Nabby Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 A box to box midfielder would be great Milner did a good job in the role.A solid DM now would allow Westwood and Bannan/Ireland more freedom to roam forward knowing they are covered. A player like Diame at WHU is what we need played very well for them yesterday went off injured and they collapsed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted December 10, 2012 Moderator Share Posted December 10, 2012 Personally I'd like us to sign players to give Bannan the freedom to do whatever he liked on a Saturday afternoon.... gardening perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troglodyte Posted December 10, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 10, 2012 We have Gary for that. Ba-dum-tssh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 That was so bad it deserved a 'like'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyBM Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 RL has probably given PL a list of who he a wants off the wage bill at to be fair, its probably very similar to what weve all been saying as well as to who should leave, however, the numbers of fees being mentioned on here is probably no where near to what we realistically get, nobody ever seems to want our fringe players Out = Given - free Warnock - £500k at most, probably free Dunne - free Hutton - £1m at most, probably free Makoun - free Delph - £500k Delfouneso - £100k Bent - £10m Bannan - £1m (ok im dreaming with this one, we know it wont happen) In = keeper - to be second choice centre back - to partner vlaar with clark and baker as back up left wing - to offer a left wing attacking option attacking centre mid - its time to look at replacing petrov striker - only if theres the sale of bent, in the mould of benteke as back up to be fair also, these sort of changes will take both january and summer windows, with january 2014 being to tweak the team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted December 10, 2012 Moderator Share Posted December 10, 2012 No offense intended but I hate this notion that we can just give players away on free transfers because it simply doesn't work like that. Players aren't going to agree to their contracts being ripped up so unless another club is willing to take them and their wages on they aren't going anywhere. Given has 3 1/2 years left on his deal thanks to that ginger numb nuts of a 'manager' we had here last year and the clueless people above him that allowed that to happen. While the useless tub of lard that is Dunne has until the end of the year and will be sitting out the remaining months before pissing off in the summer on a free more than likely to semi retirement in the US. We are stuck with these players until their deals expire unless there is another club as stupid as we've been in the past, which is unlikely but not impossible I admit. I'm sorry but we can forget about handing out free's to these players, we will just have to wait for them to join the long list of players we've pissed away millions on only to see them leave on Bosman's at the end of their deals. This club has been so so badly run it really is untrue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Whoever sanctioned Shay Given's contract should be shot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyBM Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 jees, i didnt know that, so am i right in saying given will be 40 yrs old when we finally get him off the books? i thought only pub teams had players too old to pay football... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicon Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 jees, i didnt know that, so am i right in saying given will be 40 yrs old when we finally get him off the books? i thought only pub teams had players too old to pay football... Like Friedel? Don't be stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troglodyte Posted December 10, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 10, 2012 I'm not sure if his salary is covered (insurance? I'm not an expert, clearly) but if not, we'll also have Petrov's wages free from the end of the season, when I believe his contract runs out. Obviously I'd much rather have Stan back in good health and on the field, and am glad that we're still going to have him around the club, but in purely financial terms we have more money freed up in wages from the end of the season which can go towards paying someone to replace him in midfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrackpotForeigner Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Personally I'd like us to sign players to give Bannan the freedom to do whatever he liked on a Saturday afternoon.... gardening perhaps. Mmm. There's a decent squad player in there somewhere. If he can stop turning over possession, that is. Anyway, we can be pretty sure that buying someone more like Milner than Bannan will be priority number one this January IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepDish Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Players off the books this summer with my guesstimates: Warnock 40k a week Dunne 45k a week Petrov 45k a week That is 130k a week. With the tv money increase at 14 mill per team from next season, Randy Lerner would be a fool to not protect his investment by giving Lambert some more cash now this January window, specially when we have seen the good purchases Benteke, Westwood, Vlaar and Lowton. Lerner should be confident that Lambert can assemble a good team and let him have the cash in order to do so. Add in our high earners that we probably will have a hard time getting rid of, we will eventually free up some cash when they leave: Ireland (1,5 years left with +60k a week) N'Zogbia (2.5 years left with +50k a week) Hutton (2.5 years left with 30k a week) Given (3.5 years left with +60k a week) Bent (2 years left with +60k a week) That is a staggering 240k a week! Of these, I can see we might sell both Ireland and Bent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 People can talk down the signing of Shay Given right about now, but when we got him he was a very obvious choice and one that most really wanted to have here. I think it is safe to say the same about Charles N'Zogbia when we needed a winger. Yes, both have panned out to be crap signings thus far - but hindsight is a bitch and that is what separates us from a manager. When we wish for a player and we get him, but then he turns out to be crap, anyone can just change his opinion and hide the fact that he was wanted at some point. A manager is basically stuck with the decision and many players don't live up to their promise. I would not say Given was a crap purchase, he is just as good as Guzan but Lambert has decided Guzan is the one we wants back there (no problem for me either). N'Zogbia was very skillful at Wigan but just hasn't produced anything since he came here and that is a shame, but I don't want us to sell him. There is a fine line between sell-on value and high wages, and then plain and simple not being good enough. As for my predictions this January I doubt we will let many go, because our squad is very thin and we cannot afford to sell on a high earner if there is no replacement. How many teams buy and sell 5 players in January? Given's contract is a problem, but that also puts him in a very nice position as he can earn lots of money just acting as backup. Dunne on form is a very capable player and a natural leader, but will he ever return to form? Just turned 33 in September, one year younger than Rio Ferdinand, so hope is not gone. Anyway, doubt many clubs would come in and take him off our books as he would command a hefty salary to do a switch. Pretty sure he will stay on for the reminder of his contract. Some talk about Stoke, but why would they buy Dunne when they have younger and equally gifted players in Shawcross and Huth? Makes absolutely no sense in my opinion. Delph? Would never sell him. He is young and needs to re-develop after his torrid time with injuries. We would never get a big fee for him and some other club could, that risk is not worth taking. Hutton should be sold and so should Warnock, those are the only ones I see going. As for those coming in, probably none so that we don't disrupt a team that is battling relegation already, but if we can get some inspiration in then I hope Lambert has a few gems in mind. People are extatic about almost every player we have in our team bar a few, but we are very much one of the worst teams in this league and a big part of that is that we cannot develop a set attacking pattern or sustain momentum on teams. We are the team with the least scored goals in the entire Premier League after 16 games, that is a huge, **** problem. Last year we finished 16th and scored less goals than all of the teams that relegated, but even if that didn't have an impact last season it is not something to be proud of. We have Liverpool away with Suarez next, then Chelsea away right after that just so put salt in our wounds, making it very likely that we are in the relegation zone again come December 23. The only question we don't know the answer to is what Randy Lerner thinks about this situation. If he only listens to Lambert's newspaper bits then he will not interfer much, but if he has actually watched our games he will see the extreme need for a few good players to salvage our hope for Premier League football next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted December 10, 2012 Moderator Share Posted December 10, 2012 I said the contract given to Given at the time was daft and I questioned the signing of N'Zogbia due to his attitude, it isn't hindsight. I wasn't alone on either of those views. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Edit: Probably best for another thread. We desperately need some muscle in midfield, some pace out wide and an experienced head or two. I've no idea who, though, as I think the level we are now at requires scouting outside the usual markets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozvillafan Posted December 11, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 11, 2012 Whoever sanctioned Shay Given's contract should be shot Not picking on you, CI, but I've always wondered about this - just how much is the board to blame in this? The expectation of the board (judging by some posts on this site) seems to be: - The board should back the manager - The board should not allow long/expensive contracts for players that aren't being used - The board should not stop the manager from signing who he wants - The board should not allow our best players to leave to better teams I'm wondering exactly how the board can ever get things right given those set of parameters which are either contradictory or completely outside their control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Of these, I can see we might sell both Ireland and Bent. I think we'll be able to flog Zog. I can see a club like Stoke moving for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 No offense intended but I hate this notion that we can just give players away on free transfers because it simply doesn't work like that. Players aren't going to agree to their contracts being ripped up so unless another club is willing to take them and their wages on they aren't going anywhere. Given has 3 1/2 years left on his deal thanks to that ginger numb nuts of a 'manager' we had here last year and the clueless people above him that allowed that to happen. While the useless tub of lard that is Dunne has until the end of the year and will be sitting out the remaining months before pissing off in the summer on a free more than likely to semi retirement in the US. We are stuck with these players until their deals expire unless there is another club as stupid as we've been in the past, which is unlikely but not impossible I admit. I'm sorry but we can forget about handing out free's to these players, we will just have to wait for them to join the long list of players we've pissed away millions on only to see them leave on Bosman's at the end of their deals. This club has been so so badly run it really is untrue. No offense intended but I hate this notion that we can just give players away on free transfers because it simply doesn't work like that. Players aren't going to agree to their contracts being ripped up so unless another club is willing to take them and their wages on they aren't going anywhere. Given has 3 1/2 years left on his deal thanks to that ginger numb nuts of a 'manager' we had here last year and the clueless people above him that allowed that to happen. While the useless tub of lard that is Dunne has until the end of the year and will be sitting out the remaining months before pissing off in the summer on a free more than likely to semi retirement in the US. We are stuck with these players until their deals expire unless there is another club as stupid as we've been in the past, which is unlikely but not impossible I admit. I'm sorry but we can forget about handing out free's to these players, we will just have to wait for them to join the long list of players we've pissed away millions on only to see them leave on Bosman's at the end of their deals. This club has been so so badly run it really is untrue. such true words. Having an uninterfering chairman is great if the manager knows what he is doing.... sadly we wasn't so lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSV Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 what about a loan signing of Tim Cahill. Could add some goals from midfield and help on set pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Where is Tim Cahill these days? He'd do a great job for us...Is he in MLS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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