Expensive Bench Warmers

[oedipa]

It's frequently - and rightly - pointed out that we spunked £70m on three bench cushions by the name of Iheanacho, Musa (record signing) and Slimani (record signing). But it isn't the whole story, is it? Throw in Bartosz Kaputska (£7.5m), Andrej Kramaric (£9m - record signing) and Leonardo Ulloa (£8m - record signing), and the price is actually £94million worth of striker who, during their time at LCFC, spent more time on the bench than on the pitch. Can any other clubs match this?

 

This doesn't mean to say they're all bad players either. Slimani's goals got us through the Champions League group stages when teams were dropping deep in fear of Vardy. Putting the ball on his head often seemed like our only hope of scoring. I'd like to see us keep him as a target man, because everybody in Lisbon reckons he's the man when he gets it right.

 

Similarly I don't see what Andrej Kramaric did wrong. He's proven himself with 18 goals last season at Hoffenheim (although the lad takes the worst penalty I've ever seen - have a look at that shocker vs. Liverpool.)

 

Even Musa, I think, is unfairly maligned. He started the first game against Hull on the wing, and was dropped. His confidence is obviously shot to pieces. Why we bought another whippet when we already had Vardy, however, makes no sense to me.

 

Iheanacho is perhaps the biggest mystery. He came from a prestige club, but I'm sure I could score 12 tap-ins over two seasons for Man City.

 

Meanwhile, we were scrabbling around shitty French clubs trying to find a budget replacement for Kante, and having to play Fuchs at centre back.

 

It frustrates me to think what position we could be in if we'd spent the money and the one-off allure of Champions League football to buy players we actually needed, or made an effort to integrate those who we'd already paid for.

 

Anyone disagree?

[purpleronnie]

Don't talk them down, they could help win us the checkatrade trophy.

[Salieri]

We won, we're up to 8th. It's Saturday night, have a few drinks, be happy. 

[Dr The Singh]

This is my dream....

[HighPeakFox]

I get where you're coming from, but nothing frustrates me more than people saying 'if only'. It is what it is.

[Tielemans63]

11 minutes ago, oedipa said:

It's frequently - and rightly - pointed out that we spunked £70m on three bench cushions by the name of Iheanacho, Musa (record signing) and Slimani (record signing). But it isn't the whole story, is it? Throw in Bartosz Kaputska (£7.5m), Andrej Kramaric (£9m - record signing) and Leonardo Ulloa (£8m - record signing), and the price is actually £94million worth of striker who, during their time at LCFC, spent more time on the bench than on the pitch. Can any other clubs match this?

 

This doesn't mean to say they're all bad players either. Slimani's goals got us through the Champions League group stages when teams were dropping deep in fear of Vardy. Putting the ball on his head often seemed like our only hope of scoring. I'd like to see us keep him as a target man, because everybody in Lisbon reckons he's the man when he gets it right.

 

Similarly I don't see what Andrej Kramaric did wrong. He's proven himself with 18 goals last season at Hoffenheim (although the lad takes the worst penalty I've ever seen - have a look at that shocker vs. Liverpool.)

 

Even Musa, I think, is unfairly maligned. He started the first game against Hull on the wing, and was dropped. His confidence is obviously shot to pieces. Why we bought another whippet when we already had Vardy, however, makes no sense to me.

 

Iheanacho is perhaps the biggest mystery. He came from a prestige club, but I'm sure I could score 12 tap-ins over two seasons for Man City.

 

Take your point but a huge factor in all of this is Vardy's continued brilliance ably supported by the mighty Shinji. Not many could bring what they do let alone replace them.

Edited 9 December 2017 by Paddy.

[Guest seanfox778]

I think Musa could be dangerous (to the crowd ) in the Vardy role, maybe he was bought in the event Vardy left that summer but still a waste of money. I’d like to see him at another team with regular game time to see what he’s really capable of just because we will never see it here and it’d be interesting to know. 

[StriderHiryu]

Our signings last summer were awful. A complete waste of money. Slimani was OK but I don’t understand why he was brought in. Not a Shinji replacement and we didn’t rotate Vardy. 

 

Imagine if we had signed Ndidi, Iborra and Maguire last year! Then with the amount of games we had we’d have a great squad. 

 

Anyway point is a lot of those signings weren’t great. Iheanacho is the odd one. Shakey obviously wanted him and Vardy as a pair but I think he’s another 9 and not a support striker. 

[Captain...]

It is what it is and we spent money, as we should, but not always wisely. I have no problem with the owners spending the big bucks on players that they think will drive us forwards, even when it doesn’t work out. One thing I will agree with is why we didn’t buy a right full back when we throwing cash at forwards when we actually have enough.

[Chico1958]

If you want the best from your team, the players need to see their potential replacements on the bench.

 

I give you Fuchs and Chilwell.......... It's called Incentive  

 

[Gerard]

If you didn't laugh you'd cry but today we played Vardy, Okazaki and Ulloa.

 

Iheanacho an unused substitute and Slimani and Musa didn't make the bench. 

 

Hopefully Puel will be sorting out the wheat from the chaff in the January transfer window.

[fazzyfox]

Ulloa's contribution in his first two seasons was worth the transfer money, whether he's now worth his ongoing wages is another matter but I believe he can still affect games. Musa has shown some very strange decision making in games such as not opting to take on players on the edge of the box where his pace would get him past yet trying tricks and backheels on the halfway line.

 

It is a strange feeling when previous record signings are often not even making the bench but we're currently injury free up front (Slimani ?), two injuries or suspensions during the Christmas period and we'll be glad to have them all around.

 

I'm also a believer in the theory that they keep pressure on those who do have a place in the 18.

 

Whilst we're doing well I don't mind who's not involved, if we were on a poor run it's another matter. 

 

Perhaps now that Gray is playing as a second striker we could afford to offset a lopsided situation by selling one and investing in a second right back.

 

You could say that we've tried three times (Musa, Slimani and Iheanacho) to improve upon Shinji up front but find ourselves this far down the track with Gray or Shinji back in the role so it's therefore a waste but if it's made Shinji raise his game and Gray's positional switch has been an unexpected bonus then it's seen us come out of it well. 

 

For what they cost Iheanacho and Slimani would be the "main man" at several other Premier League clubs but while we're winning the fact that they're being kept out by a signing from non-league, a winger and a freak of nature ball of energy makes it look more uneven on a spreadsheet than it does on the pitch.

[ALC Fox]

They can't force out a £1m signing from Fleetwood who, incidentally, is still so incredibly underrated by many.

 

I think Vardy can adapt to any style of play or step up in quality given time. He looks a little isolated currently but I don't think it'll be long before he's playing in a slighlty more intelligently and thriving in this new system of Puel's.

 

The rest of the strikers need to play catch-up or they just won't play. Of the non-regular strikers, I personally think only Iheanacho potentially has a future at this club.

[oedipa]

Looks a bit ominous for Adrien Silva doesn't it. Given how things work down there, Andy King's going to be a hard man to dislodge from the matchday squad.

 

 

[StriderHiryu]

2 hours ago, fazzyfox said:

 

 

For what they cost Iheanacho and Slimani would be the "main man" at several other Premier League clubs but while we're winning the fact that they're being kept out by a signing from non-league, a winger and a freak of nature ball of energy makes it look more uneven on a spreadsheet than it does on the pitch.

This is why I love this team! Their mental strength is incredible. 

[Aus Fox]

11 hours ago, oedipa said:

It's frequently - and rightly - pointed out that we spunked £70m on three bench cushions by the name of Iheanacho, Musa (record signing) and Slimani (record signing). But it isn't the whole story, is it? Throw in Bartosz Kaputska (£7.5m), Andrej Kramaric (£9m - record signing) and Leonardo Ulloa (£8m - record signing), and the price is actually £94million worth of striker who, during their time at LCFC, spent more time on the bench than on the pitch. Can any other clubs match this?

 

This doesn't mean to say they're all bad players either. Slimani's goals got us through the Champions League group stages when teams were dropping deep in fear of Vardy. Putting the ball on his head often seemed like our only hope of scoring. I'd like to see us keep him as a target man, because everybody in Lisbon reckons he's the man when he gets it right.

 

Similarly I don't see what Andrej Kramaric did wrong. He's proven himself with 18 goals last season at Hoffenheim (although the lad takes the worst penalty I've ever seen - have a look at that shocker vs. Liverpool.)

 

Even Musa, I think, is unfairly maligned. He started the first game against Hull on the wing, and was dropped. His confidence is obviously shot to pieces. Why we bought another whippet when we already had Vardy, however, makes no sense to me.

 

Iheanacho is perhaps the biggest mystery. He came from a prestige club, but I'm sure I could score 12 tap-ins over two seasons for Man City.

 

Meanwhile, we were scrabbling around shitty French clubs trying to find a budget replacement for Kante, and having to play Fuchs at centre back.

 

It frustrates me to think what position we could be in if we'd spent the money and the one-off allure of Champions League football to buy players we actually needed, or made an effort to integrate those who we'd already paid for.

 

Anyone disagree?

£94 million, no matter how we invested it I don't think we'd be too much better off than we are now.

I mean we could have got

1 Paul Pogba

A Lukaku and a Nathan Ake

or how about a John Stones and a     Sigurdsson.

 

£100 million is a drop in the ocean to the top 4 clubs.

Right now we are 8th playing good football (at times) and looking like if we keep it up possibly trying to challenge for 6th/7th.

Which realistically is the best we are going to do consistently, without huge investments.

[FoxyPalace.com]

Ulloa - SELL

 

Slimani - SELL

 

Nacho - KEEP

 

Musa - SELL

 

 

[HighPeakFox]

3 minutes ago, FoxyPalace.com said:

Ulloa - SELL

 

Slimani - SELL

 

Nacho - KEEP

 

Musa - SELL

 

 

Not sure this is a very catchy song...

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

Leo kept the ball in the corner very well yesterday,  for that alone worth every penny.

[hackenbacker]

Sure alota cash BUT we we bought Mahrez (aka the blonde bomber) for $400K, Kante $5m, Vardy $1m, Fuchs for free, even Magilla Gorilla (Maguire) is looking a bit of a bargain so in the words of the "King" (Elvis not Andy) "easy come, easy go"

 

Thank ya Thank ya very much!

 

[Guest Col city fan]

Is Slim injured?

Seeing Leo coming on yesterday was interesting...

[Guest Col city fan]

49 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

Not sure this is a very catchy song...

I don't know? 

You could time it to the Icelandic clap thing?

Leo.......SELL (clap)

Etc....

[HighPeakFox]

2 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

Is Slim injured?

Seeing Leo coming on yesterday was interesting...

My guess is he's on the (naughty) transfer step...

[Hirsty The Blue 94]

Not sure how Ulloa can be described as an expensive bench warmer, his goals to keep us up, and then to win us the league paid his transfer fee back 10 times over. Think it's fairly obvious with his lack of inclusion that Slim is on his way, as is Musa.

[Finn Claw II]

Ulloa has done his job for us.  Never should have been offered a new contract.

 

slimani will score goals for a team that plays to his strengths.  His record for us is pretty decent

 

Nacho is a funny one,  he has plenty of time to develop but needs game time.