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BIG DECISIONS RE: PLAYERS - SOME SPECULATIVE FUN

thfcsteff

George Hunt
Thought I'd give this a go.
Somewhere to let loose with a couple of speculative thoughts as to who you'd upgrade this Jan/June and who you'd be phasing out based on Ange remaining our manager. This is beyond the obvious moves like Reguillon and Werner trundling off.
Some of these are undoubtably going to be harsh as there is not a player I list who isn't quality. What I'm looking at is who won't quite help get us to be a regular top 4/winning side.

For me...

We should look to upgrade Vicario if we can get Kelleher/another keeper of same ability but perhaps as importantly the same calm, non-emotional presence.
We need to upgrade Maddison.
Sonny's time is coming to a close, much more off the bench/as a squad player. Still brilliant, still got goals and moves, but just does not do enough of what Ange wants. Obviously in commercial terms we will not sell him, but we need a proper upgrade option.
Biss. As much as he is absolutely growing into a player I trust, we really need to get a proper class 6.

I think we could get around 20-25 for Vicario from Europe, 25 -35 for Maddison, and 20-25 for Biss.

If the money was right for Romero, I'd take it unless the player can give us full committment on and off the pitch.

Again, put this here for a bit of fun but also to perhaps really think who isn't going to be able to do what Ange does consistently.
 
Thought I'd give this a go.
Somewhere to let loose with a couple of speculative thoughts as to who you'd upgrade this Jan/June and who you'd be phasing out based on Ange remaining our manager. This is beyond the obvious moves like Reguillon and Werner trundling off.
Some of these are undoubtably going to be harsh as there is not a player I list who isn't quality. What I'm looking at is who won't quite help get us to be a regular top 4/winning side.

For me...

We should look to upgrade Vicario if we can get Kelleher/another keeper of same ability but perhaps as importantly the same calm, non-emotional presence.
We need to upgrade Maddison.
Sonny's time is coming to a close, much more off the bench/as a squad player. Still brilliant, still got goals and moves, but just does not do enough of what Ange wants. Obviously in commercial terms we will not sell him, but we need a proper upgrade option.
Biss. As much as he is absolutely growing into a player I trust, we really need to get a proper class 6.

I think we could get around 20-25 for Vicario from Europe, 25 -35 for Maddison, and 20-25 for Biss.

If the money was right for Romero, I'd take it unless the player can give us full committment on and off the pitch.

Again, put this here for a bit of fun but also to perhaps really think who isn't going to be able to do what Ange does consistently.
I agree with all of that although Vicarios value is higher imo
In Italy he would be no 1 for his country
Maddison would in theory have buyers here
Romero would like to go but as I said ok the other thread I can’t see anyone who can afford him wanting him
The squad isn’t right, yet
What I do find interesting is your talking about Anges leadership group there
I said it at the time, the players he chose had vibes to me of being similar to who Poch chose when he joined (big CB, star striker and creative midfielder) but they had very different attitudes of course
 
I agree with all of that although Vicarios value is higher imo
In Italy he would be no 1 for his country
Maddison would in theory have buyers here
Romero would like to go but as I said ok the other thread I can’t see anyone who can afford him wanting him
The squad isn’t right, yet
What I do find interesting is your talking about Anges leadership group there
I said it at the time, the players he chose had vibes to me of being similar to who Poch chose when he joined (big CB, star striker and creative midfielder) but they had very different attitudes of course
Well said, I hadn't made that connection, but you're right.
I think he must be very, very disappointed TBH. And I absolutely agree with your Poch era comparison, it does have shades of that doesn't it? Good shouts...
 
Well said, I hadn't made that connection, but you're right.
I think he must be very, very disappointed TBH. And I absolutely agree with your Poch era comparison, it does have shades of that doesn't it? Good shouts...
It does
And we also have the young striker coming through
The young creative talent in the wings (2 or 3 of them)
The unknown CB joining (I mean Vusckovic)
I said that this feels like Redknapps era and we are really creating a squad for the next man (iraloa is the new Poch)
 
I agree with all of that although Vicarios value is higher imo
In Italy he would be no 1 for his country
Maddison would in theory have buyers here
Romero would like to go but as I said ok the other thread I can’t see anyone who can afford him wanting him
The squad isn’t right, yet
What I do find interesting is your talking about Anges leadership group there
I said it at the time, the players he chose had vibes to me of being similar to who Poch chose when he joined (big CB, star striker and creative midfielder) but they had very different attitudes of course
Vicario will never be Italian number 1
 
It does
And we also have the young striker coming through
The young creative talent in the wings (2 or 3 of them)
The unknown CB joining (I mean Vusckovic)
I said that this feels like Redknapps era and we are really creating a squad for the next man (iraloa is the new Poch)

I would like Ange to get the chance to se it through (if he wants to).
I think it feels very much like early Poch era.
 
Thought I'd give this a go.
Somewhere to let loose with a couple of speculative thoughts as to who you'd upgrade this Jan/June and who you'd be phasing out based on Ange remaining our manager. This is beyond the obvious moves like Reguillon and Werner trundling off.
Some of these are undoubtably going to be harsh as there is not a player I list who isn't quality. What I'm looking at is who won't quite help get us to be a regular top 4/winning side.

For me...

We should look to upgrade Vicario if we can get Kelleher/another keeper of same ability but perhaps as importantly the same calm, non-emotional presence.
We need to upgrade Maddison.
Sonny's time is coming to a close, much more off the bench/as a squad player. Still brilliant, still got goals and moves, but just does not do enough of what Ange wants. Obviously in commercial terms we will not sell him, but we need a proper upgrade option.
Biss. As much as he is absolutely growing into a player I trust, we really need to get a proper class 6.

I think we could get around 20-25 for Vicario from Europe, 25 -35 for Maddison, and 20-25 for Biss.

If the money was right for Romero, I'd take it unless the player can give us full committment on and off the pitch.

Again, put this here for a bit of fun but also to perhaps really think who isn't going to be able to do what Ange does consistently.
I wouldn't sell them. Just get proper competition. They are good players, and by selling them, we're at square one, with no adequate backup when the new guy is injured, banned or off form. There are others who should be sold.
 
I wouldn't sell them. Just get proper competition. They are good players, and by selling them, we're at square one, with no adequate backup when the new guy is injured, banned or off form. There are others who should be sold.
Who would you sell?
 
Fully agree on Richy
Bentacur would make sense because of his age and contract
Can’t sell Werner of course
I like Bentancur and he's a good player, but he just lacks that little bit extra. Doesn't really take control of games enough, too few goals and assists and too many injuries. Then there's his age, and that Uruguay thing that's hanging over him.
 
I like Bentancur and he's a good player, but he just lacks that little bit extra. Doesn't really take control of games enough, too few goals and assists and too many injuries. Then there's his age, and that Uruguay thing that's hanging over him.
He is back in the Uruguayan squad I think
So that changed quick
I think he is one of our classiest players
But it’s a numbers game
 
I quite like flekken for gk, would love the Liverpool guy but can't see them selling to us.
Send Romero to RM for cash and a player, modric? Difficult deal all round tbh.
Maddison is not going to cut it, I don't think Ange will keep him around. By all accounts ange had a chat with him before signing and was very impressed with his attitude. Think that's gone.

Going against my normal thought patterns I would be looking for a solanke type signing at CB or DM.
Been around a bit, never had a proper chance, something to prove. Willing!
 
If we end up being a mid-table side, in theory, you want to upgrade pretty much everywhere on the pitch.

I'm going to go against the grain here but the position I would look to improve first is LB. Udogie hasn't been up to scratch for a long time and some real competition would allow him some time off to recapture his early form. His game has become extremely predictable and he tends to break whatever momentum we have in the final third.

A quality DM would be useful, or a regular centre-back, if we were to push Romero further up the pitch.

Then we'd need two wingers who can beat their man and creat some danger in the opposition area. I know a lot of people don't like Werner but his direct style of play seems more suited to what we're trying to do (hence his decent stats). Johnson would be ok as an impact sub but he offers to little in terms of influence to be anything more than that at the moment.

I don't think any of this will happen anytime soon, though, and when it will, Postecoglou will be long gone. I'm not even sure we can afford the kind of players we would need for his system. We will always have imperfect players and even if we were to improve there, we'd feel like we have to invest elsewhere.

My take on the current team is that it's not necessarily a bad one but a) the personnel isn't suited to what Postecoglou is trying to do and b) we have a glass ceiling we will never be able to break since he will only use one tactics. Very few teams can afford to use two different systems these days but you have to be something special if you're not going to adapt to the opposition at all. I don't think we will be anywhere near that level during his time at the club.
 
I quite like flekken for gk, would love the Liverpool guy but can't see them selling to us.
Send Romero to RM for cash and a player, modric? Difficult deal all round tbh.
Maddison is not going to cut it, I don't think Ange will keep him around. By all accounts ange had a chat with him before signing and was very impressed with his attitude. Think that's gone.

Going against my normal thought patterns I would be looking for a solanke type signing at CB or DM.
Been around a bit, never had a proper chance, something to prove. Willing!
Players who see us a step up rather than a sideways move
 
Players who see us a step up rather than a sideways move
Maddison probably saw us as that.

Unless we completely change our approach to signing players we will bump along as we have done for many years. Where we are suits the owners: stadium is full, the tills at the concession stalls take a battering at every home game, the merchandise flies off the shelves, Catfish and the Bottlemen come and play, and the Skywalk and the F1 track are never short of punters. Why alter it?
 
Maddison probably saw us as that.

Unless we completely change our approach to signing players we will bump along as we have done for many years. Where we are suits the owners: stadium is full, the tills at the concession stalls take a battering at every home game, the merchandise flies off the shelves, Catfish and the Bottlemen come and play, and the Skywalk and the F1 track are never short of punters. Why alter it?
Maddison when signed was a £60m player but his contract meant we paid £40
Solanke at £65m
Richarlison at £55m (if that’s right)
These are big money signings
We just spent £60m ish on 3 kids
3 of the back 4 cost £45m roughly, each
We aren’t doing things cheaply
 
I’d demote the current leadership group and promote Sarr, Van der Ven and Solanke.

More. I would sell off Romero, Richie and Maddison now and Son at the end of this season.

I’d probably by some of those Georgians who lit up the Euros, people like that.

Don’t follow much football at the moment. It’s a fallow period for us that is set to continue.
 
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