January scenario planning

[caught]

I think it might be a safer 'gamble' with Martinez than it ever was with Moyes. Roberto seems to have very specific ideas as to where and what needs improvement, while Moyes's methods always felt a little scattergun to me.

It's been said a few times with Moyes over the years, but I genuinely believe with Spurs and Utd stuttering and the likelihood that Suarez won't carry Liverpool for the entire season, 4th place hasn't been a greater possibility for a long time. The board should have the same approach off the pitch as Martinez does on it: fight to win.

 

[Steve Wigan]

Not just January planning but planning for next summer should be done too.
As great as the club is doing let's not forget that potentially we will lose 2 of our better players in Barry and Lukaku who will need replacing.
Nothing wrong with forward planning!

I think its pretty much nailed on that we will offer Barry a deal. Is he in the last year of his City contract? We will definitely need to keep an eye on the striker situation,though. Re January, Bobby has already said that he might not do much business, 'only if the football side will benefit' and I think that if we continue to play well, bringing in another starter just for the sake of it would be a mistake.

 

[Librarian]

There will be a lot more teams 'up there' this year and making a couple of good strategic buys in January will be the difference. We have a couple of non-performers on the wage bill (Heitinga and Jelavic), move them out and inject better backup into the squad and we would be in a great position.

 

[Shaun4658]

If we have the money, we should spend it in January. It's a squad game now, not a team game. Roberto has said this already. The only thing holding us back in the PL is our lack of squad over the years. The players get hammered between December and march and we always suffer for lack of options.

Getting players in January will do two things. It'll give us squad options for when times are getting tight, and it'll also let the new players settle in and be ready for next season, if the loan players we have don't stay.

We cover ourselves both ways.



* reason for edit - typo. It's options not portions.

 

[Gwladys Nights]

I reckon Bobs will spend £10m in January if we're still within licking distance of the top 4. It's the least he can expect after the surplus left over from the Fellaini and Anichebe sales.

Proper rose-tinted specs like, but I can't really see where we need to strengthen. Could do with a center mid to cover Gibson's injury I suppose, and a competent back-up to Lukaku up front. We're covered everywhere else.

 

[evilwebby]

A bit of wheeling and dealing is always on the cards.

Priorities have to be to ship out Heitinga and Jelevic, and get reinforcements in whichever area Martinez feels we are weakest.

 

[Shaun4658]

A bit of wheeling and dealing is always on the cards.

Priorities have to be to ship out Heitinga and Jelevic, and get reinforcements in whichever area Martinez feels we are weakest.

Yeah, we would get a few quid for the pair . Plus it would free up a very sizeable chunk of our wage budget.

 

[toffeeben15]

Absolutely look what happend last season we didn't spend and we run out of fuel . January is very important as there's a few gems who have not much contract left . We need to keep the wheels turning and hope it pays of . The summer we should look in depth at the big targets of keeping our two stars but the here and now is we have to get the quality in

 

[Josheverton92]

All the teams above us play at least 2 of the others before the New Year. If we get points at the Emirates, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that, dare I say it, we could be top by New Year. It's highly unlikely but not inconceivable if you look at everyone's next 5 games. Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool and City all have a very tough run in.

 

[Eggs]

......Heitinga linked with a move to West Ham in the gossip columns.

 

[toffeeben15]

Also don't forget that once arsenal is out the way they we have played half the teams up there away from home . After this weekend we pretty much have games we should win until end of January when we play the ****e

 

[Brennan]

We have five more points than we had at this point last year, we've kept more clean sheets, we're playing better football, and we have a better squad. We're only going to improve under Martinez too.

 

[Great Dane]

Out:
Heitinga
Jelavic
Naismith

In:
Jordan Rhodes
Will Hughes

It's easy isn't it

 

[evilwebby]

Heitinga needs to go ASAP.
Hibbert probably also needs to be shipped out. Sorry, but he offers us nothing anymore, and is just dragging on our wage bill.
Velios doesn't seem to be anywhere near the first team. Don't know much about his situation, but he probably needs to be moved on.

Jelavic & Naismith - get rid of one, keep one as backup. Then get rid of the the other one in the summer.

That's 4 or 5 deadwood players that would free up considerable resources for Martinez to get in who he wants. To be honest though, I'd be delighted if we only managed to ship off a couple of them.

 

[Shibbywiggles]

Out:
Heitinga
Jelavic
Naismith

In:
Jordan Rhodes
Will Hughes

It's easy isn't it

I don't know much about Rhodes but Hughes would be an incredible signing! If we had McCarthy, Barkley and Hughes that could be our center mid sorted for a decade.