A dearth of strikers

[pete 371]

Idah only back up available for missing Pukki.  Not for the first season City have relied on sparse striking talent and that ended in the same way.  Will we ever learn this lesson an experienced journeyman who keeps fit wouldn't go amiss remember Wilbraham.

Shocking way to run a team. 

[Clint 221]

Most prem teams will have 3/4 forwards of varying degrees of ability but all deemed to be capable. I doubt any other team will go to Old Trafford this season being forced to give a debut to an 18 year old forward and no cover on the bench. 

[CDMullins 498]

Then subbing him off to sure things up at 3-0 down with 25 minutes lefts, moving to a 3-7-0 formation.

[Chumino 57]

Poor summer recruitment. Again. 

[TeemuVanBasten 3,328]

1 hour ago, Chumino said:

Poor summer recruitment. Again. 

In hindsight our recruitment has been sh*t for an entire year now, last January we signed Heise and he barely kicked a ball. 

[Thirsty Lizard 3,215]

11 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

In hindsight our recruitment has been sh*t for an entire year now, last January we signed Heise and he barely kicked a ball. 

er...... Byram. 

[TeemuVanBasten 3,328]

10 minutes ago, Thirsty Lizard said:

er...... Byram. 

Your point? 

One swallow does not a summer make. 

Still, just the 2.5 years left on Heise's contract, and I suppose Drmic could come good at some stage over the remaining 2.5 years of his 

Amadou doesn't look much cop does he. 

Ralf Farhmann has not been listed as one of our injured players for some time now, he's fit, yet he's been kept out of the 18 by Michael McGovern  (yes, back in it yesterday, but point still applies). 

The reality is that we've failed to strengthen the squad, yet alone the first XI. 

Its all good signing loan players with an option to buy, but all three loan signings appear to have been failed. Amadou is at best bang average, Ralf and Roberts struggled to get into the matchday squad.

Drmic shown glimpses of promise but he can't stay fit, meaning we'd have been better off with Rhodes. 

How can that be anything other than poor recruitment? 

Edited January 12, 2020 by TeemuVanBasten

[Thirsty Lizard 3,215]

15 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Your point? 

One swallow does not a summer make. 

Still, just the 2.5 years left on Heise's contract, and I suppose Drmic could come good at some stage over the remaining 2.5 years of his 

Amadou doesn't look much cop does he. 

Ralf Farhmann has not been listed as one of our injured players for some time now, he's fit, yet he's been kept out of the 18 by Michael McGovern  (yes, back in it yesterday, but point still applies). 

The reality is that we've failed to strengthen the squad, yet alone the first XI. 

Its all good signing loan players with an option to buy, but all three loan signings appear to have been failed. Amadou is at best bang average, Ralf and Roberts struggled to get into the matchday squad.

Drmic shown glimpses of promise but he can't stay fit, meaning we'd have been better off with Rhodes. 

How can that be anything other than poor recruitment? 

We've been through all this before TVB. The increase in value on Byram alone probably covers the amount spent on the others. Meanwhile ambitious Newcastle spent £40 million on Joelinton (plus a shed load in wages no doubt). Joelinton has got as many Premier League goals this season as Alex Tettey and Kenny McLean. 

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 4,620]

1 minute ago, Thirsty Lizard said:

We've been through all this before TVB. The increase in value on Byram alone probably covers the amount spent on the others. Meanwhile ambitious Newcastle spent £40 million on Joelinton (plus a shed load in wages no doubt). Joelinton has got as many Premier League goals this season as Alex Tettey and Kenny McLean. 

Newcastle wasting money is completely irrelevant to our summer transfer business, though. The fact that only one of our summer signings has been able to get regular game time means that I agree with TVB. Our summer recruitment, with the benefit of hindsight, wasn't very good.

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 2,035]

39 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

In hindsight our recruitment has been sh*t for an entire year now, last January we signed Heise and he barely kicked a ball. 

Whilst I would agree with last summers transfer dealings being poor, its a bit harsh to include January in that.....we didnt need anyone then, and thats how it panned out by winning the league?!?

[Thirsty Lizard 3,215]

2 minutes ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

Newcastle wasting money is completely irrelevant to our summer transfer business, though. The fact that only one of our summer signings has been able to get regular game time means that I agree with TVB. Our summer recruitment, with the benefit of hindsight, wasn't very good.

Well yeah, but no but..............

Our club doesn't exist in a vacuum and they are a club operating in the same league as us and it goes to show how difficult it can be to spend money well in the Premier League. (And if our summer recruitment 'wasn't very good' are there words of sufficient strength in the English language to express just how bad their's was?) 😉 

[Kenny Foggo 1,194]

Webber we are told is an absolute star and our owners are brilliant...yet time and time again we are told that investment is not the answer... so you can not have any faith in them to operate in the industry of their choosing. Using other teams as an example must mean you think they are equally inept....

[Thirsty Lizard 3,215]

3 hours ago, Kenny Foggo said:

Webber we are told is an absolute star and our owners are brilliant...yet time and time again we are told that investment is not the answer... so you can not have any faith in them to operate in the industry of their choosing. Using other teams as an example must mean you think they are equally inept....

I imagine that twisted piece of anti-logic makes sense in your head......... I'd take Webber who brought in Pukki on a free against the clown(s) at Newcastle who brought in Joelinton for £40 million any day of the week. 

[Kenny Foggo 1,194]

2 minutes ago, Thirsty Lizard said:

I imagine that twisted piece of anti-logic makes sense in your head......... I'd take Webber who brought in Pukki on a free against the clown(s) at Newcastle who brought in Joelinton for £40 million any day of the week. 

Ah more playground insults..... You are not getting what I am saying. Good players cost money, if Webber is as good as you think he is, its not a risk backing him with a decent amount of investment. It's his job. It's nonsensical to bring up other clubs failings to justify us being adrift at the foot of the table. Looking forward to your adult reply 😂😂😂

 

[Herman 11,136]

Darth Striker.

[Orly 291]

I must say, I was a little baffled that Srbeny was allowed to leave when he was.  Couldn't we have kept hold of him for a fortnight until Pukki was given all clear?

Don't think it would have mattered either way regarding result, I was just shocked at the cavalier attitude to having 1 fit striker with only 2 senior appearances available to go to old trafford.

I think my main complaint this season is the recruitment.  Whether that's through our obvious lack of finances or us just targeting the wrong players with our available budget (Roberts, Fahrmann, Amadou?), we'll never know.

[Kenny Foggo 1,194]

2 minutes ago, Orly said:

I must say, I was a little baffled that Srbeny was allowed to leave when he was.  Couldn't we have kept hold of him for a fortnight until Pukki was given all clear?

Don't think it would have mattered either way regarding result, I was just shocked at the cavalier attitude to having 1 fit striker with only 2 senior appearances available to go to old trafford.

I think my main complaint this season is the recruitment.  Whether that's through our obvious lack of finances or us just targeting the wrong players with our available budget (Roberts, Fahrmann, Amadou?), we'll never know.

Our recruitment last summer was a disaster. Not really a topic anyone can disagree with.... 

[Thirsty Lizard 3,215]

6 minutes ago, Kenny Foggo said:

Ah more playground insults..... You are not getting what I am saying. Good players cost money, if Webber is as good as you think he is, its not a risk backing him with a decent amount of investment. It's his job. It's nonsensical to bring up other clubs failings to justify us being adrift at the foot of the table. Looking forward to your adult reply 😂😂😂

 

Bad players can cost money too - see Joelinton/Ricky Van Wolfswinkel/Steven Naismith etc, etc, etc. 

Good players don't always cost money either (at least in transfer fees) - see Teemu Pukki or Emi Buendia picked up for a song. 

I bring up other clubs as context - Newcastle are operating in the same industry and same League as us. 

As I've said on another thread signing football players is an inexact science.

The board, Stuart Webber, Daniel Farke were all very up front at the beginning of this season that we would be spending very little money this season by Premier League standards. They have also been absolutely crystal clear that they see their job at the club as a long term one. Given all this it just seems weird to me that people are now turning round and moaning that we haven't spent a lot of money this season. 

 

 

[Clint 221]

All well and good spending very little money by premier league standards Thirsty but we’ve spent very little money by championship standards.

[daly 551]

Problem goes back long before Webber and to be fair he has inherited a backlog of a number of city signing being a complete waste of money.  We should now be building a side round the youngsters and be at least a mid-table Premiership side. The financial problems with NCFC have gone back donkey years and for a side that plays to full houses every season someone needs to sort out the mess this club gets into on a regular basis

[Herman 11,136]

That's what they're trying to do. 

[Kenny Foggo 1,194]

long term or two years in Webber's world. We are moaning and did in the summer due to the unacceptable level of strengthening to the side and it's obvious issues... Defending being one. I find it weird any fan of the club would be happy a drift at the bottom of the league and not competitive.... Still no one can tell me what success looks like with this long term plan and how long it is.. Bourne out of necessity and not sure me brilliant plan in my opinion.

[Nuff Said 5,965]

2 hours ago, Kenny Foggo said:

Ah more playground insults..... You are not getting what I am saying. Good players cost money, if Webber is as good as you think he is, its not a risk backing him with a decent amount of investment. It's his job. It's nonsensical to bring up other clubs failings to justify us being adrift at the foot of the table. Looking forward to your adult reply 😂😂😂

 

What playgrounds did you go to where "twisted piece of anti-logic" was an insult???

[Midlands Yellow 4,682]

2 hours ago, Clint said:

All well and good spending very little money by premier league standards Thirsty but we’ve spent very little money by championship standards.

League one standard maybe ? 

[Nuff Said 5,965]

2 hours ago, daly said:

Problem goes back long before Webber and to be fair he has inherited a backlog of a number of city signing being a complete waste of money.  We should now be building a side round the youngsters and be at least a mid-table Premiership side. The financial problems with NCFC have gone back donkey years and for a side that plays to full houses every season someone needs to sort out the mess this club gets into on a regular basis

Explain that bit to me - why exactly should we be a mid-table side? Isn't that at least as true about Bournemouth, Watford etc? Not to mention Stoke and WBA.

[Nuff Said 5,965]

3 minutes ago, Midlands Yellow said:

League one standard maybe ? 

So we are outperforming, which is a good thing?

[Midlands Yellow 4,682]

1 minute ago, Nuff Said said:

So we are outperforming, which is a good thing?

We are excelling. 

[hogesar 10,766]

2 hours ago, Thirsty Lizard said:

Bad players can cost money too - see Joelinton/Ricky Van Wolfswinkel/Steven Naismith etc, etc, etc. 

Good players don't always cost money either (at least in transfer fees) - see Teemu Pukki or Emi Buendia picked up for a song. 

I bring up other clubs as context - Newcastle are operating in the same industry and same League as us. 

As I've said on another thread signing football players is an inexact science.

The board, Stuart Webber, Daniel Farke were all very up front at the beginning of this season that we would be spending very little money this season by Premier League standards. They have also been absolutely crystal clear that they see their job at the club as a long term one. Given all this it just seems weird to me that people are now turning round and moaning that we haven't spent a lot of money this season. 

 

 

Great post. Wasted on here, but great post all the same.

[Drazen Muzinic 1,502]

2 hours ago, Thirsty Lizard said:

Bad players can cost money too - see Joelinton/Ricky Van Wolfswinkel/Steven Naismith etc, etc, etc. 

Good players don't always cost money either (at least in transfer fees) - see Teemu Pukki or Emi Buendia picked up for a song. 

I bring up other clubs as context - Newcastle are operating in the same industry and same League as us. 

As I've said on another thread signing football players is an inexact science.

The board, Stuart Webber, Daniel Farke were all very up front at the beginning of this season that we would be spending very little money this season by Premier League standards. They have also been absolutely crystal clear that they see their job at the club as a long term one. Given all this it just seems weird to me that people are now turning round and moaning that we haven't spent a lot of money this season. 

 

 

Good post Thirsty. Spot on.

[TeemuVanBasten 3,328]

3 hours ago, Thirsty Lizard said:

Bad players can cost money too - see Joelinton/Ricky Van Wolfswinkel/Steven Naismith etc, etc, etc. 

Good players don't always cost money either (at least in transfer fees) - see Teemu Pukki or Emi Buendia picked up for a song. 

Agreed that bad players can cost a lot of money.

Agree that good players don't always cost a lot of money.

But a team can attempt to sign good players for little money and fail in that strategy, and that's what we've done over the past year, because only Byram has managed to force his way into the side and then keep his place. 

Also, Buendia cost circa-£5m we've since been able to ascertain. This summer we didn't spend £5m on anybody; I don't think it is unreasonable for fans to have expected us to invest a small amount of money in players with the potential to go on to become important players for us, even if that's post-relegation. We spent about £4m/£5m on James Maddison when we last came up.

The problem with 'banking' the cash is that we signed James Maddison as a Premier League side, beating a lot of competition for his signature. I doubt he'd have chosen us if we were either still in the Championship. As a Championship side we are behind the likes of Brighton and Burnley in the transfer market, as simple as that. 

This past summer was the time to attract a few young talents, I still don't understand why we didn't invest in new assets. Perhaps that will become clearer as time goes on, perhaps the next accounts will give us all a bit of a shock as we've had an unexpected expense, or perhaps we're building a new City Stand. Maybe it will all become clear, but at the moment I don't understand why we haven't invested in the playing staff. 

I don't think it would be particularly difficult to find an upgrade on Marco Stiepermann for £5m, if the current regime would struggle to do that then perhaps they aren't as good as we thought they were? 

Would we get £2m for Stiepermann? That's the point. 

Edited January 12, 2020 by TeemuVanBasten