2021 Summer Transfer Thread | Page 94 | Vital Football

2021 Summer Transfer Thread

The players that have left constituted 38% of the goals we scored last season plus another 9 assists.

We didn't score or create all that many in the first place.

Those loans were ineffective in comparison to most other clubs in the championship, but in comparison to the contracted players who are still here, they were pretty vital.

The players leaving also constitute half of the solid defence (which was the only reason we survived).

I don't disagree that the players who left weren't very good. The problem is that those left behind are mostly even worse. From that point of view I can't just dismiss them as crap and unimportant

I would not place too much store in last seasons performance; last season has gone and a good few of the players with it.

Last season was the perfect storm; key players getting injured and then losing confidence, other players not living up to expectations, and other players giving there all but not being good enough.

With the exception of Garner I would not be too bothered about any of the others; Krovonovic made a difference and Christie came good eventually but both should be replaceable.

Of the others, Ameobi exceeded expectations but was a frustrating bit part player in the main; I think we need someone who contributes more in a small squad.

Ribeiro was good at times but was prone to huge defensive fuck up's like the one away at Swansea.

I felt a bit sorry for Freeman; he came with high expectations but suffered with a hernia and they take ages to get over.

Knockheart was a joke, Murray was five years past his prime, and the less said about Sow the better; he "managed" to play in 41 of the 98 games which does not give a true reflection, he played for a total of 2594 minutes out of 8820 picking a booking up at a rate of one every 172 minutes - one every two games, which is pathetic.

At least we do not have to endure his headless chicken routine anymore or the countless free kicks he gave away in stupid areas.

We still have a fairly solid spine to the side - Samba, despite his brilliance at times can be a liability but at least we have an international standard keeper to give him competition.

The centre back partnership is the best in the division and we are more than proficient defensively in midfield; a refreshed Grabban will still be a force to be reckoned with, as will Lolley.

But that still leaves areas we have to fill; Left Back is a big concern because Blackett is no better than someone to provide cover.

I would give Gabriel a run at Right Back; however, if Jenkinson has one foot out of the door, the only cover for Gabriel will be Fin Back which just cannot be allowed to happen.

Even with Mighten and Johnson progressing we need additional players to push them on and then there are big question marks over Carvalho and Cafu.

We have 16 first team players at the moment, 18 if you include Taylor and Da Costa which I would rather not.

Most of those 16 are capable of making a good contribution but the number is woefully short of what we need; even if we make full use of the loan system, which I am sure we will, that will only take us to around 21 players.

We just need to be patient, which is easier said than done what with 6 weeks remaining of the window.
 
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I would not place too much store in last seasons performance; last season has gone and a good few of the players with it.

Last season was the perfect storm; key players getting injured and then losing confidence, other players not living up to expectations, and other players giving there all but not being good enough.

With the exception of Garner I would not be too bothered about any of the others; Krovonovic made a difference and Christie came good eventually but both should be replaceable.

Of the others, Ameobi exceeded expectations but was a frustrating bit part player in the main; I think we need someone who contributes more in a small squad.

Ribeiro was good at times but was prone to huge defensive fuck up's like the one away at Swansea.

I felt a bit sorry for Freeman; he came with high expectations but suffered with a hernia and they take ages to get over.

Knockheart was a joke, Murray was five years past his prime, and the less said about Sow the better; he "managed" to play in 41 of the 98 games which does give a true reflection, he played for a total of 2594 minutes out of 8820 picking a booking up at a rate of one every 172 minutes - one every two games, which is pathetic.

At least we do not have to endure his headless chicken routine anymore or the countless free kicks he gave away in stupid areas.

We still have a fairly solid spine to the side - Samba, despite his brilliance at times can be a liability but at least we have an international standard keeper to give him competition.

The centre back partnership is the best in the division and we are more than proficient defensively in midfield; a refreshed Grabban will still be a force to be reckoned with, as will Lolley.

But that still leaves areas we have to fill; Left Back is a big concern because Blackett is no better than someone to provide cover.

I would give Gabriel a run at Right Back; however, if Jenkinson has one foot out of the door, the only cover for Gabriel will be Fin Back which just cannot be allowed to happen.

Even with Mighten and Johnson progressing we need additional players to push them on and then there are big question marks over Carvalho and Cafu.

We have 16 first team players at the moment, 18 if you include Taylor and Da Costa which I would rather not.

Most of those 16 are capable of making a good contribution but the number is woefully short of what we need; even if we make full use of the loan system, which I am sure we will, that will only take us to around 21 players.

We just need to be patient, which is easier said than done what with 6 weeks remaining of the window.
I'm a bit confused as to how you can write a post this long making excuses for the remaining players poor performances last season, and then still throw Taylor under the bus right at the end. How is he not affected in the same way all the other players are?
A striker, under pressure to score goals, trying to find his footing in a new team that are misfiring terribly and on their arse in terms of confidence. But he doesn't get the second chance that you're desperate to give to all the others.

Edit// I'm not particularly defending Taylor, but there were players who contributed even less than he did being let off the hook and I don't see why.
 
I would not place too much store in last seasons performance; last season has gone and a good few of the players with it.

Last season was the perfect storm; key players getting injured and then losing confidence, other players not living up to expectations, and other players giving there all but not being good enough.

With the exception of Garner I would not be too bothered about any of the others; Krovonovic made a difference and Christie came good eventually but both should be replaceable.

Of the others, Ameobi exceeded expectations but was a frustrating bit part player in the main; I think we need someone who contributes more in a small squad.

Ribeiro was good at times but was prone to huge defensive fuck up's like the one away at Swansea.

I felt a bit sorry for Freeman; he came with high expectations but suffered with a hernia and they take ages to get over.

Knockheart was a joke, Murray was five years past his prime, and the less said about Sow the better; he "managed" to play in 41 of the 98 games which does not give a true reflection, he played for a total of 2594 minutes out of 8820 picking a booking up at a rate of one every 172 minutes - one every two games, which is pathetic.

At least we do not have to endure his headless chicken routine anymore or the countless free kicks he gave away in stupid areas.

We still have a fairly solid spine to the side - Samba, despite his brilliance at times can be a liability but at least we have an international standard keeper to give him competition.

The centre back partnership is the best in the division and we are more than proficient defensively in midfield; a refreshed Grabban will still be a force to be reckoned with, as will Lolley.

But that still leaves areas we have to fill; Left Back is a big concern because Blackett is no better than someone to provide cover.

I would give Gabriel a run at Right Back; however, if Jenkinson has one foot out of the door, the only cover for Gabriel will be Fin Back which just cannot be allowed to happen.

Even with Mighten and Johnson progressing we need additional players to push them on and then there are big question marks over Carvalho and Cafu.

We have 16 first team players at the moment, 18 if you include Taylor and Da Costa which I would rather not.

Most of those 16 are capable of making a good contribution but the number is woefully short of what we need; even if we make full use of the loan system, which I am sure we will, that will only take us to around 21 players.

We just need to be patient, which is easier said than done what with 6 weeks remaining of the window.
We can do all the posts we want tearing into the players that left.

The problem is, you could tear even more into the players that remain.

As you are now alluding too, there is a lot of work to do. And no matter how much might have been done (or rather, attempted) up to this point, it has culminated in one reserve keeper.

It doesn't matter how hard something is when the consequences of failure remain just as severe.

More to the point, the dreadful last season (which I actually think was the least enjoyable I have ever witnessed) had its tone set by 4 straight league defeats.

We could easily lose away at Coventry, with two questionable rookie leftbacks and probably the weakest team we have fielded for 5-6 years.

We then have our customers home defeat to Bournemouth before playing Blackburn and Stoke. I'm really not sure how those fixtures are different to the four we lost so easily last season. And, of course, those four are likely to be played without any reinforcements if your predictions are correct
 
I'm a bit confused as to how you can write a post this long making excuses for the remaining players poor performances last season, and then still throw Taylor under the bus right at the end. How is he not affected in the same way all the other players are?
A striker, under pressure to score goals, trying to find his footing in a new team that are misfiring terribly and on their arse in terms of confidence. But he doesn't get the second chance that you're desperate to give to all the others.

Edit// I'm not particularly defending Taylor, but there were players who contributed even less than he did being let off the hook and I don't see why.

The facts are Taylor did not play for the team last season.

He came from a Charlton side where he had someone to do the donkey work for him, into a side where he had to pull his weight, and he clearly did not warm to that task.

I am not interested in the nonsense about we did not create chances for him because he was just as culpable in that regard.

As a central forward he has to be responsible for holding the ball up and bringing other players into the game; that means he has to be prepared to be physical and to move into areas to receive the ball; he did not show the slightest inclination of wanting to do that last season and spent most of his time on his arse flapping his arms about.

There was an interesting point during the half time interval on Tuesday involving Taylor; a coach was on the pitch with him giving instruction as to what was wanted from him.

The coach went through a routine where he was backing into Taylor and then moving off him at various angles; quite an heated conversation followed but the coach persisted.

Fair play to Taylor because he took on board what was said and had a good go at doing what was asked, and that was after being clattered a few times.
 
We can do all the posts we want tearing into the players that left.

The problem is, you could tear even more into the players that remain.

As you are now alluding too, there is a lot of work to do. And no matter how much might have been done (or rather, attempted) up to this point, it has culminated in one reserve keeper.

It doesn't matter how hard something is when the consequences of failure remain just as severe.

More to the point, the dreadful last season (which I actually think was the least enjoyable I have ever witnessed) had its tone set by 4 straight league defeats.

We could easily lose away at Coventry, with two questionable rookie leftbacks and probably the weakest team we have fielded for 5-6 years.

We then have our customers home defeat to Bournemouth before playing Blackburn and Stoke. I'm really not sure how those fixtures are different to the four we lost so easily last season. And, of course, those four are likely to be played without any reinforcements if your predictions are correct


Whilst it is far from ideal, the scenario also presents opportunities for other players.

Regardless of who we bring in most of those youngsters currently making up the squad have to believe they are good enough to be in the first team and are capable of challenging for a place throughout the season.

The fact that we have such a small number of players concerns me more than who have in the squad at the moment.

We could put 11 players out who would be fairly competitive but there would be zero margin of error where injuries are concerned.
 
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The facts are Taylor did not play for the team last season.

He came from a Charlton side where he had someone to do the donkey work for him, into a side where he had to pull his weight, and he clearly did not warm to that task.

I am not interested in the nonsense about we did not create chances for him because he was just as culpable in that regard.

As a central forward he has to be responsible for holding the ball up and bringing other players into the game; that means he has to be prepared to be physical and to move into areas to receive the ball; he did not show the slightest inclination of wanting to do that last season and spent most of his time on his arse flapping his arms about.

There was an interesting point during the half time interval on Tuesday involving Taylor; a coach was on the pitch with him giving instruction as to what was wanted from him.

The coach went through a routine where he was backing into Taylor and then moving off him at various angles; quite an heated conversation followed but the coach persisted.

Fair play to Taylor because he took on board what was said and had a good go at doing what was asked, and that was after being clattered a few times.

I missed this. Not sure what I was doing at the time. It does indicate a basic flaw in a centre forwards game. He has hidden this by falling on the floor at slightest contact. Unlikely to learn how to back in and turn a defender this late in career. Also indicates how badly we need a target man who can hold the ball up and bring midfielders in to the game. Grabban doesn’t do this often enough either.
 
I missed this. Not sure what I was doing at the time. It does indicate a basic flaw in a centre forwards game. He has hidden this by falling on the floor at slightest contact. Unlikely to learn how to back in and turn a defender this late in career. Also indicates how badly we need a target man who can hold the ball up and bring midfielders in to the game. Grabban doesn’t do this often enough either.

I was sat in with the Northampton fans in the main stand; the routine took place just in front of where I was sat.
 
Taylor has never and will never be that type of striker that will get hold of a long ball and hold it up, he's a penalty box striker who needs to be slid in or crosses whipped in. His work around the edge of the box is half decent looking for quick one two's and moving it quickly, none of which we do so he's always going to struggle in this set up. Grabban is marginally (very marginally) better at getting hold of it and keeping it, but he delays passes far too long as he's always looking to get the shot for himself. Neither are ideal if we are to play this turgid style we need a big lad who can win headers and keep the ball longer, especially as most of the support are 40 odd yards away and you need to keep it for a while. Last season all the forwards had the same problem, slightly annoying we didn't adjust the tactics to play to the strikers strengths. I guess he was being over cautious to try and secure our status I prey he's more adventurous this time god it was boring.
 
I see Demarai Gray has joined Everton for 1.6 million so we can knock him off the list chaps!
Just saw that myself. I would consider that a bit of a knock down price, surely that price wouldn't have been beyond us, but of course we couldn't compete with the likes of Everton as far as personal terms are concerned. Perhaps the purchase price is a reflection of how the market is going, and there will be bargains to be had if we are patient
 
I'm on the fence but I'm thinking we can't be as bad, he's had a pre season and all last season to get something going but we need a few quality additions to make us competitive. He needs to be more attacking, way to cautious last season even when behind he seemed to want to keep it tight.

Last season - the players were unfit, demotivated and the squad was a disjointed mess - whilst also losing Cash (& Silva) and having way too many injured players (Grabban, Lolley, McKenna, Colback - we even signed injured players = Freeman - known groin problem).

Lamouchi wasn't just sacked because of losing those first 4-5 games, we started pre-season later than most other clubs, players had been frozen out and I think he was genuinely shocked that he'd get another season.... we started on the back foot and stayed there.

Players like Taylor had not played for 5 months and with no pre-season, we then suffered more injuries - primarily due to a lack of pre-season.

Under CH the players will be fitter... no doubt about that, we have added many new backroom staff to look at conditioning; physios and treatment of injuries and Hughton is respected with great contacts, as ever our loan signings will be essential - but CH will get the right players.

We have shown that we won't be held to ransom with the Croatian lad and Dane Murphy wanted him at Barnsley.

Plenty of water to flow under the bridge, we still have players we want to offload but if we can't then CH will have to find a way if using them, because despite being fiscally fine - we cannot afford to lose/waste salaries!
 
Just saw that myself. I would consider that a bit of a knock down price, surely that price wouldn't have been beyond us, but of course we couldn't compete with the likes of Everton as far as personal terms are concerned. Perhaps the purchase price is a reflection of how the market is going, and there will be bargains to be had if we are patient

He is in the last year of his contract BL - big wage, we cannot compete!
 
Whilst it is far from ideal, the scenario also presents opportunities for other players.

Regardless of who we bring in most of those youngsters currently making up the squad have to believe they are good enough to be in the first team and are capable of challenging for a place throughout the season.

The fact that we have such a small number of players concerns me more than who have in the squad at the moment.

We could put 11 players out who would be fairly competitive but there would be zero margin of error where injuries are concerned.

Pretty much agree, fortunately any loanees from EPL clubs will have been playing and will be fit, there is the obvious issue of integrating them into our squad/team - but, good players (like Garner) can do that.

I don't think we'll make any big money signings, in fact I doubt many Championship sides (excluding those relegated from EPL) will - but, I do believe we are as well placed as most to be able to sign players.

Sadly, I just wonder (worry) whether CH may be forced into bringing Arter, Jenkinson, Bong & Bachirou in from the bomb squad, given the size of our squad?
 
£300k is pointless money for player who looks like he has enough about him to be a decent player, he will worth 10X that in a year if he keeps progressing. Hes been involved in pre season can't see him going unless that offers got another zero on it.