happy.

[djc 0]

I am actually quite pleased with who we have kept rather than those we didn''t sign. Brady, Klose, Ruddy, Olsson, Mulumbu amongst others who we speculated over the summer would all want to leave. This summer window could have been worse for us. Yes, okay, we could have added another striker and centre half but I''m fairly pleased with who we''ve kept and those we have added.

[Rogue Baboon 0]

So all is well despite the glaring lack of goals?

[djc 0]

Yep, all is well. Alex Neil is yet to put out his best starting 11 from the squad he now has. Time will tell. At least he hast spunked all of the transfer kitty this window.

[Alex Moss 2,165]

I totally hear what you''re saying, DJC. It''s easy to overlook but I thought the same - we really could have done with another striker, but it should not go unnoticed whom we''ve managed to retain, that in itself was quite impressive and I will give the higher echelons at NCFC the credit they deserve as they do deserve it on that front 👍

[Branston Pickle 3,638]

I think the point is that it is not all doom and gloom as some seem intent on insisting otherwise - IMO we were (again) one player short (this time a striker) of having had a decent window.

We were told by several people that we''d be selling off all our players in a fire sale, clearly that was utter garbage - other than Redmond they are all still here. We are a bit light up front, but for people to call the Window out as being disastrous, as some are doing, is way overstating it.

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,735]

we couldnt finish in the top 2 , two seasons ago when we had a squad with more goals in it than this one.......

[Rogue Baboon 0]

Neil doesn''t know what his best 11 is though. That was possibly the biggest issue last year.

So it''s great that we retained them - what happens in January if Alex Neil is still fumbling around trying to get the right formula and we are struggling between play offs and mid table? How do we stave off a mass exodus?

[Jools 584]

[quote user="djc"]I am actually quite pleased with who we have kept rather than those we didn''t sign. Brady, Klose, Ruddy, Olsson, Mulumbu amongst others who we speculated over the summer would all want to leave. This summer window could have been worse for us. Yes, okay, we could have added another striker and centre half but I''m fairly pleased with who we''ve kept and those we have added.[/quote]Yes, I''m deliriously happy that no one came in with a worthwhile offer for the majority of our first team [:''(]

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,020]

I would have liked to have at least seen another striker coming in, that said there seems to be more fans unhappy with their clubs transfer dealings then there are fans that are happy with how the transfer deadline day has gone for their club.......

[havemyhowsonit 0]

I know what you''re getting at djc

But as for AN not picking his best 11 yet. That''s balls.

He''s had this squad long enough to know what his best 11 is even from the premier league and the season before.

If he doesn''t know by now then he''s no manager. Plus he needs to stop d**king around with the formation and playing players out of position. I am no fan of AN especially after this window. He''s basically lied throughout this window so I can''t trust him to take us further

[kick it off 1,948]

I''m disappointed we''re piling up deadwood like it was going out of fashion. The players we have signed, generally I''m very happy with. The problem, is that players like Canos and Pritchard now have to displace Lazy Naisy to get a shot in the team.

Much as we needed a striker, I think we needed to ship Naismith out even more. He doesn''t fit the system, but because he was so expensive, he''s become a millstone around AN''s neck. AN needs to show he has some balls and drop Naismith, and maybe we''ll be OK until January.

I actually think persevering with Naismith will be what undoes us in terms of goals. We don''t have a prolific striker, but Jerome did score 18ish in this league two years ago and is off to a decent start, and Oliviera looks to have a bit about him. Both will need runners coming in and chipping in with goals if the system is to work, and playing Naismith in the middle pushes Wes out to the left where he is not effective, and Naismith in the middle where he is not effective (He doesn''t seem to have a position where he is effective).

We have no fluidity up top with both in the team, and Wes offers far more creativity so should be playing centrally, with the likes of Canos, Murph x 2, Pritchard etc in the wider spots, offering us some movement. Naismith is far too static and offers no creativity, and Wes isn''t quick enough for the wide role, we need the wide men to pull the defenders out of position creating space for the #9 and #10, and that isn''t Wessi''s game.

Look at the way the kids tore Posh apart yesterday - pass and move. The first team in general don''t do enough running off the ball, but it''s especially evident in the forward areas.

[Move Klose 303]

What worries me is that Neil will keep playing Naismith who has been shite and obviously wanted a move away.

[Mason 47 1,373]

RE: the youth at posh

For me it really showed that the unit of Jacob + Josh Murphy with James Maddison have that naturally link into each others games- I thought it might be worth a shot if one of them hadn''t been chucked off on loan to Aberdeen.

However if this does one day come good, I officially coin the term ''JMx3''

[Horse Renoir 1]

Pleased overall. I''m annoyed we couldn''t shift Naismith and I''m actually genuinely angry that we''ve loaned out Maddison, a player capable of quickly releasing strikers (The type of service Jerome loves) and who''s obviously much more talented and infinitely more hungry and committed than Naismith makes very little sense to me.

But looking at who we''ve lost the replacements bought for the most part we''ve done okay I suppose. We''d all be much happier if Pritchard was fit I reckon

[Move Klose 303]

Definitely a proven striker short.

Gutted Maddison is not being chosen over Naismith & being loaned out to a very poor league.

Can''t believe we''ve hung onto to Naismith who doesn''t wanna be here.

Can''t believe Lafferty is still here. Neil clearly doesn''t like the guy on the football pitch.

A very strange window. Nice to hang on to certain players but not signing strikers will come back and bite us.

[Mason 47 1,373]

But, if Pritch is fit, where does he fit?

At the moment we can''t drop Wes as he is in the form of his career with us. Naismith seems to have a playground-style invisible shield that stops him being dropped. We''ll be rotating Canos, both Murphy boys, Pritchard and Jarvis when he recovers in one position.

[Wibble 109]

Brady isnt very good left back, maybe better now transfers , but i doubt it.

We needed , lb,cb,fc in my opinion, well get a crappy loan now.

Where the hell has this money gone, did they sign naismith on such ridiculous wages ? Did the boatd say either get rod or no one else ?

Clubs a joke. Not even sarcastic.

[andy cousins 9]

Canos, Pritchard, Macgovern, Oliviera all come in and kept Ollsen, Klose, Brady, Mulumbu, Ruddy. Could have been much worse with only Redmond who many gave much stick gone of any significance and the loan window is from 9th Sept to 25th November, no a loan is not ideal but can still be useful yet

[kick it off 1,948]

FFS how many times. THERE IS NO LOAN WINDOW. Fifa have changed the rules. The only players we can sign between now and January are Free agents. NO LOANS BECAUSE THERE IS NO LOAN WINDOW.

[lharman7 39]

There''s only one question we should all be asking ourselves, have we improved the squad? In my opinion we''ve failed to do so.

Oliveira is the only player we have signed that will potentially knock Jerome off for a starting birth. With his age you''d expect his best years will be here with us. Time will only tell if it proves to be an improvement.

The others due to their age can only be described as potential or ''for the future''. We will be waiting between 3-6 years for them to peak. This doesn''t bode well for an immediate return to the prem.

We have to keep perspective that yes we have retained the majority of our squad BUT this squad IS a failed Premier League squad and we have not improved the squad.

Improvements would be players that would be immediate if not challenging for a first team position.

Yes we are well suited with big pedigree potentially great youngsters but I''m not sure our board have shown any ambition in returning to the Premier league at the first time of asking.

[City 2nd 191]

djc wrote the following post at 2016-09-01 3:59 AM:

Yep, all is well. Alex Neil is yet to put out his best starting 11 from the squad he now has. Time will tell. At least he hast spunked all of the transfer kitty this window.

Alex Neil will definitely not be putting out his best starting eleven. His best starting eleven should not include Whittaker or Naismith, but the best player on the books in Maddison, who has been allowed to leave, and after the same manager last week stated publicly that Maddison WOULD NOT be going out on loan! What I would like to know is WHO IS managing the club, WHO IS pulling the strings?

[JF 694]

You''re very easily pleased I guess. We have no where near enough in goals in the squad for top 2 now and realistically the only reason we kept the squad together Is because they are not good enough to get their moves

[king canary 7,580]

Yeah sorry I can''t get excited about our prospects because we''ve hung on to our second choice keeper and defensive midfielder. Nice try though.

[pete 318]

This post a relatively HAPPY CLAPPER free zone I suspect they think by the title the OP was happy in trying to reiterate little old Norwich.

No chance of achieving anything this season, we have kept players who are already showing signs of not wanting to be here, did you hear Jonny H last Saturday.

[TCCANARY 263]

[quote user="pete"]This post a relatively HAPPY CLAPPER free zone I suspect they think by the title the OP was happy in trying to reiterate little old Norwich.

No chance of achieving anything this season, we have kept players who are already showing signs of not wanting to be here, did you hear Jonny H last Saturday.[/quote]

Now look everybody you''ve made Pete even more miserable (who thought that was possible?) I expect he had to look up the word ''happy'' to see what it meant.

[Fiery Zac 1,066]

"There''s only one question we should all be asking ourselves, have we improved the squad?"

Why is that the only question to ask? If so, have Newcastle improved their squad? No. They''ve still got a very good squad with an excellent chance of promotion, as have we.

[Ginja 26]

I wonder how happy you''ll be at Christmas when we are mid-table

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,020]

I agree with the comments regarding Naismith, I was hoping he would be on his way out of the club, however I take issue with the "we hung onto him" comments, clearly we were happy for him to go as we allowed Sunderland to talk to him, the deal broke down over Sunderland/Naismith not being able to agree personal terms, very little the club could do about that. I do wonder if not being able to move Naismith on hampered our efforts in respect of signing another striker, and I do fear that prudence is dominating ambition at the moment.........

[hogesar 9,618]

[quote user="TCCANARY"][quote user="pete"]This post a relatively HAPPY CLAPPER free zone I suspect they think by the title the OP was happy in trying to reiterate little old Norwich.

No chance of achieving anything this season, we have kept players who are already showing signs of not wanting to be here, did you hear Jonny H last Saturday.[/quote]

Now look everybody you''ve made Pete even more miserable (who thought that was possible?) I expect he had to look up the word ''happy'' to see what it meant.

[/quote]

[:D]

[hogesar 9,618]

I think, as per usual, most are going way OTT about a window where the reality is - we missed out on one target - another striker. 

It''s blinkered a few people''s viewpoints - maybe they''re not intelligent enough to sit back and analyse the situation as a whole, I don''t know, maybe Pete can answer that.

I think when we got relegated, if I had said the only first teamer we would sell would be Redmond and we''d keep Olsson, Brady, Naismith and Klose, people would call me f*cking stupid.

The reality is, we''ve kept those three. We''ve added attacking players to the side in Canos, Pritchard and Oliveira. 

Overall, we still have one of the stronger sides in the division. Do I think we''re a striker short? Yup. Do I think the seasons over because of it? Not at all.