Underwhelmed..

[Richard Head]

13 minutes ago, JoeAman08 said:

Keeper main one for me. Happy with forwards but wouldn’t say no to a quick one if Djuric or Taylor were to leave

I'm sure Rudolf Hucker will have a view on this.

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, JoeAman08 said:

Thing is that quality costs big money usually. I am all for a new central midfielder but now that Brownhill can be used there regularly and Walsh will have a full preseason I think we are better than last summer in that spot. Also Korey looks even more motivated and fit(maybe put on some more muscle?). Think the midfield 2 doesn’t do our midfield justice but I feel they are better than they get credit for. Hopefully having COD and Watkins on the wings will ease the burden on them some as they are tireless workers.

Ta, beat me toit

[J D]

1 hour ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

How do you unquote posts on here???

 

39 minutes ago, Nibor said:

We definitely need to do more, and given the transfer income we can expect that to happen.

Goalkeeper, striker, central midfielder and if Bryan goes a left back.

We have a first team squad of 31 on paper but there are still some players to go out too IMO. 

Djuric, Hegeler and probably Taylor will get moved on towards the end of the window I think as we hang on to see if anyone wants to pay for them. 

There'll be half a dozen loans out for the development group (Bakinson, Morrell, Hinds, Lemonheigh-Evans, Holden, Edwards).

That puts us at about 21 which is small, and it will be interesting to see whether Taylor Moore, Niclas Eliasson, Zak Vyner and Lloyd Kelly are considered good enough to play a serious part off the bench this season.

I expect we'll get one or two loans in from the Prem but those could make any range of impact from Tammy to Kent, so I'm still expecting three or so permanent signings.

Don't see Taylor going. He's been played in most of our  Pre-season games.

 

 

[JamesBCFC]

18 minutes ago, JoeAman08 said:

Keeper main one for me. Happy with forwards but wouldn’t say no to a quick one if Djuric or Taylor were to leave

@Rudolf Hucker

[bengalcub]

So When the season comes around are we looking at Djuric playing the first six games with one of  ( pato , Taylor , Watkins , Weimann off him ? There’s no way Djuric can play six games in a row given his injury history so I’m struggling to fit the plan b ....

[J D]

2 minutes ago, bengalcub said:

So When the season comes around are we looking at Djuric playing the first six games with one of  ( pato , Taylor , Watkins , Weimann off him ? There’s no way Djuric can play six games in a row given his injury history so I’m struggling to fit the plan b ....

We could play a front two of Taylor and Weimann.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Robbored said:

I think you probably are the only one that feels underwhelmed.

And.........there is still business to do.

close but not that close

[JamesBCFC]

5 minutes ago, bengalcub said:

So When the season comes around are we looking at Djuric playing the first six games with one of  ( pato , Taylor , Watkins , Weimann off him ? There’s no way Djuric can play six games in a row given his injury history so I’m struggling to fit the plan b ....

His injury history that was very good until one issue that came up after he joined us?

[Nibor]

34 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Could still see Hegeler, Djuric and Taylor with roles to play tbh. Certainly in a 4-3-3/4-1-4-1 Hegeler screening would do alright, Taylor may not score many but he has ability to provide assists and energy- don't just mean that one we all remember but he provided some in 16/17 first half season. Djuric we certainly haven't seen the best of IMO- not just a big lump, think a fit Djuric would be an asset as part of the squad.

 In short, while not necessarily starters I see those 3 as useful squad players, depth- options basically.

Sort of agree - I think we'll make best use of them if they're still here but we'll be trying to move them on up until then.  Basically they're expensive for what they add to the squad so if you're trying to bring players in at the top and lose them from the bottom these are the next three.

[pillred]

26 minutes ago, One BCFC said:

Look at the clubs in this division. We are still little Bristol City in comparison to many, at the moment mid table is realistic and that is where we are as a club right now. It is unrealistic to believe we will just compete with the relegated clubs with signings.

I'm the eternal optimist, who would have thought that Cardiff would go up last season I certainly did not see that coming, look at the start we had last season surprised everyone including most of us I imagine, we have to hope that one season we will get the mix right and it will be our turn, I certainly don't expect it but always hope to do a little better than just ok though I know what you mean, we are competing with some so called big clubs with larger budgets one club always seems to surprise lets hope it's us.

[Loco Rojo]

How can anyone be underwhelmed yet? We've only had a small number of pre season games.

I think people need to take a huge reality check or go and support Man U, Liverpool, Man C if they want instant results. This is pre season and it's going to take a number of League games to let this new team gel before we really see what we've got. People expect huge results after a small number of friendlies which hasn't included the entire first team squad playing together so need to stop and think. 

You're comparing this brand new side to a side from last year that included Flint and Reid who had been in the team for years.

We've brought in players who may not have excited you based on what you've see (or heard) from their previous teams, but that doesn't mean things won't be different here. How these new players perform is impacted by the players around them as well so let's just chill out, relax and see what develops.

And yes, I think we're still in the market for more players.

[Major Isewater]

37 minutes ago, JoeAman08 said:

Keeper main one for me. Happy with forwards but wouldn’t say no to a quick one if Djuric or Taylor were to leave

You and Rudolf both . 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, One BCFC said:

My feeling is that it's all very much signings that are safe after the departures of Reid and Flint.

With the current squad we will be lower-mid table though, there are just too many teams worse than City atm for us to be worried about relegation and also a few of the bigger clubs are having a worse time in the transfer market like Villa and Sheffield Wednesday. We'll be 'ok'.

No-body knows that, we could be the worse team in this div bar a couple of others. Lets not get too excited yet just because we have acquired a few dubious signings; lets not forget the quality we have lost and the clubs that have snapped them up.

Our first game will be a test indeed Forest have made some good signings and are a team we struggle against.

IMO we will finish lower than last season if we go with what we have now.

[Davefevs]

30 minutes ago, J D said:

We could play a front two of Taylor and Weimann.

Plenty of combinations on top of those too, if you consider Pato, Watkins too.

I think Milan will be sold.

[chinapig]

Many fans were calling for us to sign established Championship players. It was inevitable that when we did so some of the same people, those with a 'Yes but ' mindset, would say they were the wrong established Championship players.

[Leveller]

20 minutes ago, chinapig said:

Many fans were calling for us to sign established Championship players. It was inevitable that when we did so some of the same people, those with a 'Yes but ' mindset, would say they were the wrong established Championship players.

Some fans seem to need marquee signings. I think it may be some sort of inferiority complex. They want us to look like a “big club”.

[Robbored]

4 minutes ago, Leveller said:

Some fans seem to need marquee signings. I think it may be some sort of inferiority complex. They want us to look like a “big club”.

Yep, and the fact that they don't understand SLs transfer policy.

[chinapig]

Just now, Leveller said:

Some fans seem to need marquee signings. I think it may be some sort of inferiority complex. They want us to look like a “big club”.

Indeed, how much of a 'name' a player is seems to outweigh all other factors - can we afford the fee, agent's fee and wages, would he fit in or will his ego get in the way, is there a mismatch between how big a name he has and his actual ability, is there any chance he would sign for an unfashionable club like us anyway?

It seems to be a craving for celebrity for its own sake.

[Mr Popodopolous]

1 hour ago, Nibor said:

Sort of agree - I think we'll make best use of them if they're still here but we'll be trying to move them on up until then.  Basically they're expensive for what they add to the squad so if you're trying to bring players in at the top and lose them from the bottom these are the next three.

Key flaw (IMO) with Hegeler is his lack of suitability to a midfield 2. However we won't go anywhere fast with that system anyway. Djuric have we seen the best of him? Doubtful. Taylor? Energy, assists (on paper) a lack of goals yeah but think of him more as a support striker I believe. An assist is just as important as a goal.

Oh sure let's buy Championship 'names' shall we? A balanced approach the way forward I think- we could raise funds and free up the wage bill with those 3 but at the same time if it was all about 'names' and 'proven Championship experience' then Boro and Villa would have been top 2 last year, Derby might have won the playoffs.

Not wholly convinced by the strategy so far this summer but we'll see.

[Nibor]

55 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Key flaw (IMO) with Hegeler is his lack of suitability to a midfield 2. However we won't go anywhere fast with that system anyway. Djuric have we seen the best of him? Doubtful. Taylor? Energy, assists (on paper) a lack of goals yeah but think of him more as a support striker I believe. An assist is just as important as a goal.

Oh sure let's buy Championship 'names' shall we? A balanced approach the way forward I think- we could raise funds and free up the wage bill with those 3 but at the same time if it was all about 'names' and 'proven Championship experience' then Boro and Villa would have been top 2 last year, Derby might have won the playoffs.

Not wholly convinced by the strategy so far this summer but we'll see.

I agree with you - we should not be aiming at names or Championship experience just for the sake of it.  It's not a great way to get good value - I don't think we're doing that though.

I think LJ is sticking to the strategy, research the players with the aptitudes he wants from stats, then filter out the unrealistic ones, then have a team do a lot of analysis on the rest. I think we're still trying to buy in the right age range (say 21-27) so that after two or three years the players still have a transfer value - it's the only way that's sustainable really.

The thing is there's no point bringing in any player on first team wages who doesn't improve the first XI, so after a couple of seasons at this level you'd kind of expect to be signing players who are at this level along with promising younger players from lower levels and the occasional prem loan or experienced prem player who can no longer get a game there but adds enough all round to be worth it.

If you look at those three players I mentioned, Djuric I think would have done well but for his perpetual injuries, Hegeler looks to have quality but didn't really fit any system (tbf we were chopping and changing the season he signed and then he got injured) and Taylor was a very low cost gamble with the side benefit of shafting the blue few.  I don't think anybody could claim they were likely to trouble the first XI when everyone's fit and they're not cheap on wages so they're strong candidates to look to improve on, so they're "next" out the door for me.  None of them have shown enough value to get a new contract were they running out right?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Robbored said:

Yep, and the fact that they don't understand SLs transfer policy.

you mean the old buy at a car boot and sell at Harrods policy, aint that every clubs dream?

[Robbored]

4 minutes ago, Bri Stool City said:

you mean the old buy at a car boot and sell at Harrods policy, aint that every clubs dream?

You obviously don't understand the transfer policy if that's your anology of it.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

3 hours ago, chinapig said:

Many fans were calling for us to sign established Championship players. It was inevitable that when we did so some of the same people, those with a 'Yes but ' mindset, would say they were the wrong established Championship players.

I can't like this post enough!

Mind you if our team had the same level of consistency as @KeepUpLino 's negative commentry then we'll be in the play-offs at worst.

[downendcity]

More important that we buy well than buy big and the only time we will know whether we've bought well is when the season is under way and the team becomes established and into it's stride.

I can't understand many fans' fascination with the club needing to buy big and acquire well known names ( the so called marquee signings), as though this somehow gives a guarantee of future performance.

Given many fans' opinion of LJ ( probably many of the same fans calling for us to buy big) it's probably better that we buy those we have so that when the new signings do poorly under LJ's coaching ( as they surely will!) then we will have wasted less money that way.

This division is littered with expensive signings on very big wages that are sitting on the bench every week, and I certainly don't want our budget cluttered with this type of player - we've been there too often in the not too distant past. Either that, or they are past 30 and we again risk players coming here for a comfortable last pay day and with us having little chance of selling them on at  later date and certainly not for any profit.

 

 

[pongo88]

I’ve been unable to read all the posts on the forum, due to the shear volume, so perhaps this point  has already been mentioned. If so I apologise. Normally, each year, I’m over optimistic but this year I’m underwhelmed. This probably means that I’m becoming more realistic about City’s prospects. We’re, basically, a small club so aiming to be a steady mid table Championship team is about right. A steady mid table team can avoid financial meltdown and, with a bit of luck, scrape into the playoffs. I’m happy to settle for that.  

[downendcity]

34 minutes ago, pongo88 said:

I’ve been unable to read all the posts on the forum, due to the shear volume, so perhaps this point  has already been mentioned. If so I apologise. Normally, each year, I’m over optimistic but this year I’m underwhelmed. This probably means that I’m becoming more realistic about City’s prospects. We’re, basically, a small club so aiming to be a steady mid table Championship team is about right. A steady mid table team can avoid financial meltdown and, with a bit of luck, scrape into the playoffs. I’m happy to settle for that.  

I think the other thing is that there now appear to be a few clubs - what we've regarded as the "big" clubs that we've struggled to compete with on financial terms- for whom financial reality is now starting to bite, so that their financial profligacy is now having ramification both in terms of their solvency but also as far as breaching financial rules is concerned.

The more this happens, the more iI am re-assured that the path that our owner has chosen means that we can continue to build, reinforce and hopefully improve our position long term, rather than risking the consequences of a 5h1t or bust approach, even though this more measured approach might not give the immediate success that many crave. 

[Lanterne Rouge]

1 hour ago, downendcity said:

I think the other thing is that there now appear to be a few clubs - what we've regarded as the "big" clubs that we've struggled to compete with on financial terms- for whom financial reality is now starting to bite, so that their financial profligacy is now having ramification both in terms of their solvency but also as far as breaching financial rules is concerned.

The more this happens, the more iI am re-assured that the path that our owner has chosen means that we can continue to build, reinforce and hopefully improve our position long term, rather than risking the consequences of a 5h1t or bust approach, even though this more measured approach might not give the immediate success that many crave. 

This. A fair few clubs are realising the realities of FFP now and are either going to have to cut their cloth accordingly or go under - assuming the league have the balls to enforce punishment stronger than a slap on the wrist of course - and our approach will come to be seen as the correct one.

I`ve said many times that getting to the premier league isn`t the be all and end all for me. While it would be fun I would much rather be competitive in a league we have a chance in, go toe to toe with the likes of Leeds and Wednesday every week and still have a club to support.

Having said that, if we were to get there, I believe we would take a sensible approach and not stuff the squad with overpaid underachievers and accept the fact if we went straight back down then we take it on the chin.

[Roadrunner]

Now the world cup is over the Premiership transfer market will get very busy.That should have a knock down effect for us, with some exciting loan deals from the likes of Chelsea, Man City and Man u. I always try and be positive.

[Mr Popodopolous]

2 hours ago, downendcity said:

I think the other thing is that there now appear to be a few clubs - what we've regarded as the "big" clubs that we've struggled to compete with on financial terms- for whom financial reality is now starting to bite, so that their financial profligacy is now having ramification both in terms of their solvency but also as far as breaching financial rules is concerned.

The more this happens, the more iI am re-assured that the path that our owner has chosen means that we can continue to build, reinforce and hopefully improve our position long term, rather than risking the consequences of a 5h1t or bust approach, even though this more measured approach might not give the immediate success that many crave. 

I won't labour the point as I usually bang on about the financial side. 

However I do agree. There has been a relative lack of activity from the aforementioned sides and I think a decent number of Championship sides in financial trouble in FFP terms.

We however are not one in my view and it's as you say a patient approach, steady improvement, building things up and as you say reinforcing and improving long term.

[Bar BS3]

8 hours ago, Esmond Million's Bung said:

I agree, but without some actual quality in centre midfield I predict more of the last 2 seasons.

 

Do you not see that the signings we have made will enable to play players that we already have, good players, more centrally..?