Do you expect CMS to be an Albion player when season 2012-13 kicks off?

[Marshy]

Why did we sell CMS ?..... it will be a thread title repeated every week next season if we do the unthinkable and sell.

Im convinced Gus wont sell anyway, we need to be bringing in another top notch striker to go with him

If we want to get to the Premier League we need to play 2 front men (certainly more often than we do now anyway ), we just have not got the players yet to enable us to do it.

YET

 

[Farehamseagull]

I reckon he'll only leave if Reading are promoted, we are not promoted, and Reading up their offer to around £4m.

Any other situation, and I reckon he'll be here next season.

We'd be laughing all the way to the bank if we got £4 million for him! At 28, I can't see him getting any better as his main assets are his physical strength and pace so I for one would be delighted if we got that for him.

 

[Mellotron]

If Vokes hadn't played we wouldn't have had anywhere near as much ball in Derby's half as CMS simply cannot hold the ball up. It's not his fault - it's not his strength. But we're not going to change the way we play for one player

Spot on. Vokes' link play and the fact it STICKS up there when the ball's put up to him was a big reason Vicente and Kaz were on the ball so much.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

But that means either dropping Barnes, a Winger, a Creative Midfielder or a Defensive Midfielder. Who would you drop?

I'm simply relaying what Gus said.

 

[Triggaaar]

I think that will depend on if we're a Championship or EPL club.

This

 

[brightonrock]

Not a chance, unless Reading/West Ham go up and offer us north of £4m. The 'fix' until the end of the season of not playing two up top seems to be Gus' admission (which he has more or less stated outright before) that he doesn't feel we have the players to be defensively solid enough in a more traditional flat or diamond 442, ie in central midfield.

I reckon making CMS happier/more effective is Gus ' No.1 objective, but with the window closed there's not much he can do until the end of the season. Central midfield and a hold-up man up top (whether that is Vokes is yet to be seen) are going to be his priorities in the summer to get the best out of CMS, although a goalkeeper and a full back or two will probably be on the list too. I can see us spending a CMS-size amount on a 'complete' central midfielder to sculpt our engine room around, ie quick, strong, good in the air, good passer, great engine to get 'box-to-box'. Think Razak v Ipswich or Vicente v Derby. Possibly funded by a trimming of the dead wood - Harley & Sparrow would be first in the firing line I fear.

 

[matthew]

No and i hope he's not

 

[Perkino]

Yes, end of

 

[cmonbarrybringonwoody!]

Bit pedantic mate, he lives in australia, thats whats its known as in every country in the world apart from here.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

No and it's a crying shame.