Don't know about anyone else, but this transfer window is already making me ill with nerves! We need basically a whole team, according to Bruce (the question of whether after two years and 55 million quid, this is a good or bad state of affairs is for another time). But it is what it is. I think if we have targets whether it be Zog or anyone else, we should not f**k about with bargaining, allowing them to bugger off somewhere else (as it looks like Demba Ba may be....and to them up the road as well!!!), let's just go straight in with good, outstanding offers and whether they decide to come or not at least we'll know we did what we could and can leave negotiations with a clear conscience. I don't want Quinny and Bruce sitting in a relegation dog fight next season thinking 'sh*t, I wish we'd pushed the boat out for them now.' I want my confidence restored in the Short/Bruce/Quinn project, I want to know we're doing all we can to progress and I want to know that when push comes to shove, we commit all we can to bringing in good players, who in and of themselves can attract other good players. We need the world of football to know we mean business. I'm not being a delusional nutter saying we should bid for the Messi's of this world- but when it comes to players that we and other teams around us are going for, I'd like to think, we can be as ambitious as anyone else.
I really dont think its that easy though A: when other clubs see we have paid over the odds for a player, and we go in for another one, they will slap another 2-3 million on the price tag. B: If we pay over the odds for 5 players of 2 million each on avarage, thats 10 million that we could have used to get 2 more players. C: these players dont have a price tag over their necks, we go in with a bid of lets say 6 million, the club will say 10 million we up it to 8 deal done (you dont pay 10) We would all love players at the SOL, but i wouldnt want to put the future of the club in jeapordy by doing it.
I think the memory of losing out to N'Zogbia and Adam Johnson because we haggled over £1m or £2m will be very high in the minds of both Quinn and Bruce though. Its okay to pay £2m over the odds so long as that player is a game changing one such as the 2 mentioned. Imagine if we had just paid Wigan the then asking price of £10m for N'Zog, when he was up for grabs and also £8m for Johnson when the deal could have been done with Boro in a day? How much of a difference would they have made? Another 2 or 3 places up the table is worth £4m and they are the sorts of players that get you top 6 or 7? I think we will be the ones making the offers to get the players this time. Haggle over lesser ones fair enough but not the key players we have targetted.
Not sure about zog but wasnt Adam Johnsone just wages, boro had accepted our bid, but Man City gazzumped us with the wages side which we could never hope to compete with?
Point is, we did dither around for a few weeks looking to get him cheaper and this alerted City. We can never compete with them on wages but if the deal had just been done quietly and quickly, City may well have not come in. I think thats the point here Steve.
honestly, i cant remember so i cant argue the toss with you lol I still wouldnt like us to be taking to the cleaners though, remember for every transfer, you have to pay a signing on fee and the players agent as well.
Oh how the average man can talk about a million here and a few million there. We're great at spending amounts of money which we will never see. Perks of being a fan
I agree totally with the OP but I also agree with Commachio in that we have only finished the season a few weeks ago. There's plenty of time ahead...
Everyone is in the same boat, but it comes down to turnover and profit. Liverpool made 185 million, their wages were 121 million, they have 64 million to play with. We made 65 million, wages are 54 million we have 11million to play with. (with henderson sale 31 million) Liverpool can afford to spash 20 million on henderson/1 player we cant especially as we need 8-10 of the buggers this season. and if we get wet we could drowned, personally i wouldnt want to see that.
Pretty sure Liverpools overall debt is bigger than ours too though. As an aside I see ManU are talking about floating on the HK stock exchange. It could wipe out their 500 mill debt!!!!!1
Cestria is spot on ! Adam Johnson has stated in several interviews since signing for City, that he thought he was going to Sunderland (and he was quite happy at the prospect) he has mentioned that the FIRM Sunderland offer never came in .The rest of course is history...we missed out. I believe as a club our leadership does have form for dilly dallying about
Even Bruce said he thought it was more or less a done deal re Johnson. Thing is though that we as a club have dithered in the transfer market for as long as I can remember and i've supported the Lads since the mid 70's! We never just DO THE DEAL. Put the money on the table, that's what I say like. The Johnson scenario is a classic and very good example and if we aren't careful we will lose out in the race for N' Zogbia.
JThe deal with Johnson couldn't go through till the January, I imagine if city didn't bid for him then he would have more or less signed him on the first day after the paperwork was filled in. We probably verbally agreed a deal with him but we couldn't do anything until the January. Man city also came in for him and obviously, come the transfer window they were going too sell him too the highest bidder
