It's Quiet 18 - Wanna ring the bell?

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I am rubbing my eyes in disbelief. There are genuinely people here who think winning 5 out of the last 6 titles, winning a treble, is "closer to fortunate than it is to good planning". Just absolute insanity, I don't know what to say.

"We don't have a left back, we have one senior right back" - not only are both of these false (Nathan Ake, Rico Lewis, Kyle Walker), we are also adding Gvardiol to it, and we also don't even PLAY with left backs.

"We have limited options out wide" - I would venture a guess almost any team in the world would kill to have Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez as their "options out wide".

"Our bench is topped up with players Pep does not trust to play meaningful minutes" - let's take the 11 that played the most minutes this season. They are, sorted by minutes played - Rodri, Ederson, Haaland, Gundogan, Akanji, KDB, Bernardo, Grealish, Dias, Mahrez, Ake.
That means that our "bench" is - Kyle Walker, John stones, Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, Aymeric Laporte, Rico Lewis, Ortega, Palmer, Gomez, Phillips.
Yeah, full of untrusted players.

"If arsenal hadn't dropped stupid points, we wouldn't have won the league" - yeah, welcome to every season in every league in history! We won the league with 89 points, and that's because we let it go after winning it officially. We were on course for a 95 point season. This DOESNT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT. It would be, what, the 4th or 5th highest point total in PL history? Yeah, so lucky to have won it.

"Every team around us is significantly strengthening" - and so are we. Kovacic, Gvardiol are magnificent additions. More will come through the door. The team is being refreshed. Countless times we've missed out on the first target and didn't regret it one bit. I am baffled some people think it's always due to luck and not because of our superior financial planning AND refusal to pay over the odds, leaving us with more money to invest in the organization.
These moaning “fans” must be envious intruders. Not blues
 
I am rubbing my eyes in disbelief. There are genuinely people here who think winning 5 out of the last 6 titles, winning a treble, is "closer to fortunate than it is to good planning". Just absolute insanity, I don't know what to say.

"We don't have a left back, we have one senior right back" - not only are both of these false (Nathan Ake, Rico Lewis, Kyle Walker), we are also adding Gvardiol to it, and we also don't even PLAY with left backs.

"We have limited options out wide" - I would venture a guess almost any team in the world would kill to have Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez as their "options out wide".

"Our bench is topped up with players Pep does not trust to play meaningful minutes" - let's take the 11 that played the most minutes this season. They are, sorted by minutes played - Rodri, Ederson, Haaland, Gundogan, Akanji, KDB, Bernardo, Grealish, Dias, Mahrez, Ake.
That means that our "bench" is - Kyle Walker, John stones, Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, Aymeric Laporte, Rico Lewis, Ortega, Palmer, Gomez, Phillips.
Yeah, full of untrusted players.

"If arsenal hadn't dropped stupid points, we wouldn't have won the league" - yeah, welcome to every season in every league in history! We won the league with 89 points, and that's because we let it go after winning it officially. We were on course for a 95 point season. This DOESNT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT. It would be, what, the 4th or 5th highest point total in PL history? Yeah, so lucky to have won it.

"Every team around us is significantly strengthening" - and so are we. Kovacic, Gvardiol are magnificent additions. More will come through the door. The team is being refreshed. Countless times we've missed out on the first target and didn't regret it one bit. I am baffled some people think it's always due to luck and not because of our superior financial planning AND refusal to pay over the odds, leaving us with more money to invest in the organization.
great post mate, and why let the truth get in front of a good red top story
 
I like Kovacic, and think at £25m is a decent enough signing, but if he is solely gundo's replacement it worries me. He's scored 4 goals in the league in his time at Chelsea, don't know what his assist stats are, but we've probably just lost best part of 12/15 goals and assists in Gundo. Rice wasn't the answer for me, but we do need more in the middle of the park IMO.
Foden inside could offer those goals and assists imo
 
I'd agree but im talking about those even more obscure and discreet signings. Like the Caiceido example I referenced. Veiga is more known and a bit "out there". There's already international recognition around the world for him.

I'm just saying our club loves to talk about the CFG, Scouting networks etc etc.. I'd like if we can back our Scouts and leverage all the data and expertise we have accumulated to snatch up lesser known gems before mid-table or even big clubs get wind of them. Essentially what difference was there between us and brighton that they were able to identify a big talent like caiceido and bring him in for a laughably cheap sum?
We have a lot of them but they are in our academy waiting for a shot. Oscar bobb has the ability of an encisco but whether he ever gets to show it at city is another thing entirely
 
He sort of is though. We still don’t have a left back. We have one senior right back. We have limited options out wide. We have just lost our captain.

Our bench is topped up with players Pep does not trust to play meaningful minutes - 1 of those players being a £40m signing. KDB is now 32 and cannot play 90 mins in a game of any intensity.

In addition, we laugh at Arsenal bottling the league, but had they not dropped stupid points, the sales of Jesus and Zinchenko would have looked horrific. We won the league despite spending just a couple of weeks at the top. There’s not a chance in the world we planned for that.

Every team around us is significantly strengthening this summer and they are doing it quickly so the gap is likely going to close. Waiting on outgoings is so risky and a bit baffling after we have publicly tried to sign Bellingham and Rice for fees in excess of £100m. So on one hand, our need in midfield is so great that we need to spend £100m, yet on the other, we can also get by without doing anything? It makes as little sense as the Kane fiasco did two years ago. Some people will point out that that turned out OK, which it did, but for me it’s closer to fortune than it is to good planning. And fortune doesn’t last forever.
I’ve just gotta say the last like about Fortune needs to be changed to it’s because we have the greatest manager of all time and he’ll find a way to use those world class players even if not in a natural formation or position.
 
I see someone like Veiga happening.

I always thought we would look to replace Gundo with a player on the market but instead might just see Bernado take up more minutes in midfield and also have Kovacic there. I still think we will play Alvarez wide because he needs to be playing. Foden long term KDB replacement, Bernado is a Gundo replacement, Alvarez takes Bernados RW minutes then just need a versatile young midfielder.

Veiga fits that bill.
 
I don't think many people were being overly negative yesterday. Just a tad disappointed and a tad confused.

I don't think there's any need to shut that down. IMO we should be encouraging people to voice their opinions and concerns on the forum cos..
1. There's nothing else to do in the summer
2. No one should be offended by what is said because this is just a forum largely made up of middle aged men with nothing more productive to do with their spare time
3. We are completely irrelevant to anyone actually involved in transfers
4. Once the season starts we can get back to normality (which is back to point 2 obviosly)
 
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He sort of is though. We still don’t have a left back. We have one senior right back. We have limited options out wide. We have just lost our captain.

Our bench is topped up with players Pep does not trust to play meaningful minutes - 1 of those players being a £40m signing. KDB is now 32 and cannot play 90 mins in a game of any intensity.

In addition, we laugh at Arsenal bottling the league, but had they not dropped stupid points, the sales of Jesus and Zinchenko would have looked horrific. We won the league despite spending just a couple of weeks at the top. There’s not a chance in the world we planned for that.

Every team around us is significantly strengthening this summer and they are doing it quickly so the gap is likely going to close. Waiting on outgoings is so risky and a bit baffling after we have publicly tried to sign Bellingham and Rice for fees in excess of £100m. So on one hand, our need in midfield is so great that we need to spend £100m, yet on the other, we can also get by without doing anything? It makes as little sense as the Kane fiasco did two years ago. Some people will point out that that turned out OK, which it did, but for me it’s closer to fortune than it is to good planning. And fortune doesn’t last forever.
Every team around us? The only team around us is Arsenal and they've just spunked nearly 200m on the German Peter crouch and a headless chicken from West Ham.


I really really wish posters would think before they post or failing that read through it before they hit send as you end up posting complete shite.

This post is absolutely wank.
 
He sort of is though. We still don’t have a left back. We have one senior right back. We have limited options out wide. We have just lost our captain.

Our bench is topped up with players Pep does not trust to play meaningful minutes - 1 of those players being a £40m signing. KDB is now 32 and cannot play 90 mins in a game of any intensity.

In addition, we laugh at Arsenal bottling the league, but had they not dropped stupid points, the sales of Jesus and Zinchenko would have looked horrific. We won the league despite spending just a couple of weeks at the top. There’s not a chance in the world we planned for that.

Every team around us is significantly strengthening this summer and they are doing it quickly so the gap is likely going to close. Waiting on outgoings is so risky and a bit baffling after we have publicly tried to sign Bellingham and Rice for fees in excess of £100m. So on one hand, our need in midfield is so great that we need to spend £100m, yet on the other, we can also get by without doing anything? It makes as little sense as the Kane fiasco did two years ago. Some people will point out that that turned out OK, which it did, but for me it’s closer to fortune than it is to good planning. And fortune doesn’t last forever.
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Every team around us? The only team around us is Arsenal and they've just spunked nearly 200m on the German Peter crouch and a headless chicken from West Ham.


I really really wish posters would think before they post or failing that read through it before they hit send as you end up posting complete shite.

This post is absolutely wank.
Rice is not a headless chicken, very good efficient player, 100M never in a million years but he is worth what a club is prepared to pay.
 
Rice is not a headless chicken, very good efficient player, 100M never in a million years but he is worth what a club is prepared to pay.
I dont think Sullivan would have accepted it being paid over a million years. But hopefully we asked before pulling out.
 
We've lost the captain of the treble winning side, who scored crucial goals to win us trophies, and look to have replaced him with a player who whilst undeniably talented, couldn't nail down a place in a side that finished 12th last season and has scored a grand total of 4 league goals in the last 5 years.

That is not ambitious enough for a side looking to go all the way again.

Kovacic as added depth - great signing. As Gundo's replacement? I think it's madness.

Now, if the plan is to move Phil into that role, I'd be very happy with that. But that would leave us needing at least one addition out wide IMO, regardless of the futures of Bernardo and Mahrez.
Perhaps slightly over the top, but share your concerns.
In Istanbul I did find myself thinking that this was the summit and I didn't care if we sank to non league levels now - After 50 yrs following them, I'd seen this team over the last decade and was sated, however, it didn't last long and I want us to press home our dominance , not let others catch us and let the advantage slip - you take your foot off for one window and you need two or three to put it right. Simply stating "go to" terms like - they've not failed us, spoiled, etc etc may make some feel good - but you snooze you lose.
Pep deserves the players he wants. He's is a genius at making very good players even better granted - but it must take it's toll.
 
I dont think Sullivan would have accepted it being paid over a million years. But hopefully we asked before pulling out.
I personally think we have had Arsenal over, we have history of bidding on players and pulling out causing the eventual buying club to pay more than intended.

Naughty but nice, maybe pay back time for our off field issues with the "istory clubs"
 
Thinking about our last few transfers.

Ortega - Worked
Akanji - Worked
Phillips - Not worked yet ( not losing hope )
Gomez - Not worked
Halaand - Out of this world worked
Alvarez - Worked

With the exception of Gomez, all the above start in the top 5/10 in the Premier League. Even Gomez at certain clubs.

4/6 hit rate last season. 4/6 have played crucial parts in the treble season,3/6 have scored ( Lol Manu Akanji ), all have played in at least a final. And despite some of the players having horrendous injury records, 5/6 have had a near perfect season in that regard.

The prices of the players haven't pushed over 60 million. So the business is clever, and most importantly effective. The fact that people are flapping in June, despite us losing Gundo, alone, is sincerely mindblowing.

This summer has to be the same in terms of tranfers. Whether you like it or not, our players are system players, they must understand the game differently, apply it in ways they have not prior and that takes time. Some make it, some don't. You can have all the skill in the world, but if you're thick as fuck, you cannot and will not play in a Guardiola 11.

And just as a side note. If reports are correct, next season, will see us have 5, 5!!!! academy graduates migrating/contributing towards the first team. Bobb, Rico, Foden, Mcatee, Palmer.

And that's fucking awesome.
 
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