Breaking the bank for a player would have been better than this.

[Kinky Gerbil]

From Argus

Albion manager Mark McGhee fears relegation could cost almost £1 million and the services of Gifton Noel-Williams.

Noel-Williams, on loan from Burnley until the end of the season, has not ruled out the possibility of a permanent switch to the Seagulls.

But a potential deal for the influential centre forward could be wrecked by Albion's departure from the Championship.

McGhee revealed: "I've not had a conversation with him. I don't know whether, going down, we can afford him first and foremost.

"There is a significant effect on the club's income. I think with the TV money changing as it has and other bits and pieces you are talking about close to £1 million, because the difference between the Championship and League One is bigger this year than it has been before.

"That will in turn have an effect on the budget but I think we have seen enough to know Gifton can make a contribution.

"He has done terrifically well for us. Like Paul McShane (Manchester United loanee) his commitment has been beyond the call of duty, so I would love to keep him."

Noel-Williams has scored twice in five appearances since Albion ended their long search for a striker by signing him just before the close of last month's loan transfer deadline.

McGhee's top summer target is a prolific goalscorer who can also bring the best out of rookie forward Colin Kazim-Richards.

He said: "That is an absolute priority. Somebody like Gifton, who can do what he is doing already, which includes making a player out of Colin.

"I think we are going to need somebody as good to get us out of League One as we needed to stay in the Championship."

Albion are expected to field a young side when the Reserves take on Aldershot at Worthing tonight (7pm).

Richard Martin plays in goal, with Flo Chaigneau still sidelined by a calf injury.







Sorry, where are those people said said relegation wouldnt cost much?
For the sake of a couple of players wages for half a season this could have been avoided.

200k or a million?

 

[Icy Gull]

Who we gonna blame on this one?

 

[Barrel of Fun]

BUt the question is whether the £200k would have been put to good use and whether it would have been successful.

What could we have bought for £200k? There is no guarantee or indication that the right player would come.

Tom Brighton? Shipperley? Tried and failed....

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Who we gonna blame on this one?

I think it was a bit stupid of the board not to spend a little bit more on the players if this was the cost.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

BUt the question is whether the £200k would have been put to good use and whether it would have been successful.

What could we have bought for £200k? There is no guarantee or indication that the right player would come.

Tom Brighton? Shipperley? Tried and failed....

Dennis Wise till the end of the year?

Hutchinson or Cameron on loan.

Seemed to have done well at the clubs they went to.

 

[dougdeep]

Everything is black and white with some people. How do you know a couple of players would have kept us up? Do you know for sure that the cost of these imaginary players wouldn't have bankrupted the club?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Everything is black and white with some people. How do you know a couple of players would have kept us up? Do you know for sure that the cost of these imaginary players wouldn't have bankrupted the club?

And a Million wont?

Mcghee said all alond two more players would have improved the squad no end, we have seen how much gnw changed the side around - how much would it have cost to get him in jan?

 

[Icy Gull]

I think it was a bit stupid of the board not to spend a little bit more on the players if this was the cost.

I'd agree but how much are we going to save in wages? We may fill Withdean IF the team is in the top 6 for most of the season, we were never going to do that down the botton of the Championship. The fact that there were 1300 empty seats for the biggest game of the season, over a holiday period says too many fans had lost interest in losing every week. Staying up and doing it all again would ensure a further drop off I'm sure, as we would definitley have struggled next season.

Hate to admit it but we are probably better off in League 1 where we may be able to compete on level pegging. We haven't got enough die hard fans to fill Withdean which we would need to do survive financially,as long as we are a shit team in the Championship.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Dennis Wise till the end of the year?

Hutchinson or Cameron on loan.

Seemed to have done well at the clubs they went to.

I didn't think Cameron has done too well at Milwall.

For Dennis Wise, a toss up between Coventry and Brighton, might not have been a hard choice. Not sure where Hutchinson went, can't remember.

The fact is we don't know who we went for, or the efforts the board went to, to recruit players.

With money rarer than a Bornean Bonobo, there would be no guarantee and if we still got relegated we would be £1.2m down...

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I'd agree but how much are we going to save in wages? We may fill Withdean IF the team is in the top 6 for most of the season, we were never going to do that down the botton of the Championship. The fact that there were 1300 empty seats for the biggest game of the season, over a holiday period says too many fans had lost interest in losing every week. Staying up and doing it all again would ensure a further drop off I'm sure, as we would definitley have struggled next season/

Againm its assume its the top have Brighton will be in, what if its midtable?

 

[dougdeep]

And a Million wont?

Mcghee said all alond two more players would have improved the squad no end, we have seen how much gnw changed the side around - how much would it have cost to get him in jan?

He wasn't available in January.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

And a Million wont?

Mcghee said all alond two more players would have improved the squad no end, we have seen how much gnw changed the side around - how much would it have cost to get him in jan?

We saw that for ourselves, how he improved the team. But he was in the Burnley side then and had only fairly recently dropped out of favour. Despite what people think, there are not an adundance of players that we could cater for...

 

[Icy Gull]

Againm its assume its the top have Brighton will be in, what if its midtable?

Deep deep shit

 

[3gulls]

I think it was a bit stupid of the board not to spend a little bit more on the players if this was the cost.

Yep! Or was it that nobody would come to play for Magoo?

 

[Icy Gull]

Yep! Or was it that nobody would come to play for Magoo?

excellent I just KNEW it would become McGhee's fault somewhere down the line. Desperate times indeed

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Hate to admit it but we are probably better off in League 1 where we may be able to compete on level pegging. We haven't got enough die hard fans to fill Withdean which we would need to do survive financially,as long as we are a shit team in the Championship.

That is a damning inditement on our support and forms exactly the argument LDC and FDC are saying that we have not got the core 20k support to fill a stadium therefore it cannot be in the national interest.

 

[Stinky Kat]

Most businesses speculate to accumulate. Our board could not/would not take this gamble. hence relegation

 

[dougdeep]

Most businesses speculate to accumulate. Our board could not/would not take this gamble. hence relegation

That simply isn't true, there was money there for a player.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

That simply isn't true, there was money there for a player.

sorry mate.

How do you know?

 

[The Laughing Bluebird]

Noel-Williams has scored twice in five appearances since Albion ended their long search for a striker by signing him just before the close of last month's loan transfer deadline.

McGhee's top summer target is a prolific goalscorer who can also bring the best out of rookie forward Colin Kazim-Richards.

He said: "That is an absolute priority. Somebody like Gifton, who can do what he is doing already, which includes making a player out of Colin. I think we are going to need somebody as good to get us out of League One as we needed to stay in the Championship."

Makes you wonder why McGhee signed Kazim-Richards in the first place if he thinks he needs someone like Noel-Williams in the side in order to make a player out of him.

Of course, I can only judge from a distance, but the Kazim-Richards transfer appeared baffling at the time. Albion were so obviously crying out for an experienced target man, but instead the Coca Cola money was spent on an untried youngster.

A long-term prospect he may be - the boy's obviously got talent, as his goal at Ninian Park demonstrated - but if relegation is going to cost Albion £1 million, then was he a wise investment?