Transfer Talk Topic

[Bob Singleton]

12 minutes ago, Backbiter said:

That's not possible, given that the squad has to be drastically pruned, even before we start bringing anyone in. 

Unless by 'everyone' you just mean the players who have arrived and underperformed in the past two windows.

I think you'll find pretty much everyone that was here last season has underperformed this season... which has made the integration of the new players all the harder. 

[xceleryx]

Sterling, of the Dujon variety, to join Rangers on a free for next season.

 

[Backbiter]

1 hour ago, Bob Singleton said:

I think you'll find pretty much everyone that was here last season has underperformed this season... which has made the integration of the new players all the harder. 

Of course. I was just questioning his point about writing the season off and  giving 'everyone' a fresh start, when doing that would mean retaining an unmanageably large group of players. 10+ players have to be moved on , and you can't just ignore what we've seen this season, whether the under-performers arrived this season or were here already.

[xceleryx]

5 minutes ago, Backbiter said:

Of course. I was just questioning his point about writing the season off and  giving 'everyone' a fresh start, when doing that would mean retaining an unmanageably large group of players. 10+ players have to be moved on , and you can't just ignore what we've seen this season, whether the under-performers arrived this season or were here already.

Don't think it was to be interpreted as such and purely applied to those who arrived this season for the most part. Can't see giving players like Pulisic, Ziyech, etc a clean slate when they've been here long enough to demonstrate their qualities (or lack of).

[Backbiter]

55 minutes ago, xceleryx said:

Don't think it was to be interpreted as such and purely applied to those who arrived this season for the most part. Can't see giving players like Pulisic, Ziyech, etc a clean slate when they've been here long enough to demonstrate their qualities (or lack of).

Fair point.

[ROTG]

3 hours ago, xceleryx said:

Struggling to see your point here, besides showing your abilities to upload a screenshot. 

If I remember correctly one of your many observations was FB/WB should support the forward play, as you can clearly see from the data our man from Spain is clearly not the person. 

[Bison]

3 hours ago, FrankLampard8 said:

Yeah great news. I mean if Pep thinks he can add to what is currently the best team in the world then i'm sure he has nothing to offer midtable Chelsea. 

Genuinely couldn't care less where he goes or which managers rate him. 

I know what I have seen over the last 5 years and he should be moved on as a matter of urgency.

[ROTG]

3 hours ago, Bob Singleton said:

I think you'll find pretty much everyone that was here last season has underperformed this season... which has made the integration of the new players all the harder. 

disagree 

the recruitment over the past two windows has been shocking. At least when TT was at the helm there was a possibility the team could hold its own. Unfortunately TT went and the nobody turned up and everything went south. Even his protectors best attempt to support him by spend money on non essential lower level players to bloat the squad to the point of all the players downed tools did not help.

The summer culling will be interesting if the coach makes the call on who he wants in the core squad for next season. 

[Ham]

2 hours ago, xceleryx said:

Don't think it was to be interpreted as such and purely applied to those who arrived this season for the most part. Can't see giving players like Pulisic, Ziyech, etc a clean slate when they've been here long enough to demonstrate their qualities (or lack of).

Word on the street is that Poch wants to work with Captain America. Ziyech can do one but interested to see what tune he can get out of CP. 

[Mark Kelly]

13 minutes ago, Ham said:

Word on the street is that Poch wants to work with Captain America. Ziyech can do one but interested to see what tune he can get out of CP. 

I had such high hopes for CP and for a while he really looked great but he's got a lot to do to convince me but , fit , valued and happy he could be great . I just wish they'd announce Poch. 

[Bob Singleton]

51 minutes ago, ROTG said:

disagree 

the recruitment over the past two windows has been shocking. At least when TT was at the helm there was a possibility the team could hold its own. Unfortunately TT went and the nobody turned up and everything went south. Even his protectors best attempt to support him by spend money on non essential lower level players to bloat the squad to the point of all the players downed tools did not help.

The summer culling will be interesting if the coach makes the call on who he wants in the core squad for next season. 

"It's the same players, so why should anything change? We will see hopefully development but at the moment, we have the same issues because we have the same players."

That was Thomas Tuchel, during the pre-season tour of the USA (having at the time only added Sterling and Koulibaly - the latter playing only a 15 minute or so cameo in the 0-4 defeat to Arsenal, because he'd only recently landed in America)

Performances were tailing off pretty dramatically at the end of last season; to the point that many on the old forum were predicting us to struggle to make top 6 next (ie this) season.  But, yeah, blame the new players!

[Blue Moon]

51 minutes ago, Ham said:

Word on the street is that Poch wants to work with Captain America. Ziyech can do one but interested to see what tune he can get out of CP. 

Yakkety Sax?

[chara]

16 minutes ago, Blue Moon said:

Yakkety Sax?

Tumbling Tumbleweed?......hmm leads to what tune he can get out of anyone in the squad?

or maybe just " A Bridge Over Troubled Waters?"

[Bison]

1 hour ago, Ham said:

Word on the street is that Poch wants to work with Captain America. Ziyech can do one but interested to see what tune he can get out of CP. 

#PochOut

[asvaberg]

1 hour ago, chara said:

Tumbling Tumbleweed?......hmm leads to what tune he can get out of anyone in the squad?

or maybe just " A Bridge Over Troubled Waters?"

Tumbleweed (Connection) by Sir Elton: I know an appropriate song for Americans: "Ballad of a well known Gun" 🙂

[boratsbrother]

3 hours ago, Ham said:

Word on the street is that Poch wants to work with Captain America. 

If I was to give one of our overgrown tadpoles one last chance it would be Puli.

[Blue Moon]

I’m afraid I’d throw him to our goldfish; they love tadpoles.

Edited May 11, 2023 by Blue Moon

[xceleryx]

11 hours ago, ROTG said:

If I remember correctly one of your many observations was FB/WB should support the forward play, as you can clearly see from the data our man from Spain is clearly not the person. 

No one was discussing the production output of any player to begin with, the basis of the conversation stemmed around if Cucurella was worth a second season (for me, yes), and what happens with Maatsen. 

[xceleryx]

11 hours ago, Ham said:

Word on the street is that Poch wants to work with Captain America. Ziyech can do one but interested to see what tune he can get out of CP. 

I can't see it personally, he's got a year left on his contract so to give him a season under Poch basically means having to extend him by the summer. To extend Pulisic it would require him taking a significant pay cut on the ridiculous 150k he reportedly earns now.

10 hours ago, Mark Kelly said:

I had such high hopes for CP and for a while he really looked great but he's got a lot to do to convince me but , fit , valued and happy he could be great . I just wish they'd announce Poch. 

In no realm was or is Pulisic going to be great. He was a bog standard talent at Dortmund and that's translated to what we've largely seen here. The one period in which he looked promising all transpired during one of the most unique periods in football where he was still a relevantly unknown quantity to the remainder of the league. Otherwise he's genuinely regressed in virtually all aspects of his game. 

The only way he'll look half decent is if he lands at a mid-table sized club that'll let him be "the man" and funnel all play through him to fit his individualistic nature of play. 

[xceleryx]

7 hours ago, boratsbrother said:

If I was to give one of our overgrown tadpoles one last chance it would be Puli.

Based on what out of curiosity?

Low football IQ, dribbles in cul de sacs, poor decision maker, technically average, a below average passer, goes down quicker than lead balloon when breathed upon, a net negative on the defensive side of the ball, gets dispossessed easily, and these days lacks the burst of pace that used to make him somewhat relevant. 

His only redeeming quality as a player is his ability to find space inside the box and his willingness to follow in shots. Of course the issue here a lot of the time is that it comes at the determent of team shape because EVERYTHING good he does has to be centralised, with the frequency in which he pushes forward and stands in the space of the CF compromises team balance.

He's been here for 4 years and produced about half a seasons worth of good football in total, time to recoup whatever we can and cut our losses. 

[Ham]

7 hours ago, xceleryx said:

I can't see it personally, he's got a year left on his contract so to give him a season under Poch basically means having to extend him by the summer. To extend Pulisic it would require him taking a significant pay cut on the ridiculous 150k he reportedly earns now.

 

I'd be surprised if he doesn't want to have a look at him in pre-season at least. 

[Bison]

Well said @xceleryx

We are where we are because we've wasted too much time and money on rubbish like Pulisic and hoping they come good. It's been four years already. Enough is enough.

Every minute wasted on him is minutes that should be given to players who have a future here.

[boratsbrother]

8 hours ago, xceleryx said:

Based on what out of curiosity?

Low football IQ, dribbles in cul de sacs, poor decision maker, technically average, a below average passer, goes down quicker than lead balloon when breathed upon, a net negative on the defensive side of the ball, gets dispossessed easily, and these days lacks the burst of pace that used to make him somewhat relevant. 

His only redeeming quality as a player is his ability to find space inside the box and his willingness to follow in shots. Of course the issue here a lot of the time is that it comes at the determent of team shape because EVERYTHING good he does has to be centralised, with the frequency in which he pushes forward and stands in the space of the CF compromises team balance.

He's been here for 4 years and produced about half a seasons worth of good football in total, time to recoup whatever we can and cut our losses. 

All fair points!

However. I think the club  needs to give full support to the next manager and have confidence in his opinions/choices on who he wants to go forward with. More support and confidence in the scouts too and less reliance on this data nonsense. 

[paulw66]

22 hours ago, ROTG said:

disagree 

the recruitment over the past two windows has been shocking. At least when TT was at the helm there was a possibility the team could hold its own. season. 

TT was here in the first of the two windows,. 

[kev61]

On 11/05/2023 at 10:56, ROTG said:

I must invite you to my tea party

and you to mine,but I guarantee there will be no tea involved🤪