steve1873
Well-Known Member
The point of the thread is so far we haven't improved our starting 11 in January and Summer windows.
The squad might be stronger but how do we move to the next level.
We don't, without better players. End of.
The point of the thread is so far we haven't improved our starting 11 in January and Summer windows.
The squad might be stronger but how do we move to the next level.
I know that mate, I was using the lower end of the scale. There's players going around for crazy money, who I've never heard of.Nevermind 20m, there's players out there well into the 50m that don't even guarantee you any success.
Arsenal just slashed 50m on Ben White and I'm not even sure I'd take him.
And that investment is not coming because everyone involved has invested to get us where we are.We don't, without better players. End of.
ExactlyHow much did Lyon and Leverkusen have to spend?
I got dogs abuse when i said our recruitment has been very poor
And that investment is not coming because everyone involved has invested to get us where we are.
Alfie was excellent 2nd half so why on earth would you be dropping him?
Think Morelos needs to do more, too static in the first half.Sometimes you need to create your own openings/chances.Shocking take there mate.
He was starved of any serious service what so ever and the scraps he had he kept the ball or won free kicks.
We were poor but if you think we would be better without Alfie up top then I just don't agree.
You on the glue?Its tough on the new guys, they don't really get a sniff. I drop Morelos TBH, he seems way off it... maybe worth giving Fashion a run out for one or two games?
Thanks mate.Exactly
No... Surely it's a valid consideration to drop him?? Ever??You on the glue?
It was a rhetorical question.We can’t afford a guarenteed marquee for the Europa league . They cost 15-20 million . Look at what we rate our best players at . That’s the market you need to shop in to guarentee success at this level . Now what we can do is buy 1 in the 7-10 million pound market and you have a decent chance at success. Examples in Scotland are Kent (this season aside so far) and eduoard. But even in that range you don’t guarantee success or consistency
we will also struggle to get past the last 32/16 of the Europa league because we come up against teams with massive budgets . We need out of Scotland if we ever want to compete at Lyons or say Leverkusens level in Europe
Fair but there are sections of our support that think if we had signed veerman we would be a different animal .he might be brilliant but at 7 mil there’s no guarenteeIt was a rhetorical question.
What does have to do with the players we've bought who have failed to improve us?How much did Lyon and Leverkusen have to spend?
The OP is questioning what is holding us back from competing with Lyons and Leverkusen's.What does have to do with the players we've bought who have failed to improve us?
Undoubtedly Europa is our level, we just need the CL money, and if we can get it often enough, we will sign better players. Simple really.Leverkusen and Lyon may be CL level. But not top CL, ie Bayern, Juve, Atletico, Chelsea etc. Maybe our level is Europa, and that's that.
Yip, looks like it because Morelos was easily, very easily, by a distance, our best player tonight.I must have seen a different game because Alfie was dreadful, a pale shadow of the Alfie who terrorised our Euro opponents defences.
Not even related specifically to us, but anyone really. In football, if you aren’t improving you are going backwards.I got dogs abuse when i said our recruitment has been very poor.
I accept it’d be better to increase the first eleven but this isn’t always easy and is usually costly.None of this seasons signings have improved the team they've only made the squad bigger not better. I can’t see why this is a bad thing.
Honestly, what a rid neck that is.Its tough on the new guys, they don't really get a sniff. I drop Morelos TBH, he seems way off it... maybe worth giving Fashion a run out for one or two games?
We don’t know if it’s been poor or not.I got dogs abuse when i said our recruitment has been very poor.
Merely a suggestion on the internet don't think he's playing anywhere near his best and hasn't been for a while.. he's great when he's great. Would like to think we are bold enough to rotate / change when we are poor. As simple as that.Honestly, what a rid neck that is.
Shite but still top of the league?Most of our aces have been playing this season and it's been very shite. So based on your metaphor, take a ace out. Yes.
My post on it was more out of curiosity to see what Sakala is like as a 9. Alfredo is brilliant but I think his goal return in recent months has been poor. I'd be interested to see Sakala play.Amazing how people watching the same game view players performances
I thought Alfie was superb tonight up against a cb partnership consisting of a World Cup winner with over 70 odd caps for Germany and a current Belgium (#1 rank) cb
His link up play tonight and hold up play was his best I've seen in a good while, he was let down by others around him not reaching his level of performance
Maybe its me that is wrong wrong and he's pish and sakala should be in as suggested...
The French league had between Canal and Bein sports 150 million euros sponsorship and that's without their individual team sponsors.How much did Lyon and Leverkusen have to spend?
Our poorer players tonight were ones you might have hung your hat on to be good.Amazing how people watching the same game view players performances
I thought Alfie was superb tonight up against a cb partnership consisting of a World Cup winner with over 70 odd caps for Germany and a current Belgium (#1 rank) cb
His link up play tonight and hold up play was his best I've seen in a good while, he was let down by others around him not reaching his level of performance
Maybe its me that is wrong wrong and he's pish and sakala should be in as suggested...
It's great we are top of the league etc but you can't say the start to the season has blown any of us away so far. Performances have been so poor. Dunfermline, Celtic second half and maybe County aside it's been pretty poor.Shite but still top of the league?
Well, I’m going to wait for something bad to happen before I get too down.
Tonight isn’t one of those nights although losing out to Malmö was.
Our poorer players tonight were ones you might have hung your hat on to be good.
Davis, Kamara and Aribo for me.
First paragraph, results are much more important than performances and, until we get points for artistic impression, it will always be thus.It's great we are top of the league etc but you can't say the start to the season has blown any of us away so far. Performances have been so poor. Dunfermline, Celtic second half and maybe County aside it's been pretty poor.
Tonight was poor, easily dismissed by it being Lyon but we were low energy and offered little again.
I am pretty sure we will come good... I am not panicking or having a go. Merely throwing it out there that we need to see more of the squad to freshen up the stale performances so far.
My post on it was more out of curiosity to see what Sakala is like as a 9. Alfredo is brilliant but I think his goal return in recent months has been poor. I'd be interested to see Sakala play.
Benfica couldn’t beat us over 2 games last season and tbh we should have beaten them twice having being 2 goals aheadHow much did Lyon and Leverkusen have to spend?
Aye, seems lots of folk thought Alfie was probably our best player... So I'm starting to doubt myself hahahaWasn't intended as a dig mate, just an observation as I've seen some people say Alfie was poor tonight etc and I thought he was brilliant, all opinions.
I also would like to see Sakala, he's falling into the Itten category for me and I think he is more suited to our play than Ced was. Not sure how he would fair in one the wide three positions with his pace. I don't think he's the type of CF that will drop in and hold it up like Alfie, see him more as the type that will run beyond from wide berth
Hold on a minute , another recruitment went wrong thread , how original FFS3 teams we have lost by 2 goals in Europe.
We obliviously need to improve to compete.
Sakala has shown nothing so far.
Wright is a bit to hasty.
Lundstram not his worst game but is he an improvement?
This is not bashing any player as there was mistakes all over the park tonight.
Bacuna we haven't seen.
Simpson looks like he has a lot to do
Oboforth he has some health issues so a pass.
That's our recruitment in last 2 windows.
I'm not convinced any of them better the team.
Maybe the need some time to combine and level up . Players can do these things mate .3 teams we have lost by 2 goals in Europe.
We obliviously need to improve to compete.
Sakala has shown nothing so far.
Wright is a bit to hasty.
Lundstram not his worst game but is he an improvement?
This is not bashing any player as there was mistakes all over the park tonight.
Bacuna we haven't seen.
Simpson looks like he has a lot to do
Oboforth he has some health issues so a pass.
That's our recruitment in last 2 windows.
I'm not convinced any of them better the team.
I think until we develop good quality players from our Youth department this could be a significant point .We have reached our ceiling. We are, without significant investment in playing squad, at best a last 32/ last 16 Europa League side.
the numbers I seen rated OL Group as a half billion euro company . That’s the reality .Plenty, but Lyon spent 2 x 18m on their Brazilian on show tonight, the rest were freebies (Boateng ;-) ) and people from their own youth-system. Then again, that`s the Lyon youth system.
But what strange comparisons? Leverkusen is a true CL team who has spent loads of cash and got loads of cash too, and we were still in Covid-19 trance and pre-season. They were had and shoulders above us.
Slavia was when our bubble had burst for 55 and we didn`t get going at all after that.
Malmö is a team that was 12 games into their league campaign, while we had a handful of pre-season bouts. Wonder how we would fare against teams in pre-season that we would play at the end of November (for that, by comparison, that would be our 12th MD). Why UEFA arranges that shyte year after year is the question that needs answered.
Dunno why we need to point these teams out ... and "forget" all the games when we beat "far better" European sides than us under SG so far. Sometimes one needs to take defeat on the chin, even though, like tonight, you know that it could and should have been better. It is still a learning process for these players and SG ... and games like Malmö and Lyon show us that we are not there by quite a distance - even though I would like to think that we skip the play-acting and cheating bits employed by Malmö and tonight`s opponents. Obviously, quite a few of the real CL teams out there on Tuesday and Wednesday would have hammered us in our current state ... and no real shame about it.