When will we complete our first signing of the summer?

[chaileyjem]

That season we didn't lose the foundation of the team as we did last summer, we didn't sell players like Ulloa, Buckley in the weeks close to the season starting. We also failed to bring back Ward and Upson as the club expected. we failed to replace good players like Bridcutt, Barnes, Lopez, El Abd and Orlandi and loan players of the class of Andrews and Lingeard. So the two summers bare little comparison in my view. The 2012/13 summer we had a good squad already here and we built on it. Last Summer we had a weaker squad and sold to make it even weaker.

Yes you think we've a weaker squad than before and we've sold all our good players and signings slipped through our hands. Fair enough .

But i thought we were talking about the difference (i think marginal - you might think bigger) to a teams performance over a season if/when you actually assemble a squad or make a signing in the summer window . Does it really matter that much if its May, June, July or August. ? If we make 5 poor signings in May and June then I'm going out on a limb and saying this isn't better than making 5 decent signings in July and August. And it doesn't matter if your squad starts out with your star man being Vicente in it or the mighty Chris O Grady. . Its the quality of the players you sign in a transfer window, the capabilities of the manager, the time he's spent with a squad are far far more important factors than the date of the signing.
PS: HAVE WE SIGNED ANYONE YET.

 

[spence]

Yes you think we've a weaker squad than before and we've sold all our good players and signings slipped through our hands. Fair enough .

But i thought we were talking about the difference (i think marginal - you might think bigger) to a teams performance over a season if/when you actually assemble a squad or make a signing in the summer window . Does it really matter that much if its May, June, July or August. ? If we make 5 poor signings in May and June then I'm going out on a limb and saying this isn't better than making 5 decent signings in July and August. And it doesn't matter if your squad starts out with your star man being Vicente in it or the mighty Chris O Grady. . Its the quality of the players you sign in a transfer window, the capabilities of the manager, the time he's spent with a squad are far far more important factors than the date of the signing.
PS: HAVE WE SIGNED ANYONE YET.

You really don't want to be waiting until Aug to be making 5 decent signings because it certainly didn't work last year. By that time clubs will have there nucleus of a squad in place

Aug is when Premiership clubs name there 25 man squad and i really don't want to be holding out for load of loans players again. Our transfer dealings last Aug was appalling end off.

The club needs to pull it's finger out this time around and not leaving it to panic signings.

 

[Superseagull69]

You really don't want to be waiting until Aug to be making 5 decent signings because it certainly didn't work last year. By that time clubs will have there nucleus of a squad in place

Aug is when Premiership clubs name there 25 man squad and i really don't want to be holding out for load of loans players again. Our transfer dealings last Aug was appalling end off.

The club needs to pull it's finger out this time around and not leaving it to panic signings.

IMO I believe we will see more action a lot earlier this year, especially a TB put his head on the block with the "Judge us after 1st Sept" comment. He got burned & I firmly believe this was one of the factors in deciding to sack Burke.

This year although we still have a recruitment team think your find it is Hughton who is driving it & cant see him wanting to wait until Late August.

 

[chaileyjem]

You really don't want to be waiting until Aug to be making 5 decent signings because it certainly didn't work last year. By that time clubs will have there nucleus of a squad in place

Aug is when Premiership clubs name there 25 man squad and i really don't want to be holding out for load of loans players again. Our transfer dealings last Aug was appalling end off.

The club needs to pull it's finger out this time around and not leaving it to panic signings.

Baldock, O Grady and Stockdale weren't panic signings, all were #1 targets and we made them all in August.
Would they have had better seasons for us if we'd managed to sign them in May, July or June. I doubt it.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I do think they'll largely be 'free' transfers with monies used on signing on fee's.

 

[spence]

Baldock, O Grady and Stockdale weren't panic signings, all were #1 targets and we made them all in August.
Would they have had better seasons for us if we'd managed to sign them in May, July or June. I doubt it.

O'Grady was a poor signing and i said this when we signed him. Paddy McCourt and Holla haven't been great. Baldock is another strange signing if we intended to play one up front.. I'm not convinced at all they were our targets. Most people were disappointed with our dealings last year.

Stockdale was the only player i was pleased with and Baldock providing we played two strikers.

 

[severnside gull]

QPR to sign Jay Emmanuel-Thomas on a free - that's the same JET who complemented Baldock so well and created many of his goals.
Wolves after Dwight Gale and Joseph Mulumbu.

We appear to be chasing the game already.

 

[Superseagull69]

Baldock, O Grady and Stockdale weren't panic signings, all were #1 targets and we made them all in August.
Would they have had better seasons for us if we'd managed to sign them in May, July or June. I doubt it.

No the timing of these signings would not of made any difference to the season, although my feeling of MEH would of started earlier.

Some would argue that the team may of gelled better if they had been around for pre season but that argument falls down when it still hadn't gelled enough by the time the season ended.

 

[chaileyjem]

O'Grady was a poor signing and i said this when we signed him. Paddy McCourt and Holla haven't been great. Baldock is another strange signing if we intended to play one up front.. I'm not convinced at all they were our targets. Most people were disappointed with our dealings last year.

Stockdale was the only player i was pleased with and Baldock providing we played two strikers.

Like it or not. The club wanted these players . Just because they had poor seasons doesn't mean the club didn't want em. David Burke / Sami paid for that with their jobs. (They went in for Holla after the deal with Clayton fell through).
Perhaps the issue is that they should have bought someone else.
But the constant refrain that the whole season was a disaster and this season will be likewise because the contracts were inked in the month of August and not June doesn't stand up.

 

[Superseagull69]

QPR to sign Jay Emmanuel-Thomas on a free - that's the same JET who complemented Baldock so well and created many of his goals.
Wolves after Dwight Gale and Joseph Mulumbu.

We appear to be chasing the game already.

Who is to say that Hughton had any interest in any of these We are only chasing the game if Hughtons targets are getting signed by others because we are not up to speed.

It would also not surprise me if we have already agreed contracts with some players but unlike other teams are not releasing it to the press until the window officially opens. Just speculation though I might add....

 

[Superseagull69]

Like it or not. The club wanted these players . Just because they had poor seasons doesn't mean the club didn't want em. David Burke / Sami paid for that with their jobs. (They went in for Holla after the deal with Clayton fell through).
Perhaps the issue is that they should have bought someone else.
But the constant refrain that the whole season was a disaster and this season will be likewise because the contracts were inked in the month of August and not June doesn't stand up.

Tottally agree with this, add in the fact Burke is no longer here & Hughton has been able to assess the squad in a match day scenario & not come in blind the close season(as Hyppia). I am prepared to wait it out a little longer.

 

[spence]

Like it or not. The club wanted these players . Just because they had poor seasons doesn't mean the club didn't want em. David Burke / Sami paid for that with their jobs. (They went in for Holla after the deal with Clayton fell through).
Perhaps the issue is that they should have bought someone else.
But the constant refrain that the whole season was a disaster and this season will be likewise because the contracts were inked in the month of August and not June doesn't stand up.

Clayton fell Through and so did Ward.

You can dress it up much as you want Last year was appalling. I certainly hope our list of targets are of better quality and we don't drag our heels again. That is exactly what cost us last year.

It's not good enough for a club with over 20k season tickets and a board telling us we are Premier league ready., It's about time we are more competitive especially when competing with other Championship clubs

 

[Superseagull69]

Clayton fell Through and so did Ward.

You can dress it up much as you want Last year was appalling. I certainly hope our list of targets are of better quality and we don't drag our heels again. That is exactly what cost us last year.

It's not good enough for a club with over 20k season tickets and a board telling us we are Premier league ready., It's about time we are more competitive especially when competing with other Championship clubs

Do you not think that Burke & no continuity of manager cost us more ? I certainly believe it affected our chances of securing who we wanted or more importantly NEEDED.

 

[chaileyjem]

Clayton fell Through and so did Ward.

You can dress it up much as you want Last year was appalling. I certainly hope our list of targets are of better quality and we don't drag our heels again. That is exactly what cost us last year.

It's not good enough for a club with over 20k season ticket gates and a board telling us we are Premier league ready.,

I'm not dressing it up. I agree with you.Ultimately the transfer window last summer was poor one for the club, the targets / signings should have been better, and its frustrating given the money TB spent and for that matter the 3 season tickets and countless pies i cough up for. I trust and hope this season is better. I'm sure O Grady will be able to double his goal tally for starters
However i don't agree that it was because "we dragged our heels" ... Our targets were wrong or the targets we landed didn't in the end deliver.
We had a poor season and made most of our 10 new signings in August doesn't mean we had a poor season BECAUSE we made most of our new signings in August. I've said this already haven't I.

 

[perseus]

End of Austerity Regime ?

If he is surplus to requirements why did they offer & he subsequently sign a 2yr contract about a month ago

IMO our first signing is Imminent

He did not get a place in the squad for the Final Game. I think they want a transfer fee, He might be ahead of Yanic Wildschut in the Boro pecking order which means that Yanic Wildschut might be surplus instead?

I think we will have to lay out some dosh if we are to be contenders.

 

[Superseagull69]

He did not get a place in the squad for the Final Game. I think they want a transfer fee, He might be ahead of Yanic Wildschut in the Boro pecking order which means that Yanic Wildschut might be surplus instead?

I think we will have to lay out some dosh if we are to be contenders.

You might be right. One can only assume they promised him regular football as surely he wouldn't sign just so they can get a fee & miss out on a signing on fee himself.......

 

[Hungry Joe]

I don't know whether I'm a bed wetter or a licker

I'm a bed licker.

 

[perseus]

You might be right. One can only assume they promised him regular football as surely he wouldn't sign just so they can get a fee & miss out on a signing on fee himself.......

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/.../wingers-galore-boro-mustapha-carayol-8388574

Wingers are a bit of a luxury and Boro have got more than enough. Adomah might go to the PL ?

I would not be displeased with either Carayol or Wildschut. I'd sooner have Buckley back, but the wages and transfer fee are likely to be too much.

I think I also might prefer Jérémy Hélan of Wednesday. All preferred to Elliott Bennett.

All these are younger players with potential. Whether they realise their potential is always a gamble.

I think we may have missed out not signing Danny Ward whom Brentford pinched off Huddersfield under my radar.

Still, we have got Solly March who was just beginning to look good when he was fouled leading to his injury. First time he was beginning to look useful to my eyes when he was chopped down by Eric Lihaj.

 

[Superseagull69]

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/.../wingers-galore-boro-mustapha-carayol-8388574

Wingers are a bit of a luxury and Boro have got more than enough. Adomah might go to the PL ?

I would not be displeased with either Carayol or Wildschut. I'd sooner have Buckley back, but the wages and transfer fee are likely to be too much.

I think I also might prefer Jérémy Hélan of Wednesday. All preferred to Elliott Bennett.

All these are younger players with potential. Whether they realise their potential is always a gamble.

I am with you on that one, although I like Benno & think his return this year was poor due to injury & team tactics, any of the three you listed would be an improvement IMO. Personally I wouldn't want Buckley back.

 

[B.W.]

Cause or correlation

y = f(x1, x2, x3... ...xn)

Where y = points, x1 = Hyypia, x2 = Burke, x3 = player budget, x4 = pies sold, x5 = clackers, x6 = Ron Challis, x7 = Ring of Fire)