Incoming? Matt Clarke

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They signed him from league 1 and he has played 2 seasons in the champ (including one poty) since.
I’m well aware of that r666, I just don’t think he’s good enough for us, Brighton think that too. We should aspire to be as good as if not better than Brighton in the short, medium and long term, this sort of signing won’t achieve that. Jack Robinson is a better footballer than him, that’s all there is to it, ultimately I’d like better than Robinson but he’s more than good enough for the Championship.
 
I’m well aware of that r666, I just don’t think he’s good enough for us, Brighton think that too. We should aspire to be as good as if not better than Brighton in the short, medium and long term, this sort of signing won’t achieve that. Jack Robinson is a better footballer than him, that’s all there is to it, ultimately I’d like better than Robinson but he’s more than good enough for the Championship.
This is it. If we’re going to spend a decent chunk of wedge - and for us, right now, £5m is a decent chunk of wedge - I want us to spend it on someone better than what we already have.

Robinson isn’t the ideal solution, but if we’re replacing him let’s go for an upgrade.
 
This is it. If we’re going to spend a decent chunk of wedge - and for us, right now, £5m is a decent chunk of wedge - I want us to spend it on someone better than what we already have.

Robinson isn’t the ideal solution, but if we’re replacing him let’s go for an upgrade.
Especially when you consider we got Egan for 4
 
I’m well aware of that r666, I just don’t think he’s good enough for us, Brighton think that too. We should aspire to be as good as if not better than Brighton in the short, medium and long term, this sort of signing won’t achieve that. Jack Robinson is a better footballer than him, that’s all there is to it, ultimately I’d like better than Robinson but he’s more than good enough for the Championship.
i think robinson will be fine in the championship plus weve got enda and rnd that can cover that position for me we need 2 centre backs in as cover for egan and basham
 
Am I reading things wrong .... its as if we're broke ... tin pot signings rumoured ... we have assets... whether we keep or sell them plus parachute payments... seemingly a proactive experienced manager ... no signings at the moment ... something not quite right ... hope things change/become clear in the next 3 weeks ... not a lot of time left before the new season. UTB
 
Things will start to ramp up in beginning of next week i think. Utd get back from the tour on Tuesday and I think final transfer targets and preferences will be discussed and agreed later this week. I'm confident there will be an incoming or two next week.
 
Things will start to ramp up in beginning of next week i think. Utd get back from the tour on Tuesday and I think final transfer targets and preferences will be discussed and agreed later this week. I'm confident there will be an incoming or two next week.
hopefully a centre back and a midfielder would be handy
 
i think robinson will be fine in the championship plus weve got enda and rnd that can cover that position for me we need 2 centre backs in as cover for egan and basham
None are big nor physical enough IMHO. It was obvious just how much JOC was missed there last season - how many soft goals were conceded from crosses and set pieces? Utd need a big monster that will win everything in the air - Robinson, RND nor Stevens are the answer. Exactly the same goes for RCB with some even suggesting Baldock as cover for Bash 😬
 
Think we need two new powerful big lads at the back. No nonsense types who know how to defend, head balls clear and do the basics well. We would suddenly look so much better even if we just brought one of these types in though 2 new lads at the back is preferable. Surely it shouldn't cost the earth to find this type of defender knocking about? The number of daft goals we gave away last season due to being soft as shit in the air, drove me insane. Younger versions of Paul McGrath and Chris Morgan please.... 😁
 
None are big nor physical enough IMHO. It was obvious just how much JOC was missed there last season - how many soft goals were conceded from crosses and set pieces? Utd need a big monster that will win everything in the air - Robinson, RND nor Stevens are the answer. Exactly the same goes for RCB with some even suggesting Baldock as cover for Bash 😬
you might be right on rnd and enda but i think robinson is good enough for this level and if we need cover at lcb thats 3 new centre backs we need imo unless slav has seen something in the younger lads
 
I think the whole "big lads at the back" type is a bit old skool now. Referencing this, there's not many truly tall forwards that play up front these days (okay that is a year or two out of date). The modern CB is fast and good with the ball. If you keep the ball you're really only defending counter attacks (i.e. pacey forwards!). Look at Toney, Armstrong, Pukki last year. Top three Championship scorers by a mile and all 1.8m (5ft 9) or below. Only Kiefer Moore or Lucas Joao (4th and 5th top Champ scorers) would worry me from a height perspective.

If we're playing a possession based game (which it appears we will based on player interviews from Spain), a no-nonsense centre back is going to f*ck everything right up. Nothing annoys me off more than when a striker thinks about a press and a CB hoofs it clear. Reason Maguire and Stones are so well thought of is because they can play with the ball. We could offset this with a decent DM who receives the ball from them but you do become very reliant or exposed if they're injured or man-marked.

In summary. I have no f*cking idea who we should sign at the back.
 

I think the whole "big lads at the back" type is a bit old skool now. Referencing this, there's not many truly tall forwards that play up front these days (okay that is a year or two out of date). The modern CB is fast and good with the ball. If you keep the ball you're really only defending counter attacks (i.e. pacey forwards!). Look at Toney, Armstrong, Pukki last year. Top three Championship scorers by a mile and all 1.8m (5ft 9) or below. Only Kiefer Moore or Lucas Joao (4th and 5th top Champ scorers) would worry me from a height perspective.

If we're playing a possession based game (which it appears we will based on player interviews from Spain), a no-nonsense centre back is going to f*ck everything right up. Nothing annoys me off more than when a striker thinks about a press and a CB hoofs it clear. Reason Maguire and Stones are so well thought of is because they can play with the ball. We could offset this with a decent DM who receives the ball from them but you do become very reliant or exposed if they're injured or man-marked.

In summary. I have no f*cking idea who we should sign at the back.
Agree they need to be decent on the ball, especially if we're sticking with the back three.

Judging from the first friendly there may be less overlapping though, which may tweak the list of required attributes that has been influenced by Basham and O'Connell's performances. We may be looking at players who are comfortable on the ball, but not necessarily suited to bombing up and down the pitch all the time.

Regarding the height (aerial ability) thing, it is something we should keep in mind. It is not just about dealing with big strikers. We need to cope at defensive set pieces, as well as having threats at offensive set pieces as well.
 
If we are to sell Berge and/or Rammers, then we can probably be a bit more flash with our chequebook, and increase risk appetite to spending. If we're determined to keep the pair (the merits and drawbacks of which have been long discussed) then I think we can expect our incomings to be more low key.
 
I think the whole "big lads at the back" type is a bit old skool now. Referencing this, there's not many truly tall forwards that play up front these days (okay that is a year or two out of date). The modern CB is fast and good with the ball. If you keep the ball you're really only defending counter attacks (i.e. pacey forwards!). Look at Toney, Armstrong, Pukki last year. Top three Championship scorers by a mile and all 1.8m (5ft 9) or below. Only Kiefer Moore or Lucas Joao (4th and 5th top Champ scorers) would worry me from a height perspective.

If we're playing a possession based game (which it appears we will based on player interviews from Spain), a no-nonsense centre back is going to f*ck everything right up. Nothing annoys me off more than when a striker thinks about a press and a CB hoofs it clear. Reason Maguire and Stones are so well thought of is because they can play with the ball. We could offset this with a decent DM who receives the ball from them but you do become very reliant or exposed if they're injured or man-marked.

In summary. I have no f*cking idea who we should sign at the back.

I get your point but 1.8m is actually closer to 5ft 11 than 5ft 9.
 
I get your point but 1.8m is actually closer to 5ft 11 than 5ft 9.
It depends if we want to become an established premier league team and be able to cope with premier levels of athleticism, if so we need to be buying players who have the attributes to step up. I suggest Clarke is just too slow and error prone on ground defending to make that step up whilst looking ok-ish in the championship.
A good template to look at would be Tarkowski or Roman Saiss. Not massive (both about 1.85m ish), but very good attacking and defensive headers of the ball due to the way they run on to the ball and attack it, comfortable bringing the ball out at feet and no slouch on ground defending.
I got a bit tired of watching Ampadu and the rest not even getting off the ground when trying to compete for headers, painful last year. I do get that you don't want an overly tall slow defender like Grant Hanley who will be an absolute liablity for Norwich in the Prem next season.
 
I'm not a fan of loanees, but this might be the time to use one.

I'm hopeful that JOC will return in decent nick, but if it takes a further 6 months then give him the time to get back to somewhere where he was at the height of our first season back in the Prem, and draught in a loan player to cover that, paying 25k/week for 40 weeks is 1 million, and make a decision at that point.
 
Experienced centre backs are like gold dust now,PL teams want to hang on to theirs even if they are not regulars,like Dummett at Newcastle,and most of the others that could be remotely considered like Clarke,are aging and not the future for an aspiring club,Scott Dann comes into this category,so you are left with foreign players,like the German guy we had on loan a couple of seasons ago,or probably overpaying for another EFL player,younger,with a future who has shown promise.
If we were going for Derby players,instead of Clarke I would take a chance on Luke Knight,put last season down to a one off and see if he can reproduce his form of pre last season,and we need midfielders as well,he is the right age.
 
Experienced centre backs are like gold dust now,PL teams want to hang on to theirs even if they are not regulars,like Dummett at Newcastle,and most of the others that could be remotely considered like Clarke,are aging and not the future for an aspiring club,Scott Dann comes into this category,so you are left with foreign players,like the German guy we had on loan a couple of seasons ago,or probably overpaying for another EFL player,younger,with a future who has shown promise.
If we were going for Derby players,instead of Clarke I would take a chance on Luke Knight,put last season down to a one off and see if he can reproduce his form of pre last season,and we need midfielders as well,he is the right age.

Jason Knight. I advocated for him before.
 
Jason Knight. I advocated for him before.
Sorry,Jason.
Unless you are a PL team with megabucks that can sign young EFL players up while they are in the form of their life,you have to take a bit of a chance and sign them after a dip in form and hope they come back to their best,Knight looked a great prospect in previous seasons,no idea what he would cost,but might be worth an offer and see if they bite,the money which we could have been going to spend in Clarke
 
i think if basham and robinson are the 2 we play only bash will venture forward but our wing backs will have to be well advanced and hopefully get the crosses in early and no more of this pissing about in triangles out wide
 
Seems like a bit of a miss for me.

We need a LCB and he's a LCB
We need someone who can dominate in the air and he can
We need someone with experience and he has it

A loan would have made it irrelevant whether he could step up or not.
 
Seems like a bit of a miss for me.

We need a LCB and he's a LCB
We need someone who can dominate in the air and he can
We need someone with experience and he has it

A loan would have made it irrelevant whether he could step up or not.

Davies would be the obvious alternative but may have to wait until he doesn't make Liverpool's squad until he realises he's not going to get a look-in there
 
It's why we are still in the Premier league and you are not. Anyway Ben White is off for 50 million plus. Yes you heard that right 50 MILL. Let that sink in. A player that cost zilch. Released by Southampton picked up by BHA.
The 100s of £m your club has spent is why the team you support are in the Premier League.

All you've done yourself is spam this board to make up for the inadequacies elsewhere in your life.
 
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