My thoughts now I've calmed down a bit...

1. Bradders. When we were promoted I felt that the midfield was our strongest area. Add to that mulumbu and Brady and we have a pretty stocked midfield area that I feel is of good to average premier league standard putting above the midfielder of many other regelation rivals. We even have strength in depth with vadis out on loan.
Now bladders was an absolute legend last year. He's strong, a better passer than given credit for and has that long range and headed threat. However, he doesn't have the technical ability of howsen or Dorrens and can't really play defensive midfield as well as tettey or mulumbu. I would have liked to have kept BJ but would he have wanted to be an impact sub and being honest with everyone fit he would be on the bench for me.
The money is too good a deal for a player who probably wanted to play a much bigger part in a team than he would at Norwich.
2. Strikers. We have cam jam who I am Sir Alex still have faith in can do the lone role in the premier. We now mbokani who is a fairly cost effective gamble. He's clearly a big, strong and talented lad and everything we needed. Was gayle really what we wanted? He's another impact sub, blistering pace and great finishing but may not be able lead the line alone all game. Palace had been playing Murray this year up top and bringing gayle on from the bench. We have only 1 hoolahoop and that's an oversight in my books however I've always said that if hoolahoop was 10 years younger and could have added goals to his game then he'd have been a ?25m+ player and we'd have lost him. We probably can't afford a replacement in today's market.
3. Grabban. This one confuses me and like I said once I've calmed down I have wondered if there's more to it than we know. He started the season in front of cam jam (ok cam wasn't fit) but it was clear he was second choice striker. Sir Alex has very much stuck with him last year and seemed to rate more than the fans. Muff have Wilson and had been looking at other strikers and therefore grabs would have been second or 3rd choice there too. Then the Rotherham incident. It was a capital one cup game when half the first team didn't even travel. Did grabban's really so desperately want to start against Rotherham knowing that he would be on the bench for the next prem game without a doubt? He clearly wanted to go to muff and he would have known that we had looked at loads of other strikers, therefore had we sighed a gayle we might have let him go and I'm sure he's no fool, so I think he might have figured that out so the "walk out" doesn't quiet add up for me.
4. Defenders. I'm not convinced by our defence but I think the sir Alex is mostly happy with it. The problem is we needed a "smash the transfer record" player to actually improve because there's a lot of crap floating around championship and lower prem defences and once the European window closed I think the opportunity was home because the selling team can't replace. How they do is going to be injury driven I think. Fingers crossed we can last till jan.

Posted By: hairyolaf, Sep 2, 20:47:35