So, Good or bad Window....?

[Branston Pickle 3,657]

Given that we have pretty much been told we are ‘going with what we’ve got’, how do people feel the transfer window went - particularly given the poor Windows of last season?

Although I’m asking the question, I can’t help but be a bit on the fence on it.  There’s certainly good points in that we’ve brought in a number of players, some of whom are good enough to press for a first-team start, and we got them in good and early: that was a fantastic start.  Since then we’ve done the inevitable and sold a couple of our better players - fewer than many thought we’d do, so far so very good. 

The problem is that for me we have also made what seems to be some strange decisions in letting players go on loan leaving our defence undoubtedly weakened/low on numbers.  Injuries are inevitable, and we have a long slog of 18 games before the window opens again, so I can’t help but think we need to rely on dropping lucky more than we should.  Hopefully we can keep players fit and start to kick-on.   If we can, we will be well set, but there is that niggly feeling that our Achilles heel, defence/conceding too many goals, will continue to be an issue.

[cambridgeshire canary 6,716]

I mean, we have kept Cantwell and Buendia.

 

And Aarons. First two however is still up for debate if they wanted to move or if any clubs did want them and we prevented a move or not, guess if they show up against Rotherham or not will be the final clue.

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,820]

Mixed.

It's good that we've kept three of the 'big five', including the two that I'd consider the best ones, but the squad is very unbalanced. There are a couple of glaring holes in two positions whilst we're very well stocked, almost overstocked, in midfield.

[NFN FC 1,123]

I'm definitely in the bad camp (but only just). Yes we have brought in some decent players but there's still a gaping hole in our defensive options. It is like they didn't learn from the last time we had injuries in our defensive options. 

Quintilla's been great so far and Placheta looks like a good winger. Not sure about Dowell yet as he's made of dowel. 

[Branston Pickle 3,657]

I should have added - but for one defender coming in (or Klose not leaving) I’d have been in the ‘good’ camp, if with a niggling doubt about l-b.  That we didn’t get anyone makes that niggle a much bigger issue for me.

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

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

Mixed.

It's good that we've kept three of the 'big five', including the two that I'd consider the best ones, but the squad is very unbalanced. There are a couple of glaring holes in two positions whilst we're very well stocked, almost overstocked, in midfield.

Very mixed. t's a big juicy perfectly cooked steak (our attacking options) served merely with just 5 sprouts on the side (one for each of our strong defensive options). One of the sprouts also got dropped on the floor when it was plated up (Zim).

Edited October 16, 2020 by Hank shoots Skyler

[seanthecanary 168]

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

Mixed.

It's good that we've kept three of the 'big five', including the two that I'd consider the best ones, but the squad is very unbalanced. There are a couple of glaring holes in two positions whilst we're very well stocked, almost overstocked, in midfield.

Agree about the midfield, we've got 7 central midfielders if you include Leitner and Sorenson.  The defence is hard equation to solve for me.  If, and I say If, Zimbo remains fit, he and Gibson could well be a top partnership in the Championship.  Unless you are going to replace Zimmerman, any defender you bring in has to then accept that they are 3rd, maybe even 4th choice CB behind the main two and Hanley.  What sort of quality of player would you get under that criteria?  It's either a player past their best who is prepared to just be backup or an up and coming player who is prepared to bide their time.  Maybe the club feel they have the latter in the u23s already, I don't know.

In all though, it still remains to be seen whether we've bought anyone since winning the Champs that has improved us.

Edited October 16, 2020 by seanthecanary

[Capt. Pants 4,228]

Extremely mixed. Losing 2  x CBs in a week and not replacing them leaves us in a precarious situation. No cover at LB either with Byran ever injured. Dowell, already injured, looks average at best. Placheta looks promising but remains to be seen whether we will play to his strengths. Jury still out on Hugill as Farke doesn't seem to have faith in starting him despite Teemu's poor form. 

Great to see 3 of the crown jewels still here but for how long who knows and 2 of them clearly don't want to be here.

Can't comment on the youngsters we've loaned out and disappointing Farke doesn't have faith in any of them even for the Championship.

 

[CDMullins 436]

Very poor,

Big positive that Max is still here and appears to have been the true professional.

Todd/Emi both have issues that make me question whether we'll get them back to their best.

We've left ourselves rediculously short at the back, we have seven defenders which two are on loan and 3 are injury prone, we've really not learnt from last year at all.

Allowing McCallum and Klose to go with no replacment could be suicidal.

We already have injuries to Dowell and Hernandez aswell as Platcheta misisng a couple of games.

We look incredibly short with no balance and an abundnce of centre mid's - yet Rupp and Kenny are starters?

The actual money we have spent appears to have been on a 3rd choice striker.

I don't buy the financial excuses, we're just doing it on the cheap again.

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by CDMullins

[Michael Wynless Jones 161]

Average, obviously good we've kept Todd, Aarons and Buendia (so long as they don't now go into full on sulk mode, which being honest 2 of them may well do), but weakening an already stretched defence is very very poor bordering amateur hour, and I hope that isn't going to kill us to the extreme that not only do we not feature at the top end of the table, we're in danger of slipping towards the bottom.

[Midlands Yellow 3,980]

Apart from not adding to the defence (which is odd and may cost us) it’s good. If Emi and Todd are half interested in helping out Norwich should shoot up the table quickly. 

Edited October 16, 2020 by Midlands Yellow

[Indy 3,298]

Would have been happier to have signed Rob Dickie for the reporter 2.5 million QPR spent as replacement for Godfrey! We have some exciting young potential and decent additions.

Glad Buendia & Cantwell are both here, now get them on the pitch......

indifferent is the best way of summing it up. Sold two decent players off loaded some higher earners and a couple still on the books which I’m sure the club hoped to move on in Drmic & Leitner.

[YellaYellowYella 51]

Oh come on.

If any of you lot would have been told we'd keep Aarons, Cantwell and Emi, make enough money not to have to worry about the COVID losses and told we would sign 13 (isn't it?) players including Ben Gibson and Oli Skipp not a single one of you would have turned that down.

We were one centre half away from a 10/10 window.

Let's just hope the signings prove decidedly more effective than last season.

[YellaYellowYella 51]

2 minutes ago, Indy said:

Would have been happier to have signed Rob Dickie for the reporter 2.5 million QPR spent as replacement for Godfrey! We have some exciting young potential and decent additions.

Glad Buendia & Cantwell are both here, now get them on the pitch......

indifferent is the best way of summing it up. Sold two decent players off loaded some higher earners and a couple still on the books which I’m sure the club hoped to move on in Drmic & Leitner.

Indifferent! Honestly, you lot must have been expecting Ronaldo to walk through the door or something

[Indy 3,298]

1 minute ago, YellaYellowYella said:

Indifferent! Honestly, you lot must have been expecting Ronaldo to walk through the door or something

You do realise Skipp and Gibson are loans! Secondly indifferent not bad! As I said great to keep both Buendia and Cantwell, Aaron’s total quality and model pro! But it’s not a good transfer window, we’ve not spent millions, we have the parachute money too....so expected at least a couple defensive players in.

Still have great potential in the background in Mumba, Sitti, McCullum, Bushiri, Famewo and Soto to name a few.

[king canary 7,605]

In terms of balance I'm concerned for the reasons many have stated above.

In terms of quality its impossible to say yet. Dowell looked promising but is injured. Placheta looks talented but raw. No idea about Hugill. Gibson looked good. 

[Dean Coneys boots 1,400]

curates egg for me 

Positives: Ben Gibson & Placheta. 
Negatives: massive underspend given the transfer fees in and last years feeble spending 

I also found loaning out most of our incoming players rather frustrating. Especially Sam Mcallum- why give Coventry a pile of dosh and let them keep the player? Why?? We need the cover and he seems good to go. 

I think we are an injury away from disaster at the back and another CB should also have been done. 
 

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,749]

The injuries to Dowell and Hernandez in addition to Bryram and the decision to allow players out on loan i.e Klose,Sinani,McCallum,Famewo leave us worryingly light in certain areas to get through 10 weeks of Saturday-Midweek-Saturday football.

Obviously good that Buendia and Cantwell are staying (if their heads are in it) and Aarons

...cant really say we've strengthend the first XI however other than Skipp

 

[Number9 272]

Farke did put a bid of 26 pfennig in to Barca for one of their CB's.

Can't understand why it wasn't accepted. 

[hogesar 9,658]

30 minutes ago, Midlands Yellow said:

Apart from not adding to the defence (which is odd and may cost us) it’s good. If Emi and Todd are half interested in helping out Norwich should shoot up the table quickly. 

Did we ever bet on the amount leaving? You said 4 or 5 of our stars, I said 1 or 2?

[KiwiScot 1,443]

Bad. Started good, but again defence has not been strengthened and will so many games strange to have midfield players loaned out without someone coming in.

[Alfie54 76]

Criminal not adding to the defence which has been poor the last two seasons

[curious yellow 184]

We suffered last season to put ourselves in a good financial position. To leave ourselves short in key positions is a gamble we shouldn't be taking.

Its good to keep our top players but a bad season will see their value decrease. 

[Samwam27 527]

Bad. We've had the whole window being told we don't have to sell anyone, we sell two for £30m+ and suddenly we can't sign anyone because of financial difficulties.

Add the sugar coating of letting Godfrey & Klose go (by the way they didn't suddenly leave the club today, so we've had time!) with no replacements (& letting McCullam, Bushiri & Famewo go on loan) and its ludicrous we've made exactly the same mistake as last season

And thats with more injuries piling up before we've even started tomorrows game!

 

[Midlands Yellow 3,980]

25 minutes ago, hogesar said:

Did we ever bet on the amount leaving? You said 4 or 5 of our stars, I said 1 or 2?

Just Leeds 👍 But you have the moral victory. 

Edited October 16, 2020 by Midlands Yellow

[PurpleCanary 5,557]

Eight and a half out of ten.

[norfolkngood 1,086]

2 hours ago, Samwam27 said:

Bad. We've had the whole window being told we don't have to sell anyone, we sell two for £30m+ and suddenly we can't sign anyone because of financial difficulties.

Add the sugar coating of letting Godfrey & Klose go (by the way they didn't suddenly leave the club today, so we've had time!) with no replacements (& letting McCullam, Bushiri & Famewo go on loan) and its ludicrous we've made exactly the same mistake as last season

And thats with more injuries piling up before we've even started tomorrows game!

 

This ^^^^^

I also thought that we would sell some which we did for 30 million in a spend some of that on Replacements 

We are Strongest Financially  than we have been due to not spending last season 

Most if not all the Teams in this division and many around the world have not had the money we have had in Sky plus Transfers 

i honestly thought we would be able to bully a lot of teams into signing some of the Gems of cash struck clubs 

Assets are king in any Business if you are  the buying and selling type of club like we want to be

we needed to buy to make the team stronger and more sellable assets to keep the money coming in for many years 

 

[Adelaide Canary 12]

Verdict:

Playing squad - Awful. Weaker than in recent years. Same old excuses re £ and 'we tried to get......' 

Financially - Excellent (short term). 

[Fuzzar 1,702]

First half triple glazed. Second half a pane. 

[Il Pirata 249]

I'm not sure how anyone can reflect and say it was anything but a bad window, for the here and now at least.

We've lost Dowell, Hernandez and Byram to long term injuries. Placheta has potential, but totally unproven and has also had an injury.

Gibson is a an improvement,  but as played next to no football for the last 18 months. Hanley and Zimm are proven to be injury prone. 

Cantwell and Buendia could find form, but given the events of the last few weeks, could also flop. And let's be honest they've both had no form for months. 

Hugill was a decent signing and offers something different. 

Ultimately, the squad feels unbalanced and injury prone. No where near good enough currently to threaten the top six. And that's not really good enough.