[Albion] Hats off to the recruitment team!

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Good thread.

The pipeline of new players coming in, is something to enjoy. Veltman at 900k and Moder at 5m? are also worth a mention.

We scored two good goals against Liverpool. At Anfield. With no recognised strikers. We were easily worth the point we got.
We now appear to be competing at something like the level Leicester were a year or two ago, on the fringes of the top 6, and who are currently below us in the table.

Don't forget that we are a work in progress. We are just seeing a snapshot somewhere along what could be a five year plan or longer.
There's no reason at all to think we can't improve more, and every reason to think we will.

You mention the future - Sima and Sarmiento. I'll mention Caicedo, who is in good hands with RUSG, and who in my opinion is the gem. He's a real ball winner. Then there's the academy players.

I think you were wrong when you said 'peak Albion'. I think the peak is yet to come.

Agree with everything you said but one small correction on Caicedo, who i agree is a real gem. He's at Beerschot who are bottom of the table and has struggled for game time (not easy in a team that is getting beaten easily most weeks) hopefully he'll kick on as the season progresses, if not I wonder if we might see a recall in January with either the intention of intergrating him into the first team squad or another loan move where he will play more.

Its Mitoma who is at USG and seems to have really settled in with them getting a hat-trick as a sub recently, he's probably not played as much as he'd have liked but they are top currently so he's probably still enjoying it.

 

[Eric the meek]

Agree with everything you said but one small correction on Caicedo, who i agree is a real gem. He's at Beerschot who are bottom of the table and has struggled for game time (not easy in a team that is getting beaten easily most weeks) hopefully he'll kick on as the season progresses, if not I wonder if we might see a recall in January with either the intention of intergrating him into the first team squad or another loan move where he will play more.

Its Mitoma who is at USG and seems to have really settled in with them getting a hat-trick as a sub recently, he's probably not played as much as he'd have liked but they are top currently so he's probably still enjoying it.

Yes, you're right. My mistake. We've got so many out on loan, I can't keep track.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

They have recommended some absolute Turkeys but they have also found a few gems ... overall 6.5/10.

Well I’m glad you’re not in charge…….

 

[Frankworthington]

Not sure I'm ready to forgive them for not spending £15m on Adam Armstrong.

Lol

I admit i thought he was worth a punt.We dodged a bullet

Fortunately you and the recruitment team know more than me!!

 

[paulfuzz]

Burtenshaw was the man at the time (my Time).....sorry I know his nephew and he's a buddy!!

 

[JC Footy Genius]

Well I’m glad you’re not in charge…….

To repeat, judging the performance of the recruitment team performance on one match (or even one season) is obviously very silly and unrepresentative I'm a realist, not a dreamer/fantasist....

 

[timbha]

To repeat, judging the performance of the recruitment team performance on one match (or even one season) is obviously very silly and unrepresentative I'm a realist, not a dreamer/fantasist....

….. and your user name gives away the irony of your posts

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

To repeat, judging the performance of the recruitment team performance on one match (or even one season) is obviously very silly and unrepresentative I'm a realist, not a dreamer/fantasist....

Who’s judging it on one match.

Are you including the Bobby Smith/Mel Hopkins era? How far does one go back.

In recent times, Locadia not yet come good. Personally I think Ali J was a lot better than most gave him credit for. Others have disappointed. But set that against Cucurella, Mwepu, Webster, Trossard, Moder, Veltman, Lallana, Bissouma, Sarmiento…….

 

[Stat Brother]

To repeat, judging the performance of the recruitment team performance on one match (or even one season) is obviously very silly and unrepresentative I'm a realist, not a dreamer/fantasist....

Very much so.

The collective amnesia from just 7 days ago is quite scary.

Maybe, despite my great hair, I'm just too old and too jaded to kid myself this is going to last.


The team aren't bottom 6 and seem unlikely to be bottom this season - that's my celebration.

Sure I've got 'we can't can we?' side eye on the 22/23 Noddy European League, but that's more about wish fulfillment.
It certainly won't move to the front of my head until the spring.

As for the rest of 'this' nope I just can't get on board.
I can be really excited and eager for the next game, but I'm not anointing anyone after today.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Judging the performance of the recruitment team performance on one match (or even one season) is obviously very silly and unrepresentative.

There's no judgement fella, just a fact that we paid £75 mill for our side that is 7th in the Prem. So about the same as Championship club Bournemouth about to kick off vs Reading.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

They have recommended some absolute Turkeys but they have also found a few gems ... overall 6.5/10.

You do know that we just came from 2-0 at Anfield against a Liverpool side that are on fire right now. Your negativity is all over NSC tonight. Sometimes some of the dicks on NSC are so wearying.

 

[Weststander]

To repeat, judging the performance of the recruitment team performance on one match (or even one season) is obviously very silly and unrepresentative I'm a realist, not a dreamer/fantasist....

Can’t we take into account the upwards trajectory of the first team - the results, great balance between attack and defence, players coming into their (Webster, Biss, Trossard, Mac Allister, Veltman), to acknowledge the excellence of our recruiting?

 

[Frankworthington]

Can’t we take into account the upwards trajectory of the first team - the results, great balance between attack and defence, players coming into their (Webster, Biss, Trossard, Mac Allister, Veltman), to acknowledge the excellence of our recruiting?

And the best is yet to come.We ARE progressing

Great days to be an Albion supporter

 

[sparkie]

9.5 out of 10 for the recruitment team. They bring in very, very few duds.

Kemy, Elvis, Jahanbakhsh ( sadly ), Locadia. Andone borderline but he was excedingly cheap. The duds list is very short. The rest are mostly absolute heroes.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Today's starting XI that went toe to toe with Liverpool cost around £75 mill and you only give the recruitment team 6.5 out of 10? What would they have to do to even get an 8?

Be Boris Johnson, I suspect

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Can’t we take into account the upwards trajectory of the first team - the results, great balance between attack and defence, players coming into their (Webster, Biss, Trossard, Mac Allister, Veltman), to acknowledge the excellence of our recruiting?

Schoolboy error. You engaged, reasonably

 

[Guinness Boy]

Yep, one of my gripes about last season's finishing position was that Potter had been given so much better players. Compare Webster, Lamptey, Trossard and Maupay to name four, against Schelotto, Burn, Ali J and Locadia.

But the fact that the players brought in under him are that much better seems to justify him bringing in his own recruitment man to work alongside the existing team. We've not had a dud in a long while. We've had risks - none of Lamptey, Welbeck or Lallana will play a full 38 game season - but largely they've paid off. We're now starting to see full value for it,

 

[Bry Nylon]

There's no judgement fella, just a fact that we paid £75 mill for our side that is 7th in the Prem. So about the same as Championship club Bournemouth about to kick off vs Reading.

Yup. Potter’s brief (so far as I understand it) was to create a side that is more than the sum of its parts and able to achieve a league position that, in the medium to long term, outperforms the playing budget.

So far he is achieving that admirably.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Who’s judging it on one match.

Are you including the Bobby Smith/Mel Hopkins era? How far does one go back.

In recent times, Locadia not yet come good. Personally I think Ali J was a lot better than most gave him credit for. Others have disappointed. But set that against Cucurella, Mwepu, Webster, Trossard, Moder, Veltman, Lallana, Bissouma, Sarmiento…….

If you think he's talking Bollox on this account, I can't imagine what he's trying to do with his postings on his other 4 NSC accounts

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

9.5 out of 10 for the recruitment team. They bring in very, very few duds.

Kemy, Elvis, Jahanbakhsh ( sadly ), Locadia. Andone borderline but he was excedingly cheap. The duds list is very short. The rest are mostly absolute heroes.

We can be thankful that Andone's replacement at Deportivo fell through so they pulled out of the deal the first time round or he'd have cost us nearer to £20 million.