How will you feel if we don't strengthen in Jan?

It appears to me increasingly more likely that we will not be getting anyone in this month a la last year.

If that were to be case how would you feel? If we fail to get promoted this year, will malky and his lack of January activity be the perfect scapegoat?

Just thinking back to all those times we were so close under Jones, and it is often said that " if only we got players in in Jan, we would have been alright!"

That was certainly the case last year, we just run out of puff!

Personally, I will have to try really hard not to be upset/angry if we don't strengthen. I just really hope we do.

Is try Not to b pissed off, but don't fear We have a signing this week be very suprised if We don't

Twitchy, this is a golden opportunity and to blow it for the sake of a coue of signings would be criminal. Leicester are 10 behind and are making moves, I think that MM plays his cards so close to his chest though that we mlighten know anything until a press conference. Long way to go in this month yet.

If we don't make any signings, then I'll accept that it will only be because Malky couldn't source the right type of players.......the money is there, but, under Malky's regime, there is no point adding bodies to the squad just for the sake of it.

Nevertheless, if we don't strengthen, then I fear that we will run out of steam, just like last year. The front men just aren't doing it at the moment.......most disappointing for me is Mason, who seems to be just a shadow of the player he was last season.......

I'll be disappointed if we don't get a decent striker in who can act as a focal point. Heidar can't do it regularly and Rudy just isn't good enough.

I will be disappointed and in turn will hold Malky 100% responsible if we don't gain promotion. I can't obviously critiscise too much because I don't know him but Malky comes across as incredibly stubborn from the outside. His refusal to drop Miller last year, Helguson this year, and his constant obsession with sticking Cowie and Conway in the team even when we have far superior players benched. I hope if he doesn't get exactly who he wants he doesn't then just fold his arms and not buy anyone, but simultaneously it sounds like it could happen.

We have a league winning team, we only need a couple of small cracks reinforced to ensure we run it through to the end. First and foremost is a striker, and I would be perfectly happy bleeping our entire January budget on a massive signing up front and then see no one else arrive, because I feel that's by far our biggest problem. Second to that is we need a new right back, but I'm willing to let that slide until next season simply because Connoly may not be the best right back I've ever seen but he handles himself decently enough. I'd rather a goal scoring machine up front and no new right back, then a decent striker ad a decent right back.

But yes - I'd be very annoyed if we see no one arrive.

Disappointed and nervous but we did do a lot of business over the summer and the January window is notorious for over-pricing players. We'd still have a squad capable of taking us up though.

The team is crying out for some more quality up-front, and has been relying on some decent defensive performances recently.

Although there is no point in making any panic buys when it's not 100% certain whether the team will be in the Championship or Premier League next season. Promotion guarantees that the club's annual revenue will treble.

On a related topic, I notice that someone has amended Wikipedia:

Charles "Charlie" Austin (born 5 July 1989) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for English Championship side Cardiff.


If only!

Malky is shrewd and won't pay over the odds which is why no-one has come in yet. I still think this team will take us up but we will not find it easy without additional players, predominantly a defender and a striker.

But we are on the verge according to all the rumours so we should be fine! Keep calm!

We have a squad which can continue as it has done and win the Championship. We also have a squad capable of falling away and having to settle for the play offs once more - not through lack of bottle or desire or belief but just through being a player or two short in certain areas.

If we get the right players in i just can't see us not claiming one of the top two spots. If we don't it will be a nervous last 19 games hoping that we do enough each time to keep the points tally ticking over.

Of course we don't want to pay over the odds for a player and of course we want a player able to step up to premiership football but i will be very disappointed if we don't get in a player or two who will at least help us over the finishing line.

Thinking it through, in the absence of Maynard, I believe the striker situation is critical, if for no other reason than to take some of the goal-scoring responsibilities off the midfield.

If Malky has to pay over the odds to get the quality needed, then the pot at the end of the rainbow should more than justify the extra paid.

I would much prefer to strengthen if possible, although I respect Malky's insistence in not paying over the odds. If it doesn't happen though, I am still reasonably confident in the squad we have. For me, the main difference between this season and our numerous near misses in recent years has been our ability to close out tight games. Previously, I always felt nervous about trying to defend a small lead in the latter stages of games (and of course we so often failed to do so). I've been much more confident this season about our ability to close out games, and there's no reason why this shouldn't continue.

Mention in dispatches in this regard must, I think, go to Marshall. Not infallible, but I think he has been immense for most of the season and has won us a lot of points. Must be a candidate for the most improved player in the squad.

The Tonker wrote:I would much prefer to strengthen if possible, although I respect Malky's insistence in not paying over the odds. If it doesn't happen though, I am still reasonably confident in the squad we have. For me, the main difference between this season and our numerous near misses in recent years has been our ability to close out tight games. Previously, I always felt nervous about trying to defend a small lead in the latter stages of games (and of course we so often failed to do so). I've been much more confident this season about our ability to close out games, and there's no reason why this shouldn't continue.

Mention in dispatches in this regard must, I think, go to Marshall. Not infallible, but I think he has been immense for most of the season and has won us a lot of points. Must be a candidate for the most improved player in the squad.

Marshall has been excellent for the most part this season. It annoys me to hear some of the crowd begin to audibly grumble when he doesn't release the ball quick enough or sends a wayward goalkick into touch. Distribution of the ball is not his strongest point but Marshall should have earned enough credit in the bank for his performances this season not to have people complaining about that during the game.

People always grumble about every player, it's football fan nature. I once genuinely, GENUINELY heard when asked what they thought of Messi someone respond 'he's rubbish at headers'.

Red614 wrote:People always grumble about every player, it's football fan nature. I once genuinely, GENUINELY heard when asked what they thought of Messi someone respond 'he's rubbish at headers'.

Just think of how many goals he would have scored if he was not so useless at heading a ball.