Exactly what I was saying to my mates! He's actually done **** all, he's scored a couple goals here and there but he's not even played a full season of football in his career has he? Your better with your stats then most so can tell me if I'm wrong but he's only scored a couple goals and hasn't played much football at all right??! And to pay 12 m and 50,000 a wk on a 5 year contract madness..
It's reported that he was on £20,000 a week at Spurs and not getting a game so Newcastle spend 12m and give him £55,000 on a 5yr deal madness!!
Just a sign of the transfer madness in January, whilst we moan our club never seem to get our transfers through quickly and we don't do Stella signings but at least we aren't putting ourselves in massive danger financially should we go down (which we won't).
Townsend's not a bad signing in my opinion, £12m is probably too much but they've got to buy. The same as Defoe last season, if he contributes to keeping them up, it's money well spent. He's young and a run of games in the first team might do him good. They're doing some ok business, but they're missing glaringly obvious issues at the back and if they fail to sort them out... no amount of midfielders or strikers will get them out of that hole.
That's what I don't get tho mate, you think he's a good signing and so do a lot of people but I really can't see what he's done .. He's not scored many goals or got many assists is it just because he's young and English?? And I don't get "the same as Defoe last season bit" he cost nothing..
Sorry mate, I'll elaborate... With regards to him being a good signing, I mean for Newcastle. They have an option of Sissoko who runs at defenders on the right wing, Andros offers them the same on the left, that's a lot harder to coach against if your players can go down either side to attack. Look at Newcastle's last 10-15 games, everything seems to go down their right side, stop Sissoko, stop Newcastle. Townsend offers them a lot more than what they had, for me, Thauvin is technically better than him but he's not got confidence, something Townsend seems to have a lot of. As for Defoe, nobody costs nothing. You'll have paid him a signing on fee, you'll have paid his agent, Altidore you paid £6m for and you gave him away in the deal, you'll probably pay him £60k per week, 32 years old, 3.5 year contract. Throw in everything, goal bonuses, appearance fees, agents, wages, signing on fees, what you spent on Altidore... you're looking at £20m over the term of his contract. Newcastle singing Townsend is a deal they feel they have to do, and if he helps to keep them up this season, that'll eliminate the cost to them for the next few years.
Possibly mate, but is a pony better than a donkey? In my opinion, McClaren's addressing their biggest issue of having too many spineless foreigners for a scrap.
3 starts in all competitions all season with only 7 first team appearances. He's only made more than 20 Prem appearances in a season once (13/14). Pochettino doesn't rate him because he's a **** footballer.
There biggest problem for me is the defence and the fact they don't have a striker. But **** it mate be even better if they spend all this money and go down
Perez is a weapon on his day, but he just doesn't get enough goals in their side, I reckon he'd score for fun at Chelsea... probably off the bench a bit like Kalou. Mitrovic is still young, I reckon he could be good with a boost of confidence, he's playing like our players at the minute, no belief or desire. Cisse is a crock and spitting piece of **** and Riviere isn't a footballer. Their defence is poor and thin in terms of numbers, but they've looked better without that over rated turd Krul behind them, what they see in him I just don't know.
Mags targeting expensive overseas kids was always going to be their problem. Players like this need to develop at their own pace, not at the clubs. Anyone can see Mitro has the talent. But there's way too much pressure on the lad and it shows imo.
To be fair to them, they do seem to be at least trying to address that. Pinning everything on the kid's shoulders has done him no favours, but for me the biggest problem facing them is the fact that he has no mentor at the club. Cisse is a ****ing vermin. They'd probably do well to pay Shearer a wad to coach the lad, although I wonder if Ashley would have him back.
These kids lack mentors right through the squad. That's the rolling cost of a youth focused transfer policy. If they found a bit of balance and pushed the boat our for bit of prime experience once a window they'd be on their way to a decent recruitment policy what's more they'd clime the table year on year. Three seasons time you've got a core of experience with youth flourishing around them. Fat Mike is all about the resale but sometimes you've got to make that investment in experience and accept a few years down the line it won't yield profit. I knew the mags would be in trouble this season with their summer business they needed an injection of experience and they needed that goalscorer. They still don't have either. Still a better transfer policy then we've had for many a year.
