premiership was depth. What we are buying at the moment is depth and more profilic playes than we could get in England as their prices are skyhigh and that kind of talent is rare. As said in other topics here not all of them are straightforward starters and the need to prove themselves for Hughton before Olsson can forexample get front of Garrido and Nash is nowhere near getting place from Ruddy. In top leagues there is always that certain "What if?". We need at least some what quality behind our starters and better if they can offer us some tactical varities. For example Fer would give us a middlefielder that is more comfortable to run box to box than Howson is and Toivonen would give us a CAM who can also score and play as a second striker where Hoolahan is purely playmaker and creator. This evolution is just something we need and for us to make it possible it means players from foreign leagues and to be honest it is equal jump from Championship talent wise at it is from Eredivisie physical wise. More and more of premiership coaches try to absorb quicker game tempo and more possesion from Europe at the moment (us included) which mean more "continental" football that we or any of championship teams are used to. It is only natural that we and others find more easier players to fit those tactics from europe not to mention that we now have money for it because Premier League is so much above in tv revenue. Also Hughton isnt one who would take big risks so I doubt we have anything like QPR nor Newcastle last season not to mention we fish a bit different kind of fishes than they did. Not to mention that Hughton seems to target players whose at least physical appearance will meet the standards of Premier league. Tall, quite quick and above that technical players.

Pff I hate when someone just dont simply jump into our lap and do what we want and after that he is "cheat" or "arsehole". Toivonen is decent player. Probably second best from the names that we have signed or linked this year after RvW. (Yes he is better than Fer at the moment, deal with hit. Fer thought will become better player in future if his developement continues.) He doesnt have most diplomatical personality, but did Mad Marc Tierney? Still we liked him after he signed. I at least see it only honest that you think your choises trough and after making the choise you dedicate yourself for that matter. As Alan Gray said and I have said on other thread they are humans and this is their profession. He is 27, he has skills for playing for one of the clubs that can offer him Europe and more wage next year than we do. You remember how well Ajax played against us in previous pre-season where we looked like totally out of their league? PSV is almost equal with them so moving for "smaller" club, but bigger league isnt easy choise either. Further we go in the ranks of footbal clubs more familiar this comes for us. Bigger the player quality is, bigger his demands are. It is quite much same in every business and sad as it is football is business these days. Show some respect for the guy as he havent disprespect us anyway yet and most of you havent even seen him speaking ever.

As I have said from previous winter window we need only 3 strikers on our pay roll if we play with 1 up front. So one is needed now that we dont have Holt anymore. Hopefuly he is bit more "special" than Hooper is. Then few players that can play striker if needed in most urgent case. Like we at the moment have Redmont and Pilkington who have played there few times in past. In my opinion our biggest need still is attacking middlefielder. (Like Toivonen would be) Who can make the play and score some goals. Ofc he could play at top too, but his best position is behind striker.

Yeah fairplay spots were given Norway, Sweden and Finland this year for Europa leagues first qualifiying round

So Fer and Johnson as playmakers ^^ I know people get a bit hard in their pants for two pure strikers but I personaly hope we dont go back to hoofball and keep it in 3 middlefilders. Also I rate Hoolahan so much higher than Hooper not to mention Howson that I would want to see that kind of formation only if 4-2-3-1 doesnt work. Also all the players that has been rumoured for us except Hooper are good at playing ball on the ground so 4-4-2 without another of nines being false one would sound a bit wrong considering what Hughton was trying to do last season. That said some of them are heading specialists.RvW, Fer , Toivonen and Alderweilerd all + 185 cm so long balls are not out of option either. Anyway I''m personaly very dissapointed if we dont have attacking middlefielder on our best 11 and I personaly see Hooper only good as competition for RvW, if we ever sign him.

Heh you guys are a bit harsh with him. This will be probably his last time to try to get in a big team because of his age, so no wonder he takes his time for it. It is nothing against us really, but if he makes 4 or 5 year deal with us, he risks that he is over 30 next time we would let him move for big money, glory of european games and real chance of silverware, You have to remember that this is their profession. That said he is a bit arrogant as a person, but sometimes that arrogance and even pure idiocy makes player a better. Slatan, RvP, Rooney, C.Ronaldo etc are all a bit of cnuts ;)

Only last season starter who has left is Holt and we dont know yet who Hughton will play. We have signed so far now RvW who is certain starter, Olsson who is equal with Garrido until proven otherwise, Redmond who is healthy competition for Pilkington, but not in is level yet at least in my opinion and Nash who is third choise. Even if we sign Fer and Toivonen that would mean only 5 players at max changing from our starting 11 and that isnt really that much if you consider that we can always go back for last years formation if things are going poor for us. Oh just realised I forgot Alderweilerd, but doesnt change my point. I see only RvW and Toivonen as quite clear starters. Toby will have to battle with Turner from his starting place and same with Olsson and Fer. Not that Hoolahan and our possible third striker signing wouldnt be competition for two mentioned first, but I cant see them comming here if they are not promised quite much game time and Toivonen just suits Hughton better than Hoolahan because of his size and being jack of all trades

[quote user="Rock The Boat"]Cheers guys, nice to have some perspective. So with Fer having a medical we could be landing ourselves an 8.[/quote] Heh Dutch would have quite many +8 in their national team then ^^ I think people are bit over exited about dutch youth national and overhype him.

[quote user="Unhinged Canary"]Not that relevant, but this thread made me think of it.It''s also quite old, a little bit ''un-PC'' and could be viewed as slightly controversial in some circles.....But, it''s classic, it''s funny, and it makes me larf! [:)]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tAYCTZt6bA[/quote] Finnish band!