Please sign someone that shows we mean business..

This isn't on Lennon mate. He's said in pretty much every interview about the need to bring in players, I have no doubt he's made the board aware of what he wants and needs. It was outlined on the leaked transfer list and he's spoken about it ad nauseam since before we went to Austria.

It's down to Lawwell to get these deals done, if our valuation of a player is massively different to the selling club's valuation of a player then we should be moving on to the next option, not wasting weeks with incremental increases only to lose out on them to another club.

I'm probably * people off by repeating it but this transfer window is one of the biggest in living memory (aren't they all?) If we have to pay a little bit extra in transfer fees or salary to get the right players in, in a timely manner, to give our new manager the best chance of hitting the ground running into next season then we should be doing it. If we do our business well this summer we could go years ahead, on and off the park.

 

Lennon is involved as well. Rodgers got plenty of blame when he signed duffers or didn't sign players we were needing, so Lennon can't be blameless here. If Lawwell isn't getting him the players he wants then either he has to put pressure on Lawwell to get these players in, or look at a different market. That quote from Lennon about "hopefully looking at strengthening the squad" is right out of the Rodgers bank of *, meaningless statements that he threw about constantly.

As tight as we can be, I doubt we're unwilling to spend good money on a right back, given how much we spent on Jullien. Time to get a grip and sign one. It's getting to the stage where we could be looking at two years without CL football because we've failed to address that position in consecutive summers.

 

I don't know what else you expect Lennon to do? He's mentioned what he wants in more or less every interview, it's down to our CEO to get deals over the line.

The rat was blamed because his recruitment was atrocious, he stated that he "got everything that he wanted" in a January transfer window that involved Jack Hendry, Marvin Compper, Musonda and Bain. When you make statements like that and they bomb as badly as they did or are nowhere to be seen without an actual explanation then of course he should burden the blame.

Lennon wasn't a popular appointment in some quarters, given the timing of the annoucement after the Treble Treble it shows the board were very well aware of that. In light of that it's important that we give the guy the best chance to succeed having shouldered the responsibility of bringing the 9 and hopefully 10. Our current sluggish attitude to bringing in the players that he needs is not doing that.

 

Entitled panty wetter

 

Like Jullien aye?

 

I expect him to get a right back signed.

I didn't say Rodgers shouldn't be blamed at all. He should and he was. He was blamed, along with Lawwell, for not addressing the right back and centre back positions. And so, yes Lawwell is at fault this window, but so is Lenny. The whole club is.

I think it's too easy to say "well Lenny has identified players, it's up to Lawwell to secure them". Maybe he's identifying players in the wrong market? Stacey, Smith and Baldock have been the 3 most serious rumours this window in terms of right backs. 3 players from England who will be overpriced/have other offers from England. Lenny would have had a say in the appointment of Hammond, just like Rodgers got Congerton. They can't be blameless.

Said it umpteen times but there's plenty of right backs out there who we can afford and I'm sure would jump at the chance to join us.

 

You've made quite a lot of assumptions there.

Both Stacey and Smith were certainly within budget for a transfer fee (£4 million), we'll never know whether they were within our wage budget as we didn't get the opportunity to speak to them as we never had an offer accepted. Once we had our opening bids rejected we should have looked to increase our offer if we thought they were worth it or realised a huge discrepancy between our valuations & moved on quickly to the next target.

This game of long protracted transfers was here before Lennon arrived, it's tiresome. Particularly on the back of one of the worst transfer windows in memory last year.

The 2nd assumption is that Lennon had a hand in the recruitment of Hammond, given they've never worked together what knowledge would Lennon have of him? The rat was able to demand Congerton and his own coaching & medical team as he had much more clout and was in a far stronger negotiating position to demand it.

I agree with your last point, there are plenty of RBs within our transfer budget of £2-5 million and £10-25k per week that would jump at the chance to play for us. It's an indictment on our recruitment strategy that we've failed to find them given the notice we've had.

 

We won't agree here, it seems.

The manager is in charge of the playing squad. We're now on the eve of the second qualifying round and we still haven't signed a right back. He clearly has to take some of the blame. I'm sure if his name wasn't Neil Lennon, you would agree.

 

Perhaps if you start the analysis clock at the 11th June 2019.

Given that we have the benefit of hindsight and have seen a pattern emerging from our recruitment strategy going back to MoN, I think the blame lies with 1 man.

By all accounts we have identified 5 RBs: Justin, Stacey, Smith, Baldock, Ankersen. Are we saying that none of those are within our transfer and wage budget?

I think it's likely we were unwilling to pay the amounts requested rather than incapable.

Bar calling Lawwell a tight-fisted basturt I don't know what else Lennon can do. He's made it public he wanted 2 RBs in a few weeks back. Our new permanent manager should not have to shame our CEO into backing with the players that he needs, wants and deserves.

 

Justin
Stacey
Smith

All ended up going to epl/championship prefer to stay down south.

Ankersen apparently asked for £20k a week plus

Baldock I still think something will happen with him either cash or a swap with Sinclair closer to end of English window.

 

Not a peep on the 2014/15 defence.
Debut season Gordon >> Bain
Peak Lustig > Anyone we can realistically get at this point.
VVD >>> Ajer
Denayer = Julien unproven right now but could equal/surpass him.
Izzy <<KT/Boli

Scored over 20 goals betweeen them aswell.

 

Bain > Gordon
Ajer > Denayer
Jullien < Van Dijk
Tierney > Izzy

 

Bain is not a better goalkeeper than Gordon.

 

Aye, he is.

 

Bain has never been as good as Gordon was that year.
Denayer was as good as either option right now also.

Footballer yes. Goalkeeper currently no. That purple patch Bain had after Christmas till the 2-1 Hun game is firmly finished.

 

That year Gordon was still throwing howlers, look at Inter Milan.

 

It’s all well and good him saying we need players, but it doesn’t achieve anything.

 

He was incredible in the away leg. Biggest reason we got to that stage aswell. Cue the chant in recognition of it when he * it for the 3rd goal at home.

 

Bain is currently better than Gordon and that’s all that matters.