Premier League transfer plan

[LES Fox]

Hold on...so suggesting that improvements to the squad is needed is the same as saying we need to spend 50m and completely overhaul the squad?

Jesus wept.

" This season Cardiff have spent £37.7m on 15 players, Hull £27.4m on 13 players and Palace £26.6m on 21 players.

We need at least 8 players and to spend at least £30m on them. Much more if the owners pockets are as deep as some say. Talking about giving this squad a chance and adding two or three players is nonsense. The Premier League is completely different. Less matches with much, much more pressure on players. Some of our existing squad with thrive on it and grow stronger, many more won't"

A $30m outlay on 8 players, on average prem wages, who for the sake of argument are on 3 year contacts, would require an outlay well in excess of $50m.

 

[Brown Nose]

The only time in the past 5 years or so a team has dominated as much as we have and has been as good as we have going up has been Newcastle in 09/10 and they ended up adapting comfortably into a decent top half side. (West Ham's squad was arguably as good as ours and just underperformed in the Championship as well, but again, they've comfortably adapted to being a mid-table PL side).

Yeah, but there is a big problem with the two examples you've quoted. Both were Premier League teams that were relegated, they retained a nucleus of their squad and got promoted back at the first attempt. We've not virtually nobody, on or off the field, with any recent Premier League know-how. It's a totally different scenario. They also both had managers with a lot of recent experience working at the top level.

I think a comparison with Cardiff is appropriate. After all, they won the Championship comfortably last season and were easily the best side in it. They also had no pedigree in the Premier League, on or off the pitch. They opted to spend a lot of money - quite rightly. It's arguable whether they've spent wisely or not and the wobbles from losing matches caused major issues between manager and owner, but that's our nearest comparison.

I'd like to think that sort of thing wouldn't happen to us, but put us under pressure, lose a few games, slide down the league and all sorts can happen. When the going gets tough, I'd rather have a bigger, more experienced, better quality squad to turn to than relying on totally unknown players. You've also got to factor in the fact that most new Premier League managers don't last their first season. In which case, the bigger and better the squad is, the more the new guy has to work with.

 

[camberwell fox]

Yeah, but there is a big problem with the two examples you've quoted. Both were Premier League teams that were relegated, they retained a nucleus of their squad and got promoted back at the first attempt. We've not virtually nobody, on or off the field, with any recent Premier League know-how. It's a totally different scenario. They also both had managers with a lot of recent experience working at the top level.

I think a comparison with Cardiff is appropriate. After all, they won the Championship comfortably last season and were easily the best side in it. They also had no pedigree in the Premier League, on or off the pitch. They opted to spend a lot of money - quite rightly. It's arguable whether they've spent wisely or not and the wobbles from losing matches caused major issues between manager and owner, but that's our nearest comparison.

I'd like to think that sort of thing wouldn't happen to us, but put us under pressure, lose a few games, slide down the league and all sorts can happen. When the going gets tough, I'd rather have a bigger, more experienced, better quality squad to turn to than relying on totally unknown players. You've also got to factor in the fact that most new Premier League managers don't last their first season. In which case, the bigger and better the squad is, the more the new guy has to work with.

Are you in politics per chance? :icon_wink

 

[H T B]

Out of interest what was Swansea and Southampton's transfer policy when they went up after years in the depths , also Norwich for that matter?

To say we need all these new players does our current crop a disservice.
Look how far they have come in the last season, in fact each game they get better as a unit.

As regards the bigger the squad the better, isn't there a 25 man squad restriction in the Premier?

 

[homer]

Not even promoted yet, and already the players who have given us the most outstanding season we have seen in donkey's years is being trashed and dismissed, in favour of some fantasy football team of 6/7/8 new players costing £30 million plus

It's tragic

 

[Kingy_85]

Not even promoted yet, and already the players who have given us the most outstanding season we have seen in donkey's years is being trashed and dismissed, in favour of some fantasy football team of 6/7/8 new players costing £30 million plus

It's tragic

 

[FryattFox]

Not even promoted yet, and already the players who have given us the most outstanding season we have seen in donkey's years is being trashed and dismissed, in favour of some fantasy football team of 6/7/8 new players costing £30 million plus

It's modern football.

 

[Kingy_85]

Last time we went up we signed...

Steve Howey - Manchester City, 5 June, undisclosed
Riccardo Scimeca - Nottingham Forest, 24 June, free
Paul Brooker - Brighton and Hove Albion, 24 June, free
Danny Coyne - Grimsby Town, 3 July, free
Keith Gillespie - Blackburn Rovers, 8 July, free
Lilian Nalis - Chievo, 11 July, free
Les Ferdinand - West Ham United, 11 July, free
Ben Thatcher - Tottenham Hotspur, 17 July, £300,000
Craig Hignett - Blackburn Rovers, 18 July, free
Steve Guppy - Celtic, 13 January, free
Lee Morris - Derby County, 2 February, nominal fee
Nicolas Priet - Lyon, free

Marcus Bent - Ipswich Town, 1 September, season-long loan[25]
Nikos Dabizas - Newcastle United, 1 January, six-month loan[26]
Steffen Freund - Kaiserlautern, 30 January, season-long loan[27]

No wonder we went down.

 

[FryattFox]

Last time we went up we signed...

Steve Howey - Manchester City, 5 June, undisclosed
Riccardo Scimeca - Nottingham Forest, 24 June, free
Paul Brooker - Brighton and Hove Albion, 24 June, free
Danny Coyne - Grimsby Town, 3 July, free
Keith Gillespie - Blackburn Rovers, 8 July, free
Lilian Nalis - Chievo, 11 July, free
Les Ferdinand - West Ham United, 11 July, free
Ben Thatcher - Tottenham Hotspur, 17 July, £300,000
Craig Hignett - Blackburn Rovers, 18 July, free
Steve Guppy - Celtic, 13 January, free
Lee Morris - Derby County, 2 February, nominal fee
Nicolas Priet - Lyon, free

Marcus Bent - Ipswich Town, 1 September, season-long loan[25]
Nikos Dabizas - Newcastle United, 1 January, six-month loan[26]
Steffen Freund - Kaiserlautern, 30 January, season-long loan[27]

No wonder we went down.

Well they'll all be a lot cheaper this time around.

 

[Kingy_85]

Well they'll all be a lot cheaper this time around.

What a woeful list of players. Most of them ended their careers after we went down or played a handful of games elsewhere.

Who on that list made any sort of significant contribution following our relegation?

Nalis stuck around for a bit.

 

[RichMC24]

I think Cardiff's problem's are more to do with off field shenanigans rather than what they have or haven't done in the transfer market. I see our situation to be more attuned to that of Norwich or Southampton when they went up and provided the owners don't all-of-sudden go mental and start doing a Hull/Cardiff/Blackburn and let the club implode, we should have enough to comfortably finish above the PL dross at the bottom of the league.

I hope and believe that the current first-team will remain pretty intact. Nigel has pretty much said he wants to keep the team together. He might lose one or two to 'bigger' things and I'm sure he'll move a few fringe players. I think he'll go for evolution rather than revolution.

I certainly don't want PL journeymen in for a final payday - Experience is all well and good, but I would prefer good young players and build for a sustainable spell in the top flight, although I do accept the short term necessity of surviving the first season. In summary, I think the current squad is good enough to survive but I expect NP to sign 4 quality players to add to the squad and replace any first teamers that move on i.e. Kasper.

 

[Mike - True Blue Tinter]

I think if we added no-one at all our brilliant tight-knit squad that play so well together could probably easily beat the the bottom 8 in the PL, including the 2 that go up with us.

I think Pearson will want to only add maybe as few as 3 new starters, 1 forward, 1 midfield and 1 defender of quality much higher than we have so as not to disrupt a terrific team.

Both Chelsea and Man City threw millions at their squads but it took several years before those players could gel as a team.

 

[Lako42]

Shaun Newton was class, can we get him in?

 

[Hector]

What a woeful list of players. Most of them ended their careers after we went down or played a handful of games elsewhere.

Who on that list made any sort of significant contribution following our relegation?

Nalis stuck around for a bit.

Thatcher had three years with Man City (and achieved notoriety).

 

[Real Sharapova]

Not even promoted yet, and already the players who have given us the most outstanding season we have seen in donkey's years is being trashed and dismissed, in favour of some fantasy football team of 6/7/8 new players costing £30 million plus

It's tragic

I'm with you there Homey. A fair bit of our team is reasonably young and do seem to be improving as time goes on. Why that can't continue next season?

 

[Kingy_85]

Thatcher had three years with Man City (and achieved notoriety).

I can't remember if I liked Thatcher or not.

He was a tough tackling non nonsense defender If I remember rightly?

Didn't he almost kill someone with a late challenge once?

 

[Kingy_85]

Yep I was right.

 

[tedfoxxx]

You're thinking of this one on Pedro Mendes, Kingy, can't find it after a quick search on Youtube though.

 

[Miles Away]

Nicky Mohan and Mark Draper.

All you need.

 

[Kingy_85]

You're thinking of this one on Pedro Mendes, Kingy, can't find it after a quick search on Youtube though.

That's the one Ted!

A 15 game ban!