What Is The Clubs Transfer Strategy

[wassy04]

The problem is NOT the individuals we have signed, you can make a case for every one of them except Bachirou who seems to have been signed for the sole purpose of keeping Bong company.

Its is collectively where the problem lies. We did not need 12 players. The club doesn't need the 6 of them who are over 30 and signed on high wages either assuming we will soon get a new manager who will want to bring in his own players as well. We have added depth but not necessarily quality, too many of these are no better that what was already here.

The strongest element of our team last year was the defence. OK we needed to replace Cash and back up left back but that was it. We have bought an entire new defence. It cant help the confidence of any when they see players bought in to replace them. Also importantly there is a knock on effect, players see how their mates are being treated and frozen out it affects overall morale.

Ribeiro was a revelation last season, almost everyone thought he was outstanding. So we bought Blackett in as cover who can play LB and LCB, I get that. Then yesterday both these players see another arrive as competition. Blackett will have thought when he signed this was a fantastic move for him, bet he is having doubts already.

You can make similar cases for poor from throughout the squad, how much of it is simply down to player turnover and not knowing how their teammates play, what their strengths and weaknesses are. There is more to this than will be fixed by changing the head coach.

So aside from the left back situation and perhaps it seems there might be more to it with ribeiro. Who else would you have not signed? 

(I forgot about Fred, weird one so far that one)

We can all agree Figs has been struggling for a while so we needed a new CB for example

Did we really though? Could Figs not have been taken out the firing line and one of Dawson, Benoloune, Hefele or Blackett done the job. The first 3 have all done a decent job for us either with Sabri or previous managers. Dont get me wrong, genuine upgrades like McKenna make sense, but it feels a bit like the Karanka spell of signing loads of players to replace similar standard players but bloats the squad/wage bill

After last season we needed to replace Cash and Watson clearly. But then 3 or 4 decent signings should have been enough. Granted we were lucky with injuries last season (bar Dawson and Sow) but Christie and Colback to replace Cash and Dawson, plus Taylor, Freeman, McKenna and a wide player would have done for me. So many new players is disruptive.

Figs cost us loads of points last year, was at fault for a number of last minute goals, Reading/sheff wed for example. Not sure I'd be confident with any of those backups. Either way the point is to improve the team and Mckenna on paper clearly does this.

So you're saying you never criticised the lack of depth in central midfield or the lack of options in attack?

I would argue going into the season we required two strikers, a left back (to replace bong), right back, backup CB, central midfielders (to replace Watson and fill in for Sow), number 10 (replace Carv). Looks like a fair few there and that's before any actual improvements to the first team.

I could go back through this forum and find so many examples of criticism of previous Windows and a lack of depth, now we've got the depth everyone is criticising it! So frustrating