tmonkey Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 We won't pay the going rate for anyone with either clear potential or experience. Everyone we sign is bottom of the barrel stuff, the type of player for whom there's no real demand and therefore we can dictate the buying terms, and as such they're complete long shots in terms of turning out to be good signings and highly unlikely to be suitable for PL level in the short term. If Rafa has a choice between a long shot or nothing, he's obviously going to take the long shot since at least there's a chance of them turning out to be decent. The issue is exaggerated the further up the pitch we go. Potentially decent goalkeepers and defenders are inherently cheaper than attacking/creative midfielders or goal-scoring strikers. Rafa basically has no chance of improving the team's attack beyond a complete shot in the dark - at that point it becomes a numbers game, he needs to sign a hell of a lot of dross and bargain basement players before he strikes lucky and gets someone who is actually good at this level when it comes to creating or scoring goals. I'd say this reflects what we have on the pitch. Good keeper, some good defenders, a couple of decent midfielders, then the rest are shiite, especially the wingers/strikers. Blaming Rafa for what he's spent so far is just nonsense given these constraints. If Ashley wasn't a cunt withholding the clubs own cash we'd probably have brought in the likes of Townsend and Sturridge (or if not them then others of that ability level), and all of a sudden you're talking about a different team entirely one that is solid at the back and dangerous going forward. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stifler Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 He was by no means the worst performer in the pitch yesterday (arise Atsu), however Ritchie is rather ineffective. All he seems to offer is that run on the wing where he cuts in instead of crossing to eventually take off a weak shot. He’s not good enough, yesterday he didn’t make one successful delivery, and his first corner was as bad as anything that Pardew’s players served up at set pieces. The thing is though he had a relatively successful season in the Championship and to a large amount of our fan base that’s enough to be cult hero for years beyond what they should be. Like many in our team the Championship is his level, it’s why the reports in the summer of Ashley wanting to replace him kept cropping up. Like I said yesterday I can see why there was other subsititutes that needed to be made, but fucking hell Ritchie was so poor and ineffective that we had Yedlin further forward than him for large parts of the game and Kenedy was coming in from the other side to get attacks going down his wing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggs Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 I don't know but presumably our scouting network has a budget of about a fiver, so I guess we don't get great pools of players to pick from. I will say though Carr got a load of stick for bad buys but you can see the conditions he worked under he actually did pretty welll Carr did a great job really. We haven’t bought a good PL standard attacking player since he left Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmonkey Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 I don't know but presumably our scouting network has a budget of about a fiver, so I guess we don't get great pools of players to pick from. I will say though Carr got a load of stick for bad buys but you can see the conditions he worked under he actually did pretty welll Said this all along. Carr did a good job for us given that we were limited to signing gambles from weaker leagues. A decent or good manager/scout probably has a hit rate of lets say 33%, i.e. 1 in 3 signings are good ones, rest are squad fillers or complete dross, and if the team is good enough then noone really cares about the 66% that come in, fail or don't get a look in, and are shipped out. When you add the constraints that Ashley added, e.g. players must be cheap, of the right age for resale, no other club capable of offering better terms is in for them, and then factor in the additional gambles all of these introduce (e.g. having to sign players from a weaker foreign league like France because that's where many of the players in that category are found now means you introduce additional gambles around language, adaptability, etc) that "good" hit rate needs to be brought right the way down in terms of a target success rate which the manager/scout is judged by. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 One thing which rankles with me is Rafa's stubborn faith in Joselu. He stuck with him too long last season, then when he missed a crucial pen, the penny finally dropped and he barely got a start after that. So come a new season and Rafa seems to have forgotten everything and wiped the slate clean. Why? The guy has the shooting prowess of a six year old, you are basically relying on him getting a few headed goals from barely a handful of decent crosses per month. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinho lad Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Would b so typical if some fans turned on Rafa and consequently the heat is reduced on Ashley. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xLiaaamx Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Thing with Carr is, even when players didn't work out, you could often see why he thought they might turn out good. Riviere had a lot of pace and was quite strong too. You could see why Carr thought he'd be worth a go as a backup. Marveaux clearly had good delivery and quick feet. The thing that really didn't make sense, is we signed these technical foreign players, and kept an english dinosaur who wanted cloggers in charge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xLiaaamx Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 One thing which rankles with me is Rafa's stubborn faith in Joselu. He stuck with him too long last season, then when he missed a crucial pen, the penny finally dropped and he barely got a start after that. So come a new season and Rafa seems to have forgotten everything and wiped the slate clean. Why? The guy has the shooting prowess of a six year old, you are basically relying on him getting a few headed goals from barely a handful of decent crosses per month. It feels this way with the tactics. We're playing like we did at Huddersfield away last year when we were just scared of everyone. We've dropped 20 yards back on where we played in the second half of last season and I don't get why. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleBingo Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 https://twitter.com/read_avidly/status/1046371917811404801 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottishMagpie Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Was listening to one of the True Faith podcasts and one of the points made hit home with me. We 'own' 1 striker that cost £5m!!! Anyone who thinks Rafa is anywhere near part of the problem needs taken out behind the barn and shot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Was listening to one of the True Faith podcasts and one of the points made hit home with me. We 'own' 1 striker that cost £5m!!! Anyone who thinks Rafa is anywhere near part of the problem needs taken out behind the barn and shot. We did sell a striker for £27m and that was down to Rafa. He was more than happy to replace him with Rondon and for all we know, that might still work out, but I think he's big enough to take responsibility for that decision. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmonkey Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Was listening to one of the True Faith podcasts and one of the points made hit home with me. We 'own' 1 striker that cost £5m!!! Anyone who thinks Rafa is anywhere near part of the problem needs taken out behind the barn and shot. We did sell a striker for £27m and that was down to Rafa. He was more than happy to replace him with Rondon and for all we know, that might still work out, but I think he's big enough to take responsibility for that decision. A striker who isn't suited to Rafa's system, to things like Shelvey's passing ability (need someone more mobile to take advantage of arguably one of the best through ball passers in the league), and by the striker's own admission isn't good at following Rafa's instructions. And also sold at a time when Rafa was expecting to be able to spend money on replacements. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasper Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Was listening to one of the True Faith podcasts and one of the points made hit home with me. We 'own' 1 striker that cost £5m!!! Anyone who thinks Rafa is anywhere near part of the problem needs taken out behind the barn and shot. We did sell a striker for £27m and that was down to Rafa. He was more than happy to replace him with Rondon and for all we know, that might still work out, but I think he's big enough to take responsibility for that decision. More than happy? I'm pretty sure Rafa would have been a lot happier breaking our transfer record to sign that Plea guy for example Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Was listening to one of the True Faith podcasts and one of the points made hit home with me. We 'own' 1 striker that cost £5m!!! Anyone who thinks Rafa is anywhere near part of the problem needs taken out behind the barn and shot. We did sell a striker for £27m and that was down to Rafa. He was more than happy to replace him with Rondon and for all we know, that might still work out, but I think he's big enough to take responsibility for that decision. More than happy? I'm pretty sure Rafa would have been a lot happier breaking our transfer record to sign that Plea guy for example Plea didn't want to come here. Whether our bid was serious is another matter, but if Germany was his preferred choice, it's immaterial. Rondon appears to have been second choice and he's here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasper Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Was listening to one of the True Faith podcasts and one of the points made hit home with me. We 'own' 1 striker that cost £5m!!! Anyone who thinks Rafa is anywhere near part of the problem needs taken out behind the barn and shot. We did sell a striker for £27m and that was down to Rafa. He was more than happy to replace him with Rondon and for all we know, that might still work out, but I think he's big enough to take responsibility for that decision. More than happy? I'm pretty sure Rafa would have been a lot happier breaking our transfer record to sign that Plea guy for example Plea didn't want to come here. Whether our bid was serious is another matter, but if Germany was his preferred choice, it's immaterial. Rondon appears to have been second choice and he's here. You seriously think Rondon on loan was Rafa's preferred choice if he had the opportunity to spend the Mitrovic money? I dont think this discussion is based on an ounce of reality. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UncleBingo Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Was listening to one of the True Faith podcasts and one of the points made hit home with me. We 'own' 1 striker that cost £5m!!! Anyone who thinks Rafa is anywhere near part of the problem needs taken out behind the barn and shot. We did sell a striker for £27m and that was down to Rafa. He was more than happy to replace him with Rondon and for all we know, that might still work out, but I think he's big enough to take responsibility for that decision. More than happy? I'm pretty sure Rafa would have been a lot happier breaking our transfer record to sign that Plea guy for example Plea didn't want to come here. Whether our bid was serious is another matter, but if Germany was his preferred choice, it's immaterial. Rondon appears to have been second choice and he's here. [/quotte] His second choice, or second choice within his meagre budget, there's a massive difference? I'm sure He would have loved likecs9neone like Josh King or Callum Wilson, but they were complete non-starters under this tight cunt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Was listening to one of the True Faith podcasts and one of the points made hit home with me. We 'own' 1 striker that cost £5m!!! Anyone who thinks Rafa is anywhere near part of the problem needs taken out behind the barn and shot. We did sell a striker for £27m and that was down to Rafa. He was more than happy to replace him with Rondon and for all we know, that might still work out, but I think he's big enough to take responsibility for that decision. More than happy? I'm pretty sure Rafa would have been a lot happier breaking our transfer record to sign that Plea guy for example Plea didn't want to come here. Whether our bid was serious is another matter, but if Germany was his preferred choice, it's immaterial. Rondon appears to have been second choice and he's here. You seriously think Rondon on loan was Rafa's preferred choice if he had the opportunity to spend the Mitrovic money? I dont think this discussion is based on an ounce of reality. Rondon was mentioned as a target all summer so I would assume Rafa had some genuine interest in him yes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Was listening to one of the True Faith podcasts and one of the points made hit home with me. We 'own' 1 striker that cost £5m!!! Anyone who thinks Rafa is anywhere near part of the problem needs taken out behind the barn and shot. We did sell a striker for £27m and that was down to Rafa. He was more than happy to replace him with Rondon and for all we know, that might still work out, but I think he's big enough to take responsibility for that decision. More than happy? I'm pretty sure Rafa would have been a lot happier breaking our transfer record to sign that Plea guy for example Plea didn't want to come here. Whether our bid was serious is another matter, but if Germany was his preferred choice, it's immaterial. Rondon appears to have been second choice and he's here. [/quotte] His second choice, or second choice within his meagre budget, there's a massive difference? I'm sure He would have loved likecs9neone like Josh King or Callum Wilson, but they were complete non-starters under this tight cunt. Maybe, but we don't even know if they were for sale. I suspect not, and yeah there's no way that Ashley would sanction spending the sort of money it would take to get them here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geordie Ahmed Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Are people actually trying to say Rafa should get the boot? If so, fuck right off, man. Utter fucking mongs. Deserve all they get the fucking cretins. What an embarrassment. Sadly some absolute weapons are saying that, got into a conversation with someone on twitter trying to suggest he's not been hard done by when it comes to investment and also that he didn't do well last season. Another suggesting he should be replaced with Howe. As if Howe would leave a well run club that fully supports him to our shitshow Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Imagine a world where Newcastle United wouldn't be able to attract the Bournemouth manager. It's this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Are people actually trying to say Rafa should get the boot? If so, fuck right off, man. Utter fucking mongs. Deserve all they get the fucking cretins. What an embarrassment. Sadly some absolute weapons are saying that, got into a conversation with someone on twitter trying to suggest he's not been hard done by when it comes to investment and also that he didn't do well last season. Another suggesting he should be replaced with Howe. As if Howe would leave a well run club that fully supports him to our shitshow I said the same on Twitter, no decent manager would come anywhere near us. It'll be a cheap yes man. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest firetotheworks Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 There were people on Twitter saying the same shit last season when we were actually getting results. Some people really are just beyond help and live in this fantastical, arrogant world where attacking will magically change the outcome against teams that are much better than us, especially at attacking, and especially at tearing teams that try to attack them apart. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackyboy Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 It wouldn't surprise me to see Pardew come back because Ashley knows how much that would piss everybody off Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallsendmag Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 If Rafa leaves it's a Pardew/McClaren/Carver standard manager who's replacing him. Surprising how many people don't realise that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEEJ Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Are people actually trying to say Rafa should get the boot? If so, fuck right off, man. Utter fucking mongs. Deserve all they get the fucking cretins. What an embarrassment. Sadly some absolute weapons are saying that, got into a conversation with someone on twitter trying to suggest he's not been hard done by when it comes to investment and also that he didn't do well last season. Another suggesting he should be replaced with Howe. As if Howe would leave a well run club that fully supports him to our shitshow Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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