by alfie9 »
30 May 2017 15:40
Super season, but would rather have had the band-aid ripped off earlier rather than given hope of promotion and then coming within two kicks of it.
Stam, Tevreden, and the entire management staff have done a fantastic job. Hopefully they will stay on for at east another year, after all this is supposedly part of a 3-year plan. Stam showed an impressive level of tactical awareness for a first year manager, the way that we would often change personnel and change setup depending on the opposition was crucial to getting results, the coaching staff must have worked very hard behind the scenes to get it right. The guy is a fantastic manager and his future is at a higher level... but given one more year I think it can be with us.
Transfer wise, phenomenal. Last summer we required a massive rebuild, and the management team have built us a stable backbone to the squad. Only four of our signing flopped imo, two were short term loans (Mutch, Oxford) that were only required in case of an injury crisis, Gravenberch was signed before Stam/Ulderink, and Weiser was free and presumably is on a cheap contract. Even signings that looked dubious at the beginning of the season, like Mendes and VDB, really stepped up in the back half of the season and showed why they caught the management's eye. The signings of Moore and Ilori alone have ensured the future of this club. This time our best centerback options were Cooper and McShane, that's a hell of an upgrade. As for transfers out, 5 million seems like a bargain for Tish after his Villa career flopped and while Norwood probably would've done very well in Stam's system, Swift's signing, Kelly's introduction to the first team, and Evans's growth as a player have been more than adequate in covering his role.
So what next? Well, for starters, if our new Chinese overlords are serious about their ambitions for this club, a new long term contract offer for Stam is the first order of business. Meet his demands, whatever they may be. While Danny Williams is presumably on the most expensive contract of any of our players, he has shown this season that he is worth the investment. Unless he is asking for significantly more money, give him what he wants. The only major hole that needs to be filled in the transfer market this summer is the striker position imo. Kermie isn't getting any younger and will need support next season. Someone strong, fast, decent in the air, capable of playing as a lone striker or feeding off of Kermie in a front 2. We can do better than Grabban, and while I'd keep Mendes and Meite it still seems far too early to be relying on them. If Williams does go, we will obviously need to invest in filling his role (although I suspect Kelly could do that job). A few more signings for squad depth and we're there.
Despite us playing some drab stuff at times, this season has been a joy to watch. We're on our way back!