Firstly Barca do spend big though. They do promote the best of their youth but surround them with quality signings. You are spot on about being more like Barca and Manure when it comes to developing and keeping youth but united are losing some of their best youth products now and this could well be related to either them not promoting quickly enough or because they have seen a lack of ambition from the club in the transfer market recently. Again I agree that players like Gerrard and Carra need to be replaced with quality but the problem is these days our big players will move on not due to age but because the club "aren't matching their ambitions". I don't think the owners are in it for a swindle either but I hardly think their development of the website counts for anything in relation to improving the squad does it?
Yes Barcelona make the odd big signings here and there but when a club is not splashing out for three or four first teamers every year they can afford to have one big splutter each summer. Also, don't Barca sell the youth players that aren't deemed good enough for hefty amounts too? By hefty, I don't mean £20m, I mean between £3m and £8m which is quite a lot for a player that is unproven and deemed not good enough IMO.
I've got something to say about it yes I'm afraid your big contradiction GCoS is that you say we don't need to chuck money at it to get CL footy but then point out that all the teams above us spend big. There IS a corellation there whether we like it or not. As much as we are loath to admit it sometimes, the blurts from across the park haVe an excellent manager but (wisely) have tried to live within their means and so 9 times out of 10 they have failed to get CL footy and we all know what happened the year they did. The biggest problem being that as much loyalty as Moyes has been able to garner from players who could have gone elsewhere he has also lost some top top talent. Rooney, Arteta, Lescott, Baines probably leaving soon as well. Its a vicious circle these days...no investment = lose your best talent and have to buy better for cheaper every single time (never going to work as no manager ever has 100% success rate). What I agree with you 100% about is that we need to manage our expectations if the spending is to dry up and we also have to spend much more wisely (spending 15mill on Joe Allen at this moment for example would absolutely not be spending wisely IMO). Those who "expect" BR to challenge top four this year have to realise its a massively tough ask on a shoestring (relatively speaking of course) even though the base of our squad is still very good. There's never a problem in hoping for it and we all expect the players to fight tooth and nail for it as we do every year but fans shouldn't be too disappointed (and the owners shouldn't weild the axe too hastily) if we don't get much closer than last year.
Yeah and how many of our youth team have we sold for a decent amount in the last few years? we've just let Silva go for sod all and at one point he was one of the next big things. Getting shot of Stevie Heighway set us back years in that department IMO. We're only just recovering now and still room for improvement
I don't think it is a contradiction. What I meant by the other clubs spending big was that we aren't going to be splashing out the sort of money it would take to overpower them by doing the same thing. These teams have been doing it for a while too so they also already have the squad over us. We need to have a strategy and some foresight IMO. Buying young and developing players is absolutely the right way to go IMO. I don't agree with the comparison to Everton either. They have not been living within their means, they have been overspending and subsequently have built up debts to the point that they was no longer allowed to borrow any more! they do not have the global backing that we do, nor do they have the commercial revenue that we are currently building up. Us spending within our means does not necessarily mean a net spend of zero, it doesn't mean we have to sell to buy. It means we spend what we earn whether that be through transfers, ticket sales, commercial or tournament income. I don't know the ins and outs of the clubs finances but I'd guess that we could afford to spend £20m a season subject to the current wage bill being trimmed. I agree that £15m is too much for Allen. No doubt he is a talented young player but unless we see at least three central midfielders leave then I don't see the need for another despite him perhaps being a better option than some of what we have. There are other areas in more need of recruitment's such as in attack. Maybe Rodgers is planning on using one or two of the CM's in the wide positions? I think that the owners feel they have had their fingers burnt with the Andy Carroll deal.
I don't get the fuss about this. 1, the owners aren't going to come out and say, yes we're jst going to throw money at any player so clubs hike the price up like they do for City. 2, We spent big last couple of years (don't give me net spend figure because that Torres money didn't have to be put back into transfers) and we are all complaining we conned out of a load of money for Downing, Henderson & Carroll. I'm sure Rodgers wouldn't have taken the job if there was nothing to spend. Remember he has to assess the squad on the training pitch before he knows what he needs and he hasn't even got the full squad to work with yet. I expect another couple of £10mil signings with maybe 1 or 2 leaving for £5mil or so and then next summer will be the year when he can finally have more say on who he wants and how much we spend.
Shame, there's me thinking about making you my ABF. Bluff, consider yourself lucky. You retain that title.
Agreed We Carnt have it both ways spend a **** load then moan about who we spent it on as being overpriced when everybody new we were spending big, then when the board come out and say we are being conservative, suddenly compare us with everton who have no where near the finacial power we have. I believe we have money to spend but this year the aim is to spend it wisely rather than on opta joes findings. Last season was not a bad season, we played very well and deserved to win more games than we did. The squad we have does not need a major overhaul and why do people belive spending £30 mill on a player will suddenly make us a force to be reckoned with.
I don't think this is anything new, we knew we were not going to be shelling out silly money any mote, we've had our fingers burnt in that dept and wont do it again in a hurry. It may not seem like it at the moment but the likes of us and United are better placed for the future than Chelsea and City as we are sustainable. The latter two run at a greater level of risk which has brought them success but could see them worse off in the long run. If the cash tap is turned off the company left will be instantly insolvent. I would rather spend my on players a la Newcastle than piss money away on players a la us last summer. Whether the current manger and owners deliver remains to be seen. We need to put the mistakes behind us, make the most of the squad we have, not let anyone leave unless its best for us and we have cover in place. I like Allen and Dempsey, but the price needs to be right.
I agree with most of this, don't think we need an overhaul though. I think we had that last summer and the squad is better for it. I think we need strength in the starting 11, starting with someone who can give us and end product that justifies our dominance in posession. I think the lack of that player cost is around 20 points last season.
The comparison with Everton wasn't meant to be a direct one it was about the dangers of what can happen with no investment and yes its a fair point from GCoS about our much greater income but with that comes the fact that like most of the bigger clubs we still have to pay over the odds (despite Mr Werners carefully chosen words) that is the way it is. Add to this the fact that directing all their energies into the commercial side is all well and good but it could end up as a fire fighting exercise if we don't improve our league positions over the next few years. It might not be that way now (and it isn't) but it can very quickly become that way. No ones saying that is what WILL happen but its well worth discussing as a possibility however remote. Maybe I'd like a sense that they aren't just focusing more on "revenue streams" than actually what it's all about...football and the passion it brings (cue dollar signs rolling in some peoples eyes). Incidentally...are we fans anymore or just customers?
I dont think we need a massive overhaul, but i do belive our major issue isnt possession but pressure. Not just last season but for years i have seen us being 1 down with plenty of possesion in our own half, while in the same situation man u having possesion around the opposing teams penatly area. We struggle to peg teams back and hammer through them, like chelsea did. I believe thats why rogers was brought in to convert our possession into pressure put onto the opposition. We have the players to do this already, Aqua stevie lucas henderson are all comfortable in possesion at close quarters. Suarez and carrol can keep the ball under pressure and pick a pass if they have support. Adding a £30 mil player for the sake of media and fan frenzy is the wrong way to go. WE spent big last year and I would give them all a chance next year, downing and henderson are intelligent, Carrol is a power house. I tell a lie Id give them all a chance but for charlie adam.
I belive the board understand that the commercial interst of a club is in direct corralation to its success. Man u didnt get Huge sponsership deals due to Gary nevilles good looks. I think and im probalby wrong, that they are looking to build slowly rather than doing a city and splurging and ending up with dead wood you carnt shift. So far im happy with the way they have handled things, much better than H&G promising the world and delivering **** all.
Neither you nor I know just how much or how little has been allocated for this Summer's investment budget. Therefore your last comment is merely facetious. Given the strength that already exists within the squad and the extra resources of Cole, Aquilani and Pacheco - not to mention the possible addition of the youth players then you initial statement may well be true. After all with all of that talent he could achieve success with no purchases at all. However, we have already signed Borini as a furtheraddition. Today's statement id I believe merely good management practice and demonstrates true faith in both the manager and the mission. In order to fulfil that self sustaining model the owners are foregoing any profit from the club by allowing revenue to be used solely for squad development.
Our owners have more money than everyone in the Prem bar Man City and QPR. Money is there, but they are not going to throw it about. They will spend when the right option comes along and the club is in the right place to make such signings. Its not going to be thrown about like by Chelsea and City, but that will only be short term..Rich owners get bored when they have to spend more than they will ever get back
