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Whilst the media assumes that Bobby Manc has been given umpteen billion to play with, and there is this confusion about the Argentinian left back from Russia (Bobby says no, reports say yes) I think it is perfectly possible that we sign hardly anyone apart from the Vieira loan. Consider:

1) Decent players are very rarely available in January for obvious reasons
2) The new manager seems to have turned some basket cases into decent players
3) The much-maligned porous defence can now defend (or the team can)
4) The forwards are on fire, and still not up to strength
5) The club admitted that they had spent 3 years' transfer budget last summer in order to accelerate our progress. Any other signings would have to be 'exceptional'.
6) All of a sudden we look strong with 6 or 7 still out.

The only counter arguments are possibly:

1) Mancini may identify one spectacular player we can prise away from a broke club (lots of options) who can make a difference in us 'winning the league'
2) It was mentioned that our current crop of youngsters will not take us where we want to be, hence the rationale behind the Moses link.

So although it's all very exciting, we may have seen the last transfer activity (inbound) until summer!

I was just thinking the same thing...usually the press are all over us regards to transfers but even they have been relatively quiet

I think he will probably save splashing the cash until the summer where he has a better idea of the players he has and who he needs to get in and more quality becomes available

Could be wrong though haha

Mancini doesn't know most of the players apart from occasionally seeing them on tv, which gives a false impression as you can't see their movement or reading of the game etc apart from in a little area so it's difficult for him to replace players if he doesn't know the strengths & weaknesses of the ones he's got. Some have been injured since before he arrived so he's barely even seen them train.

If we start losing he'll probably start buying but otherwise why bother?

As long as nobody else does any business,im not fussed really.

Other teams dont have Bridge,Toure,Ade,SWP,Lescott et al coming back from Injury etc.

The future is bright.

I'd like a new right sided full back. I would've said a left back before the last few weeks but Bridge and Garrido look good enough for me.

Other than that I'm pretty happy with the exception of us (as a very outside shot) being able to get hold of a top top top drawer creative midfielder or David Villa

Ted Hughes wrote:Mancini doesn't know most of the players apart from occasionally seeing them on tv, which gives a false impression as you can't see their movement or reading of the game etc apart from in a little area so it's difficult for him to replace players if he doesn't know the strengths & weaknesses of the ones he's got. Some have been injured since before he arrived so he's barely even seen them train.

If we start losing he'll probably start buying but otherwise why bother?

I am sure he will ave a dossier on each player and will have sat down with Kidd and talked through each player at length. He has had 4 games and many training sessions to get an idea. I think Mancini will buy if the right player becomes available, however, he must be an improvement on what we have. He shouldnt sign someone who does not improve us.

Wonderwall wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:Mancini doesn't know most of the players apart from occasionally seeing them on tv, which gives a false impression as you can't see their movement or reading of the game etc apart from in a little area so it's difficult for him to replace players if he doesn't know the strengths & weaknesses of the ones he's got. Some have been injured since before he arrived so he's barely even seen them train.

If we start losing he'll probably start buying but otherwise why bother?

I am sure he will ave a dossier on each player and will have sat down with Kidd and talked through each player at length. He has had 4 games and many training sessions to get an idea. I think Mancini will buy if the right player becomes available, however, he must be an improvement on what we have. He shouldnt sign someone who does not improve us.

He'll be helped by people like Kidd but Kidd doesn't know our players that well either. The evidence of his team selections show that, exactly as MH did with Vassell, Fernandes, Elano, Ched Evans, Caicedo etc, he's trying players out to see what they've got, shuffling their positions etc finding out what they can & can't do. He has less time to decide before the potential sack but much better players to work with as a start which balances it out. Not easy to make key decisions & replace them in a few weeks though.

Ted Hughes wrote:

Wonderwall wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:Mancini doesn't know most of the players apart from occasionally seeing them on tv, which gives a false impression as you can't see their movement or reading of the game etc apart from in a little area so it's difficult for him to replace players if he doesn't know the strengths & weaknesses of the ones he's got. Some have been injured since before he arrived so he's barely even seen them train.

If we start losing he'll probably start buying but otherwise why bother?

I am sure he will ave a dossier on each player and will have sat down with Kidd and talked through each player at length. He has had 4 games and many training sessions to get an idea. I think Mancini will buy if the right player becomes available, however, he must be an improvement on what we have. He shouldnt sign someone who does not improve us.

He'll be helped by people like Kidd but Kidd doesn't know our players that well either. The evidence of his team selections show that, exactly as MH did with Vassell, Fernandes, Elano, Ched Evans, Caicedo etc, he's trying players out to see what they've got, shuffling their positions etc finding out what they can & can't do. He has less time to decide before the potential sack but much better players to work with as a start which balances it out. Not easy to make key decisions & replace them in a few weeks though.

Hmmm..... I think Hughes had a full pre season with all those players, and Evans and Vassell got in the team because of work rate. in fact it showed how clueless a manager he was, as he liked blood and thunder over technical ability or his own signings. It was criminal looking back that Evans was getting in ahead of Benjani or Sturridge. He has done sod all at Sheffield United, and was not good enough. Hughes realised that in the end, but probably because he knew he was bringing in three strikers and Ched didn't want to hang around. Elano would have stayed if Mancini was boss, as he can understand not everyone needs to run around like a madman, as he himself was a player that did not need to do that, Hughes was the opposite 100% effort rather than being a smart worker.

Mancini seems to recognise talent above everything else and then looks to extract it in the best possible way from each player, rather than trying to make players play in a way that doesn't suit them. I'm happy whoever pulls the shirt on, and if Bridge, Lescott etc have to sit on the bench due to the likes of Richards, Komapny et al keeping them out then I'm all for it. It creates a much more competitive atmosphere and will bring the best out of everybody.

Hinch's 5 Fingered Salute wrote:

Hmmm..... I think Hughes had a full pre season with all those players, and Evans and Vassell got in the team because of work rate. in fact it showed how clueless a manager he was, as he liked blood and thunder over technical ability or his own signings. It was criminal looking back that Evans was getting in ahead of Benjani or Sturridge. He has done sod all at Sheffield U***d, and was not good enough. Hughes realised that in the end, but probably because he knew he was bringing in three strikers and Ched didn't want to hang around. Elano would have stayed if Mancini was boss, as he can understand not everyone needs to run around like a madman, as he himself was a player that did not need to do that, Hughes was the opposite 100% effort rather than being a smart worker.

Mancini seems to recognise talent above everything else and then looks to extract it in the best possible way from each player, rather than trying to make players play in a way that doesn't suit them. I'm happy whoever pulls the shirt on, and if Bridge, Lescott etc have to sit on the bench due to the likes of Richards, Komapny et al keeping them out then I'm all for it. It creates a much more competitive atmosphere and will bring the best out of everybody.

Correct, but I suspect the Lescott and Bridge we see shortly will not be the same ones we witnessed under Leslie. Especially if Bridge is made to play as a left full back instead of bombing off out of position with no cover!

Not sure I agree with your Elano bit. Mancini still wants effort, 100% concentration and defending from the front, even if he does use the people better! But that's another endless debate.

john@staustell wrote:

Hinch's 5 Fingered Salute wrote:

Hmmm..... I think Hughes had a full pre season with all those players, and Evans and Vassell got in the team because of work rate. in fact it showed how clueless a manager he was, as he liked blood and thunder over technical ability or his own signings. It was criminal looking back that Evans was getting in ahead of Benjani or Sturridge. He has done sod all at Sheffield U***d, and was not good enough. Hughes realised that in the end, but probably because he knew he was bringing in three strikers and Ched didn't want to hang around. Elano would have stayed if Mancini was boss, as he can understand not everyone needs to run around like a madman, as he himself was a player that did not need to do that, Hughes was the opposite 100% effort rather than being a smart worker.

Mancini seems to recognise talent above everything else and then looks to extract it in the best possible way from each player, rather than trying to make players play in a way that doesn't suit them. I'm happy whoever pulls the shirt on, and if Bridge, Lescott etc have to sit on the bench due to the likes of Richards, Komapny et al keeping them out then I'm all for it. It creates a much more competitive atmosphere and will bring the best out of everybody.

Correct, but I suspect the Lescott and Bridge we see shortly will not be the same ones we witnessed under Leslie. Especially if Bridge is made to play as a left full back instead of bombing off out of position with no cover!

Not sure I agree with your Elano bit. Mancini still wants effort, 100% concentration and defending from the front, even if he does use the people better! But that's another endless debate.

Oh no i agree, but there is one thing keeping a shape and another thing running around like a lunatic lunging in for challenges which is something Elano, Petrov, Robinho won't do. If they are in position and keeping a shape it will still make a team hard to break down. What i was trying to say is that Hughes seemed to like a certain type of player. One that would be seen to be making challenges and keep running at full pelt.

For example - Le Tissier fantastic player, never appreciated by the England national team, but stated many times if played for a continental team would have had numerous caps. Hughes would have seen him as a lazy arse rather than understanding his talent and his game. This why I believe Mancini will get the best hopefully out of all the players, and the competition will be ramped up.

Garrido was not even third choice left back under Hughes, and he would rather have played Zabaleta or Barry there than Garrido which says it all to me.

Still not too sure about Garrido when when we face decent teams mate. But I'm amazed at progress so far, so I'll give him a chance.

I'm in the thinking he has been given no money to spend in the window since we got Vieira on the free he certainly fits into my theory. The obvious reason for this is the owners don't want to pump yet another hundred million into a window just so the press can rib them if we get nothing out of it. The less obvious reason is that we don't know how long Bobbys contract is really gonna run. If the club was initially planning on keeping him in the hotseat for 6 months then they obviously don't want him spending a fortune in the window do they?

Vhero wrote:I'm in the thinking he has been given no money to spend in the window since we got Vieira on the free he certainly fits into my theory. The obvious reason for this is the owners don't want to pump yet another hundred million into a window just so the press can rib them if we get nothing out of it. The less obvious reason is that we don't know how long Bobbys contract is really gonna run. If the club was initially planning on keeping him in the hotseat for 6 months then they obviously don't want him spending a fortune in the window do they?

This could well be true Vhero, but if Mancini keeps this up they would be mad to let him go! What is refreshing is Mancini isn't coming in making excuses re: the squad like Hughes did, who constantly kept saying he needed more players. Mancini has managed to get wins with players at the back that were here from the start of Hughes reign and delivered wins.

We could all picture the excuses from Hughes - "I've got no defenders at the minute, I've had to play a 19 year old at centre half and bloody Garrido at left back this why we have leaked goals. i'll need to buy Upson in the window for £20m"

Hinch's 5 Fingered Salute wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:

Wonderwall wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:Mancini doesn't know most of the players apart from occasionally seeing them on tv, which gives a false impression as you can't see their movement or reading of the game etc apart from in a little area so it's difficult for him to replace players if he doesn't know the strengths & weaknesses of the ones he's got. Some have been injured since before he arrived so he's barely even seen them train.

If we start losing he'll probably start buying but otherwise why bother?

I am sure he will ave a dossier on each player and will have sat down with Kidd and talked through each player at length. He has had 4 games and many training sessions to get an idea. I think Mancini will buy if the right player becomes available, however, he must be an improvement on what we have. He shouldnt sign someone who does not improve us.

He'll be helped by people like Kidd but Kidd doesn't know our players that well either. The evidence of his team selections show that, exactly as MH did with Vassell, Fernandes, Elano, Ched Evans, Caicedo etc, he's trying players out to see what they've got, shuffling their positions etc finding out what they can & can't do. He has less time to decide before the potential sack but much better players to work with as a start which balances it out. Not easy to make key decisions & replace them in a few weeks though.

Hmmm..... I think Hughes had a full pre season with all those players, and Evans and Vassell got in the team because of work rate. in fact it showed how clueless a manager he was, as he liked blood and thunder over technical ability or his own signings. It was criminal looking back that Evans was getting in ahead of Benjani or Sturridge. He has done sod all at Sheffield U***d, and was not good enough. Hughes realised that in the end, but probably because he knew he was bringing in three strikers and Ched didn't want to hang around. Elano would have stayed if Mancini was boss, as he can understand not everyone needs to run around like a madman, as he himself was a player that did not need to do that, Hughes was the opposite 100% effort rather than being a smart worker.

Mancini seems to recognise talent above everything else and then looks to extract it in the best possible way from each player, rather than trying to make players play in a way that doesn't suit them. I'm happy whoever pulls the shirt on, and if Bridge, Lescott etc have to sit on the bench due to the likes of Richards, Komapny et al keeping them out then I'm all for it. It creates a much more competitive atmosphere and will bring the best out of everybody.

The point I was making is regarding transfers & that he's not had time to learn who he needs & doesn't need & who to replace, so it's difficult in a short space of time not wanting another know all to force their personal opinions on Hughes down my throat as if it's gospel.

Hinch's 5 Fingered Salute wrote:

Vhero wrote:I'm in the thinking he has been given no money to spend in the window since we got Vieira on the free he certainly fits into my theory. The obvious reason for this is the owners don't want to pump yet another hundred million into a window just so the press can rib them if we get nothing out of it. The less obvious reason is that we don't know how long Bobbys contract is really gonna run. If the club was initially planning on keeping him in the hotseat for 6 months then they obviously don't want him spending a fortune in the window do they?

This could well be true Vhero, but if Mancini keeps this up they would be mad to let him go! What is refreshing is Mancini isn't coming in making excuses re: the squad like Hughes did, who constantly kept saying he needed more players. Mancini has managed to get wins with players at the back that were here from the start of Hughes reign and delivered wins.

We could all picture the excuses from Hughes - "I've got no defenders at the minute, I've had to play a 19 year old at centre half and bloody Garrido at left back this why we have leaked goals. i'll need to buy Upson in the window for £20m"

If only life was as easy as you paint it, Hughes said he needed players BECASUE WE DID! He bought fantastically. He may not be as good as mancini, however, only time will tell. Pearce looked like a world beater at the beginning of his managerial career for us. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, however, you state certain players in your earlier posts, but do you remember the circumstances in which they played? Vassell was not as bad as a lot of people tried to paint him and Evans got in ahead of Sturridge because of Sturridges awful attitude. Are you saying it doesnt matter what a twat they are, if they are talented they should play?? If so I wholeheartedly disagree.

if squad stays how it is with injured players coming back i think we will be ok. that said i would love a mammoth bid accepted for carlos puyol now that would be something

I was thinking about this a lot last night too.

Mancini does seem to be getting the best out of some players many of us thought were not good enough for us these days.

So I can't wait to see what he can do with Ade, SWP, Toure, Lescott, & Bridge when they are all back and fit, and we've still got to see him get the best out of Ireland and Robbie yet. Then we will have to wait and see how the Vieira thing works out.

Hughes bought the players we needed last January to take us to the next level and then went well beyond that with the accelerated summer spending. A lot of fans argued that the quality of the squad then outstripped his managerial tactical abilities and he failed to make the most of the players brought in. I'm still not sure about that myself but the early signs are that Mancini is a better motivator and tactician so I think we need to see what he can do with the pretty impressive squad we have already for the rest of the season without splashing more cash and maybe disrupting the gelling process all over again.

Much as I'd love to see new signings - which is always exciting - I'd much rather see the best of what we already have.

But I would like to see us snap up and lock in some bright young talent for the future, even if we then send them out on loan to mature a bit elsewhere.

AlpsMaster wrote:I was thinking about this a lot last night too.

Mancini does seem to be getting the best out of some players many of us thought were not good enough for us these days.

So I can't wait to see what he can do with Ade, SWP, Toure, Lescott, & Bridge when they are all back and fit, and we've still got to see him get the best out of Ireland and Robbie yet. Then we will have to wait and see how the Vieira thing works out.

Hughes bought the players we needed last January to take us to the next level and then went well beyond that with the accelerated summer spending. A lot of fans argued that the quality of the squad then outstripped his managerial tactical abilities and he failed to make the most of the players brought in. I'm still not sure about that myself but the early signs are that Mancini is a better motivator and tactician so I think we need to see what he can do with the pretty impressive squad we have already for the rest of the season without splashing more cash and maybe disrupting the gelling process all over again.

Much as I'd love to see new signings - which is always exciting - I'd much rather see the best of what we already have.

But I would like to see us snap up and lock in some bright young talent for the future, even if we then send them out on loan to mature a bit elsewhere.

its always the same. Its new manager syndrome, it happens with every team. All players feel the need to give that little bit extra and up their game. Lets hope Mancini doesnt let them slip back into their old form.

With this being one of the biggest months in recent years, and a busy one at that. Do you reckon he might leave it until the last week, just to see where we stand in the league. If we have a great month, (please let it be great) he might decide to bring 1 or 2 major players so we can have a real go for the title.

I've just got a feeling that we've spent all we're spending for the season.
He has to prove himself to the owners and management as well as us and the best way is to get more out of what we've got.
If he's successful (so far so good), then they could give him a decent budget. If he's not he'll be gone in May, so someone else will need to shape the squad.
Vieira (free) is to all intents and purposes another member of his team (conduit to players, on field leader).
BTW has anyone commented on the closeness to the Capello model. All Italian staff and a token British bloke with some history (Pearce/Kidd)?