Premiership 2015/2016

[budgetmeansbudget]

Grabben has resigned.

Not as keen on this signing, but maybe one or two will be leaving, and better to get deals done at the beginning of January than in a rush at the end.

Pretty crazy signing that. Sell him at the top of his game for 3 million, resign for a reported 7-9 million after he hasnt even played that much. Big risk that.... especially as it seems he was a bad influence at Norwich, always clashing with Neil.

Sold him in the Championship. Since then he has helped Norwich get promotion to the Premier League. Would be tough to get a player like that on the contract he's on for much less than we paid for him. Plus no one knows what clauses were contained in his Norwich contract.

I'm not over keen on the signing, but I have a feeling he fits our style of play better, and will be busting his ass to prove Norwich wrong by not playing him and then ultimately letting him go. We shall see.

[budgetmeansbudget]

One thing is clear though.... if Howe can spend 40 million on the Championship winners and still falls below Norwich at the end of the year, then Alex Neil will be a hotter property on the managers market.

I really like Neil a lot. He will manage a Champions League team in his career, got a strong idea of how he likes to play, hasnt wasted a penny of money in desperation, has essentially broke even on his transfers this year (leaving Norwich in a great financial state if they go down), and more than anything has the character of a top manager.

He is also bleeding every bit of talent out of one of the most underwhelming squads in Premier League history

By 'has the character of a top manager' you mean he's a moaning miserable git and Scottish! Obviously I disagree totally with what you say, and believe that Eddie Howe will ultimately be a bigger manager than Neil, sadly his talents will be put to use by a bigger club some day.

[Alviro Patterson]

Bournemouth spending more money on players than Norwich is expected. Alex Neil has the benefit of inheriting a settled Norwich squad, which has yo-yoed between the top two tiers. Eddie Howe has had to continually enhance Bournemouth's squad due to their rise in the league pyramid, but has a more proven record when it comes to player recruitment.

[sussexpob]

Bournemouth spending more money on players than Norwich is expected. Alex Neil has the benefit of inheriting a settled Norwich squad, which has yo-yoed between the top two tiers. Eddie Howe has had to continually enhance Bournemouth's squad due to their rise in the league pyramid, but has a more proven record when it comes to player recruitment.

Not sure of your definition of a settled squad. How many of the players that Norwich signed in the Premier League side made it to Neil or are still there?

John Ruddy? Wasnt he injured for most of that season?
Bassong..... was at loan at Watford
Jonny Howson
Steve Whitaker... was not a first team regular under Houghton or Adams
Wes Hoolahan.... had hardly played under Houghton or Adams
Nathan Redmond.... a teenager

The core of this settled squad lost 8 or 9 of their last Premier League games before being relegated, and were in mid table nothingness with the playoffs almost an impossibility before he came in and won something ridiculous like 60 points in half a season to get them to third, then school M'Boro in the Playoff final. Norwich's squad has changed a lot more than Bournemouths in the last two years.

[Aidan11]

Newcastle were two down but they've pulled it level.

[Gingerfinch]

Great hit from Rooney.

[sussexpob]

I mean, lets not bash on Howe because I will salute the job he has done at Bournemouth, but lets also not lose reality of this season in context.

If Howe gets Bournemouth relegated, we cant keep playing the violin and banging on a bout taking a small team with no money and no resources to the big boy league.... his side in comparison man for man to a Norwich, I guess, would probably be double the cost of Norwch's, Norwich have a basically net spend of zero this year, building on a squad that has lost all of the players they bought. They are rag and bones.... Howe has spent over 40 million!!!

[budgetmeansbudget]

What a waste of money!

[sussexpob]

What a waste of money!

?

[budgetmeansbudget]

What a waste of money!

?

The new signings.

[sussexpob]

Well I dont want to keep beating up on Howe and Bournemouth; I dont want to ssip you off as its not my intention, and you have to give them some time to gel and get used to the Prem.....

But it does seem that Bournemouth have signed a load of forwards who reek of Championship football..... Josh King, what I have seen of Afobe, Glenn Murray, Rantie, Grabban, Kermogant, Tomlin. They arent bad players at all, someone like Tomlin has always impressed me, if I could forgive Murray for signing for Palace I could be positive about that scumbag, Kermogant is a decent player as long as kept away from the penalty spot..... You do feel they needed to maybe invest in other areas though.

On a positive, Iturbe is a name on paper that has the potential to be an important player in the latter half of the season if they can get the best out of him. He was hot property before going to Roma.

[Alviro Patterson]

Bournemouth spending more money on players than Norwich is expected. Alex Neil has the benefit of inheriting a settled Norwich squad, which has yo-yoed between the top two tiers. Eddie Howe has had to continually enhance Bournemouth's squad due to their rise in the league pyramid, but has a more proven record when it comes to player recruitment.

Not sure of your definition of a settled squad. How many of the players that Norwich signed in the Premier League side made it to Neil or are still there?

John Ruddy? Wasnt he injured for most of that season?
Bassong..... was at loan at Watford
Jonny Howson
Steve Whitaker... was not a first team regular under Houghton or Adams
Wes Hoolahan.... had hardly played under Houghton or Adams
Nathan Redmond.... a teenager

The core of this settled squad lost 8 or 9 of their last Premier League games before being relegated, and were in mid table nothingness with the playoffs almost an impossibility before he came in and won something ridiculous like 60 points in half a season to get them to third, then school M'Boro in the Playoff final. Norwich's squad has changed a lot more than Bournemouths in the last two years.

You can add Russell Martin (since 2010), Alex Tettey and Ryan Bennett (2012), Martin Olsson (2013) to the list. Followed bt Cameron Jerome and Gary O'Neil in August 2014. Most of these players are first team regulars, which is at least a strong nucleus.

[budgetmeansbudget]

I don't want to keep beating up on Howe and Bournemouth, but I will anyway!

I was jesting about the new signings, can't judge after five games, let alone one

I didn't expect much from the game last night, West Ham are a damn good away side, and we traditionally don't play well midweek.

I'm concerned about down to the bare bones Norwich on Saturday as we don't have a good record against them. They beat us at Dean Court last season after being down to 10 men for most of the second half.

21 points from 21 games is still roughly on course for our target of 40 from 38, although in this strange season of results it may not be enough.

[sussexpob]

I'm concerned about down to the bare bones Norwich on Saturday as we don't have a good record against them. They beat us at Dean Court last season after being down to 10 men for most of the second half

That was Neil's first match in charge..... or it wasnt supposed to be. He had apparently gone down with the team to sign his contract and was supposed to be a distant observer.... then after witnessing them being rubbish for 45 minutes, broke down the doors of the dressing room and read them the riot act before taking his place on the touchline.

How can you not like the bloke!

[sussexpob]

21 points from 21 games is still roughly on course for our target of 40 from 38, although in this strange season of results it may not be enough.

I remember the 2013 end to the Championship season, where something like 6 or 7 teams on the last day were in the 22nd spot for relegation..... like musical chairs, Peterborough conceded to Crystal Palace in the 90th minute, and the only team out the battle that hadnt been there all day dropped down when the music stopped (also I think Huddersfield scored a goal at the same time against another team, but cant remember which).

I think by memory them and Wolves had between 55-60 points and still got relegated. It must have been the most ever by miles! 40 points is usually safety or damn close, but as you say, this year it might not cut the mustard.