[Albion] Matt Clarke- Portsmouth defender **SIGNED and LOANED to DERBY**

[b.w.2.]

Corrected for you.

No, you are so wrong...


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[b.w.2.]

We jet off to the Austria summer camp in 4 weeks today. Will he be on the plane, or was it all a ruse as you suggest

Who knows? We’ve now already agreed to sell Dunky, allegedly. I hope not.


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[macbeth]

I think that sacking a manager who kept us up twice and replacing him with someone who's never done anything in English football will likely send us down, yes.
However, my gripe at this time is that we don't even seem to be close to signing anyone, let alone having done so already. And the players report back this week to meet the new boss. Then full training in two weeks.
The clock is ticking.

But if CH was the manager, would you still be predicting relegation due to a lack of transfer dealings in...(*checks notes*)...the second week in June?

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

The club will get knocked whichever way they do this transfer. Some say by bringing Clarke in we're admitting we'll lose Dunk whereas previously we've been criticised for selling a player close to the window and not having a replacement, damned if you do damned if you don't.

 

[Nixonator]

But if CH was the manager, would you still be predicting relegation due to a lack of transfer dealings in...(*checks notes*)...the second week in June?

The primary concern for me is that we need 2-3 high quality signings to be in with a chance of survival (assuming we lose nobody), this would be the case regardless of manager. Of the many rumoured targets, none of them would improve the first team significantly enough for the desired effect.

While you can argue it is still early days, I might have hoped we'd have one of those sorted by now. The window is a month shorter and the players are back in 2 weeks.

Obviously there will be some late ones as always, but you'd expect key additions to be done early.

 

[macbeth]

The primary concern for me is that we need 2-3 high quality signings to be in with a chance of survival (assuming we lose nobody), this would be the case regardless of manager. Of the many rumoured targets, none of them would improve the first team significantly enough for the desired effect.

While you can argue it is still early days, I might have hoped we'd have one of those sorted by now. The window is a month shorter and the players are back in 2 weeks.

Obviously there will be some late ones as always, but you'd expect key additions to be done early.

Would you? I reckon GP would want to get a good look at the squad first before sanctioning any big purchases, hence why we've been linked with the less impressive names so far. As obvious as it may be to us what needs improving, he'll have his set vision on how he wants to play, and it would be silly of him not to take time to see which players fir that programme and which need to go

 

[Nixonator]

Would you? I reckon GP would want to get a good look at the squad first before sanctioning any big purchases, hence why we've been linked with the less impressive names so far. As obvious as it may be to us what needs improving, he'll have his set vision on how he wants to play, and it would be silly of him not to take time to see which players fir that programme and which need to go

That's taking a big risk and throwing away time and opportunities when it should be clear to people like Winstanley/Ashworth where money needs to be spent and holes plugged.

 

[Machiavelli]

That's taking a big risk and throwing away time and opportunities when it should be clear to people like Winstanley/Ashworth where money needs to be spent and holes plugged.

Exactly. And factor in that the better players on our radar will be the first to get snapped up for the simple reason that they are the ones with the most and/or best quality suitors, so if we delay we'll be diminishing the potential quality.
I'm also concerned that we haven't got going yet (and it's currently ever so quiet on our transfer front), but the reassuring thing is that is the case with most other clubs, and particularly those likely to finish in the PL's bottom half.

 

[pishhead]

The window has been extremely slow all around so far. It seems the entire football industry is taking a prolonged break.

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

The window has been extremely slow all around so far. It seems the entire football industry is taking a prolonged break.

The domestic window is open but in the major European leagues, Spain, Germany, Italy and Portugal it doesn't open until 1st of July. Only then will we see major movement.

 

[Icy Gull]

I am struggling to think of a long thread about a player rumoured to be coming here that is more underwhelming.

 

[chaileyjem]

I am struggling to think of a long thread about a player rumoured to be coming here that is more underwhelming.

Most of the discussion on this thread, to be fair isn 't about Matt Clarke at all.

 

[Icy Gull]

Most of the discussion on this thread, to be fair isn 't about Matt Clarke at all.

Proof of how underwhelming it is

 

[Nixonator]

The domestic window is open but in the major European leagues, Spain, Germany, Italy and Portugal it doesn't open until 1st of July. Only then will we see major movement.

Many deals are done before that date.

 

[casbom]

It does feel slower than normal though, probably doesn't help that International matches have only just finished, then there's the U21 Euros starting next week which if believed we're going down the younger player route, could hold some interest for us.

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

Many deals are done before that date.

True, but it usually takes one huge deal to set the domino effect in motion. Hazard to Madrid might have been the one, but for Chelsea's transfer ban.

 

[TSB]

But if CH was the manager, would you still be predicting relegation due to a lack of transfer dealings in...(*checks notes*)...the second week in June?

No. Hughts would keep us up.

But I'd be concerned that all the deadwood is still hanging around and that the club are making noises about "improving what we have" rather than sweeping it all away.

 

[TSB]

Most of the discussion on this thread, to be fair isn 't about Matt Clarke at all.

I've posted ten times without mentioning his name
*rock*

 

[macbeth]

That's taking a big risk and throwing away time and opportunities when it should be clear to people like Winstanley/Ashworth where money needs to be spent and holes plugged.

Perhaps, but please bear in mind that the international window only opened yesterday. There is no need for a rush. The two deals we had done last time were a free transfer and a relegation release clause, both deals that we'd have likely been working on for a while. There's no need for totally dispair or desperation. And even in there is, most other teams are in the same position as us with having not made any significant additions yet

 

[macbeth]

No. Hughts would keep us up.

I guess that's where we fundamentally disagree.

I do however agree that significant investment is needed and we should not just be working with what we have, as numerous players have up to now only shown that they're not good enough. I, however, am not in a panic because we are yet to improve on our squad, I'd rather we take time and get things right this time