I did, on here, before a ball was kicked. I think we bought really, really poorly during the summer and massively overspent on average players. I've said numerous times now, if Snodgrass hadn't been injured I believe he'd now be rated as bad if not a worse signing than Hernandez. He just hasn't been highlighted as a bad signing cos he hasn't played. We're one of the slowest teams in the league, the last thing we wanted was to sign the slowest wide player in the history of football. I rate Bruce as our best manager ever but the summer transfer campaign was a 3 out of 10 and it's not hindsight.
In all honesty, you take away an FA Cup final and Bruce hasn't achieved anymore that Phil Brown, if anything Phil Browns promotion was more impressive on a lower budget and after us just avoiding the drop the season before. Also he spent a lot less money than Bruce and kept us up, and Bruce is going to take us down this season just like Brown did in his second season. Lets not forget Brown also took us to an FA Cup quarter final which we were robbed in. I don't think anyone can say Bruce is our best ever manager without any question.
Brown and Bruce are about equal I reckon, the two reigns are so alike in so many ways it's frightening. First seasons went very similarly, second seasons almost mirror all the way down to ridiculous team selections, tactics, cramming as many square pegs in round holes as possible and buying players who don't play. Neither is good enough for this level.
I'd say the only real difference - and this is from memory rather than checking - is under Brown in season 2 weren't we pretty much bottom 3 all season and nailed on to go down? Whereas this season although never really clear we've hardly actually been in the bottom 3 either. Isn't it a handful of weeks at worst and maybe even fewer?
Yes, but mainly down to the other teams being worse this season, someone was comparing the rates we picked up points not long back and it was almost identical. The other difference being Bruce has spent far, far more money than Brown ever did, and Bruce actually managed to bring in quality players, then decided to misuse them and play them all out of position.
Biggest disappointment for me, has been our dealing in the transfer market, for a club our size's we've spent an awful lot of money and got very little in return.
Totally agree. For a club like us every million is essential, but who has actually of all our signings in the last 2 seasons been worth the money? Good value: Jelavic Dawson Elmo - (did he sign permanent after promotion? I seem to recall he did) McGregor (dodgy but cheap so worth the money) Davies (last season massive yes, this season iffy - so on balance yes) Potentially: Diame - he's played far too few to prove it unequivocally . If he's injured all next season too then he can't be worth it N'Doye - too early to say yet. Robertson - still unsure. Maguire About right spend but still poor players and could've been spent elsewhere: Huddlestone Sagbo Ince Gaston Massive overspend on: Hernandez Snodgrass Livermore HBA
If my memory serve me right we bought Elmo during our promotion season after Sunderland started making noise's about recalling him(which they did at one point) Livermore and Hernandez have to me been disappointing, when you think the total outlay on them was 18 million. I know we've been hit badly by injuries but some of SB dealing in the transfer market do have a touch of buying after watching a video on YouTube.
40 million pounds in one year is a huge investment into the squad, and it needed to be an investment that made us into a solid Premier League outfit. The most baffling thing for me was Livermore and Hernandez, 18 million on those two. We all knew Livermore was okay at best, he wasn't brilliant or someone we desperately needed to keep, I can't actually believe Bruce went for him at the price of 8 million. It's a disaster signing, we should of told them to **** off for anything over a few million, and even that would of been too much he's awful. Hernandez is also baffling, he had a good scoring record in the Serie B, but in Serie A his record is very poor, how did Bruce not know this? How did he manage to blow 10 million on someone who can't score goals in the Serie A.
All valid and although it sounds like hindsight it really isnt. Me and all my mates winced collectively when we heard the fee for Livermore, he was a £4m man and no more. Hernandez is just bizarre, I reckon Zamparini would've snapped our hands off at the £7m we paid for Long and £10m must've been our opening bid.
What's more baffling about paying 8 million for Livermore is we only paid 2/3 million for Diame, With hindsight(I know) when it come's to Hernandez it might have been better to take a gamble on a home grown player.because that is what we've done here took a gamble with 10 million quid and so far it's not paid off.
Deeney at £6m would've been far better. Yes he's not amazing but he could've hit the ground running and even when not playing well would've put in 100% effort.
Exactly, I think even going all out and spending 10 million on Rhodes would of been a better investment as I believe he would guarantee goals.
If we could have bought Deeney for £6m, I suspect we would have done, but as Watford rejected higher bids than that from Leicester, he obviously wasn't available for £6m.
Just because he is young and needs games. You stick with veterans who can slot in a he do a job. You don't give someone a run to settle in when every game is a must win mentality. Just haven't got the luxury to give a new player time. Derby could gamble on him as he would maybe lift them, and if it didn't work they would be fine as they were. We couldn't gamble as we were not safe and looking down not up.
They were after something like 10/12 million for him, think a lot thought that was a lot of money for a untried championship player, but not for a Italian second division player.
