We only need 3 players

[Hoowl]

------------ FW --- Pavlyuchenko

LW -------- DM --- Modric --------- Bentley

Bale --- Corluka --- Woodgate --- Hutton

------------- Gomes

When most people talk about what players are needed to improve the team the general consensus seems to be that we need a DM a LM and a FW. That's only three players. We generally seem to think the rest of the tam consists of players that are pretty good, or at least players we are happy to have in our team. Do we really think signing these three players will result in such a dramatic improvement in the team that has lost 6 and drawn 2 out of 8 league games? In the summer most people wold have said getting these 3 signings would have had us challenging the top 4 for a Champions Legaue place. If you take 3 players from a squad capable of challenging the top 6 I wouldn't expect them to become relegation candidates, even taking into consideration our inflated summer expectations.

It's not as if we have no-one to play in these positions. We have people who can play there, some of whom we would be happy to sign for the positions if the didn't already play for us!

Lennon can play LW (with Bentley on the right). If Lennon played for another team and we were linked to him as a left winger I imagine most people would see it as a decent option. Modric can also play there (the guy who is awesome for Croatia), as can Dos Santos. Again, these aren't bad players and I dare say most of the teams in the league would take one, if not more of them.

As for DM, Jenas and Zokora played together in the centre last season and the season before and, for all their faults we didn't look like losing every game we played. Two years ago they played together and we got fifth. You couldn't just put any old midfield behind Keane and Berbatov. They're far from a perfect combination but, as individuals and as a combination, they aren't the worst central midfielders in the league.

Up front, we have Bent, Pavlyuchenko, Campbell, Dos Santos. Considering I've seen players like Andy Booth, Neil Fenn and Rory Allen play up front this doesn't look like the worst array of forward players we've had. If Pavlyuchenko is first choice then our 'stand in' until we sign that FW we are looking for in January is either Bent (who has 4 goals in 8 starts this year) or Campbell (who has far more experience than Fenn or Allen ever had) or Dos Santos.

So why, when we seem to want only three players to solve our problems are we bottom of the league? For all this dis-satisfaction about Levy (he has clearly made mistakes but that's not what this thread is about) we have the players to be higher than 20th in the league. The general unhappyness everyone is feeling stems from the fact the team isn't getting results at the moment and I think this immediate issue is clearly down to the performance of the current players and the coach.

 

[van_Pommel]

Completley agree. I would say our current squad should be capable of achieving 5-8th in the league. However, we need to allow for the players who are new to the league to adapt.

With regards to the 3 positions:

The DM is essential in my opinion, neither JJ or Zokora are of the required quality to push the top 4, which was our aim at the start of the season.

A LW would be nice and would allow us to play Modric in the middle.

I have high hopes for Giovani in the second striker role and I think he and Pav could complement each other superbly. For this reason I wouldnt want to sign anyone as he would then hardly get a game and would end up leaving and fullfilling his potential somewhere else which would result in us kicking ourselves.

 

[ollie_spurs]

We've needed 3 more players for as long as i can remember.

 

[DC_Boy]

Hi Howl interesting post as usual - but have to disagree - 4-4-2 with two wingers and Modric and another in mid - we wouldn't be strong enough in the mid

you'd have more chance with DM & JJ

but even that would with risky

I prefer 3 mids plus one winger in a 4-4-2

 

[Roberts84]

I also think you need to write off Pavlyuchenko for this season as I really think it will take that long for him to settle in

 

[donny1013]

Man City have similar attacking options to us with Jo (Pav/Bent) lone striker, Robinho (Lennon) on the left, SWP (Bentley) on the right and Ireland (Modric) in the centre. But they have two out and out DM's in Kompany and Hamann and i think we have to bring in two out and out DM's in January as well as another striker to finally replace Keano

 

[WhiteStripe]

Can we all stop with the "DM required posts" its not a DM that we need, its a "Captain", its a player who will organise the midfield, its a player who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck and run with it. These plyaers take many forms, not just Defensive Midfield. Gerrard, Roy Keane, Patrick Viera (sp), Gattuso, Essien, Rooney. None of these are defensive midfielders! CAN WE PLEASE HAVE A MIDFILED GENERAL, A CAPTAIN, AN ENGINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK!!!!!

Gomes
Hutton----Corluka----Woodgate----Bale

------Jenas----(GENERAL)-----

Lennon------------------Modric---------

Pav-------Campbell
​

That team would be sufficient to get us 40 points!​

 

[Hoowl]

Hi Howl interesting post as usual - but have to disagree - 4-4-2 with two wingers and Modric and another in mid - we wouldn't be strong enough in the mid

you'd have more chance with DM & JJ

but even that would with risky

I prefer 3 mids plus one winger in a 4-4-2

Where to fit Modric could have a least ten threads of its own . I don't want people to pay too much attention to the formation I've posted above, it was just an example. The main point I want to get across is that the general consensus is that the majority of our team consists of good players and even the 'stand-in' players aren't terrible. We shouldn't be in the mess we're in.

I also think you need to write off Pavlyuchenko for this season as I really think it will take that long for him to settle in

Personally I'd have Bent (0.5 goals per start) as a first choice striker but it seems Ramos prefers Pavlyuchenko.

 

[DC_Boy]

fair comments Hoowl as usual

 

[Hoowl]

Can we all stop with the "DM required posts" its not a DM that we need, its a "Captain", its a player who will organise the midfield, its a player who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck and run with it. These plyaers take many forms, not just Defensive Midfield. Gerrard, Roy Keane, Patrick Viera (sp), Gattuso, Essien, Rooney. None of these are defensive midfielders! CAN WE PLEASE HAVE A MIDFILED GENERAL, A CAPTAIN, AN ENGINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK!!!!!

Gomes
Hutton----Corluka----Woodgate----Bale

------Jenas----(GENERAL)-----

Lennon------------------Modric---------

Pav-------Campbell
​

That team would be sufficient to get us 40 points!​

I reckon this team is sufficient to get us 40 points.

Gomes
Hutton----Corluka----Woodgate----Bale

------Jenas----Zokora-----

Lennon------------------Modric---------

Bent-------Campbell
​

 

[van_Pommel]

Can we all stop with the "DM required posts" its not a DM that we need, its a "Captain", its a player who will organise the midfield, its a player who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck and run with it. These plyaers take many forms, not just Defensive Midfield. Gerrard, Roy Keane, Patrick Viera (sp), Gattuso, Essien, Rooney. None of these are defensive midfielders! CAN WE PLEASE HAVE A MIDFILED GENERAL, A CAPTAIN, AN ENGINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARK!!!!!

Gomes
Hutton----Corluka----Woodgate----Bale​

------Jenas----(GENERAL)-----​

Lennon------------------Modric---------​

Pav-------Campbell​

That team would be sufficient to get us 40 points!​

I agree mate. For example, I wouldnt want Diarra from Portsmouth who is a very good DM.

I think DM is just easier to type.

 

[brasil_spur]

For me the priority we need to achieve is to have a balanced squad, so for that i think we need the following:

Solid Keeper and backup keeper - DONE

Solid and consistant back four - Not yet

We need to go with the following for our defence and stick with it, stop chopping and changing:

RB - 1st Hutton | 2nd Gunter | (Res. Corluka)
RCB - 1st Corluka | 2nd Dawson | (Res. Gunter)
LCB - 1st Woodagte | 2nd ? | (Res. King)
LB - 1st ? | 2nd O'Hara| (Res. Ekotto/Gilberto)


Solid central midfield, with an even mixture of A) Defensive, B) Creative and C) Hard working box-to box players - Not yet, currently we have:

A) Defensive - no-one
B) Creative - Huddlestone & Modric
C) Box-to-box - Jenas & Zokora

Two proper attacking wingers and two back-up wingers, one of each for each side - DONE

RW - Lennon & Bentley
LW - Bale & GDS

And finally we need 4 strikers, at least one target man and two highly creative players - Not yet

Bent - neither target nor creative
Pavyluchenko - definitley not creative, could become a target man though
Campbell - creative maybe but not even our player properly

So in January we need to buy the following types of players:

a) 1 x LCB
b) 2 x DM
c) 1 x Creative midfielder
d) 1 x Highly creative stiker (also if this person is a target man would be great)

I'd go for:

a) difficult to call but for me probably Upson or if we wanted to take a bit of a risk either Eirk Pieters or Dirk Marcellis of PSV (both Netherlands U21 players).

b) bit easier this one - get Appiah in now on a free, if he gets fit in time for Jan then you're one player down, the other to get in would then be Diarra - failing that i'd even consider Scott Parker.

c) very difficult, as impossible to know who's about, but someone like Richarlyson from Sao Paulo would be a interesting attacking young player or someone more established like Lucho González.

d) Zaki (if possible) and/or Arshavin

 

[Rocksuperstar]

Huntelaar & Pirlo in, push Bale up to the LM slot and lean more on BAE and/or Gilberto to find their feet.

If they can't, move them out and look to see if we can get a youngster, like Andrew Taylor to cement himself a slot at LB, knowing we've always got Jamie'O to fill the gap if required.

No big changes, just enough to stop this lilywhite boat from sinking.

 

[worcestersauce]

Jamie O'Hara ???
​

 

[riversmonkey]

Defintely need a central defender, a left winger and a presence in the centre of midfield.

I think our league position come January will decide our transfer targets. If we are *fingers crossed* out of the bottom three and still in contention in the cups we will spend big and ambitiously which could lead to Arsharvin and other 'qaulity' signings of that ilk.

If we are four to six points adrift the signings will be more cautious, we will sign players who will agree to stay if God forbid we are in the championship next season. With Levy's business acumen as it is we are not going to spaff a load of cash if there is a high probability of failure.

We also don't know who the manager will be in January which is another factor to take into consideration.

 

[eddiebailey]

I think we are more than three players off of a top four spot, but I agree we should be comfortably midtable with our current squad.

Our squad was far weaker in the last days of Graham or during Pleat's caretakership, and we did not struggle like this.

 

[tRiKS]

i just giggled at some of the hopefull thoughts i had during the transfer window

David Villa :rofl: Eto :rofl:

classic

 

[Kendall]

why is pavlyuchenko first choice over bent?

 

[eddiebailey]

i just giggled at some of the hopefull thoughts i had during the transfer window

David Villa :rofl: Eto :rofl:

classic

But they were all queueing up to join us because of Ramos...

 

[Mullers]

we have the players to be higher than 20th in the league. The general unhappyness everyone is feeling stems from the fact the team isn't getting results at the moment and I think this immediate issue is clearly down to the performance of the current players and the coach.

Yes total agree, there is no one player that can be a scapegoat for our current form. Whatever formation, who ever we put out there, the players are more than good enough to get us higher than 20th place. New players in January won't solve the problem. Another thing I wish that people would get off Bents back. Bottom line is if he doesn't get service how can he score goals? He has already scored more than anyone else in our side this season and more than Berbatov and Keane too.