Rate our January transfer window

[Optimistic Nut]

Don't think we have any choice but to be attacking now, we're top heavy. Saivet, Colback and Anita are the only 'defensive' minded players we have, he'll only play one of them with us having Shelvey.

 

I agree, it'll probably be similar to how we've been just with better options off the bench. Two of those listed will be subs. That's not counting Aarons, De Jong when he's back. We need to be scoring at least 2 in a game though if we want to win games since we haven't strengthened the defence.

[Zero]

I think our core issue is not lacking a proven striker or left back.  Its our shit centre midfielders that caused shit attack and shit defense.  Saivet and Shelvey did solve this to some degree.

 

Of course we have a lot of problems left behind but to say we didnt solve the most important one is a bit harsh. 

 

We definitely need to sign more defenders and a new striker in the coming summer but with these incoming we should be safe.  McClaren is not Carver.

[matta]

The signings all make sense, and im pretty optimistic about all of them. Really happy Ayoze got a new contract aswell.

Shame we couldn't do anything about our defense. But overall we could look a completely different team now.

 

Rated pretty good.

[Leazes_End_Mag]

5/10 for me.

 

2 problem positions of defence and striker haven't been taken care of and we're relying on a 60  year old who hasn't played for 6 weeks to score the goals to keep us up.

 

In massive danger of going down in my opinion.

[peder]

Man would have loved to pick up Giannelli Imbula that stoke got.

 

Would have made the midfield way more "complete".

[Lush Vlad]

Pretty Good.  Like a 7-8/10.  I thought we'd only get a couple in, so I'm quite pleased with it.  But I still feel we're a bit short and maybe missed out on 1-2 players, that we really could have done with. 

 

I think if we were never linked with Berahino and a left back, I wouldn't really have worried about it.  As they said for ages we weren't looking at strengthening the defence.  So I'd kind of given up on that.  Plus, we managed to get Doumbia and Townsend, both of who will play somewhere in the front 3-4.  An area where we already have a few options.  So I wasn't thinking we needed another striker on top of that.  But hen you get linked with exciting players like that and miss out.  It's always a bit disappointing.

 

Still haven't addressed the horrific defence and we still don't really have a striker, that has consistently performed or scored on a regular basis in England.

 

All in all, I'm happy with how it went and I think we have signed enough players to keep us up.  A bit of a gamble not addressing the back four, though.  We concede some awful goals and that won't change anytime soon.

[Guest Roger Kint]

Went 'ok'

 

Midfield has been strengthened although the jury is still out on Saivet being an improvement and i could at a push accept only Doumbia coming in up front despite his form/unproven here. Biggest issue is the fact we completely ignored an already dogshit defence, that we were never going to sign a CB we have needed for years or that we were looking at shit LB loans is a risk too far imo.

[The College Dropout]

Good. January isn't a time to put together a good team for the rest of that season.

 

expecting us to sign CB, LB, 2 CM & 2 ST - and the side dramatically improving was fantastical thinking.

[Guest Roger Kint]

Exactly next summer is the real test of whether we stay up this season

[mozy]

Decent - Problems with CM and LW solved to a degree and with players who know the league and actually wanted to come here. Also seems to be a shift towards signing players we actually need rather than just Graham Carr's random recommendations who fit the buy low sell high mantra.

 

Bad - Gamble on an unknown striker when Remy/Berahino/Gayle were possibly available. (fwiw I do think we actually wanted Berahino rather than just 'we tried'). No adequate cover in CB or LB.

 

6/10

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I think it's below average verging on crap. At the start we needed CM sorted, proven goalscorer, LB and CB yet we just sorted out CM neglecting the others which will result in us still being crap

 

This really. Shelvey is a decent addition, we didn't need the other french midfielder or Townsend and the new striker isn't proven in the PL. We have also basically f***ed off Thauvin while lots of dross still remain. Overall you still have to point to the squad and its still bang average and that's how you determine whether its been a good window.

[The College Dropout]

Exactly next summer is the real test of whether we stay up this season

 

Never has a club stayed up due to buying 4-5 great players in January.

[Unbelievable]

Pro: The potential of how Doumbia & Mitrovic work together.

 

Con: The likelihood we'll start with one or the other more often than not with the other being replaced on 60/70 minutes.

So following that logic throughout the team it's basically con = Steve McClaren then?

 

About right, we'd not be in this much of a mess with a better manager anyway.

 

This is it for me. We've strengthened a squad already good enough to do better then where we currently are. Money has been spent, but mostly not on the areas most in need of change (central midfield aside). Sticking with McClaren has been the biggest gamble and could well still see us go down.

[Guest Roger Kint]

Exactly next summer is the real test of whether we stay up this season

 

Never has a club stayed up due to buying 4-5 great players in January.

 

Nobody said they had to be great players, its like you are determined to spout shite all over the forum regardless of what a person says to you.

[The College Dropout]

In fact, history proves you're more likely to stay up in bigger part by a manager getting his act/team together - Martinez at Wigan, Pearson at Leicester (Huth has been a tremendous January signing, experienced PL stalwart). Or just getting a new (not even particularly better) manager Sunderland x3, Villa last season

[merlin]

I think it's below average verging on crap. At the start we needed CM sorted, proven goalscorer, LB and CB yet we just sorted out CM neglecting the others which will result in us still being crap

 

This really. Shelvey is a decent addition, we didn't need the other french midfielder or Townsend and the new striker isn't proven in the PL. We have also basically f***ed off Thauvin while lots of dross still remain. Overall you still have to point to the squad and its still bang average and that's how you determine whether its been a good window.

Agreed - marks out of 10...? No better than 6.

The CM problem has been addressed, but the glaring weaknesses in both defence and attack have NOT....getting a loanee of dubious age etc from Roma(no PL experience) is highly unlikely to solve the lack of goals from the front men and Colo will get even more roasted as the season wears on and his legs start feeling the strain ; likewise, we are poor at LB and even Janmaat struggles when forced to defend in depth.

Fail to beat WBA and we shall be rooted in the bottom 3 and require some superhuman results from the remaining fixtures.

 

[The College Dropout]

Exactly next summer is the real test of whether we stay up this season

 

Never has a club stayed up due to buying 4-5 great players in January.

 

Nobody said they had to be great players, its like you are determined to spout s**** all over the forum regardless of what a person says to you.

 

We needed proven PL performers. Who wants to sell proven PL performers in January? Think Shelvey will be a good signing. Townsend okay I suppose.Getting a proven PL striker at any stage is difficult, even harder in January. We ended up with an experienced striker but with no PL experience, i'm not mad. Saivet is a massive gamble but at least we have real competition for that last CM spot.

 

You intimated that January transfer window will dictate whether we stay up or not. Short of signing Remy (happy to pick up wages at Chelsea) or Berahino (unwilling to sell at astronomical fee) i'm not sure what else was realistic for short term improvement. We aint going to fix our defence, midfield and strikeforce due to January signings like some have mentioned.

[Guest Roger Kint]

Exactly next summer is the real test of whether we stay up this season

 

Never has a club stayed up due to buying 4-5 great players in January.

 

Nobody said they had to be great players, its like you are determined to spout s**** all over the forum regardless of what a person says to you.

 

We needed proven PL performers. Who wants to sell proven PL performers in January? Think Shelvey will be a good signing. Townsend okay I suppose.Getting a proven PL striker at any stage is difficult, even harder in January. We ended up with an experienced striker but with no PL experience, i'm not mad. Saivet is a massive gamble but at least we have real competition for that last CM spot.

 

Thank God we have one of the tightest defences in the country to hold all those dubious 'proven' signings in front of it them

 

Good window clearly, no point in addressing glaring issues in the January of a relegtion season though, that wont work/TCD

[mrmojorisin75]

Pro: The potential of how Doumbia & Mitrovic work together.

 

Con: The likelihood we'll start with one or the other more often than not with the other being replaced on 60/70 minutes.

So following that logic throughout the team it's basically con = Steve McClaren then?

 

About right, we'd not be in this much of a mess with a better manager anyway.

 

This is it for me. We've strengthened a squad already good enough to do better then where we currently are. Money has been spent, but mostly not on the areas most in need of change (central midfield aside). Sticking with McClaren has been the biggest gamble and could well still see us go down.

I think he's proven that he's got very little if anything of substance in his locker already, just as Pardew did, so he's being bought out of trouble just as Pardew was. Or so they think.

 

I'll change my mind a little maybe if we get something at Everton then dick West Brom but I'm not holding my breath to be honest. I just don't think he has enough about him to swing a change, we'll see if the players do I guess...

[The College Dropout]

Exactly next summer is the real test of whether we stay up this season

 

Never has a club stayed up due to buying 4-5 great players in January.

 

Nobody said they had to be great players, its like you are determined to spout s**** all over the forum regardless of what a person says to you.

 

We needed proven PL performers. Who wants to sell proven PL performers in January? Think Shelvey will be a good signing. Townsend okay I suppose.Getting a proven PL striker at any stage is difficult, even harder in January. We ended up with an experienced striker but with no PL experience, i'm not mad. Saivet is a massive gamble but at least we have real competition for that last CM spot.

 

Thank God we have one of the tightest defences in the country to hold all those dubious 'proven' signings in front of it them

 

Good window clearly, no point in addressing glaring issues in the January of a relegtion season though, that wont work/TCD

 

We have a bad defence, bad midfield, bad attack. Not going to sign players in each segment to improve the team immediately in January. Never seen it.

[Guest Roger Kint]

Exactly next summer is the real test of whether we stay up this season

 

Never has a club stayed up due to buying 4-5 great players in January.

 

Nobody said they had to be great players, its like you are determined to spout s**** all over the forum regardless of what a person says to you.

 

We needed proven PL performers. Who wants to sell proven PL performers in January? Think Shelvey will be a good signing. Townsend okay I suppose.Getting a proven PL striker at any stage is difficult, even harder in January. We ended up with an experienced striker but with no PL experience, i'm not mad. Saivet is a massive gamble but at least we have real competition for that last CM spot.

 

Thank God we have one of the tightest defences in the country to hold all those dubious 'proven' signings in front of it them

 

Good window clearly, no point in addressing glaring issues in the January of a relegtion season though, that wont work/TCD

 

We have a bad defence, bad midfield, bad attack. Not going to sign players in each segment to improve the team immediately in January. Never seen it.

 

Yet we were openly trying to do exactly that all through til the end of the window despite the great TCD never seeing it.

[The College Dropout]

I don't think that would've worked. Going into February with 4-5 players making their debuts or with a handful of starts? Tactically, team understanding etc. we would've been in August.

 

For us to stay up comfortably, something else beyond the playing staff has to change / evolve.

[Guest Roger Kint]

I don't think that would've worked. Going into February with 4-5 players making their debuts or with a handful of starts? Tactically, team understanding etc. we would've been in August.

 

For us to stay up comfortably, something else beyond the playing staff has to change / evolve.

 

Far better to persevere with a defence we know doesnt stop goals than risk bringing in someone else who might upset that well oiled machine

[Sho Time]

I'm happy with the money we've spent on strengthening the squad as Shelvey and Townsend are definitely upgrades on whoever we've had in their positions.

 

On the negative side we've still got Schteve, no new CB, no new LB and the striking situation is still a gamble - although TBH I think it will pay off and Doumbia will score between 6-8 goals for us in his time here.

[The College Dropout]

I don't think that would've worked. Going into February with 4-5 players making their debuts or with a handful of starts? Tactically, team understanding etc. we would've been in August.

 

For us to stay up comfortably, something else beyond the playing staff has to change / evolve.

 

Far better to persevere with a defence we know doesnt stop goals than risk bringing in someone else who might upset that well oiled machine

 

What if I told you - teams could get better, without making new signings for every issue? Crazy concept I know. You're not going to solve 3 or 4 issues in January through signing that many players.

 

 

I think i've made my point now. Cheers.