It's Quiet 32 - enter at own risk

[Plain Speaking]

I disagree. You can only play against what's in front of you, & in that respect VVD excelled in Scotland & continued that form into the PL.

At only £8m, surely he was worth the risk?

I remember when VVD was at Celtic with Celtic, posters saying we should get him, saying he was better than Denayer.
Edit maybe @Neville Kneville was one of them?

 

[Neville Kneville]

I remember when VVD was at Celtic with Celtic, posters saying we should get him, saying he was better than Denayer.
Edit maybe @Neville Kneville was one of them?

Both showed great potential & had work to do. Perfect to come into our squad & learn it.

In fact if you could go back in time & sign them up, they would be perfect to come into this squad.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Ruben Dias looked fantastic today. Played as a left sided CB today, usually plays on the right. Good on the ball, great in the air and a very good defender

He was good.

 

[nmc]

I wonder whether some clubs - like the Rags - whether they actually have the global scouting network that they claim to have. Given some of the random buys they make sometimes it seems they watch a major tournament- see someone score a wonder goal - or put in a decent shift and they sign them. A few players clearly played well for Portugal this week and they seem attractive -interestingly Felix was gash - but decisions on targets should be more considered and more in depth - as they thankfully seem to be at City. I’ll never be convinced otherwise but Real Madrid probably bought James on the back of 3 or 4 games at a World Cup - no wonder that didn’t work out. James anyone?

 

[cjn]

I disagree. You can only play against what's in front of you, & in that respect VVD excelled in Scotland & continued that form into the PL.

At only £8m, surely he was worth the risk?

In hindsight it's always obvious. Of course it ignores the fact that there are probably ten or twenty guys every single summer who if things break right for them also have the potential to be great. Just from that Celtic team alone people on here will tell you Denayer was just as good. You can't sign all the prospects, and the fact that Southampton got him should tell you it wasn't nearly as obvious as you're making it out.

 

[Big Dave Watson]

I wonder whether some clubs - like the Rags - whether they actually have the global scouting network that they claim to have. Given some of the random buys they make sometimes it seems they watch a major tournament- see someone score a wonder goal - or put in a decent shift and they sign them. A few players clearly played well for Portugal this week and they seem attractive -interestingly Felix was gash - but decisions on targets should be more considered and more in depth - as they thankfully seem to be at City. I’ll never be convinced otherwise but Real Madrid probably bought James on the back of 3 or 4 games at a World Cup - no wonder that didn’t work out. James anyone?

The rags policy is to see who City are looking at an throw lots of money at them.

 

[better dead than red]

In hindsight it's always obvious. Of course it ignores the fact that there are probably ten or twenty guys every single summer who if things break right for them also have the potential to be great. Just from that Celtic team alone people on here will tell you Denayer was just as good. You can't sign all the prospects, and the fact that Southampton got him should tell you it wasn't nearly as obvious as you're making it out.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-4161718/Why-Southampton-good-talentspotting.html

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37954971

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...on-black-box-informing-their-manager-carousel

Southampton has been recognized as a club that is able to spot and sign talent. This includes youngsters for their academy as well as players from other leagues.

You keep banging the drum that Soton signing Van Dijk was because they are Southampton. That is true but not because they were rubbish. They weren't when they signed him. I addressed that to you and you didn't reply or couldn't reply in the negative.

As I said Southampton are not mugs. At least they weren't when they signed Virgil. Some clubs are just better at finding young cheap talent and signing them.

 

[cjn]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-4161718/Why-Southampton-good-talentspotting.html

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37954971

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...on-black-box-informing-their-manager-carousel

Southampton has been recognized as a club that is able to spot and sign talent. This includes youngsters for their academy as well as players from other leagues.

You keep banging the drum that Soton signing Van Dijk was because they are Southampton. That is true but not because they were rubbish. They weren't when they signed him. I addressed that to you and you didn't reply or couldn't reply in the negative.

As I said Southampton are not mugs. At least they weren't when they signed Virgil. Some clubs are just better at finding young cheap talent and signing them.

I didn't reply because I thought your post was rubbish. Southampton are a good team and had a run where they were very good at scouting, but the point I keep trying to make, and the one you keep ignoring, is that teams like Southampton sign players like van Dijk at Celtic not because they are crap, but because as a club with less resources and lower expectations they are forced to take chances on more marginal talents. Top teams, like Manchester City for example, don't have a model of taking punts on cheap talent because they try and win trophies ever year and would prefer to sign proven commodities like a Martin Demichaelis (who by the way helped us win a Premier League), or sign top up and comers who have proven it at a slightly lower lever, like van Dijk at Southampton or like Sane at Schalke.

 

[Sir peace frog]

We are linked to an under 23 Brazilian CB called murilo

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

We are linked to an under 23 Brazilian CB called murilo

Where has this come from pl ?