If that's the height of our ambitions then we deserve everything we get this season. Piss poor if this comes off when Alonso is apparently available for peanuts.
We can kiss big transfers good bye after the Mirror article. Two weeks before the window closes too. A complete desaster. Mickey Gray may have been 100% spot on, mirroring all our concerns, but he spoke like a fan and not the professional he should have been, he used us as his platform knowing we were on the same page. All it's given is ammunition for the nationals to sensationalise our situation. Nobody with any established credibility will go near us now. That's the price of early panic. It's why I pleaded to let the window close before we let rip, it was all a matter of timing, not because I'm a 'happy clapper'. All we've done is make a very tough job more or less impossible for Lee Congerton. Social Media is very very powerful, completely underestimated. You've got thousands of fans mixing in the same domains as Clubs, Players, Agents and Ex players working within the media. Never have football fans had such a direct influence on the image of a club. The result of it all this, the Tabloids feeding of our panicking scraps to convert into cold hard cash. I did say let the window close first. We reap what we sow and we've brought this on ourselves imo.
Chuck enough money at it, you might rescue the season. I think your biggest problem was tying Dick down (publically anyway) to a one year contract. It sends the wrong message to prospective players in my eyes.
No offence mate but I think the recent headlines is more of a put off than Dick's one year contract. His contract is an established detail. The recent headlines can tip the balance for someone in two minds over joining, towards them choosing someone else. The timing has been a disaster. We'll already need to over pay as the selling clubs are in the strongest position, but now we need to over pay players too, just to convince them to sign. Can't see it happening, especially with us barely managing to lighten the wage bill. We've added 5 wages and only shifted 3. Nah, we're going to have to take a chance on some up and coming youngster off the continent. It's hit and miss but there'll be no big signings for now I fear.
I agree with you there. I genuinely believe in the long run, Dicks contract situation has caused some issues but without knowing the ins and outs of every move you have made, who knows! MG has definitely ballsed this up for you though. It makes the club appear toxic (as a NUFC fan, I know how that feels). In my opinion, he has no right to be mouthing off anyway. Was he not the captain of one of your record breaking seasons? Hardly covered in glory if that is true.
It's without doubt the most damaging thing to happen this Summer imo. As correct as his views were, it's done nothing but provide material for the rags to sell papers with, it's made a bad situation much much worse. If everybody just chilled until the window closed then let rip and raised hell, all this would have been is a bad start to the season. It would have been Chelsea who are the 'Club in crisis' guaranteed.
To be honest this could be a good thing. In my experience no publicity is bad publicity and why not state the way the fans feel. Short is so disconnected from what the fans want that this may shake things up a bit. I say well done Mickey, he could have kept quiet like all the other pundits and sat on the fence but the lad has stuck his balls on the line because he loves the club. In my experience keeping quiet is like a slow surrender to the obvious failure.
The press can twist things all they like but SAFC are still in the headlines and no real business man cares what the press say anyway.
I doubt it would make any difference, all they care about is the £. As long as we pay the right amount they will come. My worry is we wont pay out any money. So we wont sign anyone for that reason.
I can only say that Gray must be short of money and ready to say what people will pay for. Someone on the site put it succinctly for me when they said they used the Mirror for toilet paper.
