The 2015/2016 Summer Improvement Thread

[Deutsch Wolf]

Happens in American sport too surely, didn't the Yankees and the Red Sox go nearly 20 years without trading? And that's in a much more closed market where the talent pool is far more concentrated.

 

[Alan]

It sort of happens. It makes just as little sense to me here as it does in England.

With free agency being the animal it is here it's made players playing for both sides of a rivalry not horribly uncommon.

 

[YoungWolf]

Sessegnon would be good at this level but he hasn't played consistently well for a while now. Frustrating considering how much he was capable of at times.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

As I say, he wouldn't drop to this level. He cost Sunderland £6m and Albion the same again. He is going to be on enormous money, more than any Championship club is ever going to pay on top of a sizeable fee (Albion don't give players away, Peace is a much of a hardball merchant as Moxey, maybe even more so and so they would want most or all of that back, even if he isn't Pulis' cup of tea), and he hasn't been so much of a flop that a decent sized Ligue Un club wouldn't take him back to France if he were up for sale. The only way he'd ever be playing in the Championship would be if he was part of a relegated team and they refused to sell him.

 

[YoungWolf]

Oh I absolutely agree, and even forgetting wages, the Albion connection, he's not even the type of signing we would make anyway.

 

[DirkHartog]

I think we've shown enough progress to give Jackett plenty more time yet - no way should we be contemplating replacing him.

We're only a few players away from having a very good Championship side, and it's a side that is gradually being built and looks stronger all the time - the difference Afobe has made is immense. If we can bring in someone in central midfield who can make a similar sort of impact, we'll be laughing.

We've had a good season and we've improved. My message to the manager and the squad is simply 'keep going'.

/thread. Great post summed up nicely.

Mind-boggling that people are even entertaining the idea of shafting the manager after the season we've had. No wonder clubs are so unstable and a merry-go-round if this is the pack mentality.

Kenny is doing great, better than most of us could have thought nearly two years ago when we were at our lowest point. I don't see how we can get rid of him at all, now or next season, short of a player revolt happening or relegation.

As Langers said for transfer targets, need a big signing in the midfield, then a replacement for Sako and squad improvements/investments elsewhere as they see fit. Going into the summer at least, regardless of what happens next week, should be a fairly easy-going time for us.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Holding onto our main assets will be the key - Afobe will have suitors, particularly if he ends up the highest scorer in league football. The media will big him up & there are stupid sums offered in these cases (£11m for McCormack). Just hope we ignore them.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I don't think there's any real danger of us losing anyone we don't want to bar Sako. Premier League clubs won't look at the likes of Dicko, Golbourne and McDonald, Iorfa hasn't played enough football to really get on anyone's radar and we'd ask too much money. The McCormack deal was a one off - shame for us that it skewed the market so much last summer (and we didn't react to it well enough) but you won't see a Championship club get burned like that again, Fulham had just completely lost their minds.

Premier League clubs might have a look but at the kind of money we'd ask they're more likely to look overseas, or at Austin (1 year left on his deal) and Ings (out of contract) who have scored goals at the top level this year and their clubs look likely to be relegated, or try to pick off Rhodes who only has a year left too and Blackburn are in far less of a position to resist bids than we are. Simply put the price will be too prohibitive for a guy who was available for £2m three months ago and the lad himself seems to be very level-headed, well settled, has a good relationship with the manager and is unlikely to push hard for a move at this stage. If we are still bobbing around 7th/8th place in 12 months time and he continues as he is going then we will be looking less likely to keep him, but it's not a concern for me this summer.

 

[Parkins left foot]

I don't think there's any real danger of us losing anyone we don't want to bar Sako. Premier League clubs won't look at the likes of Dicko, Golbourne and McDonald, Iorfa hasn't played enough football to really get on anyone's radar and we'd ask too much money. The McCormack deal was a one off - shame for us that it skewed the market so much last summer (and we didn't react to it well enough) but you won't see a Championship club get burned like that again, Fulham had just completely lost their minds.

Premier League clubs might have a look but at the kind of money we'd ask they're more likely to look overseas, or at Austin (1 year left on his deal) and Ings (out of contract) who have scored goals at the top level this year and their clubs look likely to be relegated, or try to pick off Rhodes who only has a year left too and Blackburn are in far less of a position to resist bids than we are. Simply put the price will be too prohibitive for a guy who was available for £2m three months ago and the lad himself seems to be very level-headed, well settled, has a good relationship with the manager and is unlikely to push hard for a move at this stage. If we are still bobbing around 7th/8th place in 12 months time and he continues as he is going then we will be looking less likely to keep him, but it's not a concern for me this summer.

Probably think you are right Deutsch, but there is always a but. There are some stupid managers/owners who will throw silly money around.

I would hope that we just ignore the hype that will be around & just look to strengthen the areas that we need to

 

[sycophantia]

While I wouldn't blame Sako for going to a Prem club, I actually think it wouldn't be a very good move careerwise, he'll probably end up at one of the poorer or promoted teams and so will almost certainly be involved in a relegation dogfight and I'm not sure that would suit his style, chances are after a couple of games he'll be on the bench as an impact sub. I hope whatever he decides that it works out for him, been good for us on the whole and very loyal. Think also we have been good for him, he's retained his attacking prowess and improved the other areas of his game here.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

He'd be a good fit for Newcastle who given the size of the club (and how much is swilling around their bank account) shouldn't really ever be properly involved in a relegation fight, they just need to stop cutting the squad down to 18 players as soon as survival is ensured, remember that you do need to keep signing players on an ongoing basis and appoint an actual manager. He's miles better than Gouffran and Ameobi, French speaking to go along with the other French speakers they have, fits their Graham Carr-driven profile of getting good players in at low cost. Even more so if they bring in a French speaking manager such as Garde or Gourvennec.

What he wouldn't get away with in the PL that he does here is performances like the one vs Ipswich where he was genuinely abysmal. He does that here and he'll still be in the team the next week as he's clearly one of our best players and we don't really have a replacement. If he did that for a PL team then he'd be benched for weeks and not trusted. He tends to have far fewer of these days now than he did in his first 18 months here but he hasn't completely eradicated them.

 

[sycophantia]

Good point about Newcastle DW but they are in a right mess at the moment, some decent players but just no motivation and dare I say it round here...no ambition, feel sorry for guy in charge at the moment, Newcastle diehard but the players won't work for him, they need a manager who can put a rocket up their arses....not sure they'll find one, wouldn't be surprised if they struggle next season.

 

[fizzwolf]

While I wouldn't blame Sako for going to a Prem club, I actually think it wouldn't be a very good move careerwise, he'll probably end up at one of the poorer or promoted teams and so will almost certainly be involved in a relegation dogfight and I'm not sure that would suit his style, chances are after a couple of games he'll be on the bench as an impact sub. I hope whatever he decides that it works out for him, been good for us on the whole and very loyal. Think also we have been good for him, he's retained his attacking prowess and improved the other areas of his game here.

See Fletcher, Jarvis, Kightly, Ward, Henry. Sako is, when he is playing well, great at this level as were the aforementioned but can't see him being a major hit at any of the clubs he is likely to go to in the Premier - well if recent history of our, so called, better players is anything to go by

 

[PuntsWolf]

Fletcher was a hit. He just found himself playing under a shocking manager or injured. Ward and Henry were never good enough. And Sako is way better than Kightly and Jarvis.

Yeah he is no world beater, but there are tons of inferior players IMO playing for bottom half clubs every year.

 

[sycophantia]

Just think it would be better for his career to stick with us for one more season, not sure how old he is, but as I say won't hold it against him for taking his chance in the promised land

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Jarvis was better for us in the Prem than he ever was in the Championship. I have no idea why West Ham signed him and then predominantly played him on the right, he has never been even half the player on that side.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Just think it would be better for his career to stick with us for one more season, not sure how old he is, but as I say won't hold it against him for taking his chance in the promised land

Not sure how it would be better for his career. Even if we go up next year, which is certainly no where near guaranteed, then he will be in the same situation with us as he will be if he joins Leicester or Hull this year. If anything it would be a better career move as they would theoretically have a better chance staying up than us

 

[sycophantia]

Not sure how it would be better for his career. Even if we go up next year, which is certainly no where near guaranteed, then he will be in the same situation with us as he will be if he joins Leicester or Hull this year. If anything it would be a better career move as they would theoretically have a better chance staying up than us

Yeah but I don't give a shit about Leicester or Hull...when I say better for him, I obviously mean better for us too

 

[Lycan]

Randomer on MolMix reckons we're signing James McClean. The most tenuous of link but he claims to know McClean's agent.

I'd be happy with that signing tbh.

 

[Alan]

He's decent but from what I've seen of him he's a massive prick. Not sure he's the sort I want in the dressing room.

Not to mention he was truly awful for long stretches at Sunderland.