Gutter Boy
Tim Sherwood
Easy to promise the world when you know you wont be here to have to deliver
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Johan Lange - Sporting Director
- Thread starter Chrissivad
- Start date
glorygloryeze
Dimitar Berbatov
You've got to admire the bare shamelessness eh @Raziel , @DubaiSpur
They must think many of us haven't got long memories
They must think many of us haven't got long memories
Muttley
Mauricio Taricco
Genuine question, but what exactly did they say pertaining to the January transfer window. I don't recall any specific statements that would leave them losing face based on the window we just saw in the marketplace.
Am I missing something?
DeanoAustin
Cecil Poynton
When Levy went, they made a lot of noise about wanting to compete in the market and on the pitch. They didn't specify anything around January but those statements create an expectation that we'll do something differently and in the very next transfer window, difficult and all as January can be, we did exactly the same as we've always done.
The statements, for the record were:
"This is a new era for the club, under new leadership, completely backed by our majority shareholder the Lewis family. We can feel optimistic and ambitious for the future as well."
“We saw in May in Bilbao what the next step is. It’s competing for and winning major trophies. We’ve had a taste of that."
“It is fair to say we have firm backing from the Lewis family against our ambitions to be successful. They know that’s going to require investment."
So far, they haven't lived up to any of those statements. I'd give them the benefit of the doubt but they've owned us for 25 years and done the same thing for that entire time pretty much so I'm sceptical that much has changed. If they don't do something different in the summer, personally, I'd go from thinking they should go now to vocalising that at games.
Muttley
Mauricio Taricco
The interesting thing is that they did do something completely different in the next transfer window. We assessed the market place, acted like a big club that only operates with elite players and ultimately we sat on our wallet. When did that ever happen under a Levy regime apart from the infamous 2018 summer window when Poch had lost the plot with the recruitment team? We always found a Moura or an Aurier or a Sissoko and then wondered why we ended up as bang average.
Perhaps I'm just being the optimist but I saw the lack of panic as the biggest change. We could have easily brought in N'Wanted and N'Needed right?
DeanoAustin
Cecil Poynton
That's one interpretation. However, that has echoes of "What Poch meant by 'being brave' was not to sign anybody".
I'll give a sceptical pass to them on January only because it's a pig of a window. But for me, so far, we've done nothing we haven't done for pretty much 25 years. Sold someone we didn't replace, brought in a decent mid-priced player in another position and two punts for the future. That doesn't live up to the words they spoke in September.
It's "brick or please get off the pot" in the summer for me.
Lemonade Money
Colin Calderwood
Paquetá, Lookman, Guendouzi & Co. - The 25 most expensive transfers of the winter window
The winter transfer window slammed shut on Monday evening for most of Europe's top leagues. It may have been a slightly quieter window than usual, but that didn't stop over €2 billion being splashed o [...]
Who did we miss out on who was available to us? Even Souza is in the top 25.
The problem is N'wanted & N'needed are actual bodies/players, the club has taken a fudging massive (borderline negligent) risk here, the hubris of the decision is amazing, we clearly believe 100% we are too big to go down (and that's not even talking about the decision to give up on European spots or even top half finish and the money we have forfeited the opportunity to get).
We consistently have 11-14 players out for last few weeks, 2-3 more in the wrong positions and we are utterly fudged, add in the manager situation, the fan toxicity, the fact that Leeds, West Ham, Forest are all capable of a run of a few games (we are not), it is not out of the realm of possibility we spiral (end of last season we couldn't win a PL game for fudge).
From a risk/reward perspective the decision makes no sense, even a 40M player we would have to move on in 12 months at a loss but could minimize the risk would be worth it.
SirPercyHotspur
Jason Dozzell
Upwards trajectory started at Villa when Emery joined in October 2022 they were languishing near the bottom but ended the season in 7th place, Lange was still there.
So now people are giving Levy Pelters for spending money, and backing his manager?
Hilarious.
two of the three that you mentioned have had an impact that justifies their price, Moura especially.
SIssoko cost a bit more but he played a lot of games for us and finally won a lot of the fans round despite his limitations.
Were there better players out there sure, but were there better in our squad that we let go because of them? No.