It is never healthy IMO to rely on youngsters through necessity rather than choice in an emergency situation.
Slav may feel Martinez is nowhere near ready yet, so Chico gets injured and Andy/Sakho not reliable due to injuries and one wanting out a year ago. He throws Martinez in and it does more harm than good to both him and the team.
Same with CM. Kouyate injured. Noble and Obiang start. Not working for some reason. He has to resort to Cullen and Fernandes every time as there is no alternative. Not healthy IMO.
I am pleased with all four signings but I felt we needed 6/7 when the season ended and I still do.
One of the biggest positives about this window for me is that we've signed players who improve the first team. In the last we've bought squad players who were a waste of time.
IMO, if you sign some 26 year old CM from the Turkish league to be the sub then what is the point in having an academy.
Something that is a success can still be improved upon. West Ham are a multi-million pound business, they shouldn't settle just because if they stopped now it would be a success.
We won't sign 3 more and anybody hoping for that is going to be disappointed, IMO.
Well I'll be disappointed indeed if we think a 32 year old, one striker and a winger are worthy of business done.
We've done solid business. It's been blown way OTT by many though. Hernandez is a good striker. But good strikers still go on baron runs. How many goals for him in 2017? Is it one?
We've upgraded Randy with Hart, Arbeloa with Zabaleta, Valencia with Arnautovic and Zaza with Hernandez.
Good stuff.
What about Calleri, Fletcher, Nordtveit etc. They all need replaving in the squad too.
We know we will pick up a shed load of injuries. We always do. Need a bit more insurance IMO.
For example, Capoue has just had a fall out with Silva. Rumours he is available. That would be a brilliant and affordable upgrade on Nordtveit. Again proven in the PL.
I think we've significantly improved our match day 14, which is clearly what Slav set out to do. I think that is a successful window. I don't think that if we fail to sign other players that this will take away from what we have done.
Others are, of course, feel to free as disgruntled as they like. Me, I'm well gruntled.
We don't have the pull or the matches for genuine quality players not even to be getting on the bench.
But we could make that 8 or 9/10 with a couple more additions.
As it is our bench at Old Trafford is gonna look something like:
Adrian (?), Fonte, Byram, Masuaku, Fernandes, Snodgrass (?), Martinez
That isn't good enough IMO.
The first 11-14 is fine being reinforced, providing they put in top performances every week and stay fit. We still need game changing potential off the bench though.
Pretty much any of those players could be replaced by better players, but I don't think they will this window, unless one of the fringe players decides to move (e.g. Feg/Snodders)
And you can't base your transfer policy on a single game. It may be that Chicarito isn't ready for Man U, and that AC is out and Sakho is being Sakho, and we have to start without a recognised CF. It's not ideal, but these things happen.
Like it or not, we've got Sakho and AC on the books, and until we get rid of one or both, I don't see the club doing much more in that position.
Grey - although DG publicly said we needed two strikers due to Carroll and Sakho being unreliable. So he obviously wants one more.
Unless we're continuing the recent misguided tradition and policy of counting a player as several in one. So Arnautovic goes from being an attacking winger to a left winger, right winger, No.10, striker, wing back.
I prefer counting them in their natural positions.
See, just to clarify, I don't want lots more, I want 2 more. That's it. This window has been a success, but it can be better and for me that is one high quality CM to compete with Kouyate (preferably N'Diaye) and another high quality forward to cover for our injuries and any loss of form (preferably, although unlikely, Dembele). I don't want any more of this square peg, round hole business and I think those two and we are golden.
Of course it could get better. But I think people should enjoy who we have signed, rather than worry about more, because I think they're setting themselves up for disappointment.
My view is we will let one of snodgrass and feghouli go, and also Sakho and then pretty much nothing will happen until late in the window when I think we will try and get wilshere and gray.
We're not in for N'Diaye - we've not even shown an interest, he's been touted by the agent of Onyereku (?), and Nigerian media, and it has been lazily picked up by some journo's.
Doesn't mean I can't want us to go for him... I don't expect us to actually sign either of the two I've mentioned.
If we are considering DM reinforcement , from what I've heard and read young CB Declan Rice put in a well impressive performance last night, perhaps another good showing or 2 would make them think he is decent backup...? Personally id like 1 more striker ( after Fletcher sale )... Any other players to be released would need to be replaced with better than what we had , if that happens it'll IMO be a great transfer window
Comments
Jorderz/alderz - disagree.
It is never healthy IMO to rely on youngsters through necessity rather than choice in an emergency situation.
Slav may feel Martinez is nowhere near ready yet, so Chico gets injured and Andy/Sakho not reliable due to injuries and one wanting out a year ago. He throws Martinez in and it does more harm than good to both him and the team.
Same with CM. Kouyate injured. Noble and Obiang start. Not working for some reason. He has to resort to Cullen and Fernandes every time as there is no alternative. Not healthy IMO.
I am pleased with all four signings but I felt we needed 6/7 when the season ended and I still do.
IMO, if you sign some 26 year old CM from the Turkish league to be the sub then what is the point in having an academy.
Can't understand how anyone could think our business this window was anything other than a success.
Completely wrong attitude. To settle.
We've just about made up for last summers disaster.
Now to top it off for this summer.
We've done solid business. It's been blown way OTT by many though. Hernandez is a good striker. But good strikers still go on baron runs. How many goals for him in 2017? Is it one?
We've upgraded Randy with Hart, Arbeloa with Zabaleta, Valencia with Arnautovic and Zaza with Hernandez.
Good stuff.
What about Calleri, Fletcher, Nordtveit etc. They all need replaving in the squad too.
We know we will pick up a shed load of injuries. We always do. Need a bit more insurance IMO.
I think we've significantly improved our match day 14, which is clearly what Slav set out to do. I think that is a successful window. I don't think that if we fail to sign other players that this will take away from what we have done.
Others are, of course, feel to free as disgruntled as they like. Me, I'm well gruntled.
We don't have the pull or the matches for genuine quality players not even to be getting on the bench.
I'm with alderz - give yoot a chance if needed.
A 7/10 window.
But we could make that 8 or 9/10 with a couple more additions.
As it is our bench at Old Trafford is gonna look something like:
Adrian (?), Fonte, Byram, Masuaku, Fernandes, Snodgrass (?), Martinez
That isn't good enough IMO.
The first 11-14 is fine being reinforced, providing they put in top performances every week and stay fit. We still need game changing potential off the bench though.
Not a failed edit at all.
I was referring to the 14 players, 11 + 3 subs, who can get a game in any one match.
Last season, for a lot of games, looking at the bench when things weren't going well didn't make me feel like much could change.
We've currently got 2/3 places in the squad of 25 (depending on whether you count Fernandes.)
We've got 4 senior CDs 2 each of FBs.
We've got 3/4 holding MF , 4 attacking MF, 2 wide forwards and 3 CFs.
Pretty much any of those players could be replaced by better players, but I don't think they will this window, unless one of the fringe players decides to move (e.g. Feg/Snodders)
I call that 1 striker and 2 maybes. Never good relying on maybes.
And you can't base your transfer policy on a single game. It may be that Chicarito isn't ready for Man U, and that AC is out and Sakho is being Sakho, and we have to start without a recognised CF. It's not ideal, but these things happen.
Like it or not, we've got Sakho and AC on the books, and until we get rid of one or both, I don't see the club doing much more in that position.
Unless we're continuing the recent misguided tradition and policy of counting a player as several in one. So Arnautovic goes from being an attacking winger to a left winger, right winger, No.10, striker, wing back.
I prefer counting them in their natural positions.
It could, of course, get better. (Although I'm not sure it will.)
So if there are no more changes, it's been very good.
I don't agree with Luke's comment If we don't get those additional 2/3 players I don't think this window has been a success
Personally id like 1 more striker ( after Fletcher sale )...
Any other players to be released would need to be replaced with better than what we had , if that happens it'll IMO be a great transfer window
You can argue they need first team football but loan over can also happen in Jan i they really aren't getting enough game time
Think Burke and Cullen can definately deputise as 5th choice at CB and CM and if they can't they should probably be sold as they won't be good enough
I would rather Holland get game time then another Tore