Makes sense to assess the players we've actually got over the line, my thoughts as follows.

Twine: A good capture who will surely add assists and goals to our tally, £5m is a fair outlay for a L1 player, but this lad is one who could potentially play a big part in any promotion bid, and if he does well at Burnley, one who similar to Collins will net us a big profit when he eventually moves on to pastures new.

McNally: Don't know a great deal about this lad, but his ball carrying were the best in L1 last season, so he fits into the mould for a Kompany CB, only cost about £2m as well, which in the current market is a bargain in anyone's book.

Egan-Reilly: Another who's highly rated from the City academy, and can play in a number of positions, and equally fits into VK'S ball playing preference for his CB'S.

Harewood-Bellis: Ticks the boxes regarding previous Championship experience after his previous loan spells at Stoke and Blackburn, only a loan this one mind you, but perhaps we're waiting to see him in action before committing to a permanent signing.

What caught my eye is their respective ages, 22, 22, 19, 20, quite a departure from our previous strategy, but we did expect VK to promote and bring in youth. so these signings shouldn't come as a surprise, particularly given his strong connections with City.

Is there ever a young player moving from a top premier league academy who isn’t highly rated? Luke Chadwick, John O’Kane, Neil Wood, Paul Mahon etc etc, all highly rated. The truth is, the highly rated ones tend to demand a significant fee……

You missed off Richard Eckersley and Jon Flanagan

dandeclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 1:29 pm

Is there ever a young player moving from a top premier league academy who isn’t highly rated? Luke Chadwick, John O’Kane, Neil Wood, Paul Mahon etc etc, all highly rated. The truth is, the highly rated ones tend to demand a significant fee……

The people saying we might have the next Trippier and Mee are forgetting how very few actually make it. We've got our promotion hopes pinned on several unknown quantities in key areas of the pitch. We're gonna need 25+ goals from Muleka and the new inexperienced youthful central defensive partnership to be solid. Cork had a few good games in a row last season, looked like his legs had gone prior to that. Can he really be influential for 46 games in the Championship? Gundmundsson can't stay fit, so who's playing on the right when Cornet goes?

Aye - I reckon the list would be pretty long. Unfortunately, statistically, many more are likely to fall below the levels we hope to achieve, than go beyond it.

Absolutely fine so far. Probably need an experienced cb if Collins leaves. And we definitely need at least 1 striker who is pacy, young and hungry. We are going in the right direction. Just depends on who leaves in the next 6 weeks or so.

KRBFC wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 1:46 pm

The people saying we might have the next Trippier and Mee are forgetting how very few actually make it. We've got our promotion hopes pinned on several unknown quantities in key areas of the pitch. We're gonna need 25+ goals from Muleka and the new inexperienced youthful central defensive partnership to be solid. Cork had a few good games in a row last season, looked like his legs had gone prior to that. Can he really be influential for 46 games in the Championship? Gundmundsson can't stay fit, so who's playing on the right when Cornet goes?

McNeil inside right, Twine inside left, Jay up top with Muleka - sounds very promising. Bastien / Brownhill competiting for LCM with Cork / someone Else (Cullen?) at RCM. Roberts and Taylor as wing backs = very dangerous team. Couple more signings for depth maybe if others stay.

tiger76 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 1:22 pm

Makes sense to assess the players we've actually got over the line, my thoughts as follows.

My thoughts are that it would be courteous to spell their names correctly.

RVclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 1:56 pm

McNeil inside right, Twine inside left, Jay up top with Muleka - sounds very promising. Bastien / Brownhill competiting for LCM with Cork / someone Else (Cullen?) at RCM. Roberts and Taylor as wing backs = very dangerous team. Couple more signings for depth maybe if others stay.

We aren't far off. 3 young kids at CB and GK. Where is our Andre Gray/Solanke/Mitrovic?

Personally I would prefer to assess the new players once I have seen them play for us half a dozen times.

One good thing is that we have got some signings in early for a change which means the club might be able to move some others on permanently or on loan in a more timely manner.

ClaretLoup wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 2:03 pm

Personally I would prefer to assess the new players once I have seen them play for us half a dozen times.

Stop being sensible.

I know little to nothing about the new lads.

I'm impressed with how proactive the club have been though in getting signings done so early, makes a nice change.
Also good to see youth signing for the first team, not for the fabled development squad or U23's never to be seen again.

I'll judge the players later in the season.

What a shame Westwood is injured - I think that he could make a big, big difference in this league. A hard-working midfielder, an organiser and a potential captain, I hope that he can recover before the WC break to influence a very young team that will undoubtedly need an experienced leader.

dandeclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 1:29 pm

Is there ever a young player moving from a top premier league academy who isn’t highly rated? Luke Chadwick, John O’Kane, Neil Wood, Paul Mahon etc etc, all highly rated. The truth is, the highly rated ones tend to demand a significant fee……

I'm on this side of the fence with the two City lads. Only time will tell. I have no idea if they are good signings... You don't know what they are going to be like when it comes to the everyday toil of a competitive league campaign, especially with CJ Egan Riley who hasn't had any notable league experience anywhere.

They could be long term investments and develop into fans favourites, like Keane, Mee, Tripps, and so on, or they could be filed under Richard Eckersley, Nathaniel Chalobah or John Flanagan

IWOODLOVETT wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 2:16 pm

What a shame Westwood is injured - I think that he could make a big, big difference in this league. A hard-working midfielder, an organiser and a potential captain, I hope that he can recover before the WC break to influence a very young team that will undoubtedly need an experienced leader.

He's on his way back but although he will be a miss with regards to options, Cork and Brownhill is a solid central pairing should Kompany go that way.

Squad is looking in a decent spot if we keep McNeil, Collins and Roberts

Lose them and we need to do some serious business.

Desperately need at least 2 CMs through the door and 20 plus goal scorer.

Some promising business done so far but in reality much more required

Bullabill wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 1:59 pm

My thoughts are that it would be courteous to spell their names correctly.

Is he being discourteous? Maybe he didn’t check his spelling. In any event why make a demeaning comment like that rather than just point out the spelling mistakes if you feel the need to?

KRBFC wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 2:02 pm

We aren't far off. 3 young kids at CB and GK. Where is our Andre Gray/Solanke/Mitrovic?

‘3 young kids’ you make them sound like they’ve just turned 18 and not played football. One is the current England under 21 captain with two seasons experience in the Champ. One was deemed good enough by your hero Pep to play 90 mins in the CL last season and captain the best under 23 side in the country to back to back domestic titles. The other is highly regarded as the best centre half in League One with a Premier League ceiling. Oh and they’ve got one of the best modern day cb’s the world has seen coaching them. Let’s give it some perspective.

Gray had one good season in the Championship for Brentford but was still a gamble at 8m. Twine has 33 goals/assists to his name, albeit in the league below, could he get upwards of 15 goals? Muleka, if he signs, could he be the Andre Gray? Why do they have to have done it ‘in the Championship’? People talk about this league like it’s something incredible - 34 year old Billy Sharp was Sheffield United’s top scorer last season with 16 and Cameron Jerome was starting games for play off Luton. Forest’s top scorer had 19 goals last season.

RVclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 2:21 pm

‘3 young kids’ you make them sound like they’ve just turned 18 and not played football. One is the current England under 21 captain with two seasons experience in the Champ. One was deemed good enough by your hero Pep to play 90 mins in the CL last season and captain the best under 23 side in the country to back to back domestic titles. The other is highly regarded as the best centre half in League One with a Premier League ceiling. Oh and they’ve got one of the best modern day cb’s the world has seen coaching them. Let’s give it some perspective.

Gray had one good season in the Championship for Brentford but was still a gamble at 8m. Twine has 33 goals/assists to his name, albeit in the league below, could he get upwards of 15 goals? Muleka, if he signs, could he be the Andre Gray? Why do they have to have done it ‘in the Championship’? People talk about this league like it’s something incredible - 34 year old Billy Sharp was Sheffield United’s top scorer last season with 16 and Cameron Jerome was starting games for play off Luton. Forest’s top scorer had 19 goals last season.

I know it's too easy to draw parallels and this is a single point so no proof of what will happen here, but when the big names well respected footballer, Chris Waddle became manager to raise the club's profile, one of his first signings was the England Under 21 captain Mark Ford, who fans, myself included, couldn't believe we'd got so cheaply......

Twine is an exciting prospect so well done to the club for that.
So far only Pope of our contracted players sold so we are at the waiting stage to see how good or bad that situation ends up.
Lots of youth added to the set up which was much needed , the quality of these players still to discovered.
For me it’s going to be about what happens in the next few weeks that is more important than what has happened so far.

dandeclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 2:26 pm

I know it's too easy to draw parallels and this is a single point so no proof of what will happen here, but when the big names well respected footballer, Chris Waddle became manager to raise the club's profile, one of his first signings was the England Under 21 captain Mark Ford, who fans, myself included, couldn't believe we'd got so cheaply......

While I take your point I also back Vincent Kompany to know a good centre half - he has now signed this lad twice.

Lets not compare two promising young players, knocking on the door of the current and highly successful Man City squad with Luke Chadwick and Neil Wood

Lets not compare two promising young players, knocking on the door of the current and highly successful Man City squad with Luke Chadwick and Neil Wood

RVclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 2:21 pm

‘3 young kids’ you make them sound like they’ve just turned 18 and not played football. One is the current England under 21 captain with two seasons experience in the Champ. One was deemed good enough by your hero Pep to play 90 mins in the CL last season and captain the best under 23 side in the country to back to back domestic titles. The other is highly regarded as the best centre half in League One with a Premier League ceiling. Oh and they’ve got one of the best modern day cb’s the world has seen coaching them. Let’s give it some perspective.

Gray had one good season in the Championship for Brentford but was still a gamble at 8m. Twine has 33 goals/assists to his name, albeit in the league below, could he get upwards of 15 goals? Muleka, if he signs, could he be the Andre Gray? Why do they have to have done it ‘in the Championship’? People talk about this league like it’s something incredible - 34 year old Billy Sharp was Sheffield United’s top scorer last season with 16 and Cameron Jerome was starting games for play off Luton. Forest’s top scorer had 19 goals last season.

They're good signings for sure, don't twist the point. It just feels like alot needs to align for us to win promotion. Muleka was one I suggested weeks ago, he'll be a very good signing, can we rely on him for 20+ goals in his first season? potentially, it's not as nailed on as someone who has already done it though.

warksclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 2:55 pm

Lets not compare two promising young players, knocking on the door of the current and highly successful Man City squad with Luke Chadwick and Neil Wood

Why? I hope that these players are the next Trippier / Mee, but I can appreciate statistically they are more likely to be a Chadwick / Wood et al.

dandeclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 3:15 pm

Why? I hope that these players are the next Trippier / Mee, but I can appreciate statistically they are more likely to be a Chadwick / Wood et al.

In fairness only time will tell, and I may be wrong in thinking these two guys from Man City are going to become good players. What no one can convince me otherwise though is that I am feeling a 100 times better now than I was at 5.00pm on 22 May-the last day of last season. That's because of what the club has achieved inn the past 3 weeks.

Very good business, so far.

I would be less apprehensive about the new season if we were to bring in an experienced keeper, considering the lack of experience we are likely to have at CB now.

I would’ve been quite happy with Hennessey, and from what I’ve read/heard, Muric doesn’t fill me with confidence.

I know he doesn’t fit our business model, but I’d take Ben Foster in a heartbeat to marshal that back line.

At the moment we don't know a great deal about the new players and we have lost our top 2 performers of last year in Tarky and Pope.
Ben Mee would have been great with Collins in the championship but we are going down a different route.

We are definitely weaker but so is the level we will play at.

TsarBomba wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 3:38 pm

Very good business, so far.

I would be less apprehensive about the new season if we were to bring in an experienced keeper, considering the lack of experience we are likely to have at CB now.

I would’ve been quite happy with Hennessey, and from what I’ve read/heard, Muric doesn’t fill me with confidence.

I know he doesn’t fit our business model, but I’d take Ben Foster in a heartbeat to marshal that back line.

I mentioned Ben Foster too recently. A great Championship keeper and I would have him and Muric competing for the shirt

Keep em coming in - needed youth for last 4 seasons

Busy busy, excited and apprehensive for the new season, excited by the new direction, hopefully the new look team manage to gel quickly.

Onemoregame wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 4:03 pm

Busy busy, excited and apprehensive for the new season, excited by the new direction, hopefully the new look team manage to gel quickly.

impossible to say, good bad or indifferent - havent seen any of the players signed, play.

On the fence about everything that’s going on, but it’s definitely interesting and I’m looking forward to the season.

For now I’ll take that over the two years of staleness that went before it.

I find some comments wide of my thinking. I firmly support signing around 6 youngsters and seeing if any fit the team plan, add to the team and develop them. Trippier was not the real deal when we first started him, given time and coaching what a player he became. So, I am chuffed with the signings and prefer these to signing one aged experience player from the bargain basement with one day left in the transfer window.

The intent is excellent but NONE of us know…yet.

Just a reminder, 95% of fans said it was a shocking window when we signed

Tom Heaton
Scott Arfield
David Jones

and sold…Charlie Austin

!!!!!



It’s all about gelling now and that’s why the retained, experienced, older pros, will be ESSENTIAL this next season.

Papabendi wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 4:09 pm

impossible to say, good bad or indifferent - havent seen any of the players signed, play.

This for me

Its exciting I'll give it that

Look, we won't know till the window closes, but its already going to be hard to hit the ground running with so many new players and with so many players having left

And as the window doesn't close to Sept 1st, I can see us having more than a few more ins and outs

Basically (like a lot on this thread) on the fence about how good or bad it is so far, but its certainly a direction we needed to go in

More optimistic than I was a week ago.

I think we’ll finish top 6.

Building what looks to be a solid mid table team whether we do more business to get us in the top six who knows but automatic promotion looks unreal now with the drop in quality we are buying.

jdrobbo wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 4:29 pm

The intent is excellent but NONE of us know…yet.
It’s all about gelling now and that’s why the retained, experienced, older pros, will be ESSENTIAL this next season.

Our first 3 games will be a baptism of fire - Huddersfield (3rd), Luton (6th) and Watford (R). Just about as stiff a test for a rookie team as you could get and I would be happy with 3draws.

The trouble is it’s too early for a realistic assessment of the potential of this group. If the games were starting tomorrow we would fancy our chances, but there is a long way to go before the season kicks off. Many comings and goings in that time and we might be disappointed with what we have left come day one.

This season will require a lot of patience and a view of the bigger picture. This is a long overdue and much needed rebuild and re-brand of the club, the business so far has been excellent

Too early to say. We ķnow how good the players who have left are, but we don't know how good the ones coming in are. Also there will be more transfer activity and there are other variables and unknowns. It feels quite a high risk strategy but if it works the rewards will be high. I can't wait for the season to start.

What no one can convince me otherwise though is that I am feeling a 100 times better now than I was at 5.00pm on 22 May-the last day of last season. That's because of what the club has achieved in the past 3 weeks.
[/quote]

Well, it’s the visibility you’ve now had into the last three weeks rather than what has been achieved, which will have been in process for longer than that. And that is why, I for one, was not concerned at the lack of social activity a short while ago that, as predicted, is now on the forgotten pile

I’m very excited about The Quiet Revolution going on at TM. I’m glad we’re playing the teams we are at the beginning too - a) because it benchmarks, and b) because they are all still forming, not necessarily performing at that time too

Very good so far.

Papabendi wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 4:09 pm

impossible to say, good bad or indifferent - havent seen any of the players signed, play.

This is me too.

Though I’m excited because it’s the unknown and it’s different and I’d found last year to be tiresome and hard work at times.

We're heading in the right direction IMO.

The windows been very interesting, and early signs are promising. However if we are going to have a successful season we need to keep the core of last seasons squad and that's the part that concerns me. Evolution not revolution.

Decent with Twine the standout signing. More needed, though I am impressed with the speed of the signings.

Been a decent start , we needed to plug gaps for starters with young talent who will develop , and also cover will be needed for whoever else goes . I’m appalled Pace put the squad up for sale, but VK has hit the ground running and I’m hoping with any transfer cash from Pope /Cornet / random we’ll be able to bring a sprinkle of real quality .

AlargeClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 02, 2022 5:56 pm

Been a decent start , we needed to plug gaps for starters with young talent who will develop , and also cover will be needed for whoever else goes . I’m appalled Pace put the squad up for sale, but VK has hit the ground running and I’m hoping with any transfer cash from Pope /Cornet / random we’ll be able to bring a sprinkle of real quality .

What are you talking about? Since when did this happen? Can you please explain.