Armstrong .......

[champs95]

And re the manager. Of course the players need to go out and perform, ultimately its them on a Sat afternoon and how they get on, where we are judged.
But I must disagree. Take Tony Mowbray away right now Auks, with this exact same pool of players, and put Owen Coyle in charge, you would be looking at disaster. 100% ....its not even a discussion. And not you, or anyone can tell me any different. Its down to the manager, and only him.

Take Sean Dyche away from Burnley and they would likely drop like a stone, without trace.
They aren't any good, they wont stay in the Prem. Its soley down to one man. Take him away, the rest will quickly fall apart.
We had Graham, Mulgrew, Lenhian, Bennett etc all around under Coyle. Did any of them perform?
Did we have a team spirit under Coyle? Did the players improve under Coyle? Did they look fit?
Did they look like they would run through a brick wall?

I get your point that its not the managers fault our keeper missed a cross? But can he improve that keeper? Yes. By creating competition. Every club who has success, has competition for places. He can affect that. He can affect team spirit. He can ask players to strive to improve. And you can also have an Owen Coyle who has no ability to get any of that from players.
Get the manager right, the rest will always follow. That's always been the case with any successful football club.

[AucklandRover]

But you're missing one key point, Champs: history repeatedly demonstrates that the same man can be very successful with one club and a complete failure somewhere else. Look at Sam; look at Moyes; look at Martinez; etc.
There is more to it than the manager's basic ability or lack of it.
I agree completely with you and Despair that TM has done a brilliant job in terms of turning our club around. That doesn't mean he will, by definition, succeed this season. I suppose the classic example recently was Ranieri at Leicester.
In other words, you cannot sell me on this notion that everything springs from a single source - the talent of the man in charge.
None of this is criticism. I am full of admiration for everything he has done for us. However, that doesn't mean I will automatically applaud every signing. For example, if Davenport wasn't picked to play, is he simply going to become another Hart or Harper?
I do take all your points about negotiations taking a long time (although, personally, I would simplify the process by shooting all the agents). Even so, if we do have a winger and a striker waiting in the wings, the key thing, surely, is to focus on getting those deals over the line. A keeper and a centre-back are much lower priorities.
It sounds as if the McGinn and Trapp possibilities have fallen through, although I struggle to believe that Trapp could have been much more than a punt, in any case. I feel a little bit the same about Nmecha, to be honest. I'd prefer someone proven.
Have you heard anything more on Nmecha and Chapman? And does your contact have any inkling on the rumours of our still being interested in Gallagher?

[champs95]

But you're missing one key point, Champs: history repeatedly demonstrates that the same man can be very successful with one club and a complete failure somewhere else. Look at Sam; look at Moyes; look at Martinez; etc.
There is more to it than the manager's basic ability or lack of it.
I agree completely with you and Despair that TM has done a brilliant job in terms of turning our club around. That doesn't mean he will, by definition, succeed this season. I suppose the classic example recently was Ranieri at Leicester.
In other words, you cannot sell me on this notion that everything springs from a single source - the talent of the man in charge.
None of this is criticism. I am full of admiration for everything he has done for us. However, that doesn't mean I will automatically applaud every signing. For example, if Davenport wasn't picked to play, is he simply going to become another Hart or Harper?
I do take all your points about negotiations taking a long time (although, personally, I would simplify the process by shooting all the agents). Even so, if we do have a winger and a striker waiting in the wings, the key thing, surely, is to focus on getting those deals over the line. A keeper and a centre-back are much lower priorities.
It sounds as if the McGinn and Trapp possibilities have fallen through, although I struggle to believe that Trapp could have been much more than a punt, in any case. I feel a little bit the same about Nmecha, to be honest. I'd prefer someone proven.
Have you heard anything more on Nmecha and Chapman? And does your contact have any inkling on the rumours of our still being interested in Gallagher?

I feel unsure about Nmache. At 19 he is too raw imo. Has no Champ experience, and is not an out and out goal scorer. It goes against what Mowbray has said he wants. He isn't 20 something, and has no experience. Plus he doesn't score enough goals.
Maybe we are looking at a different type to Graham, thinking that pure pace is another option? I know we are still in for him, how desperate we are to get him, I am unsure. We aren't rushing, as it is a loan and we have more time.
I know we are desperate to get Chapman in. That's what we feel we DO need. Pace on the wing.
I just think him being introduced in the last 30 mins of certain games will give us that extra trhat we currently don't have.

We have gone quiet on Gallagher. We where in talks, Stoke walked in and offered £7m in cash, which made us step away. I always thought we would be in for a type close to Graham. Comes in back to goal, holds the ball up, and plays in Dack and Armstrong etc. Nmache isn't that type, so it confuses me slightly as to why him?
In my head I am racking it for other options?? Ones we don't know about.
I keep going back to someone like Peter Crouch. I think he could do one season for us, and would play for the last 30 mins of games. Maybe I'm miles off. I have not heard him mentioned with us, and his wages will be stupid. Maybe we could get a deal done?

I don't know anything about Trapp, but I do think Villa etc will offer Mcginn much more money, and pay Hibs more.
I do think we are still very much in for Bauer.

[AucklandRover]

I feel unsure about Nmache. At 19 he is too raw imo. Has no Champ experience, and is not an out and out goal scorer. It goes against what Mowbray has said he wants. He isn't 20 something, and has no experience. Plus he doesn't score enough goals.
Maybe we are looking at a different type to Graham, thinking that pure pace is another option? I know we are still in for him, how desperate we are to get him, I am unsure. We aren't rushing, as it is a loan and we have more time.
I know we are desperate to get Chapman in. That's what we feel we DO need. Pace on the wing.
I just think him being introduced in the last 30 mins of certain games will give us that extra trhat we currently don't have.

We have gone quiet on Gallagher. We where in talks, Stoke walked in and offered £7m in cash, which made us step away. I always thought we would be in for a type close to Graham. Comes in back to goal, holds the ball up, and plays in Dack and Armstrong etc. Nmache isn't that type, so it confuses me slightly as to why him?
In my head I am racking it for other options?? Ones we don't know about.
I keep going back to someone like Peter Crouch. I think he could do one season for us, and would play for the last 30 mins of games. Maybe I'm miles off. I have not heard him mentioned with us, and his wages will be stupid. Maybe we could get a deal done?

I don't know anything about Trapp, but I do think Villa etc will offer Mcginn much more money, and pay Hibs more.
I do think we are still very much in for Bauer.

Reading Mowbray's comments about Armstrong being at his best when not out wide, I begin to wonder if TM is contemplating 4-4-2 on occasions. The problem with that, of course, is that Dack would have to play a less free role as the creative midfielder, so it's probably not that likely.
As things stand, therefore, we are likely to see 1-2 from the front, which would mean keeping the two holding players, and having Bennett do what he does. But where does that put Palmer - not to mention Davenport and Rothwell?
As I've said, if we only get the average number of injuries, a lot of midfielders are going to see very little game-time, which supports your view that some will leave. Not much time now, though!
If no-one goes, and we get Chapman PLUS an extra creative, central midfielder, we could play 13 across the middle:
Chapman, Bennett, Smallwood, Evans, Davenport, Travis, Rothwell, A.N.Other, Palmer, Whittingham, Tomlinson, Conway, Gladwin.
Certainly a surplus, compared with the striker-situation.

[AucklandRover]

For A.N.Other, read "Luke Freeman"!