Sorry you’ve lost me. We came up short last season because the first team-ready players had ran out of gas in the run in. Played too many games at too high an intensity, because we were short on quality due to injuries and lack of numbers. And before you throw overall squad numbers in my direction, let me stress ‘first team-ready’ and '‘quality’ players.
Now please be honest, what’s to stop the same thing happening this season? Everyone and his dog knew we needed a No 6 and another CB this summer. Didn’t happen. And are you telling me that Zubimendi was the only player on this planet with his skillset or similar who was available? Frankly that would be unbelievable. There’s something definitely wrong somewhere and I don’t think the problem is with Edwards or Hughes.
I’m not sure it was the players who ran out of gas. I think it was Klopp. The guy looked physically fucked for the second half of the season, clearly completely exhausted and just didn’t appear to have the energy to give to the team anymore.
The players held it together for 80% of the way but when crunch time hit we didn’t have that energetic leadership they were used to. It can’t have had zero impact.
That whole frenetic period following his announcement that he would be leaving this summer and the cup final win with the kids just seemed to take up so much nervous energy, i would have been surprised if both players and coaching staff didnt run out of gas by that point. It certainly compounded some of the challenges the team faced at the time.
Which two? You might think they’re obvious needs, but the club hierarchy quite clearly think otherwise.
Again, you didn’t address any of my points.
At this point, unless you can come up with a cogent argument why what I said was wrong, you’re just like a child throwing a strop. You’re better than that.
Just because you disagree doesn’t mean my point isn’t cogent. The fact we tried to buy a CM for £50m indicates they think it’s a need so there’s one gaping hole in your argument.
Maybe dial down your arrogance, your opinions aren’t infallible
@Sweeting’s point aside, the games where we dropped points were ones where our “first-team ready” and “quality” “starting” players were playing, having come back from their injuries, which saw them missing enough games that should have had them fresh.
The ones who carried us through the winning periods were the ones you’re accusing of not being “first team-ready”.
I still maintain we lost the FA Cup game against United not because of anything else, but Jürgen’s refusal to throw in the kids who had been doing well up to that point, who would have brought the fresher legs we so desperately needed in extra-time. By that point, they had the fresher legs and we didn’t, and they were running circles around us, so to speak.
Fewer injuries? We lost both Robertson and Tsimikas to shoulder injuries. I’m fairly certain that has nothing to do with playing too many games. I unfortunately don’t have the resources to check, but I think most of our injuries were mainly due to bad luck rather than any overplaying.
Who’s “everyone and his dog”?
Go on, tell me who else has his skillset who’s available, let alone who would significantly improve our team, and if you still have enough names after that, without costing an astronomical amount for what they would bring to our squad?
If you believe there’s something wrong somewhere, why wouldn’t the problem be with the people who were brought in to run the process to begin with? If it’s not their responsibility, whose is it?
And just one particular name, instead of going after others. You’re ignoring that context there.
No they aren’t, and that’s why I was asking you to poke holes in them, but you aren’t bringing anything new to the table. You’re not discussing logic and facts, you’re just basing things on how you feel about the situation. I am perfectly clear that I feel that we don’t have any dire needs, but if there’s a good opportunity that comes up we definitely should seize it.
I happen to think that our overall recruitment process has been stellar, even if it frustrates so many fans. The results on the pitch certainly show that.
I’m not sure I buy that, since we were doing well until April, whereas his announcement was on 24 January. We seemed to hit a wall then, but then pick back up to end the season decently well. It was a poor spell of games that seemed to coincide with trying to ease the previously-injured players back in.
I think the question is more whether we need one, I guess. The oldest of our non-Virgil centre-backs is Gomez, at 10 years older than the both of them, so I think we could even sign a new centre-back and still not block their progress…
You just dismiss other people’s logic and facts. Three years trying to buy a number of different number sixes and your mental gymnastics deduces it’s not something we’re that fussed about.
The fact is the results on the pitch have seen us win one title with the best manager we’ve had in decades. I’m sure you’ll argue that isn’t true as well but it is. Have we done all we could to improve our chances of doing that again? I don’t think anyone would say we have but again, I’m sure you’ll argue that we have.
The thing is you’re not really interested in discussion. It’s boring, disingenuous, and pointless and I’ve no interest in continuing.
I’m sorry, who were supposedly after prior to last summer? We brought Endō in in the end, and apart from Zubimendi, I don’t think we’ve been after anyone else this summer?
Missing out twice on extremely narrow margins, and once again last season which was widely regarded as a transitional season. Both of the former being pretty much the highest points hauls for runners-up, ever. Against a team widely acknowledged to be financially cheating.
Oddly enough, I’m not sure I can pinpoint any players that anyone can really describe as “the one that got away” from all the players we were supposedly after, who didn’t choose Real Madrid instead.
Many of these ideas of what more we could have or should have done are also rather unrealistic in terms of costs or the targets’ desires to come here.
No, because you’re not interested in answering the questions. You’re more interested in stating your opinion and having it taken as fact, ignoring my questions.
And there it is, the predictable idea that one can be a fan of a sports holding company.
I happen to like that our club is sustainably run. And actually stick to facts as much as possible.
You still haven’t answered who the problem would be if not Edwards and Hughes, the people who oversee and run the process. Edwards is “FSG’s man” as so many like to put it, so surely if you think FSG is the problem, then the guy who runs their footballing operations is responsible for it?
They are the money guys. The recruitment team can’t sign players if the cash is withheld. Look, we have tight owners. Why can’t people just admit this? Ask any Red Soxx fan. After the World Series win, the playing roster was left to wither on the vine. The fans had to actively boycott games before FSG would invest meaningful money into beefing up the squad. They are not arsed about winning trophies as long as the cash rolls in.
But by all means go on making excuses for them. Personally, I’ve grown to despise them.
It is about the arguments for Hincampie or Inacio as a LCB backup for VVD. I get it if we have no intention to extend his contract.
Otherwise, let’s say we bought Hincampie this summer for 50M plus a nice contract. VVD plays 90% of the games this season, 80% next season and perhaps 65% the third.
Hincampie thens plays a handful of games (besides the domestic cups) over the course of a 3 years and we have effectively wasted the potential and career of someone in their prime.
A 19 or 20 year player who is on the cusp of breaking through (similar to Quansah last year) balances out nicely with a steadily increasing number of games and participation in the domestic cups.
I was thinking more of career stage planning. Nallo is perhaps a year or two too young to step up and fill a 5th cb role.
Have you actually looked at the financials of our club and how it’s run, or are you saying this just because you’re upset that we’re not spending like Chelsea?
I must have completely hallucinated the club being widely reported to have offered £110m for Caicedo alongside £50m for Lavia.
