Analysis: A striker short of a good transfer window?

It's up to you Demba!
Well it’s over, for a few months anyway. The transfer deadline went at 11pm last night, and along with it went our chances of bolstering the squad further.

Of course the main bone of contention is going to be the fact that we didn’t bring in a striker. It’s been eight months since we’ve needed a striker. Granted we have Demba Ba but I’d have liked us to get someone else in.

I just didn’t buy that Ruiz story from moment one if truth be told. From the 11th hour bid to the helicopter it just didn’t sound right. It smacks of trying to look busy. In fact I liken it to people who miss my coach. They’ll protest and complain that they were there waiting on time when they actually weren’t. They were late. That is why they aren’t on my vehicle being driven to wherever they are going away to.

Getting a striker in would have made this window better than expected. In fact if we’d have got in Liam Ridgewell aswell then I’d have been a very happy man. Naturally it didn’t happen and now we are left to reflect upon what might have been.

I’ve cooled down a little bit now. Last night I was angry that we didn’t get said striker in. In fact a lot of people are still unhappy that we didn’t get said striker in. However it’s worth remembering what we have brought in as, aside from the lack of a striker, I don’t think we’ve done too badly at all.

Of course people will point towards the fact that we’ve had to replace the likes of Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Jose Enrique this transfer window, but I fell that we’ve done a decent job of that. On paper at least. Time will be the ultimate judge of that.

Yohan Cabaye looks like a real player whilst we’ve added genuine width in the form of Sylvain Marveaux and Gabriel Obertan. Obviously we have Demba Ba who could be a real asset providing he can recapture the goalscoring form that he has shown throughout his career, and we have Davide Santon who could turn out to be a cracking player for us. He certainly has the potential to be up there with Jose Enrique.

Add to that the additions of Rob Elliot and Mehdi Abeid as backup and promising youth respectively and I feel that we’ve replaced what we’ve lost with, in some cases, better players whilst adding depth to certain areas such as the wings. How long has it been since we’ve had four options that can interchange and play on each wing?

However there are certain areas where we have just done the bare minimum. Whilst Santon can be a top player for us he remains the only recognised option at left-back. I’m sorry, and I commend his effort, but Ryan Taylor is not a left-back. We’re also short in the centre of defence, especially with Mike Williamson out injured. Fingers crossed that nothing happens to Fabricio Coloccini or Steven Taylor in the next couple of months.

The midfield is generally alright. I haven’t seen many people criticise it and it’s generally perceived to be our strongest area on the pitch. Pretty impressed with it if truth be told.

Up front is another area where we are light. Demba Ba must now come good whilst Leon Best will see more chances come his way. Shola is just Shola and will be here until the end of time frustrating and delighting in less than equal measures. Then we have Peter Lovenkrands and Nile Ranger who, for varying reasons, should be nowhere near the first team. We are not light on numbers up front – it’s quality we are low on.

I’m going to throw something out there. Would people have been happy to spend a fair bit of money on a striker who is maybe our 5th, 6th, 7th choice and is not much better than what we have? Personally I wouldn’t as I want a decent striker in. You can debate the reason as to why we failed to bring one in all you like, but I’d much prefer it if we got someone in because they would improve the team and not just for the sake of getting someone in.

The problem I have is that we have drawn a blank in bringing in A.N.Other striker who would improve the team.

I can’t criticise the deals that we have done. Quite frankly we’ve brought shrewdly and smartly and have managed to bring in some real quality players with high pedigree. We’ve also managed to keep hold of players like Cheik Tiote and Fabricio Coloccini which is an improvement on previous transfer deadline days. For that I say well done.

What I can criticise is the lack of a striker. In January there was the excuse of not having enough time to recruit after the 11th hour sale of Andy Carroll. Fair enough. Time can be a great barrier.

This time it’s different. We’ve had since then to line up and recruit a striker and we’ve failed to do so. One signing would have been the difference between appeasement and angst and, yet again, it didn’t materialise.

So yes, we were a striker short of a good transfer window.

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

85 thoughts on “Analysis: A striker short of a good transfer window?

  1. I think Lionel Speed has it really: I’m pretty sure there are sound reasons why we are where we are. It’s basically:

    1. We think we’ll hit our target (top half finish) with what we have
    2. We can’t get a striker at justifiable cost and terms who will sufficiently improve our quality.
    3. We’ll therefore wait rather than waste money. Better to try again once we’ve shown what we can do and are a more attractive proposition.
    4. We also think daft prices and terms for strikers are coming to an end and don’t want to get tied into silly 5-year contracts when we won’t need to in a year’s time.

    Fine.

    SO WHY DON’T THEY JUST SAY THAT??

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  2. The Transfer window is shut and its time to move on and get behind the lads that are here.

    Team 1

    ————————T Krul——————————-

    R Taylor—-S Taylor—-F Coloccini—-D Santon

    ————–Y Cabaye—-C Tiote———————-

    —-J Gutierrez—-H Ben Arfa—-S Marveaux—–

    ————————–D Ba——————————-

    Team 2

    —————————–S Harper—————————–

    D Simpson—M Williamson—T Kadar—S Ferguson

    —————————–D Guthrie—————————–

    ————–D Gosling—-H Vuckic—-G Obertan———

    ———————-S Ameobi—-L Best———————–

    Team 3

    ——————–R Elliott/ O Soderburg———————–

    J Tavernier—-J Perch —-J Henderson—–P Dummnet

    —————————–A Smith———————————-

    ———-M Abeid—-R Donaldson—-Sameobi————-

    ————-P Lovenkrands—–N Ranger———————-

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  3. lot of people are going on about mr..nasty barton..missing the point..city and chelsea..will not be able 2 buy players…4 the next 3 years..if they wont 2 play in champs league…them top 4 which i include liverpool dont make..will be fu..ked…arsenal will be strong and be able 2 get the players…and may be fatty still thier thinking of that..make us compete with that….is that what he is doing or just a scum bag that he realy is…

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  4. Now i’ve chilled out and looked at things in the cold light of day i’m content. If we’d got ridgewell i’d have been delighted, would have LB/CB cover and he’s decent. Disappointed at not getting a striker. Embarressed at myself for getting caught up in the ruiz moment, i’ve never even seen him play. Glad that people arn’t giving pardew it in the neck, it’s not his fault. We have a strong side ON PAPER but the squad is light, but it has been for about 10 years so no big change. When you remember we are still only in our second season up things look a bit better. We are in a stronger position than west brom who came up with us and should be around about the top 10. We’ll be ok this year.

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  5. Stardust … very well put. It is a theme running throughout that some complain about the lack of spending yet fail to see that; the cash which is not spent on transfers goes toward paying off the debt NUFC owes MA theoretically moving him closer toward being comfortable to sell up. If he does spend, then it will take longer for MA to be paid back.

    Which do they want!! ….. answer, neither!, well actually, the answer is that they want someone to complain at and take out their frustrations on and a Southerner is a great option.

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  6. Obviously your argument hinges on Ashley keeping trying to pay off the debt so he can sell up. You have no credible reason to believe that is actually the case. He might keep Newcastle for free advertising and a little bit of profit every year. You simply don’t know.

    Also I don’t care if Ashley stays for 20 years if he shows some ambition and actually tries to take the club forward. In fact if that was the case id welcome him with open arms.

    You’ve been wrong about Ashley time and time again.
    You are obtuse and take an approach where you believe everyone who diagrees with you is stupid and nothing will ever change your inflexible point of view.

    I was prepared, against my clearly much better judgement, to give Ashley until the end of the window to make some amends for the mistakes and bullshit of the past. Be patient, you whinged. He has a five year plan, you whinged.
    My reward for being patient?
    Guess what? – it was exactly what I expected in the first place.

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  7. As a Swede I do not have the local connection to Newcastle, and in a way may be representing one of the International views of the Club. I do believe that Newcastle is trying to shift the club reputation as a big spender, of ridiculous wages and payments for players. Yes I can see the trouble with the fact that the meat (striker) is missing it would have made the window perfect. But we had an good window this summer. We have a more balanced team, more pace on the wings, and tanks of tacking power in the center of the field. So the incoming players will be a joy to watch. Some comment on the exiting playing staff, One cannot hinder Enrique to leave for Liverpool, a player that has his heart set elsewhere is not a good player. The twitters that Barton made infuriated the board so much that a player that we could get 4 million for was given for free, to the delight of QPR. The movement of Andy Carroll was a unfortunate event, and Pardew promises more than he can keep, as he is not the one holding the money. Lambias control the assets and keep the books level, not Pardew. The only thing Pardew may be guilty of is the trap of mouth he got. But as the owner do not speak about the visions or situation in the club maybe he figures he have to. But then Pardew should say it as it is.
    Now for the real discussion, I do not have the closeness to see what Mr Ashley do at St.James at first hand. But the real asset in the club is the Playing Staff, not an owner that treat Newcastle as a business so I do believe that Mr Ashley could do with better advice on running the club and how they should manage the supporters. The supporters are the money in the club, of they stay away, the income will drop and the club will suffer. The club will suffer not mr Ashley. I do not see him caring soo much about the club that he would register the red in the books. But this will manifest in the attendances which as correctly stated before will affect the players negatively. Newcastle is a club with honors.
    I do see much on the problem with Lambias and not Ashley. Ashley give the funds, and Lambias is just a normal working man with no knowledge of the game. The mistakes are on his shoulders. A new director that have the knowledge of how to run a club is whats needed in my view Yes we have to shift the image of the club but we can not send shady bids around to the other clubs. That will bite us in the **** next summer. The relation between clubs are a important part of transfer, as you go back where you had good results, and stay away where the results are bad. I have already thoughts that clubs will not sell us players next summer due to the fact that we have given them ridiculous bid last summer. We have to address the real problem before it is too late.
    We happen to have an Owner that treats the Club as a company. We as supporters do not need to add to the disgrace by not showing up on match days. The club need us more than ever, if I were in the area I would do my best to remain faithful and go to the matches, praying that the light is struck on the ownership and that he get a better director than we have now..

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