The 2015/2016 Summer Improvement Thread

[Lycan]

3 centre backs was never going to be enough over a season, we are ridiculously light across the back. This was always going to happen, it was a mistake to sell Stearman and it bloody well should be used as a stick to beat KJ with. He lives and dies by huge decisions like these and this time he got it wrong.

Nobody is expecting us to be Chelsea, what they are expecting is for Wolves to put together a squad that can compete for a full season.

 

[Langers]

This was always going to happen.

Really? Injuries to 3 of our players who can cover centre half all at the same time? Sorry, I'm not buying that.

As I said above - disagreeing with the decision to sell Stearman because he's a better player than EEL/Hause is one thing, citing the lack of numbers now we've had abominable luck with injuries to centre halves is different.

 

[Nando]

We've got six defenders on the books. It was always going to be an issue at some point.

 

[Lycan]

Really?

Really.

All we needed was 1 defender to get injured and then our only back up is Matt Doherty. 2 injuries at the same time, in the same position isn't some ridiculous injury crisis. As you said, it's football and these things happen all the time. You can't go a full season with 6 players covering 4 positions.

 

[machin05]

I'm probably one of Stearman's fiercest critics, but he was our first choice centre back and part of a successful pairing with Batth, so unless we were upgrading him, selling for him for Byrne & £1m seems like a really poor decision. Especially with Batth having only just come back from injury, and the lack of experience across our whole backline without him.

It made little sense at the time, and it's coming home to roost now.

 

[lemonjelly]

I think it does call into question KJ's idea of 2 players for every position.
My issue isn't with selling Stearman. For £2mill I think we got a decent deal, and I do believe players like Hause need to be playing regularly. My issue is (as is becoming more frequent with KJ) the lack of a plan b. Exiting the transfer window with only 3 CB's, one of whom is returning from injury was risky.

 

[Tony Towner]

Could and should have kept Stearman and sent one of Hause or EEL on loan with a recall option after a month. It's not bad luck, it's taking a gamble and losing. Much as we did last year with only having Dicko as a credible forward option, we lost then as well

 

[FrankMunro-371]

I do not normally question transfer policy within the club, but the Stearman sale made little sense. That is not to say that Stearman was anything special, but as has been mentioned he and Batth had a reasonable partnership and I expected them to be our first choice centre backs. And now we are having to bring in a loan player to cover the shortsightedness of whoever said Stearman must be sold for "football reasons."

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

I think fans have every right to question the sale of Stearman. Yes, the injuries couldn't be predicted but it was always going to leave us pretty thin at the back. Stearman was by no means irreplaceable but I still don't see the sense in letting him go if we weren't bringing another CB in. .

 

[malta mick]

all good points made about possible injuries, but also needed to be ready for possible/probable suspensions during the season too.

 

[From Distant Shores]

How could the club develop Hause with Stearman still around? Send him out on loan? Or would Stearman have been happy being third choice?

 

[lemonjelly]

Stearman wanted a lot more money than we were prepared to offer. Had we conceded, there could have been an adverse impact on team morale.
I addition, Stearman/Baath would have meant little/no game time for Hause, EEL, and may have risked the development of Iorfa, and possibly Deslandes.

My understanding isn't that Stearman wanted out, but he was pushing for a much improved contract.
Overall, as I've said, I don't really think there is any issue with selling him per se. However Kenny has always implied he likes 2 players for every position. I'm not sure I buy that, as we've really only had 1 left back (and a variety of fill ins) for over a year now. If there was an academy product about to make the bench, then I'd be more comfortable with the decision. However, there isn't. It was a risk - Baath was returning from injury (what if he'd broken down?) and the other players are relatively young. The lack of foresight and any contingency planning by KJ/Thelwell/the club is the most concerning aspect of this. As Nando/Lycan have both said, having 6 players to cover 4 positions is beyond risky. FFS we should have acquired better cover for left back with Golbournes ongoing foot injury issues by now and we still haven't. This suggests a breakdown between the Thelwell/Jackett departments.

I could forgive it if it was out of the blue, but it isn't. Golbourne has struggled for 18 months. Academy aside, he's still the only recognised left back we have.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I'm with Langers on this one. You can't possibly cover every eventuality, especially not at our level, and it really isn't "inevitable" that you're going to have 2-3 injuries in one position at the same time. When was the last time we had two first team centre halves injured concurrently? Probably when Mouyokolo was here and he shouldn't really count. We have those injuries now, which is unfortunate, and it looks like we've gone out and done what most, nay nearly all people wanted us to do, sign some short term, experienced cover.

You cannot choose who bids for your players and when. The manager decided that this season it was likely that Hause would leapfrog Stearman in his thinking. Fulham bid loads of money for a bloke with no improvement in him, already at his absolute ceiling. It's not that tough a decision to make.

If you're going to question the manager then ask him why we made our major summer signing (by transfer fee) another central midfielder when we already had McDonald, Price, Evans, Edwards, Saville, Rowe, Wallace and Weeks at the club.

For those questioning squad depth, who would play at centre half for Chelsea on Saturday if both Terry and Cahill got injured in training today? Zouma and....oh right, they don't really have another one. That penny pinching bastard Abramovich at it again.

 

[Lycan]

For those questioning squad depth, who would play at centre half for Chelsea on Saturday if both Terry and Cahill got injured in training today? Zouma and....oh right, they don't really have another one. That penny pinching bastard Abramovich at it again.

They would recall one of the million defenders they have out on loan I'd imagine or play that lump they signed from France.

6 players into 4 positions is ridiculous. Yes, 2 centre backs being injured at the same time doesn't happen often but the point was that we only needed one injury and the only first team defender on our bench is Matt Doherty. That is woeful.

 

[Tony Towner]

It's the inconsistency I don't get. We went for the final quarter of last season needlessly having 3 defenders on the bench to getting ourselves in a situation whereby we could only put one on. There is also a question for me around Ashley Carter, he is 20 and plays centre half for the U21's if he cannot make the bench now I see little point in him being at the club

 

[Condemned to Rock 'n' Rol]

I'm happy enough with Williamson short term considering the situation we are in I was expecting a lot worse tbh.

With that being said the thought of Batth & Williamson trying to play it out from the back is a worrying thought.

 

[Lord Knows]

I see a lot of potential within the Danny Batth-Kortney Hause partnership so getting a top price for Richard Stearman while having adequate back up in Ebanks-Landell seemed a no brainer during the transfer window. Especially with the club looking unlikely to match what Fulham would offer in terms of contract. The club has to create a pathway into the first team for the younger players in development.

 

[Aikiwolf]

my issue; Batth, Hause and EEL are all a similar type of player (body on the line, block and kick clear) whereas Stearmanhas more ability on the ball and able bring the ball into midfield to help start attacks.

I'm also not convinced that EEL is good enough for us and Hause may be good enough in time. Unfotunately ability isn't the only thing that matters, we needed to get the blend of players correct at the back and we miss having a CB who is a little more cultured with the ball.

 

[Langers]

my issue; Batth, Hause and EEL are all a similar type of player (body on the line, block and kick clear) whereas Stearmanhas more ability on the ball and able bring the ball into midfield to help start attacks.

I'm also not convinced that EEL is good enough for us and Hause may be good enough in time. Unfotunately ability isn't the only thing that matters, we needed to get the blend of players correct at the back and we miss having a CB who is a little more cultured with the ball.

I believe Hause will become a better player than Stearman, and has plenty of time on his side. I think EEL will be a decent enough Championship level defender - which is fine for where we are - but I don't see as much potential in him. I'd have preferred to have kept Stearman over EEL but there wasn't a club coming in with a £2m bid for EEL - the interest was there for Stearman and for that price combined with the wages he'd have been on compared to the others I understand why he was sold.

I also think Stearman's attributes are being somewhat exaggerated since he left (AKA Denes Rosa syndrome). A decent player, I didn't want to see him go, I understood why he went, we got more than enough money for him, but we've got other first team defenders who should have enough about them to compensate for the loss.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Really.

All we needed was 1 defender to get injured and then our only back up is Matt Doherty. 2 injuries at the same time, in the same position isn't some ridiculous injury crisis. As you said, it's football and these things happen all the time. You can't go a full season with 6 players covering 4 positions.

Plus defenders are nailed on for suspension. I'm totally against massive squads where you sign players do fuck all. 35yr old third choice keepers pisses me right off, but 6 defenders is not enough. 7 with a young player who can step in for a few games if really needed as long as it is a full back position and not CB.