All the players we 'missed out' on...

[Uke]

One new signing - I needn't tell you all who - scored a goal, and Andy Reid was Man of the Match against Chelsea

You forgot to metion one of the other January signings, some Czech bloke...

For your benefit then Uke it was Matejovsky who I was referring to.

I've booked my appointment at Specsavers...

[Uke]

After Toon and Brum tonight

Wigan 8
Fulham 7
Birmingham 7
Reading 6
Middlesbrough 6
Sunderland 4
Bolton 3
Derby 2
Newcastle 2

A mid table performance for our Window dealings.

[Platypuss]

How does the 1st January version compare?

[Uke]

How does the 1st January version compare?

I'm not doing it, but I'm sure a champion of the 1st Jan version will

We would be lower due to our points glut in Jan - so would Newcastle too...

[sheshnu]

More good performances from McFadden (goal and MOM) and Murphy ('assist') last night as they both maintained their 100% contribution to Birmingham's points since they signed; McFadden has scored as many goals as all the other January signings combined. Zarate on the other hand hasn't been pulling his weight in the relegation battle so far - obviously he's "one for the future".

[sheshnu]

The players who have contributed to the most points for their team since they signed are:

Palacios (Wigan) - 14
King (Wigan) - 11
Evans (Sunderland) - 10
Edman (Wigan) - 8
Andreasen (Fulham) - 8
Hangeland (Fulham) - 8
McFadden (Birmingham) - 7
Murphy (Birmingham) - 7
Bardsley (Sunderland) - 7
Prica (Sunderland) - 6
Matejovsky (Reading) - 6
Steinsson (Bolton) - 5
Taylor (Bolton) - 5

Bolton have to play Man Utd this week as well, but let's hope they don't get anything there, eh?

[sheshnu]

The following players have yet to contribute anything toward a single point for their teams:

Birmingham - Zarate
Bolton - Cohen, Rasiak
Derby - Mills
Middlesbrough - Alves
Reading - Kebe

Kallio and Litmanen (Fulham), Figueroa and Hagen (Wigan) have yet to make an appearance.

[Stranded]

The following players have yet to contribute anything toward a single point for their teams:

Birmingham - Zarate
Bolton - Cohen, Rasiak
Derby - Mills
Middlesbrough - Alves
Reading - Kebe

Kallio and Litmanen (Fulham), Figueroa and Hagen (Wigan) have yet to make an appearance.

How are you defining a contribution toward points? Kebe came on with the Boro score at 0-0 and we won 1-0, so could say he's contributed to 3 points (or two) or do they actually have to be involved in the build up to goals etc?

[sheshnu]

How are you defining a contribution toward points? Kebe came on with the Boro score at 0-0 and we won 1-0, so could say he's contributed to 3 points (or two) or do they actually have to be involved in the build up to goals etc?

As a general rule I've decided that a player has to be involved for a significant part of a game, score, or make a goal to have 'contributed' to the team's performance. Since Jimmy only played for 6 minutes at Boro I decided that it wasn't enough, although I failed to take into account the fact that the game was only won after he came on. You can decide for yourself whether that was as much as a contribution as say Matejovsky made in the same game; you make an interesting point that Kebe may have contributed towards two points that day and maybe Matejovsky all three (or just one?)

Raises the question I suppose about an, albeit unlikely, scenario where a player scores two goals to earn his team three points, then gets substituted only for the opposition to equalise; thus he finds himself earning more points than his team actually scored.

I've chosen to do it the obvious way since I haven't really paid any attention to when goals were scored, only the final result. It may be easy to analyse Kebe's performances a little further but this might not be the case for all the players in the other teams...! You get a general idea anyway of who has been performing well and who hasn't and how they've helped their club.

[seahawk10]

More good performances from McFadden (goal and MOM) and Murphy ('assist') last night as they both maintained their 100% contribution to Birmingham's points since they signed; McFadden has scored as many goals as all the other January signings combined. Zarate on the other hand hasn't been pulling his weight in the relegation battle so far - obviously he's "one for the future".

I have always liked McFadden and told floyd that he should have been a target of ours at the beginning of the year. And I don't think he would have upset the wage structure too much. I imagine that he is on a contract similar to Hunts new deal. But no sense crying over spilt milk. If Brum is relegated he should be a target for us in the summer.

[Uke]

After Toon and Brum tonight

Wigan 8
Fulham 7
Birmingham 7
Reading 6
Middlesbrough 6
Sunderland 4
Bolton 3
Derby 2
Newcastle 2

A mid table performance for our Window dealings.

No change thanks to Ronnie!

Another way to look at the value would be points per £ spent - reckon we'd be doing quite well as always on that one.

[Royal Rother]

To me it looks like the best signings have been Hangeland and McFadden.

Agreed but I think Matejovsky isn't far behind at the moment and is likely to prove the most influential come the season's end. At less than 1/3rd the price of the other 2 I think. That'll do me.

[Uke]

Reading 9
Middlesbrough 9
Wigan 8
Fulham 7
Birmingham 7
Newcastle 5
Sunderland 7
Bolton 4
Derby 2


I like my table!

and my RTGs

[Uke]

Jari Litmanen

Roy Hodgson has accused Jari Litmanen of lacking the same commitment to Fulham that he shows to Finland.

The 37-year-old former Liverpool and Barcelona star scored his 30th international goal in a friendly in Bulgaria on Wednesday.

He also appeared against Greece last month. But Litmanen has yet to appear for the Craven Cottage club since joining on a £15,000-a-week contract in January.

After suffering heart palpitations last month, he also returned home recently to get new insoles fitted in his boots to cure a groin injury.

Hodgson's team go to rock-bottom Derby in a must-win game tomorrow.

But despite Litmanen's penalty in the 2-1 defeat in Bulgaria, former Finland boss Hodgson said: "He won't be in contention because I have 25 other players out there training Monday to Friday with the team every week.

Advertisement
"Jari has not completed more than 10 per cent of the training sessions we have done since I have been at the club. He has not played one game in the Fulham shirt yet has played twice for Finland.

"Strangely, his fitness periods seem to coincide with the Finland matches."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ ... -20365447/




Gonesy wins!

If we manage to keep Shorey, Lita & Hunt again I'll be happy with that. Much better than more useless signings who can't get in the team or has-beens like Litmanen (LOL!)

I'm amazed that so many Reading fans are happy to continue with a squad which has faltered so much over the last 6 months.

At least no one on here thought he was a good signing though!

[Uke]

"Jari has not completed more than 10 per cent of the training sessions we have done since I have been at the club. He has not played one game in the Fulham shirt yet has played twice for Finland.

"Strangely, his fitness periods seem to coincide with the Finland matches."

At least no one on here thought he was a good signing though!

I was absolutely shocked that Fulham were willing to sign him.
This isn't a new thing, he was exactly the same at Liverpool, and that was years and years ago.

Unfit, unwilling, he's basicly just taking them for a ride. £15000 a week, what were they thinking?

You'd have thought the Finnish national coach would have had some idea of his capabilities... But then again, that was when he was playing for Finland so he would have done well.

Perhaps we should have non-performing players from the Prem in the England Team!

[Uke]

Reading 10
Birmingham 10
Sunderland 10
Middlesbrough 9
Wigan 8
Fulham 8
Newcastle 8
Bolton 4
Derby 3

Matty Taylor must really be enjoying his time at Bolton, no matter what he does the rest conspire against him...

[g]

Didn't the transfer window open in January?

[Uke]

Didn't the transfer window open in January?

So did the option to not buy players.

both options finished at the end of January

Feel free to do the maths and post the figures here so you can compare them to the figures since the end of January.

[Hoop Blah]

Didn't the transfer window open in January?

So did the option to not buy players.

both options finished at the end of January

Feel free to do the maths and post the figures here so you can compare them to the figures since the end of January.

Not that I think it makes any difference to whether we could've been a better side if we'd been able to sign two or three better players this season but, since the beginning of Jan I think the points tally's are:

Sunderland 16
Wigan 15
'Boro 14
Birmingham 11
Reading 10
Fulham 9
Bolton 9
Derby 4

We'll never know how many less, or even more, points any of those side would've accumulated if they had or hadn't signed the players they did. I still think we'd have been better off if we'd have signed a centre back, a right winger and a forward during January though.

[Royal Rother]

I would take the opposite view - Bikey might not have had the opportunity to impose himself on the defence and new signings might have had an unsettling effect on the admirable team spirit that has been a big part of our recent run.

It's all mights, ifs and opinions and as you say it's pure conjecture...