ENIC

[Gutter Boy]

I don't doubt that neither player was Harry's first choice. Maybe not even second choice either.

But I genuinely see no reason to doubt that Harry might have identified those players as useful signings. One was a highly experienced, solid central defender who had done a great job for another Premier League club for many years - including having been their captain. The other was an equally experienced, talented player who had played for some top Premier League clubs but whose career had been blighted by injury. Both are types that Harry has frequently bought - before and since.

Didn't he take Nelsen to QPR with him too (or had Hughes already brought him in)?

 

[DTA]

I don't doubt that neither player was Harry's first choice. Maybe not even second choice either.

But I genuinely see no reason to doubt that Harry might have identified those players as useful signings. One was a highly experienced, solid central defender who had done a great job for another Premier League club for many years - including having been their captain. The other was an equally experienced, talented player who had played for some top Premier League clubs but whose career had been blighted by injury. Both are types that Harry has frequently bought - before and since.

Not saying harry didn't have a say in them, just saying it is pretty obvious that if your first choice is tevez and Cahill your second third forth, and even fifth choice is not going to be nelson and saha. You would be looking at 9th and 10th choice for those two surely.

 

[Jordinho]

Not saying harry didn't have a say in them, just saying it is pretty obvious that if your first choice is tevez and Cahill your second third forth, and even fifth choice is not going to be nelson and saha. You would be looking at 9th and 10th choice for those two surely.

They were obviously stop gaps until the summer when priority targets might become available. Squad players in case of injuries. The real problem that season was Redknapp's inability to use his fringe players properly, as it always is with him.

 

[jimmyb]

Not saying harry didn't have a say in them, just saying it is pretty obvious that if your first choice is tevez and Cahill your second third forth, and even fifth choice is not going to be nelson and saha. You would be looking at 9th and 10th choice for those two surely.

I don't see why that should be.

Certainly, Tevez is / was in a different league to Saha. But that was perhaps a one off opportunity. There was no other player at that level who would have been remotely available in January. What little chance we did have of landing him (and wages would have been by far the biggest obstacle, followed by City's likely refusal to sell to what was, at the time, a potential title rival) was because he was in the midst of a massive dispute with his club.

All of which means that even the second choice would inevitably have been at a considerably lower level than Tevez.

As to Cahill, he certainly had youth on his side by comparison to Nelsen - and thus much greater potential to improve (as he has), making him a far better long term prospect. But was he really that much better a defender than Nelsen at the time? At the very least, that is debatable.

 

[glorygloryeze]

Is that a serious question?

Yes; my point being throughout Harry's career he has been known to make such signings. So whilst i have no doubt that he wanted to sign the likes of Cahill or Tevez if given the chance, it also cannot be said that Nelson and Saha were NOT Harry-type signings.

As has been said, our real problem that season wasn't that we signed two seasoned stop-gap players in January, it was Harry poor use of the fringe members of the squad and his poor in-game management (or perhaos 'absent-mindedness') when the going got tough in the latter part of that season

 

[Ryan]

Much of the debate about the signings of Saha and Nelson are given with the huge benefit of hindsight.

Why would the board have felt it necessary at that point in January to invest heavily in two first team spots when we were comfortably in third place and playing well?

Our decline in that season was nothing to do with the January window, and there's little to suggest that signing other players would have made a great deal of difference in the final outcome.

 

[jimmyb]

Much of the debate about the signings of Saha and Nelson are given with the huge benefit of hindsight.

Why would the board have felt it necessary at that point in January to invest heavily in two first team spots when we were comfortably in third place and playing well?

Our decline in that season was nothing to do with the January window, and there's little to suggest that signing other players would have made a great deal of difference in the final outcome.

To be fair, just winning a single extra point would have earned us guaranteed Champions League group stage qualification. So it's not assuming too much to suggest that a better striker than Saha would likely have made a very big difference to us.

What is very much more in doubt is whether or not any realistic, available and better striker targets than Saha were identified by Harry.

 

[billyiddo]

If you're sitting pretty in 3rd, closer to those above than below, you aren't in desperate need of first team players in the January transfer window, simple as really. We had two international strikers not getting any game time and two experienced defenders also twiddling their thumbs on the bench - 3 of the four being Redknapp signings btw - if you mismanage the back up players you do have why should you expect to get more? At some point you have to 'manage' and not rely on transfers to get you out of trouble.

 

[Kingdawson]

The games that we lost after Christmas that year were:

Emirates Marketing Project away
Arsenal away
Manchester United home
Everton away
Norwich City home
Chelsea - FA Cup SF Wembley
QPR away

and Nelsen started none of these games. We drew eight games in all competitions during the same period and the only game that Nelson started was the FA Cup game with Bolton.

Redknapp wanted Remy and either Cahill or Samba in that window. If he had got even one of them i think we would have comfortably finished AT LEAST 3rd...Levy ****ed up BIG time that window and also the summer before the 10/11 season where we had qualified for the CL league and Levy decides that Gallas and Sandro were the only two signings he would bring in (until VDV was offered last minute in a cut price deal).

 

[milo]

Redknapp wanted Remy and either Cahill or Samba in that window. If he had got even one of them i think we would have comfortably finished AT LEAST 3rd...Levy ****ed up BIG time that window and also the summer before the 10/11 season where we had qualified for the CL league and Levy decides that Gallas and Sandro were the only two signings he would bring in (until VDV was offered last minute in a cut price deal).

I fail to see how anyone can say with any certainty what players Redknapp wanted in that or any other window. He mentions a million different players every day and is very keen on claiming thwarted interest in players who prove successful later on.

 

[Baleforce]

If you're sitting pretty in 3rd, closer to those above than below, you aren't in desperate need of first team players in the January transfer window, simple as really. We had two international strikers not getting any game time and two experienced defenders also twiddling their thumbs on the bench - 3 of the four being Redknapp signings btw - if you mismanage the back up players you do have why should you expect to get more? At some point you have to 'manage' and not rely on transfers

Yes, but I suppose it would have been a good time to go for that marquee signing as we could pretty much of guaranteed CL football at that point, the seemingly impossible situation of us not being CL for the following season may have increased our status in the eyes of potential signings.

 

[Baleforce]

I fail to see how anyone can say with any certainty what players Redknapp wanted in that or any other window. He mentions a million different players every day and is very keen on claiming thwarted interest in players who prove successful later on.

he really wants them all, I bet he's ****ing ace at pokemon

 

[billyiddo]

Yes, but I suppose it would have been a good time to go for that marquee signing as we could pretty much of guaranteed CL football at that point, the seemingly impossible situation of us not being CL for the following season may have increased our status in the eyes of potential signings.

Im not sure even with CL football we'd have been able to sign Tevez - weren't he on more money at City than Adebayor? 200k or whatever

 

[Kingdawson]

I fail to see how anyone can say with any certainty what players Redknapp wanted in that or any other window. He mentions a million different players every day and is very keen on claiming thwarted interest in players who prove successful later on.

What? he said we made bids (or had a very keen interest) in those 3 players at the time.

 

[Baleforce]

Im not sure even with CL football we'd have been able to sign Tevez - weren't he on more money at City than Adebayor? 200k or whatever

who knows, it would only be conjecture at this point, but we do know some players will favour a CL club if other things are kinda equal

 

[billyiddo]

who knows, it would only be conjecture at this point, but we do know some players will favour a CL club if other things are kinda equal

I don't think the other things were equal, which is my point - maybe we could pay the wages of Tevez with CL football - but could we if we missed out? 200k a week on no doubt a 4 year deal and no CL money to help out? Not to mention he was currently at that point AWOL from the club unlucky enough to be shelling out that money to him every week. Can see why that one went no further and i think deep down everyone can see it was far too much of a risk to be taking.

 

[Baleforce]

Tevez yes, but he wasn't the only top class striker we were linked with that year

 

[jimmyb]

Tevez yes, but he wasn't the only top class striker we were linked with that year

What other top class striker that Harry wanted would have been available in January that year?

The only reason why Tevez was even discussed as a possible option was because of his massive dispute with his club.

 

[Baleforce]

What other top class striker that Harry wanted would have been available in January that year?

The only reason why Tevez was even discussed as a possible option was because of his massive dispute with his club.

were we not linked to Rossi and Llorente (amongst the others mentioned above)

all i'm saying is "99.9% guaranteed to be in the CL next year" is a tick in the plus column

 

[Jurgen the German]

What other top class striker that Harry wanted would have been available in January that year?

The only reason why Tevez was even discussed as a possible option was because of his massive dispute with his club.

This is not a dig at you, but this question is asked frequently on this board i.e. "who could we have signed?". Not just in regard to Redknapp. It's not our job to say who we would sign (most of the names would just be poo pooed anyway), it's the scouts job or the manager's job to identify players, and we at least attempt to sign x player.