Summer transfer window calamity

[Spirit of 2000]

The issue now stems from the summer and our abject failure to address defensive woes. We managed to significantly downgrade our promotion backline. Ok we were trying to sign Targett until the end to be fair and not entirely the clubs fault that Hughes and Soton played silly buggers. Bryan is young and was probably one of the best left wingbacks in the championship... so the contingency wasn't too bad IMO. On the other hand we knew Fredericks was going as he was demanding 70k pw to re-sign. We knew Christie was bang average even in the  championship and I know Derby fans opinion is he couldn't defend even at that level. To not have sought a decent right back is unforgivable. Mawson we signed injured. We had lost Kallas and in truth it was never a guarantee that Ream was going to be premiership standard. Odoi was a great utility squad back-up... nothing more at this level. We needed two fit premiership quality centre backs... we failed badly. If we had spent the 50 million we squandered on two midfielders from France who had never played in this country and have both ultimately been failures on our defence and soldiered through with Cairney Kmac and Johanssen... they may not have been great at this level but at least they all knew each others games, strengths, weaknesses, were a unit and would have given 100% every week. We could have signed Norwood, Piazon and maybe another as backup/competition.... I bet anyone that had we gone that route with an ordinary but well oiled midfield in front of a fit for purpose defence then we would be where Soton, Cardiff etc are now at worse with a fighting chance rather than marooned and consigned to the drop already  as we are.

[filham]

How can you possibly be critical of any of our signings when they must all have passed Tony's fullproof Stats Test, yes even the keeper who can't catch a ball in his own goal area or punch a ball cleanly.

[ALG01]

Two posts above encapsulate the majority view in my opinion. Even the usual apologistys seem unervingly quiet after yesterday and the bizare team selection and tactics AND substitutions.

How is it that we all know that and the owner cannot see it.

And IMO, it wasn't just last summer and January's transfer window, it was 11 consecutive poor transfer windows. If you remeber we couldn't even get rid of Ruiz because we left the paperwork undone to long!