But it will be true apart from the exceptions which he's publicly taken responsibility for. What do you want from him? Everybody knows know he doesn't control the shortlists or the budget, he doesn't negotiate and has no say over the contracts or bids that club makes for players. He gives out his specifications and he's given a choice. Sometimes he can bring his own players IF it fits in with the budget that he does not control. Bridcutt and Buckley were cheap signings and will be on low wages so it's easy for Gus himself to push through. We've had a DoF long enough to know full well. We all know how it works. Congerton has all the power to say yes or no to any transfer. That's just a fact of having a DoF He's applying pressure for us to spend which is what we need. Do you want him to keep quiet and not state his case for new signings? That would be demented. We need an injection of quality desperately, i'm over the moon our Head Coach recognises this and is trying to make it happen. Short is looking to spend the bare minimum as proved from our last few windows, some people including myself and Gus feel it's worth the risk to steer us from relegation. Say nowt you get nowt. We've got relegation battle written all over us if we don't have some action this window. Thanks to Gus here ALL the pressure is on Congerton to deliver this window. With that in mind it's now very much in Congerton's best interest to squeeze every penny possible from Short. Last thing we want is a DoF getting complacent who's wrapped up in his own ego(Joking ear). Congerton needs to be kept on his toes and pressured to deliver the very best possible. You may think he needs training desperately in media, fair dos. I think it's the right call to add pressure to try and influence our budget.
But washing your dirty laundry in public. Creates a sense of disharmony at the club, how does that look to potential signings? Im all for him banging on Congertons door telling him he needs x y and z I just dont think he should be saying it in a public forum.
Well that's a matter of opinion. I'm sure he knocked on his door in the Summer. I think privacy only protects Congerton and Short and offers non to Gus, the other two don't face the media. Fact is the purse strings have pulled tight for a while. Moaning after the window closes is no good. I think it's a tactic worth going for to put some pressure on Congerton, pressure he wouldn't receive if Gus keeps quiet like a good little boy. It also protects Gus from Hindsight comments like Di Fanti's. All the bloke ever said was that quote. Funny he was sacked himself. All about opinions init mate. But if a manager is ok to use the Media to lay a challenge to a player then it's fine to do it to a DoF. Gus hasn't abused Congerton or anyone. Don't get why your worked up to be honest, money talks, potential signings don't care that the manager has challenged his DoF, they care about their wage packets and club ambition. Players want money and honors.
whilst i agree with the most part here ,lets not forget how ruthless ellis can be ,after all its his club and they are all his employees ,i hope gus gets his desire for new playing staff without incurring ellis shorts anger or we could be a coach short . As the stone mason said after getting a huge order for crazy paving ..lets get cracking
That's my concern here. He was very media hungry at Brighton. I know a few Brighton fans and by the end his relationship with the Chairman really suffered as a result. It all just feels clumsy and misguided. Also lacks a bit of class. One of the main downsides of having a former player with a media profile. Their words will make the papers more than they maybe should do.
Well that's Gus for you. toeing the line. He's very upfront and brutally honest. I love his balls. But eventually he will have to die by the sword he's been living by no doubt. But the squad needs additions, I don't blame him for risking Short's wrath to gain some progression. We'll see how this unfolds. Praying for a bit of pace.
Looking back over it, was Congerton not appointed after GP? They are friends/acquaintances from Chelsea so there is a previous connection. Personally I feel GP is pushing the boundaries as a second year PL manager as his record does not stand close scrutiny. Not sure how close the Sky article is to the full interview so will give him the benefit for the sake of harmony.
The only positive outcome I think he could have been hoping for is either that this will pressurise the board/DoF into action in January or that he's covering his arse in case things don't go to plan this season. Keegan came out with similar comments soon before he walked (2nd time). Main issue for me - and this always hits me when managers come out with transfer comments - if a manager came out with this and then his club came in for one of my players I'd add a bit onto the price as I know they're desperate. It's just terrible backdrop for any negotiations. This seemed to happen a lot more often in the past (managers talking about having a warchest/budget etc) but now everyone seems to just say "we have no money, we are poor" and work from there.
Anybody know when 'transfers' started becoming very frequent? I don't know this, I'm looking at you older (wiser) folk here. How did squads manage in the sixties for example, did they recruit heavily a la QPR when they were in danger of the drop or did they just tough it out? Football has changed, chucking money at every problem appears the only solution nowadays, surely there was an alternative when money wasn't so central to the sport.
Most teams were built up over seasons TT and players replaced or moved on when it suited the club but wholesale changes never happened. The basic framework was local talent strengthened with signings. You then found then one team would be dominant for a short while until knocked off top spot but big money transfers did not suit the board who were more often than not local business men and they had to foot the bill. Supporters played their part as well as the attitude was you went to the match for the game and a win was a bonus; if you were beaten on the day so be it, there was a whole season to go. Lastly there was only two prizes, the league or cup and everybody went home from May to August. Look at football's history of first div champions in the '50s and '60s and it was shared round regularly
Aye we picked up internationals for a reasonable price and a fair few from the lower divisions. One we did get in a funny way was when the League of Ireland (north and south) gave an English XI a hard time and we signed Billy Bingham for his performance ahead of a host of other clubs. Level financial playing field then, including players wages.
I take it those days were far better for the fans in your opinion? We've had a lot of success, off the back of building our Empire through the 90's and 2000's, much of which is down to 'right place, right time' and a lot to do with money as well. For me, winning the league with our current side, wouldn't feel as good as winning it with the class of 92 in our side. The local kids, the Neville Brothers, Butt and Scholes, then Giggs and Becks from further afield although they still felt like local boys to us, because of how they loved the club. That's not gonna happen again, if it does, kids are getting their heads turned by filthy agents and fast cars, I wish I was around in the 50's and 60's as well to experience more of the local lads, playing for the team they grew up supporting and desperate to play for. Cheers mate.
