End of Window - Squad Review

[S-Clarke]

Ok, so the window is now closed and there are a few alternative options flying around, but let’s actually have a look at what we have now…

GK -
Davis – Good GK - deserves his chance and has made his home here. I think he’ll be fine.

Gazza – Only heard good things about this guy - will be number 1 within time. Very talented

RB -
Clyne – what more can you say? One of the most sought after young RB’s in the country, and he’s ours. And boy, can’t you see why he was so sought after.

Richardson – One of our unsung hero’s last year. Will do a job if called upon this year for sure.

LB –
Fox – Lots of differing opinions on him, but I like him. Can get caught, but has plenty of passion and a good attacking ambition. Don’t think he’s as bad as some are making out.

Shaw – Quality young player, but not sure we should rely on him too much this year. Worth noting that Clyne can also play LB.

CB -
Jos – Steady eady. Got no issues with Jos, think he’s had a decent start to the season. Doesn’t look out of place.

Fonte – Classy CB, but prone to being caught out in this league as he gets caught when playing around with the ball (lack of recovery pace). Still rate him though.

Maya – Only heard good things about him. Captain of his international team, very classy on the ball and quick. Good signing by what I’ve heard as he adds what we lacked at the back

Seaborne – Ok – the 4^th CB is the area I have the question marks over, but you can’t have everything. Wouldn’t expect Seaborne to be used unless an absolute crisis occurs – but we also have young Stephens who is highly rated by the club.

RW –
Punch – seems like a new reformed character. Did a job in the PL for Blackpool, no reason why he cannot do a job for us.

De Ridder – frustrates the hell out of me, but has pace. Scares teams. Just needs to become consistent with his end product.

Guly – Christ, doesn’t he divide opinion? You can see why, on some occasions, but I still think he’s made to be a bit of a scapegoat. Good player on the ball and isn’t too bad on the right hand side. Has worked hard in the games he’s played, and has been a pretty effective attacking threat at times.


LW –
Ramirez – well, what can you say? One of the best young players in world football. Sounds a bit of a maverick type player who you build the team around. Can only be a benefit to us to have technical players like him and Lallana in the same 11.

Lallana – Ok, he’s playing in the middle at the mo but he’s still an option on the left. Not much needs to be said here. Obvious class act.

CM –
Morgan – Been growing for years, steady midfielder who rarely gives away the ball. Needs to try and be a bit more progressive with his passing, but he’s not out of his depth what so ever.

Davis – The experienced PL player so many cried out for. Captain of one of the biggest clubs in Britain and captain of his country, and a very tidy player to boot. Always felt he was a bit of a coup

Cork – Really rate him. Classy on the ball, good range of passing and lots of energy. Will be good to get him back.

WP - Quality. How he played against Man City will live long in my memory, excellent football player.

Chaplow – May not get many games this year, but can still do a job. Lots of energy and a good player to have as a 5^th midfielder, let’s be honest.

ST –
Lambert – May not start as many games, but he will score goals. Our talisman

Rodriguez - £7m signing and lots of expectation, but slightly unfair to judge him as he’s not getting on with his position. Will look better when he’s pushed up front. Still stand with my opinion that he’ll play for England within time.

Lee – Think he’ll be a hit. Full of energy and life, will scare and bug the hell out of defenders at this level. May not score many, but will create enough havoc to put chances on the plate for others.

Mayuka – Pace, skill, mobility. Adds what we lacked up front straight away. Got to be happy with that.

Also note that players like Mayuka and Lee can also play on the flanks if required (and in our formation, may well end up there), so we have good versatility in the final third now.

Looking at it like that…we have 2 players for every position. You can’t really moan about that can you?

[The Kraken]

You can’t really moan about that can you?

No. But there's always room for improvement.

I still feel we're weak at the back; Davis doesn't do it for me so I hope Gazza is good enough to break through soon. Centre back is still an issue, we'll see how good Yoshida is but I feel that was our major problem area at the start of the summer. Also left back hasn't been addressed, Fox is doubtful and Shaw isn't ready for PL football.

Aside from that, no other issues, our midfield and forward acquisitions have been great.

[shurlock]

So basically you rate everyone and everyone will contribute in their own way

[S-Clarke]

No. But there's always room for improvement.

I still feel we're weak at the back; Davis doesn't do it for me so I hope Gazza is good enough to break through soon. Centre back is still an issue, we'll see how good Yoshida is but I feel that was our major problem area at the start of the summer. Also left back hasn't been addressed, Fox is doubtful and Shaw isn't ready for PL football.

Aside from that, no other issues, our midfield and forward acquisitions have been great.

Fair points, but I imagine all clubs say the same at the end of a window. It's not like we're going into a season with gaping holes as such. And also Clyne can play LB and has done before for Palace, so as an option he can play there if ever required. I think we've got enough to get us through to January and we can see where we go from there.

[S-Clarke]

So basically you rate everyone and everyone will contribute in their own way

Well, we have lots of good players which some people are forgetting, so I do rate most of our squad. To get back to back promotions you cannot have much dud in the squad, and what little we did have has been moved on anyway. Obviously Seaborne is the one I'm really not sure about, as with everyone.

[ottery st mary]

We are world class Maybe...sooooon

Off to bed but will not sleep as I think xmas has come early

[The Kraken]

Fair points, but I imagine all clubs say the same at the end of a window. It's not like we're going into a season with gaping holes as such. And also Clyne can play LB and has done before for Palace, so as an option he can play there if ever required. I think we've got enough to get us through to January and we can see where we go from there.

I have been over-impressed with the forward acquisitions this summer.

In midfield we've done what we needed to do in Steven Davis, good signing.

In defence and at GK we could quite easily have replaced all 5 players without batting an eyelid; we've definitely replace one, I assume Yoshi will replace Fonte so we'll see whether there's an improvement there. But I don't rate our back line and think its vulnerable; its a gamble to spend £20M odd on a couple of forwards and around a quarter of that on pacthing up the rearguard.

[St Marco]

Overall very happy with the signings. Probably the best transfer window in my life time. The players we have brought in should enable us to play good attacking football.

Only concern is this now puts huge pressure on Adkins to deliver. He has spent probably around £30m which is would put us amongst the highest spenders.
I'M sure Cortese has probably set a target after spending so much just like he did with Pardew.

[S-Clarke]

I have been over-impressed with the forward acquisitions this summer.

In midfield we've done what we needed to do in Steven Davis, good signing.

In defence and at GK we could quite easily have replaced all 5 players without batting an eyelid; we've definitely replace one, I assume Yoshi will replace Fonte so we'll see whether there's an improvement there. But I don't rate our back line and think its vulnerable; its a gamble to spend £20M odd on a couple of forwards and around a quarter of that on pacthing up the rearguard.

Clyne? He's a serious upgrade to our back line. I also think Jos will be fine for us this year, I think he's a quality CB personally. Doesn't look out of place.

[The Kraken]

Clyne? He's a serious upgrade to our back line. I also think Jos will be fine for us this year, I think he's a quality CB personally. Doesn't look out of place.

Clyne is great, very happy with him. In PL survival terms I'm not sure if I rate Fox, I don't rate Jos (though he may be better alongside a more talented CB partner who doesn't make mistakes so often) and I definitely don't rate Kelvin (so hopefully Gazza will step up very soon). Those were the problem areas I thought most important at the start of the window; that and a winger which, lets face it, you'd be crazy to complain about in the slightest.

[Le Goddard]

I think Mayuka will be a star and a lot rests on Yoshida being decent.

[SuperMikey]

GK
Kelvin Davis - Solid for at least a season and has earned his #1 shirt. Think we may look to bring in another keeper in January though.
Paulo Gazzaniga - Good prospect for the future. Needs to improve his game a bit from what we've seen of him but good on the ball and promising.

RB
Nathaniel Clyne - Gets forward well and looks good in defence. Great all-round full-back with the potential to be a fantastic player.
Frazer Richardson - Given that he had a great season last time out he may feel a bit slighted that he's second choice, but great back-up for us.
Danny Butterfield - More of a dressing room presence I imagine, but experienced and good role-model for the younger lads.

LB
Danny Fox - Wasn't too sure if he'd make the step up into this league but hasn't disappointed me so far. Gets forward more now and looks better for it.
Luke Shaw - Will be interesting to see how his game develops over the course of the season. He's been played in a variety of positions in pre-season. Very promising future ahead of him though.

CB
Jos Hooiveld - Love this man. Solid, good in the air and coped surprisingly well with Prem strikers so far. Think he's our key defensive man this year. Mental to think now people weren't sure about him when he signed!
Jose Fonte - Still a few question marks for me about Jose, but he's earned his place in this squad for me. Not a great last season and may still be suffering from a lack of confidence or something, but he's pretty solid.
Maya Yoshida - Unknown quantity, but he's versatile at the back and looks good. Time will tell.
Dan Seaborne - Personally I would've shipped him out but he's shown good character to come back from a really serious injury. For 4th choice I suppose he's not too bad!
Jack Stephens - 5th choice CB, if we don't get rid of Seaborne on loan I reckon we might see him go out on loan somewhere to get some first-team experience. I rate him highly though.

CM
Morgan Schneiderlin - The key man in our midfield, this is a big season for him. I've got confidence in Morgan to be our man in midfield.
Steven Davis - Said he'd be a cracking signing for us before Rangers went bust and was delighted when we signed him. Will prove to be a bargain. Knows this league and what it takes.
Adam Lallana - New position for him at senior level but I think he'll be great for us this season. May need to work on his defensive game but his work rate is great and has all the tricks.
Jack Cork - Can see him being rotated with Davis/JWP. Will be useful for us at this level, he's tenacious and gets stuck in. Good player to have in those gritty games.
James Ward-Prowse - For a young lad he's been extremely promising so far and I can only see him improving. If he didn't have such sterling competition for midfield places I imagine he'd be starting, but it's up to him to win that place.
Richard Chaplow - Good utility man to have in the squad, playing across the midfield 3. Think his chances may also be limited though.
Ben Reeves - Think he'll go on loan. Shame as he scored a cracking goal midweek and looks very promising but he needs the experience. Could be a good squad player for us in the future.

RW
Guly Do Prado - People get on his back, but i've noticed his work rate has improved a lot this season just on last season. He wants this, and the important thing for him is to keep his head up and get stuck in.
Jason Puncheon - Was a bit worried that he might be our first choice for RW, but now that it seems there's competition I think he's a useful player to have. Still don't really trust his attitude though...
Steve De Ridder - I like Steve, and he provides impact. Hopefully we keep him around because he has the ability to change games with his directness. Needs to work on his crossing though.

LW
Gaston Ramirez - HE SIGNED! HE F*CKING SIGNED! WE'RE GONNA WIN THE LEAGUE! Hopefully he adapts well to the English game and will be key for us. Can't wait to see him play.
Tadanari Lee - I would class him more as a winger than a striker now, and I think it's a role he'll exceed in. He's got great movement and a good finish too, not to mention he's pretty quick.

ST
Rickie Lambert - The main man. Let's sit back and watch him bang in those goals! He deserves this.
Jay Rodriguez - Think he'll be switched more centrally now with the signings of Mayuka and Ramirez, and I think this'll suit his game better. Obviously very talented and will fight Rickie for that striker position.
Emmanuel Mayuka - I reckon he'll be utilised out wide mostly, but as a striker he provides that pace and skill through the middle that we otherwise lack in a natural central striker. Looking forward to watching him play.

And here's how I would play them...

----------------K.DAVIS---------------
CLYNE---YOSHIDA----HOOIVELD---FOX
----S.DAVIS----MORGAN----LALLANA--
RAMIREZ--------RICKIE------------LEE

Subs: Gazza, Frazer, Fonte, JWP, Cork, Mayuka, Rodriguez

[Bexy]

its a gamble to spend £20M odd on a couple of forwards and around a quarter of that on pacthing up the rearguard.

Indeed, it is. But hopefully it may result in a season like the one we had during the Chris Nicholl era, where we conceded quite a lot of goals, but more often than not scored more. Will make for an entertaining season I reckon, and win or lose, that's what it's really all about for us the fans.

[ExSt Peter Saint]

If we're really wedded to 4-3-3, then we need to thin about the players to fit into that. What's now our best team?
1st choices could be
Davis
Clyne Yoshida Hooiveld Fox
Davis Schneiderlin Lallana
Ramirez Lambert Mayuka

With 2nd team/replacements for all:
Gazza
Richardson Fonte Seaborne Shaw
Chaplow Cork JWP
Guly/Puncheon Rodriguez Lee

Obviously there are some of the replacements that would step up more easily to cover the first choices than others - some may disagree that those are the first choice 11, but if we presume NA thinks that the players he brought in are better than what we have already, I guess that's what he'd go for.

[TopGun]

I think the issue is at LB. Nigel tried to sign Buttner so it seems that he was aware of a need for better quality there and that area hasn't been filled. I don't know enough about Luke Shaw to comment on whether he can do a job right now.

[doggface]

Having watched all the saints player footage from earlier in the day, seems obvious from Nigel's comments we have missed out on one or two.

Not including cropper, only one in today.

Nigel looked puzzled by yossi benayon (sp?), so not sure that was ever on the table.

Still needed a proven class cb IMO minimum, I'm sure we will do more business than we thought we would in January.

New tv deal is a whopper and we have definitely missed an additional 2 or 3 targets IMO.

[david in sweden]

Think I agree with both S.Clarke and Super Mikey in most comments. It'll be Ok (I hope) as long as KD stays fit, but it'll be asking a lot of Gazza if there are any problems.

We all seem to share doubts about Fonte, and Seaborne..and wish we could see the better sides of Puncheon and Guly.

I would've liked to see us sign another CB, but I noted that Richardson played at the back in midweek and I've read that he can play RB/CB, so maybe not so much panic.

Feels a bit strange not having Billy, though he hasn't been first choice yet, but if he has got it in him, he'll have the chance at Forest, (as he was the one man attack force at Donnie).

Might still see one , or two go out on loan to Championship /L1 sides...in a week or two.

[Saint Charlie]

Some cracking business in the window, really excited about us going forward. A couple of positions they can work on in January, up to the players we have to show they don't need replacing.

[Doctoroncall]

You've forgotten Calum Chambers in your review.

[doddisalegend]

Still not sure the Defence is up to the PL LB looks very weak... Shaw sounded good going forward against Stevenage but seemed to have problems defending against League 1 wingers. No doubt Shaw will turn into a great player but right now Fox and a youngster at LB is worrying. Still think we need another CB being forced to turn to Seaborne in the PL is a scary thought.

Else where not to bad. A lot of pressure on Rameriz the price tag means people will expect alot from him almost from the first kick and knowing the SMS faithful he won't get long before the slating starts if he doesn't live up to the hype.

[Thedelldays]

i absolutely ecstatic........the best set of transfers in my saints supporting life (too young to remember anything about keegan)
not only did we keep our best players..we added absolute quality.

I know people wanted a LB and maybe a keeper but that would literally mean a whole new team...which was never ever going to happen

one thing, adkins has been backed massively and NC and the club pulled off a cracker

I still think we will be bottom after 4 games with 0 points..but after that...we simply have to pick up points

[Dibden Purlieu Saint]

Still a bit worried at CB, but apart from that I am happy, and the last 3 signings (not including Cropper) were of the requisite quality.

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

The OP is clearly the 'sunnyside up' type of fan - and there is much to be optimistic about - but some excellent signings this window shouldn't blind us to our squads true strengths and weaknesses.

Defence
We are still relying on Kelvin as both new GKs are inexperienced and utterly untested at this level. The rest of the Premier League will see this situation as a weakness - they may well be right. Clyne I feel will become a class act, but is not yet perhaps the 'finished article' as far as his defending is concerned. Yoshida should be a real improvement over the out of his depth Fonte - he needs to be frankly. As for the LB position, it seems clear enough that we wanted to strengthen here but missed out.

Midfield
Already boasting some good players (Lallana Schneiderlin Cork Davis) we now look even more convincing with the genuine International quality of Ramirez added. I may have said before that I don't rate Guly as PL quality - or even close to that standard frankly. Puncheon is a enigma, I've never really liked him but I wouldn't be all that surprised to see JP make a useful contribution this season. The prospect of PL football seems to motivate this player more than most. It will be interesting to see young Ward-Prowse develop.

Forwards
Here too we seem to have improved significantly. Lambert didn't go to Villa then (!) and Tadanari Lee should soon be back. This Mayuka lad could be a star and Rodriguez surely hasn't become a bad player overnight - has he ?

Conclusions
Our end of season 'goals conceded' stats may not look all that pretty, but as long as NA can knit all these good players into a good team, playing in a formation that suites their abilities, then I feel there is reason to believe we should now survive - we might even dream of a mid-table finish with a bit of luck and all the new signings prospering. As ever only time will tell.

[Thedelldays]

Still a bit worried at CB, but apart from that I am happy, and the last 3 signings (not including Cropper) were of the requisite quality.

lets hope Yoshida has the same impact as joe did.....LETS HOPE

[Saint Charlie]

lets hope Yoshida has the same impact as joe did.....LETS HOPE

Yeah, of all the signings his is the most crucial that it works IMO.

[CB Fry]

lets hope Yoshida has the same impact as joe did.....LETS HOPE

He needs to be the Japanese Svennson. Fingers crossed.

[Saint Charlie]

Is there an African Nations this winter? Mancini keeps mentioning that Toure will be missing for it.

If so Mayuka will be missing for a bit too.

[Thedelldays]

haha..just had a peek at the reading message board..

a bit of a mix..some are not happy that they are going for it with the likes of guthrie, gunter and shorey...and we sign Ramirez and Davis etc
others are saying they would not swap ANY of their signings for any of our over-inflated no hopers...and that we have bought our way back to the NPC


football fans are funny

[Frank's cousin]

No. But there's always room for improvement.

I still feel we're weak at the back; Davis doesn't do it for me so I hope Gazza is good enough to break through soon. Centre back is still an issue, we'll see how good Yoshida is but I feel that was our major problem area at the start of the summer. Also left back hasn't been addressed, Fox is doubtful and Shaw isn't ready for PL football.

Aside from that, no other issues, our midfield and forward acquisitions have been great.

I dnt disagree as such..... but we have concedeed goals through errors - and if we can work on those aspects, then hopefully the extra discipline may improve our record here rather than just improvemnets in quality? .... because wat was most telling against Man City and Wigan, is that to score from open play, you need to attack with pace and creativity if you want break down a Prem defence - Wigan's was not great but well organized and they sat back and simply absorbed any threat we had - we stuck two past City because we attacked at pace and they were more adventurous coming forwarf, but to me i think thats whay the lions share has been spent on more attcking players - sure we cant win if we shift a load of goals, but we cant win games if we dont score any either and whilst there may be a bit of the KK nutter attack attack going on with NC and NA, much more fun than the Chelsea 'defend' approach against better sides - LOL at them getting stuffed last night

[david in sweden]

The OP is clearly the 'sunnyside up' type of fan - and there is much to be optimistic about - but some excellent signings this window shouldn't blind us to our squads true strengths and weaknesses.

Defence
We are still relying on Kelvin as both new GKs are inexperienced and utterly untested at this level. The rest of the Premier League will see this situation as a weakness - they may well be right. Clyne I feel will become a class act, but is not yet perhaps the 'finished article' as far as his defending is concerned. Yoshida should be a real improvement over the out of his depth Fonte - he needs to be frankly. As for the LB position, it seems clear enough that we wanted to strengthen here but missed out.

Midfield
Already boasting some good players (Lallana Schneiderlin Cork Davis) we now look even more convincing with the genuine International quality of Ramirez added. I may have said before that I don't rate Guly as PL quality - or even close to that standard frankly. Puncheon is a enigma, I've never really liked him but I wouldn't be all that surprised to see JP make a useful contribution this season. The prospect of PL football seems to motivate this player more than most. It will be interesting to see young Ward-Prowse develop.

Forwards
Here too we seem to have improved significantly. Lambert didn't go to Villa then (!) and Tadanari Lee should soon be back. This Mayuka lad could be a star and Rodriguez surely hasn't become a bad player overnight - has he ?

Conclusions
Our end of season 'goals conceded' stats may not look all that pretty, but as long as NA can knit all these good players into a good team, playing in a formation that suites their abilities, then I feel there is reason to believe we should now survive - we might even dream of a mid-table finish with a bit of luck and all the new signings prospering. As ever only time will tell.

thoughtful analysis CHAPEL......the interesting thing now is that the average age of the squad has dropped dramatically. With only KD, Guly and Lambert (of the regulars) now over 30, and the average age of new arrivals around ...22/23 (?) ..we have a new breed of player - talented and teachable. Good coaching in the next 2-3 years can make this a great side.

The fact that we now have players from several continents will only spice-up the whole squad with new skills and a better insight into other playing styles.







d has dropped dramatically

[Papa Shango]

Pleased with all the guys we signed, but can't help but feel slightly disappointed we didn't sign another CB. Think if we had secured another top quality centre-back we would have pretty much guaranteed survival. Pressure now on Yoshida to deliver.

[badgerx16]

If we're really wedded to 4-3-3, then we need to thin about the players to fit into that. What's now our best team?
1st choices could be
Davis
Clyne Yoshida Hooiveld Fox
Davis Schneiderlin Lallana
Ramirez Lambert Mayuka

With 2nd team/replacements for all:
Gazza
Richardson Fonte Seaborne Shaw
Chaplow Cork JWP
Guly/Puncheon Rodriguez Lee

Obviously there are some of the replacements that would step up more easily to cover the first choices than others - some may disagree that those are the first choice 11, but if we presume NA thinks that the players he brought in are better than what we have already, I guess that's what he'd go for.

1) That '2nd eleven' back four are a worry, let's hope the first set stay fit and suspension free. Richardson and Seaborne are only bit-part players at this level, and Shaw needs to develop.
2) Kelvin has to stay right at the top of his game, he doesn't dominate his area and I think he will need Yoshida and Jos to take charge defensively.
3) Personally I can't see Chappers getting much time on the pitch, he gives a lot of effort but in the Prem I can't see it amounting to much - thought he might go in this window.
4) Did we really spend £7M for a backup striker ? J-Rod and Lee will need to play reasonably regularly to keep them happy, and there is Nigel's quandary.

( 5) And there is also our secret weapon Shteeeeve. )

I see the potential for a lot of 5-4 wins.

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

Pleased with all the guys we signed, but can't help be feel slightly disappointed we didn't sign another CB. Think if we had secured another top quality centre-back we would have pretty much guaranteed survival. Pressure now on Yoshida to deliver.

I completely agree.

I also remember that in his first (brief) stint here on loan Jack Cork didn't look all that bad a tyro CB. He lacks the obvious 'brick sh1thouse' build of your true CB, but perhaps his return to the back line might be a decent option if needed.

[Wade Garrett]

Happy with squad. Wonder if Moshida could play left-back? Apparently quick and comfortable with both feet. No doubt he is primarily a centre-back, might may offer us cover on the left in the event of a crisis.

Fox isn't a bad player though, and I reckon he'll improve once he gets used to the Premier.

[Saint Fan CaM]

Has Jos ever played as LB? Wonder whether Yoshi could be CB with Jos at LB or visa versa?

[Katalinic]

Happy with squad. Wonder if Moshida could play left-back? Apparently quick and comfortable with both feet. No doubt he is primarily a centre-back, might may offer us cover on the left in the event of a crisis.

Fox isn't a bad player though, and I reckon he'll improve once he gets used to the Premier.

Seaborne can play left back. Regularly did for Exeter and I am sure has started once for Saints there - I know that won't go down well and strengthening that position would be far preferable, just saying that he can.

[Saint Charlie]

I think Seaborne could come in at centre back and do a job for a few games if needed. He actually was very decent vs Utd in the cup when Chaplow scored.

Shaw is our LB cover and very highly rated. Odd to have 3 left backs and as has been said Clyne or Richardson could play there if we had a monster injury crisis or we could play 3 CBs even.

[Ewell]

SaintJackoInHurworth's squad list on this thread is by far the most accurate and complete.

http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthrea...ly-with-adkins

Too many missing from the above lists to take the posts seriously.

[S-Clarke]

SaintJackoInHurworth's squad list on this thread is by far the most accurate and complete.

http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthrea...ly-with-adkins

Too many missing from the above lists to take the posts seriously.

Cheers, but i wanted a thread that discussed the players and their qualities - and also a thread that stated realistically who will be our options this season. He's fair enough listed a whole squad list, but I wouldn't expect Hoskins, Chambers, Reeves, More and Butterfield to be real options this year. They'll be in the squad, but I can't see them featuring - so this was more of a thread to highlight the players we have available in the squad that can clearly do a job.

The general consensus is that we are missing a real quality 2nd CB - and I'd have to agree as we do still have to count Seaborne as a viable option and I didn't really want to have to do that after deadline day, but it's only 1 position and at least we're not going into the season with gaping holes in certain area's - there's cover everywhere, most places quality cover, but the CB area needs to stay injury free up until January - that's for sure.

[Rebel]

We are woefully short at the back. I think we were all expecting first choice defenders to be brought in bad Jos, Fonte and Fox drop to the bench. I was also expecting the same thing with Kelvin. But all 4 of them will be in a starring back 5.

Fox cannott defend at this level - he drifts in to the edge of the box giving time and space to the attacker time after time. Seabourne is probably still recovering from his 'accident' and should probably go out on loan to a League 1 club. Yoshida will be the sub from the bench - but is he as good as we seem to think he is? The team we signed him from had one of the worst defensive records in the Eredevise.

I've not been impressed by Steven Davis so far - he looks to lightweight - and lets not forget he joined from Rangers who played at a level equivalent to League 1. He may have been player of the season but I'm not sure it counts if it's in Scotland - remember Neil McCann and Rudi Skacel anyone!?

Lambert doesn't have the movement or pace to play as the main striker or centre forward in a 4-3-3 or anywhere in the front 3 for that matter. And Mayuka will be off to the African Nations Cup in the New Year so we could lose him for 2 months. And apart from a wonder goal we havent really seen enough from Tandanari to know if he's good enough.

[westmidlandsaint]

A fairly good sum up S-Clarke. I think the plan GK wise was always to get a number two to replace Bart and give Davis another crack in the prem if only for his loyalty, I think we'll give him until January and if not performing bring in a replacement.

In an ideal world I would have preferred another CB and possibly LB, but overall I can't complain with circa £30m spent

[SaintRichmond]

Sorry, but IMHO Kelvin Davis wil be proven, over the next few games, to be our weak link, our Achilles heel

Cortese, and Adkins will regret not pursuing a Quality Prem keeper

Davis is no more than average in the Prem. I shudder to think of how many goals he will let in

[Papa Shango]

Sorry, but IMHO Kelvin Davis wil be proven, over the next few games, to be our weak link, our Achilles heel

Cortese, and Adkins will regret not pursuing a Quality Prem keeper

Davis is no more than average in the Prem. I shudder to think of how many goals he will let in

Anyone who doubts Kelvin should just go back and watch this



Has been consistently brilliant since 2008 and will prove all the doubters wrong yet again this season

[Frank's cousin]

Forgotten how nice that Lambo goal wa sand the great set up by Lee

[ladysaint]

Really excited by the signings just one concern though where is the premier league experience.

[VectisSaint]

Really excited by the signings just one concern though where is the premier league experience.

Steve and Kelvin Davis and, oh well who cares :-) 3 Olympic players, several other internationals and plenty of experience in decent European Leagues (Italy, Holland & Switzerland), oh and Scotland (LOL - Fox, Hooiveld & Davis). Adkins has experience of managing and winning in the Premier League (the Welsh one).
OK, in fact Butterfield, Puncheon, Fox and Richardson have also played (briefly) in the PL. We should also take into account that Adam, Rickie and several others now have PL experience (2 apps).

[Rowan Gorilla 5]

I stick by my comment on the 'Deadline Day Countdown' thread.

"I'm extremely happy with the players that we have signed. I'm a little concerned that we could do with a goalkeeper, left back, centre back, holding midfielder and at least one winger. I know it's greedy but there we go. That's 5 players short and a long time till the next transfer window. Is there enough strength in depth?"

We were obviously looking at a goalkeeper and centre back with the comments from Adkins, a bid rejected for Butland and the links to Fontas and Kana-Biyik. We must have been looking for a left back with the Buttner saga and the later links to Boilesen and Olsson. Likewise a winger with the bid for Phillips. I can't help but feel that we wanted to add 4 players to fill these positions but for whatever reason we weren't able to do so. I only wanted a holding midfielder to be added to that list because of the way we are supposedly setting ourselves up to play this season. That's a big chunk of a 25 man squad missing.

Having said that I am genuinely pleased with the players that have been brought in. None of them the finished article but a great deal of potential there.

[The9]

Anyone who doubts Kelvin should just go back and watch this

Has been consistently brilliant since 2008 and will prove all the doubters wrong yet again this season

We'd have lost by about 6 in the Prem playing like that, Kelvin or not. I suspect he hasn't faced many efforts in the past 4 years as quick as Di Santo's strike or as clinical as Kone's either. Then again, he saved the Worst Penalty David Silva Will Ever Take...

[The9]

Adkins has experience of managing and winning in the Premier League (the Welsh one).

This is reaching just a tad.

[alpine_saint]

You can’t really moan about that can you?

Oh yes I can.

We have some great attacking options, but we are still weak at the back, possibly also in goal. This has not been addressed properly during the window.
And we still lack some decent pace on the wings.