There is an article kicking about somewhere where maggie byrne is quoted as saying something along the lines of "the club has been running at a loss, everytime we sign a player it comes from mr shorts pocket, his own money"
My guess is mogadon...lots of them or what is that pill that means you cannot hat a barn door with a frying pan?
**** that mate, if Southampton want him ( and they are desperate now) put a fee of £12m on him. They've just pocketed £100m+ in the last few weeks so have the finances.
I'd sell him to a desperate Southampton for in excess of £12m. They HAVE to buy someone and have over £100m put away in the last few weeks. Bout time we fleeced someone for a change.
If you look at the website, it shows what was spent v what was recouped, except where fees were not disclosed. I think we only see a surplus in one season. Short inherited and paid off the club's debt that was too big for Drumaville to manage. The club has been consistently operating at a loss and Short has stressed that SAFC have to plan for the business to be compliant to the FFP rules. I can't see why you think my point is invalid.
Last season, Sunderland had lots of problems with players running down their contracts, with the likes of Jack Colback, Phil Bardsley and Craig Gardner leaving on frees this summer. If Sunderland had sold those three last summer, they would have picked up between £5-10m in transfer fees. Currently, Gus Poyet is trying to deal with a similar situation with Connor Wickham, who could leave for free next summer. Given the huge fee that Sunderland paid and his untapped potential, it would be a travesty for Sunderland to lose the striker next summer for a small amount of compensation, meaning he will have to be sold this summer or a new contract will have to be agreed. He played a vital role in the run in for Sunderland last season, scoring five goals including a crucial strike against Chelsea and a brace against Manchester City. After a long time at the Stadium of Light, it appears that the former Ipswich striker is starting to fulfill his undoubted potential and to lose him for a small fee would be extremely damaging for the Black Cats. He gave the side impetus last season when it looked like they were dead and buried. It’s clear he is now ready for a more prominent role after his performances last season, both for Sunderland and for Sheffield Wednesday in the first half of the season. Gus Poyet should sit down with the young striker and promise to make him his main man for the the upcoming season. Not only has he earned it after his incredible run towards the end of the last campaign, but it would ensure Wickham stays at the club. In two or three seasons time, Wickham could be in the England squad and he could command a fee upwards of £15m, it would be a huge mistake to let him walk away either this summer or next. He is a fantastic finisher and he also has the ability to dribble with the ball, which makes him more than your typical target man. With Andy Carroll’s injury problems and Rickie Lambert’s advancing age, Wickham could be the man England look for to offer something different up front. The interest in Connor Wickham is mainly coming from West Ham, although there have been tentative links with a move to North East rivals Newcastle. It’s very easy to link the striker with these two clubs as both need another striker, and he would offer something different to their existing strikers, but for a fee of around £6m, a move for Wickham could be a shrewd move for these two sides. He is young, English and has experience in the Premier League, plus his potential will mean that there is a chance that a huge profit will be made in a few years time. It’s very interesting to consider Wickham’s own thinking about his future. It’s obvious he has to play first team football in the top flight if he is to improve as a player and the logical thinking is that he will get that at Sunderland, therefore he should sign a new contract and carry his form into this season for Gus Poyet’s men. However he has been poorly treated in his time in the North East and he may see his contract situation as the perfect way to force a move to another club, one which will treat him better as a young upcoming player. Both West Ham and Newcastle would represent excellent moves for the striker, but they are only worth making if he will be getting first team football. http://eplindex.com/57051/future-hold-connor-wickham.html
It is correct, when you looks at the accounts of the club over a period of time Short has invested a lot of his own money. BUT the value of premier league clubs has risen vastly since he took over. His actual investment is sound, even though he has put money in for "cash flow" the business is probably worth more than his total investment. My opinion is he is trying to make the club worth within FFP and making sure his investment is never more that his potential on exit. The must in all of this is being in the premier league.
That will the mindless unproven speculation from the press then? Yeah, we know, thanks for the delayed news flash.
He's played about a dozen times for us over the last two years and score a handful of goals. It will hit us like losing Shola hit you, except we'll get a fee. So actually, losing Shola is a bigger, tougher loss for you than Wickham would be for us.
We wont miss him much as he did not play many games, but its a cock up as far as the clubs finances and management goes. I still think he will sign a new contract. He is just playing hard ball.
Try as I might I can't find any solid info on Connor. That said, I'm not as panicked as many if he goes anyway, although my preference is if course that he stays and is developed into our main striker. I still feel Fletch will outscore the lad, and I still feel Jozy will chip in a few this year, so if he has to be moved on to recoup some of the clubs investment, so be it. Tribunal would be similar to a fee now (unless we fleece Saints or West Ham), so no major panic IMO.
I wouldn't personally mate, although I take on board the value of Eto commercially, and that he'd still do an adequate job. That said, it would be exciting to see a player like that, a genuine world star in the shirt, I just think it'stoo much to pay a lad at that stage of his career. If he'd take half of that, no brainer.
Fair play, been thinking about our conner this morning, why dont we offer him a stepped contract? We'll give you £30kpw if you score between 10-15 goals, next year will be £35k, do the same again £40k, if you score 15-20 this season straight to £40k
I've thought 30k plus 5k a goal, hit 12-15 and go to 45k next year. My hunch is that he's ****ed off with the club, and won't sign, but I have no grounds for this, just a feeling I have.
