That front four

SE85, we know who to blame, and there’s a time and place for it. It doesn’t need to dominate every thread with the same narrative. Repeating the same points in every discussion doesn’t make you more knowledgeable about the club, it just makes you sound like a raving lunatic! 😂

Half of Sporting’s strongest side and half of their squad is academy graduates, most of whom Amorim brought through.

He’s going to need to do more of the same over the next 24 months.

comment by Vengeance (U23079)
posted 9 hours, 20 minutes ago
comment by Vengeance (U23079)
posted 0 seconds ago
comment by Robben Amorim (U22716)
posted 2 minutes ago
It was a crime to not only extend Ten Hags contract but also give him £200 million extra at an already broke club. As I said in another thread, how ironic that one of the worst SAF decisions at the club was done by someone not named Ed Woodward
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It was Murtough and Arnold! We can blame both of them for wasting the club's resources.

EtH didn’t physically spend a single penny, how could he?
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And the additional £200m was expended under Berrada's and Ashworth's watch!
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Ugarte, Yoro and De Ligt aren’t bad signings.

Zirkzee isn’t horrible at £30m but we need better.

It's not the summer signings that were the issue. It was giving him another 3 months, sacking him and bringing in a manager that plays 343 without the right players to do it yet. Obviously in time that will change you'd like to think but it shouldn't have been happening in late October.

If Amorim makes us into a competitive team again within the next 2-3 years then it's even more remarkable really given the starting point is far from ideal.

If Amorim makes us into a competitive team again within the next 2-3 years then it's even more remarkable really given the starting point is far from ideal.

--

Have you ever considered that this might be exactly why he was brought in? The circumstances are far from ideal, and as Rosso pointed out, he’ll have to make do with limited resources, something he’s particularly skilled at. The club has overstretched financially and breached PSR, so now it’s time for a change. I think it’ll be refreshing to focus on finding value in the market, especially after overpaying for a decade and getting burned in the process!

comment by Vengeance (U23079)
posted 5 minutes ago
If Amorim makes us into a competitive team again within the next 2-3 years then it's even more remarkable really given the starting point is far from ideal.

--

Have you ever considered that this might be exactly why he was brought in? The circumstances are far from ideal, and as Rosso pointed out, he’ll have to make do with limited resources, something he’s particularly skilled at. The club has overstretched financially and breached PSR, so now it’s time for a change. I think it’ll be refreshing to focus on finding value in the market, especially after overpaying for a decade and getting burned in the process!

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I imagine his use and development of youth players is a not inconsiderable contributor in the equation of his employment.

comment by Busby
posted 1 hour, 12 minutes ago
comment by Vengeance (U23079)
posted 9 hours, 20 minutes ago
comment by Vengeance (U23079)
posted 0 seconds ago
comment by Robben Amorim (U22716)
posted 2 minutes ago
It was a crime to not only extend Ten Hags contract but also give him £200 million extra at an already broke club. As I said in another thread, how ironic that one of the worst SAF decisions at the club was done by someone not named Ed Woodward
----------------------------------------------------------------------

It was Murtough and Arnold! We can blame both of them for wasting the club's resources.

EtH didn’t physically spend a single penny, how could he?
----------------------------------------------------------------------

And the additional £200m was expended under Berrada's and Ashworth's watch!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ugarte, Yoro and De Ligt aren’t bad signings.

Zirkzee isn’t horrible at £30m but we need better.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yoro has immense potential, while the others have shown glimpses of quality. Ugarte brings the right level of aggression, though perhaps not the quality on the ball, our midfield has been missing. I thought the transfer dealings under the new set up was fairly solid.

The question is in the absence of a Sporting Director will we have a better or worse future transfer?

comment by RRRU-ben a-moo-REENG (U17054)
posted 17 seconds ago
comment by Vengeance (U23079)
posted 5 minutes ago
If Amorim makes us into a competitive team again within the next 2-3 years then it's even more remarkable really given the starting point is far from ideal.

--

Have you ever considered that this might be exactly why he was brought in? The circumstances are far from ideal, and as Rosso pointed out, he’ll have to make do with limited resources, something he’s particularly skilled at. The club has overstretched financially and breached PSR, so now it’s time for a change. I think it’ll be refreshing to focus on finding value in the market, especially after overpaying for a decade and getting burned in the process!

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I imagine his use and development of youth players is a not inconsiderable contributor in the equation of his employment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Exactly, and that’s one aspect I’m particularly looking forward to. He might even get more out of the current squad, even if some players aren’t the type he would typically prefer. I also like his ruthless streak, he won’t hesitate to challenge fan favourites or tolerate laziness and unprofessionalism within the squad.

The 2021/22 and 2022/23 windows were frankly disastrous.

Granted we overpaid for a couple of players (nothing new), but the 2023/24 and 2024/25 windows were way above average, IMO.

I’d rate all of Hojlund, Evans, Mazraoui, De Ligt and Ugarte somewhere in the ‘good to excellent’ signings bracket, and Onana and Bayindir in the ‘jury’s out’ bracket. Onana has come in for a world of shiiiit, but people quickly forget that a) we had to have a ball-playing keeper, and b) he’s bailed us out an awful lot this season and last. There isn’t a GK in the PL with more clean sheets so far this season.

Obviously Mount looks like a medical disaster. How much of that could have been foreseen, I don’t know.

There’s only really Zirkzee who for me looks like a WTF signing over those two summers, and I’m hopeful and ready to be proved wrong on that.

We have some cracking talent in the younger age groups, although a lot aren’t yet ready for the PL. definitely an exciting part of the ‘project’ though with a manager like Amorim.