Small time Jeff strikes again.....

[Halesowen wwfc]

To be fair our injury situation isn't that bad.

We have one striker injured, that's quite good. I bet most clubs have one striker injured.

Most other clubs dont have one striker though. They seem to take into consideration that injuries happen and a player is unlikely to play 38 x 90 minute games

 

[wolfslair]

It's repeat failures that have put us in such an extreme position though. Last summer was exactly the same, things got dragged out until the end of the window and we ended up signing 1 player in the last week, when Bruno was on record saying we wanted 3 or 4. We then didn't do anything in January either. It's not like this summer is a one-off. We have managed to cut the squad down to a ridiculous level by consistently failing to address it over a number of windows. We have one striker and 3 central midfielders in the first team, it is absolute madness.

Getting to the point fosun need to sell up as the custodians of our club they are falling asleep at the wheel and care more about making money of our brand then our club which is the only thing that matters to us the REAL fans of OUR club.

International fans just can’t understand how those of us born in the city or lifelong fans through family feel about all of this!!

 

[sillytuna]

Most other clubs dont have one striker though. They seem to take into consideration that injuries happen and a player is unlikely to play 38 x 90 minute games

Hwang can def play there, neto can def play there, traore and pod can if to mixed effect.

We far from have one striker.

The annoyance is cutrone. I can't for the life of me understand why we aren't able to bring him into the fold. He never looked that bad. Presume personal issues but sheesh.

 

[Irish_Wolf]

It's been said many times now. Teams don't choose to leave it, it's just often impossible to get things over the line.

I and others have tried to explain this because of our contacts in football. It isn't bad management, isn't following others, it's how transfers work!

The bad management is letting players leave without having replacements lined up. Looks like we could have done with Silva till the end of August ourselves

 

[Ches78]

Time to unleash the bonatini/cutrone dream team in the remaining preseason games - **** it, we might as well... Its that or a couple of kids

 

[Halesowen wwfc]

Hwang can def play there, neto can def play there, traore and pod can if to mixed effect.

We far from have one striker.

The annoyance is cutrone. I can't for the life of me understand why we aren't able to bring him into the fold. He never looked that bad. Presume personal issues but sheesh.

Sorry mate will have to disagree but hey thats what a forum is for. Hwang cant play as a lone striker. Playing off the main striker yes, im sure he can do a capable job. Neto, we have seen him play as a sole striker before, and to be honest has been fairly ineffective but needs must potentially. Traore, as a striker, i wish it could work but regular games playing up front on his own would get found out very quickly. Podence, its a false number 9 as opposed to lone striker. Again may work to mix things up a bit but to have a consistent run of games as our up top striker, a bloke who barely gets past 5 goals a season, aint gonna work im afraid.

 

[sillytuna]

I'm going to start a bring back Cutrone campaign.

Am I alone in this? I'll bring the pasta, you bring the pizza.

 

[sillytuna]

The bad management is letting players leave without having replacements lined up. Looks like we could have done with Silva till the end of August ourselves

Can't disagree but as I mentioned, I suspect it's not that simple and I hope we did and still do have someone lines up / irons in the fire.

I like silva so would have been very happy to see him play. Second choice after raul for me.

 

[wolfslair]

Can't disagree but as I mentioned, I suspect it's not that simple and I hope we did and still do have someone lines up / irons in the fire.

I like silva so would have been very happy to see him play. Second choice after raul for me.

So you don’t let yours leave till the incoming is signed and sealed. It isn’t difficult, it is Infact very simple.

This happened and the debacle of the last few windows is we have people who know nothing about football running our club and those with experience like sellers are clearly sycophantic yes men…..

 

[sillytuna]

So you don’t let yours leave till the incoming is signed and sealed. It isn’t difficult, it is Infact very simple.

This happened and the debacle of the last few windows is we have people who know nothing about football running our club and those with experience like sellers are clearly sycophantic yes men…..

Except you and I don't know the full situation here. Time will tell. Traore they totally fluffed and if they do it again I'll be annoyed too.

 

[CodsallWolf]

And a fans idea of running a multi million pound business might also not be on the same page as Jeff’s.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that Jeff is somehow smarter or more savvy than others just because he was parachuted by Fosun into a job and industry he quite clearly knew nothing about at the time of his appointment and I am not sure has grown into much since. He’s a liability in my view.

 

[Wolf316]

Except you and I don't know the full situation here. Time will tell. Traore they totally fluffed and if they do it again I'll be annoyed too.

The situation is we let Silva go out on loan without having a replacement signed up that’s just incompetent.

 

[Guzeppi]

Time to unleash the bonatini/cutrone dream team in the remaining preseason games - **** it, we might as well... Its that or a couple of kids

Cutrone is ready to prove himself as the best striker on our books.

Give the guy a chance. He's better than most think.

 

[Guzeppi]

I'm going to start a bring back Cutrone campaign.

Am I alone in this? I'll bring the pasta, you bring the pizza.

No man, you're not alone.

Come to think of it I never stopped cheerleading Cutrone.

Bring him back. NOW!

 

[arctic rime]

Letting Silva out on loan , no replacement and now Raul injured , that’s beyond doubt a shambles.

 

[Fenrir_]

I'm going to start a bring back Cutrone campaign.

Am I alone in this? I'll bring the pasta, you bring the pizza.

It's not the pizza or pasta, it's if he's got his passport it'll hit the fan! Don't they fly to Portugal today?

 

[Bryce]

Last year they announced the changes and the new five sub rule. Basically thats half the outfield players that can be replaced. That means if youre leading 1-0 at Man City with 10 minutes to go you could technically put 5 new defenders on if you had them on the bench and completely shut up shop- equally the reverse applies and you could go full out Keegan if youre chasing the game.

So how the hell does it benefit ANY football club to have a small squad with a small nucleus of first team ready players? The answer is that it doesnt. You need two players for every position capable of starting as the absolute minimum and then half a dozen squad players who are there as back up. Unlikely to ever start games but very likely to be needed as subs , injury cover or for tactical substitutions. So thats 28 squad with 22 premier quality. We are no-where near that and havent been ever as we seem obsessed with the small squad mentality. Its out dated and will bite us in the ****. Oh wait. It has.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

The situation is we let Silva go out on loan without having a replacement signed up that’s just incompetent.

It’s complacent and arrogant. It’s the belief that we have plenty of time, Raul should stay fit at least until the end of the window, so we can wait for the perfect player and the perfect deal. Well, guess what, it’s already failed. It’s the same complacency that left us threadbare in defence and midfield last season and which ultimately cost us millions in lost prize money and a place in Europe. I get the broad strategy of self sufficiency, and a smallish squad, but for the past 2+ years, it’s poor execution of that strategy senior levels in the club.

 

[wolfslair]

Hwang can def play there, neto can def play there, traore and pod can if to mixed effect.

We far from have one striker.

The annoyance is cutrone. I can't for the life of me understand why we aren't able to bring him into the fold. He never looked that bad. Presume personal issues but sheesh.

Traore isn’t a striker even in the most devoted fans eyes, his finishing is the worst in the squad the stats and his catalogue of simple missed chances and low goal tally prove this before you all chose to come for me!!!!

Neto isn’t a striker either!

Podence - isn’t a striker

I defend hwang as a squad option but if he is leading the line as our main striker then god help us!!!!! He is not a prem quality first choice striker at all.

Also all those players are listed and utilised as wide men and not strikers, so actually you are wrong because we have no specialist strikers available who went on pre-season only sticking plasters and emergency options.

 

[Stourwolf]

The situation is we let Silva go out on loan without having a replacement signed up that’s just incompetent.

And it’s not the 1st time.
Shi and sellars should be no where near a football club….absolute clowns !!

 

[MikeH68]

Last year they announced the changes and the new five sub rule. Basically thats half the outfield players that can be replaced. That means if youre leading 1-0 at Man City with 10 minutes to go you could technically put 5 new defenders on if you had them on the bench and completely shut up shop- equally the reverse applies and you could go full out Keegan if youre chasing the game.

So how the hell does it benefit ANY football club to have a small squad with a small nucleus of first team ready players? The answer is that it doesnt. You need two players for every position capable of starting as the absolute minimum and then half a dozen squad players who are there as back up. Unlikely to ever start games but very likely to be needed as subs , injury cover or for tactical substitutions. So thats 28 squad with 22 premier quality. We are no-where near that and havent been ever as we seem obsessed with the small squad mentality. Its out dated and will bite us in the ****. Oh wait. It has.

Absolutely bang on, being saying this for ages, however some on here think we just need 11 players and as soon as we had a body in, it was well we can rid of that player now.

 

[Flump]

So you don’t let yours leave till the incoming is signed and sealed. It isn’t difficult, it is Infact very simple.

Unfortunately, it genuinely is more difficult than that.

You'd have Anderlecht phoning up saying "if we don't get Fabio this week, we'll move onto our next target". Or you've got Fabio saying "fine, I'll sign the 2 year extension, but only if the deal gets done now so I can get a full pre-season in and establish myself there"

Then, if you're Jeff/Sellars, you'd have much more of an idea how close we are to our striker replacements - if you know something is close, or have a deal lined up you can do when you agree to the price, then you might be much more inclined to let it play out.

Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth have to deal with people!

 

[wolfslair]

Unfortunately, it genuinely is more difficult than that.

You'd have Anderlecht phoning up saying "if we don't get Fabio this week, we'll move onto our next target". Or you've got Fabio saying "fine, I'll sign the 2 year extension, but only if the deal gets done now so I can get a full pre-season in and establish myself there"

Then, if you're Jeff/Sellars, you'd have much more of an idea how close we are to our striker replacements - if you know something is close, or have a deal lined up you can do when you agree to the price, then you might be much more inclined to let it play out.

Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth have to deal with people!

I am sorry but it genuinely isn’t…..

Worked in football and know footballers…..

Moving a player is like selling a house putting it crudely. You can’t complete the transaction unless both parties agree. So if you sell your house and don’t have a new one lined up on exchange day that is completely your fault and grossly incompetent.

We let silva go without a replacement agreed, the set up will have known they wanted to loan him a while ago, it won’t have been a snapshot decision because the mighty anderlecht came calling. There was even time to negotiate extra terms to his contract……

We were in complete control as we had the asset the wanted. The buyer isn’t the one with the power, the seller is as the buyer must pay what the seller wants and only that seller has that exact player they want. There isn’t an Aldi identical version called Fabio silva with all the same characteristics and ability on the market. There is only one Fabio silva.

Fabio wouldn’t have been without takers if we let anderlecht move on, then let the market know he was available.

Christ cutrone has had multiple FAILED loans and he is gash!

They knew we needed an extra striker saw what happened when Jimenez was nearly killed and we only had one striker and in turn struggled to score and inexplicably allowed the only back up to that person leave when he was the only back up!!!! Meaning if Raul went down, like he has we have no one.

Sorry but you cannot find any rationale or excuse that save Jeff, sellers and their merry band of muppets here

 

[wolfslair]

Unfortunately, it genuinely is more difficult than that.

You'd have Anderlecht phoning up saying "if we don't get Fabio this week, we'll move onto our next target". Or you've got Fabio saying "fine, I'll sign the 2 year extension, but only if the deal gets done now so I can get a full pre-season in and establish myself there"

Then, if you're Jeff/Sellars, you'd have much more of an idea how close we are to our striker replacements - if you know something is close, or have a deal lined up you can do when you agree to the price, then you might be much more inclined to let it play out.

Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth have to deal with people!

Oh and we knew the loan was happening for like a week…. Was a meme of people waiting for it be announced. This wasn’t a rushed job there was clearly time as we don’t find stuff out very often so it could have been 2 weeks in the offing mate. So we had all the time of knowing we needed a senior striker as back up so there was from weeks before last season finished, then the period before pre-season and pre-season till loan agreed date to get someone in.

Sorry but this is gross incompetence by the club

 

[sillytuna]

The situation is we let Silva go out on loan without having a replacement signed up that’s just incompetent.

Honestly I don't disagree, I'm just hoping that they did or do actually have someone lined up... that isn't called benteke.

But I also don't think the world is ending, which is how some are acting.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Getting to the point fosun need to sell up as the custodians of our club they are falling asleep at the wheel and care more about making money of our brand then our club which is the only thing that matters to us the REAL fans of OUR club.

International fans just can’t understand how those of us born in the city or lifelong fans through family feel about all of this!!

This lifelong fan is looking forward to a fifth consecutive season in the top tier, something we haven’t achieved in 40 years.

 

[sillytuna]

Last year they announced the changes and the new five sub rule. Basically thats half the outfield players that can be replaced. That means if youre leading 1-0 at Man City with 10 minutes to go you could technically put 5 new defenders on if you had them on the bench and completely shut up shop- equally the reverse applies and you could go full out Keegan if youre chasing the game.

So how the hell does it benefit ANY football club to have a small squad with a small nucleus of first team ready players? The answer is that it doesnt. You need two players for every position capable of starting as the absolute minimum and then half a dozen squad players who are there as back up. Unlikely to ever start games but very likely to be needed as subs , injury cover or for tactical substitutions. So thats 28 squad with 22 premier quality. We are no-where near that and havent been ever as we seem obsessed with the small squad mentality. Its out dated and will bite us in the ****. Oh wait. It has.

Because you have to afford it and you have to keep players happy. It's not football manager!

Also, replacing 5 players in any game is quite excessive and really does only benefit the top teams imho.

 

[wolfslair]

This lifelong fan is looking forward to a fifth consecutive season in the top tier, something we haven’t achieved in 40 years.

I am excited for the fith season, but the lack of investment will catch up with us eventually! And the first few years was down to who was signed in the final champ and promotion season with no sign of anything close to that happening again.

 

[wolfslair]

Because you have to afford it and you have to keep players happy. It's not football manager!

Also, replacing 5 players in any game is quite excessive and really does only benefit the top teams imho.

What about times you lose one or two players to injury that aren’t part of the strategic plan or at two subs your gk goes down and you were going to bring on a striker to try and get a point or turn a point into a win? You bring on the new keeper and lose the attacking sub you were going to make.

We bought on wingbacks far too many times and by Bruno’s own admission affected the subs he could use.

Everyone will benefit from the change top team or not and I think it would have helped us and also fabios development if it had been in place last season.

 

[sillytuna]

Traore isn’t a striker even in the most devoted fans eyes, his finishing is the worst in the squad the stats and his catalogue of simple missed chances and low goal tally prove this before you all chose to come for me!!!!

Neto isn’t a striker either!

Podence - isn’t a striker

I defend hwang as a squad option but if he is leading the line as our main striker then god help us!!!!! He is not a prem quality first choice striker at all.

Also all those players are listed and utilised as wide men and not strikers, so actually you are wrong because we have no specialist strikers available who went on pre-season only sticking plasters and emergency options.

Disagree about hwang tho he's definitely meant for a two. I agree we don't have Raul cover, I was more saying that we have other forwards who can err put a shift in there. It's ok for a game or two but not for a long term injury.

It's the sheer anger and over the top reactions I'm rallying against, not the idea we need Raul cover or competition. Far too much cherry picking going on.

The way we play means we have several wide forwards who can play a role if need be.

 

[wolfslair]

Honestly I don't disagree, I'm just hoping that they did or do actually have someone lined up... that isn't called benteke.

But I also don't think the world is ending, which is how some are acting.

We struggle to score goals in the league and the leading goal scorer and best finisher even though not at peak power is now crocked.

It isn’t a great situation when our first few fixtures are all winable matches against teams that should either be below us or around us in the league.

To not have a striker all ready who has worked with lage and the lads for a few weeks is crap! And it could have a significant impact on our season as we ended it in relegation form.

Pre season looked great, because the lads had been working together and building understanding for a few weeks but had a good foundation from the previous seasons together.

That link is now not available between the wings and striker with Raul out. Will take time to build understanding of the system and the way others move and pass etc.

Honestly I would take benteke now! And the club may have backed themselves into a corner where he is the only option that is cheap and available.

He can just stay in the box and be a target man and he has more goals than any option we have other than Raul in mainly sub appearances.

 

[Flump]

I am sorry but it genuinely isn’t…..

Worked in football and know footballers…..

Moving a player is like selling a house putting it crudely. You can’t complete the transaction unless both parties agree. So if you sell your house and don’t have a new one lined up on exchange day that is completely your fault and grossly incompetent.

We let silva go without a replacement agreed, the set up will have known they wanted to loan him a while ago, it won’t have been a snapshot decision because the mighty anderlecht came calling. There was even time to negotiate extra terms to his contract……

We were in complete control as we had the asset the wanted. The buyer isn’t the one with the power, the seller is as the buyer must pay what the seller wants and only that seller has that exact player they want. There isn’t an Aldi identical version called Fabio silva with all the same characteristics and ability on the market. There is only one Fabio silva.

Fabio wouldn’t have been without takers if we let anderlecht move on, then let the market know he was available.

Christ cutrone has had multiple FAILED loans and he is gash!

They knew we needed an extra striker saw what happened when Jimenez was nearly killed and we only had one striker and in turn struggled to score and inexplicably allowed the only back up to that person leave when he was the only back up!!!! Meaning if Raul went down, like he has we have no one.

Sorry but you cannot find any rationale or excuse that save Jeff, sellers and their merry band of muppets here

Moving a player is like selling a house... you mean with buyers and sellers trying to make late changes, people getting fed up of waiting for movement, and deals falling through?

I didn't say Anderlecht was the only option, but we clearly felt it was a very good option, and it's easy to see why. There might not be an Aldi identical version of Fabio, but it should be pretty obvious that Anderlecht would have a list of options they'd like to get, and would move down that list at some point - as I'm sure someone with as good a knowledge of the football industry as you knows. At that point it becomes a balance of risk and reward, do we let Fabio go now to get him the loan we want, presumably in the knowledge that we're close to bringing in a striker soon?

I'm sorry, but for pretty much any topic in any area of life, it's very easy to find someone who will say "I don't know why they're faffing around, when the answer is simple, I'd just get it done like this...", and it's almost always a gross over-simplification.

 

[wolfslair]

Disagree about hwang tho he's definitely meant for a two. I agree we don't have Raul cover, I was more saying that we have other forwards who can err put a shift in there. It's ok for a game or two but not for a long term injury.

It's the sheer anger and over the top reactions I'm rallying against, not the idea we need Raul cover or competition. Far too much cherry picking going on.

The way we play means we have several wide forwards who can play a role if need be.

Yeah, I agree we have sticking plasters…..

But Raul is out for at least two months and that doesn’t allow set backs and getting match sharpness and these lads aren’t good enough finishers to a man to do what is needed in this case.

We can’t play a front line with no height long term it is too predictable also there isn’t a prolific player amongst them.

Hwang has good shot conversion and tries hard which I love about him but he is only a good deputy and that is it.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

I am excited for the fith season, but the lack of investment will catch up with us eventually! And the first few years was down to who was signed in the final champ and promotion season with no sign of anything close to that happening again.

In all fairness the same was said last summer, plenty on here expected a relegation battle. The season finished awfully and can’t be ignored, but neither can the fact in January we were talking of champions league.

I will happily take pelters for it and anyone is free to bookmark this with a “told you so” but I’ll be absolutely amazed if we haven’t signed at least one forward by the time the window shuts.

 

[sillytuna]

In all fairness the same was said last summer, plenty on here expected a relegation battle. The season finished awfully and can’t be ignored, but neither can the fact in January we were talking of champions league.

I will happily take pelters for it and anyone is free to bookmark this with a “told you so” but I’ll be absolutely amazed if we haven’t signed at least one forward by the time the window shuts.

Does benteke count?!

 

[wolfslair]

Moving a player is like selling a house... you mean with buyers and sellers trying to make late changes, people getting fed up of waiting for movement, and deals falling through?

I didn't say Anderlecht was the only option, but we clearly felt it was a very good option, and it's easy to see why. There might not be an Aldi identical version of Fabio, but it should be pretty obvious that Anderlecht would have a list of options they'd like to get, and would move down that list at some point - as I'm sure someone with as good a knowledge of the football industry as you knows. At that point it becomes a balance of risk and reward, do we let Fabio go now to get him the loan we want, presumably in the knowledge that we're close to bringing in a striker soon?

I'm sorry, but for pretty much any topic in any area of life, it's very easy to find someone who will say "I don't know why they're faffing around, when the answer is simple, I'd just get it done like this...", and it's almost always a gross over-simplification.

Lots of assumptions and theories there…..

You are correct there are many variables to a sale but in this case we knew the predicament we could and have ended up in was a possibility.

The replacement shouldn’t have been close or lined up, the agreement should already have been in place!

You don’t weaken yourself on a loan deal, I can see selling neves for £50m+ and their being a lag or time needed to get quality to replace as at least we have donk, Joao, MGW as prem ready players then youth and numbers in cundle - prem experience, Ronan - coming off a good loan with senior experience who can all play midfield roles.

With the strikers it was simply Raul and Fabio, there wasn’t the room to gamble and they have and lost even after having seen what happens with no Raul and a senior ready striker. That is insane! We have a lived experience of this scenario and know it is bad so why chance it happening again?

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Does benteke count?!

Course he does. However we won’t be signing him in the same way we were never signing Keifer Moore, just click bait for the doom mongers to get the Kleenex out to.

 

[wolfslair]

In all fairness the same was said last summer, plenty on here expected a relegation battle. The season finished awfully and can’t be ignored, but neither can the fact in January we were talking of champions league.

I will happily take pelters for it and anyone is free to bookmark this with a “told you so” but I’ll be absolutely amazed if we haven’t signed at least one forward by the time the window shuts.

I agree with you, I didn’t think we would get relegated either and don’t think we will this year if we get the needed striker and cm.

The club screwed up in Jan and that cannot be denied and I think it is that screw up and drop
Off that is causing the reactions on here. It is colouring my opinion.

But we are not setting up for the future very well and are an injury too away from potential crisis as two seasons in a row injuries have hit and we have fallen into bottom two form.

A bad start and a hat trick of a relegation form run in and we complete the best definition of too good to go down….. and did which has happened to many before us.

 

[Fenrir_]

In all fairness the same was said last summer, plenty on here expected a relegation battle. The season finished awfully and can’t be ignored, but neither can the fact in January we were talking of champions league.

I will happily take pelters for it and anyone is free to bookmark this with a “told you so” but I’ll be absolutely amazed if we haven’t signed at least one forward by the time the window shuts.

What if... we get linked with loads of forwards, but don't sign one then Raúl makes a miraculous recovery and is 'fit' with a week of the window left - so we leave it at that?

(I do agree though, I'll be amazed if we don't bring a forward in before the window shuts and if we are left with just Raúl then serious questions need to be asked, but ask the questions after the sackings!)

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

What if... we get linked with loads of forwards, but don't sign one then Raúl makes a miraculous recovery and is 'fit' with a week of the window left - so we leave it at that?

(I do agree though, I'll be amazed if we don't bring a forward in before the window shuts and if we are left with just Raúl then serious questions need to be asked, but ask the questions after the sackings!)

Only my opinion but I think they always planned to bring one in and Raul getting a short term injury won’t alter that. It’s a gamble (albeit a calculated one) in so far as whatever formation we play be it 433 4321 4231 or the old 343 we don’t need 3 central strikers