Steven Berghuis

If this is true I'm going to need to take a cold shower!

 

I don't see how he couldn't be homegrown unless there's a clear out coming including names we would never have expected. Seems odd to have taken so many to Germany if we were planning to get rid though.

 

different circumstances and all that, but the season Boothroyd took over we lost a shed load of players, about 3 weeks before the season kicked off it looked like if you turned up with a pair of boots you might get a game, then a whole mass of new players turned up and we got promoted.
Like you said it's for the manager to keep them focused and content and for them to be professionals.

 

I don't see how he could have not taken almost all
Of the players he did to Germany, apart from anything else, to judge them for himself.

There is going to be, however, a cull of players, and I'm sure we will see a few favourites leave in one way or another, we're just all positive at the moment because it hasn't really happened yet. That is the reality, and it's always sad to see someone go, but it's what's required to make us as competitive as humanly possible in our new league, so we have to embrace it.

 

He's probably right about that number but as a promoted team we definitely needed more as we needed greater quality in each position as well as the backups for those positions. If we do get the Berghuis guy, I would like us to stop recruiting for the time being, allow the squad as it is gel during pre-season and then if it's apparent before the transfer window closes that someone else is required then so be it.

 

The more quality players the better. Get them in now while there's still a few weeks until the season starts.

 

He's probably right, assuming what you're trying to do is nudge a squad up from sixth or seventh position to champions league football. If you're trying to transform to stay alive after promotion, it's an entirely different problem - one with which he has no experience.

Cohesion will be necessary, but I'd much rather have the whole season to build it - from a batch of players with the talent to play in the league they are in. A really cohesive team that gets smoked down the wings is still getting relegated. A really cohesive team that can't keep the ball in the middle of the pitch is getting relegated.

As they say in American Football "It's not the X's and O's, it's the Willies and Joes'".

 

I think we've thought through where we need to improve, and that's the big difference between us and, say, the way Spurs spent the Bale money and Liverpool the Suarez proceeds.

 

Hah. Willy.

 

Tactical cohesion and team spirit count for nothing if the squad isn't good enough. See Burnley last year for a first class example of that.

While I'd agree that small, targeted signings make sense for an established team trying to go a little further, we're trying to establish ourselves in a higher league that's full of experienced internationals and world class players. It requires signings and significant improvements in the squad if we're to flourish. Perhaps it won't all work out, but at least we're giving ourselves a fighting chance this way. By sticking with the old squad plus a couple of select signings, we'd struggle for sure.

 

6 pages in 6 hours and no official confirmation, not liking the looks of this. Enough time for another club to snatch him from under our noses just like Stambouli. Never seen him play but judging by all the AZ fans they are not happy to be losing their best player.

 

Not sure if serious.....?

 

Can you imagine anybody posting this in the years before the Pozzos?

 

Agreed. This has got Stambouli v.2 written all over it.

 

Kevin Phillips ? Did say out and out striker so not sure if Tommy S qualifies ?

 

From my Dutch friend:

"Good player, a bit flamboyant though. Played for my club VVV for one season. Can become a good signing. Sometimes he plays brilliantly, next week s**t."

Asked him about Immers and he said:

"Haha! Immers good player for England. Fighter and box to box player."

 

Forestieri & Anya can be squad players, let's not go overboard. Nando has the ability, but it's last chance saloon for his decision making & fitness. Anya's pace, defensive willingness & ability on the counter attack will hurt teams.

 

Haven't even agreed a fee yet according to a Dutch football expert who works for Goal.com. If that means anything to anyone.

 

He would have been at FC Twente as a youth player during the first McClaren era!

Nice edit by somebody on his Wiki page btw, to include Lloyd Doyley!

 

On the AZ forum they're claiming that Watford put an offer in and that AZ has the bid under consideration.

 

Now also Earnest Stewart, AZ's technical director confirmed that an "english club" made an offer for Berghuis.
But nothing is agread yet.

 

Looks very promising for 3.5m. Splash the cash

 

Losing count of how many times I've woken up having not heard of a player and gone to bed thinking "I'll be gutted if we don't sign him"

 

Fee agreed and Berghuis had this to say.

Steven Berghuis looks almost certain to go to the Premier League. The 23 year old winger first would like to know what the candidate with his plans.
Both clubs would have already reached an agreement on a transfer fee of around six million euros. "I'm certainly open to Watford, but before I start drawing, I first make sure they will have plenty of opportunities to survive in the Premier League and what they have with me in mind," says Berghuis in De Telegraaf.
"A role as a left winger for example, seems nothing. For me AZ I played a year at that position and then walked to a meter," continues Berghuis, who last season was well underway. "I had honestly been expecting interest from England said, especially after I was two months ago first selected for the Dutch team."
At AZ he has made great strides in recent years. If Berghuis actually leave, he knows how grateful he should be the club. "I know now that you can only achieve if you work hard for myself. I am in AZ become a mature footballer. As far as myself, I am now ready to take the next step," Berghuis decision in De Telegraaf.

 

Oh god, have to spend ages trying to convince a player to come here before he eventually turns us down again.

 

Who said we're signing too many players?

Gomes, Nyom, Cathcart, Angella, Holebas, Capoue, Behrami, Berghuis one wing, Abdi CAM, Fessi other wing, Deeney up front.

I think Abdi will be rested more with Ighalo playing in that hole but not sure how things work out for Vydra as 3rd choice striker which is my only problem with this 1 striker system.

 

The Pozzos deal in players, they make a lot of money from buying, selling and developing them .... Why not ask McDonald's to stop selling burgers?

 

Good idea - get that Prodl fella out on loan somewhere.

 

After how we Cathcart & Angella played last season I wouldn't have him over them because i haven't seen him play yet. Isn't that fair enough?

 

Honest and straight to the point.

Don't blame him really.

 

Got no problem with that. Hopefully he comes over and sees the facilities, as Quique said the training ground and the whole set up could be a big factor in a player deciding to join us.

 

Yes, logical and honest. Now Quique and Gino need to sell him! :smiley-sport003:

 

The money he ll be on in the Prem, he ll be able to afford as much electricity as he wants without having to keep topping up the meter

 

I accidentally liked this when I meant to say that we'll only know whether we've signed too many players when the season gets underway. Until then, we can't assume anything.