Us MFW folks thought this might be a good time to evaluate our summer signings and I drew the short straw…
To kick things off, Ibrahim Amadou and Sam Byram became Heroes, even just for one day. Any Bowie fans [I’m one too] can wait until the end of this article for a link* – I bet most of us have got it already anyway.
Injuries to Max Aarons and Christoph Zimmermann thrust them both into the Carra cauldron against, of all teams, Manchester City.
Both were exemplary, as was the entire Norwich City squad that unforgettable day.
Amadou was playing out of position at centre-back which wasn’t such an issue against Citeh, who are hardly lump-it-up merchants and he acquitted himself very well indeed
Byram was a revelation, fulfilling the Aarons role with tenacity and skill. Not much chance to overlap Emi in that game though so we don’t truly yet know what he can offer in the wing-back role.
They were both selected because of aforementioned injuries to Max and Zimbo, which simply goes to show how much Daniel Farke trusts the squad that got us so splendidly promoted.
So how have they fared since that glorious day?
Amadou is continuing as centre-back and is looking more vulnerable by the day. It’s not his natural position as both Burnley and now Palace have exposed. He gets drawn wide too easily but a midfielder would, wouldn’t he?
Get him in defensive midfield alongside Mo Leitner or Mario Vrancic pronto please, Herr Farke. Grant Hanley fills in at the back. Whatever your opinion of Hanley, we have literally nobody else.
I feel sorry for Byram. As soon as Max returns earlier than expected from injury he is binned off. A very hard call for Farke to make and I respect his decision but I would nevertheless question if it was the right one.
Farke’s faith in the squad that got us promoted is admirable.
Sure, we haven’t spent any money but we don’t want any more Naismiths, RvWs or Wildschutts, so I’m cool with that.
This policy has been forced on Daniel and it’s obvious he would have liked to splash a little cash [he’s said so himself], but his hands were tied, he accepted that and signed up for another three years. Good.
Ralf Fahrmann? Well, he’s played 23 Premier League minutes for us and fielding him against Palace looks like a mistake to me. A rumoured £2.7 million for a single loan season from Schalke. He’s been very unfortunate with a groin injury but seemed to be pushing Tim Krul, so we might yet get some value from him. I dunno to be honest.
Patrick Roberts must be wondering why he ever joined us. No game time, no chance to show what he might be able to contribute. A couple of Bhoys fans I know still love him and would have him back in a shot but he’s going nowhere with us at the moment.
Josip Drmic??? – So far he looks more akin to an Antoine Sibierski type signing to me. A bit cruel because he hardly features but I don’t see much there, I really don’t.
So it’s over to Farke and the old [not in years] promotion squad.
I have to say I’ve been more excited by the arrival of under-23 recruits such as Daniel Adshead from Rochdale than most of this lot. Senior signings in the summer? I’d rate the bunch as five out of ten collectively.
But thank the Lord we didn’t spend very much on them.
It’s still early days in the season, folks.
* Heroes is available here. I’m sure we’re gonna need some!
That seems very fair Mr P,
Roberts one really frustrates me, I wonder of the loan deal will see the season through, if not I would not surprised one iota.
Dr Mic as I have come to call him. He reminded me a little bit of a headless chicken, I sincerely hope he was not a first on the target list . Even the guy we are supposed to made a late hour bid, has not rip up any weeds where he ended up choosing.
Hard to say much about Fahrmann, whether he or his agent expected more, but Krul was very good prior to injury. Still as you say time still left .
To be honest I would bring one of the u23 boys into the squad, get them use to it, as they are not as a team doing great things
Hi Lad
The trouble with Paddy Roberts is that if Farke persists with Emi and Cantwell [and I can largely understand why he would] where would Roberts fit in?
And when Hernandez returns that would surely limit his chances even more.
Both the player and Manchester City must have realised that game time would be limited when we acquired him.
My Celtic friends reckon Roberts is far too good for our bench, but like all of us I’ve seen hardly anything of him “in the flesh” so can’t really judge.
But why he doesn’t get on around the 65 minute mark when we’re chasing a game I simply cannot comprehend.
As for the under-23s, Adam Idah has already moved into the senior squad and keeper Archie Mair may be forced into some form of action on Saturday, even if it’s only during the warm-up with Michael McGovern..
The pick of that crop is already out on loan elsewhere so I don’t visualise much coming from that quarter.
Thanks as ever.
?would these be the same “Celtic friends” who don’t rate pukki Martin?
Ha!
No they’re a couple of guys I used to see when I worked at Cumbernauld just outside Glasgow occasionally about 20 years ago and we keep in touch every now and again.
I’m Celtic too and we get on to this day.
Niall reckons Teemu just didn’t fit in with the way the Bhoys played a few years ago but he is surprised at his success with us and that’s for sure. He reckons Pukki was a bit lightweight for the SPL at the time but I can’t judge on that as I’ve only physically been to three games north of the border, two at Celtic Park and one at Ibrox – not an old firm derby, Raith Rovers in a SFA Cup replay I think.
I didn’t pay for my ticket for any of them.
It’s not what you know…..
Bit downbeat there Mr P, not so long ago you were sure “we’ll be fine this season”…. !
Hi Dan
Yes hands up to that comment and I still largely agree with it to this day – but what puts it a little out of kilter for me is the injury list with very few of them returning soon.
That’s what makes me a bit downbeat – mind you I shouldn’t be thinking of “what might have been” in the first week of October, of course.
Nevertheless I remain underwhelmed with the summer recruitment. To me the only one we actually paid a fee for [Byram] remains the best.
Thank you as always.
I would include Amadou with Byram Martin, superb against Manchester city whilst playing out of position. I’m desperate to see his agility, strength and physicality implanted into our failing midfield ASAP.
Yeah Chris the midfield is “a little lacking” just now.
That’s why Amadou should be right in there, as most of us would surely agree. He’s no Mulumbu – he has class and a fair modicum of skill.
Sorry Mayor Kenny but I’d pair him with Mo Leitner.
If it means the return of Hanley [buoyed by an international call-up] so be it.
But that’s all up to DF of course.
A pretty accurate summary Martin and I’m sure we’re not alone in thinking that Byram had a ‘raw deal’ when Max was declared fit for the trip to Selhurst Park. Yes please to Hanley’s return and I’ve seen several suggesting that Roberts steps in for Cantwell.
The sooner we see Matron (as Andy Head refers to the Physios) less busy the better and it would be great to see either/both Hernandez/Zimmerman return before the run of games around Xmas.
Hi Ed
It does seem possible that Onel might be this year’s Christmas present in terms of a return but Zimbo I am less sure of.
We have to read between the lines because none of us has a hotline to Colney!
We need both of them back asap and that’s for sure.
And Hanley as we’ve both said.
Thank you.
Marty ole pal, I thought I was supposed to be the miserable old git, but at the mo your cup doth not runneth over. The newbies really need time to bed in and Danny is as much a newby as anyone in the Prem. Add to that the awful injury list and our boys must be wondering what’s going on. From your tone you seem to be saying it’s too early and the circumstances are too difficult to make a fair assessment and that I would agree with. The happy clappys need to jolly us along.
Hiya Cutty
Actually I’m only truly down about the injury roster. I cannot recall anything like it tbh.
Sure the new lads need time to bed in and I appreciate that, but as I said to Dan above, only Sam Byram has made a discernible impact and then he gets dropped. As good as Max Aarons undoubtedly is it’s nevertheless a Farke decision I question.
Maybe we’ll see further benefits from the other four recruits, but I guess it’s a case of who would you bench for them just now?
Stiepermann would be an obvious choice but who then would give us the gift of physical stature in the final third?
It’s a conundrum, as they say on the TV.
Cheers mate.
An honest assessment Martin. Your closing line is quite telling. “We didn’t spend very much on them”.
Expecting the recruitment staff to unearth a pukki or Vrancic for spare change every season is not viable or possible. A relatively modest outlay by premier league standards would have strengthened a decent squad sufficiently to take full advantage of the weakness of four or five sides in the league.
Once again I must agree.
I don’t know exactly who you refer to in terms of “four/five weak sides” but mine would be Watford, Newcastle, Brighton and Sheff United, despite the latter’s spirited start.
I’d lump in either Southampton or Villa for the fifth – but that’s just me.
Pre-season I’d have gone for Bournemouth too but they’re running like a train on good rails and I no longer expect them to fail. And we could have signed Callum Wilson!
I’m on [unfortunate] record as saying we didn’t need a CB signing.
After the injuries to Klose and Zimbo, more fool me.
Hi Martin
What a read after last nights result that has left my 3 sons shouting the odds that Lewis needs to sack Poch and Levy which I can’t see happening very soon.
Your summations on the recruitment sums up what I felt after the kast 2 games but square pegs in round holes seems to be the choice at the moment with all the injuries.
Amadou has had good and bad moments as a make do CB, it must be hard to adapt to a new Club, Team, League, Country, Language and then get thrown into a position you are unfamiliar with so will defer my judgement till he is in his prefered position.
Byram IMHO should have got a second run out, Aarons was never going to turn to first team action after injury but just maybe he wasn’t full fit he just didn’t look his self during the second half.
Byram had more experience for Zaha and later Townsend which could gave helped our novices in defence.
Dymic is as you say a conundrum we were supposed to be interested in many strikers and Rhodes was many’s prefered option, then the last minute dash to Saville (13m) for one who had the courage to admit he wasn’t ready for the premiership.
Dymic had a good record for a couple of season then injury put the breaks on that, but surely when his club didn’t see any improvement in his form and let his contract runout surley city should have wondered why.
Maybe it is me but I don’t want city to get into financial difficulties but just maybe we are being too prudent and spending just a few more shekels might stave off relegation, as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago the free market still has a few good players that would like the chance to prove they can do a job for some club or other will Webber and Farke change their minds to help the squad over a difficult period.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Hi Alex,
One thing’s for sure and that’s that our record against Bayern is vastly superior to Tottenham’s!
I remember you saying Ashley Williams might have been a good shout and I agreed with you. He’s now at Bristol City, I think.
On Saturday I’d go with this line-up (presuming Jamal is out):
McGovern, Byram, Hanley, Godfrey, Aarons, Amadou, Leitner, Buendia, Stiepermann, Roberts, Pukki. Subs A,N Other (probably Archie Mair), Heise, Cantwell, McLean, Adshead, Drmic, Idah.
Hardly an ideal selection I know!
If anybody had said I would be suggesting this matchday squad at any point in the season I would have laughed my socks off.
However almost all of the others should be back for January and I hope that will deter any inflated emergency signings.
With the exception of Timm I can’t immediately recall us buying anybody any good in January.
Thanks a lot.
Dean Ashton
Hi Ben
Yes you’re spot on with that one.
Seems so long ago I’d forgotten!
He so nearly helped us stay up that season.
Thanks.
I agree with the proposal to put Roberts in for Cantwell. It’s been great to see the Dereham lad do so well, but when Roberts came on against Palace I thought he managed to look decent and show some very nice touches in the short time that he had. He needs to have some faith shown in him so he doesn’t start to regret the move.
Around me in the stands everyone seemed to have thought it was Roberts coming on for the first substitution. After seeing Drmic, or rather not seeing him, for about 10 minutes, I was convinced it should have been Roberts coming off the bench first.
Agreed re Amadou too. He should get a proper run in the middle of the park. Hanley should come into a defence that would be better protected with Amadou in front of it.
Hi [again] Ben.
All observations agreed.
I wasn’t there – I’ve never been to Turf Moor but have had the dubious pleasure of two visits to the Reebok to see us soundly beaten by Bolton on both occasions.
For what it’s worth I think I’ve witnessed around three minutes of Drmic and I am not impressed. Go on Finland, drop Teemu, we don’t need any more injuries.
Not really he’s as crucial to his country as he is to us.
Thanks again.