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OLD GEEZER 5:22 Sun Oct 30
Summer signings just not good enough.

Zaza is lost in our league. After Palace we hoped but still Bilic does not trust him to start, Feghouli never beats his man. Every cross is blocked. Does not track back.
Tore is not premier league standard, Arbeloa is past it.

Andre Ayew will be an asset when he is fit.
Fernandes looks promising but two decent games does not mean he should play every week. Callieri just read Zaza. Not even on the bench.

So who is to blame? Bilic, Sullivan, scouts.

Swiss. 2:37 Wed Nov 2
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

I'd like to see Fletcher start as well. I think he can break though like Rashford did at man U.

Fernandes looks good and I thought Arthur looked OK. Martinez I have no idea about. Arbeola is also OK;

But Zaza, Tore and Calleri Oh dear.

Yes overall bad.

Steven P 2:10 Wed Nov 2
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Ahhhhhh carry on then young man!

Sir Alf 1:41 Wed Nov 2
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Steven P 1:29 Wed Nov 2

When you get to my age you don't worry about needing to be right, it's more about having something to chat about as dementia sets in :-)

You will find out one day.

*** Adjusts nappy ***

Steven P 1:29 Wed Nov 2
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Haha I know but what I said is true!

Sir Alf 1:25 Wed Nov 2
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Steve ur so mean to us old gits..

We like to discuss investment strategy and we are talking about the balance of spending. It keeps us off the park benches and away from drinking meths under the arches.

Try to humour us :-)

Steven P 1:08 Wed Nov 2
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Our owners are worth over a billion.

We already have a strategy of buying youth players.

Carry on with your waffle.

Sir Alf 1:03 Wed Nov 2
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

You may well be right Alex. Taking essentially a longer term view and investing younger talent and potential while, at the same time, developing the youth set up to "grow your own" :-)

I guess the fear in doing that is knowing whether we have a squad for the short term that is good enough to be confident about just staying in the league? In other words, balance of spending. We still have to invest in proven players and that costs more short term. That said, this Summer we seem to have come up short on all fronts.
Only Fernandes and Arthur perhaps fall into the younger, cheaper investments with longer term potential and sell on value.

Only Ayew classed as proven quality (although even that not certain just yet).

Would generally agree that the strategy or balance of spending needs to change towards the former so long as we now feel we have a squad that can stay in the division.

What is for sure is that Sullivan and Gold trying to spend their way into the top six by buying the likes of Ayew at 20 million, the likes of Andy Carroll or players over 25 from now on will see us standing still as you suggest.

Alex V 12:34 Wed Nov 2
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Sir Alf 12:00 Wed Nov 2

Couldn't agree more. The only thing I dispute is that we could never compete with the current owners - I don't think their personal wealth is that relevant, factors like the fair play rules on wages restrict our spending anyway.

I think the current strategy will see us stick pretty much where we are - a slight chance of challenging the top six, a chance of relegation. I can't see how we progress further than that - in fact I doubt we'd progress at all, just the faces might change along the way. There are worse fates.

Switch to a model with a longer-term view and better decision-making, and I think within 3-5 years we could start to lessen the gap if it goes well. Not saying I love the owners or the new stadium or branding, but we are in a great position to get the ball rolling with a more coherent policy. The opportunity is there if the club wanted to take it, but they won't.

Sir Alf 12:00 Wed Nov 2
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Alex has a point in comparing to our rivals. People might look to Crystal Palace and say they spent more but that was because they generated more from transfers (Bolasie etc). Net spend we do outspend our peers who are mid-table and lower table and even upper table (e.g. Southampton).

S & Gn's problem IMO is that they "talked the talk" about us becoming a threat to the big 5 or 6 clubs (United, City. Arse, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool and at a push Everton) but with the exception of Everton our rich owners aren't rich enough to compete. This is the mega millions league or billionaires. Our owners are worth less than a billion and will not be prepared to stake a high percentage of their personal wealth to the club.

IMO they want to generate the revenues primarily hence the move to the OS and "rebranding" (feel stomach wrenching).

But even all this will not be enough. We have to change strategy longer term and buy younger players with long term potential resale profit and / or a few that grow to be world class as we can never compete at the top table while G & S own us. We also need to look at developing a coherent youth development process and set up in parallel to help compete.

Above all else we need to be shrewd in our purchasing. As we have seen in 2 seasons, we are "hit and miss" which is why buying alone will not get us to threaten the top boys.

Only my humble opinion. Even with all the above in place it will take 5 years at least as Tottenham have found. As much as I hate Levy his strategy has begun to pay off. Look at their purchasing and selling. They have outspent most over the last 5 - 7 years but been able to sell players on to keep the net spend

Alex V 4:49 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

>>> What I don't get is where has the money gone. The first 4 years since promotion we spent the bare minimum...

Sorry I think that's utter nonsense. The bare minimum you talk about is easily the biggest amount of consistent spending in the club's history.

How did we survive in the Prem? Because Sullivan outspent all our nearest competitors.

Clearly whatever the club spend there will be some saying it's not enough.

Eggbert Nobacon 4:27 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

ddie B 11:38 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.
Grumpster, Martinez has scored loads for the U23's, but still isn't given a chance in the first team.





In the second tier of the under 23 league

Face 4:03 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Penners - We can barely afford to have Carroll out injured all the time. Whacking out 50m on a player is well above our level. If he struggles or gets injured then what? We aren't Man City or Chelsea.

penners28 3:55 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Face 9:38 Mon Oct 31

ffs, i didnt mean now NOW. when the window opens....

secondly why shouldnt we take a risk? the boy is decent

franksfat&slow&wank 3:33 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

henry is doing his job

the boards job is to get a proven scorer now not one for the future

Sullivan has fucked up and will end up paying over the odds in Jan because we'll be in the shit

KARMA, he likes that word doesn't he...Don't start with the "he tried" he could have had the likes of Bony, Defoe and Austin and no doubt several others if he really wanted

Kite 3:30 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

EL Tel 2:55 Tue Nov 1
I remember at the time people were saying that was the reason for DS buying the debt off the bank. All greed.

The one thing that really fu#ks me off is just like the time we had the likes of J.Cole, Lampard, Carrick, Rio, etc. that instead of buying big and building T.Brown sold the lot, it's almost the same here, we have an half decent squad that just needed 3 or 4 first teamers that would go straight into the first 11 and maybe a few good loans.

I always gave the board the benefit of the doubt but always had that nagging feeling we were being had over.
They were a shambles how they kept quiet from the shit storm we endured from all and sundry over us getting the stadium and they have done the same over the Chelsea game.
Not only have they damaged the brand they have damaged the fan.

No more a fan of the board.

Westside 3:11 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

What I don't get is where has the money gone.
Wheres' the money gone?

Wage Bill

2012/13 £56 million
2013/14 £64 million
2014/15 £73 million

Subsequent figures not yet available. Source accounts filed at Companies House

EL Tel 2:55 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Kite 11:24 Tue Nov 1

DS isn't silly, the loans are repayable to him upon sale of the club at a very favorable interest rate from the day he put the money in

terry-h 2:01 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Watching last night's highlights at Dagenham,Fletcher looked decent,doing good work which led to a Baggies defender OG. A good cross from Calleri brought about Fletcher's headed goal helped by a deflection.
Calleri had two chances. First a sliced shot past the post under pressure, then in the second half put through the middle between two defenders,he tamely shot straight at the opposing keeper. Pretty poor effort really,with his lack of confidence in front of goal well evident.

Come back Zarate,you lazy bastard. All is forgiven.

Steven P 11:51 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Alex V 7:38 Mon Oct 31
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

'Movement' was too broad a term. I rather meant that he isn't renowned for dropping off or playing the channels.

How much do you rate Klopp? Its just that he said he is more than happy playing wide and running the channels?

Grumpster 11:46 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Age wise and with Fletcher previously having some division 1 experience, am guessing he's ahead in the pecking order.

I trust in Slav, though does sometimes infuriate me when players aren't given a chance in positions where we're clearly struggling.

I know he sees them in training, but sometimes you have nothing to lose and the risk is worth it.

Eddie B 11:38 Tue Nov 1
Re: Summer signings just not good enough.

Grumpster, Martinez has scored loads for the U23's, but still isn't given a chance in the first team.

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