Apart from Leicester, who has spent more than us outside the PL over the last two years? Also, you only pay the price being asked for a player rather than their true "value" and our signings to date were priced where they were priced. The fact that we were most definitely in for Hooper shows where we are aiming and how we intend to cut our cloth. The fact is that the vast majority of bids for players are not accepted. There's nothing anyone can do about it unless you have irresistible cash or clout.
I dont want us to throw money around like confetti but we backed the club with bums on seats in league 1. Lambert,Guly,Fonte,Richardson were all bought under the budget for league 1. De Ridder was a gamble that hasn't paid off yet. Lee & Falque are inexperienced gambles too. If they pay off then fantastic but pay for tried and tested i say.
Or the player is desperate to come and creates a fuss. Never happens with us...I tell a lie, that's how we got Nigel.
Seeing as we are looking to "do a Norwich" I had a look at their total incomings last season and it was 10 players. I'd say we don't quite need this many but not far off maybe 8/9 as a total.
I'm sorry but we cannot let this become an excuse. If we go after a player like Hooper and offer what we feel he's worth and get knocked back, we should have alternative targets in mind, otherwise we just look silly and looks as if a token effort was made.
The fact that Dan Harding gets picked at RB ahead of Butterfield and Richardson. The fact that Falque plays ahead of Deridder,Holmes when he is young not trained with us for long and not played in this league. The fact that Fox went in at CB with no other defender on the bench. Speaks volumes. Yes there might be the odd niggle or bad luck going around but you know what solves that. Quality back up to step into the breach.
No way in a million years did harding play due to anything other than frazer not being 100% if so I would be in a state of shock. Hes been excellent this season.
TBD. Thats what i mean. Richardson has been awsome yet not quite fit to start by the looks of it. But a lefty instead of Butterfield and as has been pointed out Stephens. Harding played well aainst a poor Forest team with 10 men thats all. Adkins also said Holmes may well have to go out on loan to get games then finds himself on the bench.
Ok I see your point, I guess we dont know whether Nige thought due to the forest game that Dan deserved another chance ahead of butterfield or Stephens or maybe it is that he doesnt believe they're suitable back up. Cant see another right back comming in while Butterfield is still at the club IMO.
Tadanari Lee arrives at Heathrow airport but is not allowed to speak to media, as instructed by Saints, presumably until deal is done.
Not so sure. Just because you rate someone highly enough to bid for them doesn't necessarily mean that there is someone else you regard so highly. If we are simply desperate for a striker, then yes, you need a plan B. In this instance though, it might just be that we were trying to save ourselves a few quid on his inevitably inflated price next year. Put it this way, I don't think we're doing a Venkys and talking about Ronaldinho/Beckham just to get column inches.
