Another very poor transfer window

[Ramdoc]

McClaren has been quoted as saying that further transfer activity is unlikely in this window. We have signed an aging striker who I believe is 32 next birthday and who is injured already and a midfielder who looks like Peter Crouch's small weedy younger brother who Leeds ate for dinner last week.What is going on.Nugent was a super championship striker 3 or 4 years ago but I fear that once again we have signed a player past his best for too much money and given him too long a contract. I am praying De Sart will be good but I fear Reading will gobble him up. We need an overhaul of our scouting network and recruiting.We need to find our own younger gems and  not lazily sign whatever over-priced player is flavour of the month.Does anyone agree with this premise? 

[nfb]

IMHO De Sart was not the only one who was eaten for dinner at weeds,the system we adopted meant he and Bryson were both exposed. At WBA he won rave reviews for a 1st appearance. As for Nugent he has a lot yet still to offer. ...  

[Boycie]

De Sart played well against West Brom though. Prem players too.  I think it was just a bad day at the office all round. let's see what happens today before we all reach for the razor blades.

I expect a good reaction today.

[Sith Happens]

Lets judge it when its over. What Steve says and what happens might be two different things. Maybe its a bit of a bluff, i.e not sending out a message we are desperate to sign x y or z player and inflate prices.

 

[RadioactiveWaste]

@Ramdoc

Welcome

I don't think De Sart and Nuge aren't bad bits of business in themselves but I agree, overall our transfers haven't been god for a while.

 

[Ramarena]

[Parsnip]

Dunna matter. We've got a good enough squad to challenge for the playoffs. Its the next window that will be the important one, whichever league we're in.

[BramcoteRam84]

This window also isn't over yet. McClaren has said stuff like this before then Derby have pulled signings out the bag.

This window has been ok, we haven't broken the bank, signed a proven goal scorer at this level and shipped Weimann out. A couple more out and a midfielder in and think we can challenge.

It will take a while to undo the damage caused by the past 3 transfer windows and the £25m that's been largely wasted.

[dcfcfan1]

Sometimes using youth is better than getting panick buys IMO

 

Nugent, De Sart and signing hughes new deal could be very prudent. 

[Inverurie Ram]

43 minutes ago, Ramarena said:

I heard we're trying to sign Donald Trump, and some young new kids on the block, with surnames Lewis & Harkes and some American bunch that nearly bought Notts Forest are going to buy us instead, and we will all be singing Zippy De Do Dah in the stands by February and drinking all that American Beer that Eddie drinks, and before we know it, we will of signed God and turning the football into a rugby ball, and calling it an American one and tossing the thing between our legs and shouting Hup, Hup, Hup.........yep it's the end of the world or we could just accept another home defeat against Reading!

[nfb]

I think we're ok with everyone fit too,  but a sneeky signing of Conor Hourihane would be cool if I was to be greedy ?

[Sparkle]

This has not been a poor transfer window, we have not blown what money we have on someone not good enough and we have sent out a decent amount of youngsters out for football ???

now the summer window was woeful in my opinion at the time and it seems to have proved to be the case ( give away your best forward,sell your top international midfielder and not replace him with any quality, sign a generally unproductive career wise wide utility player in anya which would have been fine for £400,000 not the £4.5 million we paid and £8.5 million raising to a possible £12 million Vydra who needs the obvious big clever player next to him) 

[ariotofmyown]

We did win 8 out of 10 matches before losing to a Norwich side full of quality (plus an arguable sending off) and a rampant Leeds sign. We also beat a near full strength Albion side who have pretty much been the best of the rest in the prem this season. It's not exactly panic stations and things could well have been different if we hadn't had 3 proper left backs injured as well as the next best player to fill in there. Our best player has also been suspended and injured and his most natural replacement suspended too. 

[RamNut]

which deals would we agree with?

carson  june 2015 free - i wasn't excited by the signing even though i thought Grant was rubbish. I would probably have gone for bentley but carson has done very well. 

Weale - august 2016 nil - stupid blockhead deal. Its a no from me.

Christie - july 2914 £250k - yes. Spotted him playing for coventry and thought this was a good value deal at the time.

Shackell- july 2015 - £3m - not a good fee for a 32 yr old but i would have done the deal as he seemed certain to solve our defensive frailties, and for one season he did exactly that. Not looking such a great deal now.

Baird - june 2015 free - another player who was a short term 32 yr old - i wouldn't have signed him but i can understand why we did.

Pearce - june 2015 free - why Shackell and Pearce? - i'm sure we thought we were going to be selling keogh. Strange one. If we were keeping keogh and signing shackell, then i wouldn't have signed Pearce, but he was clearly good value for a freebie and shows that there were always better options out there than Albentosa. He's done well so comes into the same catagory as Carson.

Olsson - Jan 2016 £500k - not a player i had ever really noticed. Ok signing but not one i'd have thought of. Ambivalent.

Anya - august 2016 £4m - at 29 years of age? Another stupid blockhead signing. Old players who rely on speed have dodgy hamstrings. 17 starts for watford the previous season? Bad one.

Ince - july 2015 £4.75m - 23 years old - the right age but  i wouldn't have paid that fee at that time. with hindsight transfer fees were rocketting. Still would be a no from me. Maybe he is proving his value now. Hope so.

Johnson - august 2015 £6m - 28 year old at the time. No. Too expensive. Despite reinventing himself as a good holding midfielder i think we signed a dud.

Butterfield - august 2015 £4m - this is another Olsson category signing for me - not a player i knew much about. 25year old at the time. Due to the injuries to hughes and bryson, i might ultimately have been persuaded to pay a million over the odds to sign him. He looked great when he first came. Looks duff now. Hopefully he can come good again and remember we play towards the goal. Journeyman for a reason?

Thorne - july 2014 - £3m - yes yes yes yes yes. Was just a name before the loan. After the loan our entire existence seemed to depend on signing George. Tragic series of severe injuries but its still a yes.

Bent - june 2016 nil - 31 years old at the time. Its a no from me. Huge wages. Doesn't really suit the system. Was never going to be happy as a reserve. No.

Camara - jan 2016 - £1.5m. I can understand our brief foray into europe looking for value, however as i said at the time, this has Mo camara's mits all over it and he has a dreadful track record as a scout. Also the french league isn't really that great. For every payet and mahrez there are a dozen camara's. Its a no from me simply because i wouldn't back mo camara as a scout but i understand why we did.

Blackman - jan 2016 - £3m? - no simply because he hadn't done enough and surely we weren't that desperate. Now he is here i would like him to be given a chance otherwise what was the point?

Vydra - august 2016 - £8m - no. I never rated him previously and that is a huge fee. He doesn't suit our 433 but at the time we were going to scrap that system and that team. Its still a no but actually i like him as a player more than i did. Just not for us in a 433. Another blackman, having signed him he should be given a fair chance.

Nugent - jan 2017 - £2.5m for a 31 year old. No no no. How many times do we make the same mistake. Too old. Isn't likely to suit the system. We already got three strikers in the same catagory. When he played for Preston YES - but not now.

Weimann - july 2015 £2m - same as vydra. Second striker when we don't play 442. Not a bad price. Good age. Obviously someone thought it was worth a gamble and maybe it was. 

 

 

 

[barnsley ram]

7 minutes ago, ariotofmyown said:

We did win 8 out of 10 matches before losing to a Norwich side full of quality (plus an arguable sending off) and a rampant Leeds sign. We also beat a near full strength Albion side who have pretty much been the best of the rest in the prem this season. It's not exactly panic stations and things could well have been different if we hadn't had 3 proper left backs injured as well as the next best player to fill in there. Our best player has also been suspended and injured and his most natural replacement suspended too. 

good post and arent we a few points off the playoffs usual wrist slashers on this forum need to chill

[Sith Happens]

1 minute ago, RamNut said:

which deals would we agree with?

carson  june 2015 free - i wasn't excited by the signing even though i thought Grant was rubbish. I would probably have gone for david bentley but carson has done very well. 

Weale - august 2016 nil - stupid blockhead deal. Its a no from me.

Christie - july 2914 £250k - yes. Spotted him playing for coventry and thought this was a good value deal at the time.

Shackell- july 2015 - £3m - not a good fee for a 32 yr old but i would have done the deal as he seemed certain to solve our defensive frailties, and for one season he did exactly that. Not looking such a great deal now.

Baird - june 2015 free - another player who was a short term 32 yr old - i wouldn't have signed him but i can understand why we did.

Pearce - june 2015 free - why Shackell and Pearce? - i'm sure we thought we were going to be selling keogh. Strange one. If we were keeping keogh and signing shackell, then i wouldn't have signed Pearce, but he was clearly good value for a freebie and shows that there were always better options out there than Albentosa. He's done well so comes into the same catagory as Carson.

Olsson - Jan 2016 £500k - not a player i had ever really noticed. Ok signing but not one i'd have thought of. Ambivalent.

Anya - august 2016 £4m - at 29 years of age? Another stupid blockhead signing. Old players who rely on speed have dodgy hamstrings. 17 starts for watford the previous season? Bad one.

Ince - july 2015 £4.75m - 23 years old - the right age but  i wouldn't have paid that fee at that time. with hindsight transfer fees were rocketting. Still would be a no from me. Maybe he is proving his value now. Hope so.

Johnson - august 2015 £6m - 28 year old at the time. No. Too expensive. Despite reinventing himself as a good holding midfielder i think we signed a dud.

Butterfield - august 2015 £4m - this is another Olsson category signing for me - not a player i knew much about. 25year old at the time. Due to the injuries to hughes and bryson, i might ultimately have been persuaded to pay a million over the odds to sign him. He looked great when he first came. Looks duff now. Hopefully he can come good again and remember we play towards the goal. Journeyman for a reason?

Thorne - july 2014 - £3m - yes yes yes yes yes. Was just a name before the loan. After the loan our entire existence seemed to depend on signing George. Tragic series of severe injuries but its still a yes.

Bent - june 2016 nil - 31 years old at the time. Its a no from me. Huge wages. Doesn't really suit the system. Was never going to be happy as a reserve. No.

Camara - jan 2016 - £1.5m. I can understand our brief foray into europe looking for value, however as i said at the time, this has Mo camara's mits all over it and he has a dreadful track record as a scout. Also the french league isn't really that great. For every payet and mahrez there are a dozen camara's. Its a no from me simply because i wouldn't back mo camara as a scout but i understand why we did.

Blackman - jan 2016 - £3m? - no simply because he hadn't done enough and surely we weren't that desperate. Now he is here i would like him to be given a chance otherwise what was the point?

Vydra - august 2016 - £8m - no. I never rated him previously and that is a huge fee. He doesn't suit our 433 but at the time we were going to scrap that system and that team. Its still a no but actually i like him as a player more than i did. Just not for us in a 433. Another blackman, having signed him he should be given a fair chance.

Nugent - jan 2017 - £2.5m for a 31 year old. No no no. How many times do we make the same mistake. Too old. Isn't likely to suit the system. We already got three strikers in the same catagory. When he played for Preston YES - but not now.

Weimann - july 2015 £2m - same as vydra. Second striker when we don't play 442. Not a bad price. Good age. Obviously someone thought it was worth a gamble and maybe it was. 

 

 

 

Nugent we need to give time, if he gets 5 or 6 goals that get us into the play offs then its a Yes.

Pearce/Baird/Bent - Might be my memory but my recollection is these were made before Mel took full ownership of the club so we were still in economy mode, this would explain the Pearce and Shackell buys in the same window as Shackell was post Mel taking full ownership.

 

[BucksRam]

I can understand the feeling this is a poor transfer window and yes, I do get a little envious of one or two signings I wish we'd secured (the likes of Gayle for example), however I think De Sart is a good player.  He was inspired against WBA.  Nugent is proven at this level and I see him as a bit of a stop gap considering his age.  Jury out of course, but he could be key for us assuming his knees hold out!  He seems to have the fire to want to do well.  Dismiss the Leeds game - it's not indicative and should be considered an off-day...

Weimann out to Wolves is a good move; he just hasn't worked out for us. 

I'd love to have been the fly on the wall when SM asked why on earth we let Martin go.....he clearly likes the guy and wants him back.  We are where we are.  Yes, we've bulked our squad with a few who really ought not be there, however overall we do have a good squad and the ability to consolidate the play-offs so long as we stay fit.  Auto-promotion is gone I believe, but I remain positive we'll be up there fighting.....I hope!

[Rample]

Nowhere near over yet but any window where we're stronger than we started is a decent window and so far we're doing okay. We've added a bit of depth and a bit of experience. Add the new contract for Hughes into the equation and we're definitely in a better position. It is disappointing in a way we're not adding a few to make a better charge for the play offs but with the automatic slots pretty nuch out of reach does 3rd or 6th really matter.p

[AndyinLiverpool]

13 minutes ago, RamNut said:

which deals would we agree with?

carson  june 2015 free - i wasn't excited by the signing even though i thought Grant was rubbish. I would probably have gone for bentley but carson has done very well. 

Weale - august 2016 nil - stupid blockhead deal. Its a no from me.

Christie - july 2914 £250k - yes. Spotted him playing for coventry and thought this was a good value deal at the time.

Shackell- july 2015 - £3m - not a good fee for a 32 yr old but i would have done the deal as he seemed certain to solve our defensive frailties, and for one season he did exactly that. Not looking such a great deal now.

Baird - june 2015 free - another player who was a short term 32 yr old - i wouldn't have signed him but i can understand why we did.

Pearce - june 2015 free - why Shackell and Pearce? - i'm sure we thought we were going to be selling keogh. Strange one. If we were keeping keogh and signing shackell, then i wouldn't have signed Pearce, but he was clearly good value for a freebie and shows that there were always better options out there than Albentosa. He's done well so comes into the same catagory as Carson.

Olsson - Jan 2016 £500k - not a player i had ever really noticed. Ok signing but not one i'd have thought of. Ambivalent.

Anya - august 2016 £4m - at 29 years of age? Another stupid blockhead signing. Old players who rely on speed have dodgy hamstrings. 17 starts for watford the previous season? Bad one.

Ince - july 2015 £4.75m - 23 years old - the right age but  i wouldn't have paid that fee at that time. with hindsight transfer fees were rocketting. Still would be a no from me. Maybe he is proving his value now. Hope so.

Johnson - august 2015 £6m - 28 year old at the time. No. Too expensive. Despite reinventing himself as a good holding midfielder i think we signed a dud.

Butterfield - august 2015 £4m - this is another Olsson category signing for me - not a player i knew much about. 25year old at the time. Due to the injuries to hughes and bryson, i might ultimately have been persuaded to pay a million over the odds to sign him. He looked great when he first came. Looks duff now. Hopefully he can come good again and remember we play towards the goal. Journeyman for a reason?

Thorne - july 2014 - £3m - yes yes yes yes yes. Was just a name before the loan. After the loan our entire existence seemed to depend on signing George. Tragic series of severe injuries but its still a yes.

Bent - june 2016 nil - 31 years old at the time. Its a no from me. Huge wages. Doesn't really suit the system. Was never going to be happy as a reserve. No.

Camara - jan 2016 - £1.5m. I can understand our brief foray into europe looking for value, however as i said at the time, this has Mo camara's mits all over it and he has a dreadful track record as a scout. Also the french league isn't really that great. For every payet and mahrez there are a dozen camara's. Its a no from me simply because i wouldn't back mo camara as a scout but i understand why we did.

Blackman - jan 2016 - £3m? - no simply because he hadn't done enough and surely we weren't that desperate. Now he is here i would like him to be given a chance otherwise what was the point?

Vydra - august 2016 - £8m - no. I never rated him previously and that is a huge fee. He doesn't suit our 433 but at the time we were going to scrap that system and that team. Its still a no but actually i like him as a player more than i did. Just not for us in a 433. Another blackman, having signed him he should be given a fair chance.

Nugent - jan 2017 - £2.5m for a 31 year old. No no no. How many times do we make the same mistake. Too old. Isn't likely to suit the system. We already got three strikers in the same catagory. When he played for Preston YES - but not now.

Weimann - july 2015 £2m - same as vydra. Second striker when we don't play 442. Not a bad price. Good age. Obviously someone thought it was worth a gamble and maybe it was. 

 

 

 

you say Thorne yes, yes, yes but we've spent an awful lot of time and resources trying to find decent cover for him over the last couple of years. For all but 30-odd matches in the last 2 and a half seasons.

[Comrade 86]

January window is always tough. Because of the timing, lots of clubs with a chance of making the play offs are vying for the same limited pool of players, prices tend to be inflated in what is a seller's market and teams succumb to fan pressure on occasion and buy players they might not have in the off-season. 

It's a shame Nugent is injured but I think he may prove good business. People keep talking about his age but Brighton's Murray is 33 and he seems to be doing OK. 

As for De Sart, I'm amazed people are writing him off after a only two games. He was excellent against Premiership opposition and as for the Leeds game, did any of ours really perform with the possible exception of Ince?

As for Mac's comments, let's wait until the end of the window before making judgement. If we are in for an extra player or too it would be daft for us to braodcast the fact to all and sundry right now as the OP seems to suggest the club ought to.