TRANSFER WINDOW KLAXON - stand clear, this window is now closed

billybondsbeard

The fact that we may have to rely on Zab or Declan is because we have to - because we didnt buy a Dendonker or Carvalho.
We established a need for an experienced DM last year, and scouted and made offers on the above two players (amongst others), and didnt get them over the line due to our own lack of purpose.
Lets not start being revisionist about our transfer performance please, and make out that it doesnt matter because we've got the players already.
This is clearly not the case currently, and wasnt before the last transfer window.

Whitehorsehammer

I don't count Rice as just a "make do" I have been very impressed with him. So many people keep saying give the youngsters a chance and if he, who is the best of them, can't get into the team then I suppose buying expensive imports is the only way.

grey_til_I_dye

Who's being revisionist?

I didn't think we particularly needed a DM this window, whilst accepting it is always good to improve the quality of our squad.

If reports are accurate, we have targeted that position in the last two windows without signing someone.

Depending on your pov, that is either a gross failing on the part of the club, or one of those things.

For the rest, I think we have got two better players than the two we let go.

baracks_a_hammer

Tbf in the case of hugill can anyone right now truly say he is an upgrade on what we had?

Yesterday morning, I would bet that the large proportion on this site had never even heard of him. He has said all the right things and seems to have a real hunger, however he could just as easily end up being a bad apple like Sakho was. And aside from attitude Sakho was a very good West Ham player imo

horshamhammer

Is the squad better or worse now than at the start of the window? Pretty hard to argue it's better.

grey_til_I_dye

baracks

For me the point is that Sakho was a good player for us. He hasn't been for at least the last year, so I think anyone who has the desire to play for us and try his best is an improvement.

horsham

In terms of players out/in, I think we have improved.

I think most people would agree that Ayew simply didn't turn out well. I don't remember too many calls for him to start. As I said, for me, Sakho may as well not have been here, so anyone is better than that.

chicagohammer

I think the new blood will give us a lift, Rice and Hugill are going to be full of enthusiasm, Mario has something to prove and shows a lot of promise, Koyoute just might be getting back to his old self and I think these factors will help us get the best out of Chico.

I am hoping that the players coming back from injury will find it difficult to just walk back into the first eleven.

I am praying that we get through the next few weeks without fresh injuries as we have a very thin squad and remain under threat in the league.

But right now, I am happier with the our immediate prospects than I was before the window.

COYI

MrsGrey

barracks - an upgrade because he is ready, willing and able. That's why I think he is an upgrade.

horsham, I can. You won't agree though.

grey_til_I_dye

On a separate note, getting Swansea to agree to north of £18m is almost Levy-esque. (though he would have probably got £25m plus Mawson...)

baracks_a_hammer

Mrs g, my point being his words and from what we have heard tell him he is ready willing and able, etc. But there won’t be many on this site who know the first thing about him. So you can’t really say that A > B if you know very little about A

billybondsbeard

Grey
The Club have identified a need for a DM. It was a clearly stated aim.
it is clearly revisionist to let the board off the hook for not making signings by saying that those signings arent really required after the event, and it doesnt matter.
If Carvalho or Dendonker had turned up there would be people saying what a great job Sully and his negotiating team had done.
It is also never 'one of those things' - its success or failure ( or a lack of available funds).
I would agree that Mario looks a better player already than Ayew, and that Hugill will at least turn up !

SuzanneClaret

chicagohammer

Are you ready to let Shelvey out now?

IronHerb

But you don't start trying to compete with the big boys in January or when you have a short term manager.

OldCastleSwift

grey_til_I_dye said:

If reports are accurate, we have targeted that position in the last two windows without signing someone.

Depending on your pov, that is either a gross failing on the part of the club, or one of those things.

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, to miss out on one DM may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Were we definitely in for Dendoncker, then?

horshamhammer

MrsGrey said:

horsham, I can. You won't agree though.

You're right. I don't.

horshamhammer

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes said:

Were we definitely in for Dendoncker, then?

Course we were.

http://sportwitness.co.uk/belgium-west-ham-wanted-pay-e5m-upfront-dendoncker/

jay_in_cpt

But Jorderz irrelevant of were we or not, IMO most fans would agree it's an area that needed addressing ...
While yet another transfer window goes and nothing in that area.

billybondsbeard

Dunno - could be Fake News or something ??

SuzanneClaret

chicagohammer said:

Are you ready to let Shelvey out now?

No...

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Whether it was dendocker or not moyes said even at the beginning of the window they had a number of bids in for players, safe ti assume that a couple couldve been central midfielders given Moyes stated they needed numbers in the middle

A lot of people putting hope that Zabaleta is gonna be our new CM given he played well against Palace but he isnt natural there so it could all go a bit pear shaped...that plus Byram needs to stay injury free and show improvements defensively 1 vs 1

2nd january in a row where weve ended up in profit

grey_til_I_dye

billybondsbeard

Horsham

Good article - £5m up front ;doh

PrestonHammer

On the one hand it isn't their fault that Dendoncker didn't sign yesterday but on the other, they had 31 days to get it sorted and started talking on the 31st. Will they ever learn?

OldCastleSwift

IronHerb said:

But you don't start trying to compete with the big boys in January or when you have a short term manager.

Why not? What's so prohibitive? There's an argument that we didn't go big in the summer because the board weren't sure about retaining Slav. If we accept they didn't spend in January because Moyes is considered short-term, then what's to say if they replace him with Marco Silva in the summer that they won't let him spend until he's proven himself capable of the job?

Hammerex

If they were then to replace Marco Silva in the Autumn, then the new manager
coming in would not be able spend either, and that way they never have to spend anything. ;lol

billybondsbeard

Sulley : "Karen - Get on to the owners of WHU606 quick and close it down
Some guy called Hammerex has seen the plans ......."

SuzanneClaret

Nabbed form FaceBook.

Nicked from Blackadder.

Scene - Boardroom @ London Stadium

Moyes: Now, would this brilliant plan involve us leaking we are bidding for players we have no intention of signing sir?

Brady: How can you possibly know that David? It's classified information.

Moyes: It's the same plan that we used last time, and the seventeen times before that.

Sullivan: E-E-Exactly! And that is what so brilliant about it! We will catch the watchful fans totally off guard! Doing precisely what we have done eighteen times before is exactly the last thing they'll expect us to do this time!

There is however one small problem.

Moyes: That everyone always catches on in the the first ten seconds.

Brady: That's right! And Mr Sullivan is worried that this may be depressing the fans a tadge. So, he's looking to find a way to cheer them up.

Moyes: Well, his resignation and and a long walk off a short pier would seem the obvious solution.

ianbishoplegend

I keep reading tons of comments about how we weakened the side this window. I thought Ayew role was poacher and he was replaced by Hernandez in the summer. Sakho was just sulking around the pitch in autopilot, never seen a player look so disinterested. He has been replaced by someone that doesn’t give defenders a break all game and is a natural boot filler for Carrol (something we have needed for years). Kids going out on loan that we have only had back for a month...give me a break. We got a fantastic midfielder in Mario that will help as keep possession. For me much more important than a DM. We have Noble, Koyoute, Rice and Zaba that can play there. Moyes never seemed interested in the DM’s being offered, was wise to wait. So many fans think if we don’t parade around with a 20 million Giroud we are doomed forever. I am much happier giving Jordan a chance than any spoilt has beens.