The Daily ITK Discussion Thread - THE LAST DAY! 1st September 2014

[topper]

Can we take the banner down now please and dispel the myth that we make great buys on transfer deadline day - it's a day for outgoings

 

[Dean]

Don't think Verts will like that..

Don't care about no super-striker. This made my night.

 

[Amo]

Technically speaking deals don't need to be completed until midnight so long as the FA is aware of the deal by 11PM. So still a few deals that could go through that haven't been finalised.

Not ours though.

 

[JerryGarcia]

The lamela thing just gets me down, thought we had a player again after qpr but everyone I spoke to after yesterday laughed, all think he is very predictable and can only beat people on his left side, Rodgers worked it out yest and the Liverpool players showed him on his left side then nicked it when he dropped his shoulder ! Not convinced at all !

It's one game against a very good side and he was still one of our better players. I know what you mean about his dribbling though, he needs to sort that out and pick his moments better. I've been more impressed with his passing this season though and once he realises that's his real strength in this leage, I think he'll be great.

 

[cooko70]

Looking forward to Levy's statement...

I've got it here !!
Dear Cutomers (sorry fans!)
Blah Blah Stadium,
Blah Blah 5 year plan ,
Blah Blah we were close

Love Danny

 

[nedley]

I know what you're saying but Siggy and Holtby must be good for about 5 goals a season between them.. We'll survive without that.
And for all Sandros experience he was rightly 4th choice.
It's not so bad

In all comps last year? Your looking at 12 + surely.

Chadli and Lamela HAVE to step up.

 

[gushayes11]

Really surprised Negredo has gone. Aguero and Jovetic are pretty injury prone ATM.

 

[Stoof]

I have decided that yes. Poch identified one target as vital, MS, and we failed to get him for whatever reason. Sometimes to get the important targets, you pay over the odds - see Bale, Di Maria, Sanchez etc. Yes these clubs have greater spending power than us, but we had Townsend, a player Soton wanted to get the price down, plus we've made £11m profit this summer.

Sorry, but he was not worth £27m. And no, a club that turns our level of profit does not go all Ridsdale for a gamble. It just can't. For Financial Fair Play reasons as much as generally having the money reasons!! It's a fairly basic concept isn't it?

That every player has his price is different to the situation at Spurs this summer. The fact that every player has his price applies more to situations like Bale and Modric, where you have a prized asset that you don't want to lose, but at the right price you let them go. This summer, we were willing to listen to offers for all the names I mentioned above, meaning that Poch would have let them go willingly. This in essence means that he doesn't feel they are important players to what he wants to achieve. I hope you can see this vital difference between the two situations.

But at the same time, he was happy with all of them. Which, to me, suggests he can coach players his vision of how football should be played. Christ, that sounds better to me than relying on particular types of players and specific players. If he identifies a general set of skills that he needs in a player then that could suggest they are more interchangeable.

We're both guessing to fit our moods ultimately. Albeit mine is a bit more backed up with Poch saying that he's happy with the squad.

Agree to disagree.

 

[DaSpurs]

Trix on COYS:

I have been quite privileged the last few months in the fact that I have been privy to quite a lot of info regarding what has been going on be hind the scenes at the club. I have posted pretty much everything I have heard and most of it in as much detail as I could.
Something worth repeating though is...................
Poch is very happy with the squad he has got!
Levy was heavily criticised last Summer for having no coherent transfer plan, so instead this year we set out a list of targets that Poch thinks will improve squad in the positions he thinks need upgrading. With CB we have had a preferential list which we have worked our way through until we have gotten our target because Poch didn't have faith in what we had and the ones at the top of the list became unobtainable for one reason or another. That is a very different situation to the other signings we wanted.
There is no point in just bringing in players that the manager really doesn't fancy, because come January/next summer we will be looking to move them on again, (which is so very difficult) just to get the players that were top of the list as of now. Yes I think if we had pushed earlier we could have got Welbeck, but the fact is Poch wanted J-Rod which is why we dallied over getting Welbeck done on loan. As time moved on it became apparent that the loan option was no longer viable and it would have to be a a full transfer if we were to get him. No way were we going to pay in excess of £15mil for Welbeck, when the manager would STILL want Rodriguez in January.
IMO both deals for the Saints boys were possible, but it would have meant throwing a lot more money at the players than even Poch deemed they were worth(financially speaking). Yes it has been a disappointing end to the window but I will just reiterate Poch is very happy with the squad as is. I am underwhelmed with today but I'd rather wait and get the manager what he wants than another scatter gun approach like we had last summer, and we have addressed quite a few issues this window already. LB, RB, CB and CM have all been in Poch's opinion upgraded and that is the key to what he needs to do his job properly.
He is being backed even if it doesn't look like it from the outside, buying players he didn't want just for the sake of buying them would not be backing him, it would have been exactly the opposite.
And for anyone that puts this down to Levy PR spin, my info comes form sources close to Poch and to the Southampton end of things, not Levy or the club itself.

I very much like Trix. Very reasonable information he gives, with reasonable insight, and I could not agree more with what he says here.

 

[atoubasrightfoot]

Technically speaking deals don't need to be completed until midnight so long as the FA is aware of the deal by 11PM. So still a few deals that could go through that haven't been finalised.

Let go of the straws mate, it's over.

 

[dwayne-mooney]

I know a lot of you will be upset by the window, we clearly need improvements in CM, LWF and CF.
It is not that easy, it is not just down to finances.
Poch wanted to reduce the squad we have gone some way to doing this, he wanted to start building from the back and we have bought in a keeper and 4 defenders.
He is keen to improve in other positions and we were never going to get all targets, am sure we will be back in for J-Rod and MS in January as well as looking for alternatives.
It is important that we keep reducing the squad so that Poch can get the squad he wants, there are whole host of players that he does not see as a long term part of his plans, hopefully we will be able to get rid of some of these in Jan.
Poch has a reputation as a good coach and he will now have to work with what he has but he was always happy to do so, as I said he never thought he would get everything sorted in 1 window. Patience is required by the fans and the board, if anybody failed this summer it was Levy not selling players so we never had the space to bring in others.[/quote]

 

[Blackrat1299]

I like MoPo but I think I am right in saying that he see's a way to the CL by winning the Europa? I am sorry to say that this team has no chance of that. We needed that stiker and LWF.

 

[chinaman]

Fairly sure we'll see Rodriguez and Schneiderlin in Jan regardless.

With other clubs.

 

[BTN1]

Right glad thats over, right now on with the business of playing football. Remember football is won on the pitch not on deadline day - good window for me, no big names, but hopefully players poch can use in his system, and a lot of the dead wood out the door.
Coys

 

[nailsy]

There is more to the deal than you know in regards to fee and ownership ..... Not for here

I guess we're done until January then?

 

[jezz]

The lamela thing just gets me down, thought we had a player again after qpr but everyone I spoke to after yesterday laughed, all think he is very predictable and can only beat people on his left side, Rodgers worked it out yest and the Liverpool players showed him on his left side then nicked it when he dropped his shoulder ! Not convinced at all !

Your post says everything.
After one game, I give up

 

[paulcumpstone]

Ali Z on COYS:

I know a lot of you will be upset by the window, we clearly need improvements in CM, LWF and CF.
It is not that easy, it is not just down to finances.
Poch wanted to reduce the squad we have gone some way to doing this, he wanted to start building from the back and we have bought in a keeper and 4 defenders.
He is keen to improve in other positions and we were never going to get all targets, am sure we will be back in for J-Rod and MS in January as well as looking for alternatives.
It is important that we keep reducing the squad so that Poch can get the squad he wants, there are whole host of players that he does not see as a long term part of his plans, hopefully we will be able to get rid of some of these in Jan.
Poch has a reputation as a good coach and he will now have to work with what he has but he was always happy to do so, as I said he never thought he would get everything sorted in 1 window. Patience is required by the fans and the board, if anybody failed this summer it was Levy not selling players so we never had the space to bring in others.

exactly this, if another manager falls on his sword I'll will be seriously pissed off, Levy needs to start taking responsibility rather than using managers as fall guys, he shapes the squad after all.

 

[SandroClegane]

https://vine.co/v/OBPtKTbVrpg

Blow up doll "incident"

 

[faulks]

I like MoPo but I think I am right in saying that he see's a way to the CL by winning the Europa? I am sorry to say that this team has no chance of that. We needed that stiker and LWF.

Why? We just have to get through the group stages between now and January then the window is open again.

 

[minimike]

Biggest disappointment this window was not signing an upgrade on Lennon/Townsend, but in all fairness if the right player wasn't available we can't really complain. Yes an underwhelming end but at least we've strengthened our defence. COYS