Right then, who should we sign?

[KeiranShikari]

Read something earlier saying that Alex Neil has stated that he wants to bring in 6 players this summer. When asked if that includes Dorrans and Mulumbu he said that it did. Meaning that we're only likely to sign 4 more players. 

Not seen this but McNally did say 6-8.

 

[Yellow Fever]

My recollection was that McNally said 6-7, but that may have been before we were considering paying around £16m on two players.

 

[Boyerboy]

As I've said before, we are in uncharted waters. The Norwich we know would never have dreamed of two players for £16m and several more besides. Now, we cannot afford not to. We have to compete and we have to stay up. McNally knows where we went wrong and I doubt he will want to risk another relegation. We cannot guarantee a swift return after all.

We shall see spending like never before because the alternative is Burnley. But we shall see controlled and strategic spending because we are not QPR either.

It is not reckless. If Brady fills a hole in the squad and costs £10m then in the context of staying up and the riches involved, that is a modest investment. But, it is huge for us and our history. We have to get our heads around this new world. It is not easy but could be fun

 

[morty]

As I've said before, we are in uncharted waters. The Norwich we know would never have dreamed of two players for £16m and several more besides. Now, we cannot afford not to. We have to compete and we have to stay up. McNally knows where we went wrong and I doubt he will want to risk another relegation. We cannot guarantee a swift return after all.

We shall see spending like never before because the alternative is Burnley. But we shall see controlled and strategic spending because we are not QPR either.

It is not reckless. If Brady fills a hole in the squad and costs £10m then in the context of staying up and the riches involved, that is a modest investment. But, it is huge for us and our history. We have to get our heads around this new world. It is not easy but could be fun

The thing is, we are in a much, much better shape than when we went up last time. The squad is pretty much Premiership quality, we have no debts to pay off, and everyone within the club should have maybe learned a few things from what happened last time. If we want to be Premiership, we need to act like it.

 

[KeiranShikari]

''The Norwich we know would never have dreamed of two players for £16m and several more besides''

Our last Premier League summer window got pretty close to that.

Club aren't spending beyond their limits but they certainly haven't been holding back too much in recent times.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Would anyone consider taking a look at Junior Hoillett or Christopher Samba? Or are they forever tainted?

 

[Din]

Samba no. Hoillett yes if the fee is right.

 

[KeiranShikari]

Samba has been out in the Russian money retirement leagues for a while now and he's in his 30s. Not to mention the fact he's hardly the type of central defender that would suit AN's primary tactic. I think we'll bring in a much younger player that has the energy to play on the front foot.

Haven't seen Hoillett in ages but I have a feeling that the winger we sign will have to be competent at wingback as well and I don't think he is. 

If what Din said is correct and Neil has said that we're only signing 4 more players then I can't see us signing another out and out winger. I was hoping something would come of the Dyer link but I can't see it's only 4 more.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Van Dijk looks strong, energetic and good on the ball. How good is he defensively though? David Luiz is the most expensive defender in the world and a lot of the time he's not very good at defending. 

Hoillett has done very little in the last few years. Is he a spent force, or could he be rejuvenated? If its the latter, I agree for the right price he could be a good addition

 

[KeiranShikari]

Hooper dodgy rumour watch. League One's Sheffield United this time. 

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

And how would they propose paying for him? And why would he want to drop down to League One? Next!

 

[Suffolk Canary]

http://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/sporting_lisbon_ready_to_test_norwich_city_s_resolve_over_ricky_van_wolfswinkel_1_4138625

£3.8m for RVW?   I mean we all know what he was like, but that seems extremely low even for him. McNally must be seriously desperate to get rid 

 

[KeiranShikari]

Seems high to me. I think we'd take 2.

 

[kirku]

http://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/sporting_lisbon_ready_to_test_norwich_city_s_resolve_over_ricky_van_wolfswinkel_1_4138625

£3.8m for RVW?   I mean we all know what he was like, but that seems extremely low even for him. McNally must be seriously desperate to get rid 

Not a bad return, seeing as we got a fee out of his loan to St. Et.

 

[Yellow Fever]

Not a bad return, seeing as we got a fee out of his loan to St. Et.

That might be as good as we're going to get for RvW. The fee was over £1m and £3.8m is virtually spot on his current valuation on Transfermarkt. Normally there would be a mark up on that because he has two years left on his contract, but given his poor year with us and middling year with St Etienne, that could be about right.

 

[kirku]

That might be as good as we're going to get for RvW. The fee was over £1m and £3.8m is virtually spot on his current valuation on Transfermarkt. Normally there would be a mark up on that because he has two years left on his contract, but given his poor year with us and middling year with St Etienne, that could be about right.

So we'd get around £5m back and a season of not paying his wages. To be honest, that really isn't a bad deal, all things considered. 

 

[Boyerboy]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/21476/9902544/falcao-to-chelsea-clyne-to-liverpool-scouting-trends-explored

This article is much deeper than the title suggests. It talks of carefully analysing how a striker scores to ensure that you can create the same kinds of chances and help the striker get goals.

I remember watching the Ricky videos in YouTube and admiring how he got in the box and capitalised on fast pull backs from breaking players. I wonder why he didn't succeed with us? More interestingly, we seem to have entirely missed what is apparently a standard scouting technique.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/21476/9902544/falcao-to-chelsea-clyne-to-liverpool-scouting-trends-explored

This article is much deeper than the title suggests. It talks of carefully analysing how a striker scores to ensure that you can create the same kinds of chances and help the striker get goals.

I remember watching the Ricky videos in YouTube and admiring how he got in the box and capitalised on fast pull backs from breaking players. I wonder why he didn't succeed with us? More interestingly, we seem to have entirely missed what is apparently a standard scouting technique.

RvW was totally the wrong type of striker for us. Surely if you break the bank (for us) for a player you truly believe is a coup to have at the club you play to his strengths. A different manager might have been astute enough to realise RvW was the worng type of striker for us, or at least been aware of the type of striker he was and set the team up in a way which would reproduce the formula that had made him a success.

Hughton did neither of these things and that for me is why he was a poor manager.

Whether RvW was ever as good as we believed he was is debatable. We acted like we'd stolen him from under the noses of some big clubs, but in the end they allowed us to sign him unchallenged - possibly they'd have thought do a Bony - see if he proves himself in this league and if so we'll come in - but clearly they had reservations.

Truth is, if we had replicated what Sporting were doing RvW might have been more effective, or if he'd have signed for a different (bigger) club who were perhaps more expansive in their play with more possession he might have had a better scoring record. Truth is we'll never know if we bought a turkey or simply created one.

RvW has a lot of work ahead to rebuild his reputation. Celtic would be a good destination or him, Sporting equally good - but if he fails there he will be completely written off.

Personally Im still hoping for the fairytale, that Ricky gets a chance, takes it and the rest is history - but Im too much of a realist to know this is never going to happen. But I still dare to dream...

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

If the above did happen, he would have to be played by Tom Cruise in the movie. Think about it, it follows the exact same format almost every Tom Cruise film does...

Tom Cruise is a hot shot soccer striker. He's good, and he knows he's good, he has the football world at his feet.

Then things start to go wrong as a big money move to England goes sour. Tom has a crisis of confidence

Then he meets a beautiful woman, who helps him turn it all around

And he returns to form to save the day!

 

[Yellow Fever]

Interesting, BB, and I can see the parallels with our signing of RvW. It's also interesting to apply the same logic to our latest signings, as well as to those we're interested in signing. Dorrans struggled a bit at first as he adjusted and built up his fitness, but now seems to fit into the squad very well. Andreu had more of a problem with the transition, both for physical reasons and the style of play. Hopefully when AN has the whole of the pre-season to develop his own style of play, Andreu will find the fit better suited to him. Mulumbu is a harder one to call, but I'd be surprised if AN's meticulous planning didn't take these sort of factors in mind.

Also love the Tom Cruise analogies, GMD!