Fast forward 24 hours on and I still feel betrayed, gutted and annoyed at our club for selling Wickham. As other posters have said this will send out all the wrong signals to the wider footballing world! Players that want to be play for ambitious and vibrant clubs will take one look at us now and choose anywhere else! We are deluding ourselves when we say that Ipswich Town is still place for ambitious footballers to come and play. We have such a chronic lack of decent quality players that we shouldn't be selling one of our better ones! We now need 5 quality signings before the start of next season! By selling Wickham what message does this send to our younger talented players like Carson, Whyte, Hyam & Griffiths? Work hard get yourself into the first team squad, play a few games, get noticed and then we will cash in as soon as we can! Sod all the development thats been put in you are all expendable! By selling Wickham it basically says that we have absolutely no clear vision, no clear purpose and absolutely no ambition to get promoted. Do you honestly think that PJ will be given all the transfer cash to spend? If you do then seriously dream on! Even if PJ was given most of the cash we will now be mugged off by other clubs for their players! I wanted Wickham to stay for at least 1 more year to form a partnership with Chopra and actually pay us back for the development we have given him. Instead we will be left once again panic buying over priced journeymen wanting their final fat pay cheque!
All i am going to say JWM, without the Dyer sale we couldn't have afforded Reuser & Marcus Stewart and you know what an effect that had to a promotion! Connor Wickham wouldn't have got us promoted, but the money we get from his sale (if it all goes to PJ) will have a massive impact towards a promotion campaign.
Guru the Dyer sale has to be put into context so lets nail it now! Dyer was one element of a squad that had been in the play offs twice so the team we had then was good enough. The money we got for Dyer did pay for one or 2 additions and the Marcus Stewart deal was the best bit of business we have ever done. This current squad of players is never going to seriously challenge for the play-offs! We need too many decent players and even if PJ has got all that money to spend the transfer market today is so over inflated that it will be almost impossible for him to get all the quality we need! Look I'm sorry for pissing on the parade and I want whats best for Town like everyone else but I just feel that the club have made a big mistake!
Even at the highest fee I've seen mentioned (£8.2mil + £2mil add ons) it's still a joke! This is Darren Bent all over again! Sold for a pittance to the first bidder.
Yorkie if you see this thread can you set up a poll so that we can all take a vote? It will be interesting to see the numbers that are for and against the sale of Wickham
I'll put the other side of the coin JWM. The sale of Wickham can be sold as a positive to young aspiring players. You will get the chance to play in our first team if you are good enough. We do nurture and develop talent and yes if the price is right we'll let you go on to greater things. That would encourage me if I were likes of Hyam etc. I would like to have seen him stay for another 12 months, but the money on offer for somebody who is unproven is fantastic.
Sorry Stratton I disagree and I am pretty sure that Sir Bobby would be spinning in his grave over what this once great club has become!
Colchesters fan and former friend of Wickhams in peace! May I ask why have you lot sold him for 8.2 mill when all year you've been saying he is worth 10 mill. With plenty of clubs interested surely this is bad business by the club? If they had hung on a few weeks the fee would have risen..
Aye, total load of media and internet tosh though, whatever they want to justify the massive price they just paid for him. It has been mentioned on several occasions that ME pays all fees up front as to not leave the club in extended debt. Plus Sunderland have a habbit of making public any debt still owed, ala Chopra and Cardiff.
Got a sneaking suspicion that we will never be privvy to how much he was sold for... the Ipswich way in order to avoid any uproar from the fans.
I never thought it would happen now, utterly gutted.... PJ & Cleggster you have some serious work to do, starting now! ****'s sake
Let's not judge the board until we see what they do with money, yes i'm sad to see Connor go, but if its for the greater good of the club then i'm all for it.
Can't say I'm surprised. I'm sure the offer of regular first team football at Sunderland has made his mind up that he would benefit more there than say Liverpool. It's funny how quick people change their minds in football. One minute saying you want to stay at a club and the next you're out the door. If he doesn't want to be here I don't want him here anyway. Good luck Connor.
Me to Guru, of coarse Connor is a fantastic prospect, but he is still unproven. But the money was to good to turn down. The problem at Ipswich right now is that we need to many good new players. If we only needed a couple then perhaps keeping him was the best option, but this, i think, is the best deal all round. As long as PJ gets some to spend. Don't forget the deal Sunderland will have offered Cwick will be headspining and hard for him to turn down too. On another note, Guru, i hope all is well.
Now Wickham has gone (which i didn't want to happen ) Mr PJ can now build his own team as we do need several quality players and the money has to come from somewhere . 8.1 million quid can buy what we need . RK decimated our squad and 1 player doesn't make a team ,8.1 million can buy half of 1 . Lets see who they get in . I'm optimistic about ITFC's future now MR PJ has the cash in his back pocket . Good luck Conner , it's bloody freezing up ta north even in summer COYB
