In the calm, light of day 24 hours later, is it really...

[accadacca 0]

that depressing a picture ?

 

IT IS NOT GREAT, that is for sure, but loan signings are available, as well as free transfers although many of those posted about may be beyond the budget.

 

I do not share the view that the Premiership is as weak as it has ever been - I actually take the opposite view.

 

Teams are actually starting to catch up with the so called big 4 {big 3 now that Liverpool are goosed}, and the likes of Wigan, Wolves, Bolton, Birmingham, Blackburn, Sunderland, West Ham, Stoke, and Fulham are a lot stronger and better quality than many on here and other message boards are saying.

 

With the release of the 3 players recently, the squad is again wafer thin, but it will be boosted and there will be some quality players out there available on loan to add to those that are good enough currently at SJP.

 

A spine of Harper - S. Taylor - Smith - Carroll is not a bad start - ok, not anything special, but something to work around.

Enrique may prove to be good enough {I personally think he will be}, as possibly will Colo but I am far from convinced about him. Williamson is a good CCC defender but he wasn't started at Pompey - why ?? Simpson or Ryan Taylor are definitely not good enough to play regular right back, so that position is a definite priority.

 

Routledge is light weight and has failed previously - he will produce some good moments, but I dont think he will deliver consistently against PL fullbacks, many of whom are internationals. Barton was quality at Man City and can come good again as I think he will. Nolan's experience may get him through games, but he won't be anywhere near as prolific. Gutierrez is another on whom the jury is out at PL level - his delivery in to the box is mediocre at best most of the time, but maybe he will come good. It's a decent bet he will. Guthrie will be a decent squad player as he is versatile and mobile.

 

A top notch partner for Carroll is vital - Danny Webber is getting lots of mentions, and would be preferable to Ameobi who should be sold to raise funds as should Best who is not PL standard, whilst Lovenkrands is another lightweight who will struggle on a regular basis. Ranger is going to come good and is definitely worth keeping as a sub - no loaning out to get him experience !

 

Having had 24 hours to digest and sleep on the news, it as not as bleak as it seemed. Hughton is well liked and respected in the game and will have little trouble in bringing in good loan signings in my opinion.

 

No doubt I will be slaughtered for my optimism as I was last season, but look what happened. Life is so much brighter when viewed with a bit of optimism as long as it is not blind optimism and I don't think this is.

[Andrew 4937]

oh fuck off

[Holden McGroin 6853]

He got it more or less spot on last year.

 

Not sure Smith is part of a good spine though.

[luckyluke 2]

I for one welcome some optimism in these dark times. God bless you accadacca.

[Holden McGroin 6853]

I didn't read past the first line

 

just fuck away off, your prediction last year hardly matters... we pissed a weak league, well done mystic meg.

 

this year we've a weaker side than the one that got relegated

 

We didnt realise it was so poor until the season was well underway tbf. Hindsight.

[Barney 0]

If Danny Webber the most positive thought that we can have this season, then I look forward to us playing Bristol City in 2 seasons time.

[Kitman 2207]

We're weak for the PL in midfield and upfront. Let's see who they bring in but I wouldn't be optimistic for the season based on the Acca's 'spine'. We lack the pace in midfield and upfront to catch teams on the break, bar Routledge (I'm assuming Guti would be unable to do anything with the ball even if he dribbled the length of the pitch). We also lack invention to break teams down.

[ChezGiven 0]

Right back, midfielder and forward of much higher quality than we have would turn us into a decent team imo. Cant see the quality we need coming in though and some bad injuries would see us fucked.

[Meenzer 15791]

"It's not all bad news - the rest of the Premier League is improving rapidly." Cheers for that.

[Kitman 2207]

Right back, midfielder and forward of much higher quality than we have would turn us into a decent team imo. Cant see the quality we need coming in though and some bad injuries would see us fucked.

 

I agree Chez. This is the frustrating thing - for a comparatively modest outlay we could be something. As it is we'll just have to hope that Haris Vukcic is new Pele and the next Torres is lurking in that Academy 'brimming with talent'.

[David Kelly 1265]

that depressing a picture ?

Yes it is. We have a weaker (if better spirited(at least before this work of genius)) squad than the one which went down and you yourself are saying that the other teams in the premier league are stronger.

We may be able to bring in loan signings but I'm not convinced they'd be any better than those that we had this season (Harewood, Zurab, Hall!) ie not of premiership standard. Any better loan signings from abroad or whatever will, it seems, come a price to high for us.

Any decent free transfers will have the option of signing for teams that will be able augment any free signings with regular transfers which will give them better chances of staying up or pushing for Europe so our chances of signing them are slim too.

Add to this the likelyhood that our better players must now be wondering why they bothered staying and trying to get us promoted, which will only knock morale and probably lead to more of them leaving.

 

So yes it is that fucking depressing a picture.

[2bias 3]

I didn't read past the first line

 

just fuck away off, your prediction last year hardly matters... we pissed a weak league, well done mystic meg.

 

this year we've a weaker side than the one that got relegated

this

[The Fish 11021]

Right back, midfielder and forward of much higher quality than we have would turn us into a decent team imo. Cant see the quality we need coming in though and some bad injuries would see us fucked.

 

I agree Chez. This is the frustrating thing - for a comparatively modest outlay we could be something. As it is we'll just have to hope that Haris Vukcic is new Pele and the next Torres is lurking in that Academy 'brimming with talent'.

 

I just don't understand the notion that there won't be speculation on players. Unless you've already got comings and goings in mind, why declare you'll spend nothing?

 

the one thing I am hoping for is that this message follows on from so many others do, in that it's just a pack of lies.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

If Danny Webber the most positive thought that we can have this season, then I look forward to us playing Bristol City in 2 seasons time.

Yes, but think how much of the debt we'll have paid off [/N-O]

[Kitman 2207]

Right back, midfielder and forward of much higher quality than we have would turn us into a decent team imo. Cant see the quality we need coming in though and some bad injuries would see us fucked.

 

I agree Chez. This is the frustrating thing - for a comparatively modest outlay we could be something. As it is we'll just have to hope that Haris Vukcic is new Pele and the next Torres is lurking in that Academy 'brimming with talent'.

 

I just don't understand the notion that there won't be speculation on players. Unless you've already got comings and goings in mind, why declare you'll spend nothing?

 

the one thing I am hoping for is that this message follows on from so many others do, in that it's just a pack of lies.

 

All they've done is lie to the press so no change there. I still think there will be some modest cash available for Hughton to buy one or two players, which is basically what he's been saying up to now, plus whatever he brings in via sales. But that's just based on blind optimism really, the statement suggests otherwise I know.

[Kitman 2207]

If Danny Webber the most positive thought that we can have this season, then I look forward to us playing Bristol City in 2 seasons time.

Yes, but think how much of the debt we'll have paid off [/N-O]

 

They must be wannabe bank managers. Personally I couldn't care less, unless we're about to go the way of Portsmouth (and I'd gladly take an FA Cup trophy on the way down, thank you).

[timnufc 0]

Aye I'm sure there will be 2 or 3 new players, they just wont amount to much money (5m? 6m?).

 

I might be wrong here, but if Ashley really had no intention to claim back his loan then it would make sense to convert the loan into shares, like Abramovich & the Man City owner have done?

[brummiemag1 0]

The only "teams that are starting to catch up with the so called big four" are teams that are prepared to spend money.

If we dont spend the money then we have no chance whatsoever of challenging for a trophy in the next 5 to 10 years - Stoke and Bolton are what we can try and emulate if we are lucky, thanks to that billionaire bastard

 

Shameful lack of ambition for one of the best supported clubs in the country.

 

In fact we are still ranked as the 20th most valuable club in the world - I bet we are the only one in the top 100 who have set our sights so low, not one of them would be happy with merely surviving in the top division

[spongebob toonpants 4180]

that depressing a picture ?

 

 

I do not share the view that the Premiership is as weak as it has ever been - I actually take the opposite view.

 

Teams are actually starting to catch up with the so called big 4 {big 3 now that Liverpool are goosed}, and the likes of Wigan, Wolves, Bolton, Birmingham, Blackburn, Sunderland, West Ham, Stoke, and Fulham are a lot stronger and better quality than many on here and other message boards are saying.

 

thats the bit I agree with - its going to be a long cold winter

[Noelie 103]

We have brilliant support.

We have a good stadium.

We are in the Premier League.

We have a canny toon in Newcastle.

But is this enough to attract on loan players or out of contract players if we can't meet the wages they are used to and they're not prepared to take a cut?

[Kitman 2207]

We have brilliant support.

We have a good stadium.

We are in the Premier League.

We have a canny toon in Newcastle.

But is this enough to attract on loan players or out of contract players if we can't meet the wages they are used to and they're not prepared to take a cut?

 

Depends how desperate they are.

[Guest alex]

He got it more or less spot on last year.

 

Not sure Smith is part of a good spine though.

Said the Mackems would go down tbf

[Guest alex]

Right back, midfielder and forward of much higher quality than we have would turn us into a decent team imo.

£30m there tbh. Not going to happen. I know you're not suggesting it will happen btw.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

We're weaker than when we went down, so our only hope is that so is everyone else. That's all I've got.

[Deano 0]

I actually agree with accadacca tbh.

 

While in an ideal world we would spend a minimum of 15mil on new players we un fortunatly dont have that luxury.

 

Its is frustrating that there will be "no new financial outlay" but i have said all along the squad we have now could and should keep us up.

 

A few bosmans from that list and a couple of youngsters on loan ( lansbury, wilshire of arsenal and naughton of spurs) and we will be ok.

 

That said lets not hide from the fact it is going to be a tense hard faught battle to stay up but that tenecious never say die attitude within the squad now will serve us well.

 

For all i hate FMA and cuntlips Llambias i can however understand that what he is tryin to do for our finances will benefit the club in the long run as well as the fat man himself.....So long as we stay up.

 

I do think however that that statement, as vague as it is and as potentially misleading as other statements in the past does not totally confirm we wont spend anything.

 

I think it was to mislead the media really but also doesnt fill us fans with a great deal of optimism.

 

I think come January if we are struggling then we will see a small amount invested in the squad.

 

Im not worried......yet.