What should we do in January if within striking distance of a playoff place?

[trousers]

I'm in two minds about what we should do in January if we're within striking distance of a play off place.

 

Part of me thinks we should keep the squad largely 'as is', perhaps adding just few low key signings where Pardew thinks the squad could do with some extra depth, whereas the other part of me thinks we should be bullish and buy 2 or 3 high profile players to press home our financial advantage over most of the other sides in the league.

 

The former approach would galvanise the team spirit that would inevitably be sky high whereas the latter approach could prove unsettling to the existing players whilst improving the squad on paper.

 

What do others think would be the best tactic to push on for a playoff place if it's in our sights in January?

[CB Saint]

I'm in two minds about what we should do in January if we're within striking distance of a play off place.

 

Part of me thinks we should keep the squad largely 'as is', perhaps adding just few low key signings where Pardew thinks the squad could do with some extra depth, whereas the other part of me thinks we should be bullish and buy 2 or 3 high profile players to press home our financial advantage over most of the other sides in the league.

 

The former approach would galvanise the team spirit that would inevitably be sky high whereas the latter approach could prove unsettling to the existing players whilst improving the squad on paper.

 

What do others think would be the best tactic to push on for a playoff place if it's in our sights in January?

 

Need to add to the squad for better depth but any player sign should in theory be able to walk into the first team. Rather than unsettling players I think that this will keep the existing squad on their toes and make places more competative.

[niceandfriendly]

I think the latter approach but would suggest a maximum of 2 players. Any more than that and it could take a long time for the team to gel again.

[alpine_saint]

I'm in two minds about what we should do in January if we're within striking distance of a play off place.

 

Part of me thinks we should keep the squad largely 'as is', perhaps adding just few low key signings where Pardew thinks the squad could do with some extra depth, whereas the other part of me thinks we should be bullish and buy 2 or 3 high profile players to press home our financial advantage over most of the other sides in the league.

 

The former approach would galvanise the team spirit that would inevitably be sky high whereas the latter approach could prove unsettling to the existing players whilst improving the squad on paper.

 

What do others think would be the best tactic to push on for a playoff place if it's in our sights in January?

 

 

Golden rule is not to buy anybody better than we already have. And I also take on board the comment about "re-gelling" on here.

 

Its a toughie.. But sooner or later someone is going to get injured. If its Lambert or Connelly, we're f*cked.

[Pilchards]

I know for a fact that some of the players AP wanted was not interested in joining because of our -10 points, now we are looking a good bet for the playoffs I expect AP will love the thought of some good championship players wanting to join us now.

 

Why not get a good solid centre back with a quailty holding midfielder with an extra striker option like Harewood.

[alpine_saint]

I know for a fact that some of the players AP wanted was not interested in joining because of our -10 points, now we are looking a good bet for the playoffs I expect AP will love the thought of some good championship players wanting to join us now.

 

Why not get a good solid centre back with a quailty holding midfielder with an extra striker option like Harewood.

 

Do we want players with such fragile egos, actually ? Havent just purged that sh*t out of the club ?

[John B]

Its a toughie.. But sooner or later someone is going to get injured. If its Lambert or Connelly, we're f*cked.

 

 

 

I agree but I dont think gelling will be a problem many teams bring in players in the transfer window to improve their prospects.

 

 

If we do get back to the CCC how many new players will we want then ?

[paris]

Sign Antonio ...

[slickmick]

If it aint broke dont fix it.

[It's There]

I agree with Alpine- Keep it simple and buy Antonio/Trotman and maybe seek to unearth another gem like Connelly or Hammond. After AP's choices in August I trust his judgement!

[Chez]

there are some decent players in this league that can compete at a higher level. If we look to sign them we weaken the opposition and strengthen our own squad. I'd be keen to add another striker because is Lambert si out we will struggle. Mind you how would you keep that guy happy if he has to sit on the bench?

[forever a red and white]

the aim this season was to consolidate, we can;t rebulid all over again, we have plently of cover. We look strong atm but the plan was probably to have a proper crack at it next season, by all means have a go if we are there, but this season could be perfect for preparing the current squad for a much harder season next year, where the expectations really will be a lot higher

[forever a red and white]

also don;t think we should buy Trotman yet, if possible give him the rest of the season and make a better decsion about him then, Although he has played very well he is lucky to be playing along side a player like Jaidi, and without him there may look a little bit more exposed.

[JustMike]

i think we should go for it, nothing wrong with buying 1 or 2 good players, especially in areas where if an injury to current player would damage us. Centre midfield worries me if Morgan or Hammond gets injured, same for LB. Im guessing we may see 1 or 2 signings and maybe another loan.

[John B]

i think we should go for it, nothing wrong with buying 1 or 2 good players, especially in areas where if an injury to current player would damage us. Centre midfield worries me if Morgan or Hammond gets injured, same for LB. Im guessing we may see 1 or 2 signings and maybe another loan.

 

I agree with LB but feel another striker is needed rather than CM where we do have options with Wotton Mellis and James

[farawaysaint]

Our squad is the most bloated in the league, sure let's bring in a player or two but can we please offload some dead wood first?

[INFLUENCED.COM]

now we are looking a good bet for the playoffs.

 

We're not counting chickens are we ? that said, it does feel good right now.

[rallyboy]

if ML considers there is a realistic chance of his plan being a year ahead of schedule I would expect him to invest in January, and the key word is invest, not just buy.

A couple of decent players for the future, not short term support that turns into deadwood as in previous years.

 

But that's up to AP and ML, and in them I trust.

 

May's promotion hero is often November's sacked manager without the correct investment (not in this case obviously) so it wouldn't just be a promotion push it would be galvanising the whole five year plan a year early.

 

So in January the question may be - does the club quietly launch the Championship promotion plan?

[Dan Johnson]

If I were Pards...

 

Sign Trots & Antonio so there is no risk of losing them, both are playing as if they want to be here, both I expect would jump at the chance just about arranging fees.

 

Offload (If possible)

 

Saga

Molyneux

Pulis

Gillet

Forecast

Lancashire

 

Sign another quaility striker & assess squad for injurys/lack of depth

[hutch]

Keep winning.

 

Simple.

[S-Clarke]

Clear as much dead wood as possible, the likes of Molly, Pulis, Gillett, Saga etc...

 

bring in another striker...just to give us some further options. Lee barnard at Southend maybe.

 

I'd also go out and buy a new DM, someone in a smilar mould to Pele (when he played there for us..)...good passer and just sits deep, breaks up the play and pops the ball around, which then lets Morgan and Hammond drive forward.

 

Maybe Lloyd can do that, but i haven't seen enough of him there yet.

[St Will]

Give Jermaine Beckford anything he wants.

Edited 12 November, 2009 by St Will

[EastleighSoulBoy]

Do we want players with such fragile egos, actually ? Havent just purged that sh*t out of the club ?

 

+1 A good, constructive comment.

[Ian the Red]

We should be looking to add at least two quality players.* One midfielder and one striker.* I think we are covered in defence but need more in the forward and midfield.* The more quality players the more the competition for the starting line up can only be good for the team.* If Lambert, Connoly, Lallana, Hammond all got injured we would be in trouble!!* Need more cover.Play offs are a very realistic target.* Frankly I cannot see anyone beating Saints at the moment.

[RonManager]

I am presuming that AP has already confirmed with Preston whether NT is available for the rest of the season or to buy. If not then I would have thought that he has a list of alternatives and has already made overtures to the relevant clubs.

 

I would also like to see another creative defensive midfielder (Gattuso style), that combines the teeth of Wotton with the guile and vision of Schneiderlin. And if Saga goes then a replacement for him which is what the Rooney rumour deal may be about.

[Sold To The Man @ The Bar]

LB, CB, Striker & find another CMFG

[krissyboy31]

I'm not a great lover of the "rotation" systems that some of the foreign managers adopt but it does worry me a bit that certain players have to play every game (and in this league is a hell of a lot). We could do with a little more strength in depth, so when the likes of Hammond get's a knock, he doesn't have to play through an injury (like he has had to the last few games). As others say, if Lambert gets injured we will struggle.

[saints_is_the_south]

I'd be quite happy with us signing Antonio & Trotman permantly & nobody else. I think we're covered everywhere & I think that we should be concentrating more on trimming the squad in Jan than adding to it.

 

At the moment we've got 2 players per every position, which is ideal.

 

GK: Davs (Bialkowski)

RB: Murty (James) CB: Trotman (Thomas) CB: Jaidi (Perry) LB: Harding (Mills)

RM: Antonio (Papa Waigo) CM: Hammond (Wotton) CM: Schneiderlin (Mellis) LM: Lallana (Holmes)

ST: Lambert (Paterson) Connolly (Saganowski)

 

Maybe get rid of Saga & bring in this Rooney chap from Macclesfield. We could even send Paterson out loan as Papa can cover both RM & ST. Mills can do either LB or LM & James can do RB or CM.

 

Just need to try & get rid of Lancashire, Molyneux, Pulis & Gillett permantly. I'd get Gobern back out on loan & let Thomson stay at Torquay till the end of the season.

[david in sweden]

I'm in two minds about what we should do in January if we're within striking distance of a play off place.

 

Part of me thinks we should keep the squad largely 'as is', perhaps adding just few low key signings where Pardew thinks the squad could do with some extra depth, whereas the other part of me thinks we should be bullish and buy 2 or 3 high profile players to press home our financial advantage over most of the other sides in the league.

 

The former approach would galvanise the team spirit that would inevitably be sky high whereas the latter approach could prove unsettling to the existing players whilst improving the squad on paper.

 

What do others think would be the best tactic to push on for a playoff place if it's in our sights in January?

 

 

We HAVE to tell ourselves that we will be in with a shout in the last and having a good squad, even if some of them are on the bench, will give us the cover we need. Players do go off form, others may get injuries and if we have to go to the Academy to get replacements then we become weaker.

 

In the last 10 years Prem./CCC / and L1; (at one time or another..) we've had... Strikers who have gone... 10 games (or more ) without scoring. 6 injured defenders, 5 injured strikers ..3 injured goalies... and a partridge in a pear tree !

+ umpteen players who've have lost / never found good form.

 

But seriously..let's say we get a play-off spot and win and suddenly we're back in CCC, it would be good to have some " not-so-new faces " who've already acclimatised themselves to SMS and.. are hot for the higher level.

Many CCC teams have internationals in their sides and some recently relegated from Prem. are too good for CCC for another season.

 

Without naming names, there are a few in our present squad who might not look so sharp next August.

So (as for new players) if we're half way up the league by New Year... let's get them onboard as soon as poss! )

and full steam ahead for CCC.

Edited 12 November, 2009 by david in sweden

[saint1977]

Clear as much dead wood as possible, the likes of Molly, Pulis, Gillett, Saga etc...

 

bring in another striker...just to give us some further options. Lee barnard at Southend maybe.

 

I'd also go out and buy a new DM, someone in a smilar mould to Pele (when he played there for us..)...good passer and just sits deep, breaks up the play and pops the ball around, which then lets Morgan and Hammond drive forward.

 

Maybe Lloyd can do that, but i haven't seen enough of him there yet.

 

Agree with this post, Barnard from Southend would be handy as if Lambert and Connolly get injured, we are in trouble although Waigo knows where the back of the net is. No idea what Rooney's brother is like. Pele has signed for Falkirk by the way. We are light on CM cover but James showed promise second-half last night there.

[Fan The Flames]

Is Faustinio Asprella (spelling) available.

[Matthew Le God]

Is Faustinio Asprella (spelling) available.

 

He is 40 years old and retired 6 years ago

[Rod Le Shearer]

I do not like the "if" part of this topic. I think we are very much within striking distance right now,with 30 games left to play!

the only thing we need to do in january...is keep winning

[SuperMikey]

We need to start thinking about CB, because Jaidi isn't going to be around forever. We should definitely look at getting Trotman in permanently, and we should also be looking at adding a little pace at CB. Is Izzy Iriekpen still available, or has he been signed by a club? He would be ideal imo, he's experienced at this level, strong, good in the air, and pretty bloody quick too.

 

We need to be looking at Antonio as well, I wouldn't jump in and immediately sign him, because he's only had a couple of months at the club, and most of his appearances so far have been cameos, so i'd extend his loan until the end of the season and take it from there in July.

 

We also need to get rid of some of the dead wood at the club, namely Pulis, Perry, Forecast etc. As AP has said, he wants to reduce the squad size, and we certainly do have a lot of players that have no future here. On that topic, do people think that Simon Gillet should leave? Obviously he has no part in AP's plans and Doncaster will be interested in him, but he is Saints through and through, and loves the club. It's a toughie, but I don't think there's any point in keeping him here if he's not going to play - simple as that. We'll take £250k from Doncaster and use that to invest in the squad (and getting some decent beer at SMS!).

[MerceSaint28]

I think this is a good post and something i have considered myself. I truly beleive any signings we make have to be as atleast or better than what we alreadyt have.

First and foremost there is deadwood in the squad which needs to go

Saga

Molyneux

Pulis

Gillet

Forecast

Lancashire

There is six players for a start that should leave

 

coming in i think we only need 3

Totman - permanent 750k

Antonio - permanent 50k

Simeon Jackson - 1.5 mill

 

I would be over the moon with this in Jan. Basically you would not be upsetting the squad as 2 of the signings are already a part of the team and Jackson would be the marquee signing to push home our advantage and strike fear into the opposition.

Imagine as a defender, having Lambert and Jackson facing you.

 

Admittedly Jackson would be a big ask, if a prem or championship came sniffing then we might not get him but we can afford to triple his wages and im sure he can see a brighter future at SMS than at Gillingham so you never know.

[Gambol2K9]

First and foremost there is deadwood in the squad which needs to go

Saga

Molyneux

Pulis

Gillet

Forecast

Lancashire

 

Your spot on with that, I want to see all of them gone in January, we've got a large enough squad without them and they all add nothing to the team.

 

I'd be happy if come the end of the transfer window we have signed Antonio and Trotman on permanent deals and signed a reasonable third string striker to cover for Lambert and Connolly.

 

With the teams current form I can imagine the owner will be more than happy to make the funds available.

[altoniansaints]

After reading this maybe someone to replace trotman as it doesn`t look like he`ll still be with us after Jan :-(

 

http://www.clubcall.com/preston-north-end/irvine-under-attack-over-trotman-loan-974899.html

[St Will]

After reading this maybe someone to replace trotman as it doesn`t look like he`ll still be with us after Jan :-(

 

http://www.clubcall.com/preston-north-end/irvine-under-attack-over-trotman-loan-974899.html

 

:-(

 

Oh dear. Well hopefully we'll either give them an offer they can't refuse, oh have someone lined up who is as good, or better, than Trotman. In Pardew we trust.

[benjii]

Did Henri Camara sign for anyone in the end?

[St Will]

Did Henri Camara sign for anyone in the end?

 

Sheffield United

[Andy_Porter]

Sign a centre back who can pass the ball out from defence, sign Antonio and extend Mellis' loan spell. Maybe look at signing a young target man to cover Lambert, guess that depends on how Pardew rates Paterson.

 

Don't think we need to do much more than that, could cause problems if we sign players we don't need.

[NickG]

Golden rule is not to buy anybody better than we already have. And I also take on board the comment about "re-gelling" on here.

 

Its a toughie.. But sooner or later someone is going to get injured. If its Lambert or Connelly, we're f*cked.

 

is that typo or do you really not want to improve side?

[benjii]

Sheffield United

 

Cheers.

[Arizona]

Ins

 

I'd like another striker, somebody with pace who can come on and change the game. Waigo is there or there abouts, but I'd keep him as an option on the wing and I'm not convinced by him yet.

 

Another centre half , on top of the others we already have. I like to have 4 decent options. At the mo we have Trottman, Jaidi and Thomas

 

Right back. James is hit and miss. Murty has injury problems.

 

Left Winger. Yes, there is nothing wrong with Lallana, but he isn't a left winger really and Mills is more of a LB IMO.

 

Outs

 

Saga, Perry, Holmes, Forecast, Molyneux, Pulis. Not saying anyone will take them, but there the ones I'd like rid of.

[Saint_clark]

Do we want players with such fragile egos, actually ? Havent just purged that sh*t out of the club ?

 

Exactly.

We attracted the likes of Lambert, Jaidi, Harding etc whilst on -10 so it's not like there aren't quality players who want to play for the shirt.

[benjii]

I think Perry is a fine squad player provided we have a dominant player alongside him.

 

I think Holmes provides adequate cover on the left with Mills if needed. I also think that Gobern (not at left back!) and McCLaggon could be introduced into the team if we had an injury crisis as we are a decent mentally strong outfit now and the youngsters won't be thrown in at the deep end again.

 

Agree that we should be looking for another striker.

 

I think the RB and LB positions could do with more cover but I think we would look to bring a loan in if needed for those. I can't see us signing someone who is better than Harding or Murty and James is developing all the time.

 

I would like to see us sign another Hammond type of player as cover.

 

So for me, assuming Antonio and Trotman stay, it's a striker and central midfielder on the list with a possible loan at left back or right back.

[Arizona]

Perry - I think he is just that little bit too old. Okay HDAJFU last season when we were desperate, but I think he is a weak link and we could do better for a sensible amount of cash.

 

Holmes - Not convinced by him or his injury record. Pardew doesn't seem to rate him.

 

LB - I see it differently, with Mills as adequate cover and more needed at LM. Think we could use a Skacel type wide player, who can give us real width and put in a decent cross.

 

CM - Yes, possibly. Another defensive minded player, preferably of the brick out-house build.

[Legod Third Coming]

Do we want players with such fragile egos, actually ? Havent just purged that sh*t out of the club ?

 

Agreed entirely.

 

If you couldn't stomach the idea of a fight, feck off, you're not wanted.

[vico]

Golden rule is not to buy anybody better than we already have. And I also take on board the comment about "re-gelling" on here.

 

Its a toughie.. But sooner or later someone is going to get injured. If its Lambert or Connelly, we're f*cked.

 

That goldon rule will see us fall into the same spiral of decline that we saw in 2004 to 2005.

You should always buy better than what you have got or risk seeing everyone around you improve slightly while saints remain static.

 

We do have quality in a lot of areas but you buy a player to start not to sit in the bench.

 

Actually reading your post again that must be a typo above!!!