The thing that annoys me about West Ham is that they are blatantly applying a scorched earth policy, buying up all the players (particularly strikers) on the market that any competitors are after too. I suppose if you've got the means, then not a lot we can do. But it does annoy me. I feel West Ham are better than that, as have been one of the clubs alongside Southampton that have produced and produced great young players through their ranks who have gone on to form the scaffolding of both the national team and trophy-winning English clubs. Think they would go up as champions without all those purchases. That's some team who can win so many points with ten men. I do like them, though, spiritually - just don't really feel much for thie current ownership and management team! That's why the Championship is such a tough league, though - is always one or more of these teams each season, and the other teams have got to try to capitalise where you can to get your nose in front, which is what Saints did early on, and what we're trying to maintain as it gets tougher.
Saint, we tried to buy rhodes but Huddersfield wanted to much, i mean he couldnt make it at ipswich, i think the offer we put in for Sharp was a half hearted one, we tried for a few foreigners but they fell thru. so on the last day we brought in Maynard and Vez te, untested in the prem but ok in the championship,with the big strikers we had ie cole, carew, piquione i couldnt see us scoring, now we have Maynard and Vaz te we are going to have to play the ball along the floor a bit more as we did with great effect on tuesday night, hopefully they will score the goals to take us back to the prem. All the best Brooking
To be fair Sharp was quiet young when he was at Sheff Utd, and i dont think they were playing that great there at the time either...that could have made a difference. James Beattie said Sharp (and Marsden) were the best players he played with...
Vaz te looks decent. I'm happy with Saints front line, especially with our attack minded team. In the Derby match only one goal was scored by an out and out striker. We have goals all over the team if they play positively.
They've gotten the debt down in large part (as Sullivan says himself) because they've paid down a big chunk of the debt with their own money. The problem is that, if you go up and come straight back down, the club is going to be in massive trouble...Sullivan hints throughout that they cannot continue funding the team to the extent that they have, but they are still ratcheting up player costs in anticipation of promotion. That's the issue I take: they are already preparing to spend like an established Premiership side, rather than one which is going to have to use the upcoming year (if you get promoted) to wipe out a fair amount of debt if you are to remain solvent long-term. It's a huge potential risk, because any newly-promoted team is in danger of making the drop the next year, and I don't think that Gold and Sullivan can afford to pump in another 32m, as they have thus far.
Just discovered another amazing coincidence. Mick Channon was not born on February 5. As he wasn't signed by West Ham this proves the point (whatever the point was). Now back to a Saints thread ...
