Transfers In

[Professor]

With NA hinting he will strengthen the team in January and not ruling out a loan signing before then, how good has transfer activity been and is it the manager or the chairman who is driving the bus?

 

The present team is still largely Pardew's team, as per:-

Players already here before the Administration include:- Davis; Schneiderlin; Lallana; Holmes

Players added by Pardew are:- Richardson & Butterfield; Fonte & Jaidi; Harding, Hammond, Dickson, Guly, Connolly, Lambert, Barnard, also Seaborne and Martin

Players signed by Adkins:- Chaplow, Forte, Cork, de Ridder, Fox, and Hooiveldt. Of these, two had already played for the club under previous managers.

 

The striker signing not made, despite the string of bids attributed to the club, was a disapointment but the Hooiveldt loan was clearly a good move. de Ridder is used only as an impact sub and not as a replacement for AOC who had become aregular first choice in the starting line-up. Fox has added to the crowded LFB slot and Forte is on his way out. It does seem that more was achieved in the transfer market when Pardew was here yet we still have the same chairman and, we are told, a strong scouting network.

 

So what can we expect? A first choice player or two, more squad players, or nothing because this team is already good enough to do the job.

[dubai_phil]

Think we have to find a home for our spare left back.

 

Think we have to change the attitude of many thread openers on here as well. Think we have to stop thinking so much about "Could this name I have heard of DAJFU?" and start to think "Who would pass our Psyche Evaluation Tests?"

 

Clearly of NA's recent signings SDR & Jos the Boss fit that latter criteria (remember the wrist slitting when we signed Jos anyone?)

 

I think we now look for footballers with as much brains as natural talent, the days of the Chicken George (greatest footballer in the world ever - from the shoulders down) are long gone. So I think general intelligence as well as footballing intelligence will be part of the profile.

 

So add those factors in with Pace and Technical ability, rather than "A good solid CB" or a "Goal scoring machine"

 

So are we likely to have herad of the targets? Possibly not - they could be good technical players who do not fit in to hoofball type sides, although the actions of Billy Sharp in the past weeks show a level of maturity & intelligence.....

[Wes Tender]

In your first line, you say that NA hints on bringing in new players in January and doesn't rule out a loan signing before then. In your last line you raise the question as to what we can expect. Well, reread your first line for the answer.

 

You say that the present team is largely Pardew's yet he brought in 13, but 10 were either here, or brought in later by Adkins. But in any event, the time span that Adkins has been here is not much different to Pardew's tenure, so it is now debateable as to whether those were just Pardew's players, but are now Adkin's team.

 

Six players have been brought in by Adkins, those players presumably identified by our scouting network, wanted by Adkins and sanctioned by Cortese. Pardew had to do more in the way of new players, because urgent action was required at the time to change the team he inherited. What exactly are you trying to say?

[david in sweden]

With NA hinting he will strengthen the team in January and not ruling out a loan signing before then, how good has transfer activity been and is it the manager or the chairman who is driving the bus?

 

The present team is still largely Pardew's team, as per:-

Players already here before the Administration include:- Davis; Schneiderlin; Lallana; Holmes

Players added by Pardew are:- Richardson & Butterfield; Fonte & Jaidi; Harding, Hammond, Dickson, Guly, Connolly, Lambert, Barnard, also Seaborne and Martin

Players signed by Adkins:- Chaplow, Forte, Cork, de Ridder, Fox, and Hooiveldt. Of these, two had already played for the club under previous managers.

 

The striker signing not made, despite the string of bids attributed to the club, was a disapointment but the Hooiveldt loan was clearly a good move. de Ridder is used only as an impact sub and not as a replacement for AOC who had become aregular first choice in the starting line-up. Fox has added to the crowded LFB slot and Forte is on his way out. It does seem that more was achieved in the transfer market when Pardew was here yet we still have the same chairman and, we are told, a strong scouting network.

 

So what can we expect? A first choice player or two, more squad players, or nothing because this team is already good enough to do the job.

 

I just repeat what I wrote in january ...another striker a cover for Lambert -- " in the event of ...!"

 

a central defender...with Jaidi out for (most of the season and on a one year contract) ...and Seaborne still not back in the squad.. now we need HOOIVELD + A.N. OTHER.

 

it may sound an extreme measure but I would like an additional keeper - not that I don't like KD but in the event of promotion we need two class keepers and (sorry)... but for me Bart 'aint it !......however, that decision can probably wait until April.

Edited 17 November, 2011 by david in sweden

[trousers]

Incoming manager in "largely happy with the multi-million pound squad he inherited in the 3rd tier of English football and then got the best out of them" shocker

[trousers]

Think we have to find a home for our spare left back.

 

Think we have to change the attitude of many thread openers on here as well. Think we have to stop thinking so much about "Could this name I have heard of DAJFU?" and start to think "Who would pass our Psyche Evaluation Tests?"

 

Clearly of NA's recent signings SDR & Jos the Boss fit that latter criteria (remember the wrist slitting when we signed Jos anyone?)

 

I think we now look for footballers with as much brains as natural talent, the days of the Chicken George (greatest footballer in the world ever - from the shoulders down) are long gone. So I think general intelligence as well as footballing intelligence will be part of the profile.

 

So add those factors in with Pace and Technical ability, rather than "A good solid CB" or a "Goal scoring machine"

 

So are we likely to have herad of the targets? Possibly not - they could be good technical players who do not fit in to hoofball type sides, although the actions of Billy Sharp in the past weeks show a level of maturity & intelligence.....

 

This.

 

What seems like small changes on the outside is actually a seismic shift in attitude and application under the covers.

[del boy]

Incoming manager in "largely happy with the multi-million pound squad he inherited in the 3rd tier of English football and then got the beet out of them" shocker

That was the problem with the old squad....too much beet

[Huntingdon]

If you're comparing AP & NA, then I'd like to add two loan signings to Pardew's list - Antonio & Papa Waigo

These two were really important players in out JPT truimph, and our near miss on the play-offs after starting with -10 points

 

That first season set us up nicely for last season's promotion push, and even though those players never returned, they helped get the ball rolling

[trousers]

That was the problem with the old squad....too much beet

 

For sale: iPhone. One relatively careful owner. F***ing s h I t e auto-complete facility. 500 Drakma (o.n.o)

[Mowgli]

I thought we had moved on from comparing managers. These days, signings are not down to the manager but down to the collective assessment of a number of people within the club. Sometimes the manager gets a player he has been tracking for a while. Other times he just accepts what other tell him. Either way, his role os to coach the beat out of them.

 

I think NA's role this transfer window is simply to identify the areas that need strengthening.

[shurlock]

Confusing OP -apples and pears who achieved what as both NA and AP had to deal with different challenges -fundamental rebuilding vs. getting the best out of the squad.

 

FWIW, AP had more transfer windows to work than NA (3 versus 2) and he also spent more money (if you believe the numbers). Its also questionable whether more of the current team are AP's signings: Richardson, Lambert, Hammond and to a lesser extent Connolly are the only signings that feature regularly ATM. The rest were either around in the bad old days or were brought in by NA (technically Guly is NA's and was probably NC's inspiration - and if the experience of Papa Waigo is anything to go by, its not certain AP would have got anything like the best out of Guly).

 

This is not to knock AP - he was forced to punch above his weight in terms of attracting championship-level players to what in August 2009 was a L1 longshot/sleeping giant/quasi-basket case; by contrast, NAenjoys greater room to manoeuvre and a larger field to pick from (though that's in part the product of the club's success and rising profile which he has overseen). That some of AP's players are still around is credit to his skills, though -if you believe the press- its also no coincidence that they are positions -RB, striker- where we are trying most actively to strengthen.

 

To the extent NA has had less time or cash to spend in the market, the jury is probably still out on his transfer record. I think we'll have a better idea at the end of the season when we can judge the impact of the striker we will probably sign in January and how the defence stands up.

 

Finally, what defines a canny operator is not the ability to spend big but to spot bargains - it didn't take a genius to identify Lambert as HCDAJFU in L1 (who knows whether AP would have still gone for Lambert had he taken us over in the championship). For me, deals like Chaplow, Morgan and Connolly give me as much satisfaction. Another hallmark is the ability to know when not to buy or rush into the market. Not every problem needs a new signing which can often just make things worse.

Edited 15 November, 2011 by shurlock

[The9]

In line with my other posts on this subject, I think we will add approximately 3-4 players (probably including Hooiveld), all of whom will be potentially of Prem quality or already with experience there. One of them is likely to be a striker, as we are extremely limited in what we can do up there.

 

Another centre-back in addition to Hooiveld might not be a bad idea either, and you can't have enough flexible defensive-minded midfielders...

[Windmill Arm 2]

We are 5 points clear at the top of the N Power Championship......who cares?

[RinNY]

Of the six players listed as signed by Adkins, 4 are currently first team regulars (Fox, Hooiveld, Chaplow, Cork) and another, Steve de Ridder, is one of the most regular players to come off the bench, and has played an important role as substitute.

 

I'd say that suggests that whatever exactly Adkins does in terms of loan signings or January signings can be expected to improve the team either by becoming starters or getting on the field as substitutes. Since the first team and squad are pretty good as is, I'd expect only 1 or 2 signings , and for them to be impact signings -- possibly at CB (signing Hooiveld permanently) and a big and/or pacy striker, to spell Lambert.

[Lallana's Left Peg]

The transfer window presents a nice problem for Adkins, but it isn't straight forward. The best time to strengthen is when you are going well, I've no doubt about that but when you look at what appears to be Adkins approach to getting results it is based on a close group where everyone contributes. If the squad size swells then some people will be unhappy, so I can't see the squad going without some departures. Forte and Dickson certainly seem surplus to requirements, and I'm not 100% convinced we'll see much of Barnard this season, especially if we get another striker in.

 

Adkins has mentioned a few times that the goal this season was to be Top 10 by January and then strengthen accordingly. Right now we're at the top of the pile and in a great position to attract some good players, but how that opportunity is weighed up against disrupting what we've got is a bit of a challenge (albeit a good one).