Sherwood questions Summer signings

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Tim has come out and question the 2013/14 summer signings saying he would have picked EPL experienced players instead of the Baldini european 7.

Hindsight validates an element of that statement. I wonder what our thoughts of Levy would have been if:
1. we did not spend the Bale money all in one year.
2. if we had picked up predominately EPL players (most likely from team below us).

For my own view only one of the seven seems to be the wrong decision. We had plenty defensive midfielders (Sandro, Livermore and Holtby as a backup) Capoue could have been avoided as Livermore is really of similar quality.

And obviously with that money we should have bought a left fullback.

Otherwise -
1. Striker Soldado - our no 2 target was packaged as top quality and has struggled for form. But so has Benteke (EPL experienced) the no 1 target that we missed out on.
2. AM Lamela - yes cruelled for fitting in and concern over the injury, but he is a real talent and should not be discounted for our bad luck.
3. AM Eriksen - has been a highlight and a comparative in EPL Mata was chased but sale closed off. We saved money on this deal and now look to have doubled the trf fee already.
4. AM Chadli - took too long to blend. Finally showing some value but at 7 mill this was never more than potential and the rise and fall on trf fee will not make or break the club.
5. CM - Paulinho - I'd say everyone was stoked to get him particularly watching him in the continental competition. He seemed to start well then faded (fatigue ?), then injury, then some form (poor, average and good). So a real mixed bag and fair to say has not performed to expectations. BUT this was part of a good strategy - we needed more goals from midfield and box to box type and that was a prime example of these requirements. A Brazilian international.
6. DM Capoue - We chased him because the deal to loan Livermore was already done. The energy on this could have been avoided, I realise Jake wanted regular play, in hindsight he could of had it. Ironic now that Jake would attract equal or slightly more than Capoue.
7. CB - a replacement for Caulker. Caulker has had a good yr and knows the PL, but most would have said he did not fit the AVB strategy of playing out and playing a high line. Vlad took some time to blend but again will be a good acquisition. Our misfortune in the plan was that Kabs could not contribute in the early days thus exposing us to using Dawso and Vlad. Also not assisted by using Vertongen at LB instead of a LB.

So in hindsight we did not get too much wrong aside from Soldado hitting a barren patch, Lamela and Capoue getting extensive injuries, oh and NOT getting a LB.
 
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I personally would take Capoue over Livermore. I think Capoue is severely underrated and I liked that he can fill in at CB and has (Livermore at CB..... errrrmmm).

Soldado is the only one that, in hindsight, was a mistake. Don't get me wrong, I rate him and think he's been terribly unlucky both on and off-field, but I think we paid a ridiculous amount for a player that was, in reality, worth half of his fee.

I think with Soldado's fee we could have got perhaps Benteke and Long, unlikely as defoe was around at the time still and AVB wouldn't need 4 first team strikers, but Long as a rotation player in a 442 would have been brilliant, for me.


Of course, as is often the case on here, hindsight is lovely isn't it? It was a lose/lose situation for Levy with AVB/Baldini with nigh on irrelevant PL experience buying a team to compete in this league.
 
Good post (I only disagree with your Capoue sentiments) and glad it's a new post rather than a reply in the myriad of other posts littered with off topic arguments.

Once the transfer window closed I posted the What we wanted -vs- What we got - 2013/14 Edition thread which basically was a poll of what players we wanted in May and the results of what we got in September. The conclusion was as follows and most people agreed at the time with the sentiment that our transfer dealings were excellent if not the best in the league.

An incredible transfer window. Although we have lost Gareth Bale we have built up our team with a stronger first eleven and most importantly with an excellent squad. The only name in the list of 25 that probably doesn't belong is Obika (and I suppose Gomes) but when you look at last year's squad list which included Falqué, Livermore, Bentley, Gallas and Jenas all who barely got any game time, if any at all, you can see how much more strength we have in the squad now. We are also a much more versatile team with only a handful of players unable to play in different positions and we are also a much more powerful team with the additions of Paulinho, Chiricheș, Capoue and Chadli.

We will likely concede less goals this season whilst having more possession and if Lamela and Eriksen can provide the assists we should start scoring more as well. It should be noted that Lamela mostly played on the right for Roma however as he is left-footed and Lennon was voted as first choice at the time I have placed him on the left, as he is probably the most versatile of the 3. Chances are Lennon may lose his place with it being unclear just yet who will be playing on the left.

We are almost the complete package now with perhaps the left-back position needing to be addressed only, whether that's in terms of first choice or squad depth however remains to be seen. Even the disappointments of losing Gareth Bale and missing out on Willian can not hide how much we have owned the transfer window this summer!

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So basically Capoue, Chadli and Chiriches were expected to add strength in depth whereas Lamela, Eriksen, Soldado and Paulinho were brought in as first teamers. I think therefore, with this in mind we should rate their performances, and in my opinion the squad players have done well enough based on the games they've managed to play. From the first teamers Lamela has been injured, Eriksen has been excellent, Soldado has been a huge disappointment and Paulinho has been somewhere in the middle.

Overall, with hindsight - could do better and hopefully with no major changes in the squad and a second season under their belt a good new manager can get everyone playing at their expected level, if not better.

Interestingly the bit I highlighted in bold came to fruition, we had more possession and conceded less but with Lamela and Eriksen mostly injured under AVB we never got the goals we needed.
 
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Lamela isn't a left winger, though.

Neither is Lennon.

This argument was done to death in the thread in question. Lamela is left footed and is more versatile than Lennon, I think you can see we've struggled with the left wing the whole season under both AVB and Sherwood with Sigurdsson, Townsend, Lennon and Holtby all being ineffective there, Eriksen has been the most effective but his average position ends up being central in any case - so it just goes to show what we already identified.

I'm not surprised Sherwood is coming out and moaning about the transfer dealings. They were done with an AVB 4-2-3-1 formation in mind, it's clear as day.
 
Tim has come out and question the 2013/14 summer signings saying he would have picked EPL experienced players instead of the Baldini european 7.

Hindsight validates an element of that statement. I wonder what our thoughts of Levy would have been if:
1. we did not spend the Bale money all in one year.
2. if we had picked up predominately EPL players (most likely from team below us).

For my own view only one of the seven seems to be the wrong decision. We had plenty defensive midfielders (Sandro, Livermore and Holtby as a backup) Capoue could have been avoided as Livermore is really of similar quality.

And obviously with that money we should have bought a left fullback.

Otherwise -
1. Striker Soldado - our no 2 target was packaged as top quality and has struggled for form. But so has Benteke (EPL experienced) the no 1 target that we missed out on.
2. AM Lamela - yes cruelled for fitting in and concern over the injury, but he is a real talent and should not be discounted for our bad luck.
3. AM Eriksen - has been a highlight and a comparative in EPL Mata was chased but sale closed off. We saved money on this deal and now look to have doubled the trf fee already.
4. AM Chadli - took too long to blend. Finally showing some value but at 7 mill this was never more than potential and the rise and fall on trf fee will not make or break the club.
5. CM - Paulinho - I'd say everyone was stoked to get him particularly watching him in the continental competition. He seemed to start well then faded (fatigue ?), then injury, then some form (poor, average and good). So a real mixed bag and fair to say has not performed to expectations. BUT this was part of a good strategy - we needed more goals from midfield and box to box type and that was a prime example of these requirements. A Brazilian international.
6. DM Capoue - We chased him because the deal to loan Livermore was already done. The energy on this could have been avoided, I realise Jake wanted regular play, in hindsight he could of had it. Ironic now that Jake would attract equal or slightly more than Capoue.
7. CB - a replacement for Caulker. Caulker has had a good yr and knows the PL, but most would have said he did not fit the AVB strategy of playing out and playing a high line. Vlad took some time to blend but again will be a good acquisition. Our misfortune in the plan was that Kabs could not contribute in the early days thus exposing us to using Dawso and Vlad. Also not assisted by using Vertongen at LB instead of a LB.

So in hindsight we did not get too much wrong aside from Soldado hitting a barren patch, Lamela and Capoue getting extensive injuries, oh and NOT getting a LB.

 
I'm not surprised Sherwood is coming out and moaning about the transfer dealings. They were done with an AVB 4-2-3-1 formation in mind, it's clear as day.

I don't think it's the type of player in how they fit in to a possible formation that Tim currently has a problem with...his problem is all about mentality and them being up for the fight in the Prem.

I get the feeling that in the future Tim will be a good choice as a manager who specialises in saving clubs from relegation, such is his mentality and approach to the game.
 
Lamela was not an astute purchase. We had two Prem-proven players to play on the right, and zero comfortable left wingers. The amount we paid anyway after one decent season in a weakening league was absurd. Now that he's here I hope he succeeds, but he was not the purchase we should've made.

Capoue on the other hand, was a good plan. Considering the long term injury complications of concern to players at both the CDM and CB position, the second best player per vote in Ligue 1 last season was a clever buy at that price. Both those positions have since been further validated as cause for concern, but Capoue's injury record in this season has also unfortunately clearly shown to compound the problem. But originally, it was a good plan. Far better plan suited to our squad needs than Lamela.
 
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I vehemently believe that half, if not all, of our signings will come good under the right management and with one or two key signings. I hate the way they are written off as garbage.
 
Basically the problem is we bought four players in Soldado, Eriksen, Lamela, and Paulinho who we needed to become quality first xi players and 3 of those 4 have been disappointing due to injury, inconsistency, slow adaptation or a combination of the three.

I don't think any of the players we bought are bad but I think Eriksen is the only one I feel comfortable with as a starter going forward. I like the other five (Lamela is a complete wild card) a lot as squad options but that's it. That's all fine and well but when you spend 100m players and are trying to replace Bale we needed better than squad players.

This summer again we're looking for 3-4 first teamers that need to come in and contribute immediately. We have the similar holes to fill but more depth basically.
 
For this season, we should have sorted the defence out first. Coldly and ruthlessly.

This isn't hindsight but here's what I thought at the end of last season. I don't think I'm alone...

Dawson - lots of respect but past his sell by date. Should have gone or been phased out.

Kaboul - great on his day but injury prone. Needed (and still needs) cover. I think Vlad can play alongside a Kaboul type but isn't a like- for-like replacement.

Kyle Walker - Can be good on his day but prone to serious lapses and probably needs a challenger to keep him on his toes. Or a more experienced RB to learn from.

Kyle Naughton - Not good enough for first team or to provide the strong challenge that Kyle W needs. Should have been replaced.

Rose - Not a real left back. Should have been replaced and perhaps kept for cover. Possibly useful on the left wing where he started out.

Fryers - the jury's out but I think he still needs a calm, experienced and highly capable defender to mentor him to get the best out of him.

Verts - I thought at the end of last season, he could have been captain and we could have shaped the defence around him. He doesn't look up for that now but maybe that's because of the way we've been shaped up this season. I hope he can come good again and help us install a proper defensive squad. At this stage I'm not confident.

The defensive players we have, in whatever combination are never a truly effective, cohesive unit. Even when we manage to keep clean sheets, the distribution and speed of transition from the back is slow, predictable and generally poor. This was evident last season and I'm disappointed we didn't sort that with our summer spree.
 
For this season, we should have sorted the defence out first. Coldly and ruthlessly.

This isn't hindsight but here's what I thought at the end of last season. I don't think I'm alone...

Dawson - lots of respect but past his sell by date. Should have gone or been phased out.

Kaboul - great on his day but injury prone. Needed (and still needs) cover. I think Vlad can play alongside a Kaboul type but isn't a like- for-like replacement.

Kyle Walker - Can be good on his day but prone to serious lapses and probably needs a challenger to keep him on his toes. Or a more experienced RB to learn from.

Kyle Naughton - Not good enough for first team or to provide the strong challenge that Kyle W needs. Should have been replaced.

Rose - Not a real left back. Should have been replaced and perhaps kept for cover. Possibly useful on the left wing where he started out.

Fryers - the jury's out but I think he still needs a calm, experienced and highly capable defender to mentor him to get the best out of him.

Verts - I thought at the end of last season, he could have been captain and we could have shaped the defence around him. He doesn't look up for that now but maybe that's because of the way we've been shaped up this season. I hope he can come good again and help us install a proper defensive squad. At this stage I'm not confident.

The defensive players we have, in whatever combination are never a truly effective, cohesive unit. Even when we manage to keep clean sheets, the distribution and speed of transition from the back is slow, predictable and generally poor. This was evident last season and I'm disappointed we didn't sort that with our summer spree.

You forgot BAE.
 
Soldado and Lamela were probably not the smartest signings, considering their price up against what we actually needed and the fact that one of them approaching his 30s while the other is extremely inexperienced and soft. Lamela still has time on his side.
But in hindsight, we could have signed Luis Suarez for that kind of money.
All of the others were good signings in my opionion, but they needed time and will have more impact in coming seasons than this one.
Dortmund want Chiriches, Napoli want Capoue, Atletico Madrid are linked to Soldado.
French national team manager picks Capoue for every squad, ahead of guys considered among the Premier League's best in Schneiderlin.
These are highly rated players, if anything it's Spurs there's a problem with.
I'd also say that injuries have been a far bigger issue for us this season than the many new signings.
Never a settled defence, Vertonghen having to cover the left back, Sandro not there to protect from midfield and often not even his back up Capoue, Dembele in and out, Lamela entire season more or less.
 
-Eriksen has been a revelation.
-Lamela's not gotten a fair shot, and arguably Capoue hasn't either.
-Chadli has been unremarkable but in no way was deserving of the vitriolic attacks on him earlier in the season, and has shown glimpses of quality.
-Chiriches put in an amazing performance against United, but his performances this season have been overrated in my opinion and he needs time.
-Soldado... Well, Soldado has been a disappointment, but he would have buried that penalty today.
 
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