Kept my powder dry until now

[Burt]

Been a long time since I opened my gob and now the transfer window has closed I have to voice my concerns.

I fully understood that the new manager would have to have a season to settle in and rotate the squad as we all knew that we had a lot of players to move on for one reason or another.

I was pretty gobsmacked about Joe Hart because I saw him as a top drawer keeper but thought that maybe something was not quite right off the pitch with him and that's why Pep replaced him. Bravo was like a rabbit in the headlights and should have been taken out of the firing line a good few weeks before he finally was and that was poor management in my oppinion.

The experimentation with shipping various outfield players into the centre half positions was a little bizarre and reading between the lines I thought that maybe Pep was highlighting to the board and fans that we needed replacements ASAP.

We continued to miss a lot of chances last season and I had hoped that he would have worked on clinical finishing and encouraged our attacking midfielders to share the load this season. Nacho Man is promising but another experienced striker was needed to bolster our attack because we all know that Serge usually gets injured for a couple of months around Christmas and Jesus will still need time to acclimatise and also mature being such a young age and miles from home.

Our midfield is packed with talent, pace and creativity and with Gundogan returning doesn't look like we need any additions unless we were to sign a Messi or world class blockbuster player.

We replaced the keeper and hopefully this lad will be a top player for years to come.

We replaced the fullbacks with just the type of pacey, marauding guys that should compliment our style of play.

We bolstered the midfield with Silva who looks a very good player.

We signed zero centre halves and I would have blown a gasket if we had signed "Jonny Fuckin Evans". Why does the manager and people within the club not see that that would have been a disaster waiting to happen due to the obvious reasons of him being an ex rag and also being a bang average player?!

So, when we sold Nacho Man I was sure that we would sign at least one more experienced striker because not to do so is dicing with death so far as competing for major trophies is concerned. As already said, Serge spends time on the treatment table every season and Jesus was also out within a few weeks of him making his debut. So if that happens again we will be in deep shit without a paddle.

I am now questioning the manager and Spafia as to why these clear as day issues that all of us can see have not been addressed.

[Moonchesteri]

Some have said this was a very good window for us and yes there was some good job done. IMO maybe B+

An actual goalkeeper to begin with. But the clown stayed so not fully happy here.
Pace and legs to fullback positions. But we are still one short.
Bernardo looks a good addition and I think we will learn to love him in the coming seasons... But failure to add a striker and CB to cover our soon to be injured stars is simply shocking and that may cost us the title


But my biggest criticism for Txixi etc is that how the duck we ended up in a situation where we need FOUR new fullbacks in one window. amateur hour!

[FA cup winners 2006]

If Sergio can find his shooting boots again, then i am very happy with our progress.

If you take the 3 games we have played so far, the opposition have just parked the bus and hoped for the best, but in all three games we had clear cut opportunities to score early and fluffed the chances. Out of the 5 goals we have scored only one has come in the first half.

The following is a breakdown per game of our Total Shots - Shots on target - Shots on Target in the 1st Half

Brighton (A)

Total Shots - 14
SOT - 4
1st half - 2

Everton (H)

Total Shots - 19
SOT - 7
1st Half - 5

Bournemouth (A)

Total Shots - 19
SOT - 8
1st half - 5

The above obviously does not include good scoring opportunities that missed the target but we seem to have a lot of them in both halves. Except for the Brighton game, most of our shots on target have come in the 1st half but we are not clinical enough. We have been pushed hard and ling in every game so far due to our wastefulness and this is why Pep wanted Sanchez.

The thing is, if Sergio can get back his confidence, we can have some games wrapped up by the 60 minute mark, saving energy and preventing injuries.

The preseason games against Spurs and Madrid really show how we can move the ball as an attacking unit, we just need to have the guys who can finish. its very hard to practice that on a training pitch. pep can only bring them so far - its their own skill, ingenuity and confidence that finishes the job

[Burt]

Appreciate your input mate but did you not see that we needed fullbacks, a centre half and at least another striker before we even let Bony and Nacho Man go?

It's an odds on certainty that one or both of our strikers will be out for injuries or bans at some stage. I truly hope that I am wrong but it is very likely to happen and in the unlikely event that it does not, we will have to run Serge and Jesus into the ground for the entire season and that surely cannot be a good idea.

I am gobsmacked that these fundamental issues have not been addressed and for a top club like ours it just looks plain stupid.

[Hazy2]

Nice to hear from you Burt how's Ernie.

[Burt]

Nice to hear from you Burt how's Ernie.

You're not too old for a thick ear laddie

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Appreciate your input mate but did you not see that we needed fullbacks, a centre half and at least another striker before we even let Bony and Nacho Man go?

It's an odds on certainty that one or both of our strikers will be out for injuries or bans at some stage. I truly hope that I am wrong but it is very likely to happen and in the unlikely event that it does not, we will have to run Serge and Jesus into the ground for the entire season and that surely cannot be a good idea.

I am gobsmacked that these fundamental issues have not been addressed and for a top club like ours it just looks plain stupid.

I'm surmising this will happen far far sooner than later and, come January, we'll probably be desperate to get Sanchez at that stage, to try and give our season some respectability with regard to both goals and points.

For my money, in this summer's transfer window, we needed two additional strikers, rather than just the one, exactly for the reasons you mention.

Aside from that Burt, you should "open your gob" more often, you pose some good questions.

[Hazy2]

Nice to hear from you Burt how's Ernie.

You're not too old for a thick ear laddie

on a serious note if we cannot keep Vinny fit taking our chances will become crucial, I still see us like a siv without him,still leaderless if he gets injured.

I am judging pep on how we deal with the dippers home and away, if he is the dogs nuts prove it v the scousers, we roll over at Clanfield and need to put a marker down at home..
Have a nice weekend mate xx

[Nigels Tackle]

need a new director of football asap

[Foreverinbluedreams]

need a new director of football asap

Anyone in particular in mind?

[City64]

Good stuff Burt . As the dust settles over the Sanchez fiasco it beginning to clearly look like we had the player in the bag for a whole hence letting Nacho go , now it seems a couple of things at Arsenal FC have transpired . One Arsenal have seriously fucked up shown to be incompetent and 2 Arsenal have played dirty tricks over the whole affair . Squad wise we are looking in good shape , lots of pace and a decent keeper , when we start converting chances we will be something else for sure . Pep does my head in , really can't get to like the guy but I don't have to if he brings success to our club . We are Deffo in better shape now than when we were last this time last season IMHO

[johnny crossan]

Been a long time since I opened my gob and now the transfer window has closed I have to voice my concerns........
I am now questioning the manager and Spafia as to why these clear as day issues that all of us can see have not been addressed.

I think some of those concerns got a bit damp in storage

[Mase]

need a new director of football asap

Anyone in particular in mind?

Kolarov.

[dazby]

Sterling can play up front if required. Maybe a kid could play up front. You know, those players that never get a chance.

But really, the mids just need to step up and contribute.

[Justified logic]

I'm not too fussed about lack of strikers until we can get The Sanchez in January. What I'd like to see is Guardiola giving Foden and Diaz real chances at home against the bus parkers - something a bit different (and enthusiastic) that opposing managers won't know too much about for their plans.

[BlueinBosnia]

I'd agree with everything you say there. As I said to a friend the other day, our squad can be summarized thus:

We're a minor injury and card to a centre half away from dropping 6 points, and a minor injury to a striker away from dropping 4 points.

I'd guess that it's not only me that's aware of this, but opposition managers, too.

It's a pretty worrying situation to be in, and I'm not expecting any improvement on last year either league position (although I'd expect us to be closer to 2nd than 4th this time round) or silverware wise, although I'm expecting further progress in the CL.

[iwasthere2012]

I'd agree with everything you say there. As I said to a friend the other day, our squad can be summarized thus:

We're a minor injury and card to a centre half away from dropping 6 points, and a minor injury to a striker away from dropping 4 points.

I'd guess that it's not only me that's aware of this, but opposition managers, too.

It's a pretty worrying situation to be in, and I'm not expecting any improvement on last year either league position (although I'd expect us to be closer to 2nd than 4th this time round) or silverware wise, although I'm expecting further progress in the CL.

I think the red card threat is an even higher risk than the injury probability.
Starting with Liverpool. Wait and see.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

I'd agree with everything you say there. As I said to a friend the other day, our squad can be summarized thus:

We're a minor injury and card to a centre half away from dropping 6 points, and a minor injury to a striker away from dropping 4 points.

I'd guess that it's not only me that's aware of this, but opposition managers, too.

It's a pretty worrying situation to be in, and I'm not expecting any improvement on last year either league position (although I'd expect us to be closer to 2nd than 4th this time round) or silverware wise, although I'm expecting further progress in the CL.

I think the red card threat is an even higher risk than the injury probability.
Starting with Liverpool. Wait and see.

I'm not quite sure IWT; I think Aguero and Jesus can look forward to being kicked from pillar to post by all and sundry, with the thuggery involved in that going totally unpunished by 'lenient' referees.

If both of those two manage to 'survive' unscathed into October, it'll be a downright miracle.

Mind you, between injuries and red cards, it could be a damn close run thing.

[CrownPointBlue]

I'd agree with everything you say there. As I said to a friend the other day, our squad can be summarized thus:

We're a minor injury and card to a centre half away from dropping 6 points, and a minor injury to a striker away from dropping 4 points.

I'd guess that it's not only me that's aware of this, but opposition managers, too.

It's a pretty worrying situation to be in, and I'm not expecting any improvement on last year either league position (although I'd expect us to be closer to 2nd than 4th this time round) or silverware wise, although I'm expecting further progress in the CL.

The same applies to all our rivals but to a greater extent cos we have the best squad in the PL.

Our issue isn't numbers,it's our disproportionate reliance on Vincent....lose him and we're 2 men light !!

Other teams will get injuries & suspensions. Pep will have to earn his corn & MANAGE !!

[Dameerto]

need a new director of football asap

Anyone in particular in mind?

Kolarov.

Long term - Vinnie? He's sharp enough, well respected, and bleeds Blue.