If he does sign, we should run a competition to see which journo comes up with the most cheesy headline about Hooper joining The Hoops.
The board still have to sanction every deal and would seem yours sanctioned some rather stupid one's, which the Allams never would. Not in the sense that you can't afford the mess you've got yourself in, as your owners obviously actually have some cash unlike Pompeys, more in the sense that you've ended up with a squad largely populated by overpaid, prima donnas who don't give a **** about your club and you can't shift them as you've given them such ridiculous contracts. Not a matter of financial stability, but squad stability, based on the individuals in your squad you should never have been relegated, yet you were well-off ever looking like surviving, suggesting your team spirit and work ethic are highly questionable. Why do you lot think you've been shrewd movers in the transfer market in recent years?
Not in the sense that you can't afford the mess you've got yourself in, as your owners obviously actually have some cash unlike Pompeys, more in the sense that you've ended up with a squad largely populated by overpaid, prima donnas who don't give a **** about your club and you can't shift them as you've given them such ridiculous contracts. Not a matter of financial stability, but squad stability, based on the individuals in your squad you should never have been relegated, yet you were well-off ever looking like surviving, suggesting your team spirit and work ethic are highly questionable. Hard to argue with this.
Far from shrewd, pigeon holing us with Pompey is what every other moron has done. We are currently shifting players on(not quick enough for most of us) so we can put together a decent championship squad, something Pompey didn't/couldn't do. There are no similarities with us & Pompey bar we both wear blue! Don't be a dick.
Anyone else a bit frustrated that we could have had Hooper for next to nothing three seasons ago and now we're being held to ransom to cough up nearly 7 million? Such is football
It doesnt matter what weve done, we will get hammered for signing anyone, no one bats an eyelid when Saints spend £10-£12m on Wanyama yet we could get Hooper for £2.5m less than Norwich offered 6 months ago and yet we get hammered for it. I think Blackburn signed Rhodes for more than £5m yet no one had a go at them. We know we have a **** team, me giving up my ST proves that but it doesnt means we are another Pompey or this is a bad signing.
I and Igor wanted him then, at least we arent paying £8m which was turned down 6 months ago, the fee looks more like £5m or £5.5m which is reasonable.
You needed a player at that point in time though. In that situation I'd rather pay more for a proven quantity than take the gambles for less. We could have had Rickie Lambert for £1M a few years ago before Saints signed him. I still say we were right not to sign him, and the reason is that at the same time as people were saying he was worth the gamble they were also saying 6 or 7 other players were. Those other players haven't gone on to have the same record as Lambert which means in theory those people would have spent £7-8M in order to end up with Rickie Lambert. We didn't have enough money to take every gamble and nobody knew then which ones would work out, yet when Southampton were getting promoted they tried to use Lambert as an example of "we should have signed him" as they they knew. Same thing applies with Hooper, when he was available cheaply he was one of several unproven players, the rest of whom have largely faded away. To say you could have taken the gamble on him then you'd also really have to say that you should have signed the other players as you can't use hindsight to separate them, and on that basis paying £5.5M for a proven Hooper now is probably cheaper than it would have been to guarantee you got the good one out of the batch by buying them earlier. The only qualifier on Hooper being worth what he's being sold for is that David Villa, admittedly older at 31, has just moved for 1.8M Euros, rising to 4.4M if he's successful and sees out his contract. Whilst obviously Hull and QPR can't sign players like Villa, and the wages play a part in the cost, it does make Hooper who is unproven against anything better than Championship defences more than a bit over-priced.
I agree with Flyer's comments: the press have labelled us big-spenders and now all lazy pundits and most fans have taken a similar view, which is total rubbish, as we all know. This is not a transfer rumour I've heard, but a loan move for Man Utd's Nick Powell would be a good move, IMO.
He's scored in the Champions League which is no mug's game. Strikers who know where the goal is will always be in demand and his record in the Championship is top notch, no doubt if he signs for us and starts knocking them in he'll be called 'Hooperman'...
He would feel right at home in this shirt..... please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Would be nice if he brought this guy with him........ please log in to view this image
Nuff said mate! Still, with signing him we have to also keep Remy and need Scott Parker with classy defender too. Then arry better get that lot gel together before im starting to dream about promotion.
Saints could have had Drogba for £1.5m but Rupert Lowe didnt think he was worth that. Btw man of us at the time said we should get him just as we did with Rhodes before he went to Blackburn, its not hindsight.
You've ignored what I was saying about hindsight. The issue isn't that nobody names the player before they do it, it's the fans that name 8 or 9 players that are worth gambling on when they're linked with moves to other clubs. Then 5 years later 1 of them has gone on to make it and they make out they knew it all and that the club missed out because they should have gone for them. It's the ones that conveniently ignore the other 7 or 8 players they named who turned out to be ****. It's the without knowing which player of the group will make it you'd have to sign all of them to be sure of having a proven player a few years down the line, so unless you get lucky it's often cheaper to wait until you know and just pay the bigger fee.
Im struggling to remember any players i wanted that have gone on to fail. On the other hand theres plenty I didnt want that have failed in the last 2 years. Hooper wasnt picked out of nowhere, everyone knew about him (and Rhodes who we wanted and some wanted austin) at the time, its not like the Aaron Martin thread about a nobody thats will be long forgotten.
