Tempting fate - next year

[oldtype]

Seens this is a next season thread, who would you keep in the starting eleven next term? I don't think we're a massive way off being a Premier League side but a centre mid and a striker have to be top priorities.

 

 

 

One striker and one central midfielder are non-negotiable, as I don't think any of our players playing those positions are going to be able to make the step up comfortably. Cost permitting, I'd love us to really go for broke and spend the majority of the transfer budget on the best striker we can get. (I actually wouldn't be surprised if Hughton's thinking the same thing... What with the vacant No. 9 shirt and all.

 

We could probably use another right back and another winger to provide competition and add a bit of depth, but otherwise I'm willing to keep the nucleus of the current team. One 15-goal striker and one decent Premiership CM and we're sitting pretty at 11th~15th imo.

[NoU]

I voted No by mistake.

[jdckelly]

Seens this is a next season thread, who would you keep in the starting eleven next term? I don't think we're a massive way off being a Premier League side but a centre mid and a striker have to be top priorities.

 

 

my shopping list in would be

striker (a must) cm (also a must) spare wingers (would be nice) spare full backs (kinda needed)

 

my out list

raylor, butt (either to retirement or contract being up), shola

[Ketsbaia]

harper, s taylor, coloccini, enrique, jonas and guthrie would stay in my first XI. possibly carroll. then we'd have good backup players in lovenkrands, simpson, routledge, nolan, krul, williamson.

 

sell: smith, best, ameobi, r taylor, barton, butt (free), pancrate (free), ranger (loan)

 

but i think we'd struggle to flog a couple of those.

[La Parka]

Three priorities for me:

 

1) Striker : Goals will keep us up, and none of our lot will be banging enough in to keep us up

 

2) Center mid: Creative, mobile, goalscorer

 

3) Depth. We always get decemated by injuries. We need to hold on to pancrate et al imo. The only players who I'd look to sell or get rid of is butt.

[OzzieMandias]

I think the minimum programme should involve us getting a right back as well as a striker and a central midfielder.

[Exiled in Texas]

Stay up next year. Mid-table the season after then break the top 10 the season after that. That's where the coin starts to roll in.

 

Exactly - steady progress.  Get some good foundations and then build from strength. Much better idea than a Galactico house built on sand.

[Exiled in Texas]

I also think that the Premier League will change over the next 2-3 seasons with the financial landscape changing for several clubs.  When that happens some clubs will be better positioned than others to take advantage of it.

[Guest firetotheworks]

I think next season will be as much a step into the unknown as this season tbh. With the same prediction from me, we'll be plop.

[The Prophet]

I think the minimum programme should involve us getting a right back as well as a striker and a central midfielder.

 

I honestly think S. Taylor could do a job there.

[buzza]

I agree with the majority; striker is number one priority, what we have at the mot isn't good enough for the prem.

Number two are two central midfielders; one defensive with height (a la viera) and another with something creative.

We also need cover desperately at left back and if possible a prem class right back as we dont have this.

 

I would sell: Smith, Butt, Shola, Raylor and pancake...

[Guest manomush]

for the first time in years i am looking foward to next season it will be like the old day's if we win fukin great if we don't so 4k good time;s are back goodbye glory fans hello toon fans

[Neil]

harper, s taylor, coloccini, enrique, jonas and guthrie would stay in my first XI. possibly carroll. then we'd have good backup players in lovenkrands, simpson, routledge, nolan, krul, williamson.

 

sell: smith, best, ameobi, r taylor, barton, butt (free), pancrate (free), ranger (loan)

 

but i think we'd struggle to flog a couple of those.

 

You can afford to get rid of those 8 players, and get a similar amount in? Blimey, good luck.

[Ketsbaia]

harper, s taylor, coloccini, enrique, jonas and guthrie would stay in my first XI. possibly carroll. then we'd have good backup players in lovenkrands, simpson, routledge, nolan, krul, williamson.

 

sell: smith, best, ameobi, r taylor, barton, butt (free), pancrate (free), ranger (loan)

 

but i think we'd struggle to flog a couple of those.

 

You can afford to get rid of those 8 players, and get a similar amount in? Blimey, good luck.

 

Our squad doesn't need pruning though, it needs a lot of work. We can't rest on our laurels. If we had to keep someone from that list I'd maybe go with R Taylor or Shola, but we did get 6 players in january so i don't see us struggling to do similar in the summer. Whether they're good enough is open to debate, but I don't think Smith, Butt etc are good enough as it is.

 

But we're gonna get taken over by a billionaire and have lots of money, innit 

[Doctor Zaius]

It all depends how Hughton spends.

 

Centre Midfield is the key I think. Part of the reason we went down last season was that whenever the ball was played into midfield, we'd lose possession and pressure would be heaped onto the defence. It dosent matter who you have upfront, if you dont create chances you dont score. Bringing in Routledge and giving a bit of balance to the side will go someway to solving our chance creating problems. We definately need a creative playmaker, is Guthrie that man? I'm still unconvinced tbh. I dont know if he has enough about him to solve our creative woes. 

 

A goalscoring striker is vital too. I dont think Lovenkrands, Ameobi or Carroll have enough about them to get enough goals to stay up. The less said about relying on Leon Best to keep us up the better tbh. We could do with cover/ someone who can challenge for a place at Right back and left back. I'd look into getting Van Aahnholt on loan again possibly. We also need cover on the right wing, Routledge is our only out and out winger, lose him and you lose alot of balance.

 

So yeah, basically what Leeds Mag said. 

[Mowen]

I'd be absolutely delighted if we stayed up next year. Have to aim higher though otherwise we won't stand a chance.

[The Prophet]

harper, s taylor, coloccini, enrique, jonas and guthrie would stay in my first XI. possibly carroll. then we'd have good backup players in lovenkrands, simpson, routledge, nolan, krul, williamson.

 

sell: smith, best, ameobi, r taylor, barton, butt (free), pancrate (free), ranger (loan)

 

but i think we'd struggle to flog a couple of those.

 

You can afford to get rid of those 8 players, and get a similar amount in? Blimey, good luck.

 

Our squad doesn't need pruning though, it needs a lot of work. We can't rest on our laurels. If we had to keep someone from that list I'd maybe go with R Taylor or Shola, but we did get 6 players in january so i don't see us struggling to do similar in the summer. Whether they're good enough is open to debate, but I don't think Smith, Butt etc are good enough as it is.

 

But we're gonna get taken over by a billionaire and have lots of money, innit 

 

I think we're far more likely to go down if we dismantle the squad than add to it with a couple of quality purchases.

[Village Idiot]

One of the "good" things about your relegation, is that when you're promoted your wage bill will be very manageable for a Premiership team, while having a much better turnover than a team like Hull or Stoke. You don't need to cut down on your squad (bar something like Butt and maybe one or two of your "strikers"), in my opinion. As Niel points out, you just can't get a new team outright, your best bet is getting 2-3 quality adquisitions that will displace current starters and work from there. You don't have a large squad anyway.

 

 

 

[Stifler]

I think that Piquenne (or whatever he's caled) for Portsmouth should be looked at, aswell as O'hara, two decent quality players right there and in th positions that we need.

 

Also a cheecky bid for Donovan should also be considerd.

 

Clyne from Palace for backup for Simpson or even involving a rotation policy would also be a decent choice aswell for me.

[Optimistic Nut]

Piquionne was excellent the time I was in St-Etienne. Sure Roeder tried signing him at the same time we got Onyewu on loan as well.

[Optimistic Nut]

http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20070201/luque-stays-as-piq-deal-off_2240137_974115

 

Could be a decent option.

[Village Idiot]

I think that Piquenne (or whatever he's caled) for Portsmouth should be looked at, aswell as O'hara, two decent quality players right there and in th positions that we need.

 

Also a cheecky bid for Donovan should also be considerd.

 

Clyne from Palace for backup for Simpson or even involving a rotation policy would also be a decent choice aswell for me.

 

Landon Donovan won't go for any amount that you'd be willing to bid for him. He's the crown jewel of the MLS and they are not going to let him go for anything less than a US record transfer.

 

Having watched him for Everton I think he would be quality for you lot, though. Plus it would be a great entry to the American market. Soccer Football fans idolize him here.

[Yorkie]

Harper, Taylor, Coloccini, Enrique, Jonas.

 

They're probably the only ones i'd feel perfectly comfortable with having in the first eleven. Colo was horrific for the majority of last season but i think this year will have done him the world of good, regardless of the inferior opposition. He could have easily succumbed to the standard, and not stuck at it - but he's defied both of those things, and does look like someone who's tiers above this league.

 

Similarly with Harper aswell tbh. Was dogmuck at the back end of last season but he's been a regular for over a year now and will probably be okay next season.

 

I'd be just about content with Simpson, Guthrie, Routledge and Lovenkrands as regulars in our starting eleven - but a bit tetchy. CB, CM and CF are where i'd look to invest in the first team - first and foremost. Push Taylor out to right-back and get a better centre-half.

[Village Idiot]

I think that Piquenne (or whatever he's caled) for Portsmouth should be looked at, aswell as O'hara, two decent quality players right there and in th positions that we need.

 

Also a cheecky bid for Donovan should also be considerd.

 

Clyne from Palace for backup for Simpson or even involving a rotation policy would also be a decent choice aswell for me.

 

Landon Donovan won't go for any amount that you'd be willing to bid for him. He's the crown jewel of the MLS and they are not going to let him go for anything less than a US record transfer.

 

Having watched him for Everton I think he would be quality for you lot, though. Plus it would be a great entry to the American market. Soccer Football fans idolize him here.

 

And just as I posted this I go and see a guy in a Donovan Everton shirt walking through the corridor of this library. I'm freaked out now. And not only because of the coincidence, but the fact that a guy would wear an Everton shirt out on the open, god the thing looks *awful* with that fake white neck.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

Even before strengthening the current squad we would probably have a decent chance of staying up. We've got to pick up more points than three teams from the two promoted Championship clubs and whoever doesn't get relegated from the Premiership this season I.e. the likes of Bolton, Burnley, Hull, Wolves, Wigan, Portsmouth, West Ham, Sunderland and Stoke.

 

With the players playing as a team this season for a manager they like and with relative stability off the pitch (unlike last season) it should be very possible. With the state of most football club's finances I can't imagine the teams I've mentioned doing any major squad strengthening. A lot of them will be getting rid of players to try to balance their books.

 

Like I said, we need strengthening but not a total clear out. Adding to what we've got will probably do. Is our current squad that much worse than the teams I list above?