These unrealistic targets are the ones we should be going for next season. The Europa league might help us bag targets we otherwise wouldn't normally get, I can't see us being in the competition again next season, so we may as well take advantage of it while we can. I think Livermore was an important piece of business but I'm sure we. Can do better than the likes of Snotarse, specially with the fee that's being banded about. I know snotarse would end up at another PL club if we don't get him and we'd miss out, but signing his type is hardly taking advantage of the extra sway we have by offering European football. Swansea did an alright job of it.
I don't know what kind of players we wouldn't normally get if we hadn't qualified anyway. Playing in the third qualifying round against some team from Hungary is hardly a draw is it? The player would (if they had other interest) easily go "well hang on, I've also got an offer from Villareal and St. Ettiene. I'll probably go there". I'd have thought we'd get the same players we would anyway, just that we'd get them quicker. The biggest draw we have is playing the PL, then under SB. And Snodgrass is a great signing (I'm struggling to think who we would've gone for instead?), we've probably overpaid again, but with teams seeing us shell out this kind of money, expect us to be held to ransom a little bit.
Finally! A lot of people seem to think that us getting the Europa League is some sort of trump card against everyone else. We're still less established as a lot of other lower Prem teams and we're not as attractive as Premier league stability.
Players talk to Steve Bruce and believe in him. The Europa League puts us in a difficult position and we need a squad that is capable of playing more games. We ran out of steam a bit last season. But at least here players will have regular first team PL games.
I do not think Bony and Shelvey would be plying their trade at Swansea now if it wasn't for their Europa league campaign last season. Both must surely have had offers from more established clubs. And let's not kid ourselves here, not getting to the group stage would take an utter catastrophe, it's not like we're going to be facing anything close to equal opposition in q3 or the playoff round. We'll have found out by the time the window shuts anyway. Edit: and I think Celtic are the perfect evidence that European competition can be a stronger lure than the premier league, we see players opt to go there in favour of playing in Europe over coming to an average PL side like ourselves all the time. Ok they have a crack at getting into the champions league which is more illustrious granted, but they start their CL campaign in q3 against some pretty tough teams and could easily find themselves dropping into the Europa league before the end of the qualifying rounds. And if they do make it to the group they've little chance at anything more than 6 decent games in an entire season and the rest of it against total **** in horrible crappy stadiums in front of bumper crowds of about 300 people. I think it's safe to say, as a premier league club, that the Europa league will help us to attract some players who otherwise wouldn't look twice at us who have their sights set well higher up the league table.
We do have to win the qualifier before we get into the euros proper! We might end up with these players and only play two games! If so we've got a cracking squad for a top ten place!
Hmmmhhh....So we're linked with Scott Sinclair, Hutton, that Bender bloke from Arse, Tom Ince, Dawson, and a couple of geezers from the World Cup. Makes you wonder if the Allam's are being backed by someone that no one knows anything about!!! On the bombshell I'm off to watch the WC
Half or more of the players we're being linked with are just paper talk and wont be on Bruce's list. Although Sinclair & Ince would be 2 ****ing excellent signings...
Sinclair played against us for WBA last season didnt he? Didnt look arsed too busy thinking about his mrs' tits i reckon. edit came on as a sub.
Moreno the Mexican defender we were linked with broke his tibia in the match so presume ends our interest if we had one. http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2014/m=6/news=broken-tibia-forced-moreno-out-2389992.html
