Sometimes it's just pure greed from fans who expect so much and people speak without thinking it through first. Deadline Day means rushed deals and inflated prices because most players have already gone elsewhere and the players left are those that Clubs want to hang onto meaning they expect more money. If people would rather us spend extortionate amounts of money unnecessarily, then they're just plain moronic. I'd much rather us come out of Deadline Day with a single loan signing rather than paying way over the odds just because you want to sign someone. Bruce did very well with the Long deal IMO. £5M isn't a bad price for a pacey proven finisher on Deadline Day, just unfortunate that the domino-effect took too long to finish.
Another thing, the window needs closing the night before the first match of the season. Savage is right there.
That's an assumption though. The Huddlestone and Livermore deals were done in a short space of time (in terms of media coverage) and I'd have thought there would be more people looking to snap them up than there would be Shane Long. Perhaps Long didn't become available until the last minute, but there are plenty of strikers out there who can score goals and we've had all Summer to snaffle them. The domino effect might be relevant to the Long deal, but had we acted earlier, we wouldn't have needed to bother yesterday. I'm playing devil's advocate of course; we missed out on both Hooper and Austin so I know we were trying to bring somebody in early and we couldn't have forseen Sagbo getting a 3 game suspension. All the same, we seem to pull the same stunt every Summer window; when was the last time the deadline went past and we didn't hear "well we tried but we couldn't pull it off"?
Steve Clarke had every right to block Long's move, it was last minute anyway. Not the first time WBA have seen us as a rival and pulled a player - remember Neil Clement?
Couldn't agree more. Whilst I enjoy the anticipation of the transfer window and the mad rush of it's last day, I think it's incredibly disruptive to the process of preparing for games (even though this window the effects are lessened by the International Break) and that will always be an unfair disadvantage to the smaller clubs with smaller squads.
Before the transfer window can cut off before the start of the season those bloody Italians need to be convinced to start their season earlier, and lower leagues will have to start their season later with their already jam packed schedule. Whilst theirs no reason foreign leagues can't start in line with the premiership, it's impossible to bring top flight leagues forward to match lower leagues due to international tournaments, as much as it is to match the lower leagues to top flights due to their heavier schedule including more cup rounds, they'd be playing Saturday - Tuesday every week.
And Arsenal. And Man U. And Spurs. Etc etc. Madness eh? These people have no idea at all how to run a football club.
Completely agree with Tommy (as usual). Other than the Long disappointment SB has done an amazing job this summer. Thudd and Livermore have transformed our MF and made it one of the best in the Prem as several formerly sceptical media pundits noted after the ManCity game. Davies is a rock at CH and one of the best we've ever had. McGregor outshone Hart and has finally given us a top GK at an amazingly cheap price. Figueroa has been excellent. Gedo and Sagbo have given us some real striker options. And all for a combined outlay of less than 15 mill. Incredible. We are a far stronger team than we were last season and have already shown we can compete with the best. With the likes of Brady, Aluko, and Chester to supplement the above, Bruce has put together a really solid team. Lets not get critical about the Long failure. He's not going to be happy at WBA. Maybe even cheaper in January.
Shane Long signed for WBA in august 2011 from Reading on a 3 year deal with a further year option. I very much doubt that Long will want to take up that option with Steve Clarke in charge. We could get him in January cheaper than the £5m quoted on deadline day. I suspect that September 2nd 2013 will have left a very nasty taste in Longs mouth. Should be an interesting game on december 21st.
WBA look poor to me and the deals they did yesterday wont help that much. Anelka is a sulk who could walk out at anytime. Sessegnon is a grump who only plays when he can be arsed. Anchibe ? well lets not go there eh. Can see Shane Long going back to Wba and seeing out this season unless Wba let him go in January. If so we could get him cheaper assuming that SB still wants him. I guess that he will next summer unless Wba allow him to leave in January. Crazy. What a waste of wonga. They will be getting alot worse over the coming weeks. Fulham away on the 14th sept - Sunderland at home on the 21st sept and then they have a run of games against the big boys. Oh dear how sad. Lmao. Hope that Hull City send WBA an invoice for all the expenses and wasted time. Steve Clarke does not come out of this very well at all. You could be right and for alot less than £5m. Lol. No he is not. The windows should be smashed and it should go back to how it was. 3rd week in March being deadline day. What we have know is a restriction of trade. Only in football could this happen. Dont see it. Long will not take out his own revenge and bide his time. He who laughs last Laughs the longest.
Unlikely be for less. Every other club now knows what offer could seal his services after the debacle last night. I would expect bigger clubs with more money to come sniffing. It's not long ago Long was linked with moves to much bigger clubs than us.
Maybe some football fans prefer their club to be taken for fools every year. If you think it's best to leave things until the last five hours of a two month window and relying on another clubs willingness to do a deal only if they are happy with who they sign it shows an incredible naivety. Even if it's not lateness, the way the club allowed themselves to be messed about by Campbell a few years ago shows that they need a sensible person in charge of transfers. I would suggest that too many times we haven't had a person like that - but it also appears we have some fans who are not sensible, too.
Inciteful as ever Peter, I can't believe the club haven't offered you the job yet. Surely the 'phone will be ringing in the Saxton household tonight.
According to Phil Buckingham it seems that City are putting a brave face on it, but the experience hurt. All sorted with a 5.5 million deal with add-ons increasing it to 6.5 million. Then they pull the plug at the last moment. I think Clarke and WBA will find that Bruce and the Allams have long memories. Anyway we can't officially make another approach for him until the window reopens but one can but wonder what was said last night and what is being said in Ireland today, something like 'keep your head down and we'll be back'.
So you haven't seen the complaints about Arsenal and Manchester United trying to do their business tow late? Manchester United could have bought Fellaini for £4m cheaper a month ago. Can you explain why they didn't buy him then? Tottenham got most of their targets in early. Most people think that what is going to get us relegated is not having good enough strikers. I think that is a good enough reason to make strikers our priority and not wait until the last few hours of a two month transfer window. We could have spent the same money on Bendtner than we would have had to pay for Long and got the deal wrapped up a long time ago. We might have been able to get Bent on a deal where we would only be committed to spending £3m or so in a year.
