Halfway through the season, did we spend the Coca Cola money wisely?

[Bluejuice]

I was absolutely overjoyed to learn we'd won the Coca-Cola competition last summer, and although I'm biased we must be one of the most deserving clubs in the league. I'd have been utterly choked if Leeds or Reading had won it, and it just seemed the gods were looking down on us to lend us a hand.

BUT, the situation we see ourself in now, desperately seeking a striker to help keep us up, with very few targets within reach. How much would that £250k help right now?

I actually like CKR and hope he can really develop as a player to grow into something quite special for us. However, it's quite obvious he's not the saviour of our Championship status, which is unfair anyway being as he's so young. The problem is that Bobby came to us a youngster, and started banging them in from day one, so our expectations are rather high.

Do you think the investment for the future is worth more than the possible short term gain in getting someone a little more experienced in for the now?

 

[algie]

Ckr is still a kid.I think he is a terrific signing.

 

[rool]

I thought at the time that, although very welcome, the 250k would be a bit of a millstone round McGhees neck because of the pressure he would have from the fans to uncover a star player for now rather than one for the future.

 

[Hiney]

I actually like CKR and hope he can really develop as a player to grow into something quite special for us.

I think you've just answered your question

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

Maybe we could have got someone that already had the experience that would definitely have kept us up this year, BUT I think McGoo has made a great signing and we have a player that is hopefully going to be a fantastic striker for us for many a year to come.

CKR

 

[Grendel]

I'd rather we'd signed someone who could score goals and help keep us up, than someone who might be quite good in 3 years time.

 

[Bluejuice]

Re: Re: Halfway through the season, did we spend the Coca Cola money wisely?

I think you've just answered your question

Well that's just my opinion. I was kind of hoping to guage the opinion of others on the matter

 

[Simon Morgan]

yeah ckr's gonna be a great asset to us. i can see him scoring more regularly next season. as magoo himself said, he doesn't quite have the fitness to maintain a decent level of performance for 90 minutes. when he gets this fitness, surely the goals will start to come more regularly.

in answer to your question, yes we did spend the money wisely

 

[culvers]

We will know the answer in 5 years. Havnt seen him play before but i have confidence from what i have read about him.

 

[Albion Dan]

I'd rather we'd signed someone who could score goals and help keep us up, than someone who might be quite good in 3 years time.

Rubbish, CKR is a very good investment and Id rather take him and probably triple our money when we sell rather than get someone else who may or may not have worked out.

I mean get real people what sort of better player would we have got for £250k inc 3 years wages?

 

[Gully]

I think we will come to regard it as money extremely well spent, the club has a proven record in being able to develop young talent (certainly in the last 4-5 years), CKR will continue to improve and will probably be looked upon as a great bargain.

 

[B.W.]

Should have gone for an experienced striker at CCC level, IMHO... although I do rate CKR highly...

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

Should have gone for an experienced striker at CCC level, IMHO...

Like who?

 

[Albion Dan]

Should have gone for an experienced striker at CCC level, IMHO... although I do rate CKR highly...

because there are loads of those for £100k and £50k a year wages.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

I think MM was on to a hiding for nothing regarding the Coke money.

He could have gone for an Eastwood type player who if landed, would have potentially got us more goals, there again he went for the "one for the future " option.

i do think MM is a tad dissapointed in CKR. I think he thought CKR would be a better player now ( in the way he chops and changes him shows that.) but as people say he is one for the future.

of course the trouble with "ones for the future" is this game is fraught with pitfalls. Hinch was "one for the future" who had made a break into the first team and suffered a horrendous injury. Hopefully his injury will not have a detrimental effect on his career.

Hudds had a striker, Junior Mendes, who a year ago was going to set the world alight....he was been looked at as a possible premiership player...he has not come off and now he has just gone on loan to Grimsby.

 

[Gully]

That is a hard one, there is no way that 250k would have paid for anyone who had a proven record in the CCC, unless you are talking someone who is probably well past their sell-by date. I would rather risk the money on a younger player in the hope that we may later recoup our investment with interest, better than having some older player warming the bench or the physios' couch (ala Kitson and Dodd).

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

Did McGoo have an interest in CKR before we won the money?

 

[Bluejuice]

OK, sub question:

Were Coca-Cola stingy with the prize money?

We're talking about one of the wealthiest organisations on the planet. Surely a cool million would have been more worthwhile?

If Leeds or Reading had won it you have to think what would they have bought with it? £250k doesn't buy you a Dan Harding or a Leroy Lita does it?

Whilst to us and most of the clubs below us it was a very welcome cash windfall. In our situation particularly the fact that it was to all be spent in the transfer market meant it wasn't going to get swallowed up with the seemingly endless Falmer battle fund. But there are a lot of teams in the Championship to whom one £250k player wouldn't make too much difference. Although it did buy Darren Currie for Ipswich, which was a great buy

 

[Ernest]

We should have bought a TRIED and TESTED ENGLISH striker instead we pissed it away on Pepsi Max

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Given that the Coke comp is not open to prem clubs, I'd say £250k is a reasonable wad.

It would interesting to know how many players there are in the Championship who are valued over £250k. Sure there are a few, but I'd guess that there are more that are under this price than over.

Was the competition open to League 1 and 2 too? If so, I reckon of the 1200 or so players in the three lower leagues only about 120 (10%) would be worth more than the £250k