That's because transfer fees are one offs, but wages are on going and also cause problems with other players.
We have sufficient numbers in all areas and there is always a position where we will want to improve. We've already signed four quality players and people are always going to say a position is weaker than another and it needs improving. I think a defence of Clyne-Fonte-Hooiveld-Fox is better than a few Premier League sides already and I'd still be confident of getting something out of the Man City game if we start with that.
If you look at it, we have signed four players, which is a good amount considering alot of other clubs business. The Manchesters have 2 maybe three between them. If you look at it that way, where we have signed more players than many other clubs, then the answer to the thread would be no. J-Rod had other clubs interested, so too did Clyne and Davis.
That's true but Man City and to a lesser extent Man United don't need to strengthen their teams as much as we do/did...
We have a wage structure, but most of the players we want are happy with what we offer. Cortese has said that he is willing to stretch thwe wage structure when the time is right.
I believe that we are not offering stupid money to entice players and some targets have been possibly lost because of this BUT the players that we have signed will all add up to Bloody Good value for the money and have joined us mainly due to the way Cortese has sold our Club and its high ambitions. I've heard Harding is on More money now he is at Notts Forest, which again shows we are a well run Club (business)
Overall it seems we are all satisfied with our transfer activities this summer. I guess we will never really know who we may have missed through our wage structure, if any, but I still wonder whether we still some irons in the fire that can improve our team/squad without upsetting players already in place.
NA buys players who are hungry for success. He buys players with ambition and who want to play for this football club. Money doesn't come into it for our players, hence why nobody is on hefty wages and those that are on the highest (Lambert, Lallana, etc) have proven their loyalty to SFC.
I wouldn't go as far as saying that money doesn't come into it exactly. I imagine we offer a good deal depending on future results which could be the best way forward.
It's an interesting one. Some players will insist on certain wages and will feel they are automatically one of the biggest parts of the team. Whereas it you keep the wage structure you get players that want to buy into the vision and want to prove themselves. That way yet are as a group rather than an individual. But luckily our business is done behind closed doors so we don't get to hear about any potential players that are ruined or delayed because of our wage structure, or whether that automatically makes them a disruptive influence.
No; so long as funds are finite (and they are for all but perhaps two teams in England), we'll need a studiously-followed wage structure to remain competitive while avoiding the piles of debt that plague many mid-table teams. It certainly forces our management to work harder to find players, but I'm not sure that we're worse off for that, setting aside the financial concerns; if players sign here, it's going to generally be because they want to be here, rather than the fact that we're offering them far more money than anyone else. And as we've seen, those players do exist, so long as Cortese stays dogged in his pursuit.
Without wishing to go into any details, I am, in common with many people, paid party by my productivity. There is all the difference in the world between a salary structure paying a fortune in wages for a top six finish, with a relegation clause which halves the basic payments, and a straight 5 year deal a la Tal Ben Haim which has brought Pompey to the brink. I am sure that the likes of Fonte did not join Saints in L1 because the base salary was generous. It was because the deal meant big increases for success. These are the sort of deals which make financial success. My boss would be delighted if I was paid 200k this year. It would mean I had made a shed load of money for him and the company for which I work. Sadly, it's not very likely< laugh>
out of interest, can anyone fill me in on what our wage structure is, exactly, and how it compares to other prem clubs? i want numbers. how much is lambert on, for instance?
