Listening to the radio this morning I hear that the mags are completing their third signing taking their spending to around £35 million. They also say they want another 3 in, one of which may be Charlie Austin who is for sale at £15 million. If all goes well for them their spending could be upwards of £60 million. Middlesbrough, after signing Downing now want to sign Rhodes for £15 million. All these signings will be first team players. Now look at our efforts. Lens looks like the only first teamer or maybe he will be a Giaccherini type who will be in and out. O'Shea and Brown are likely to be the central defenders with Coatsy and Kaboul making appearances depending on injuries. Matthews is back up for Jones. All together costing £15 million. I know the window has some time to go but it seems to be the pattern with us that we try to do things on the cheap. We may get lucky and end up with another Kevin Phillips but generally (with exceptions of course) you need to pay decent money for quality players. Spending 2 or 3 million on players usually means that you get a 2 or 3 million pound player, that is, a player who is championship quality, average or maybe with issues (injuries for example) I don't feel confident that the players brought in will make much difference, maybe Lens, and as things are we are set for another relegation battle. To get to about 14th or 15th the coming season we need another 2 players of £15 million quality and who will automatically go into the first team as opposed to bulking out the squad. I don't know what is yet going to happen, we may sign a couple of first team players, but experience of SAFC makes me think we are, once again, going for the cheap option. Maybe the mags players will be flops but they are at least showing ambition and to be honest, I would swap their 3 for our 4 in a heartbeat. The mags and 'borough have shown that you can get quality players to come to the NE and in the past we have occasionally got a good player in (Gyan, Bent and Johnson for example) but these signings are few and far between. As usual I'm with the Lads all the way but supporting us is really a case of hope triumphing over experience. We MUST get at least 2 real quality, first team players in. Will we buy any quality this window? Over to you.
Newcastle and Boro are paying over the top but good luck them. Hull spent over 40m and went down so spending loads means **** all. Yes we will bring in quality in my opinion but if it doesn't then Mr short will lose loads of support. Just sit back and relaxed pal. I'll be very surprised if Newcastle buy Austin and I wouldn't surprise me if there next couple of signings are loans.
I was thinking of posting a similar thread to be honest. Whilst you don't have to spend fortunes to get good players we do seem to be in the bargain basement at the moment. In Ellis Short we seem to have found the American Bob Murray. Ever since Steve Bruce spending has been cut drastically. Whoever decided Steve Bruce should be the one to splash the cash? Of course the window isn't closed yet and there should be more to come. I would hope our spending goes beyond £30 million. Even that would be just 2 decent signings. Is anyone confident we will take our spending over 30 million?
The fee for rhoads is a joke. Why a championship team would consider that much money for someone who is no world beater is ridiculous.
That's true Indy but you can usually gauge how good a player is or how he is likely to perform by what he is worth in the transfer market. We got SKP cheap and he was probably one of the all time best buys but these buys are the exception rather than the rule. We cannot rely on unearthing great players for peanuts (in today's market terms) Of course, I hope Matthews turns out to be a great buy, as with the rest, but we've been down this road many times with the likes of Bridcutt, a championship player who will not improve us and barely even a squad player. Many on here will be able to list loads of players we've bought who are just not good enough. If we were able to get somebody like Danny Welbeck that would be an improvement but we just don't seem to have the ambition to go for these next level players. Please prove me wrong SAFC. I, along with all of us on here want what's best for us but the signings so far leave me whelmed. More of the same and nothing to get excited about. I hope you are right and these cheap buys turn out to be SAFC greats but I don't hold out much hope. Maybe we should reassess our club and instead of thinking we should be a top ten regular we should think we are, realistically, no bigger than clubs like Norwich, Derby or Millwall. Personally I think we should be a top ten team as we have everything required, except the players, but maybe I am wrong. Still, Hope springs eternal...
I think Dick is maybe looking at things the Alf Ramsey way - "I don't pick the best players. I pick the best team." Wijnaldum is undoubtedly a good player, but we weren't even in for him. Dick said he wasn't interested, as he is looking for another type of player. I don't think anybody on here complained about Reveillere's performances either, but Dick let him go because he wanted a full back more attack minded. He seems to have an idea of the team he wants and will only go for players who will give us that. Bit of Ramsey maybe?
I'm just hoping that we've managed to get quality for cheap, to be honest I'm still hopeful that we have another decent signing in us yet. As for Newcastle spending £35 million on 3 players well the only one out of the 3 I'd of been happy with is the midfielder the 2 lads from Aderlecht look like very expensive hopeful punts and we've been stung like that before with Wickham. I think we can trust Dick, Ellis and Congerton to get the right players in for a reasonable price and I don't think that we're too far away from our squad looking decent on paper.
I have always said short is a tight **** but he most know by now we need to buy quality. If he doesn't this summer then he will lose most of the sunderland support.
I think that's wrong Charley. English players are generally more expensive than Europeans of the same ability. You can buy better from abroad for less than a decent English player. It's only when you look at the same market can you generally say more money usually guarantees better quality, IMO of course
I don't think they would have signed wiljjlijilijjendum considering Aston villa Spunked out on delph. Delph ffs. The Anderlecht pair are nobodies.
My perception on why Advocaat agreed to stay was on a basis of allowing him carte blanche to land his own targets (obviously subject to Congerton's input). However, unless those targets just don't fancy us, which is a possibility, then financial restrictions, if any, will start to piss him off. I just hope that the lack of activity is down to the fact that we need to offload some deadwood first, or that he is simply doing a great job keeping his powder dry. Either way, if I'm honest, I'm a tad anxious even though I realise there is plenty of time yet.
Surely to God this will be the other way round. O'Shea and Brown have been finished for a couple of seasons now. It has to be Kaboul and Coates when everyone is fit.
Rackem quoted.. "I just hope that the lack of activity is down to the fact that we need to offload some deadwood first" I think the lack of transfers out from the Club, must have a direct effect on the funds available to get new players.It is bad business if we add new players to the wage bill,without getting others off it,and the funds we get from Transfers out must also help to Buy players in.There are always rumours about who we are looking at to improve the Squad,but liitle news about bids received for players,we really need to sell,as well as buy.I just have everything crossed hoping it all works out in the end,but we all have been let down that many times,surely we must be due a change ??
This, Lens was in the last year of his contract from a team that needed cash. WineGum signed from a team holding all the cards and got top price. Imagine the Price of lens if we signed him from PSV with plenty of contract to run. Then they sign an unproven kid who's only scored in a mickey mouse league for a ridiculous amount. Mags are over spending imo. Not saying they haven't bought quality but they're overspending. We've got some excellent value.
Mathews has loads of champions League experience and comes in high regard from virtually everyone. Just the odd Sunderland fan looking at the price tag questioning him.
They've been prone to falling apart here and there but our Defence and Keeper kept 13 clean sheets last year, see how many team actually managed that, and if you change the games we lost by more than three goals to 2-0 defeats it completely transforms out against tally. Those lads need more credit for last season. In most part they were excellent. The pace is a problem though, we sit to deep for them which effects us going forward and our ability to keep the ball.
