Player Recruitment

[Ordar]

I think the scouts and the much maligned stats team need a big congratulations for the signings this year. Basically all the signings have been good and I'm looking forward to see Cyriac later in the season come good (I have utter faith that he will), he is showing glimpses when he comes on, and I feel we're handling his integration sensibly.

Aluko, Kebano, Ayite, Johansen, McDonald, Malone, Kalas must be in the top 3, if not the best players that play their positions in the league and were all signed this year

[@jolslover]

I think the scouts and the much maligned stats team need a big congratulations for the signings this year. Basically all the signings have been good and I'm looking forward to see Cyriac later in the season come good (I have utter faith that he will), he is showing glimpses when he comes on, and I feel we're handling his integration sensibly.

Aluko, Kebano, Ayite, Johansen, McDonald, Malone, Kalas must be in the top 3, if not the best players that play their positions in the league and were all signed this year

Agree.

[cookieg]

Yes the signings have been good but we really need a front man to make the most of the chances we create.

[Twig]

Hmmm... debatable post, but not a debate I can be bothered with this evening

Tend to agree, this is not cut and dried.

[Barrett487]

Whilst individual players may impress, the positive feeling and gelling is more worthy of applause. Joka's system seems to work for the team, however Malone and Kalas are still part of a dubious defence. We no doubt would concede even more if we weren't in possession and attacking so much.

[Andy S]

Oh but we are by design

[Jims Dentist]

Balancing things out a bit we have the Spanish MFder, The £4m Iceman CB and the loan of The Derby Player (who should have been sent packing in early January, the moment the problems occurred).

To have not paid under £1m for Bogle while selling and loaning out our other strikers in January is another massive error.

[General]

I think the scouts and the much maligned stats team need a big congratulations for the signings this year. Basically all the signings have been good and I'm looking forward to see Cyriac later in the season come good (I have utter faith that he will), he is showing glimpses when he comes on, and I feel we're handling his integration sensibly.

Aluko, Kebano, Ayite, Johansen, McDonald, Malone, Kalas must be in the top 3, if not the best players that play their positions in the league and were all signed this year

Haha - Martin has done well - where's his praise?

Also, what about acknowledgin a pretty dier January. We hardly brought anyone in and those who've come in have hardly done a thing.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Hmmm... debatable post, but not a debate I can be bothered with this evening

Tend to agree, this is not cut and dried.

I think it's a little too much praise maybe. But I understand where you are coming from, it is open to a good debate.
There were a couple of dissapointing signings, which I hoped would do far better, and as for the January window, less said the better. But having said that, there have been some very good signings, so on average, a lot more to be please with than not.
But I don't want to be negative, just saying let's keep a balance.

[MJG]

In total we have had 16 players come in.
Difficult to comment on January's Petsos (injured in training) and Cyriac (a couple of promising Subs)

But of the other 14 its clear only 2 have been relative let downs,Sigurdsson and Jozabed.

to have that kind of strike rate is not bad at all. And if the idea of the new system in place is to reduce mistakes in the market then it has worked well based on last summer. Its a small sample size and this summer will tell more. But 12-14 of that 16 are involved pretty much every week in matchday 18's so has to be considered a sucess really.

[Stoneleigh Loyalist]

To many, Martin may appear to be a sluggish lump, but I completely share his frustration with the way he makes good runs, but hardly ever receives the ball.
It seems strange to me and if he received those passes his contribution would be much higher.

[General]

In total we have had 16 players come in.
Difficult to comment on January's Petsos (injured in training) and Cyriac (a couple of promising Subs)

But of the other 14 its clear only 2 have been relative let downs,Sigurdsson and Jozabed.

to have that kind of strike rate is not bad at all. And if the idea of the new system in place is to reduce mistakes in the market then it has worked well based on last summer. Its a small sample size and this summer will tell more. But 14 of that 16 are involved pretty much every week in matchday 18's so has to be considered a sucess really.

Essentially 12 out of 16 are players we can have a favourable opinion on. So that's a return rate of 75% squad able.

It's very good, but there's definitely room for improvement.

I think my favourite signings have to be the three in the middle. Cairney, Johansen and McDonald all greatly compliment each other.

[MJG]

To elaborate on my post from the weekend I'd say firstly that if Malone is the best left back in the 5th best league in the world, well that would be a dark day for world football!

Then looking at our success rate, yes if you set the bar at "not bloody abysmal" then everyone except Sigurdsson and Jozabed passes that test. But if you set it at "substantially better than the previous/current alternative player in their position" then you have to say Button (vs Betts) Odoi (vs Fred) Malone (vs Husband, Sess) and Martin (vs McCormack) fail that test bringing The rate down closer to 50%. And Kebano, I do love him, but is that a "success" when he doesn't come good until February when we're already 5-10pts behind where we should be? That's all without comparing anyone to Dembele, who I'm told is now the best player in the world.

If you look at in terms of money spent then I think it's even lower with potentially less than 50% of the £20m budget being applied successfully because the most unsuccessful deals have been the most expensive.

Then of course to the extent it has been successful you should ask, before attributing credit, how many of those signings were actually initiated by Kline and co, versus how many were driven by the scouts and simply not vetoed by Kline? But I don't want to upset MJG so I won't go there.

Or....
how many of those signings were actually initiated by Scouts & Co, versus how many were driven by Kline and co and simply not vetoed by Scouts?

[MJG]

To elaborate on my post from the weekend I'd say firstly that if Malone is the best left back in the 5th best league in the world, well that would be a dark day for world football!

Then looking at our success rate, yes if you set the bar at "not bloody abysmal" then everyone except Sigurdsson and Jozabed passes that test. But if you set it at "substantially better than the previous/current alternative player in their position" then you have to say Button (vs Betts) Odoi (vs Fred) Malone (vs Husband, Sess) and Martin (vs McCormack) fail that test bringing The rate down closer to 50%. And Kebano, I do love him, but is that a "success" when he doesn't come good until February when we're already 5-10pts behind where we should be? That's all without comparing anyone to Dembele, who I'm told is now the best player in the world.

If you look at in terms of money spent then I think it's even lower with potentially less than 50% of the £20m budget being applied successfully because the most unsuccessful deals have been the most expensive.

Then of course to the extent it has been successful you should ask, before attributing credit, how many of those signings were actually initiated by Kline and co, versus how many were driven by the scouts and simply not vetoed by Kline? But I don't want to upset MJG so I won't go there.

Or....
how many of those signings were actually initiated by Scouts & Co, versus how many were driven by Kline and co and simply not vetoed by Scouts?

Well We've been there already and neither of us knows. Except you have your rumour about jozabed. But to give credit to Kline and co at this stage would be reminiscent of this

https://youtu.be/fm2W0sq9ddU

Well its not a rumor to me as was told by someone senior at the club.

[filham]

Sigurdsson at a reported £4m must account for a large percentage of the money spent and it is difficult to say that he has been a success. Also Martin cannot have been all that we had hoped for , except that he should be responsible for an important new question in Stat Boys computer programme, " do you really want to play for us ".

However most of the other signings have worked out well.

[Roberty]

To elaborate on my post from the weekend I'd say firstly that if Malone is the best left back in the 5th best league in the world, well that would be a dark day for world football!

Then looking at our success rate, yes if you set the bar at "not bloody abysmal" then everyone except Sigurdsson and Jozabed passes that test. But if you set it at "substantially better than the previous/current alternative player in their position" then you have to say Button (vs Betts) Odoi (vs Fred) Malone (vs Husband, Sess) and Martin (vs McCormack) fail that test bringing The rate down closer to 50%. And Kebano, I do love him, but is that a "success" when he doesn't come good until February when we're already 5-10pts behind where we should be? That's all without comparing anyone to Dembele, who I'm told is now the best player in the world.

If you look at in terms of money spent then I think it's even lower with potentially less than 50% of the £20m budget being applied successfully because the most unsuccessful deals have been the most expensive.

Then of course to the extent it has been successful you should ask, before attributing credit, how many of those signings were actually initiated by Kline and co, versus how many were driven by the scouts and simply not vetoed by Kline? But I don't want to upset MJG so I won't go there.

Really

Bettinelli was woeful when he got his chance, particularly with the ball at his feet, and SJ doesn't agree with you

Odoi replaced Jazz not Fred - would you really want Jazz back?

Malone - like him or not he gets the nod from SJ and it is not feasible to play a 16 year old in every match. As for Husband he struggled with us last season and has only managed 11 appearances on loan at Huddersfield this season

Martin has done the job he was brought in to do and while the pre 2016/7 McCormack might have been preferable the current model is not setting the world alight - having failed to impress at Villa he seems to have been relegated to the bench at Forest

Kabano - he cannot be blamed for not being able to get into a settled side but having got some game time in at the African Cup of Nations he's come good.

[MJG]

Individually a case can be made that X is better than Y and we all do that.

BUT one thing that can not be doubted by anyone (even Statto) is we are a better team, this season. Part of that is the ins and out of the market, so it has been a sucess.