Nick
Administrator
How much was that striker other than wages?
Same with Leon Clarke, people saying he was awful when he signed. Free transfer etc then when he was sold how could he be replaced as goalscorers cost loads?
Bids for McNulty / McNulty to Reading (18 Viewers)
- Thread starter Pete in Portugal
- Start date
Same with Leon Clarke, people saying he was awful when he signed. Free transfer etc then when he was sold how could he be replaced as goalscorers cost loads?
Mucca Mad Boys
Well-Known Member
It is a massive loss, but £1.5m for a striker we picked up on a free transfer a year ago is a good deal, £1-1.5m is about the limit of his valuation, £2m would've been the absolute best we could've got. There's an assumption that McNulty would get 20+ in L1 which I don't think is necessarily the case here (I've stated I thought he was going to get 10-15 this year). With this in mind, have we done that badly? No. For a bit of context, John Marquis who scored 26 for Donny in 16/17 season, scored 12 in L1 in 17/18 and now Doncaster is trying to knock bids back of £500k. It isn't inconceivable that could've been us next year had McNulty's tally dropped by roughly half this season and McNulty is a player who hasn't done much outside of L2 (personally, I thought he was going to do well this season had we kept him). I'm trying to be pragmatic about it and if we can get 2-3 good quality players to strengthen the squad from that money, this deal could be a good one.
You say £1.2m doesn't buy you a 20+ goal a season striker, which in our experience isn't true. The only players we've had capable of scoring around 20 goals a season: McNulty, King (12 in 28 translates to over 20 goals over 46 games), Wilson, Clarke and McGoldrick were all free transfers and loans. So you don't need big money to sign goalscorers and that line of thought puts people into the category of believing that we 'needed' Collins instead of McNulty. We're not in the Championship or Prem anymore where £1.2-1.5m really is nothing. In L1 and below, you need to be shrewd and have thrift in the transfer market, which Robins embodies better than probably any manager in my lifetime -- especially since relegation from the Championship at least.
A snippet of Robins' quote from the official:
'While I know our fans will be disappointed, I can assure them that we have received a more than acceptable bid for Marc and that the money will be invested in the playing squad. I was never under any pressure to sell Marc, other than from the player's agent'.
Robins wouldn't say this if he hasn't been given assurances. No way. It does also appear to be the case that Robins OK'd this, because as he was saying at the kit launch, he said he's not going to get in McNulty's way, but won't sell until a certain valuation is met. This is only guesswork, but perhaps Robins thinks that the initial £1.2m can push through some deals for his targets. No player is indispensable and every player has their price be it the Neymar's or Ronaldo's of this world.
Warwickhunt
Well-Known Member
We don’t need big money to sign a reasonable striker, it’s all about the ability of the players nerve in front of goal, how many they score depends on the supporting play
Winny the Bish
Well-Known Member
He's gone. Time to get over it and look toward the future. He wasn't going to score 28 again in League One. Hopefully we can put the double-promotion hysteria to bed.
List of Preferred Replacements:
1) Adam Armstrong
2) Mo Eisa
3) Jordan Ponticelli
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78215) A Premier League or Championship loan.
List of Preferred Replacements:
1) Adam Armstrong
2) Mo Eisa
3) Jordan Ponticelli
---
78215) A Premier League or Championship loan.
Manchester_sky_blue
Well-Known Member
The team as a whole will score more goals this year. Jones, Andreu, Allesani, Sterling and Ogogo should all chip in a few. If Max and JCH kick on as well then goals shouldn't be too much of a problem.
better days
Well-Known Member
Very true
The team will be bursting with pace
We will also create a lot more from midfield
There are goal threats throughout the side now even before Robins brings another forward in
Nick
Administrator
We will be putting plenty more crosses in this season I think as well.
David O'Day
Well-Known Member
sush don't let facts get in the way of an good ill informed rant
Earlsdon-Loyal-Blue
Well-Known Member
I’m not saying he wasn’t. I’m saying we’re not going to get a like for like replacement for McNulty, ready to go and score goals, on a free transfer.
Robins could well find another gem, who he can turn good like McNulty but that takes time and we all know that in football that’s in short supply. I don’t for one second think we’re going to buy (nominal fees don’t count) anyone, especially not the Cheltenham striker but I’d love to be wrong.
After all these years I’m highly dubious that the McNulty money will go into the squad. That isn’t an anti SISU dig, that’s looking at the numerous player sales in recent years.
skyblueeyesrevisited
Well-Known Member
Errr sarcasm
It’s actually near Windsor zzzzzzzzz
Earlsdon-Loyal-Blue
Well-Known Member
I agree with a chunk of this but there’s a couple of areas I don’t, but that’s the fun of forums right?!
Goalscorers, I understand the point but you either score 20 goals in a season or you don’t. As much as I rated the others, McNulty, Armstrong and Wilson are the only ones that actually have achieved 20 goals for us. It’s not going to go down in the history books - McGoldrick (would of got 20 if his loan was extended) or Clarke (would of got 20 if he wouldn’t have been sold). The fact is 20 goal a season strikers aren’t that common at CCFC and we’ve just sold one of the few that has actually achieved.
I really hope Robins gets a good chunk of the money, I just can’t see it happening. It wouldn’t be the first time a manager would have been told them can have a good % of the revenue, just for the sale to go through and that money not materialise. Robins deserves better than that and at least a chunk to actually spend.
David O'Day
Well-Known Member
McNulty scored 1 goal in his first 13 games so he wasn't ready to go either. He also was going score 28 goals in league 1.
Wait and see who he actually signs writing everything off
Ranjit Bhurpa
Well-Known Member
With you up to the last sentence. Just missing "and her protege Tony Blair".
Nick
Administrator
Yes he was sold because his agent forced a move. It wasn't there club pushing for it.
Why not wait and see who we bring in?
Earlsdon-Loyal-Blue
Well-Known Member
I know hence on my original post I’ve credited Robin’s coaching which clearly gets the best out of most of our players.
I will do, I’m just struggling to see how this is good business but I do recognise the club did what they could to keep him with getting promoted to L1, a new contract etc.
Nick
Administrator
It's because agents have too much power, all the club's can do is try and get as much as possible for him.
McNulty himself was also pushing for it.
David O'Day
Well-Known Member
It's good business as we got an inflated price for a player who has a record of 11 in 55 in league 1 playing for arguably a better team than we have.
It does seem to me a bit of a mental signing by Reading
It does seem to me a bit of a mental signing by Reading
Mucca Mad Boys
Well-Known Member
There isn't an abundance of strikers who can score 20+ goals a season in any league. In the post of yours which I quoted you said: 'At Coventry City we seem to have low standards when it comes to strikers - whereby 15 goals a season is classed as a good return'. To put that quote into perspective, only four strikers (and another midfielder) scored more than 15 goals in L1 last season and Danny Graham of Blackburn scored 14, is that not a good return? McNulty, Doidge and Eisa (the latter two being many people's targets) got their goals in L2, which doesn't make them good L1 strikers and certainly doesn't guarantee them another 20 goals a season. If it was that easy, you'd regularly have L2 players playing in the Championship, which you don't.
The likelihood of McNulty scoring 20+ for us this season is probably not very high, 10-17 goals were my estimate, so have we lost a 20 goal a season striker? For L2, absolutely, but for L1, probably not. Last season, McNulty was central to our success and without him, probably wouldn't have got promoted. However, this preseason, Robins has moved to add goals elsewhere in the team and hopefully we have a few players who'll hit 10+ goals this season. Interestingly, the only two players to surpass 20 goals last season (Marriott and Pitman) failed to make the playoffs with their teams. By contrast, Shrewsbury's top goal scorer scored 12, and the next two scored 11 and 10 goals respectively. Which isn't impressive, yet they finished well above the other teams in the playoffs and they pushed Blackburn most of the way for 2nd. What that should tell you is that a solid team unit with several sources of goals are more important than one main goalscorer. The maths is pretty simple, in a 46 game season, 23 goals (for argument's sake, spread over 23 games) which would be considered a good season is only scoring in 50% of league games - so this imaginary goalscorer isn't going to score in half the games they play. McNulty, for example, scored his 28 goals over 21 games (out of 52 apps), 40% of the games he played in - so we still needed other players to score in the other 60% of games he didn't score in.
As you say, sharing opinions on a forum is the point of it, so I hope my opinion is of use to somebody.
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David O'Day
Well-Known Member
A good season for mcnulty would of been 12 to 15 goals in league 1
If we can improve goals from other areas which we look like we are doing then we don't need a liek for like replacement. The first gtreat ferguson united team had Cantona and Hughes up front who while both great players never worried to the top scorer position much
D
Deleted member 4439
Guest
Blimey, right of front of me eyes.....must have had my anti sisu specs on!
covcity4life
Well-Known Member
Make the chances and even avg striker will put half of them in net. All is not lost
However mcnukty had long range shot or magic dribble to make something out if nowhere when team wasn't
More I think about it more sad I get tbh. He could have led us to back to back promotions
However mcnukty had long range shot or magic dribble to make something out if nowhere when team wasn't
More I think about it more sad I get tbh. He could have led us to back to back promotions
Fair enough but he was 20 goals plus in Division 4 we'd not been there for 50 odd years
D
Deleted member 5849
Guest
There really aren't that many strikers who get 20 league goals in a season anyway. If your front pair can head close to 30, and the midfield can chip in, then that's the standard.
Of course now we'll never know if he'd have managed 20 in League One(!) but it's all a what-if. Would have liked to see him try, but will have to watch Max step up now and lose Grendel some cash.
Of course now we'll never know if he'd have managed 20 in League One(!) but it's all a what-if. Would have liked to see him try, but will have to watch Max step up now and lose Grendel some cash.
better days
Well-Known Member
Other contributors have said that the team didn't benefit from the money from Maddison's initial sale to Norwich
That's not true as at least part of the money was used to buy Jodi Jones from Dagenham & Redbridge
tisza
Well-Known Member
Explains why he goes. 4 years of Championship money too hard for most to turn down.
Mucca Mad Boys
Well-Known Member
It doesn’t count unless we spend the exact amount we received for a player because it’s not like we weren’t running on a deficit at the time. Oh, wait...
fellatio_Martinez
Well-Known Member
I never trusted McNulty. He had the air of a weasel about him. Little eyes darting around everywhere like he'd drank a gallon of Irn Bru.
Captain Dart
Well-Known Member
CCFC_Charlie
Well-Known Member
'What a club!' he says having jumped ship at the first opportunity
larry_david
Well-Known Member
It's desperately disappointing. Hearing he forced the move hurts. As a 31 year old man, Marc mcnulty made me feel 10 again, idolising the Dublins and huckerbys. Being older and wiser I know there will be a replacement but it just hurts that he's jumped ship when we had a real chance to do something very special this season with him at the front.
AFCCOVENTRY
Well-Known Member
Interesting interview with Robins. Said agent forced the move and said McNulty will be in a strop if he doesn't get the move to Reading that he wants. Should have shown a bit more respect to the manager that kick started his career which was going backwards before he joined. Anyway, that's football and we expect loyalty but you don't get that in this day and age with the money being dangled. We got some decent cash and Robins has a tough task bringing in a top goalscorer.
I’m sad he has gone, there’s no point pretending that he wasn’t up to much - or wouldn’t have scored this season.
However.
Somebody earlier in this point made a brilliant point, McNulty didn’t fit with Robins seemingly preferred 4-5-1 formation.
The signings have reinforced his desire to play that way - Atacking midfielders and holding midfielders.
I expect us to play Biamou or JCH with Jones, Andreu and Reis A behind.
However.
Somebody earlier in this point made a brilliant point, McNulty didn’t fit with Robins seemingly preferred 4-5-1 formation.
The signings have reinforced his desire to play that way - Atacking midfielders and holding midfielders.
I expect us to play Biamou or JCH with Jones, Andreu and Reis A behind.