04 Dec 2025 08:02:41
We all know how long in can take for a player to settle into a team and a league. We have seen it many times, some players just hit the ground running, same take a few games and some can take a season. Of course some never make it at that particular club.
So far this season and with “maybe” one exception non of our summer signings have hit the ground running. It’s a concern but no more than that at the moment. It happens at a lot of clubs, they sign what look to be better players but the team performance drops off or shows a lack of consistency.
I’m personally a fan of doing things gradually. So, I’m always looking to keep changes to a minimum. Of course sometimes events and emotions make my preferred slow build process redundant. If that makes sense?
04 Dec 2025 08:19:49
Hopefully a transfer ban will help with that Tom and we have a settled squad fir a few seasons.
04 Dec 2025 09:43:16
Tom I'm with you on ot liking what has seemed to be a big churning turnover of players each summer window in recent times. I do think though that we have been creeping towards Vision 2030 aims of competitive - in EPL and Champions League which are the real tests - side among which some players have by now gained considerable EPL experience and benefited from confidence winning CWC win.
I think Garnacho has done pretty well for us from the off this season and Estevao has shone on quite a few occasions though possibly better off the bench in second half in EPL as I'd have liked him to be last night - with Garnacho starting on one side up front and Neto on the other as said before the game. Had thought Maresca had handled Estevao well up to and including Barcelona game but EPL different and reckon for now he may be better second half player - when physically tough CBs etc beginning to get tired and game opening up and allowing Estevao more space to work his magic in - than first half one. Also a matter of him having played whole game v Barcelona as well as half v Arsenal and he looked wired but pretty tired and frustrated last night.
Might have given Guiu a start ahead of Delap cos Guiu more mobile and perhaps with more guile in style of play. But Delap does need game time and I certainly haven't given up on him yet and he must surely get better if only again to standard he achieved at Ipswich and flashes he showed in some CWC games.
Yes after his first ten games for us I thought Morata was the real bees knees deal. But then he seemed to fall away and indeed fall down too often under tackles. I thought Drogba did ok in his first season for us and looked physically perfect for striker role and showed a fair bit of skill plus power in the air. But it did take time of course to be sure just how good and important he was for us.
04 Dec 2025 10:48:48
The last thing we need is a transfer ban Bill, that would really stop our progress. We are in desperate need of a proper 15 to 20 goal a season striker and a rock solid centre back who can play out from the back.
04 Dec 2025 11:19:49
Agreed with you RPD about CB and striker and though Sanchez much improved we could do with a quality keeper as competition. I still have the feeling at times that Sanchez not the complete article in terms of calm distribution when under pressure though his shot stopping impressive. He is also up there with best and command of area in terms of the high ball though seems to get in a flap in crowded corner or long thorw in situations which Maresca has found some solutions to by putting players out near half way line for possible break and dragging opposition CBs back out there too.
04 Dec 2025 13:01:11
RPD
I agree totally with you on the experienced CB and ST but let's be honest, no matter how many windows we have, the SD's will only raid nurseries and foreign ones at that.
04 Dec 2025 13:28:12
JBS, the Sanchez debate will just rumble on until he makes a mistake and then it will be the same old, same old. Let’s be grateful that he has improved.
I have only seen our young lad at Strasbourg a few times and he looks good, particularly with the ball at his feet. I have a feeling with him that he might stay out on loan for another season.
04 Dec 2025 14:47:08
It's about time we all got behind Sanchez, he has been very good this season.
04 Dec 2025 15:25:59
Greenaway, I couldn’t agree more but you and I both know it’s not going to happen.
At an annual Christmas ST bash there were a lot of the attendees saying he was our most improved player.
04 Dec 2025 15:43:22
I agree with both you and Greenaway Tom, i think Sanchez has improved this season.
The worry for me is that we lose Caicedo and we fall apart. I did think we would struggle without him which is why I was amazed when Hames did not play.
04 Dec 2025 16:10:54
I’m a massive fan of Caicedo and been singing his praises from day one. James is different gravy in any position he plays.
We have a squad that should be capable of coving these player losses. For that poor performance last night was about what’s between the ears! Win the individual battles and the right to play, expect aggression and a team that is prepare press hard. To me it looked as if some of our players were caught in the headlights.
04 Dec 2025 17:41:15
And that Tom is a worry that the coaches could not alter what was happening.
04 Dec 2025 18:52:05
Bill, I’m no more worried this season than last season about our coaches.
Some wanted the manager and the coaches sacked during last seasons campaign. Others wanted the SD’s sacked and one or two blamed the owners.
Very few ever admitted they were wrong but they have carried that dislike into this season. I sometimes believe that there are group of fans who just lurk, waiting for a bad team result or bad player performance just to say “I told you so. ”
If you look at other teams sites this is nothing unusual but it does my head in. We win a few games and everything is brilliant, we lose a few games and we are crap. The tw@t TV pundits are just as bad.
My opinion hasn’t changed, we have top four players and a reasonable coach. If we don’t qualify for the champions league, he may well be sacked, deemed a failure by the fans and owners. If we finish in the top four and maybe wins a pot, he will be our manager for the start of next season.
04 Dec 2025 20:29:44
He is certainly not helping himself with his tinkering, perhaps he wants to go, who knows, I still have nightmares with the way Conti engineered his way out of Chelsea with a huge payday.
04 Dec 2025 20:54:10
I would suggest we wait until the end of the season before we judge how the policy of rotation has or hasn’t worked.
Of course we have to remember the players exertions in the CWC.
04 Dec 2025 20:56:00
Tom, you are right about the lurkers who come out and post the minute we lose a game but we don't actually know if they are genuine fans or trolls who enjoy winding up other clubs fans. Likewise we have posters across all the sites who never have a good word to say about "their club".
I take the view there are all sorts of reasons people are nothing but negative and it is quite often that they have no friends or family with whom to let off steam so come on these sort of platforms as a release.
05 Dec 2025 07:42:14
I will never be convinced by Sanchez: he is nowhere near the level of keeper we need to step up a level, He has clearly been instructed to hoof the ball forward because of his weaknesses which invariably leads to us losing possession. Although Leed’s third goal was down to Tosin a decent keeper would have smothered the ball.
05 Dec 2025 11:26:54
I think Sanchez has been instructed to move the ball quicker. His long ball passing has improved and so has willingness to throw the ball as well.
I’m not convinced but I applaud his improvement.