It's Quiet 18 - Wanna ring the bell?

[Lee the Blue]

I agree. It was the same huge gaps appearing between our forwards and defence as has been happening since Rodri's injury.

I dont understand why Kovacic hasn't either been instructed to, or chosen to sit deeper and protect the back 4 rather than play his more normal game, carrying the ball forward. As whenever he does that and the move breaks down, the opposition are practically two passes away from a shot at goal. I know he isn't exactly Nigel De Jong. But given the situation we're in, I had hoped by now, he would be sitting deeper and helping the defence out.

As you say, the lack of seemingly any movement so far is worrying. Yes, the window is open for a full month. But our requirements have been obvious for a long time and we have some big games coming up. A last minute signing (if at all) minimises the time for them to settle in before another tough run of fixtures in February.

Theyve had 3 months advance warning. The deficiency is so obvious its laughable.

Yet we are linked with a kid centre half, a full back and a forward.

Granted there are other needs in the squad but if you improve the central midfield area especially the hold spot - with fresh legs and players who can, you know, actually run and get up/down the pitch - it will make the entire defence look better as they wont be facing free runners at our goal 10 times every game. Gundo's cameo on Saturday where he got old manned at least 3 times in a 15 minute spell, merely illustrated how old/slow/immobile we are in the engine room.

I find the clubs transfer policy utterly baffling unless there is something going on in the background that we dont know about. If we dont address this by the time we go to Brentford on the 14th they will run our old man midfield off the park and score 3-4 against us.

 

[blueparrot]

Theyve had 3 months advance warning. The deficiency is so obvious its laughable.

Yet we are linked with a kid centre half, a full back and a forward.

Granted there are other needs in the squad but if you improve the central midfield area especially the hold spot - with fresh legs and players who can, you know, actually run and get up/down the pitch - it will make the entire defence look better as they wont be facing free runners at our goal 10 times every game. Gundo's cameo on Saturday where he got old manned at least 3 times in a 15 minute spell, merely illustrated how old/slow/immobile we are in the engine room.

I find the clubs transfer policy utterly baffling unless there is something going on in the background that we dont know about. If we dont address this by the time we go to Brentford on the 14th they will run our old man midfield off the park and score 3-4 against us.

Nothing baffling about it. Tell me which players that we want are available this month, and why are we ignoring these available players ?

 

[citytill1die84]

Pep still has the fire in his belly his press conference was immense.

 

[Antwerp City]

I agree. And despite the last two months, I am quite optimistic. I think we will finish 2nd or 3rd, even without further additions. I'd go for Luiz, BTW.

 

[Lee the Blue]

Nothing baffling about it. Tell me which players that we want are available this month, and why are we ignoring these available players ?

So youre telling me a multi-million pound business like ours, with 3 months notice, cant locate and finance a serviceable holding midfielder at all from anywhere in the world?

People far better qualified than any of us on here in a scouting network covering all the major football leagues can surely identify at least 10 targets in any position and with our clout you overpay on fee/wages if you need to as our team plays a system that simply doesnt function without a decent holding midfielder.

Spurs lost their keeper with a broken ankle in Nov at our place. By mid-December it was clear the reserve was a dodo and wouldnt be up to the job - lo and behold 5 days into the window theyve identified, bidded for and signed a new Keeper to address the problem. Yet here we are with 3 months notice looking at a position weve needed someone in for 2 years now and the longer we wait the more points we will pee away.

Looking at the fixtures this month Ipswich Away looks the only winnable one in the league with our current squad and that isnt a given either. We are currently so easy to play against its frightening.

 

[Kamaro011]

I see most people around here still thinks that transfer is like FIFA games.

 

[blueparrot]

So youre telling me a multi-million pound business like ours, with 3 months notice, cant locate and finance a serviceable holding midfielder at all from anywhere in the world?

People far better qualified than any of us on here in a scouting network covering all the major football leagues can surely identify at least 10 targets in any position and with our clout you overpay on fee/wages if you need to as our team plays a system that simply doesnt function without a decent holding midfielder.

Spurs lost their keeper with a broken ankle in Nov at our place. By mid-December it was clear the reserve was a dodo and wouldnt be up to the job - lo and behold 5 days into the window theyve identified, bidded for and signed a new Keeper to address the problem. Yet here we are with 3 months notice looking at a position weve needed someone in for 2 years now and the longer we wait the more points we will pee away.

Looking at the fixtures this month Ipswich Away looks the only winnable one in the league with our current squad and that isnt a given either. We are currently so easy to play against its frightening.

We don't want servicable, we want a player or players we can rebuild for the next 5 years around, we may well get somebody, but it's also quite possible we decide to wait until we can get the players we want. Playing CM in a Pep team is a very specialised position ,not all midfielders are capable. The ones that are just might not be available this month or be hard to negotiate.

 

[Gumzy97]

From those Pep comments, he seems fired up for a rebuild.

 

[Lee the Blue]

We don't want servicable, we want a player or players we can rebuild for the next 5 years around, we may well get somebody, but it's also quite possible we decide to wait until we can get the players we want. Playing CM in a Pep team is a very specialised position ,not all midfielders are capable. The ones that are just might not be available this month or be hard to negotiate.

Id say the clubs priority is to get into the top 4 this season. The financial drop off of not doing so is tangible.

Serviceable might just be all we can get - say a Douglas Luiz type for example - and in that case you have to act on it. Christ anything with a pulse is better than what we currently have which is a group of old men who cant run, or in the case of the hold midfield position absolutely nothing.

Continue as we are and any half decent sides will remain running free at our goal when 1 simple pass breaks the first line of our OAPs in the middle.

 

[blueparrot]

Id say the clubs priority is to get into the top 4 this season. The financial drop off of not doing so is tangible.

Serviceable might just be all we can get - say a Douglas Luiz type for example - and in that case you have to act on it. Christ anything with a pulse is better than what we currently have which is a group of old men who cant run, or in the case of the hold midfield position absolutely nothing.

Continue as we are and any half decent sides will remain running free at our goal when 1 simple pass breaks the first line of our OAPs in the middle.

Think I'll leave it to the club to decide whether to go short term or long term . Hopefully they can do both and I think they will. If they can't then they can't.