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Post by euanstokie123 on Jun 19, 2013 22:06:02 GMT
Quality not quantity. If he pulls out a player of the ilk of dembele for a few mill like he did at Durham then I'd be happy with a couple. LB and quality winger.
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Post by euanstokie123 on Jun 19, 2013 22:08:43 GMT
Quality not quantity. If he pulls out a player of the ilk of dembele for a few mill like he did at fulham then I'd be happy with a couple. LB and quality winger. But IMO I think we'll sign 4 or 5. If he could out and says he'll change half the squad, then asking prices will brought bumped up.
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Post by lastoftheldk on Jun 19, 2013 23:04:58 GMT
YES HE IS, unfit , overated, cant be trusted or stupid, lazy, not a team player , one good pass every 20, bad attitude, but I would like to think Hughes can make a player out of him Utter bollocks. If Adam is as bad as you state above then Hughes would have to be the finest magician of all time to "make a player out of him". Are you trying to tell me that out of all the players in our squad he is the worst? If you are and I'm pretty sure you are,then you with the utmost respect are talking out of your hairy ring piece. He is not the worst in the squad, good job theres 25 of them and how do you know I got a hairy hole ?
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Post by salopstick on Jun 20, 2013 0:20:12 GMT
On the basis Stoke have been the third biggest spenders in the PL since 2008, then clearly the spending will be cut back dramatically. Hasn't Peter Coates said as much? That 3rd highest net spend figure is distorted as we have not sold our best players.
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Post by NassauDave on Jun 20, 2013 4:15:38 GMT
So that explains our hesitation in the transfer market yet again.
He must be fucking joking...
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Post by Will_75 on Jun 20, 2013 6:56:40 GMT
all i know is, i'd love to play poker with some of you lot
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Post by MrMagic on Jun 20, 2013 7:12:47 GMT
So that explains our hesitation in the transfer market yet again. He must be fucking joking... Hesitation in the transfer market? It's the 20th June. Jesus, do you come before your missus has taken her coat off? No one is really signing at the moment, players are still on holiday and Hughes hasn't run a single training session. Give it a few weeks.
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Post by Danstoke82 on Jun 20, 2013 7:21:22 GMT
So that explains our hesitation in the transfer market yet again. He must be fucking joking... Hesitation in the transfer market? It's the 20th June. Jesus, do you come before your missus has taken her coat off? No one is really signing at the moment, players are still on holiday and Hughes hasn't run a single training session. Give it a few weeks. We should be more like West Ham in throwing money about (which isn't theirs) to whoever will take it. 100k a week on Andy Carroll!....... Im kidding with the West Ham thing by the way. Im pretty sure that there is a plan in place for new signings. Cartwright will have it all sorted eh Shiekh Momo?
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Post by foster on Jun 20, 2013 7:29:23 GMT
Hesitation in the transfer market? It's the 20th June. Jesus, do you come before your missus has taken her coat off? No one is really signing at the moment, players are still on holiday and Hughes hasn't run a single training session. Give it a few weeks. We should be more like West Ham in throwing money about (which isn't theirs) to whoever will take it. 100k a week on Andy Carroll!....... Im kidding with the West Ham thing by the way. Im pretty sure that there is a plan in place for new signings. Cartwright will have it all sorted eh Shiekh Momo? The thing with the Carroll deal is that a) he has resale value and b) he has such a long contract that the likelyhood is that they will sell him. Providing he maintains a similar level of performance, they will probably be able to recoup the whole transfer fee if they decide to sell him in future. 16m for 6 years (2.66m per year) with resale value for a player who has not yet peaked or 10m for 3 years (3.33m per year) with no resale value for a player in decline Not caining Crouch here, I like him. I'm just stating the facts.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 8:09:39 GMT
I like how he states " Liverpool will not be to happy about playing us first game" goo on sparky get stuck in em if we lose we lose but it certainly sounds like he's going to give it a go.
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Post by PerCyfilth ....Captains Log on Jun 20, 2013 9:16:56 GMT
Purse strings tightened?
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Post by geoff321 on Jun 20, 2013 9:50:14 GMT
Interesting to see Franco Baldini has been appointed Technical Director at Spurs, a man with a slightly different background compared to Mark Cartwright.
I wonder who is payed the most and has the most contacts and knowledge of European and World football.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 9:52:20 GMT
Interesting to see Franco Baldini has been appointed Technical Director at Spurs, a man with a slightly different background compared to Mark Cartwright. I wonder who is payed the most and has the most contacts and knowledge of European and World football. Didn't you spend the back end of last season telling us how we couldn't hope to compete with these kind of teams and telling unhappy fans their expectations of doing so (which they didn't have) were unrealistic? So why compare them now?
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Post by geoff321 on Jun 20, 2013 10:02:26 GMT
Surely though rob it is a further example of the gap that is developing in the Premier League.
I looked at the 1959/60 league tables and Burnley were champions, with Wolves second.
The PL is now about four or five big clubs and the rest desperately trying to hang in there. We need to look at a maximum wage structure in world football, then we might have a more interesting and fairer Premier League and one that would help make clubs more financially secure.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 10:14:51 GMT
Surely though rob it is a further example of the gap that is developing in the Premier League. I looked at the 1959/60 league tables and Burnley were champions, with Wolves second. The PL is now about four or five big clubs and the rest desperately trying to hang in there. We need to look at a maximum wage structure in world football, then we might have a more interesting and fairer Premier League and one that would help make clubs more financially secure. I don't disagree with any of that mate, and I'd happily sack of all this 'best league in the world' shit to have a fairer, more competitive top flight. But it isn't going to happen, and of course Tottenham are going to be able to make stronger appointments than us.
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Post by MuddyWoody on Jun 20, 2013 10:32:19 GMT
As far as transfer requirements go we are at the disadvantage of having far too many unknowns in the squad to accurately judge what we need.
Is Ness ever going to be fit/good enough to play?
Ditto for Shea?
Will Cuvelier be given a chance?
Will Palacios ever get fit/get his mind right?
Will Edu return/be good enough to play?
Will Kightly regain some form?
I agree totally that we need a LB, even my blind dog can see that. I also think we could do with another/replacing a striker and CB cover. As for any other positions we will have to wait for MH to make his mind up about the players above first.
I also agree with the supposed new direction of signing younger players, even if we haven't seen any evidence of that policy yet.
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Post by cousindupree on Jun 20, 2013 10:48:44 GMT
One thing everyone has learn't about life in the prem is that you have to continually invest in improving the squad or you go backwards,PC knows this and will back his new man with a sizeable wedge.The only thing we know about Les Hughes at SCFC so far is that he is pretty surefooted in his media comments so 'we don't need many new faces,just one or two' sends out the right message. Along with some obvious improvements to the starting xi I am looking forward with interest the future of'mystery' players such as Edu,Ness,Cuvelier,Palacios,Shea and see if there is any room in Leslie's squad for them. I really hope given time he can build a 25 man squad where most of these players could do a job when called upon and not just make up the numbers.
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Post by dbstoke on Jun 20, 2013 11:05:27 GMT
I agree with him.
We don't need massive overhaul, if anything we need to try and avoid it. Pulis left us with an extreme style of play, so to alter it too much now would be suicidal. But what we can do is try and get all our first team squad competing for places instead of relying on the same old tardy faces. For example, selecting from Palacios, N'zonzi, Adam, Cuvalier, Etherington, Shea, Pennant, Kightly, Edu and Whelan isnt bad for midfield choices, in fact it's pretty good!
Goalkeepers are sorted, Bego and Tommy as 1&2, Butland out on loan.
Ironically, given TP's affection for defenders you would think this would be his strongest legacy but that seems bizarrely to be midfield??! Ryan, Huth, Wilko, Shotts, then the midfield conversions on GCam and Wilson maybe where the biggest problem lies for me. Full-backs are an absolute must for me this summer, (as always?). Shotton isn't good enough, neither is Wilko really even though we love him. Wilson maybe, could continue as LB, but obviously would prefer someone established in that position, then we could see what Marc can do in Midfield? GCam can be understudy to Ryan and Huth, but again would prefer an established understudy.
Strikers are a worry too. KJ, Crouch Jerome and NSSJW are not going to give us huge numbers of goals, so would need to see a new striker improving our attack.
Therefore, 1 x Striker and 1 x RB (maybe another CB & LB as cover) Means only 2 definitive signings, with maybe a couple of backups if he feels it necessary to boost numbers.
We really aren't short in my opinion.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 11:09:34 GMT
I agree with him. We don't need massive overhaul, if anything we need to try and avoid it. Pulis left us with an extreme style of play, so to alter it too much now would be suicidal. But what we can do is try and get all our first team squad competing for places instead of relying on the same old tardy faces. For example, selecting from Palacios, N'zonzi, Adam, Cuvalier, Etherington, Shea, Pennant, Kightly, Edu and Whelan isnt bad for midfield choices, in fact it's pretty good! Goalkeepers are sorted, Bego and Tommy as 1&2, Butland out on loan. Ironically, given TP's affection for defenders you would think this would be his strongest legacy but that seems bizarrely to be midfield??! Ryan, Huth, Wilko, Shotts, then the midfield conversions on GCam and Wilson maybe where the biggest problem lies for me. Full-backs are an absolute must for me this summer, (as always?). Shotton isn't good enough, neither is Wilko really even though we love him. Wilson maybe, could continue as LB, but obviously would prefer someone established in that position, then we could see what Marc can do in Midfield? GCam can be understudy to Ryan and Huth, but again would prefer an established understudy. Strikers are a worry too. KJ, Crouch and NSSJW are not going to give us huge numbers of goals, so would need to see a new striker improving our attack. Therefore, 1 x Striker and 1 x RB (maybe another CB & LB as cover) Means only 2 definitive signings, with maybe a couple of backups if he feels it necessary to boost numbers. We really aren't short in my opinion. Your view of our midfield options is decidedly more optimistic than mine. The jury is out on all of those players for me apart from Nzonzi, who doesn't want to be here.
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Post by dbstoke on Jun 20, 2013 11:19:07 GMT
I agree with him. We don't need massive overhaul, if anything we need to try and avoid it. Pulis left us with an extreme style of play, so to alter it too much now would be suicidal. But what we can do is try and get all our first team squad competing for places instead of relying on the same old tardy faces. For example, selecting from Palacios, N'zonzi, Adam, Cuvalier, Etherington, Shea, Pennant, Kightly, Edu and Whelan isnt bad for midfield choices, in fact it's pretty good! Goalkeepers are sorted, Bego and Tommy as 1&2, Butland out on loan. Ironically, given TP's affection for defenders you would think this would be his strongest legacy but that seems bizarrely to be midfield??! Ryan, Huth, Wilko, Shotts, then the midfield conversions on GCam and Wilson maybe where the biggest problem lies for me. Full-backs are an absolute must for me this summer, (as always?). Shotton isn't good enough, neither is Wilko really even though we love him. Wilson maybe, could continue as LB, but obviously would prefer someone established in that position, then we could see what Marc can do in Midfield? GCam can be understudy to Ryan and Huth, but again would prefer an established understudy. Strikers are a worry too. KJ, Crouch and NSSJW are not going to give us huge numbers of goals, so would need to see a new striker improving our attack. Therefore, 1 x Striker and 1 x RB (maybe another CB & LB as cover) Means only 2 definitive signings, with maybe a couple of backups if he feels it necessary to boost numbers. We really aren't short in my opinion. Your view of our midfield options is decidedly more optimistic than mine. The jury is out on all of those players for me apart from Nzonzi, who doesn't want to be here. I do agree with him, but its based on him getting the best out of the players we have. If he doesn't then yes, that opens a whole different problem. Getting the squad onside is a massive factor, TP had issues with a lot of players it seems, much to the detriment of the 11 he was then able to choose.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 11:19:14 GMT
There's question marks all over the place.
The jury is still out on the likes of Cameron and Shea for me. I'd lump Adam into that group too. He may flourish under Hughes, or it could easily go the other way. Ethers has probably had his day and needs to be shifted on.
Will Jerome play more under Hughes? Will we stick with Wilko and Shots as options for the RB slot? They might not be good enough but will Coates sanction a move for a third right back if we aren't able to shift either of them on?
If we do sign a new LB what does the future hold for Wilson?
Will Crouch and Jones be moved on? Are they good enough for us with a change in style from the new manager?
Will N'Zonzi stay or will he go? Same question for Begovic?
We all have our own players that we don't think are good enough too. For me, that includes Whelan. Will he be moved on or shifted to squad player? What of Edu, Ness + Kightly?
Is Palacios still a non-starter or will he be given a chance?
Over half the squad has question marks over it.
We'll just have to make our peace with the fact that we aren't going to resolve all the issues and deficiencies in the squad over the next couple of months.
We may need more than one or two but we're not likely to see 8 to 10 changes that directly affect the first team.
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Post by dbstoke on Jun 20, 2013 11:28:26 GMT
There's question marks all over the place. The jury is still out on the likes of Cameron and Shea for me. I'd lump Adam into that group too. He may flourish under Hughes, or it could easily go the other way. Ethers has probably had his day and needs to be shifted on. Will Jerome play more under Hughes? Will we stick with Wilko and Shots as options for the RB slot? They might not be good enough but will Coates sanction a move for a third right back if we aren't able to shift either of them on? If we do sign a new LB what does the future hold for Wilson? Will Crouch and Jones be moved on? Are they good enough for us with a change in style from the new manager? Will N'Zonzi stay or will he go? Same question for Begovic? We all have our own players that we don't think are good enough too. For me, that includes Whelan. Will he be moved on or shifted to squad player? What of Edu, Ness + Kightly? Is Palacios still a non-starter or will he be given a chance? Over half the squad has question marks over it. We'll just have to make our peace with the fact that we aren't going to resolve all the issues and deficiencies in the squad over the next couple of months. We may need more than one or two but we're not likely to see 8 to 10 changes that directly affect the first team. Agreed. It has to be a progression of who does perform best and impresses the manager, and equally who the manager can get the best from and how his tactics evolve. People on here seem to answer negatively to all the questions you've rightly put forward, but it doesn't necessarily have to be the case! One thing is for sure, the side in say 3 or 4 years will look massively different anyway. Hughes can only use what he was left at his disposal this precise minute. Got to give him chance.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 11:30:58 GMT
I agree WD. I personally think it'd be daft to get rid of the workhorses who might not be the most gifted but who have put everything in for us. Graft was derided under TP but you need it to stay up so even if they're reduced to squad roles I'd hold on to players like Whelan and Walters, for now at least.
Just like Hughes needs to learn from his QPR mistakes, he needs to learn from TP's last season as well - the loss of the leaders on the pitch and in the dressing room like Delap, Higgy and Ric left a massive hole. Their time was up but we didn't replace them with players with the same bottle.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 11:39:38 GMT
I haven't a problem with retaining Whelan and Walters as long as, as you pointed out, they become squad players and not vital first team stalwarts.
I think we have to accept that not every single area will be addressed. I'm not entirely happy with Shotton and Wilko at RB, but I also think it is far from the biggest area of concern. If we go into the new Season without adding to that department I won't be overly concerned. Same for midfield really. Again, I'm far from convinced on what we currently have but given that we already have about 8 on the books, I can't see Coates sanctioning more money for that area without moving players on.
N'Zonzi is the main issue really. If he goes then we definitely need to replace him. Beyond that we have Adam, Whelan, perhaps Wilson comes into the frame too. Beyond that, does Palacios come into the frame (I know your thoughts on him but he is still on the books) and Cameron is another possibility. Hughes could just be tasked with getting the best out of what we currently have if we are unable to shift some of them on.
That's going to be one of his big problems. We all know some of the players aren't good enough, but for that very reason, they are are going to be difficult to shift. Most will be happy to continue picking up Prem wages.
My prediction is 4, perhaps 5, new faces by the end of September. Hopefully the same number, or a couple more, going out of the door as well.
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Post by 4kingal on Jun 20, 2013 11:39:43 GMT
Could Gareth Barry be the leader we need ??
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 11:44:12 GMT
Could Gareth Barry be the leader we need ?? We could do a lot worse. In terms of ball retention and bringing in players more comfortable on the ball, he fits the bill. In terms of age and sell-on value, it's a non-starter. It would depend on the asking price really.
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Post by sheikhmomo on Jun 20, 2013 11:51:50 GMT
I'm not entirely happy with Shotton and Wilko at RB, but I also think it is far from the biggest area of concern. . If we buy our first left back for a decade, Wilson will go to right back wont he?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 11:55:07 GMT
I'm not entirely happy with Shotton and Wilko at RB, but I also think it is far from the biggest area of concern. . If we buy our first left back for a decade, Wilson will go to right back wont he? Or midfield? Is Wilson really a better right back option than Wilko?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 11:55:49 GMT
Could Gareth Barry be the leader we need ?? We could do a lot worse. In terms of ball retention and bringing in players more comfortable on the ball, he fits the bill. In terms of age and sell-on value, it's a non-starter. It would depend on the asking price really. And wages, given he'll be on 80-90 grand at least where he is.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 12:02:17 GMT
I'm not entirely happy with Shotton and Wilko at RB, but I also think it is far from the biggest area of concern. . If we buy our first left back for a decade, Wilson will go to right back wont he? Maybe Sheikh. I'd still like to see him given a chance in midfield. Just personal preference though.
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