True enough Munich, but for the same applies for any purchases we would make. However you look at it, we're £45m better off than if we'd have bought Zaza and not sold Payet.
True, but my point is that everyone seems to banding around these silly figures of 20m here or 25m there. It's similar to your statement above. The club didn't fail to sign a striker in the summer. Or last winter. Or the summer before that. While we didn't sign a striker like Lacazette or Bats (who knows how that might have turned out) we bought a promising Argentinian and a seasoned Italian international. It simply didn't work out but we did try and we did sign players. Or a right back. When we loaned Jenks, in his first season he was great. In his second season ... not quite so. Nevertheless, in the summer after his first season, I dare say that man would have been over the moon had we managed to sign him outright.
Some people seem to be happy to beat the Daves with both ends of the stick at the same time. They didn't sign anyone and the ones they did sign are rubbish.
We don't ever spend big money really and it seems the directors make loads of noise but that's all it is. We have bought a couple of players that are no better than what we have already really .We have a new stadium which we pay very little for . We have sold Payet and sold our old ground for a pretty penny.
The questions I would ask are.
Where is the money?
Why can't we ever buy another striker with proven ability as Andy will only ever play a few games before being injured.
Other clubs who haven't been as lucky as us seem to find money but why do we just buy middle of the road players. We were lucky with Payet but he wasn't expensive.
We have a great ground with great fans but we never really spend any serious money.
Fonte and Snodgrass in , Payet gone. No money spent whatsoever !!
I would like to understand exactly what the directors are trying to do as to me it's all smoke and mirrors!! No real desire to spend any money at all.
Until we spend some money that we surely must have, We will continue to drift along instead of moving forwards.
I don't think Hogan would have made much if any difference to our attack but when Slaven says he didn't buy him due to the attacking options we already have at the club. You have to seriously question what team he has been watching this season? If Andy doesn't play we look clueless up front.
I'm surprised by the relative lack of mention of Sakho and also by the fact that often where he is mentioned, he's thrown (or gently placed) in the same injury-prone basket as Carroll.
He was a great striker for us before the rather mysterious long-term absence. He then finally came back, scored in his first start and got injured. But I don't know that we can infer from this that he is fragile. Perhaps he wasn't sufficiently warmed up or perhaps he was left on a little too long. He was supposed to be out for 6 weeks from around 30 November, I think, so should be due back around now.
Has anyone seen more recent info on his expected return?
Can anyone help shed light on whether he has a history of fragility or whether we should hold out hope that after getting over whatever kept him out for so long (which apparently he has done), he just had an unfortunate re-entry to match football, and could very well be a fit and reliable player for the rest of the season starting any time now?
Sully said yesterday that Sakho will be back 'in a month or eight weeks time', so I doubt we'll see much of him at all this season. Which could be why Slav didn't mention him when he was reeling off his list of strikers that we had.
On paper, we have enough. In terms of what those strikers have produced so far, I don't think we do.
I'm also frustrated about the right back situation. Byram has no cover that I can see. Nordtveit is injured. Arbeloa was last seen in a pub from what I can make out and our two U23 right backs are out on loan. If Byram breaks down or gets suspended we're back to Antonio who was listed as one of the strikers we'll be relying on.
Pretty much barring the last couple of games against the mighty palace and boro, when AC played well, we have looked pretty grim up front, whilst concedeing plenty at the back all season.
So it is basically all about AC, especially as Sakho is pretty much written off for the season. If Slav is actually saying he is happy with what he has then it does worry me - what on earth has he been watching this season? He doesn't seem to fancy fletcher, that's pretty obvious, so he may as well have sent him to Leeds for game time because he'd probably rather play others out of position than play him. And if Calleri is so good why has he not featured much this season because as far as we know he hasn't been injured.
Don't get me wrong, if Carroll plays almost all of the remaining 16 games, and he was guaranteed to play out the rest of his career injury free, we won't need a forward, because a fit and in-form AC is our £30m striker. He'd be our Harry Kane, which means we'd only ever be looking for deputees.
He's had some strange and unlucky injuries. I guess the way he plays/moves enhances the potential for injury. Keeping fingers crossed that in the future he has only the average/norm amount of injuries
First 20 games we had plenty of injuries and unsettled lineups. Antonio was too far back, Cresswell too injured, Tore too much in the squad etc etc
Carroll, since we bought him, has always been our no1 striker and basically unplayable when on it.
I don't think many would dispute your last statement Baz
There would have been a strong case for returning Calleri and tore as well as Zaza. Fletcher should have been loaned out. But had all of that happened there would have been serious question marks raised over Slavs judgment. Granted tore has been injured but he looked less than convincing when he played. Fletcher and Calleri have not been injured but are not making the side - this tells us something. We've no idea what has truly happened with arbeloa. Masuaku, doubts over him too. Nordveidt? Enough said on him There's probably hope over Feghouli, but when you look at the all the others it doesn't read well.
Thankfully at least the two players we did sign in Jan SHOULD hit the mark better in their respective positions.
I thought Obiang was officially Slav's first signing?
But I think the point still stands, that two of our more impressive performers this season are people who couldn't get near the side in the first few months of arriving. I'm not expecting Calleri to be even a 10 goal a season striker, but until he gets a run in the side we'll never know.
I met him,but didn't recognise him when he brought his sister to enrol in the language school I work in . Nice guy and very humble, unlike Angelo Ogbonna, who also enrolled, and turned up late everyday shouting into his mobile.
Comments
Or a right back. When we loaned Jenks, in his first season he was great. In his second season ... not quite so. Nevertheless, in the summer after his first season, I dare say that man would have been over the moon had we managed to sign him outright.
Some people seem to be happy to beat the Daves with both ends of the stick at the same time. They didn't sign anyone and the ones they did sign are rubbish.
The questions I would ask are.
Where is the money?
Why can't we ever buy another striker with proven ability as Andy will only ever play a few games before being injured.
Other clubs who haven't been as lucky as us seem to find money but why do we just buy middle of the road players. We were lucky with Payet but he wasn't expensive.
We have a great ground with great fans but we never really spend any serious money.
Fonte and Snodgrass in , Payet gone. No money spent whatsoever !!
I would like to understand exactly what the directors are trying to do as to me it's all smoke and mirrors!! No real desire to spend any money at all.
Until we spend some money that we surely must have, We will continue to drift along instead of moving forwards.
If Andy doesn't play we look clueless up front.
He was a great striker for us before the rather mysterious long-term absence. He then finally came back, scored in his first start and got injured. But I don't know that we can infer from this that he is fragile. Perhaps he wasn't sufficiently warmed up or perhaps he was left on a little too long. He was supposed to be out for 6 weeks from around 30 November, I think, so should be due back around now.
Has anyone seen more recent info on his expected return?
Can anyone help shed light on whether he has a history of fragility or whether we should hold out hope that after getting over whatever kept him out for so long (which apparently he has done), he just had an unfortunate re-entry to match football, and could very well be a fit and reliable player for the rest of the season starting any time now?
On paper, we have enough. In terms of what those strikers have produced so far, I don't think we do.
I'm also frustrated about the right back situation. Byram has no cover that I can see. Nordtveit is injured. Arbeloa was last seen in a pub from what I can make out and our two U23 right backs are out on loan. If Byram breaks down or gets suspended we're back to Antonio who was listed as one of the strikers we'll be relying on.
So it is basically all about AC, especially as Sakho is pretty much written off for the season. If Slav is actually saying he is happy with what he has then it does worry me - what on earth has he been watching this season? He doesn't seem to fancy fletcher, that's pretty obvious, so he may as well have sent him to Leeds for game time because he'd probably rather play others out of position than play him. And if Calleri is so good why has he not featured much this season because as far as we know he hasn't been injured.
Wouldn't surprise me to see Ginge given a go.
First 20 games we had plenty of injuries and unsettled lineups. Antonio was too far back, Cresswell too injured, Tore too much in the squad etc etc
Carroll, since we bought him, has always been our no1 striker and basically unplayable when on it.
There would have been a strong case for returning Calleri and tore as well as Zaza. Fletcher should have been loaned out. But had all of that happened there would have been serious question marks raised over Slavs judgment. Granted tore has been injured but he looked less than convincing when he played. Fletcher and Calleri have not been injured but are not making the side - this tells us something. We've no idea what has truly happened with arbeloa. Masuaku, doubts over him too. Nordveidt? Enough said on him There's probably hope over Feghouli, but when you look at the all the others it doesn't read well.
Thankfully at least the two players we did sign in Jan SHOULD hit the mark better in their respective positions.
Didn't Gold tweet a picture of ogbonna when he signed, or was that the other way round?
But I think the point still stands, that two of our more impressive performers this season are people who couldn't get near the side in the first few months of arriving. I'm not expecting Calleri to be even a 10 goal a season striker, but until he gets a run in the side we'll never know.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/02/pedro-obiang-west-ham
Ogbonna studying the same course too. ;nonono
#WelcomeBackJoey&Carlton
He's bald and Portuguese
Meireles, Meireles, Meireles, Meireles
Score a goal for me
;carew
Rav -
How Joey O'Brien hasn't found a new club I have no idea. And obviously Caceres too. Mental.
Seems like a Burnley player.