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January Transfer Window - 2020 Edition


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The amount people underrate redmond on this forum is insane. He is one of our best and most important players in turning defence into attack and works as hard as anyone else. He is obviously going to score and assist less when on the wing in a 442 than when he played in a front 3/front 2. But he does just as much for the team in that position.

 

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The amount people underrate redmond on this forum is insane. He is one of our best and most important players in turning defence into attack and works as hard as anyone else. He is obviously going to score and assist less when on the wing in a 442 than when he played in a front 3/front 2. But he does just as much for the team in that position.

 

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Even taking into account the change of shape, which has only been recently, he's not reached the heights of last season. He was very good last season, but before that he was woeful, having lost all confidence. There is a player there. He can beat a man all ends up, which I love, but he can be frustrating. He's going nowhere, so it matters little.

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The amount people underrate redmond on this forum is insane. He is one of our best and most important players in turning defence into attack and works as hard as anyone else. He is obviously going to score and assist less when on the wing in a 442 than when he played in a front 3/front 2. But he does just as much for the team in that position.

 

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His end product, whether a shot, cross or pass, has been disappointing this season.

 

Small margins, he will come good again though.

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I'm not in favour of signing someone for the sake of it and obviously January isn't the best time to..... BUT

 

Ralph obviously thought we were so what signal does this send to him if our position is "you can only sign someone of it looks like we might go down". I'll grant you, it's completely consistent with Gao's "strategy" of doing **** all and hoping for the best.

 

The other point is that Ralph must have identified some relatively realistic signings that we/he thought we could get. If we don't get them now, we need to get them in the summer, at which point there might be other interest.

 

If you assume Cedric, Yoshida and Long are leaving then that's three signings just to cover players in the matchday 16. Plus we need a left back if Vokins isn't rated and ideally we need another option in CM. And that's assuming we don't sell anyone else from the first team.

 

Also assumes we can shift Lemina, Carillo, Hoedt, Elyonnousi etc. to some mug again.

 

Chances of that all working out in the same window? Based on previous recent experience, pretty low.

Edited by benjii
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I wonder if it's all down to Gao wanting to sell. He knows this is only likely if we stay in the top flight and recent results and performances mean this is now likely.

 

Therefore he may now feel there's no need to spend extra money, whereas a few weeks ago the idea might have been to get in a couple of players to try and keep us up and protect the sale price of the club.

 

Except that having better players on longer contracts increases the asset value of the club... apart from that you're spot on

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The other side of the coin is maybe Ralph saying we don’t need anyone is part of the strategy to make sure we don’t look desperate in the market and get our pants pulled down.

 

Effectively, might mean we get better prices in the market, or we wait till summer to buy at at a better price

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Except that having better players on longer contracts increases the asset value of the club... apart from that you're spot on

 

It doesn't. There's no one we can sign that is guaranteed to move at a profit and in accounting terms you write off a chunk of capital every year.

 

You think having Lemina, Forster and Carillo on long contracts has made the club more valuable?

 

Apart from that, you're spot on.

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It doesn't. There's no one we can sign that is guaranteed to move at a profit and in accounting terms you write off a chunk of capital every year.

 

You think having Lemina, Forster and Carillo on long contracts has made the club more valuable?

 

Apart from that, you're spot on.

 

Ok, ignore the "better player" of my statement and you're spot on.. The clubs operating model was exactly to invest to make a profit, our investments the past 2 to 3 seasons have overall been dreadful and we are sitting on a bad hand following those trades.

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Ok, ignore the "better player" of my statement and you're spot on.. The clubs operating model was exactly to invest to make a profit, our investments the past 2 to 3 seasons have overall been dreadful and we are sitting on a bad hand following those trades.
So the plan should be to only sign good players who are guaranteed to improve the team? Clear.
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I'm not in favour of signing someone for the sake of it and obviously January isn't the best time to..... BUT

 

Ralph obviously thought we were so what signal does this send to him if our position is "you can only sign someone of it looks like we might go down". I'll grant you, it's completely consistent with Gao's "strategy" of doing **** all and hoping for the best.

 

The other point is that Ralph must have identified some relatively realistic signings that we/he thought we could get. If we don't get them now, we need to get them in the summer, at which point there might be other interest.

 

If you assume Cedric, Yoshida and Long are leaving then that's three signings just to cover players in the matchday 16. Plus we need a left back if Vokins isn't rated and ideally we need another option in CM. And that's assuming we don't sell anyone else from the first team.

 

Also assumes we can shift Lemina, Carillo, Hoedt, Elyonnousi etc. to some mug again.

 

Chances of that all working out in the same window? Based on previous recent experience, pretty low.

 

It’s also consistent with Goas strategy of doing the minimum possible to stay up. Looks like we’re okay this season, we’d have to go on a terrible run to go down now so sod it that we’re still weak in at least 4 positions, I really don’t see what has changed in the last week for Ralph to now think everything is okay and we don’t need the players he’s said for

Months we do. I also don’t buy this public playing it “nice and cool Rodney” works, agents, players and clubs know the truth so they’ll be in contact with other clubs. Ralph giving a press conference to suggest we aren’t that bothered at more might get the cheer leaders excited but it doesn’t wash with anyone with any sense.

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Constantly putting off the much needed surgery to the squad is bizarre but not unexpected.

 

Ralph wont hand around for this shower

 

the players that Benji listed....add Hoj and Bertrand to the list.

 

no way on earth are we going to bring in about 8 players in the summer...you know, we may get our pants pulled down and all that

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That makes no sense as a sentence. :rolleyes:

 

My post about the live league table was true... so it is you that is wrong (again) :mcinnes:

 

It was predictive text.

 

You do know a game doesn’t finish until the final whistle don’t you? So the live table is irrelevant. I know on your computer games you can turn the game off and restart it if you’re losing but real games don’t work like that.

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It was predictive text.

 

You do know a game doesn’t finish until the final whistle don’t you? So the live table is irrelevant. I know on your computer games you can turn the game off and restart it if you’re losing but real games don’t work like that.

 

Do you not know what 'as things stands' means? By using that, it means my post is not wrong. :rolleyes:

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we could have won the game. Still does not mean that the much need squad surgery should be put off for yet another window!

 

No point trying to rebuild in January, it will have to wait until the summer. Then, hopefully a massive clear out:

 

Forster

Elyounoussi

Hoedt

Bertrand

Vestegaard

Hojberg

Lemina

Boufal

Adams

Carillo

 

and Cedric and Yoshida out of contract.

 

Without a major rebuild in the summer we will struggle next year too

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No point trying to rebuild in January, it will have to wait until the summer. Then, hopefully a massive clear out:

 

Forster

Elyounoussi

Hoedt

Bertrand

Vestegaard

Hojberg

Lemina

Boufal

Adams

Carillo

 

and Cedric and Yoshida out of contract.

 

Without a major rebuild in the summer we will struggle next year too

 

That leaves us with three centre forwards in a team that plays with two. So we would need a CF.

 

That leaves us with no left backs, so we would need two of those.

 

That leaves us with two central midfielders, one of whom can't get in the team now so we would need two of those.

 

One right back who has been poor this season. RB needed.

 

Two centre backs, so we would need another two....

 

etc.

 

There's no way we will sign the best part of ten good players in the summer.

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No point trying to rebuild in January, it will have to wait until the summer. Then, hopefully a massive clear out:

 

Forster

Elyounoussi

Hoedt

Bertrand

Vestegaard

Hojberg

Lemina

Boufal

Adams

Carillo

 

and Cedric and Yoshida out of contract.

 

Without a major rebuild in the summer we will struggle next year too

 

We need to start now really. Not wait for another transfer window to pass us by

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We need to start now really. Not wait for another transfer window to pass us by
Why? We are almost certainly safe we might as well do our business when we have time to find the right deals for us in and out. We are not desperate anymore.

 

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Why? We are almost certainly safe we might as well do our business when we have time to find the right deals for us in and out. We are not desperate anymore.

 

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Because no matter what, we won’t achieve anywhere near the required level of ‘fixing’ in the summer.

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No one does a rebuild in Jan

 

the way football finances work these days, budgets and squads seem to be fixed in the summer period. New money and squad places don't appear in January. Maybe one signing to fill a slot left unfilled in the summer (like at left back for us) or if there is a host of injuries.

 

If a player is going out in the summer, it perhaps still makes sense to bring their replacement in now so long as funds permit. But do they?

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Direct quotes from the manager, absolute categorical statements via the clubs media source yet people are "reading too much into it" and what they really meant was "maybe"

 

I wouldn’t worry about it, you’re banging your head against a brick wall and, apparently, we’re going on about it too much according to the forum Vanessa Feltz topic monitor :lol: Don’t take any communication from the club as being truthful in any manner is a good mindset to have and don’t expect anything from the club because people on here will make every excuse under the sun to bizarrely defend why the club hasn’t fulfilled anything it said despite our desperate need. We still have under 2 weeks left but the change in tact from Ralph suggests it is unlikely.

 

A very disappointing result today. The loss proves our desperate need for quality in defence even more (so no Bryan please). Great first half but it seems we didn’t have a plan B which is down to personnel. We had mainly pacey, attacking options and one (slow) midfielder in Romeu (with 2 MFs on yellows) & one (slow) cart horse in Vestergaard which is dangerous against a team with Wolves’ pace and power although we did create our fair share of chances. To me, it proves a total lack of strength and depth in defence and midfield. Had we had sufficient quality on the bench, particularly for midfield, we could’ve adapted to Nuno’s changes and suppressed Traore rather than capitulating.

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I think it's more annoying when certain posters pretend this sort of thing isn't happening. It's incredibly predictable of course and it will probably happen again next January but just because we know it's probably going to happen doesn't mean you can't still be irritated by it.

 

Well said. You hit the nail on the head with the irritated comment. I think the most annoying part is a certain element of happy clappy people on here whom get menstrual about strong criticism of the club, like their level of low standard patience should be the barometer for all. When you consider how our board have ran the club into the ground in 3-4 short years, it is difficult to understand the blind defence of the indefensible. These club apologists insulting others for standing up for a belief seem to shut their eyes and clamp their hands firmly over their ears and refuse to listen to logic from the more critical thinkers and astute fans and that is their prerogative.

 

Turkish argues a good point and even took the time to find direct quotes but still people argue the club have made no such assertions. That is utterly bonkers and some cheeky bint referred to me as mad...and old :lol: (for not letting a matter go).

Just agree to disagree when youÂ’re arguing against that level of mindset.

 

The fact remains, we desperately need defenders and midfielders. We needed them at the start of the season and last January. ItÂ’s more than clear that the current board are not bothered, they have zero ambition, zero competence and will do the absolute bare minimum to survive while prevaricating to the fans and they will push us to the precipice of relegation...or beyond. We will not progress under this board, that much is clear.

 

The club have seemingly lied to the manager about supporting him regarding transfer policy in January and have clearly changed their minds, as I believe has happened before. Likely due to the mammoth and superb coaching effort by Ralph and his team post Leicester. I’m sure the intensity of coaching to achieve the results they have cannot be maintained until the end of the season as the team will be burnt out both mentally & physically. The board have absolutely no experience or idea about football, only about business, and they seem to be expecting too much of RH on the absolute minimum of financial support. If they are going back on promises to Ralph which seems likely (I think it’s why Rohl left), they need to consider everyone has a breaking point. Whilst I’m concerned about an injury or suspension to a key player, I’m more worried about the manager being pressurised and pushed too much and eventually walking due to broken assurances and an inherent lack of transfer funds being available..and mental fatigue (has anyone not noticed how broken he looks these days?) I believe he was let down from the outset because I never remember the big rebuild the club alluded to so much but let’s not even get into that debate or we’ll be harangued by the club’s ‘crack’ team of word smiths, character sleuths and social media assassins!! :rolleyes:

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Forgetting the rights and wrongs of what's been said for a second, from a purely business point of view (no proper director of football, inflated January fees, owner possibly looking to sell) would it not be wise to wait and see how the next two games go before spending millions just to appease the fanbase?

 

I'd suggest if we manage, say, 4 points from the next two, we aren't realistically getting relegated. Waiting a few days before hitting the "spend" button on some expensive and unproven solution might be a sensible business decision?

 

Of course, who knows how Ralph would feel, but just thought I'd throw up an alternative view.

 

That’s a pretty well thought out and logical assertion. It’s not a view many ticket buying (& non ticket buying for that matter) fans would be happy with but it definitely has the hallmarks of a very cautious and unambitious owner who doesn’t like to part with money. I’m still struggling to understand why he even bought a Premier League football club and judging by how his media PR is run and his abject silence since becoming majority shareholder, he never wanted the fans to know his true intentions.

 

Personally, if it was my investment, I’d at least bring a full back or CB in to safeguard our PL status and protect my investment. Bertrand, Soares or Ings (or even our CBs) get injured or suspended between 1st Feb & the end of season, we are in a world of trouble as our lack of defensive/midfield depth on the bench illustrated today. It cost us 3 points. That’s my view.

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I wonder if it's all down to Gao wanting to sell. He knows this is only likely if we stay in the top flight and recent results and performances mean this is now likely.

 

Therefore he may now feel there's no need to spend extra money, whereas a few weeks ago the idea might have been to get in a couple of players to try and keep us up and protect the sale price of the club.

 

How do we know Gao wants to sell? That was only ever a rumour in the media and probably made up by a journalist to sell newspapers. We never had any direct quote from the club or our chairman saying that and they certainly didn’t make any promises or assurances of doing so. Something was probably said about one day selling the club and the newspapers probably latched onto it and probably (deliberately) took it out of context.

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Personally, if it was my investment, I’d at least bring a full back or CB in to safeguard our PL status and protect my investment. Bertrand, Soares or Ings (or even our CBs) get injured or suspended between 1st Feb & the end of season, we are in a world of trouble as our lack of defensive/midfield depth on the bench illustrated today. It cost us 3 points. That’s my view.

We've "invested" circa £40m in two CB's. That "investment" has diminished Gao asset, not increased it. You believe that chucking money at a problem is the solution, and properly spent that's a logical conclusion but our transfer activity (incoming) is hardly likely to persuade Gao that throwing money around is necessarily a good idea. Ralph's recent change of heart may well be a reality check that nothing is available that is better than we have for sensible money. I suspect it's as simple as that, but you and others choose to assume that the club is lying to us or are incapable of signing players. It's bizarre.

 

As to your other rants, the irony of you telling Sue (whilst calling her a "bint" - really classy Gordon) to "agree to differ" when you post hundreds of nocturnal words re imposing your well known belief is mind boggling.

 

The bottom line is that nothing any of us say will make any difference whatsoever, so why you put yourself on the verge of a coronary night after night I'm not sure. When you refer to the likes of me as "supporting the club" etc ask yourself whether others are more in tune with reality than you, and appreciate that ranting ad infinitum on a forum won't suddenly make Harry Maguire appear at staplewood.

 

Where you and I agree is that we want our team to improve. I just think that you lack reality, or acceptance that we can't so anything about what the club choose to do, so what's the point in ranting.

 

Instead I support the team at the ground, rather than attacking the club on the Web.

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Whilst I might not like what is going on with the club, there is nothing I can do about it,

I will carry on supporting them through thick and thin like I have done for the last 60 years,

All the bickering on here is getting nowhere, just makes some of you look complete numptys.

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How do we know Gao wants to sell? That was only ever a rumour in the media and probably made up by a journalist to sell newspapers. We never had any direct quote from the club or our chairman saying that and they certainly didn’t make any promises or assurances of doing so. Something was probably said about one day selling the club and the newspapers probably latched onto it and probably (deliberately) took it out of context.

 

According to Semmens at fans forum he doesn’t well not that he knows of.

 

 

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According to Semmens at fans forum he doesn’t well not that he knows of.

 

 

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Yes. We have no idea if Gao is selling so applying the same logic of this forum, we shouldn’t assume that Gao is selling and make comments and assumptions based on the rumour of a newspaper report when we haven’t witnessed Gao promising and swearing and oath and assuring us fans that he’s definitely wanting to sell the club.

 

I’d much rather focus on transfer talk, starting with the two centre backs we have mysterious signed for circa 40 million. When was this, who are they and how come none of the papers have reported it?

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Yes. We have no idea if Gao is selling so applying the same logic of this forum, we shouldn’t assume that Gao is selling and make comments and assumptions based on the rumour of a newspaper report when we haven’t witnessed Gao promising and swearing and oath and assuring us fans that he’s definitely wanting to sell the club.

 

I’d much rather focus on transfer talk, starting with the two centre backs we have mysterious signed for circa 40 million. When was this, who are they and how come none of the papers have reported it?

 

Vestergaard and Hoedt aren’t far off 40m with fees

 

 

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With 75m out on loan and players like Vest it’s not rocket science or 10k word post to see where problems lie.

We haven’t addressed that and allegedly from that forum will take 2 windows to fix well if January isn’t seeing any recruitment which looks likely the summer looks worryingly like pre Koeman season

 

 

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With 75m out on loan and players like Vest it’s not rocket science or 10k word post to see where problems lie.

We haven’t addressed that and allegedly from that forum will take 2 windows to fix well if January isn’t seeing any recruitment which looks likely the summer looks worryingly like pre Koeman season

 

 

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If that is the case with the club and the new owner has no money and no money to invest, then the club simply need to stop professing otherwise and lying to the press in every single transfer window (they have lied from the outset of the new chairmanship and the lies have grown bigger) as to their intentions. That’s the crux of the issue and the source of frustration to many, it’s as simple as that.

 

Whether the club PR or divisive social media spin is operated by the club, Jordan Sibley, by Gao’s media underlings or by a separate entity, the source is largely irrelevant as it speaks from the club to the fans. Like you, I’m bored of this and it’s been done to death.

 

The fans deserve honesty and respect and it’s up to the club to build an honest and trustworthy dialogue with the fanbase and community rather than prevaricate and treat them like idiots, purely to generate gate receipts. That’s not a lot to ask is it? If some of us fans expect - or hope (not demand) - for a signing or 2 to improve the team during a transfer window, that’s perfectly understandable.

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