what has happened to the transfer section?

[Jordinho]

Re: **Official Other Games Thread, Season 2012/13**

We've been wating for 6 years, Billy - and missed 2 CL (heaven forbid 3!) spots due to that, imv

YOU may have been waiting, but both Crouch and Adebayor are direct replacements for the position Berbatov played. You could even consider Pav, we certainly didn't pay that kind of money with the intention that he would be a bench warmer.

How do you know that?

We've spent much more than we've made in the last 7-odd years

How could we do that if we're skint? Cash flow means we won't have all the money available during the transfer windows, but we don't spend more than we can cope with. Apart from one cash injection by ENIC, which has been eaten up by the training ground and stadium projects, we only spend money the club generates.

 

[jimmyb]

only the Ronaldo deal left them weaker though

I disagree.

Besides, the point was that the claim that top clubs always hold on to their best players is demonstrably untrue.

 

[billyiddo]

Re: **Official Other Games Thread, Season 2012/13**

I agree to an extent. But this January was the biggest fudge up IMO. We had only two strikers, one of which is streaky, the other has been dreadful and was going to miss vital games due to playing in the ACN. Then predictably, Defoe gets injured against West Brom. And it wouldn't have been a stopgap, Defoe is what 30 now? Adebayor clearly isn't the answer. And AVB just had to sit there and take it because he knows Levy gave him a chance by hiring him, but deep down, he must have been praying Levy would sign someone.

If we don't buy a striker in the summer, I really wouldn't blame Bale for handing in a transfer request.

i have given my take on January a couple of time before so won't risk boring you with it in it's entirety again . . .

Jan is a tough time to sign players, especially strikers and especially strikers of the required quality to grab you 'certain' goals in the prem (look at Adebayor as the perfect example of that) we don't have a bottomless pit of money and paying 5/10/15 million on a striker in january on a 4 year contract when we would potentially be looking again in the summer would be a bad move - imho

what if he doesn't score goals
what if in the summer we're stuck with Adebayor, Defoe, new guy - all 3 aren't good enough to the lead the line next season and no one wants to take them off our hands - 3 players eating up 200k between them in wages - this could potentially mean we couldn't sign a genuine first choice striker for the following season as too much is being spent on the 'back up player' also - 4 forwards for effectively one position - aint gonna happen is it?

it is just too big of a risk, unless we could have secured our primary target - which we supposedly attempted but funnily enough never happened.

 

[Jordinho]

Re: **Official Other Games Thread, Season 2012/13**

Lazio signed a stop gap striker this January: Louis Saha

 

[Rossi22]

And Ba showed some very accomplished touches last season. As did Adebayor.

I don't rate him because his technical game isn't good and he takes a lot of chances to score. He's a physical beast and good in the air. He would excel at Stoke in my mind.

Ah right, so we're just stereotyping then. Cool.

 

[Mumorn]

Benteke is superb.

But I think we can do a little better than him.

 

[Spursalot]

Ah right, so we're just stereotyping then. Cool.

Er yes. I'm stereotyping that footballers that would fit Stoke's style of play, would fit in well at Stoke.

 

[Rossi22]

Er yes. I'm stereotyping that footballers that would fit Stoke's style of play, would fit in well at Stoke.

Because he's big and black. Cool.

 

[Rossi22]

Benteke is superb.

But I think we can do a little better than him.

Such as?

 

[Spursalot]

Because he's big and black. Cool.

No, because he's shown that he's good in the air and can muscle defenders out of the way. And Stoke like Strikers that can do that. Whilst his skill with the ball at his feet is limited.


Not sure what your problem is.

 

[jimmyb]

Because he's big and black. Cool.

Whooooaah!

Easy, there.

What the fudge has colour got to do with the discussion? Seriously, don't play that card where it doesn't belong.

 

[Jurgen the German]

Re: **Official Other Games Thread, Season 2012/13**

i have given my take on January a couple of time before so won't risk boring you with it in it's entirety again . . .

Jan is a tough time to sign players, especially strikers and especially strikers of the required quality to grab you 'certain' goals in the prem (look at Adebayor as the perfect example of that) we don't have a bottomless pit of money and paying 5/10/15 million on a striker in january on a 4 year contract when we would potentially be looking again in the summer would be a bad move - imho

what if he doesn't score goals
what if in the summer we're stuck with Adebayor, Defoe, new guy - all 3 aren't good enough to the lead the line next season and no one wants to take them off our hands - 3 players eating up 200k between them in wages - this could potentially mean we couldn't sign a genuine first choice striker for the following season as too much is being spent on the 'back up player' also - 4 forwards for effectively one position - aint gonna happen is it?

it is just too big of a risk, unless we could have secured our primary target - which we supposedly attempted but funnily enough never happened.

The problem with the Jan window is it's only a month and Levy will always take as much time as you give him. If the window was a year long, he would still wait until the last few hours.

 

[Baleforce]

Re: **Official Other Games Thread, Season 2012/13**

it's all about the summer, January deals are more often than not a rip-off, anathema to Levy

 

[WestBerkshire]

Benteke is superb.

But I think we can do a little better than him.

Who like?

 

[Rossi22]

Whooooaah!

Easy, there.

What the fudge has colour got to do with the discussion? Seriously, don't play that card where it doesn't belong.

Big, black, technically limited. That's the Stoke stereotype. Is it illegal to say black now?

 

[Baleforce]

crouch/Owen/Walters

 

[Mumorn]

Such as?

Wilfried Bony.
Jackson Martinez.
Pierre Aubeymeyang.
Mirko Vucinic.
Alvaro Negredo.

are personally names I think would suit us better than Benteke would. I think Benteke is actually younger than all of them though.

Potential gambles on Philipp Hosiner or Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

 

[billyiddo]

Big, black, technically limited. That's the Stoke stereotype. Is it illegal to say black now?

ive never really considered black players (of any level of technical ability) to be a particular stereotype of Stokes - they go for cloggers of all colors and creeds

 

[Rossi22]

I wouldn't say the first two are technically limited, just past it. Walters fair enough. I just don't see why if you're black and physically gifted, you're immediately labelled as being poor technically and someone who should play for Stoke.

 

[Spursalot]

I wouldn't say the first two are technically limited, just past it. Walters fair enough. I just don't see why if you're black and physically gifted, you're immediately labelled as being poor technically and someone who should play for Stoke.

See this is the issue.

I'm not rating him poor technically because he's black and physically gifted. I'm rating him poor technically because in the ten or so games i have seen him he has been technically poor.


I think Andy Carroll would be pretty perfect for Stoke too.