What are your first impressions of our summer signings and who do you see having the biggest impact?
Lloyd, Man City Issues
"I think Mark Hughes has bought wisely in this year's window. He's brought in players with Premier League experience, which is key. I have been very impressed with Gareth Barry so far, he is an all-round player and a snip at £12m. As for Adebayor - his performance against Blackburn was impressive, he worked extremely hard and took his goal very well. Kolo Toure is great, he is just the type of player we lacked last season - a commanding, defensive rock.
As for Tevez - I am sure he will be brilliant but the jury is still out as I have not seen him play properly yet. Finally RSC, as long as we can keep the lad fit then I think he could be a good buy, but he stays injured then big questions will be asked. In my opinion Gareth Barry will prove to be the most important signing out of the lot. He is our link between the defence and midfield".
Ric, Bluemoon
"The club have done done excellent business this transfer window, signing established Premiership players who won’t need to adapt to the English game. Of all the signings, Tevez is the one that has caught the imagination and we welcome him to Manchester with open arms".
Peter, Man City Blues
"Strengthening the right areas, Gareth Barry will be very influential".
Jack, The Lonesome Death of Roy Carroll
"I'm impressed. Going for Premier League experience may lack the exoticism of Eriksson's buys but it has given us a resilience that we've lacked for too long. I initially thought Barry would have the biggest impact but Adebayor has been fantastic. I know we're only two games in but he's looked like he did for Arsenal in 2007/08, which is a great sign".
Gary, We've Got Robinho
"I have been impressed with all of our signings this summer, I think Hughes has signed a lot of quality. The one player out of all the signings I see playing a huge role this season, is Gareth Barry. He looks absolute class, he is probably the calmest player I have seen, he never panics under pressure and controls the midfield. He can also score, make goals and tackle extremely well, he is the complete package".
Danny, Bitter & Blue
"All of the players that Mark Hughes has brought into the club over the summer will definitely strengthen the squad, and most will feature in our strongest line-up. Hughes craves players who have character, tenacity and determination, players who can influence a side. Gareth Barry brings all of those characteristics and is set for an important role in midfield. He appears to have settled in well and impressed during pre-season. He could also be handed the captains armband.
Kolo Toure will also be an important part of the defence, adding the vital experience garnered during his time at Arsenal.
It is in attack though where Hughes's signings have the most impact. Last season we lacked a real presence up front - featuring the likes of Evans and Caicedo more often than not. Hughes has sought to remedy this by adding three forwards in Tevez, Adebayor and Santa Cruz. All three bring different qualities to the table, and hopefully the goals that we lacked.
Of the three it is Tevez who I expect to have the biggest influence. There was great effort into getting his signature and Hughes is definitely enamoured by him. He has showed since arriving in the Premier League he has been able to adapt to English conditions, and sets the tempo from the front. He has energy, fight and can add goals to the cause.
If we are to succeed in our ambitions this season (and beyond) there will be certain key players who need to step up for us. Tevez is one of those, and I'd tip him to be our player of the season over 2009/10".
Norfstander
"I've been impressed with pretty much every signing Hughes has made since joining the club. It will take time to mould them into something special but the signs are there. We have to not get too carried away this early, there will be times over the season where we hit bad runs or some players form might dip, but Toure, Barry & Adebayor all seem to be settling in really well, and have probably been our better players so far.
Toure reads the game fantastically well, Barry's an assured figure in the middle of the park and Adebayor looks a real danger. Once Tevez gets fully fit he should prove a real handful. I'm slightly less optimistic about Santa Cruz having such an impact, but some games might suit two targetmen. Very happy with the business done, both those coming in and the dead wood that's been shipped out".
24/08/2009
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So far all have been uniformly good buys, despite the lacklustre performances (especially the second half against Wolves.)
ReplyDeleteI personally think that Gareth Barry will be our most important buy.
His passing and his vision against Wolves were excellent, and although he faltered in the second half, it's got as much to do with the lack of support he was getting as with laying the blame at his own door.
Adebayor is also a shining example of how everyone should play. Very impressed with his willingness to have a go. I also noticed how he was trying to get back to cover in the second half.
Thought Bellamy would run at the snail-like Wolves defenders, but he was just awful. And Santa Cruz is living up to his nick-name. Hopefully he'll grit his teeth and get on with it sooner, rather than later. Other than that I'm very happy with the signings, and once they've played together a bit I'm sure all the one-twos and through balls will start to come off. Particularly pleased with Bridge - he's obviously put in a lot of work this summer, and looks a different player. Well done too, to Dunney. He stopped two certain goals against Wolves.
ReplyDeleteOne thing we HAVE to get rid of is the stupid back-passing, and playing the ball across the back. One mistake and the whole defense is under intense pressure, as we saw in the second half against Wolves. de Jong is particularly guilty of this - I don't think I've ever seen him play a forward pass.