Just concentrate in getting two centre halfs

I thought Gyepes was not part of DJ's plans for this season ?

Was astounded no focus was put on central defence in Carl's "Where do you think" thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19145.

I quoted "I'll be a lot more optimistic if a quality centre half is added to some of the rumoured signings, especially an imposing midfielder such as Olinfijana it must be hoped. Back up to Bothroyd, as indeed it should have been last season, must also be a priority. With the quality of the Championship deteoriating ever further (which makes Jones failure given such investment last season all the more acute for me), this season's perceived more equal spread so to speak could either be positive or negative; get it right and it wouldn't be too difficult to see a side such as us win the league with relative ease, get it wrong and lower mid-table could even more easily be our fate. It is hard to judge until squads are finalised, but you would have to fancy top 6 at least, but I still can't help but have nightmares about our defending and centre halves especially. I'll go with 4th as it stands."

This is a drum I've been banging since we signed him, but the Chopra deal I felt was a huge gamble and one we shouldn't have taken. Scarce, precious and considerable funds were spent on an area that didn't need replacing (20 goal a season striker) while others in urgent, desperate and blatant need of doing so (centre half, midfield and back up to Bothroyd) were largely or completely neglected. If the gamble had come off and promotion acheived, the gamble would have come off and Jones and co would rightly have reaped the plentiful praise bestowed upon them, but they quite simply didn't and haven't got it right, yet have got off scott free anyway. Why? It didn't work and we're lumbered with a player that those who can afford him don't want him and those that do can't afford him. Chops is a good player, but not that good, and whilst evey striker goes through barren periods, Chopra's are far more barren than most. Whichever way some people may wish to dress it up, Chopra was signed in a gamble for promotion last season, it didn't work, simples. This error imo is also compounded in that it has turned a £5m player in McCormack who had just scored 20 goals (please don't tell me about penalties etc not counting as all goals count, equal arguments can be made about some of Chopra's goals being irrelevant if we are to be so churlish such as the amount he scored that didn't actually influence games, Derby for example) into a bloated drunkard bereft of the motivation to stake a claim as everyone knows that regardless of how well Ross plays or how poorly Chops does, Chops will be up front regardless. Of course that doesn't make Ross's attiude acceptable, of course it doesn't, but they are understandable to a degree given the unjustness of the situation.

The main point of the Chopra argument, though, is that other areas of the team could well do with an investment of around £4m and £20k a week in wages. Given we have at the club already someone who can score 20 goals a season as can Chopra, surely investing those funds in someone who can actually f*cking defend would be a better move?

Salad

You really have a bee in your bonet about Chops don't you? You're the same on 606 too.

Was astounded no focus was put on central defence in Carl's "Where do you think" thread viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19145.

I quoted "I'll be a lot more optimistic if a quality centre half is added to some of the rumoured signings, especially an imposing midfielder such as Olinfijana it must be hoped. Back up to Bothroyd, as indeed it should have been last season, must also be a priority. With the quality of the Championship deteoriating ever further (which makes Jones failure given such investment last season all the more acute for me), this season's perceived more equal spread so to speak could either be positive or negative; get it right and it wouldn't be too difficult to see a side such as us win the league with relative ease, get it wrong and lower mid-table could even more easily be our fate. It is hard to judge until squads are finalised, but you would have to fancy top 6 at least, but I still can't help but have nightmares about our defending and centre halves especially. I'll go with 4th as it stands."

This is a drum I've been banging since we signed him, but the Chopra deal I felt was a huge gamble and one we shouldn't have taken. Scarce, precious and considerable funds were spent on an area that didn't need replacing (20 goal a season striker) while others in urgent, desperate and blatant need of doing so (centre half, midfield and back up to Bothroyd) were largely or completely neglected. If the gamble had come off and promotion acheived, the gamble would have come off and Jones and co would rightly have reaped the plentiful praise bestowed upon them, but they quite simply didn't and haven't got it right, yet have got off scott free anyway. Why? It didn't work and we're lumbered with a player that those who can afford him don't want him and those that do can't afford him. Chops is a good player, but not that good, and whilst evey striker goes through barren periods, Chopra's are far more barren than most. Whichever way some people may wish to dress it up, Chopra was signed in a gamble for promotion last season, it didn't work, simples. This error imo is also compounded in that it has turned a £5m player in McCormack who had just scored 20 goals (please don't tell me about penalties etc not counting as all goals count, equal arguments can be made about some of Chopra's goals being irrelevant if we are to be so churlish such as the amount he scored that didn't actually influence games, Derby for example) into a bloated drunkard bereft of the motivation to stake a claim as everyone knows that regardless of how well Ross plays or how poorly Chops does, Chops will be up front regardless. Of course that doesn't make Ross's attiude acceptable, of course it doesn't, but they are understandable to a degree given the unjustness of the situation.

The main point of the Chopra argument, though, is that other areas of the team could well do with an investment of around £4m and £20k a week in wages. Given we have at the club already someone who can score 20 goals a season as can Chopra, surely investing those funds in someone who can actually f*cking defend would be a better move?

I see your quite passionate about this Salad

I was surprised like many yesterday to see Gerrard not starting and what you say about Chops barren spells I totally agree with you. For myself I would say that strenghing the midfield area, both center and wide right and a back up for Jay.

Theres rumours doing the rounds that Loovens will be coming back in a part ex deal involving McCormack
Only a rumour but i would like to see Big Glen back

By his own admission, Gerrard has had a poor pre season so maybe thats why he didnt start. Also I heard he has put on a stone or two during the summer.

By his own admission, Gerrard has had a poor pre season so maybe thats why he didnt start. Also I heard he has put on a stone or two during the summer.

thats what we heared that Gerrard needs to lose a few pounds in weight too , as for Chops then his contribution yest was vital in our goal

Long stopped posting over there Froggy! There was an ever diminishing small pool of good contributors there and I couldn't get over how pathetic the quality was and utterly ignorant so many were. A real shame for the handful of good ones and that the amount of bullying that takes place on all message boards was so prevelant at times on there and with there being very little if anything worth reading on there, no point in being subjected to it for no reward! Ultimately the pro's need to outweigh the cons and frankly I've more interest in Eastenders than the contributors on 606.

Yes Carl, some have levelled being passionate as one one of my traits! Really does annoy me that what was a clear gamble on Chopra that ultimately failed has gone uncriticised. Maybe that's because I've been pretty much the lone dissenting voice since we signed him, but the point remains for me that other areas should have been strengthened then instead of signing Chopra. A line of thought I had at the time was maybe Sunderland only agreed to loan him back to us initially on the proviso we committed to signing him permanently come the seasons end, wonder if you could shed any light on that? If so, that would be categoric proof as to what a big gamble it was as I simply fail to see the sense in committing such a huge fee and wages when we were in such financial turmoil and still in the Championship.

By his own admission, Gerrard has had a poor pre season so maybe that's why he didn't start. Also I heard he has put on a stone or two during the summer.

That's not good Hannah that's for sure. I would of thought the club would be monitoring the players weight. But if he is that out of condition then he should be fined every week until he is back in shape. If he was a brickie of something fair enough but he isn't he is being paid obscene amounts of money to play football.
I haven't heard this one before and i hope its not true if it is management should be addressing this.

I cant see another centre back coming in until one is sold, either gerrard or gypes. We already have 4 , Husd, Gypes, Blake, and gerrard. Thought the full backs were excellent yesterday. Darcy Blake has really excelled in the past year.