Looking at the squad...

Been here before but we do need a revamp in certain key areas. Some players will be happy to move on but some, on fat contracts, won't budge.

Wright always looks crap in training but he's happy enough to be 3rd choice.
Pants didn't do too much wrong when Harty was out, but he lacks composure and isn't really good enough to be 2nd choice keeper.
Lezza is leaving, though I'd have liked him to stay as he can still do a decent enough job in the premier league.
Richards will probably go as well.
Rodwell, who knows?
I can't see Clichy leaving as he must be on decent wedge he wouldn't get elsewhere. Same goes for Garcia and DM. These players are filling non HG slots so we only have space for one foreign player (unless U21) in our squad. Having said that, we could just exclude them from the PL squad!
Boyata can leave, don't know if he will stay for the money.
Dzeko misfires too much for my liking so and decent offer for him should be taken.
Jovetic will stay as he's not had a decent injury free run.

It pretty much boils down to us needing HG (English) players and offloading before we can buy unless we want to pay players £50k per week to play with the reserves.

If we look at the squad as a whole...this would be my honest guess:

Joe Hart
Costel Pantilimon

Richard Wright - go
Somebody like Begovic as a number 2 to Hart, though to be fair, I'm not sure Pants has done anything wrong. What about Scmeichal if they don't get promoted?




Aleksander Kolorov
Dedryk Boyata - go
Gael Clichy
Joleon Lescott -go
Martin Demichelis
Matija Nastasic
Micah Richards
Pablo Zabaleta
Vincent Kompany

Fernandinho
Jack Rodwell - go
Javi Garcia
Jesus Navas
Samir Nasri
David Silva
Gareth Barry -go
James Milner
Yaya Toure

Sergio Aguero
Stevan Jovetic
Edin Dzeko - go
Alvaro Negredo
John Guidetti- go

That's 7 players out.
2 defenders
2 MF's
2 strikers
1 keeper

So - in must come another top LB. Clichy will have to be cover. Kolorov will be used as a MF player.
I'd like Shaw to be that man. A world class CB...the best that money can buy...I would be more than happy if they had to spend£45m on this one position.

Fernando keeps getting banded about...but I'm not sure we need another DCMF if we keep Garcia. I'd much rather have another Yaya or Silva type....either a powerhouse with energy, or an attacking MF with goals.
Lallana would be ideal for the latter...and someone like Tiote for the hard, powerhouse MF player...

Cannot see Dzeko staying, he' simply not good enough. Guidetti likewise.
Diego Costa and Griezzman would be 2 good signings.
Not sure about Jovetic...but guess he'll stay.

Who knows....all I know is our defence has been consistently fucked with all season and therefore, has been awful.

We've lost our way since the end of Jan....we're not playing at pace and we're not taking our chances.

Oh...and get some fucking shooting practice today and tomorrow for David Silva...genius, but fucking useless in front of goal.

Largely agree with you, except:

Topdawg wrote:Pants didn't do too much wrong when Harty was out, but he lacks composure and isn't really good enough to be 2nd choice keeper.

He may lack a little composure, but he's definitely good enough to be a second choice keeper. He's good enough to be trusted in domestic cup games and I don't believe he's been at fault for any of the goals we've conceded this season (but I could be wrong). Or last season, come to think of it. I think he's definitely worthy, it's more a case of whether he's willing to stay on those terms.

Topdawg wrote:I can't see Clichy leaving as he must be on decent wedge he wouldn't get elsewhere. Same goes for Garcia and DM. These players are filling non HG slots so we only have space for one foreign player (unless U21) in our squad. Having said that, we could just exclude them from the PL squad!

Clichy is a HG player, so it doesn't matter too much if he stays.

There's me correcting other about Clichy and I can't even remember myself.

I'm sure we can spend £100M this summer without worrying about FFP (especially if we offload a few as well). I can't see us getting any more than £20M for Rodwell and Dzeko and bits and bobs for any others. Let's say £20M for them all.

Shaw, Lallana and a world class CB will set us back the best part of £80M-£90M so maybe not too much room for any other top players.

To be fair, we should really be at the stage where we only need 1 or 2 signings each summer to sustain and move forwards.

Indeed. We shouldn't need wholesale changes to the squad, just ship out a couple of the weaker elements and pack it with a bit more talent.

Personally I'd cut a bit deeper. There are several who are just not good enough anymore


Joe Hart
Costel Pantilimon

Richard Wright - go

Aleksander Kolorov - go unless we are keeping him for MF only
Dedryk Boyata - go
Gael Clichy - go
Joleon Lescott -go
Martin Demichelis - Please go
Matija Nastasic go
Micah Richards go
Pablo Zabaleta
Vincent Kompany 

Fernandinho
Jack Rodwell - go
Javi Garcia go
Jesus Navas
Samir Nasri
David Silva
Gareth Barry -go
James Milner
Yaya Toure 

Sergio Aguero
Stevan Jovetic
Edin Dzeko - go
Alvaro Negredo
John Guidetti- go

That's 13 players out. 12 if Kolorov stays
7 defenders
3 MF's
2 strikers
1 keeper
This leaves us with 13 good + quality players and vacancies for 13 more

2 defenders worthy of the name,the rest are utter shite
Surely the academy must have some better talent than the likes of  DeMichellis or Lescott

Sorry Tony, but we can't get rid of that many players and some won't want to go. I'd like a good culling too as we need better players than what we have if we want to win the league or CL.

All of the ones he said need culling over the next few windows with better replacements brought in.
Considering how the media love to harp on about how great our squad is,to me it's really only 13/14 strong

I actually think it is better to go back to PPLF's A and B category players. I might extend it to C category players too.

A - top notch, anyone would want them
B - very good players that wouldn't weaken the 1st team too much
C - squad players that will do a good job domestically

I think we have 8 A quality players and 2-3 B quality players. Some haven't played enough to easily categorise, but we don't have enough quality through the squad.

Ill just put sell/release -
Pants
Wright
Boyatta
Clichy
Lescott
DiMi
Richards
Rodwell
Barry
Dzeko
Guidetti

Yes I'm keeping Kolarov, Nasty, Garcia as they are settled and will operate as good cover, they are grade C, maybe B..

Would bring in -
Butland
Sergio Ramos
Shaw
Lallana
Messi

And leave it at that, bring some up through from the EDS for the gaps, possibly look for another RB & CB

TMG wrote:Personally I'd cut a bit deeper. There are several who are just not good enough anymore


Joe Hart
Costel Pantilimon

Richard Wright - go

Aleksander Kolorov - go unless we are keeping him for MF only
Dedryk Boyata - go
Gael Clichy - go
Joleon Lescott -go
Martin Demichelis - Please go
Matija Nastasic go
Micah Richards go
Pablo Zabaleta
Vincent Kompany 

Fernandinho
Jack Rodwell - go
Javi Garcia go
Jesus Navas
Samir Nasri
David Silva
Gareth Barry -go
James Milner
Yaya Toure 

Sergio Aguero
Stevan Jovetic
Edin Dzeko - go
Alvaro Negredo
John Guidetti- go

That's 13 players out. 12 if Kolorov stays
7 defenders
3 MF's
2 strikers
1 keeper
This leaves us with 13 good + quality players and vacancies for 13 more

Tbh Tony, i totally agree with you...i'd even throw in Jovetic too. How can someone be sidelined for so long after suffering cramp?   

We all nothing like this mass exodus is ever gonna happen, in fact, i'm willing to bet only 2-3 has beens actually leave with no-one being brought in.
Luke Shaw is a must, but we won't even go for him and Chelsea'll snap him up for £20m.
I really do hope we have deals concluded before the WC too, we need to be going into next season all guns blazing.

Shaken...my original post of the squad was a 'guess' at what MP will do.

If it was up to me, Dzeko, Jovetic, Garcia, Richards, Rodwell, Barry, Lescott, DeM, Clichy, Wright. Guidetti...would all go. And Most of these are fringe players, or at least should be and it wouldn't harm the squad too much.

I agree and have said it before, our squad is nowhere near as good on quality as Chelsea's. Our A-/B+ players are not up to Chelsea's...and our B/C players wouldn't get anywhere near their squad, never mind first 11.

I've shouted for Ramos for the past 8 months...he would be perfect.
Add Lallana, Shaw, somebody like Isco and another world class striker plus a back up one...and we'd be set up for next season with a squad twice as strong as this one.

Seriously, in the last two seasons, who have we bought that we'd all consider A quality?

Garcia, Sinclair, Rodwell, Nasty, Navas, Negredo, Fernandinho, DM, Jovetic?

Out of all of them, only Fernandinho. Negredo and Jovetic may prove to be top class, but too early to say.

Sinclair struggles to even get C class for me.

I think Navas can be forgiven. It's his first season.

Navas can't take his man on and his crossing has gone seriously downhill.