Summer 2016 Transfer window

[Guest Changing Times]

If say that's fair, I'd probably give it a 7/10 potentially rising to a 9/10 but that's neither here nor there.

 

I don't know who that ITK could be...

 

Not you cos well you're not ITK in any way  :)

[Rioch's Braves 711]

For me we did some decent business early on, but we also have had an ideal opportunity and missed out on strengthening in the midfield and out on the flanks, and IMO its disappointing.

We seem to have concentrated solely on defence again in recent weeks, Fabio and Chambers coming in.

If Karanka has got it right we'll be in the PL next year if he hasn't then I don't need to say anymore.

["KM" 1,656]

I think for me it's been a mixed bag. We've brought in a lot of new faces but I'm not convinced we've brought in as much quality as we needed to or rather as much as I'd like to see. We've got good depth in central defence so that's a definite positive. Arguably good depth at GK so likewise a positive. We have a couple of left backs now so that's useful albeit we bought in a player that would appear to be inferior to the one we already had so we don't actually improve in that sense.

 

I'm not ready to call de Roon anything yet. I haven't been as impressed as others although most people seem to be impressed by him getting getting good reviews last year in Atlanta? That's ok but I didn't see much in pre-season other than someone late into challenges a bit more often than I'd like to see. Slightly surprised that he's never been capped given the poor state of the Dutch international team. Perhaps that's to come though when he settles in with us. Other than that the midfield hasn't improved at all.

 

Further forward we have Negredo as the obvious big positive. No explanation necessary. But other than that things looks less straight forward as it stands. Fischer has not impressed so far and it's perhaps unclear where he fits in. The assumption is that he either plays on the left but coming inside all the time - which could work with Friend - or maybe as a second striker type. He's not a replacement for Ramirez. He's not a creative player so you'd be getting a Vossen type of player in that position but maybe a better finisher? Borodane seems to think that having watched him playing for Denmark?

 

The lad Traore is not a puzzling signing in itself. Great pace is a natural attribute that can't be coached. We have very little pace in this side and he will certainly add that as well as a directness that we definitely lack. Anyone watching the West Brom game could quite easily see that and other than Ramirez we don't really have players that can actually beat a man or in the case of Downing are willing to try. I would say though that it's a puzzling signing because he is all we added and what we seem to have done is essentially say that Ramirez, Downing and Stuani are now absolutely critical players for us as we know what we will get from them, good or bad. Traore on the other hand is an unknown quantity. I'm sorry but Downing and Stuani limit us. Stuani is only of any use if he scores otherwise he is a 5/10 player at best. He just doesn't offer anything else. Downing has become an expert in 30 yard passes back to defenders and crossfield balls to the right hand side so that they are forced to try and do something with it. He himself tries now only infrequently to create things but for some reason seems to get away with it in the eyes of some of our fans. It's a crying shame for someone with more ability than almost everyone in our squad. Going back to Traore however I also think there may be attitude issues - he left Barca cos he wanted them to pay him a lot of money at a time when he'd done nothing. He's had issues at Villa as well. I made a joke about him being the Spanish Muzzy Carayol yesterday but nobody took the bait unfortunately! However this might be a viable worst case scenario here - a lot of pace, not a hard worker apparently, not much real intelligence and an issue with attitude. The only difference is that he's being paid at least 10 times the amount of a Carayol, if not more. But he's young and if he sees this as a chance to get his career moving then the best case scenario is much better.

 

I don't think this window can be labelled a success yet as really we don't know what it is. I think this squad is good enough to finish outside the bottom three but unless Traore and/or Fischer get into the side and add something then it could be a hell of a grind. We've only really played one genuinely good 45 mins of football and that was against Stoke in the first half. Against Sunderland they were all over us until Stuani scored out of nowhere and that changed the pattern of the game. We gradually took over but in the second half we stopped playing again and reverted to soaking up pressure. Against West Brom we didn't look seriously capable of troubling them at any point. But I do like that we added pace yesterday. I would have liked one more serious attacking player at least though and I feel we had both the time and the resources to get that done this summer.

 

One more point re certain posters. Too many of you hang on ever word of some people. You're adults, start acting like it and don't get into a strop if people either play a joke on you or it turns out don't really know anything at all. There's one person posting recently as ITK that has done similar in the last couple of transfer windows from memory and hasn't gotten anything right, not that he says much mind, yet he comes on and you're all over him. Come on people, time for some common sense I think.

 

I'm giving the window a 6.5/10 that could rise to an 8.5/10 if certain players flourish here.

 

If say that's fair, I'd probably give it a 7/10 potentially rising to a 9/10 but that's neither here nor there.

 

I don't know who that ITK could be...

 

You could have just named me...

 

I've been sharing the little bits of information I get for three windows now, I don't know what I have to do to show I do not make it up.

 

I told you Victor Moses had been up at Rockliffe - confirmed by VB

 

I told you about all those medicals last summer, and more often than not, someone ended up signing on that day or a day later.

 

I told you on the morning of the Blackburn match that we wanted McCormack, I was inboxed this by a random Boro fan who I had no reason to doubt, and it is pretty obvious we were definitely in for him.

 

Yes I've got some things completely wrong but then who doesn't?

 

Next time, I'm not even going to bother sharing anything.

[Humpty 3,260]

I don't think that's too far off the mark CT. I think the fact we've brought in more players than any other club in the Premier League shows how much work was needed on improving the squad. In that respect i can see the logic behind just about every signing we've made.

 

I think it was almost inevitable that the squad would still need improving after the window given we're a newly promoted side. Rome wasn't built in a day but we've certainly broken the back of the improvement we needed.

 

On a side note in reference to KM, i can see where CT is coming from given KM's track record. I take it as entertainment now though and if it's treat like that it's harmless. Keep it up :D

[Will 2,958]

Don't know why I was quoted in that KM, I literally said I don't know who he was talking about...

[northern boro 449]

So did we register all 4 keepers?

 

We should find out today or tomorrow the 25 man squad has to be sent to the FA with 24 hours of the window closing

["KM" 1,656]

Don't know why I was quoted in that KM, I literally said I don't know who he was talking about...

 

Sorry I should have just quoted his tweet separately but come on, of course you knew who he was on about. :D

[SmogInSheff 66]

I think for me it's been a mixed bag.  We've brought in a lot of new faces but I'm not convinced we've brought in as much quality as we needed to or rather as much as I'd like to see.   We've got good depth in central defence so that's a definite positive.  Arguably good depth at GK so likewise a positive.  We have a couple of left backs now so that's useful albeit we bought in a player that would appear to be inferior to the one we already had so we don't actually improve in that sense.  

 

I'm not ready to call de Roon anything yet.  I haven't been as impressed as others although most people seem to be impressed by him getting getting good reviews last year in Atlanta?  That's ok but I didn't see much in pre-season other than someone late into challenges a bit more often than I'd like to see.  Slightly surprised that he's never been capped given the poor state of the Dutch international team.  Perhaps that's to come though when he settles in with us.  Other than that the midfield hasn't improved at all.

 

Further forward we have Negredo as the obvious big positive.  No explanation necessary.  But other than that things looks less straight forward as it stands.  Fischer has not impressed so far and it's perhaps unclear where he fits in.  The assumption is that he either plays on the left but coming inside all the time - which could work with Friend - or maybe as a second striker type.  He's not a replacement for Ramirez.  He's not a creative player so you'd be getting a Vossen type of player in that position but maybe a better finisher?  Borodane seems to think that having watched him playing for Denmark?  

 

The lad Traore is not a puzzling signing in itself.   Great pace is a natural attribute that can't be coached.  We have very little pace in this side and he will certainly add that as well as a directness that we definitely lack.  Anyone watching the West Brom game could quite easily see that and other than Ramirez we don't really have players that can actually beat a man or in the case of Downing are willing to try.  I would say though that it's a puzzling signing because he is all we added and what we seem to have done is essentially say that Ramirez, Downing and Stuani are now absolutely critical players for us as we know what we will get from them, good or bad.  Traore on the other hand is an unknown quantity.  I'm sorry but Downing and Stuani limit us.  Stuani is only of any use if he scores otherwise he is a 5/10 player at best.  He just doesn't offer anything else.  Downing has become an expert in 30 yard passes back to defenders and crossfield balls to the right hand side so that they are forced to try and do something with it.  He himself tries now only infrequently to create things but for some reason seems to get away with it in the eyes of some of our fans.  It's a crying shame for someone with more ability than almost everyone in our squad. Going back to Traore however I also think there may be attitude issues - he left Barca cos he wanted them to pay him a lot of money at a time when he'd done nothing.  He's had issues at Villa as well.  I made a joke about him being the Spanish Muzzy Carayol yesterday but nobody took the bait unfortunately!  However this might be a viable worst case scenario here - a lot of pace,  not a hard worker apparently, not much real intelligence and an issue with attitude.  The only difference is that he's being paid at least 10 times the amount of a Carayol, if not more.  But he's young and if he sees this as a chance to get his career moving then the best case scenario is much better.

 

I don't think this window can be labelled a success yet as really we don't know what it is.  I think this squad is good enough to finish outside the bottom three but unless Traore and/or Fischer get into the side and add something then it could be a hell of a grind.  We've only really played one genuinely good 45 mins of football and that was against Stoke in the first half.  Against Sunderland they were all over us until Stuani scored out of nowhere and that changed the pattern of the game.  We gradually took over but in the second half we stopped playing again and reverted to soaking up pressure.  Against West Brom we didn't look seriously capable of troubling them at any point.  But I do like that we added pace yesterday.  I would have liked one more serious attacking player at least though and I feel we had both the time and the resources to get that done this summer.

 

One more point re certain posters.  Too many of you hang on ever word of some people.  You're adults, start acting like it and don't get into a strop if people either play a joke on you or it turns out don't really know anything at all.  There's one person posting recently as ITK that has done similar in the last couple of transfer windows from memory and hasn't gotten anything right, not that he says much mind, yet he comes on and you're all over him.  Come on people, time for some common sense I think.

 

I'm giving the window a 6.5/10 that could rise to an 8.5/10 if certain players flourish here.

 

I agree with the points you make CT about the abilities and quality we have in the squad at the moment but I would point out that we have just been promoted ,one of the favourites to go down and were never likely to get an established top league player who's career is on the up.

 

What we have had to do is get in players who have the potential to do it but haven't proved it yet , need to re-prove they can do it  or are coming back from an injury/out of favour. 

 

I think we have done the best we can with the hand we have without paying over the odds (one eye on relegation) 

 

I think AK has hung his hat on being defensively sound and making sure we are hard to beat again. 

 

I would hope though that IF we stay up we can start adding the exciting, Stella sigings we like to see here at the boro otherwise I will be joining you in the non plussed camp.

 

#UTB

[Guest Changing Times]

Don't know why I was quoted in that KM, I literally said I don't know who he was talking about...

 

Sorry I should have just quoted his tweet separately but come on, of course you knew who he was on about. :D

 

It's ok Will, KM doesn't know who I'm talking about either.

 

I think you need a time out though KM.  You're getting tweets and posts on an internet forum mixed up now.  I think you've burned yourself out.

["KM" 1,656]

Don't know why I was quoted in that KM, I literally said I don't know who he was talking about...

 

Sorry I should have just quoted his tweet separately but come on, of course you knew who he was on about. :D

 

It's ok Will, KM doesn't know who I'm talking about either.

 

I think you need a time out though KM.  You're getting tweets and posts on an internet forum mixed up now.  I think you've burned yourself out.

 

Now I realise who you're on about. :D

 

You're right, I need a break. :(

[Borodane 6,292]

Good writeup CT, although I'd give the window 7,5/10. Another more proven attacking player would have gotten 8,5/10 but I think we have got ourselves a very solid team and on paper I think we are better than a hand full of teams which is pretty good for a promoted team.

 

Just a spare thought on Traore. Karanka has worked with the lad up through the Spanish youth teams and from the interview it sounds like he has a pretty good idea about the lads attitude, personality etc. I doubt Karanka would go for him if he knew he had issues and was only motivated by money. Perhaps AK can get the best out of him and really motivate the boy. If Traore is glad to be united with AK and a few Spanish lads then we are a long way already. And it's a big plus that he already has some taste of the Premiership albeit brief and not the best experience.

[Humpty 3,260]

Karanka hasn't worked with him in the Spanish youth teams.

[Will 2,958]

Yeh Karanka said Traore came into the squads just after he'd left.

[LinoJo3 3,191]

He will still know a lot about him, I imagine coaches talk to each other about the younger players coming up.

[Guest Changing Times]

I'm sure Aitor is looking forward to the opportunity to fall out with work with another player.