The Winter 2018/19 Transfer Thread

[Deutsch Wolf]

I'd say he's had a good season overall but as with anyone, the context is in terms of his overall ability. A 6/10 game for Willy Boly is not the same as a 6/10 game for Ryan Bennett.

You get the usual claptrap about "player of the season" stuff with Doherty but realistically I don't think he's in the top five. Too many bad games already and when he is bad, he is awful. He still can't cross from deep areas, we were having to cover this for a while by having him take up inside forward positions which was badly hurting us as an attacking force and also impacting on Costa's output and confidence. We don't ask him to do much defending, when we do he still isn't great. If you look at the Blame Game thread then he is top of the league and has been all season.

I'm not slagging him off, he's done better than I expected, especially after the first two games where he looked shockingly out of his depth. But if you can get better, you get better. We all love Raul but none of us are going to turn down signing a better striker who does the same thing but scores more goals.

 

[Parkins left foot]

We now have a platform to really go forward, both in the squad & financial backing, which we have not had since the PL started & money began running the game.

We need to be brave & take this opportunity & continue to upgrade whether that be Doc, Patricio, Jiminez, Coady, Boly or even Neves - standing still will mean we drift backwards.

As to Tete - no idea as don't know who he is & never seen him play

 

[Penk Wolf]

I've no issue with upgrading, but I don't think they should just walk into the team mid season. Close season is a different ball game.

 

[Oldgoldwulf]

I've no issue with upgrading, but I don't think they should just walk into the team mid season. Close season is a different ball game.

That’s ridiculous... are you actually saying that if we signed the best wing back in Europe next week you’d only put him in the side after the summer break??


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[MARKakaJIM]

That’s ridiculous... are you actually saying that if we signed the best wing back in Europe next week you’d only put him in the side after the summer break??


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I don't think that's what he's saying at all.

 

[Parkins left foot]

I've no issue with upgrading, but I don't think they should just walk into the team mid season. Close season is a different ball game.

Unlikely that they would walk into the team immediately anyway whoever they were. We are more than half way through the season & they would need a period to get used to our system & the other players anyway.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I've no issue with upgrading, but I don't think they should just walk into the team mid season. Close season is a different ball game.

I don't know where the threshold is on this though. Let's say we'd signed this lad a week ago and let's say he's objectively better than Doc (as I say, I don't know and I don't go around pretending to know about players if I haven't watched them, despite how much football I watch).

Doc was manifestly at fault for the opening goal on Monday and outside of that was dreadful for the first half hour in particular. So would Tete come in now, after one bad game? Or do we need the incumbent to cost us more points before we change it?

 

[Langers]

Doherty has had a very good season, and is looking very much like he belongs in this league. No mean feat for someone who actually made TWF's 'worst XI'!

But as is the case with anyone in the squad, if we can improve on them, we should do. We won't be overly sentimental, and if someone's form or consistency lets them down, they'll be out of the side as and when another option becomes available. For me, Doherty stays in the side until he shows less consistency - I think he's been pretty consistent so far this season TBH. Anyone challenging needs to bide their team, remain professional and train hard so when they get their chance to get into the side, they take it. Dendoncker, Saiss, Ruddy are just 3 players who might feel a bit aggrieved not to have had more game time this season but their attitude remains spot on.

If we sign a good RWB and Doherty's performances suffer, that's the time when he'll lose his place.

 

[Oldgoldwulf]

I don't know where the threshold is on this though. Let's say we'd signed this lad a week ago and let's say he's objectively better than Doc (as I say, I don't know and I don't go around pretending to know about players if I haven't watched them, despite how much football I watch).

Doc was manifestly at fault for the opening goal on Monday and outside of that was dreadful for the first half hour in particular. So would Tete come in now, after one bad game? Or do we need the incumbent to cost us more points before we change it?

Precisely...


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[Oldgoldwulf]

All moot until we actually sign someone anyway I guess.


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[Parkins left foot]

All moot until we actually sign someone anyway I guess.


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Not overly fussed if we don't as think we have enough to hold us somewhere around where we are currently. Only issue might be is that we have a smaller squad than many other teams & injuries will hurt us.

 

[Penk Wolf]

I don't know where the threshold is on this though. Let's say we'd signed this lad a week ago and let's say he's objectively better than Doc (as I say, I don't know and I don't go around pretending to know about players if I haven't watched them, despite how much football I watch).

Doc was manifestly at fault for the opening goal on Monday and outside of that was dreadful for the first half hour in particular. So would Tete come in now, after one bad game? Or do we need the incumbent to cost us more points before we change it?

I would expect him to start on the sub bench and see how he performs when he comes on.

 

[Jinky]

This doesn’t work for me though James..

Matt has shown more effort this year in getting fit and maintaining it... but surely this is the minimum we should expect from him. His overall play is still suspect and he has had no competition whatsoever.

Should we bring in a higher quality player, who shows in training that he has a better touch, defensive awareness and crossing ability - then I’d have him straight in the first team.

No room for sentiment.


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Too true. We had this crap with Edwards for years. Obviously not anything like good enough (I would say Doc is above this level now, in the very specific role that we use him in) but he'd knock a goal in every now and then and people subsequently wanted to wait for him to have a series of terrible games before we dropped him. No, that will obviously hurt the team and results. If you have an obviously better player, pick him. We didn't sign Rui and then make him wait for Ruddy to chuck one in before he got a go.

Obviously until we sign someone better than Doc then this is not an issue. I haven't seen enough of Tete to say whether he is or isn't.

I understand this stance, but comparing the Dave Edwards situation to the current one is like comparing apples & oranges.

Say we sign Tete - I imagine he is being signed as a potential first choice option at RWB to replace Doc in the long run. But he'd be a young lad moving to a new league in a different country. He would need to learn the system and what is expected of him within that. No matter how good you are, that will take time - and whilst there is a perfectly fine player currently performing to an adequate level in his position - Nuno & Co would not throw him in at the deep end. A better example is to look at the situation surrounding Donk, who is only just getting in to our starting 11 on a semi-regular basis now.

If Tete comes, he isn't going to waltz straight in to the starting 11 from day 1 - no matter how much you boys want to argue the point.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Not overly fussed if we don't as think we have enough to hold us somewhere around where we are currently. Only issue might be is that we have a smaller squad than many other teams & injuries will hurt us.

We do need someone in that area, we currently have three players for two slots, it's not enough. We evidently wanted someone in the summer and nothing will have changed since.

While Jonny was out, we were a Vinagre injury away from giving Giles his senior debut in the Premier League (I rate the boy, but that's a big ask) or a Doherty injury away from playing either Bennett or Buur there, which would be shit.

 

[Norman Deeley]

Doubt that Matt Doherty would hang around as back up. Whatever we think, there are plenty of PL teams that would take him

 

[Langers]

I understand this stance, but comparing the Dave Edwards situation to the current one is like comparing apples & oranges.

Say we sign Tete - I imagine he is being signed as a potential first choice option at RWB to replace Doc in the long run. But he'd be a young lad moving to a new league in a different country. He would need to learn the system and what is expected of him within that. No matter how good you are, that will take time - and whilst there is a perfectly fine player currently performing to an adequate level in his position - Nuno & Co would not throw him in at the deep end. A better example is to look at the situation surrounding Donk, who is only just getting in to our starting 11 on a semi-regular basis now.

If Tete comes, he isn't going to waltz straight in to the starting 11 from day 1 - no matter how much you boys want to argue the point.

I find myself agreeing with Jinky. Feels kinda weird TBQH.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

If Tete comes, he isn't going to waltz straight in to the starting 11 from day 1 - no matter how much you boys want to argue the point.

I didn't say he would.

I just don't like the concept of a player keeping the shirt by default until he fucks up, when you know he probably will. Because the team suffers.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Doubt that Matt Doherty would hang around as back up. Whatever we think, there are plenty of PL teams that would take him

No-one plays the same system as us (they might line up 3-4-3 or 3-4-1-2, but it's not the same) and as a conventional wing back - in the way that say, Spurs use them when they go three at the back - he would not be very good. God help anyone if they signed him and played him as a RB in a back four.

He's very useful for us in this specific role in this specific system. For anyone else, less so. Look at his performances for Ireland.

 

[Jinky]

I find myself agreeing with Jinky. Feels kinda weird TBQH.

Welcome to the dark side...

 

[Derby Wolf]

I wouldn't be surprised if we look to sell Bennett and Doherty come the close season replacements depending.

Both (particularly Benno) are performing exceptionally but there's no scope for more, I think they're riding the coattails of momentum. For example, see Dicko after 14/15. Injury aside he's never looked close to the same player.

This might not be palatable to some but you've gotta know when to stick or twist which we haven't for years, if at all. I can see other less divisive players also being shifted, this isn't me shitposting Doherty.

Man City did the same with the likes of Richard Dunne when they started becoming big players. He was four time player of the year there but was moved on to Villa at the end of first season of big money.