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Monday, January 20, 10:38:03pm

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• I said we have sold two strikers without replacing them. Which is a fact. And my views on the summer window are well known. Not one of the seven swimmer signings would get into my first 11 as I don’t believe they are better than what we already had. And imo it’s the players. That had been here before this that have stepped up to put us in the top ten, not the contributions or lack of, from the new boys. That’s why I don’t trust our recruitment at the moment (NT) -- Hg, Thursday, January 09, 01:16:35pm (NoHost/31.94.64.18)
  • And my best 11 would be Leno tete diop Bassey Robinson. With lukic as dm. Pereira cm. Iwobi left adama right, Wilson am and either Muniz or Raul up top (NT) -- Hg, Thursday, January 09, 01:20:17pm (NoHost/31.94.64.19)
    • That's 7 (or 8 if its Raul) players bought in the last 2.5 years, including players such as Lukic and Bassey that took more 1/2 a season to find a consistent role in the team, and yet you don't trust our transfer strategy nor that the new players who've had just 1/2 a season won't similarly find a place in that "best 11"? Leaving aside your strange views on "first 11s", "reserves" and Marco's use of subs not being part of his tactics, I don't think that's logically consistent. (NT) -- eganonoa, Thursday, January 09, 01:30:27pm (pool-108-18-149-21.washdc.fios.verizon.net/108.18.149.21)
      • Bassey took half a season to adjust because Marco kept playing him out of position at rcb which smashed his confidence. Not sure past recruitment should trump what current recruitment is doing but each to his own. And no, no manger on the planet in purposely picking the wrong tactics and players so he can look good when a sub cones on and does something, they just wouldn’t, because as with the Ipswich game, too much damage was done before he changed it for us to go on and win. (NT) -- Hg, Thursday, January 09, 01:36:55pm (NoHost/31.94.64.40)
        • And yet up until the Ipswich game we had amassed our second highest epl points total and almost all your preferred starters were recruited by the current recruitment team- with all of ESR (in moments), Berge, Anderson (who I thought was pretty good until his injury) and Nelson (again in moments) making contributions. When fully fit we have arguably the best squad we have ever had and the squad depth and quality is making an impact within games. You’re not an easy man to please. (NT) -- f bloke, Thursday, January 09, 01:55:24pm (host86-134-9-66.range86-134.btcentralplus.com/86.134.9.66)
          • I’m easy to please, sell a first teamer and replace him with a first teamer. And with all the players you mention none of them are better than what we had imo. I know some prefer Anderson over diop, but stats still say we are better with diop starting. Our record signing doesn’t even warrant a starting place for the love of god. It yes squad. Is decent but at the expense of the first team imo. (NT) -- Hg, Thursday, January 09, 02:13:55pm (NoHost/31.94.64.18)
            • We've undoubtedly chosen to spread our money across the squad. With inflation, the cost of ESR, Iwobi, Andersen & Bassey aren't really more than average & each when bought was at best an incremental improvement over what we already had. So on those points I agree with you. But that doesn't take into account projected player growth and our need to deepen our squad to be PL-competitive. So I don't think there's anything else we could do. Now we're in a place to concentrate resources. (NT) -- eganonoa, Thursday, January 09, 03:01:00pm (pool-108-18-149-21.washdc.fios.verizon.net/108.18.149.21)
              • Mitro replaced by Raul - a starter, Palhinha replaced by Berge - different style but seems to be working - and now a starter when fit. Andersen replacing Tosin - in my eyes an upgrade and a starter when fully fit. Willian was irreplaceable but doubtful he would have maintained that level this year as appears to have been vindicated His role replaced by Iwobi/Nelson which is doing ok. Cuenca has the potential to be a v good and, on his L'pool showing not a bad replacement for Ream. (NT) -- f bloke, Thursday, January 09, 04:31:52pm (host86-134-8-67.range86-134.btcentralplus.com/86.134.8.67)
                • BDR only a bit part player and needed upgrading. ESR has only shown bits and pieces. At present looks like an expensive punt that has yet to pay off but at the time it was certainly seen as a bit of a coup by the club and his arrival generated real excitement. Very easy to be v judgemental in hindsight. He has also shown previously that he is capable of playing to a v high level and, given time, hopefully he will again. Sess is also a punt that I wouldn’t have made (NT) -- f bloke, Thursday, January 09, 04:37:26pm (host86-134-8-67.range86-134.btcentralplus.com/86.134.8.67)
                  • So from last season only Palhinha and Willian were starters that we’ve lost and arguably both have been replaced both internally and externally. Building an EPL squad is an iterative process, takes time and that build needs to be seen in the context of FFP. We now have squad depth and hopefully more FFP room to go more for quality than depth next season. But in the meantime – we really have done pretty ok so far this season (NT) -- f bloke, Thursday, January 09, 04:41:32pm (host86-134-8-67.range86-134.btcentralplus.com/86.134.8.67)
                    • Completely agree. What I was trying to get at. We had to deepen to get two quality players per position. We have now basically done that (need to upgrade the Vini spot this January) and have contracts structured such that we can expect only 1-3 departures each season for the foreseeable and some good youth coming through. That should allow us from this summer to take bigger risks on marquee signings, e.g. selling one big player and re-investing in 1-2 players, not 3-4. (NT) -- eganonoa, Thursday, January 09, 05:29:39pm (pool-108-18-149-21.washdc.fios.verizon.net/108.18.149.21)
                • Raul wasn’t bought to replace mitro, even Marco said that. And berge isn’t a nailed on starter. Marco has only played with two dms a couple of times and other than that lukic is first choice dm when available . (NT) -- Hg, Thursday, January 09, 05:49:49pm (NoHost/31.94.64.18)
                  • Agree, Marco did state that Raul wasn't brought in as a replacement for Mitro. It seems a lot like the original plan was a new signing + Raul replacing Mitro + Vini Even in January 2024 that seemed the plan with Marco stating he wanted to sign that Mitro replacement, ultimately ending with Broja. But circumstances intervened and Muniz surprised (I think even Marco himself). In the end, it does seem that Raul + Muniz has been a significant upgrade on the 2022/23 striking options (see post above) (NT) -- eganonoa, Thursday, January 09, 06:03:55pm (pool-108-18-149-21.washdc.fios.verizon.net/108.18.149.21)
                    • Agree with Egonana - Raul may not have been bought as a Mitro replacement as such but he and Muniz combined have proved to be that. Sometimes things just fall into place, for a time at least. Re Berge, there haven’t been too many games when both have been fully fit and available - will be interesting to see how things unfold for the rest of the season (NT) -- f bloke, Thursday, January 09, 06:34:11pm (host86-134-8-67.range86-134.btcentralplus.com/86.134.8.67)