January 2018 transfer window thread.

[milks]

WOW. so we need wingers that can defend now, instead of actually doing three job.
The worlds gone mad. We need Coleman back because he’s better than Kenny going forward( not my opinion)
But we would rather have Lennon instead of Walcott because he’s better at defending.

I didn't say that. I'd take Walcott in a heartbeat; but playing Walcott (or Vlasic, or Lookman or Bolasie) ahead of Kenny means we're returning to the gameplan at the start of the season which was seemingly 'let the opposition completely overwhelm us'.

There has to be a balance in defence and attack. Fullbacks support the wingers in attack, wingers repay the favour. This is essential at every level of football.

 

[Nymzee]

Not too sure about recalling Galloway.
Although he actually is a left back, he's no real improvement on Martina and certainly no replacement for Baines.
Unless something has changed about him at Sunderland,.

Or he's recalled to get regular minutes in the U23's ahead of a new season.

 

[bluesb1970]

Not too sure about recalling Galloway.
Although he actually is a left back, he's no real improvement on Martina and certainly no replacement for Baines.
Unless something has changed about him at Sunderland,.

You’re forgetting that Galloway played in a defence under Martinez and therefore would probably become a better defender under SA.

 

[windymiller]

....not really getting all of this ferver over a LB. Allardyce has come in and made us better defensively but we remain poor as an attacking force. The priority was to bolster those areas of the pitch. The squad is too big, the squad is unbalanced so players will need to move on.

We need a permanent replacement for Baines, he seems brittle and hasn’t got the agility he once had. It’s a tough league for little fellas. Regardless, there’s 5 months of the season left and we are managing without him. Martina is a stop gap but we are managing. Galloway might return, Garbutt might be registered depending on the prognosis for Baines but if either are introduced they’ll almost certainly be behind Martina in the queue.

This squad needs an overhaul, players will have to leave. I suspect we’ll all have to put up with Martina for a few more months or at least until Baines is fit.

This is the crux of it (in bold). We are managing with Martina but that is the precise problem. Our entire left side and to some degree the centre of defence and our holding midfielders all have to compensate for him. This blunts our ability to go from defence to attack with any sort of speed as everyone has been pulled back. Other sides are figuring this out with teams often doubling up on Martina pulling Gylfi and Williams over creating space in the centre. Martina often side foots the ball out for a throw in because he doesn't trust his left peg for launching it, in true BFS style, up the pitch. His presence in the team puts us under increased pressure in defence generally, unbalances our defence leaving more space for opposition forwards and impedes our ability to counterattack.

We need a LB. In my opinion, at least.

 

[bluestevon]

....not really getting all of this ferver over a LB. Allardyce has come in and made us better defensively but we remain poor as an attacking force. The priority was to bolster those areas of the pitch. The squad is too big, the squad is unbalanced so players will need to move on.

We need a permanent replacement for Baines, he seems brittle and hasn’t got the agility he once had. It’s a tough league for little fellas. Regardless, there’s 5 months of the season left and we are managing without him. Martina is a stop gap but we are managing. Galloway might return, Garbutt might be registered depending on the prognosis for Baines but if either are introduced they’ll almost certainly be behind Martina in the queue.

This squad needs an overhaul, players will have to leave. I suspect we’ll all have to put up with Martina for a few more months or at least until Baines is fit.

Think for me anyway mate, it is down to us spending 45m on a player to do damage in the top third who because of not having a left back up to mustard is having to spend 9/10ths of each game providing cover deep in our own half, remove the need by getting in a good one who can do the job down that side, and we will see why we wanted Sigurdsson so badly and a lot of fans will change their opinions on him which by and large is a negative one atm.

 

[bluestevon]

This is the crux of it (in bold). We are managing with Martina but that is the precise problem. Our entire left side and to some degree the centre of defence and our holding midfielders all have to compensate for him. This blunts our ability to go from defence to attack with any sort of speed as everyone has been pulled back. Other sides are figuring this out with teams often doubling up on Martina pulling Gylfi and Williams over creating space in the centre. Martina often side foots the ball out for a throw in because he doesn't trust his left peg for launching it, in true BFS style, up the pitch. His presence in the team puts us under increased pressure in defence generally, unbalances our defence leaving more space for opposition forwards and impedes our ability to counterattack.

We need a LB. In my opinion, at least.

It also greatly hampers anything we do down the right side as well mate, because the oppo knows exactly where the threat will come from as we have nothing down one side, condenses the middle and the right hand side and makes the pitch small for them tom defend against us.

 

[windymiller]

It also greatly hampers anything we do down the right side as well mate, because the oppo knows exactly where the threat will come from as we have nothing down one side, condenses the middle and the right hand side and makes the pitch small for them tom defend against us.

Agreed. Everything is pulled out of shape because of a poor RB being played at LB.

 

[Brisan123]

Walsh needs to get his lazy a*se up to Celtic, slam £50m down on the table in front of Rodgers and bring the lad Tierney down to Finch Farm.

That boy's an Everton player if ever I saw one

And what happens if Tierney says , like he has in the past , “ No thanks I’m living the dream here “

 

[blue61]

I thought Galloway did quite well in his stint at left back under El Broguez, it should be noted his normal position is centre back.

 

[Eggs]

Think for me anyway mate, it is down to us spending 45m on a player to do damage in the top third who because of not having a left back up to mustard is having to spend 9/10ths of each game providing cover deep in our own half, remove the need by getting in a good one who can do the job down that side, and we will see why we wanted Sigurdsson so badly and a lot of fans will change their opinions on him which by and large is a negative one atm.

..I don’t disagree with the ‘need’, I just accept a LB might not be a priority for this window. If Walcott comes in, it looks like he and Bolasie will fill the wide positions. Sigurdsson first choice no10 perhaps.

 

[neil999]

..I don’t disagree with the ‘need’, I just accept a LB might not be a priority for this window. If Walcott comes in, it looks like he and Bolasie will fill the wide positions. Sigurdsson first choice no10 perhaps.

If we get walcott then i like the options we have out wide - bolasie, walcott, vlasic and lookman are all very different

 

[windymiller]

..I don’t disagree with the ‘need’, I just accept a LB might not be a priority for this window. If Walcott comes in, it looks like he and Bolasie will fill the wide positions. Sigurdsson first choice no10 perhaps.

And then who is going to cover for Martina? I can't see Walcott doing what Gylfi has been for the last 10 games.

 

[Brisan123]

Tosun. 27 m
Walcott 20 m
LB 25 m
That’s 72 m in the Jan window
Everton spending 72 m in January , but Moshiri is a fraud ?
There’s no way we will take in even half that this window so I’m not sure the money is there to buy a long term LB in this window.
Best hope is Shaw on loan ( if Utd get Rose ) with an option to buy at a fixed price in the summer

 

[Osamabindiesel]

My heart sinks every day we don't sign a left back. It's probably not going to happen as I don't think they see it as an urgent fix which is cray to me.

 

[Eggs]

And then who is going to cover for Martina? I can't see Walcott doing what Gylfi has been for the last 10 games.

..from the noises being made (Allardyce said he would decide about Garbutt before the window closes), it looks like the club are talking to Sunderland about Galloway. If that fails then perhaps Garbutt will be registered. There must still be a chance we acquire somebody but you have to think that is dependent on players leaving and the main target being available.