Rather than signing 7 or 8 crap forwards wouldn't it actually be cheaper to sign 1 or 2 good ones? It's like getting a T-shirt from Primark. It looks alright but after a couple of washes the colour has faded, it's shrunk and the fabric's gone all bobbly. So you get another, then another, then another... After a couple of years you've spent three times as much on T-shirts from Primark than the one you'd already got that you bought from Debenhams. The ones from Primark look like a bag of rags while the one from Debenhams still looks great and is your go to whenever you're off down the pub. And we're getting to the point where Barnsley have more Primark forwards than I've got T-shirts.
Problems come when that one t-shirt costs you 20 times more to wash once a week. We've shown we're prepared to go to seven figures for players. Sadly those players want to come straight in and be paid the same or more than those who are already here. I also think we've always bought six or seven players hoping we like two or three of them. It's just that in today's world we hear more about them and can put them on the bench more often because we've got more subs.
I think we've a job on and we're this seasons Hull City. This gaffer is happy with the squad and people are asking how much loopy juice I've supped.
To an extent I agree The problem we have is every club seems to have a pacy forward/striker on their wishlist And if we did get our designer label instead of Prinark quantity if we spilled beer down it we wouldn't have a replacement. The thing I find annoying about our club is that no matter what we seem to sell our best players. I'm struggling to think of other clubs who'd sell players when they got promoted to the league above and we sold 3 key ones. Having said that, we are getting used to the championship and I really think we can enjoy next season without fear of relegation.
Hull sold their two best players. We've let a loanee go and signed two new players with hopes to add a third. Noises in the press are that we're working hard to add to the squad not that we're happy with it. Didn't Hull lose something like 70% of their goals and assists? We're unbeaten in three games and two clean sheets in three.
We aren't playing football. I could stomach a 0-0 at the City Ground if we'd had a go and missed chances. When I hear it was tackle n' hoof devoid of attack I'm concerned. Yes i've been drinking but I'm p1ssed off more now than I was under Lee Johnson n' that's saying sumat. No matter how bad the Barnsley F.C I love has always tried to conquer adversity not kick it over top of it. Apologies to Red Rain he was wright.
Hedges Mallan Thiam Schmidt Ritzmaier Bahre Thomas Simoes Green Aitchison Miller Chaplin Frieser 13 forwards/attacking midfielders that must have cost us in excess of £5million over the last 3 or 4 years. In that time I would say the only quality strikers we have had have been- Bradshaw Winnall Moore Woodrow
I think there's frustrating elements to our game which I've highlighted in other threads. But in general I am happy yes because our misgivings are easy to work on, and being the glass half full person that I am I've got to believe that Norwich at home and away, Watford away, and first half against Swansea and Cardiff is the real way that Big Val wants us to play. Certainly not a January transfer window or season to be negative about in my opinion.
Hope history doesn't continue and we blow £500k-£1million on the lad from Wigan. The sign of insanity doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different outcome.
We need to look at how Brittain managed to slot into the side straight away, what was there about him that enabled him to do that and look for similar traits in signings going forward.
You've named a load of midfielders and then referred to strikers. I think folk are harsh on Chaplin by the way. He was the 19th top scorer in the division last season. As many goals as the likes of Moore, Bradshaw and Winnall for us at this level. Playing as a striker, getting on the end of crosses. He's playing a different role now. Both of the wide forwards in this system aren't playing as strikers, not really. The one who is has 11 goals already. You can count on one hand the strikers we've had who bag 20 a season at this level. Cauley will get there this term. So I'm not seeing the struggle others clearly are. But that's football. A game of opinions. We all see different things. We don't get every signing right. No club does. Not even the giants. So to expect us to on our budget is a bit daft. It'd be nice like. But over the last five or six years we've had Winnall, Bradshaw, Moore, Chaplin and Woodrow. McBurnie was great on loan, Harvey Barnes too. Thiam did a great job in the league below. Browny did well for 18 months too. Not a lot of money spent on all those but a great output in lots of ways. I'm more concerned with central midfield personally, but again, what do I know? Maybe it's time Stylesy played in there now Jordan is getting back in shape. We'll see. 12th in the second tier and just six points off the playoffs, when 12 months ago most of this forum had us certainties for the drop. Perspective is key. But I suppose hope and expectation is always going to see folk get carried away a little. And we've Chelsea in the FA Cup shortly. I'm not feeling this morose vibe that some are about our club. Funny old game.
I referred to them as strikers/attacking midfielders Andy. I do agree that Styles needs to get back in the middle of the park and we need a left wing back in. Some folk are suggesting we will get involved in a relegation dogfight. I'm not one of those. We have had 5 tough league games against teams containing premier league quality players. We have given them all a game. We will beat Derby next week.
