January 2017 Transfer Thread

[FrankMunro-371]

In fairness to Frank he remembers the Bhatti era, who came in with big promises and all they were looking to do in reality is asset strip the club. I don't think for a moment that Fosun are looking to do this, but can see why those of a certain vintage are a little more cautious.

I don't think for one second that FOSUN are the Bhatti Brothers reincarnated, but they came in promising the world and a few months and two managers later we are just above the relegation zone. And while I accept that our owners do not pick the team or buy the players, they employ the managers who have so far failed to deliver.

 

[Keef]

I'd put it down as fosun not knowing really how football works,it doesn't seem to comply with normal business practices,they were looking at buying a club,needed help and advice so bought into mendes business(he's got to know how football works) and are still finding their feet,it was in the fans parliament minutes that Jeff was responsible for the mass of signings,sure he'll be happy a junior person at work is slagging him off for not being brilliant

 

[Parkins left foot]

I don't think for one second that FOSUN are the Bhatti Brothers reincarnated, but they came in promising the world

Don't think that either - just that they came in and acted a bit naively I think. As seen in the Chinese Super League money thrown at the issue seems to be seen as the answer, which we all know its not. They will have learnt a lot over the last 5 or so months, hopefully the right lessons which will now be put into practice.

Got the Zenga call wrong (charismatic man, but a poor manager) though suspect they were panicked into that as Lopetugui was nailed on initially (whether he would have done any better none of us will ever know).

Very much doubt that they would want to lose money (or face), which they will if they bail out this quickly, though hopefully a more planned approach to future signings which didn't seem to be the case in the summer, possibly with some justification as we knew that the team was light on numbers and quality. If anyone comes in then they have to be those who are clearly going to be better than what we have and go straight into the team (we have bench warmers aplenty)

 

[Langers]

Wasn't it the BHATTI BROTHERS?

 

[Tony Towner]

Wasn't it the BHATTI BROTHERS?

 

[wordsleywolf]

Fosun aren't going to drop us after 1 failed season and hopefully have learnt a lot.

 

[Alan]

Odd, I remember Shi being pretty up front early on that things would likely be very difficult and take some time, but that Fosun were prepared for the challenge.

 

[Tredman]

Odd, I remember Shi being pretty up front early on that things would likely be very difficult and take some time, but that Fosun were prepared for the challenge.

Unfortunately wolves supporters are not that well known for patience or sensible long term thinking, so 6 months later and we are not already promoted = panic, sack the board/players/manager, we're going bankrupt/getting relegated/sold etc etc

 

[FrankMunro-371]

Unfortunately wolves supporters are not that well known for patience or sensible long term thinking, so 6 months later and we are not already promoted = panic, sack the board/players/manager, we're going bankrupt/getting relegated/sold etc etc

Football supporters in general are not renowned for patience. And regarding Wolves fans, read a few verdict threads on here from the last few weeks. You all wanted players out, Zenga out, and then Lambert out before he had started. And many on this forum were predicting relegation after the debacle against Cardiff City.

My opinion remains unchanged. I have very little faith in our owners. They promised the earth, and here we are again, no better off than we were under Morgan and Moxey. Time may prove me wrong, but I doubt it. They thought they could come in, throw millions at it and promotion would be guaranteed. Little wonder that some Wolves fans, though not on here of course, are doubting the grand scheme put before us.

 

[slink]

Football supporters in general are not renowned for patience. And regarding Wolves fans, read a few verdict threads on here from the last few weeks. You all wanted players out, Zenga out, and then Lambert out before he had started. And many on this forum were predicting relegation after the debacle against Cardiff City.

My opinion remains unchanged. I have very little faith in our owners. They promised the earth, and here we are again, no better off than we were under Morgan and Moxey. Time may prove me wrong, but I doubt it. They thought they could come in, throw millions at it and promotion would be guaranteed. Little wonder that some Wolves fans, though not on here of course, are doubting the grand scheme put before us.

It's not great i agree Frank and it's not as good as it could have been but imagine that Fosun hadn't have taken over and the likes of Costa and Cavaleiro weren't here? We would be bottom of the league or very close to it with Rotherham imo. If Lopetegui had taken over which was all but done i have a feeling it would be very different and when he took the Spain job Fosun panicked and we ended up with Zenga. I think they have admitted now that they got things wrong and were pretty naive which is a good thing and so that makes it a lot different to having Morgan and Moxey.

These owners realise they have made bad decisions already and that's it's not going to be easy but they have the resources and hopefully now a bit more knowledge behind them to set us in the right direction. I don't think they are here for the short term, they've already said that so i think you need to give them a chance like you give most managers and players. Just to add they didn't promise anything, they outlined what they hoped to do with us.

 

[darlowolf64]

Also, Fosun took over very late in the summer and realised we needed players desperately thus the influx of players.
No time to gel as a unit, a manager who was nowhere near the top of their list of targets, feeling they had to keep the (imo) below par coaches in place in order to help Zenga bed in. All these thing add up and as wonderful as it is to have owners who have promised to invest, things were always going to take time to settle down/in.

I would say that of the signings we have almost a 50% strike rate in Saiss, Cav, Costa, Bod...I think Prince should be persevered with as I saw enough to suggest he ain't a dud and Tex showed flashes of something special before being dropped for those footballing giants Coady and Saville.

I am still very hopeful of a strong 2nd half to the season and a few signings.

To say "they promised the earth and delivered very little" is VERY harsh given the timescale they had to adjust to ownership and the fact that they haven't even been in place for 6 months!

 

[Alan]

Has Jeffy shagged Frank's wife? Honestly, this new negative attitude is such a sea change that I'm a bit at a loss.

Regardless, Prince at least is definitely worth another go. He is never a left midfielder which is where he most recently played for us under Zenga (fuck knows why). As for Tex, I'm conflicted. He's clearly class on the ball but where is his best position? From reports I've read he seems to lack one crucial bit for each position he could play; not pacey enough to be on the wing, not strong enough to play centrally, and too lazy to have any defensive responsibilities. And yet he is almost undeniably the most comfortable dribbler and passer at the club.

 

[darlowolf64]

#10 role Alan (for Tex) for me...Oh and he isn't THAT weak for a game there especially now we're playing a proper midfield behind that position although Bright is a good option there too

 

[Premier Quality]

Personally I'm still really happy with fosun- yes they've been naive but they only came in just before the transfer window opened so did what they thought best in the short time they had, and at least we've had some form of entertainment (costa and cav) and the promise of building something. Now we have to see what they can do now they've had time for consideration.

Compare that to last season under Morgan and jackett - decline with no improvement in sight, the promise of selling our best players and nothing but gloom surrounding the club.

I don't see how people can moan without at least letting the next transfer window happen - we're in a miles better place even if it's not the place we want to end up.

 

[Kenny]

What did Fosun promise that has got you to this point Frank?

From what I remember it was "get to the Premier League and establish the club" "Know it won't be easy" "we will invest" "we have £20-30m but will put in a lot more when needed"

Now they never promised promotion this year, although that would have been nice
They spent £14m on transfer fees so far in a stupidly short space of time. £14m for a team in the Championship, not including wages is a bloody good start

I feel you have been taken on a ride caused by fans reactions of spunking billions and pissing the league because we have uber rich owners rather than what Jeff has said when interviewed. I suggest you go back and find that 20 odd minute interview with Jeff Shi just after Barnsley tonked us = There you will get a level headed view of what Fosun want and expect with Wolves and he makes no wild promises but enough to get you excited of what could happen.

Look around teams that have been taken over in this Division by foreign owners - Pretty much all of them start off the same - They get advice from someone because they realise they haven't got a clue, the majority get bad advise but the good owners realise this quickly and make changes. Look at Leicester, their owners employed Sven, promised a budget of £100m....that started badly for them. In the end they settled down, employed Pearson and started the process of building the club.

 

[Kenny]

and too lazy to have any defensive responsibilities.

Dispute that on Tex. One of the hardest working players for defending, especially when he has given the ball away. He isn't a Saiss type of course but he doesn't just stroll around when defending needs to be done - Our actual defenders do though

 

[Kenny]

Here we go, the crazy promise made when Wolves were sold to Fosun

“Our goal is crystal clear: we will do our very best to help take Wolves back to the Premier League as soon as possible and to stay there. We believe the club and the fans belong at the top of English football and getting there is our first and top priority.”

Calm down Jeff, calm down some will think you are promising 100 points this season, Ronaldo up front and a free Pie and a Pint for every fan to eat in their new free House or shiny new car

 

[Stan Hullis]

Kenny, stop it with all of this sense and reason.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I think there's a degree of talking in hindsight about the summer activity - we all knew that the squad as it stood was really poor, such a lack of quality all over the park. When we went 2-0 down at a dreadful Rotherham team - the worst outfit I've seen in this league since Stockport in 01/02 - then I don't blame Jeff for concluding that we needed basically an entire new team. Now we can say the spending was focused in some of the wrong areas, or that we targeted too many players who didn't have a grounding in this country's football, or that John/Gladon appeared superfluous from the moment we signed them, but I wouldn't have a go at the volume of signings made. But clearly, you aren't going to sign a dozen players every window.

Like I've said before, my concern is not the owners, it's that the vision on offer from Thelwell/Lambert includes the likes of Doherty, Stearman, Coady etc going forward because I really don't see why we should be settling for that kind of quality. I wouldn't want them here if Morgan was still owner, they're shit.

This season is gone (2PPG form from here on is unlikely to be enough to get in the top six), Lambert surely has enough about him to help us keep clear of the drop, we'll bring in at least a couple next month and we're going to need a serious restructure (again) in the summer. Obviously the emphasis on where we sign the players from will be different next time and it'll help to have nearly four months to sort it all out rather than four weeks.

 

[Kenny]

The only thing we got wrong in terms of the transfer window was not looking at our defence properly. Signing 1 centre half was a poor move but no doubt fuelled by the existing staff having faith in Hause, Iorfa & Batth but even taking that into account just going after 1 central defender was poor.

If we start next season with the likes of Coady, Saville etc anywhere near the starting 11 then you have to question the judgement of all involved if they really want to get out of this Division. I think Lambert will get us top half and the moment this season ends, I would hope and expect for Fosun to make quick decisive moves with regards to transfers and staff.