we go with what we've got

[Big Fat Sam]

I love the fact that Moyes discovered we had 10m to spend in the last few days.

 

[Come on Lad]

Stay positive, this squad was good enough to get us in the position we are now - without really pulling up any trees.

 

[Essex Blue]

The Club were culpable of not going that extra yard to try and strengthen when we were on the cusp of achieving something last time out (4th spot finish, CL qualification etc) and we ended up with a bloody nose and battered pride. Missed opportunity etc.

I bet most of us at one point or another have been on here and written or read that it was a huge mistake for the club, and showed a total lack of ambition and risk-taking, when it was worth doing so in the circumstances.

I see this window as being of similar ilk. I'm not talking about daft risks such as QPR (Jesus H - they're suicidal!), but a calculated risk with the buffer of maybe, reluctantly, selling off some silver (Fellaini) in the summer if the gamble didn't pay off.

To think we're still here 7 years or so later. Same board. Same Chairman. Same Manager. Same missed opportunity.

We're clearly not one of the big guns any more - we all have to wake up and accept that (the wiser ones already have). But to be on the verge of something but show no real appetite to have a bloody good go at seizing the moment, is just downright depressing and disgraceful in equal measure.

Excellent post.

It’s so sad the way we had to settle for Neville in 2005, and that we are still settling for Neville in 2013.

No ambition.

 

[Joey66]

I love the fact that Moyes discovered we had 10m to spend in the last few days.

He did not not even 8 million + if you read the terms of the agreed sale for Leroy Fer it was 3 million down the rest in installments we signed Felli like that, as soon as I read on the day we annouced to sign him Arsenal & United had looked at FER but not bothered to sign him pre season I then spotted he had a knee operation I feared the worse I did post that point on here about his knee operation on that day {tuesday}
You can not pay that much out in increments if the player arrives with water on his knee post operation EFC should have done the medical first before announcing anything!

 

[ah11984]

The players will be just as disappointed as some of us fans, yes we're 1 point off 4th still in the fa cup blah blah, but the players will have wanted a couple of additions for us to kick on and help us out in the run in. Moyes said it himself as much after the wba game talking about Fer, his first comments was "we wanted to do it for the players" to show them we were having a go.

 

[Petit]

The players will be just as disappointed as some of us fans, yes we're 1 point off 4th still in the fa cup blah blah, but the players will have wanted a couple of additions for us to kick on and help us out in the run in. Moyes said it himself as much after the wba game talking about Fer, his first comments was "we wanted to do it for the players" to show them we were having a go.

This is what worries me the most.

If you look back at the last three seasons, the winter surge of results have always been engined by the arrival of a quality addition that 1) added something different (Donovan giving us a proper right flank in midfield) and 2) made the other players raise their game (Pienaar last season).

For two seasons it was Donovan.

Last season it was Pienaar and Jelavic.

 

[Ihaters]

Fourth will never happen.

1) We have by far the least squad depth of all the teams competing for fourth.

2) We are in bad form.

3) The usual winter run of results has in previous seasons been sparked by the arrival of a quality addition. For two seasons it was Donovan, last season it was Jelavic. We haven´t got that fresh impetus now.

4) Our strikers aren´t scoring.

5) We can´t keep clean sheets

6) Our poor goal difference means we actually have one point less than the table says.

7) We have the run in from hell where we play all of our competitors away.

Only number 7 will stop us because if we were doing as bad as you seem to make out we'd be bottom half of the table instead of 5th.
However playing so many hard teams away United, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea and with only City at home.. no 8mil pound midfielder is going to prevent that being a nightmare run in. Do you really think the difference between winning those games and not was going to be Fey? It'll help having another player but that's all.
However is not impossible, its not over and we are where we are on merit and with Felli up front agains the bigger teams we have the perfect weapon for counter attack which is what we will need for some of them.

Oh and we know we won't be playing Gueye against now which is a massive positive imo, hopefully he'll come back shareper and better.

 

[quasi modo]

The worst thing about all this is, that Moyes himself has identified that the centre of midfield is a priority, by going close to signing two midfielders in the last two windows, but then to go and sign a right back who is "promising", just worries me.

I just can't see this squad lasting the full season.

 

[davek]

I quite agree. Whilst I am pleased that we are doing pretty well anyway, we have not strengthened at all. I would have preferred Kenwright to just be honest and say that we don't have the funds to add anyone of real note rather than spin one of his theatrical webs pretending that we are after everyone out there (wait until the Summer when he tells us that he is after RVP but then reveals at the end of the window that Man U wouldn't accept our £5m offer!).

Fer's injury cannot have been that bad as he has been back playing for some time now and having a bit of residual fluid on a knee after injury is hardly uncommon. Fact is we just didn't intend to buy him and used that as the excuse. We were also never going to pay for Negredo but that little transfer saga kept us all guessing and amused until the penny actually dropped (more or less equal to our transfer kitty) and we realised that we had only bought a defender from a lower division club.

What will cost us in the end will be the chances that we have missed this season rather than the ocassional goal that we concede.

Let's just hope that Mirallas and Gibson come back fit for enough games to give the side a lift as there will be no Donovan, Jelavic or similar signing to do that this year.

A leopard cant change its spots, mate. It's just what Bill does. He cant help it.

 

[Royal Blue Jersey]

We'll go with what we've got.
Great news lads. Marouane is staying, I couldn't be happier

 

[Big Fat Sam]

I think Fellaini is on his way within the next 18 months, and I wouldn't begrudge him a move if he acted professionally about it and the club made a good profit on him, bearing in mind we paid up to 15 million for him.

I think 25m is a good fee for him, and provided Moyes got the bulk of it he could do some serious squad strengthening with it. Seems to be our only big-name player at present who could potentially leave, as Baines is obviously going nowhere, which I am of course made up about.

Shame Jelavic has turned poo like.

 

[dixie7]

I think Fellaini is on his way within the next 18 months, and I wouldn't begrudge him a move if he acted professionally about it and the club made a good profit on him, bearing in mind we paid up to 15 million for him.

I think 25m is a good fee for him, and provided Moyes got the bulk of it he could do some serious squad strengthening with it. Seems to be our only big-name player at present who could potentially leave, as Baines is obviously going nowhere, which I am of course made up about.

Shame Jelavic has turned poo like.

fellaini wont be leaving in the summer either becuase of his relsease clause, If we make europe next season will moyes play him and have him cup tied????????
if anyone wante fellaini they would of met his relsease clause, he cost the same price now as he will in the summer so why wait.

I cant see fellaini leaving anywhere unless he scores a **** load of goals from now until the end of the season.

 

[Librarian]

Spurs and Arsenal are slitting their wrists this morning too. In a way that's what's so depressing about it. We had a chance to steel a march on them, missed opportunity. A bit like when your rivals draw on a Saturday and you lose on Sunday.

I still think we'll be in the mix for forth right 'til the end.

 

[Loz]

I love the fact that Moyes discovered we had 10m to spend in the last few days.

Yep, and then Bill woke him up.

 

[Loz]

It's not all bad news though. When QPR go down at the end of the season we might be able to get Remy on the cheap! He is bound to have a release clause as he won't be intending to play his football in the Championship.