i too don't buy the 'experience' tag. i think there are scenarios where a couple of old heads help (villa could have done with a couple last year for example, even though they stayed up in the end) but it's usually in the lower leagues where its most useful. basically, if we sign quagliarella, we won't be signing him cos he's an 'old head', it's cos he's a ****ing brilliant player. 30 isn't exactly old if you look after yourself with all the sports science and diet kept in check. i'd argue he's at the peak of his powers right now and will be over the next two years.
I would happy pay the extra wages for Toby and us not sign Quag. Obvuiously it isnt that simple with the wage structure of the club ect. If we signed Toby I would be ecstatic with the signings..... even more so than I am already. I totally agree with what everyone is saying about this being one of our best ever tranfer windows. This applies to us individually as a club but also in comparison to other clubs. I am a bit surprised by the lack of business being completed at some clubs, I know the window is open for some time yet but games are now almost only a couple of weeks away.
I must admit, I still think we can afford it (£10m over three years is just £3.33m per year) and it's not in any way reckless - this is not a case of signing four or five players with no re-sale value on big wages like QPR, this is just one and the important thing is that we have balanced it by signing a few with huge resale potential. I think older players are less likely to struggle abroad actually - that is one of the debates about Bale, it was why Owen struggled at Real when he was so young. It's also why I think RvW will definitely have taken into account that home is just a short flight/bumpy boat ride away for him.
I take that point, but I do feel that dressing room presences (not necessarily old heads, which is why I didn't use the phrase) are important - I suspect we already have a few anyway with Martin and Ruddy, etc. I've not seen any indication that Quags is one of these, but he is experienced and that is undeniably important. The fact that Quags is so good is precisely why I would be comfortable with us "wasting" £3.3m per year on him. And I completely agree that he is probably at his peak
I wonder what a certain Paul Lambert must be thinking when he sees the money we're spending and the quality of player we are bringing in compared to the policy he is adopting at Villa - ie continuing to sign players that we've never really heard of on the cheap from smaller European leagues (Benteke being the obvious exception) With the ambition we are showing under McNally is makes you think that it must have been more than a footballing decision for him to have jumped ship when he did. Ah well, bollocks to him
Rob, I think that how players cope overseas completely depends on the individual, not their age. Messi and Ronaldo played abroad at an early age and don't seem to have done too badly. Ian Rush was hugely experienced when he went to Italy and bombed out. I think that if you go to work abroad with the right attitude - learn the language and try to fit in with the local customs - then if you are good enough you'll probably be fine. This is why it is good that all our overseas signings (to date) are fluent English speakers. I don't know if Quag is - if he is then I see no reason why he wouldn't do well I just don't perceive him as less of a risk than some of the others. You can be experienced and not be an inspiration in the dressing room - like I said before it depends on the personality of the player. Bottom line is that is he so good that he will make more of an impact than using the money we could spend on him to make a different signing or signings? If yes then we should get him and hang the re-sale value.
An "old head" doesn't have to be on "old" shoulders. Russell Martin has plenty of experience, but it is not of the kind that someone like Quagliarella would bring. Imagine him and Hooper discussing how Juventus plotted to overturn Celtic in the CL earlier this year, and how Italian forwards deal with the kind of Italian defenders who strong-armed Hooper in that game. I saw a wonderful photo on a match report which showed Hooper with the ball, and right behind him, just to his left, looking over Hooper's shoulder, one of the Juve defenders, looking intently at the ball, all concentration and confidence. He was like a predator just waiting for the right moment to pounce. Or imagine, if things aren't going too well in midfield, having someone of that experience to say "Look, Pirlo would be doing this, not that."
Somehow I don't see PL crying himself to sleep over leaving. All he needs to do is look at his bank balance if he needs cheering up. He did well for us, we did well for him. He has moved on as have we and only time will tell if he made the right decision or not. I have moved from really wanting him to fall on his face to not really giving a damn either way as his departure has paved the way for what we have now. That said if we're giving them a hiding I won't be holding bakc on the "it could have been you" chants!
I am not disagreeing with that, but I think that you will find the older players are less likely to struggle. Ian Rush is the exception that proves the rule (though I am sure there are plenty more). Messi isn't the perfect example, though, because he was brought over very young and with his entire family. I didn't say Quags was an inspiration - I don't know - I said he was experienced and of top quality, and so my answer to your last question is yes, I believe so, and precisely. Exactly. I think we have a number of these - I seem to remember that even Ryan Bennett was captain at Peterborough so I imagine (despite his twitter shenanigans) he brings something to the dressing room despite age. I think the key is balance. We don't want only young, inexperienced players (though a club of our size does need to accept that the majority need to be improving). And when a player of Quags ability comes available, irrespective of the lack of resale, if he's for the right price and is affordable (which I think £3-4m per year is) I say leap at it.
personally, i think the younger a player moves the better for their development but it doesn't mean older players can't make the transition just as comfortably, it depends on the individual really. any signing, be it from abroad or these shores is a gamble to some degree no matter what age.
unless he doesn't speak good english, in which case it would sound more like 'Guarda, Pirlo avrebbe fatto questo, non che!' I'm not sure Johnson's going to be able to do much with that sadly.
It's like that with any career I've got colleagues aged 24 who worked in Spain for six months then moved back here, whilst others colleagues aged in their 40s and 50s have absolutely love it and have kept out there, age really doesn't play a factor it's more about how much the person adapts to change or likes their home comforts.
I think you are basing your views about how well Italians speak English on F. Capello Battersea! (In fact I'm told Capello spoke pretty good English but liked to make out otherwise when facing a generally hostile press.)
I worked i Italy for a year (touring a production around) and having seen 141 different towns/cities, i can safely say a lot of italians don't speak any English! Hope the quags is different though.
Well I do know that they are touchy about Italian becoming a language no-one speaks but Italians. Recently one of the top technical universities announced that all teaching would be done in English. All hell broke loose.
Quag quotes from Hughton are now being reported on the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23505733
didn't they announce that hooper going to qpr was a done deal last week? the beeb are just as bad as everyone else (especially when it comes to 'arry but that's another matter). all they've done is write up hughton's presser and tweak it a bit. our manager didn't really give anything away, he didn't even say we were in for quagliarella, but he gave enough hints to suggest the move was work in progress
I'm positive this is a change in bbc policy and very much a new thing. Last year they never reported rumours, they only linked them on the gossip column and mentioned them on the live updates. They wrote articles on done deals and that was it. Bizarrely, they have now started writing rumours up, I can only assume because it gets more "hits" to the website.
