Liam Cullen

[coolhandfox]

8 minutes ago, Lloydy Dyer said:

What is it in particular about this that makes you so negative? Consistently played at a higher level, managers & players all seem to adore him as a character. OK granted Swansea fans are saying he's not particularly good, but what do you expect us to get in L1? We don't seem to have the ability to find a Mahrez-esque steal from other leagues now and are in desperate need of some individuals who change the culture positively so as long as he doesn't cost more than a couple million it feels like a reasonably sensible signing (albeit hardly inspiring)

 

A few things.

 

1) The club needs to be investing any money we have in players with a resale value, only way we survive is to develop and sell. He's 27 average championship player, who has no resale value and will be here for 3 years and leave on a free.

 

2) According to Swansea fans he has no pace and no physicality sometimes we lack.

 

3) He's not an out and out CF, he someone who has play CF and other attacking positions, we already have 2 of those in Chaplin and BCDR.

 

4) He's scored double figures once in 9 season.

Edited 1 hour ago by coolhandfox

[DezFox]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

There's no way Page doesn't get any minutes just cos we sign a player to add depth. Conversely, Page can't go a whole season at his age playing every game... 

I don't expect Page to play every game, and nowhere did my post suggest that.

 

My point is this: doesn't Chaplin play the same role? Doesn't BDC? Isn't Alves naturally at his best in similar areas too? Yes, Liam Cullen is versatile and can play across the front line, but given our current situation I'd rather we spent the money on a position we're desperately short in, rather than one where we already seem to have plenty of options.

 

To me, it feels like an unnecessary signing in our current predicament. We've already a player of a similar profile, yet we're still missing the out-and-out number 9 we've been crying out for.

 

If we'd signed Cullen instead of Chaplin, I'd have no issue with it. I think he's a good player and more than capable at League One level. But signing both feels a bit like the Oliver Skipp situation—adding another player in an area that's already well stocked while more pressing needs remain unaddressed.

 

I also can't imagine Cullen would come cheap for League One. I don't dislike the player, I just don't think it's the right use of our limited budget.
 

 Unless of course, we're confident Page can still get significant minutes and find a way to get him, Alves, Chaplin and Cullen into the same starting XI on a regular basis, that’s all. 
 

The other consideration on my part is that there are suggestions this is a manager signing. I have not quite jumped on board the Russell Martin train. I have serious doubts about any player he trusts, as I think he will stink the place out. We are then stuck with loads of 10’s in a system that is no longer relevant. 
 

 

[RumbleFox]

12 minutes ago, Devonfox1884 said:

I’m getting so bored of the negativity towards absolutely everything. 
 

This in isolation is not a signing to be mad at for the position we find ourselves in. Be angry/frustrated that we are here, absolutely. I know I am. But this signing is certainly not comparable with Ayew/Reid etc and I don’t think one we should be losing our heads over.

 

Let’s get behind him if he comes.

There is such a HUGE difference between the two things you are conflating. No one can be blamed for feeling wary about this type of signing given everything we’ve been put through as fans. I am 100% behind the team. I want us to win and do well as much as anyone on earth. I am also allowed to vent frustrations and air grievances based on empirical evidence over years and years and years. And I say all that was a self proclaimed “happy clapper” for most of my Foxestalk life. 

[kingfox]

15 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

Always worry about utility players who can play several positions.

 

General means they are two shit to hold down a single positions.

Just curious, would you be saying the same if this was Keillor-Dunn on the brink of joining?

[ian__marshall]

2 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

All fair enough, but as i've said we've not spent a penny in 18 months. Are no longer than a year away from fina coal ruin, spending in excess of £200k a week in interest on loans and now up for sale. Whatever plans we have, I question them as I don't trust a single one of them. I'm yet to see anything James McCarron is doing thay suggest there's a big improvement either. Where's his vast experience in Belgium or tapping in to City Group's network in value for money markets like Australia and Japan etc?

 

Seems to me it's been, we all love Brussell since 2023, go along with that and then as Martyn Glover is stuck on solitaire can you just ket Marti  have a few former players please.

Agree with the McCarron comment, hoping it's work in progress and it's next on his to do list. 

 

That comment about Glover brought a smile to my face. @Ric Flair classic! 😂 

[Devonfox1884]

1 minute ago, Ric Flair said:

All fair enough, but as i've said we've not spent a penny in 18 months. Are no longer than a year away from fina coal ruin, spending in excess of £200k a week in interest on loans and now up for sale. Whatever plans we have, I question them as I don't trust a single one of them. I'm yet to see anything James McCarron is doing thay suggest there's a big improvement either. Where's his vast experience in Belgium or tapping in to City Group's network in value for money markets like Australia and Japan etc?

 

Seems to me it's been, we all love Brussell since 2023, go along with that and then as Martyn Glover is stuck on solitaire can you just ket Marti  have a few former players please.

Believe me mate I fully get what you’re saying, I don’t trust them at all either.

 

All I’m trying to get at is that I think the reaction to this potential signing is a a bit disproportionate and stems from the concerns you’ve outlined there among other things rather than looking at the signing in isolation. 

[Ric Flair]

One thing those defending this have not picked up on either is whikst you can point to Cullen having played as a striker a lot but quite a lot of that is in a front two, for example under Martin he'll have played with Piroe.

 

We need an out and out 9, as @CosbehFox has said he's a Okazaki type and i'd imagine Chaplin and even Reid can play that.

 

It's making me ill this is

[Finnegan]

1 hour ago, Aleksz said:

As someone who also watches a lot of Wales, I was eagerly awaiting your input on this one 

 

He is... not amongst my favourite players

 

[DezFox]

2 hours ago, moore_94 said:

I think you are vastly underestimating how many minutes players like Page will get

 

We have minimum 51 games this season and Page has played as both an 8 and a 10 in pre-season so far

If I trusted the club to get players in the positions we need, i probably wouldn’t have the reservations I have now. Maybe it’s a timing thing, after our financial worries and the signing of MacArthy and Chaplin, I would have thought the last thing we need is a number 10.

[coolhandfox]

Just now, kingfox said:

Just curious, would you be saying the same if this was Keillor-Dunn on the brink of joining?

At least he's scored goals, Cullen has hit double figure once in his career.

 

Keillor-Dunn has at least hit double figure 4 or 5 times.

 

Hopefully he's cheap, if we have paid 2 or 3m I will be unhappy.

 

Hopefully I'm wrong.

 

 

[Tommy Fresh]

16 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

No - we are seeing regular posters regularly criticising anything the club does. We should give every signing the opportunity to impress before binning them. 

Is anyone saying they won't give him a chance? (This isn't you with academy lads ) it just seems an odd signing to start dropping actual cash on for the first time in ages

[coolhandfox]

4 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

One thing those defending this have not picked up on either is whikst you can point to Cullen having played as a striker a lot but quite a lot of that is in a front two, for example under Martin he'll have played with Piroe.

 

We need an out and out 9, as @CosbehFox has said he's a Okazaki type and i'd imagine Chaplin and even Reid can play that.

 

It's making me ill this is

Wait until we play him and Chaplin as double 10s, Skipp at 6 and Hamza a RB opening day!.

[StinckleyFox]

2 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

Wait until we play him and Chaplin as double 10s, Skipp at 6 and Hamza a RB opening day!.

Getting upset about what could happen rather than waiting to see what does happen, reeks of insecure girlfriend.

[coolhandfox]

2 minutes ago, StinckleyFox said:

Getting upset about what could happen rather than waiting to see what does happen, reeks of insecure girlfriend.

 

[Stadt]

25 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

What if we get the 4x4 too?

Doesn’t mean the Astra should be bought, especially when the garage door is ****ed 

[DezFox]

2 hours ago, James and his giant peach said:

Page is an 8 how does this signing affect him getting minutes? 

Hopefully not. If we're signing both Chaplin and Liam Cullen, then they both need to be starting regularly. That creates a problem because it either pushes Page or Alves out of the team, or forces one of them to play out of position.

I understand we need depth, but realistically Skipp and BDR are on wages that make them difficult to move on. That means they either end up sitting on the bench earning £40k a week, or someone like Braybrooke misses out on valuable game time.

If I had more confidence in the club's recruitment, I might feel differently. Right now, though, Cullen feels like another player who can do a bit of everything without really improving the first XI. I'd rather we focused on signing genuine upgrades than more players who just fill gaps.

 

also, many of the Swansea fans opinions are not filling me with joy. 

[coolhandfox]

All we can hope for is we got him for a nominal fee.

[Lloydy Dyer]

1 minute ago, DezFox said:

Hopefully not. If we're signing both Chaplin and Liam Cullen, then they both need to be starting regularly. That creates a problem because it either pushes Page or Alves out of the team, or forces one of them to play out of position.

I understand we need depth, but realistically Skipp and BDR are on wages that make them difficult to move on. That means they either end up sitting on the bench earning £40k a week, or someone like Braybrooke misses out on valuable game time.

If I had more confidence in the club's recruitment, I might feel differently. Right now, though, Cullen feels like another player who can do a bit of everything without really improving the first XI. I'd rather we focused on signing genuine upgrades than more players who just fill gaps.

 

also, many of the Swansea fans opinions are not filling me with joy. 

Why do they both have to be starting regularly?

[Tommy G]

10 minutes ago, Tommy Fresh said:

Is anyone saying they won't give him a chance? (This isn't you with academy lads ) it just seems an odd signing to start dropping actual cash on for the first time in ages

I think you’ll find I’ve been very positive about our academy lads, especially Alves and Braybrooke this season. Just because I don’t have an actual obsession with Nelson doesn’t mean I’m not positive about others 

 

Just the usual whinge and whine and negativity - I’m in the trenches with lcfc aswell but we’ve got to try and be positive even before a ball is kicked. 

[Tommy G]

2 minutes ago, DezFox said:

Hopefully not. If we're signing both Chaplin and Liam Cullen, then they both need to be starting regularly. That creates a problem because it either pushes Page or Alves out of the team, or forces one of them to play out of position.

I understand we need depth, but realistically Skipp and BDR are on wages that make them difficult to move on. That means they either end up sitting on the bench earning £40k a week, or someone like Braybrooke misses out on valuable game time.

If I had more confidence in the club's recruitment, I might feel differently. Right now, though, Cullen feels like another player who can do a bit of everything without really improving the first XI. I'd rather we focused on signing genuine upgrades than more players who just fill gaps.

 

also, many of the Swansea fans opinions are not filling me with joy. 

How about Alves and Page fight for their place? No player has a right to a position academy or not, this narrative that we are blocking players is boring, we finally have a manager who seems much more open to playing younger players - let them scrap it out and may the best man win. 

[Ric Flair]

8 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

All we can hope for is we got him for a nominal fee.

We won't have done. We'll have hit a brick wall after Ings and Martin will have panicked them in to getting him a trusty former employee. £3m I reckon.

[coolhandfox]

Just now, Ric Flair said:

We won't have done. We'll have hit a brick wall after Ings and Martin will have panicked them in to getting him a trusty former employee. £3m I reckon.

Makes me sick.

[JonnyBoy]

1 hour ago, GrobyLCFC31 said:

Correct, there’s a tough balance between youth sales and also getting enough results to get back to the championship 

 

If we play 8-9 academy lads that aren’t ready and finish 12th, we’re done. 
 

The likes of Chaplin, Cullen, Adebayo should help us get results, maybe to the detriment of certain youth players ( Evans and Carr are the two that spring to mind for me) but at this moment in time we don’t know if they’re good enough there’s no evidence, with the above stated there is

If Adebayo stays fit and finds some form he is the top goal scorer In league. He bagged a fair few goals in the premier league 

 

big If though 

[Stadt]

Also managers getting signings they really want with no mind to who comes in next us another reason we’re in this mess.

 

Our managers barely last 6 months, spending our seemingly limited money on a player that the next manager might not fancy is daft.

 

The budget has to be spent on long term, high upside players. Again Cullen probably seems fine as an individual player but it’s how it all fits, smacks of poor process.

 

The Skipp deal should have been vetoed because we had no sort of non-attacking, non-defensive midfielders in Soumare and Winks. The Ayew deal should have been tanked because we’d just signed a paceless, uncreative, experienced winger who barely 

scores - we didn’t need two.

 

It’s pretty simple, use the money we do have to make the most impactful signings in positions where we’re weakest. Chaplin, Reid, Alves, Page is fine for 10s. If we’re playing him upfront then sign an out and out number 9 instead, not a ST/AM/W inbetweener like Perez.

 

I’m worried that if we can’t play through teams we’ll be very easy to nullify. Mavadidi will be our tallest and most physical forward player ffs.

[coolhandfox]

We keep sweeping up other teams rubbish.