Who from this lot would actually make you/NSC happy?

[chaileyjem]

That's what I'm hoping but the nearer we get to the season the more I am losing the faith. I also worry that even if we do bring in the signings we need, Hyypia now won't have the time to mould them into the kind of team he wants and we will end up having a very slow start to the season.

So I'd also prefer everything to be in place by now and i'm sure so would the club. Sami says its "not ideal" and TB often says he doesn't like doing business in the January windows for example.
That said you have to be take the opportunities when they come. Conway, Lingard and Ward made a real difference last season and none were in place either all season or at the start.
Upson, Ulloa arrived in January 2013. And Hammond, Orlandi and Spanish Dave played a big role in 2012/13 but all arrived on Aug 31 2012 with *cough* 40 or so games to go. We do loan business, late business, permanent signings , injury replacements, and deal with players "desperate to leave"...

Its not finished squad on August 9th or ...bust.

 

[Finchley Seagull]

There are loads of players on the in list that would have improved our squad. Even teams like Brentford (e.g. Odubajo, Hogan, Pritchard) and Bournemouth (Wilson, Gosling, Stanilas) have made better signings than we have. We could even do with some of the players on that list to bolster our squad even if they weren't going to be regulars (e.g. Donaldson, Webster, Christie). Unless the club do some serious business very soon I can honestly see us battling relegation.

Completely disagree. Players like Obudajo, Hogan and Gray (who Brentford also signed from Luton) are a risk. It's what we did when we first came up and the likes of Harley, arguably Vincelot and CMS, definitely Hoskins although for different reasons, didn't work. I would say the players we've been linked with are a different class to that.

As for Bournemouth, they've replaced Grabban with Wilson so not improved there. Gosling might have been okay but we have lots of central midfielders and he's hardly played recently. Stanislas barely featured for Burnley last year. The last few you mention would definitely not improve our squad. I would say O'Grady is better than Donaldson and the other two wouldn't get near our first team.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, there are many quality players on that list (certainly if you exclude the likes of McCormack). I would rather wait to get the quality we need than jump in and end up with average/poor players.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Both have retired, Bridge through injury, Bellamy through age/ lack of motivation I think.

Hmmm. Well, most of our players don't play through injury, so it wouldn't do any harm having a couple more non playing players on our books. They're the kind of calibre of signing that should keep certain sections of the support happy. I say we offer them deals...

 

[Finchley Seagull]

Decent Championship players are better than no signings at all though after we've let so many players go.

There definitely are not 40 decent Championship players in that list. Even if there are, we're looking for first team players not squad members. We need a first choice goalkeeper, left back, striker and possibly creative midfielder. Those options were not on there.

I genuinely do think some people would be happier if we threw money away on any old player. Although they'd probably moan about who we signed then too.

 

[Acker79]

It's a loaded question. NSC is a group of people with different ideas of what is good football, what approach the club should take, what overall policies the club should have. There is no player that would please every one. Zamora? Old, and past it, won't live up to past glories. Messi, Ronaldo? No way could the club sustainably afford them, even if reports came out that they were here for minimum wage people would have concerns that of all the clubs they chose us, there must be something questionable about it.

There are plenty of players there that could improve our squad and even give us a good chance to push for a top 6 finish, but this is NSC, there will be people who question any signing.

 

[Bolton va va]

Always thought Eagles was a very tricky player and, on the rare occasion, that I've seen Bolton, showed real quality.

I was surprised to see that he had been released and surprised he hasn't been snapped up. Must be an important point I'm missing ... lazy, erratic, difficult to work with?

Eagles has lots of natural ability & at his best could play in the premier league but he lacks any fighting spirit / mental toughness / whatever & disappears for long periods. You get about one (very ) good game in five out of him, not just at Bolton but throughout his career.

A luxury player that not many teams can afford to carry.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Whats happened to the players we've released?

Upson is at Leicester (but we'd offered him a new contract but he turned it down)
Orlandi is training at Swansea but is still without a club
but what about the rest?

So why haven't they been snapped up or are they waiting and biding their time too in order to try to get the best deal and the best club that they can rather than just signing for anyone just to have a contract for next season?

Players like PIG should get a decent team but are still free agents, so is it the clubs stalling or are the potential signings and their agents the hold up when it comes to us signing new players ?

 

[Acker79]

Whats happened to the players we've released?

Upson is at Leicester (but we'd offered him a new contract but he turned it down)
Orlandi is training at Swansea but is still without a club
but what about the rest?

So why haven't they been snapped up or are they waiting and biding their time too in order to try to get the best deal and the best club that they can rather than just signing for anyone just to have a contract for next season?

Players like PIG should get a decent team but are still free agents, so is it the clubs stalling or are the potential signings and their agents the hold up when it comes to us signing new players ?

Brezovan has been linked with oxford (Argus)
Lopez and Rodriguez were hoping for a return to Spain, Orlandi has an offer from a lower league team abroad but is hoping for something in this country (Argus)
Hoskins was on trial at Barnsley, not sure how that is going (Argus)

No word on Kuszczak.

Keith Andrews has signed for Watfrod (BBC)
No movement on Ward, yet.


I think released players are not beholden to the start of the season or transfer window deadline, so might feel they have more leverage and will hold out longer for a better deal, thinking the teams will crack first as they need to bring a player in before their season is too far gone.

 

[Philzo-93]

Hangeland would be a superb signing!

 

[Stat Brother]

I'm going to show my ignorance here, as other than Gomes I don't know of any goalkeepers signed.

Have we signed the best goal keeper currently available?
(Which I guess also takes in TK)