The missing ingredients

[mrb85]

If we end up 7th we only qualify if City win the League Cup next weekend and the FA Cup Final is contested by City and Arsenal. The first of these is odds on; the second is luck of the draw at the semi final stage ie if City draw Arsenal then qualification would stop at 6th since the other semi would consist of clubs outside the top 6 and the Cup winner or runner up goes into the Europa.

 

[tim cahill]

If we end up 7th we only qualify if City win the League Cup next weekend and the FA Cup Final is contested by City and Arsenal. The first of these is odds on; the second is luck of the draw at the semi final stage ie if City draw Arsenal then qualification would stop at 6th since the other semi would consist of clubs outside the top 6 and the Cup winner or runner up goes into the Europa.

You don't seem to hold much hope of us beating Arsenal then...

 

[evertony]

think we're all agreed that we need two good strikers, and at least one creative midfielder to turn a good team, into a very good team that can realistically compete for the Top 4.

Looking at our style - possession and passing essentially, and looking at others who do it i.e. Barca and Arsenal, is it feasible that there is a 'perfect fit' striker for that type of team? Those two teams don't have an out and out goalscoring striker....Barca have Messi and now Neymar, neither of whom you would say were out and out front men, whilst Arsenal have struggled to find a replacement for RVP. Both of them however, do have pot loads of cash for transfers and much more going for them in terms of attracting the marquee players than us....so, is it feasible to find a striker that fits the style perfectly and doesn't cost over £15M (which IMO is the most we'd be able to spunk on 1 player), and whom doesn't have better offers than Everton?

Interesting that the Sh1te, who were very tikka-takka last season and finished 7th, have somewhat abandoned that approach and gone more for a counter-attacking (dare I say it almost long ball to 3 speed merchants) style and have brought the absolute best out of Suarez, Sturridge and Sterling....neither of whom I think cost over £15M.

 

[tim cahill]

think we're all agreed that we need two good strikers, and at least one creative midfielder to turn a good team, into a very good team that can realistically compete for the Top 4.

Looking at our style - possession and passing essentially, and looking at others who do it i.e. Barca and Arsenal, is it feasible that there is a 'perfect fit' striker for that type of team? Those two teams don't have an out and out goalscoring striker....Barca have Messi and now Neymar, neither of whom you would say were out and out front men, whilst Arsenal have struggled to find a replacement for RVP. Both of them however, do have pot loads of cash for transfers and much more going for them in terms of attracting the marquee players than us....so, is it feasible to find a striker that fits the style perfectly and doesn't cost over £15M (which IMO is the most we'd be able to spunk on 1 player), and whom doesn't have better offers than Everton?

Interesting that the Sh1te, who were very tikka-takka last season and finished 7th, have somewhat abandoned that approach and gone more for a counter-attacking (dare I say it almost long ball to 3 speed merchants) style and have brought the absolute best out of Suarez, Sturridge and Sterling....neither of whom I think cost over £15M.

Saurez was £22m and Sturridge was a steal at £12m. Both have more than doubled their price tags since moving.

 

[evertony]

Saurez was £22m and Sturridge was a steal at £12m. Both have more than doubled their price tags since moving.

Cheers - for some reason I thought Suarez was around the £15M mark. Good point about them doubling in value...if you get the right players it isn't that much of a gamble.....Fellaini also being an example....bought £15M, sold approx £28M.
When you consider the Sh1te were not really challenged for Suarez signature, and Sturridge had failed to make it at City and Chelsea it does make you wonder why we can't find at least one. Instead we've had Anichibie, Straquilarsi, Naismith, Jelavic, Johnson, Beattie etc

 

[Dexter]

While I understand this view, I don't think I'll ever agree with it.

European footy will enhance is 12 fold at the moment and it's been tooooooo long.

Our players can't even last half a season with out needing to be rested can you imagine what there going to be like with europa games aswell

 

[ijjysmith]

Our players can't even last half a season with out needing to be rested can you imagine what there going to be like with europa games aswell

But yet we managed it with much worse and I'd argue less players not too long ago.

 

[FTY]

 

[sw blue]

Nice shopping list FTY

 

[Dexter]

But yet we managed it with much worse and I'd argue less players not too long ago.

But i never heard moyes complaining like Martinez is about how all our players need resting, so is it down to fitness conditioning then

 

[ijjysmith]

But i never heard moyes complaining like Martinez is about how all our players need resting, so is it down to fitness conditioning then

Moyes defo complained. About every sodding thing

 

[Christiffa25]

We spend 6M on mirallas - Chelsea spend 17M on hazzard

We're using an aging pienaar - arsenal have just spent 40M on Ozil

Liverpool's attacking duo cost 27M

It makes the difference, were always gonna struggle up against these odds. Are players are most usually nearly men and unfortunately nearly men don't consistently do the business.

We need to get lucky with a crop of youngsters to really really challange with our funds.

 

[zirc]

Conviction and resolve. At key moments we have neither. In the last third what we try and do with the final pass carries no conviction. Instead we take the easy option or make a careless pass, not helped by an absence of options in goalscoring areas. At the back we have good solid defenders who deal with 99% of what comes their way, but at the moments when the men get sorted from the boys they don't have the firm resolve to see things out. Yesterday was a classic example where at least 3 defenders copped out. Distin was not strong enough, mentally or physically, to block Terry's run into the 6 yd box; Jagielka actually could have attacked the ball and put it behind for a corner but instead he actually withdraws his body from the line of the ball and let's it go unchallenged across the face of the goal; and then of course Howard craps himself at the sight of Terry rushing in at him and pushes the ball into his own net! Terry showed all the conviction you see in real winners; we showed the lack of resolve that will forever stop us winning anything.

The missing ingredient is a board that will back the manager with an actual transfer budget

 

[MikeH72]

The missing ingredient is a board that will back the manager with an actual transfer budget

This. Close thread

 

[Zatara]

We spend 6M on mirallas - Chelsea spend 17M on hazzard

We're using an aging pienaar - arsenal have just spent 40M on Ozil

Liverpool's attacking duo cost 27M

It makes the difference, were always gonna struggle up against these odds. Are players are most usually nearly men and unfortunately nearly men don't consistently do the business.

We need to get lucky with a crop of youngsters to really really challange with our funds.

Thats why we should be targeting players of the same age and potential as Stones. Bringing through 2 young players from the reserves every season + signing 2 as well gives us 4 new players a season for minimum outlay.

Any transfer pot we have from any profits should then be spent on one top player.