We had little to no creativity after Pereyra got injured. Niang for a game or two and Zarate never got the chance to settle. Strikers need service. Deeney cannot work off punts up field from the defence. Give the strikers something to work with and they'll score. Yes it would be nice with a new striker but it ain't going to make that much of a difference. We could of made the best forward in the world look carp with our delivery and final ball
We need a new decent striking option who will get a guaranteed number of goals. It isn't a nicety to have this it is much more of a necessity than stockpiling 30 different types of midfielder. We need a quick forward playing the Vydra role
History tells us that Silva prefers 1 up top. So expect a fast winger instead. Hopefully Success can develop under his guidance.
It was great to get Hughes and Chalobah in but if Deeney goes we will have a serious problem with getting in strikers. Most of our rivals in the EPL ie bottom 12 teams, have already got their strikers/ wingers sorted. Although it galls me to say it the Muffins will not be at risk of going down this coming season. You can't say the same about us. We will definitely be in the bottom five at this rate and alot of peoples favourite for relegation. Gino's recruitment team need to start delivering soon. COYHS
As things stand, Huddersfield, Swansea, Watford. Okaka and Deeney as the main strike options is a relegation combination.
We absolutely do need a fast, cool in front of goal and knows where it is recruit. We have nobody like that at present. Since Matty left and Iggy went off the boil. That player is essential for our prospects and is likely to cost a few bob. If we splashed the cash on that one player in the coming month I'd be happy enough. Without him we're entirely compromised.
I think we'll be one of the three as it stands. Thought by now we'd have built stability and got the 3/4 players to improve the side that we need ie goal keeper, defender and striker
Less concerned about keeper but agree that if we do not strengthen up top we will be in bottom 3. Seem to have an abundance of midfielders but very little upfront. We would need to splash some serious wonga to get a good striker
Really interesting reading all your thoughts on who could be relegated. Very surprised we're (Brighton) not everyones pick to be relegated. Pascal Gross I think could be a good signing for us but otherwise it's been pretty uninspiring, definitely need to strengthen in numbers to have a good chance of staying up. I think Stoke could be a shout to fill one of the 3 spaces then of course it's De Boer's English football management debut season so no certainties he'll be a success at Palace, despite coming with good pedigree.
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a 'pack' trying to avoid relegation this season, which could include Brighton, Huddersfield, Swansea, Burnley, Palace - and us. I'm fairly confident that we'll stay up ultimately, but it certainly isn't a guarantee and we'll have to work for it, but I do echo the feelings of others that the work we put in will be considerably easier once we sort things out up front and in goal.
Considering last season I think that's a given but this time I doubt there'll be a six point gap between #17 and #18
Stoke are exactly the sort of team that would start badly and require the Big Sam or Tony Pulis effect in November... But they can't. Brighton Stoke Huddersfield Sent from my G8141 using Tapatalk
If we sign a good striker and a winger we'll be absolutely fine. Our midfield, when everyone is fit, is far better than any of the teams coming up. Pereyra would get into most teams outside the top 6 and Chalobah, Hughes and Doucoure will be brilliant. I'd be extremely worried if we were starting this season with Mazzarri but Silva will get us playing some really nice football and we'll be good at home. It's difficult to look past Burnley and Huddersfield to go down, although Burnley's home form could save them again and Huddersfield are a bit of an unknown quantity with a very good manager. Burnley have lost their best player in Keane and I can't see how they'll continue their incredible home form. Not convinced with Hughton in the Premiership - tends to be quite negative. Being solid at the back is important, of course, but you can't survive on 0-0 draws as Boro showed last season. Would like Brighton to stay up though. My ideal (and realistic) scenario would be West Ham, Newcastle and Palace. What I expect: Huddersfield, Burnley and Brighton.
I honestly don't think Brighton will go down. I have a feeling they'll get off to a bit of a flyer (especially at home) and that'll be enough to keep them up after a later season slump. Next season will be more tricky for them. Huddersfield will surprise a few as well, but ultimately are likely to struggle. My favourites for the drop at the moment are Burnley, if their famous home form drops then they are in real difficulties. We will be down there I think (at the time of writing this). So at the moment I feel it'll be three from us, Huddersfield, Burnley, Swansea and maybe Stoke/West Brom/Palace as longer shots.
Everything will depend on the transfer window for the possible 10 teams that could go down Bournemouth Brighton Burnley Huddersfield Newcastle Palace Southampton Stoke Swansea Watford Out of those 10, right now I think Burnley (second season syndrome), Stoke, Huddersfield. However once the window closes, I have no doubt that my three to go down will change. I just think those three teams have had the worst window so far.
I would have thought Spam, Brom & Lesta have as much chance of going down as some of the other 10 teams on your list? They probably won't but Saints Muff & Toon probably won't either. Or us.
West Ham landing Chicharito's signature was an interesting coup. I'm expecting them to be better than last year, not likely to go down imo. 13 million pounds for a player like that is brilliant business.
Unless we improve our strike force ,I think we are good relegation candidates,a decent midfield alone won't keep us up . That's the negative thought ,the positive is there is a long time left in the window to bring in a striker or two.
silva plays 1 up top so no room for a new striker + troy on the pitch at the same time, Capoue / Pereyra / Hughes / Zarate going to play #10 I'd prefer us to have another striker but needs to be a complete forward... like troy... maybe a wee bit quicker... hey maybe we keep troy then relegation candidates my ar5e, you lot do this every year we're not going down
Huddersfield view on us: https://www.terrierblog.co.uk/single-post/2017/07/14/The-Town-Are-Staying-Up Starts off with a little dig to us (from a side promoted with an overseas manager and loads of foreign players on loan!) But seems to rate our chances of staying up if Silva clicks.
Troy isn't a COMPLETE forward or anything like it. He's slow and cumbersome, his hold up play isn't great, his distribution isn't great and his ball skills are minimal. From what I've seen, Okaka is superior in all of those departments. Troy is however a big brute of a guy, a very good 'lighthouse' with the heart of a lion and a thoroughly decent bloke who took his 'second chance' with both hands and that I love to death and is the heart and soul of our football club. But surely you see the need for someone up-front who is faster and nippier with a better eye for goal so that, even if Marco is only playing one up-front, we at least have some sort of Plan B. ...
Troy has lost pace over the years but he's always been a lot more than a brute player, got a decent amount of talent you sound like John Barnes + his idiot TV pals look at his goal v west ham last year, one of many exquisite finishes
Okaka is not superior to Deeney in any other way other than he's a bit more skilful. I genuinely wonder what people see in Okaka.
I'm not sure I agree with that. In our first season Troy layed on some wonderful assists for Igahlo showing some real intelligence. I seem to remember even Souness on the Sky punditry for the Liverpool game saying he was suprised at how skilful he was and had initially thought he was just a big lump. The goal at West Ham last season also shows he has more in his locker than your post suggests. I would however say that last season we saw less of all those qualities but I'd put that mostly down to the manager and the tactics, but with Troy taking part of the responsibility.
Last season Wally didn't help Troy by leaving him out or on the bench, Troy didn't help himself on the field as he looked at times uninterested which was down to the support he was given. A fresh start under a new manager will be good for him, with some good balls laid into him from midfield and some good crosses which were seriously lacking last year from someone who can cross a ball and he will be fine. Look what happened when last game of the season before last Home to Villa we were losing five mins to go Bird house comes on decent cross 2-2 then 2 mins later 3-2 thanks to one decent cross and one fired up Troy!
OK guys. Maybe I was a WEE bit harsh on Troy yesterday. In 'ave a go mode! However, whatever you think of Troy's abilities as the 'big target man up front', and those abilities relative to Okaka, what he can never be is a forward like Matty or Iggy in his two hot half seasons. The only player we currently have on our books who might play that role is Success and that will take a lot of development. If Marco is going to play only one upfront, and that one is Troy (or Okaka) then there'll still inevitably be a fair bit of 'lumping it up to Troy' which we have all regaled against over the latter halves of the last two seasons. Where we have utilised Troy (or potentially Okaka) best is with Matty or Iggy playing off him. Or Marco might prefer just the one fast man up front with quick, on the ground counter-attacking through the midfield. Muff get an overly good press. But where they're rightly feted is in playing exciting, 'purist', on the ground football. And they've always got that fast man with an eye for goal up front from Wilson to Defoe via King and various other incarnations. In fact, they seem to have had/do have a glut of them and we need at least one too.
I understand that people will be concerned about out front line and I really think we need to bring in a speedy forward who makes runs in behind the oppositions defence and I am sure the management team are aware of this, I certainly hope so anyway! If the worse case scenario happens and our forwards next season are Deeney and Okaka I still think we will have enough to stay up as we have players such as Pereyra, Capoue and Zarate, and hopefully a high quality winger like Carrillo. We have a decent holding midfield as well with Chalobah and Doucoure. I still think we could do with another quality centre back however. I just think we have more quality than Huddersfield, Burnley, Brighton, Swansea, Newcastle and although they are a solid hard to beat side West Brom.
In know we only finished 17th but last season we didn't really rely on our strikers like we did in the first season. The majority of our goals came from elsewhere and this year we've undoubtedly strengthened our midfield. It would be nice to get another striker in but it's not the be all and end all that people are making out, especially when Silva should immediately be able to get and an extra 10-20% out of Deeney compared to what Mazzari managed last season.
As things stand 3 from 'Udderfield, burnley, Swansea, Brighton and us. Not a chance WHU, CP or Newcastle will go down.
