Who should we sign?.

[sawyers left arm]

Barry Conlon

[jumpers for goalposts]

I think they should take a punt, a Joe Gamble.

Who's Joe Gamble?

[MalcybabyRFC]

Griffin
Khiz
Bertrand
1 more centre back
1 winger
Craig Mackial Smith
Gary Hooper

Griffin,Khiz and Bertrand NEED to stay if we are to be promoted next season.

And since Ivar is leaving, one more centre back wouldn't hurt IMO. Maybe as a back up to Pearce?

A winger as a back up to Kebe/McAnuff as HRK still needs time to prove himself. Henry may leave next season.

CMS and Gary Hooper would make a good strike partner-ship IMO. A runner and and prolific goal scorer. Long and Church as back-ups to the both of them.

Good post, I agree with most of that although I think another CB could be unnecessary at this stage tho and possibly one drain on JM's wallet too far considering the other loan - buys mentioned. I am certain we will loose Bertie as he has really stood out since xmas and must have been tracked by other teams either newly promoted or lower prem - he's even bagged himself a couple of goals.

Good post just hope its a reality.

[gazzer, loyal royal]

Griffin
Khiz
Bertrand
1 more centre back
1 winger
Craig Mackial Smith
Gary Hooper

Griffin,Khiz and Bertrand NEED to stay if we are to be promoted next season.

And since Ivar is leaving, one more centre back wouldn't hurt IMO. Maybe as a back up to Pearce?

A winger as a back up to Kebe/McAnuff as HRK still needs time to prove himself. Henry may leave next season.

CMS and Gary Hooper would make a good strike partner-ship IMO. A runner and and prolific goal scorer. Long and Church as back-ups to the both of them.

Good post, I agree with most of that although I think another CB could be unnecessary at this stage tho and possibly one drain on JM's wallet too far considering the other loan - buys mentioned. I am certain we will loose Bertie as he has really stood out since xmas and must have been tracked by other teams either newly promoted or lower prem - he's even bagged himself a couple of goals.

Good post just hope its a reality.

From what my source told me the other day, Ivar isn't out of contract this summer. The club have the option to extend his deal on reduced terms which they will take up if Ivar doesn't agree other terms

The club are also hopeful they can Bertrand back on another season long loan as it looks unlikely that Chelsea will sell him. Arnesen was at the game on Saturday and was impressed with how he has developed here.

We're only paying 50% of Zurab's wages so it'll be hard to keep him here, and no one has a clue what Griffin wants to do

[Sun Tzu]

[quote="gazzer, loyal royal]
We're only paying 50% of Zurab's wages so it'll be hard to keep him here, and no one has a clue what Griffin wants to do[/quote]

Surely it would be easy to keep Zurab. We just have to pay the other half of his wages and it's a deal.

Key point would be how much his wages are.....

[Hoop Blah]

I do worry that there is too much talk of us walking the division if we keep this side togthers etc etc. That's the kind of attitude we took after finishing 8th in the Premier League, and we all know how the nest season went!

We have to look to improve and not just make do with what we've got.

This is not the same set of circumstances as the one that saw us needlessly relegated.

Whilst Coppell should have invested then, buying a striker now would be pointless when we clearly favour one up front and should have Hunt back from i njury to add to what we already have.

This time we have emerging talent and for once we should allow Long and Church to develop whilst investing any funds by filling the inevitable gaps that will appear in our defence over the summer.

I didn't say they were similar circumstances, but the same rule still applies though. If you don't look to improve you end up going backwards.

Back on the topic of forwards, I think we'll see Rasiak leave in the summer, leaving us with Long, Church and an injury prone Hunt who isn't capable of playing 90 minutes even when he is fit.

Not one of those 3 are currently a consistent or prolific goalscorer and it seems McDermott is possibly undecided on whether Long ro Church is good enough. We have to have competition and suitable options within the squad. The 3 above (even plus Rasiak) just don't give us those options because they're all very similar players, and I just don't think any one of them is a quite good enough to play upfront on their own IF we want to be challenging at the top of the league.

[rhroyal]

It's slightly different. At the end of 06/07 it was clear the team couldn't get any better. Many players were already at the peaks of their career and unlikely to improve. The team had already been together for years and wasn't going to grow together any more than it was. Then there was second season syndrome, teams weren't going to underestimate us any more. There was also losing Sidwell, leaving a hole we never replaced.

This team is young and hasn't reach its maturity. It will improve. We can learn from lessons of 07/08. Hopefully Siggy and other youngsters won't let their late season form go to their heads and go away mentally like a few did in 07/08. If any players do leave, we must replace them. That will certainly mean the backline. We also need to look at our weaknesses from this season. We've lacked a clinical striker. We have Rasiak as the big man. We'll have Noel Hunt as the work horse. We've got the movement of Church to pull backlines about. Long is a mixture. Useful in the air, works hard etc. However we need a fox in the box. A man who, when the chance falls, you know will bury it. A Jamie Cureton type striker.

[Hoop Blah]

It's slightly different. At the end of 06/07 it was clear the team couldn't get any better. Many players were already at the peaks of their career and unlikely to improve. The team had already been together for years and wasn't going to grow together any more than it was. Then there was second season syndrome, teams weren't going to underestimate us any more. There was also losing Sidwell, leaving a hole we never replaced.

This team is young and hasn't reach its maturity. It will improve. We can learn from lessons of 07/08. Hopefully Siggy and other youngsters won't let their late season form go to their heads and go away mentally like a few did in 07/08. If any players do leave, we must replace them. That will certainly mean the backline. We also need to look at our weaknesses from this season. We've lacked a clinical striker. We have Rasiak as the big man. We'll have Noel Hunt as the work horse. We've got the movement of Church to pull backlines about. Long is a mixture. Useful in the air, works hard etc. However we need a fox in the box. A man who, when the chance falls, you know will bury it. A Jamie Cureton type striker.

Although I kind of agree with what you say about the forwards, we will only be playing one, or perhaps two, of them upfront at any time. That you seperate them all by their strengths (which I also pretty much agree with) and the fact that none of them have enough quality in all those departments shows up why I still think we'll need someone better than them to really be challenging next season.

None of them are quite good enough to do the job on their own.

[Wycombe Royal]

I think it's more a turn of phrase WR, we need a goalscorer capabale of 20 goals a season.

And we have that. Shane Long is certainly "capable" of that if he stays fit and doesn't miss lots of matches through suspension.

[Hoop Blah]

I think it's more a turn of phrase WR, we need a goalscorer capabale of 20 goals a season.

And we have that. Shane Long is certainly "capable" of that if he stays fit and doesn't miss lots of matches through suspension.

Do you think?

I have to admit I don't rate Long, so maybe my oprinion is biased because of that. He's been available for most of this season and he's played a pretty decent number of games.

Apart from a burst of something like 7 in 7 he's failed to hit the net on a consistent basis. We need a consistent goalscorer who will perform over the season, not just for one short burst.

For me Long's just not a good enough player or goalscorer to say he's in the '20 goal a season' bracket.

EDIT: Just checked, this season he has 6 in 20+9 games. That's an ok record, but as I said, I think we need a better more consistent scorer.

[MalcybabyRFC]

We obviously will need new players if the loan players do not sign, it looks unlikely that Griffin, ...Villi or Bertrand will start next season with us.

Hooper of Scunthorpe could be the 20 goal a season player we need he is only 22 years old same age as Long and Church, but he seems a natural goalscorer and has banged goals in for all the clubs he has played for. Natural goalscorer is not a term I would use to describe Long or Church . There is some interest from Premiership clubs apparently , but hope we can put a bid in .

With regard to the defence it is difficult to comment until we know who will be here , if Ingy goes as well as Villi we are down to two centre halves,Mills and Pearce .

Just hope that Griffin , Villi and Bertrand stay with us.

Midfield no need to sign anyone, just get shot of Marek, an expensive luxury and Cisse.

Hope Mr Mad realises that we have the potential with the present players to at least make the play offs next season, and hope he does n´t cash in on the Sig or anyone else. Financially the club should be on a reasonably firm footing and another big sell off should not be necessary.

I can´t wait for the new season to begin .

On the back of this post...

Does anyone actually know (and i dont mean unfounded rumours) of anyone that we have actually proactivly been monitoring this season to potentially bring in this summer?

[Wycombe Royal]

I think it's more a turn of phrase WR, we need a goalscorer capabale of 20 goals a season.

And we have that. Shane Long is certainly "capable" of that if he stays fit and doesn't miss lots of matches through suspension.

Do you think?

I have to admit I don't rate Long, so maybe my oprinion is biased because of that. He's been available for most of this season and he's played a pretty decent number of games.

Apart from a burst of something like 7 in 7 he's failed to hit the net on a consistent basis. We need a consistent goalscorer who will perform over the season, not just for one short burst.

For me Long's just not a good enough player or goalscorer to say he's in the '20 goal a season' bracket.

EDIT: Just checked, this season he has 6 in 20+9 games. That's an ok record, but as I said, I think we need a better more consistent scorer.

Yes I do believe that if he gets a consistent run in the team with a suitable striker partner. Early season we scored hardly any goals and since then he been in and out of team, sometimes up front on his, sometimes with Church as his striker partner, sometimes with Rasiak as his strike partner. Hardly the ideal conditions to score regularly.

If Long is still with us next season and if Noel Hunt is fit I expect those two to be our regular strike partnership and one which could score quite a few goals.

[Alan Partridge]

Having watched him play a few times this season I would say Billy Paynter is definitely capable of playing in the Championship and if Swindon fail to get promoted he wouldn't be a bad shout for Reading who need another forward.

Other than that, sign up the loanees, get rid of some of the deadwood and probably another left back if Armstrong is done.

[Hoop Blah]

Yes I do believe that if he gets a consistent run in the team with a suitable striker partner. Early season we scored hardly any goals and since then he been in and out of team, sometimes up front on his, sometimes with Church as his striker partner, sometimes with Rasiak as his strike partner. Hardly the ideal conditions to score regularly.

If Long is still with us next season and if Noel Hunt is fit I expect those two to be our regular strike partnership and one which could score quite a few goals.

Fair enough, I don't share that opinion, purely because I don't see him as being good enough full stop.

However, it looks likely that we'll favour a 4-5-1 formation next season to continue to get the best out of Sigurdsson. With that in mind, do you not think that Long will struggle to be the answer to the 1 upfront question?

If he isn't that answer, surely we then need to find someone that is?

Church and Long have both been given runs in the team. Neither have really done enough to make the position their own (not withstanding the rotation that I think McDermott is happy to go with for the lone forwards) or to really score enough goals to warrant being thought of as that '20 goal a season' type forward. I don't think Hunt (who is probably better than the pair of them) is the asnwer either. They both might improve next season, but that's a bit of a gamble isn't it? We've been saying the same thing about Long forever, and Church might just as easily suffer from second season syndrome (something quite often seem with centre forwards).

[Negative_Jeff]

Having watched him play a few times this season I would say Billy Paynter is definitely capable of playing in the Championship and if Swindon fail to get promoted he wouldn't be a bad shout for Reading who need another forward.

Other than that, sign up the loanees, get rid of some of the deadwood and probably another left back if Armstrong is done.

Still a fan of Jason Scotland AP? The nearest we have is Rasiak who does alright, but this bloke was different class last year and doesn`t often start at Wigan.

[Mad Dog's Ghost]

Kevin Phillips - player/coach for forwards

Out of contract at brum.

[Woodcote Royal]

I do worry that there is too much talk of us walking the division if we keep this side togthers etc etc. That's the kind of attitude we took after finishing 8th in the Premier League, and we all know how the nest season went!

We have to look to improve and not just make do with what we've got.

This is not the same set of circumstances as the one that saw us needlessly relegated.

Whilst Coppell should have invested then, buying a striker now would be pointless when we clearly favour one up front and should have Hunt back from i njury to add to what we already have.

This time we have emerging talent and for once we should allow Long and Church to develop whilst investing any funds by filling the inevitable gaps that will appear in our defence over the summer.

I didn't say they were similar circumstances, but the same rule still applies though. If you don't look to improve you end up going backwards.

Sorry but I don't agree.

Buying new players isn't the only way to make progress. We could, for instance, have signed a midfielder last summer who would have prevented the then unknown quanity Sigurdsson from becoming the player we are suddenly sh*t scared of losing.

And, had Coppell shown the slightest inclination of giving Cox the chance he clearly deserved he might have elected to stay here and developed into the type of striker you would like to see brought in.

I believe Long, Church and Hunt have all done enough to be given the chance to establish themselves at least until the January window.

[Alan Partridge]

Having watched him play a few times this season I would say Billy Paynter is definitely capable of playing in the Championship and if Swindon fail to get promoted he wouldn't be a bad shout for Reading who need another forward.

Other than that, sign up the loanees, get rid of some of the deadwood and probably another left back if Armstrong is done.

Still a fan of Jason Scotland AP? The nearest we have is Rasiak who does alright, but this bloke was different class last year and doesn`t often start at Wigan.

Very much so, at this level Scotland can do the business. HArd to work out how Martinez hasn't got the best out of him at Wigan. Maybe they don't play the same sort of style as Swansea did under him or perhaps it's a level too far for him. Championship level though, 20 a season-er.

[Hoop Blah]

Sorry but I don't agree.

Buying new players isn't the only way to make progress. We could, for instance, have signed a midfielder last summer who would have prevented the then unknown quanity Sigurdsson from becoming the player we are suddenly sh*t scared of losing.

And, had Coppell shown the slightest inclination of giving Cox the chance he clearly deserved he might have elected to stay here and developed into the type of striker you would like to see brought in.

I believe Long, Church and Hunt have all done enough to be given the chance to establish themselves at least until the January window.

I don't disagree with any of that.

However, the likes of Sigurdsson took his chance with both hands and propelled himself up the pecking order with his performances.

We had plenty of players originally in front of him for the first team place. As much as I think we should be giving our youngsters the opportunity to play and improve, we also need to have enough players of decent quality within the squad so that you're not relying on them as practically unknown quantities.

Who at the start of the season was saying we need Sigurdsson in the team? We had players (Kebe/McAnuff/Mateovsky/Howard) who should've been of doing the job. Them being here didn't stop Sigurdsson pushing his way into things. If we sign a forward good enough for the job it doesn't stop Long or Church developing and pushing him out of the side. It just raises the quality.

[Royal_Delight]

Certainly don't think we'd need both and either could cover the wing posistions too.

Plus I think we'll stick with and Long/Hunt as a lone striker with the side built round Sig playing number 10.

But don't we need a striker that can score 20+ goals a season? Don't think Long or Hunt are capable of that IMHO.

Why do we? Have Newcastle? Have West Brom?

In fact the closest STRIKER to reaching 20 goals in the Championship (and there are two of them Hooper and Maynard) still need 3 more in their last two games.

Cause during the whole of this season the strikers have shown that they cannot finish off chances when given to them. I find we need a striker that has an eye for goal and one who is able to take his chances. Long,Rasiak and Church are not the best finishers in the league and sometimes, they fluff their 1 on 1 chances. If we had a better finisher maybe goal differences may be different considering the team can't keep many clean sheets this season?