Towards the end of City’s humiliating defeat at Hillsborough on the last day of the season, a group of lads in the away end attempted to start up a chant of “We want Webber out”.
I’m pleased to say that no-one joined in and a number of people did take the trouble to point out that it wasn’t, in fact, the club’s sporting director who had failed to perform on the pitch.
However, it’s fair to say that are still many people for whom the jury is still out on Stuart Webber, and not just the small minority for whom the club’s failure and resultant chance to say “I told you so” is much more attractive than any sort of resurgence under Daniel Farke.
As has been pointed out elsewhere, his signings haven’t always come off, with Marley Watkins (interestingly brought in before Farke and clearly incapable of adapting to the German’s system despite a good track record elsewhere) Marcel Franke and James Husband the prime examples.
While I would challenge anyone to show me a sporting director or head of recruitment with a 100 per cent success record, the fact that Watkins was a free agent and Husband and Franke cost around £1m each meant that very little damage was done to the club’s financial position when they failed to produce the goods. It’s hardly on a par with Manchester United spending £90m to watch Paul Pogba strolling disinterestedly through most of his games last season.
However, the smart use of loans to bring in Harrison Reed, Moritz Leitner and Angus Gunn along with the talent spotting that gave us Tom Trybull, Christophe Zimmermann, Mario Vrancic, Grant Hanley and Onel Hernandez suggested that Webber had his ear to the ground and was able to find talent without breaking the bank.
Of course, there will be those who argue that the club were lucky that James Maddison emerged as a star of the future last season and, while that is undeniable, no team can be carried by a single player for any length of time (look at Argentina’s consistent failures despite having Lionel Messi as an example), something that Maddison himself would be the first to admit.
I remember the game at Ashton Gate just after Christmas where Maddison got all the headlines for a brilliant late goal, but City’s win was sealed firstly by a magnificent full body block by Zimmermann and then an incredible double-save by Gunn. And, in terms of influencing the game, there were strong arguments that Vrancic was at least as influential as Maddison in opening up Bristol’s highly-rated defence.
Nevertheless, with Maddison and the mis-firing Josh Murphy sold for big fees the real test for Webber is this next season and so far, on paper at least, he appears to have played a blinder.
With the money for Maddison and Murphy plugging the black hole resulting from the loss of parachute payments, he appears to have got the club back to an even financial keel, which should mean the emphasis will now be on cautious building rather than cost cutting. Let’s not forget, there are still savings to be made with several senior players clearly surplus to requirements and a potential source of fees as well as wage bill savings.
However, it’s the incomings, both in terms of numbers and quality, that have impressed. Getting Leitner on a permanent is a great achievement, as is the acquisition of Felix Passlack – a player that Dortmund rate highly on a season long loan – but the early pre-season games are already suggesting that Kenny McLean might be a fantastic signing, and perhaps the nearest to Maddison in terms of a goal scoring threat from midfield. He is likely to take over as set piece specialist too.
Ben Marshall also comes with glowing reviews, as does Emiliano Buendia – we will all learn more about both in the coming two or three weeks – while Teemu Pukki and Jordan Rhodes are both proven goal scorers and may both prosper in what looks like it might be a more attacking formation, at least if the early warm up games are anything to go by.
What may ultimately prove to be Webber’s biggest legacy, however, is the Academy which is increasingly being stocked with promising players, and also the proactive approach to the development of these young players – with loans to a better standard of football than they would get at under-23 level, not just in the UK, but also on the continent.
Of course, it’s still early days and we can only speculate on how successful the club will be this season, but for the first time in years I can see .
This might just be the start of something rather exciting if Webber is given the time to develop it.
The coming season will need to show good progression on last year. I believe it will. Football fans rightly want to see a winning side on a Saturday and Tuesday, however the Sporting Directors focus cannot be on purely the near term results although ultimately it is the near term that buys the time for the medium and longer term to bear fruit. Given the hand that Webber has had to play he has played a blinder in my opinion. The biggest danger we as a club now face is not financial but the loss of Webber either because he is attracted to a bigger project or he becomes disillusioned by a lack of support from the fan base.
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If he becomes disillusioned, it’s because he has given nothing for the fans to support him for and will, therefore, have failed. It doesn’t take a genius to realise what you said makes absolutely no sense.
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It is what you have written that makes no sense, as usual, Jeff.. Andy D sets out a well-reasoned argument, one with which I happen to agree.
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Interesting read. It’s very early days to have any preconceptions about how this squad will gel together.
I am hoping Rhodes will find some form next season because as much as some fans moaned & groaned about last season’s home form the stats show we were creating plenty of goal scoring opportunities we just lacked a clinical finisher..
Obviously the loss of Madison & Murphy is significant, a lot rides on Rhodes & others replacing their goals. As a slight aside I think the club owes Neil Adams a big thank you for spotting the young Madison at Coventry without the fee from his recent sale where would the NCFC coffers be?!!
I was at Lincoln on Tuesday evening and with the caveat of this only being the 2nd game of preseason against league 2 opposition there’s plenty to be optimistic about, all of the new players you have mentioned look good acquisitions. Not sure about Pukki yet could end up a Naismith downgrade we’ll see!!
The second half they were moving the ball from back to front much quicker with some good forward incisive passing much better than the half paced sideways football we saw last season. A special mention to Louis Thompson I really hope he can stay fit it’s been a hell of a journey for him to get back on the pitch but I think we have a ‘player’ there hope DF gives him a chance.
Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing how phase 2 of the webberlution plays out,
OTBC
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Rhodes has been awful & injured the last few seasons, so let’s hope he has a miraculous upturn. The mood of the Ipswich fans is always a good gauge, and they could not care less.
Whatever happens though, we have placed all our goalscoring eggs in one questionably lavish basket (like the paper one my son brough home from school at Easter that snapped when I used it for it’s intended purpose) once again. It will be groundhog day all over again.
Things must improve fast at the beginning of the season, that is the one thing that cannot be ignored.
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The Ipswich fans I’ve heard are very agitated about it indeed.
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It’s easy to forget that the transition was always going to take at least two, possibly three, summer transfer windows to complete – hardly surprising given the starting point and, if you think about it, that we typically sign players on three year contracts.
This is now starting to feel like a Webber / Farke squad, players they want, rather than inherited. This was reinforced by Daniel’s post match comments after Crawley about the squad being much further down the track in pre-season, compared to a year ago.
Early days, but I’m hugely encouraged by progress to date.
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City is the most frustrating club, it’s been an incubator for plays bring them to a useful maturity then bang their sold! Cash for who? not the supporters? So we permanently tread water! Is this what the supporters won’t? Russell
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I particularly like the Academy developments and the clever use of the loan system. Talking of loans it seems Pierre Fonkeu has not joined the under 23s in Germany and I hope he also is off somewhere for further development. He seemed to me to be better than Abrahams last season.
Another missing name was Louis McIntosh. Is he injured again? (Was not included in the released list.)
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Good observations, Robin.
Perhaps the most striking development of this summer is the increase in competition for places. Maddison is a loss, of course, but apart from him and the two loanees (who may yet be replaced), Josh Murphy is the only real first XI candidate we’ve lost.
On the other side of the scale, we’ve added or brought back eight or nine genuine contenders for starting places: Buendia, Marshall, Pukki, Rhodes, Passlack, McLean, Matthews, Godfrey, Thompson. And we may not be finished yet.
The squad looks clearly stronger than a year ago.
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I think we are in a good place. The squad looks strong in all areas – it’s just a case of getting them to play, which is down to the manager and coaches.
I’m not expecting promotion, but if we are not threatening the playoffs most of the season and playing some decent attacking football I will be disappointed. Tettey’s absence from the German tour is a concern – hopefully Godfrey will step up.
Personally, I’d have kept Hoolahan on as a player-coach to give us a creative option off the bench, but hopefully we have enough.
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Hoping to see progression from last season, but not expecting play offs, but think we have an outside chance, 7th to 10th more likely. Will be great next season to get many of the high earners off the books!
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I am not a fan who is expecting promotion by the end of this season, but I do expect us to be much nearer to that chance, at least a top ten spot.
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Hi Robin as usual a good informative article.
A short while ago I posed the question about possible sell on clause for Gunn Jr I have now read via vital sport and a couple of other websites that the total was £2.5/3.5m and could be more depending on Man Cities add ons, It has also been reported that the complete fee has gone towards securing the loan of Jordan Rhodes for a season that IMHO is one heck of a commitment for a player that could turn out to have lost his scoring mojo.
Pukki is a no win situation got for free and could turn out as another Watkins but has something to prove after being written off by Celtic and we could possibly get £1m at the end of the season if it doesn’t wirkout.
Leitner was always a possible signing he was reported as saying he wanted to come back and if Aldsburgh wanted him they wouldn’t have loaned him out last season, and Farke was quoted as saying he hoped something could be done.
Mclean a good buy and the new loanee left back on utube looks an exciting addition.
I would still like another striker and goalkeeper but that just might turn out to be wishful thinking and the club might need to keep a bit in reserve for the January window, but loans are possible till end of August.
I can still see 3 or 4 leaving
1) Martin on loan to a lower league club
2) Oliveria to be sold a few clubs interested but could be a late move
4) Pinto maybe to a German club
Klose is the conundrum out of contract bext summer and it depends if we are still Championship or Premiership. If it is still Championship will he take a drop in wages IMHO no he will get more elsewhere, will city get an offer from a relegated club this season Stoke, WBA have been interested in the past.
If he stay he will walk free next sumner unless there is an years option.
Roll on the new season
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A good summary Robin. It is difficult to fault what Webber has done in this window. We will not know until a ball is kicked a few times in anger. He has surely done his bit well so far in getting players both in and out. More outs to follow i expect and maybe one more in.
It is now over to Farke to create a team that can show improvements in results and entertainment from last year.We seem to have a squad full of promise and technical ability, the fascination is where that will take us.
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I agree with you Robin i feel optimistic for the coming season i wonder how many Villa fans feel the same.
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You lost me at “misfiring josh Murphy”.
Second highest scorer for the team, started more games than the injury prone Leitner, Trybull, Hernandez, and MIA Raggett combined. Yet those are all deemed successful
Peculiar.
I’m not suggesting those are bad signings, although I am concerned we’ve signed some sick notes. Just that the bias is clear.
Also FWIW you can thrown in Franke and Srenby into that equation and you would only just get one seasons worth of games out of the lot of them (48 starts , I think, from flicking tabs on my mobile)
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I defy anyone who watched us regularly last season to say that Josh Murphy’s contribution was anything other than disappointing. To get £11m for him was outstanding business.
Yes, Hernandez picked up an injury after joining us last season. Your designation of him as a “sick note” suggests a more regular proneness to injury – not sure how you can interpret his 200 league appearances by the age of 25 as much evidence for that.
Still, nice that you haven’t lost your touch and still find ways to rubbish our players and business. Perhaps the team and club will fail and you’ll be vindicated; perhaps not.
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We have to remember that, in his first full season in the first team, Josh was playing alongside the most selfish striker I have ever seen in a Norwich shirt. We will never know how much more he could have achieved if he had received support on the lines that Grant Holt provided to Chris Martin.
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