Question

[Canary02 0]

I have a query. I don''t want it to kick off WW3 or anything but it has to be asked.

Why do we struggle to sign players so much? Every transfer window seems the same. Stickitupyerbollocks comes into management for the first time and within a day he''s signed six players? I know he''s got more cash than us, so fair enough, but we always struggle/fail to get any bugger here and we''re one of the biggest clubs outside of the Premiership..

[Gamera 0]

Fair few clubs seem to be doing this. Derby etc this season. Weve been busy on the transfer front, just going the wrong way! I''m not about to bemoan worthy before its even midnight but...

[Ramrod 258]

The king of the transfer has to be Harry ''wheel and deal'' Redknapp.

[Evil Monkey 52]

People can defend Worthy''s "record" all they like.  Hell, they can even suggest that he''s a good tactician in disguise.

But his inability in the transfer market is nothing short of a

disgrace!  Liam Miller has just joined Sunderland on a free. 

Sure, you''ve got the oirish connection, but surely a side with bigger

prospects than floundering Sunderland should be looking at him? Hell,

Leeds fans should be particularly p*ssed off with him having spent the

last half a season on loan there!

It is now 23.44 and we have let a good striker go (though, admittedly,

we have raped Coventry on the fee, but no more than they deserve for

announcing they got £4m for McSheffrey).

So our recent transfer activity, since January, is thus:

In:

Earnshaw

Croft

Out:

Ward

Green

Charlton

Brennan

McKenzie

The two we''ve got in are good players, no doubt, but surely even the

most staunch Worthy supporter cannot possibly defend this transfer

policy - we had a small enough squad as it is!  And if it''s not

Worthington''s fault, then it''s the board''s! So maybe 1st Wiz was right

all along... (Okay, that''s an extreme view, but you get my point).

Loan signings will not cut the mustard. If our first team stay injury

and suspension free the entire season, we may do well.  But how

likely is that?  And if we do nothing in the next 12 minutes, I

fear for the future of not only the manager, but the board, and the

club in general.

[Thirsty Lizard 3,227]

But why do you say that loan signings won''t cut the mustard? It was only 2 1/2 years ago that we signed Huckerby, Crouch and Harper on loan and we went on to walk the division. OK so we haven''t spent the money today, but we''ve now got it salted away to spend on   QUALITY loan signings. We''ve seen in the the recent past what a difference they can make. A top quality loan player from the Premier League might cost £20,000 a week. We can afford it, so relax.

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

[quote user="Thirsty Lizard"]But why do you say that loan signings won''t cut the mustard? It was only 2 1/2 years ago that we signed Huckerby, Crouch and Harper on loan and we went on to walk the division. OK so we haven''t spent the money today, but we''ve now got it salted away to spend on   QUALITY loan signings. We''ve seen in the the recent past what a difference they can make. A top quality loan player from the Premier League might cost £20,000 a week. We can afford it, so relax.[/quote]

That loan deal was a once in a lifetime blip!! 

How many loans have we had that either made no difference to results or were just plain poor..... in many cases even before we signed them

Quality loan signings are few and far between and I noticed a fair few decent ones have gone to oter top flight sides.

[Evil Monkey 52]

More importantly, those signings were made at a time before "transfer

windows". Don''t forget that, as well as the window for permanant

signings, there is also one for loans.

Plus, that was something of a coup.  If we pull it off again, I''ll

be as pleased as punch.  But surely Hucks, Crouch and Harper were

the exception, rather than the rule?

Nicky Southall

Elvis Hammond

Graham Stuart

Zesh Rehman

Kevin Lisbie

David Wright

And what about those great loans we failed to turn into permanant moves?

Leigh Bromby

David Healy

Kevin Cooper

Dean Marney

Calum Davenport

Jonatan Johansson

Peter Crouch

Kevin Harper

Worthington seems to rely on loans, yet very rarely have they actually

paid off for him.  In fact, the revelation that is Etuhu aside,

how many loan players have Worthy turned into signings?

Huckerby.

Please, correct me if I''m wrong.

[Tumbleweed 106]

Had we signed Kevin Cooper (who would have served us well for the two years since he was returned), Johansson (who I thought did well despite being banished to the troublesome wight wing position) and Davenport we would now have a pretty tasty looking squad lacking only a truly creative midfielder in the Crook/Mulryne mould.

[Temp the Revelator 0]

I don''t know how many times I''ve repeated this on this site now, but one of the key reasons we struggle in the transfer market is the geographical position of the club.  I know, because I have lived there and love the City, how wonderful a place Norwich is.  But the sad reality is that Norwich (and Norfolk generally) has an image problem.  Once you leave there and live elsewhere that all becomes apparent.  A lot of people still see Norwich as an isolated backwater with no transport links and no technology - however far from the truth that may be.  And lots of players, faced with the choice of joining NCFC or a club from the North West, Midlands or London, will, 9 times out of 10, choose the other club.  Hence why Cotterill was a good choice; Bristol & Norwich have a lot of commonality.  However, the lure of the Premiership did for us on this occasion.  I know this point of view may not be popular with many of you, but this is my experience.