If we signed nobody else..

This summer would you have faith and belief in the squad to repeat last seasons top 4 finish?

We have added Can and Lambert. Have returning loan players Reina Illori and Suso. Coates another who could return. Plus last season will have stood to several players like Flanno Coutinho and Raheem. More exciting prospects like Ibe and Rossiter waiting in the wings and Enrique back from injury. Sakho will have settled well in by now and there will be an air of confiedence and self belief in the squad having come so close last season.

Obviously we all want to see a couple of top class signings, but if it doesnt happen will it be a disaster? Potentail squad as things stand right now

Goalkeepers: Mignolet Reina Jones
Defenders: Flanno Kelly Johnson Agger Sakho Skrtel Illori Coates Toure Enrique Robinson
Midfield: Can Gerrard Henderson Coutinho Allen Lucas Sterling Suso Teixera  Alberto Rossitter
Forwards: Borini Lambert Sturridge Aspas Suarez Ibe

Good enough to compete on the 2 main fronts? Some serious young talent there with a backbone of experience

Only a minor thing but Rossiter is a centre mid. Also, no that squad isn't good enough to get to the business end of all competitions. Too many youngsters in that squad for us to rely on them regularly for an entire season. Kelly is always injured, Coates is in the middle of nowhere, Robinson isn't that good either, etc.

....watch the forum implode.

Only a minor thing but Rossiter is a centre mid.

I think Brian meant 'waiting in the wings' as in waiting to step up and not literally playing on the wing.

As for the OP I'd still expect a challenge for the title with what we have now.

If Enrique is fit and back to his best, If Johnson is back on form, If Ibe is the next Sterling, If Can turns out to be a better version of Henderson, If Reina takes back the #1 spot and If we can keep our core players fit throughout the season, I truly believe we will win the league next season and go far into champions league!

Would certainly be hard to answer without knowing who our rivals signed.

If United actuall go spend 100m on quality players then they would be right back fighting us for a spot. If Arsenal strengthen then it adds even more pressure.


So while I'd like to say we could do it with our current squad.....it's almost impossible to say without knowing who everyone else is signing.

We fail to add further additions to the squad & team then this campaign would have been useless, we must build on this season by buying the correct players to fit a system that requires a tweak.

If we signed nobody else any aspiration of success in Europe are dead in the water.
If we sign nobody else we face a sterner challenge in the Prem. to qualify for a competition that presents yet sterner competition.
If we sign nobody else we are just making up the numbers.

We would contend for top four. The CL and other competitions would burn us out, so we may have to sacrifice a couple competitions if we want another successful season.

Coutinho, Suso, Texiera, Ibe, Flanagan, Sakho etc will all improve.

No, we have a superb manager but my feeling is that unless we improve not only the squad but the actual team (which we haven't done yet IMHO) we would struggle to get into the top four again. The "returning" players, Reina, Suso, Lori, Ibe etc wouldn't get into the team, and neither will the aforementioned youngsters yet either.

The committee has much work to do, particularly as it appears that most or all of Brendan's picks are slowly being moved towards the too hard basket.

If we failed to make any more signings, but kept hold of all of our current crop and brought back Ilori, Suso, Borini, and Robinson then I think we'd be fine.  We would lack quality depth at GK (assuming Reina is already gone), but we would have at least 1 quality backup in every other position:

                                    Mig/Jones
Johno/Flano  Skrtel/Ilori   Sakho/Agger  Enrique/Robinson
                              Gerrard/Lucas
                   Hendo/Allen      Coutinho/Can
                               Sterling/Suso
                   Studge/Borini     Suarez/Lambert

If we sign nobody else then we would still comfortably be in the top4 but winning it might be just as tricky, but it's a moot point because we will sign more quality.

Ah the good old doomsday scenario

Like I said Ideally well sign 3 or 4 top quality players. But I do have faith in a lot of our young players. Theres also no guarantee that signing star names means success, look at Spurs, look at utd splashing out on Mata.

   

Like I said Ideally well sign 3 or 4 top quality players. But I do have faith in a lot of our young players. Theres also no guarantee that signing star names means success, look at Spurs, look at utd splashing out on Mata.

   

Have to agree with you Brian, I am not looking for "names" just looking for the manager to get the guys he needs to get the job done. If they are big names so be it, if they are not so be it as long and BR gets what he is looking for.

And for the record I don't think BR has a shopping list with the top 20 players in the world on it and its not because of the money its because he wants to build this club from the bottom up not buy it from the top down.

I think Brian meant 'waiting in the wings' as in waiting to step up and not literally playing on the wing.

As for the OP I'd still expect a challenge for the title with what we have now.

He had him listed as a forward mate, was just helping with his list that's all.

He had him listed as a forward mate, was just helping with his list that's all.

You were right I have Rossitter there when I meant to put Sinclair in completely ballsed the 2 of them up

If we didn't sign aqny one else, I'd question FSG's vision for the club, we've took record incomes with the TV money this season, don't lose sight of that.

If we didn't sign aqny one else, I'd question FSG's vision for the club, we've took record incomes with the TV money this season, don't lose sight of that.

For the purpose of the thread imagine that we done all we can to sign any player and they just point blank didn't want to sign for us. Im trying to get peoples perspective on how good/strong our squad as it is right now and how well it might do.

 

As Daz said, I'd question the owners and their statement of being 'winners'. We can't be expected to compete on all the fronts we need to next season without a bench (and more if possible) of quality players.

Having said that, if we signed nobody else then I'd continue on with my optimistic slant and red tinted glasses and say we're gonna win the league.*






*Premier not Champions.

If we sign nobody else,it's gonna be as though  leaving the back door open for everyone who might wish to join the party and assuage their blocked by others appetite with more than 60 pieces of cake this time, plus some extra for our guests from Europe.

At the other end the tonight's ''metatraumatic-post-surgery-being-under-healing-process'' executor will have to undertake the ''simple'' task of sqeezing his a**e  to fill up a bottomless barrel and restore the deficit. Will he be keen on assuming such a role? I doubt it especially after tonight and what is possibly yet to follow.

We'd still have the best striker in world football. We'll be alright!

No, we have a superb manager but my feeling is that unless we improve not only the squad but the actual team (which we haven't done yet IMHO) we would struggle to get into the top four again. The "returning" players, Reina, Suso, Lori, Ibe etc wouldn't get into the team, and neither will the aforementioned youngsters yet either.

The committee has much work to do, particularly as it appears that most or all of Brendan's picks are slowly being moved towards the too hard basket.

I agree mate, we still need to add some quality to the team although we have already added strength to the squad. I certainly wouldn't fancy our chances of finishing top 3 if we signed no one else. (close for 4th)

Plenty of time left yet though.