Winter Improvement Thread (aka Winter Squad Weakening Thread and TWF Suicide Watch)

[Deleted Cyber]

I just want us to be capable of decent challenge for promotion for starter's. We were 3 players at least short in the summer then we sold Stearman. No problem if we had replaced him effectively but we didn't. Now we are in the position of playing catch up with limited resources. Selling Adobe gives us cash to strengthen. Maybe not a bad call if not ideal

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I don't think it would help us out at all.

1) You can't replace him like for like, really

2) We aren't in a great position to attract new signings, being as we aren't really especially near the top six

3) The Championship is full of clubs spending big at the moment, you're just chucking yourself into a very expensive and very competitive market

4) January is generally Rip Off Central

5) Everyone in the world knows you have that money and are desperate to spend a lot of it inside a very short space of time, to exacerbate point 4

I don't expect him to be here in September, but I do think he'll be here in four weeks.

 

[Johnny75]

On top of that no owner in his right mind is giving the current manager 10% of any of that money as he's proven he can't spend it wisely.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Can't argue with any of that

 

[19th Holer]

Can't see us with a net loss on spending in this window. Club in mid-table, up for sale, I'll be surprised if there is any desire to do anything major.
Afobe now 1/5 to go to Bournemouth, 3/1 to stay with us (Skybet).

 

[Deleted Cyber]

I can. We have to be self sufficient and the owner has intimated you sell to spend. We are currently shit or 4 players short of a championship squad. What do you do? The club won't bin kj yet he says he needs players.Hello 10 mil from Norwich. Call me cynical but.....

 

[Deleted Cyber]

I don't think it would help us out at all.

1) You can't replace him like for like, really

2) We aren't in a great position to attract new signings, being as we aren't really especially near the top six

3) The Championship is full of clubs spending big at the moment, you're just chucking yourself into a very expensive and very competitive market

4) January is generally Rip Off Central

5) Everyone in the world knows you have that money and are desperate to spend a lot of it inside a very short space of time, to exacerbate point 4

I don't expect him to be here in September, but I do think he'll be here in four weeks.

You cant replace him full stop on our budget and wage structure.
We are in a position to attract experience and nouse and that is what is needed now
So what. Its the way of football nowadays
Agreed but we are in need and will get top dollar
Maybe but a move won't surprise me

 

[19th Holer]

But we aren't going up or down this season, there is no compelling reason to spend in January, unless you're a fan.

 

[Derby Wolf]

At the current juncture with the trash Jackett is talking about power and the players he refuses to play I wouldn't trust him to do my Friday big shop.

 

[Deano]

On Afobe, selling one star player to fund more signings rarely works anyway, I'm sure Liverpool and Spurs fans thought the Suarez/Bale money would improve them in several areas but that didn't work out so well. When we sold Fletcher and Jarvis we were given a decent amount of that money and bar Sako it was all wasted.

It's best if you just don't sell your best players (if it can be helped)

 

[MARKakaJIM]

On Afobe, selling one star player to fund more signings rarely works anyway, I'm sure Liverpool and Spurs fans thought the Suarez/Bale money would improve them in several areas but that didn't work out so well. When we sold Fletcher and Jarvis we were given a decent amount of that money and bar Sako it was all wasted.

It's best if you just don't sell your best players (if it can be helped)

Bit of a different situation there though wasn't it? Given the relegation.

Not like Wolves were really going to be in much of a position to attract better players given they were playing at a lower level than the previous three years, nor would that have been the intention when they sold Fletcher and Jarvis, those sales were driven by the players.

 

[Deano]

Bit of a different situation there though wasn't it? Given the relegation.

Not like Wolves were really going to be in much of a position to attract better players given they were playing at a lower level than the previous three years, nor would that have been the intention when they sold Fletcher and Jarvis, those sales were driven by the players.

They didn't need to be better players just good enough to mount a decent challenge in the Championship, I think the total was around 13/14 million and out of the 5 or 6 players signed only one was a success.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

They didn't need to be better players just good enough to mount a decent challenge in the Championship, I think the total was around 13/14 million and out of the 5 or 6 players signed only one was a success.

How has that got any relevance to selling a star player in order to finance improvements elsewhere though?

Wolves didn't sell Jarvis and Fletcher for any such reason, they didn't even want to sell them at all!

You can't just pick examples of failed transfers and use that as an argument against a very specific scenario.

 

[Penk Wolf]

With Callum Wilson injured, I think Bournemouth would be a good move for both Bournemouth and Afobe.

 

[Norman Deeley]

At the current juncture with the trash Jackett is talking about power and the players he refuses to play I wouldn't trust him to do my Friday big shop.

No, no, you'd be fine. On current form he'd do your big shop, spend all your money on things you didn't need, not use what he bought and then three months later loan it out to Millwall

 

[Deano]

How has that got any relevance to selling a star player in order to finance improvements elsewhere though?

Wolves didn't sell Jarvis and Fletcher for any such reason, they didn't even want to sell them at all!

You can't just pick examples of failed transfers and use that as an argument against a very specific scenario.

Some people seem to think of it as - sell Afobe for 12m, get 4 players in for 3m and then we will have a better team.

I was just trying to say that it rarely works out that way, regardless of why the players were sold.

 

[Lord Knows]

Some people seem to think of it as - sell Afobe for 12m, get 4 players in for 3m and then we will have a better team.

I was just trying to say that it rarely works out that way, regardless of why the players were sold.

Depends on your scouting and recruitment. Southampton and Spurs show that you can replace high quality performers by building a more rounded team. You would imagine Wolves have held internal inquires as to why recent signings have made such little impact and will change the theory towards future targets.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Some people seem to think of it as - sell Afobe for 12m, get 4 players in for 3m and then we will have a better team.

I was just trying to say that it rarely works out that way, regardless of why the players were sold.

A lot will depend on the importance of the individual being sold, the state of the rest of the team and who they can get in as replacements.

You look at both the Suarez and Bale situations, they were a one man team for large periods before their big sales so they were always going to be very difficult to replace as the rest of the team needed a lot of work, both wasted that money for the most part, though Spurs have eventually put together a much more complete team than they had with Bale around, thanks to even more signings and a new manager. Liverpool are still in a mess, still wank in defence, unbalanced as fuck in midfield and no longer have a worldy up top to dig them out of the shit.

At Wolves level it shouldn't be such a difficult problem to overcome, Afobe is a good Championship player but he's certainly not a player that's going to drag a whole team up on his own in the way that Bale or Suarez have done in the past, he's very reliant on service and he has been getting precious little of it at the moment. I don't think he's anywhere near as important to the team as Bale/Suarez were at their previous clubs, despite being arguably the most able player in the squad, if Wolves could shore up the backline with some fresh faces and give the midfield a bit more freedom to attack then ALF should be able to do a job until the end of the season when you get Dicko back and see how the likes of Enobkhare have developed.

The big worry for Wolves though is the recent history of recruitment, as much as I think there are upgrades out there within price range, I really don't think Wolves have the personnel in place to find them.

 

[YoungWolf]

The big worry for Wolves though is the recent history of recruitment, as much as I think there are upgrades out there within price range, I really don't think Wolves have the personnel in place to find them.

Here is my key issue. I don't see the point in us selling Afobe as I don't think we would replace him suitably.

I also think we have players here (Byrne, Zyro, Wallace) who can provide him with support but need to be given a) the opportunity in the team and b) once given the opportunity the freedom to attack and be creative. Currently we don't have enough attacking players in the team (besides Graham) nor the freedom in the side because we are so focused on replicating Chelsea's defensive performance against Barcelona under Di Matteo in every single game.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

A lot will depend on the importance of the individual being sold, the state of the rest of the team and who they can get in as replacements.

You look at both the Suarez and Bale situations, they were a one man team for large periods before their big sales so they were always going to be very difficult to replace as the rest of the team needed a lot of work, both wasted that money for the most part, though Spurs have eventually put together a much more complete team than they had with Bale around, thanks to even more signings and a new manager. Liverpool are still in a mess, still $#@! in defence, unbalanced as $#@! in midfield and no longer have a worldy up top to dig them out of the $#@!.

At Wolves level it shouldn't be such a difficult problem to overcome, Afobe is a good Championship player but he's certainly not a player that's going to drag a whole team up on his own in the way that Bale or Suarez have done in the past, he's very reliant on service and he has been getting precious little of it at the moment. I don't think he's anywhere near as important to the team as Bale/Suarez were at their previous clubs, despite being arguably the most able player in the squad, if Wolves could shore up the backline with some fresh faces and give the midfield a bit more freedom to attack then ALF should be able to do a job until the end of the season when you get Dicko back and see how the likes of Enobkhare have developed.

The big worry for Wolves though is the recent history of recruitment, as much as I think there are upgrades out there within price range, I really don't think Wolves have the personnel in place to find them.

Let me make my position crystal. In an ideal world I want to keep Afobe. However our owner has stated we must be self sufficient. Despite posting 8 mil in profits and being lauded as a well run club other threads say that we in fact will lose that this year. That means vis a vis that there is NO MONEY FOR PLAYERS. Given our woeful lack of depth in the current squad and , despite three wins on the bounce , a shockingly low standard of football and entertainment, we all pretty much agree that new faces are required. Forget the debate of do you trust the current recruitment or Jackett to get the right people in. The fact is Jackett says we need more depth, most on here say we need more depth and new players and yet looking at the maths the only way we get the money is to sell someone. The only one that is attracting attention for that kind of money is Benik.
This is what happens when you dont shop properly in the summer. I told you that then and its coming home to roost now. A lower table championship club going knowhere this season will get shining players picked over in January by those either looking to get to the prem or those looking to stay in the prem. Hands up we fucked up. We all know it. Now we have to suck it up fruitcakes and build for next year. If the owner is not going to dip in to do that we have to get more creative. Or we stick with what we have and " enjoy" and maybe 3 home wins all season and half a dozen backs to the wall defending jobs that will help keep us up or even mid table. Woopy fucking do. Just what we always want. Mid table championship mediocrity from a dull team led by a dull manager with dull tactics.

Ideally- keep Afobe and buy 3 or 4 new faces and freshen it up a bit to give confidence for next year. They are NOT going to sack Ken so we have to play the hand we are dealt with. We are also not getting a billionaire in time for this window so we have little alternative.

Sorry guys the only way I see us getting new faces and a bit more depth is through selling Benik or Morgan doing a complete U turn and dipping into his pockets ( pig cruising at 30000 feet spotted over Wolverhampion)