Transfer window: Have we weakened or strengthened our fight against relegation?

[mrmojorisin75]

suppose strengthened, just

 

it'll only count if martins & owen return in time to play a decent part in proceedings and duff/smith don't...as average a midfield nolan/butt/taylor is assuming they have at least one mobile striker making decent runs we could be in with more of a chance than we were before the window

[Guest teepee]

marginally strengthened - but it really should have been greater. we needed one top player in as well, didn't get that

[Ronaldo]

our fight has obviously been weakened because rival such as Portsmouth, West Brom, Spurs and Stoke are stronger because of the window. Are we? are we fuck

[Skirge]

Much much weaker, a world class Keeper and one of our most attacking player sold, three nothing players in well I say nothing Nolan is okay the other two hmmm 1 not rated to much the other not wanted by anyone else.

[Ronaldo]

How can people say we've strengthened? honestly

[mrmojorisin75]

How can people say we've strengthened? honestly

 

explain how we've weakened then

 

EDIT:  strengthened because nolan should get better, and when guthrie comes back (or barton) we'll have a better CM than we did before with butt not in it....also because the addition of taylor will mean that duff should be out of the team with taylor one side and spidey the other, taking duff out of the side increases our players on the pitch from 10 to 11 imo...or 9 to 10 if shola is playing

 

all of that assumes a competent manager making the choices but we have strengthened albeit slightly, which is a huge assumption

 

as for given i'm not convinced he'll be the loss some make out, harper will be fine

[cp40]

How can people say we've strengthened? honestly

 

 

i think we have improved, but only a little, maybe not enough to keep us in the prem.

[mrmojorisin75]

How can people say we've strengthened? honestly

 

 

i think we have improved, but only a little, maybe not enough to keep us in the prem.

 

this, in a nutshell

[NG32]

Didn't address the issues from the summer transfer window (thin squad).  Allowed two players to leave and have three major injuries with only three coming in.  So I would probably say we're minus.

 

 

 

[Ronaldo]

How can people say we've strengthened? honestly

 

 

i think we have improved, but only a little, maybe not enough to keep us in the prem.

 

we may have strengthened the squad (very slightly) but we haven't strengthened the fight against relegation because our rivals have strenghtened considerably more than we have

[Mowen]

Roughly as we were imo.

[mrmojorisin75]

How can people say we've strengthened? honestly

 

 

i think we have improved, but only a little, maybe not enough to keep us in the prem.

 

we may have strengthened the squad (very slightly) but we haven't strengthened the fight against relegation because our rivals have strenghtened considerably more than we have

 

highly impressive contradicting yourself dude!!      -esque!!

 

but i take your point, we've strengthened the least and perhaps needed it the most, so net strengthening is in the minus figures or summik!!

[Mowen]

How can people say we've strengthened? honestly

 

 

i think we have improved, but only a little, maybe not enough to keep us in the prem.

 

we may have strengthened the squad (very slightly) but we haven't strengthened the fight against relegation because our rivals have strenghtened considerably more than we have

 

Really? Bar Spurs, who have? Pompey are much weaker for a start.

[Chase]

Strengthened

 

I think we've strengthened our team.

 

Taylor will help us our more in dead ball situations, we've not had anyone all season who can put in a decent cross time and time again from either the wing, free kicks or corners so how many wasted opportunities have we had gone awry?

 

Nolan will help out our midfield alot in my opinion, he pops up with a few goals and also gets back to defend as we seen on sunday, I think my biggest plus point with him is that he's a genuine leader and in the middle of the park and we need someone who will communicate with the rest of the team.

 

Lovenkrands I'm not entirely sure about, he showed a few touches of some skill and work ethic on saturday but I'm not convinced he'll do that on a regular basis for us.

 

Players out

 

Given will definately be missed, but I'm not too worried about him leaving, I think at some stage or another over the last few years everyone on this forum has talked about how capable a premier league keeper Harper is, now Given is gone people are acting like it's the end of NUFC when it's not, Harper made quite a few important saves on Sunday and some of the 1 on 1's I think Shay might have missed, he got an unlucky bounce with the ball for their goal but you can't fault him in anyway for that if you ask me.

 

N'Zogbia, personally I think this was a good bit of business, I dont think he was ever going to fill his potential, he's a jumped up little frenchman in my opinion who thinks he's bigger and better than he is.

[NJS]

As I see it its a question of comparing the "fit" squad on Jan 1st (or Dec 25th to include Beye) and the squad which we now have till the end of the season. Given the length of the anticipated absences of Owen. Barton, Beye and Guthrie I equate those with sales as they are unavailable for a long period (if not the duration).

 

In that context we are significantly weaker in my view.

 

 

[Ashley17]

Positives:

 

Nolan is Prem experienced with captain qualities, been there and done it in relegation scraps.

Taylor takes a decent set piece

Taylor can cover several positions.

Lovenkrands adds some pace to the squad, though I admit to knowing very little about his general play.

 

Negatives:

 

Still no "door opener" in midfield

Losing Guthrie and Barton for the rest of the season and Nicky Butt being old and terrible necessitates more than buying one central midfielder. What happened to the loans?

Losing N'Zogbia took away pace from the squad, though he didn't want to be here.

There is no back-up for Martins, if he doesn't make a full recovery soon we are stuck with 2 big men up front and that will only work against Arsenal [/cheap shot] However, this doesn't make us any weaker as there never was a replacement anyway.

 

Conclusion: Slightly weaker, but enough reason for us to stay up (Portsmouth, Boro and the like being part of the reason)

[Skirge]

Magpies' deadline day bids thwarted

 

NEWCASTLE United brought another disappointing transfer deadline day to a close with two failed bids to recruit Sunderland’s Kieran Richardson and Manchester City’s Michael Johnson

http://www.journallive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2009/02/03/magpies-deadline-day-bids-thwarted-61634-22839388/

[mrmojorisin75]

As I see it its a question of comparing the "fit" squad on Jan 1st (or Dec 25th to include Beye) and the squad which we now have till the end of the season. Given the length of the anticipated absences of Owen. Barton, Beye and Guthrie I equate those with sales as they are unavailable for a long period (if not the duration).

 

In that context we are significantly weaker in my view.

 

 

 

so you're saying we have to compare a squad with owen & barton (not fit then but was due back) to one where they're badly injured and not replaced you mean?  for example

 

harsh indeed if that's what you're getting at

[thomas]

How can people say we've strengthened? honestly

 

 

i think we have improved, but only a little, maybe not enough to keep us in the prem.

 

we may have strengthened the squad (very slightly) but we haven't strengthened the fight against relegation because our rivals have strenghtened considerably more than we have

Considerably more eh?  Considerably more? 

 

Bottom 8 clubs transfers:

 

SUNDERLAND:

- out -

El-Hadji Diouf [sunderland - Blackburn] Undisclosed

Pascal Chimbonda [sunderland - Tottenham] Undisclosed

Liam Miller [sunderland - QPR] Undisclosed

Ross Wallace [sunderland - Preston] Undisclosed

Graham Kavanagh [sunderland - Carlisle] Free

Roy O'Donovan [sunderland - Blackpool] Loan

Michael Chopra [sunderland - Cardiff] Loan

- in -

Calum Davenport [West Ham - Sunderland] Loan

Tal Ben Haim [Man City - Sunderland] Loan

 

VERDICT: Not strengthened considerably if at all. 

 

 

WEST BROM:

- out -

Sherjill MacDonald [West Brom - Roeselare] Loan

Lee Baker [West Brom - Kidderminster] Loan

Joss Labadie [West Brom - Shrewsbury] Loan

- in -

Juan Carlos Menseguez [san Lorenzo - West Brom] Loan

Youssouf Mulumbu [Paris St Germain - West Brom] Loan

Marc-Antoine Fortune [Nancy - West Brom] Loan

Jay Simpson[Arsenal - West Brom] Loan

 

VERDICT: Not strengthened considerably if at all.

 

MIDDLESBROUGH:

- out -

Tom Craddock [Middlesbrough - Luton] £80,000

Mido [Middlesbrough - Wigan] Loan

Graeme Owens [Middlesbrough - Blackpool] Loan

Jonathan Grounds [Middlesbrough - Norwich] Loan

Seb Hines [Middlesbrough - Derby] Loan

- in -

Marlon King [Wigan - Middlesbrough] Loan

 

VERDICT: AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA.

 

BLACKBURN:

- out -

Frank Fielding [blackburn - Rochdale] Loan

Eddie Nolan [blackburn - Preston] Undisclosed

Jamie Clarke [blackburn - Rotherham] Free

- in -

Gael Givet [Marseille - Blackburn] Loan

El-Hadji Diouf [sunderland - Blackburn] Undisclosed

 

VERDICT: Strengthened somewhat.

 

STOKE:

- out -

Lewis Buxton [stoke - Sheff Wed] Nominal

Ryan Shotton [stoke - Tranmere] Loan

Carl Dickinson [stoke - Leeds] Loan

Tom Soares [stoke - Charlton] Loan

Nathaniel Wedderburn [stoke - Notts County] Loan

Ritchie De Laet [stoke - Man Utd] Undisclosed

- in -

James Beattie [sheffield United - Stoke] Undisclosed

Matthew Etherington [West Ham - Stoke] £2m

Henri Camara [Wigan - Stoke] Loan

 

VERDICT: Their problem is in defense and attack and it seems like they're only addressingone side.  Camara and Beattie sound nice but when you leak goals like they do ... eh.  I'll say they improved very slightly. 

 

PORTSMOUTH:

- out -

Jermain Defoe [Portsmouth - Tottenham] £15m

Lassana Diarra [Portsmouth - Real Madrid] £20m

Khaleem Hyland [Portsmouth - Zulte Waregem] Loan

- in -

Hayden Mullins [West Ham - Portsmouth] Undisclosed

Pele [Porto - Portsmouth] Loan

Angelos Basinas [AEK Athens - Portsmouth] Undisclosed

Theofanis Gekas [bayer Leverkusen - Portsmouth] Loan

Jermaine Pennant[liverpool - Portsmouth] Loan

 

VERDICT: Not strengthened considerably if at all.

 

NEWCASTLE:

- out -

Charles N'Zogbia [Newcastle - Wigan] Undisclosed

Shay Given [Newcastle Utd - Man City] Undisclosed

- in -

Kevin Nolan [bolton - Newcastle] £4m

Peter Lovenkrands [schalke - Newcastle]

Ryan Taylor [Wigan - Newcastle] Undisclosed

 

VERDICT: Blighted by injuries, Newcastles relatively modest dalliances in the transfer market represent nothing so much as prudent tiding over until first team regulars return.  Slight improvement.

 

TOTTENHAM:

- out -

Hossam Ghaly [Tottenham - Nassr Saudi Club] Undisclosed

Cesar Sanchez [Tottenham - Valencia] Free

David Button [Tottenham - Bournemouth] Loan

Charlie Daniels [Tottenham - Leyton Orient] Free

Tomas Pekhart [Tottenham - Sparta Prague] 12-month loan

Troy Archibald-Henville [Tottenham - Exeter] Loan

- in -

Carlo Cudicini [Chelsea - Tottenham] Free

Pascal Chimbonda [sunderland - Tottenham] Undisclosed

Jermain Defoe [Portsmouth - Tottenham] £15m

Robbie Keane [liverpool - Tottenham] £12m

 

VERDICT: Strengthened. 

[Mowen]

I'd say Pompey have weakened considerably. Best two players out. Diarra in particular is key to them.

[NJS]

As I see it its a question of comparing the "fit" squad on Jan 1st (or Dec 25th to include Beye) and the squad which we now have till the end of the season. Given the length of the anticipated absences of Owen. Barton, Beye and Guthrie I equate those with sales as they are unavailable for a long period (if not the duration).

 

In that context we are significantly weaker in my view.

 

 

 

so you're saying we have to compare a squad with owen & barton (not fit then but was due back) to one where they're badly injured and not replaced you mean?  for example

 

harsh indeed if that's what you're getting at

 

Spurs reacted to Defoe's injury - we are relying on one bloke with a dodgy groin to score all our goals for the next two months at least. The injuries didn't happen on Sunday they happened with 4 or 5 days left to react - I don't think its harsh.

 

 

[Ashley17]

thomas' post is too big to quote but from that list:

 

Portsmouth plus Pennant

WBA plus Simpson

 

Pace will help any side, neither of those two are bad players

[thomas]

Considerably though?

 

Considerably? 

 

It's one thing to say they've improved a little bit too but to paint a picture as though we're somehow miles behind is just ridiculous.

 

Quite right though, I'd forgotten about Pennant and for some reason he's not listed on bbc's summary.  Bleh!

[Ashley17]

Considerably though?

 

Considerably? 

 

It's one thing to say they've improved a little bit too but to paint a picture as though we're somehow miles behind is just ridiculous.

 

I was just pointing out you'd missed out the only 2 players those two teams have signed that strengthen them at all (granted I know nothing of WBA's random loanee's) Personally I agree with Mowen, Portsmouth are on a slippery slope and they give me great hope of us staying up.

[Cajun]

Did people really expect us to cover all our injuries? Really?

 

What happens when they come back? We already have around 25 first team players in the squad (too many). Ok we could have gotten a couple of loans but that still all costs money.