Well, Brod actually said the committee gave him the option of Balotelli or no one. I'd have taken the latter option!
Me too. I think honestly being 2nd in table and having suarez taken away.... he should have walked if that was only options given. I think having the sell carroll and force a loss on lfc of... well 16mil i think rogers knew what woyld happen with one striker but i do think he gambled on sturridge being fit.
Again, he had the options of both Berahino and Shaqiri for £16m. That's why I get pissed off with the 'It was cheap punt with little downside to it' version of events, especially given his £90k a week (after tax) wages on top. I still suspect this moneyball nonsense and that Brod was egoed into turning him into a £100m player.
Fee's Would have been more had it been us rather than Stoke. Wouldn't want Berahino either although I'd have taken him before Benteskey AND Balotelli!
Absolutely, and that's the point - it's not that Berahino was any answer to the loss of Suarez, but he was a damn sight better a punt for £15m (which is what he was on offer for that summer) than the two you've mentioned. Fantastically bad business that summer, and we'd just come second and were in the CL! Memories of 2002 hen we passed on making a still decent Anelka permanent, despite a decent six months with us, and blew the budget on that **** Diuof just because he had a good world cup.
My point was more that I wouldn't have taken any of them. If the player isn't right then simply don't sign them. So what if we would probably have struggled for strikers. We were no better off signing one was we? If desperate, loan?
The summer after we finished second set us back so badly, when it should have been the springboard. Lambert, Lallana, Lovren, Ballotelli. Such a waste of money. Edit: Added Markovic as well, who I do rate but we weren't in the position to a) spend that much On a youngster and b) develop such youngsters.
The money is shocking but the bit that annoyed me was they were all players we could have targeted without CL football.
Exactly. And none addressed our clear weaknesses which were midfield and defence (Lovren was brought in to replace our best defender).
