Lewis Grabban

[symyjym]

This is funny.

Cook might make the step up, given a bit of time. Elphick? Nice lad, but

Unfortunately our CB's are at the end of their careers and in hindsight I would rather have local players with us who would have been part of our future.

We should have invested game time experience on Dunk, Cook & Elphick because it would have solidified our defense for the next ten years. I remember that Cook even had a good game playing against Liverpool at RB, but Gus was more interested in that bafoon Jara Reyes.

Bournemouth were the winners in that deal and we will pay the price.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

That's the stadium impressing them, not Dick Knight.

There are just as many, I'm certain, who didn't choose us. So it's ludicrous to suggest that Knight was some sort of powerful influence on footballers. Or at least for you to use him to portray current individuals in a more negative manner.

The fact is, you know nothing of what players think of anyone in this situation. None of us do. Let's stick to facts, not speculation.

Withdean was impressing them? Dick Knight was in PR, so he knew how to sell a club with a ground like Albania div 8.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Withdean was impressing them? Dick Knight was in PR, so he knew how to sell a club with a ground like Albania div 8.

In fairness to Edna, I think she meant it was the prospect of Falmer which was impressing them.

 

[symyjym]

I disagree. Normally the order of things is that the clubs agree on a fee and THEN the player agrees personal terms. I'm saying it's always like that but in general this is the order the media report it in. It's why several clubs can agree the same fee for the same player.

So you are saying that Grabbans agent would not have asked us what our starting wage offer would be, and that on the day of signing him for over £1m we offered £6k a week

 

[Guinness Boy]

That's the stadium impressing them, not Dick Knight.

There are just as many, I'm certain, who didn't choose us. So it's ludicrous to suggest that Knight was some sort of powerful influence on footballers. Or at least for you to use him to portray current individuals in a more negative manner.

The fact is, you know nothing of what players think of anyone in this situation. None of us do. Let's stick to facts, not speculation.

Withdean was impressing them? Dick Knight was in PR, so he knew how to sell a club with a ground like Albania div 8.

In fairness to Edna, I think she meant it was the prospect of Falmer which was impressing them.

Is it easier to sell a dream than a reality?

On the face of it, showing a player round the ACTUAL Amex with everything "PLR" should impress them far more than a stadium design and a vague promise to build the team round the player when we got there.

On the other hand - "you've had the tour. Now of course you do realise that there's a strict wage budget due to FFP and we only play one up front"

Poyet had the luxury of being right in the middle, the stadium still developing and growing around him, his Premier League and Premiera League contacts book bulging and, at the start, no Paul Barber to reign him in but rather Ken Brown who seemed to throw Tony's money at everything.

I don't know what this proves but I do believe Dick Knight had a far harder job of attracting players than Gus Poyet / Ken Brown / Tony Bloom in the first season and a half at Falmer, and I do think any striker with ambition would have issues before he even talked to us.

 

[Guinness Boy]

So you are saying that Grabbans agent would not have asked us what our starting wage offer would be, and that on the day of signing him for over £1m we offered £6k a week

Nope. I'm saying quite simply that the normal order of things is fee agreed, then personal terms, then medical. We must have been in the ball park but perhaps Bournemouth knew what our ceiling was and offered more? It was his second new contract of the season for them don't forget.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Nope. I'm saying quite simply that the normal order of things is fee agreed, then personal terms, then medical. We must have been in the ball park but perhaps Bournemouth knew what our ceiling was and offered more? It was his second new contract of the season for them don't forget.

Maybe Grabban had no intention of coming to us, and used it as a lever to get a better contract out of Bournemouth?

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Unfortunately our CB's are at the end of their careers and in hindsight I would rather have local players with us who would have been part of our future.

We should have invested game time experience on Dunk, Cook & Elphick because it would have solidified our defense for the next ten years. I remember that Cook even had a good game playing against Liverpool at RB, but Gus was more interested in that bafoon Jara Reyes.

Bournemouth were the winners in that deal and we will pay the price.

Well. If they sell Cook, they have to give us a third of the profit anyway.

And Elphick is not a Premier League defender. He's not even Bournemouth's first choice Championship centre half when all their players are fit. I know he's the club captain, but that stems from their League One season.

I liked Elphick, please don't think I'm slating him, but he's a highly competent L1 defender who can just about hold his own in the Championship when called on. He's not in Cook's class and I just couldn't see him being a mainstay of our current defence (I don't mean specifically in the last three games...). None of us wanted to lose Cook but he was down the pecking order and wanted first team football. The Albion felt they should be fair to him and let him have that.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Maybe Grabban had no intention of coming to us, and used it as a lever to get a better contract out of Bournemouth?

Possible of course. Why agree a fee though? If this was true then clearly our crack recruiting team were stitched up.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Whatever the reason, the bottom line was that we lost out to Bournemouth. Leicester, Forest , Reading etc, fair enough, we all know the score but Bournemouth!
I don't think anyone would have thought possible before this season.

Question is will Garcia be given some proper backing in the summer?

 

[symyjym]

Well. If they sell Cook, they have to give us a third of the profit anyway.

And Elphick is not a Premier League defender. He's not even Bournemouth's first choice Championship centre half when all their players are fit. I know he's the club captain, but that stems from their League One season.

I liked Elphick, please don't think I'm slating him, but he's a highly competent L1 defender who can just about hold his own in the Championship when called on. He's not in Cook's class and I just couldn't see him being a mainstay of our current defence (I don't mean specifically in the last three games...). None of us wanted to lose Cook but he was down the pecking order and wanted first team football. The Albion felt they should be fair to him and let him have that.

Greer is not a Premier League defender and Upson probably isn't anymore. With all due respect to Greer and Upson if I could wave a magic wand I would have Dunk, Cook & Elphick fighting for the CB positions because those are the roles we will struggle with in the not too distant future. But that's only my personal opinion.

 

[Albumen]

Greer is not a Premier League defender and Upson probably isn't anymore. With all due respect to Greer and Upson if I could wave a magic wand I would have Dunk, Cook & Elphick fighting for the CB positions because those are the roles we will struggle with in the not too distant future. But that's only my personal opinion.

Upson could handle the lower premiership if he has a fast player alongside. He's been our most consistent player this season.

 

[symyjym]

Upson could handle the lower premiership if he has a fast player alongside. He's been our most consistent player this season.

Not by the time we get there

 

[nwgull]

Possible of course. Why agree a fee though? If this was true then clearly our crack recruiting team were stitched up.

The fee agreed was the release clause in his contract; the wages we offered were then used as a bargaining tool to get an improved contract at Bournemouth. We were stitched up by his agent.

 

[Guinness Boy]

The fee agreed was the release clause in his contract; the wages we offered were then used as a bargaining tool to get an improved contract at Bournemouth. We were stitched up by his agent.

Yep, I'd forgotten the release clause.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I don't buy the suggestion that he didn't come here because he wasn't guaranteed first-team football. At the time we had one fit striker; most clubs have 3 or 4 vying for a couple of starting spots, and there's not one side in the Top 6 who would guarantee someone like Grabban a starting spot.

 

[Phat Baz 68]

I disagree. Normally the order of things is that the clubs agree on a fee and THEN the player agrees personal terms. I'm saying it's always like that but in general this is the order the media report it in. It's why several clubs can agree the same fee for the same player.

Exactly what it is , and what I was told exactly ,happened.
My SAUCE may be wrong but more likely right.
People get very agitated and silly on here if they think someone has beat them to a bit of info or if they might just know a bit more than they would like them too.
Very sad, very childish too.

 

[Machiavelli]

Upson could handle the lower premiership if he has a fast player alongside. He's been our most consistent player this season.

I'm with you about Upson, but also with Symjym: for the first time on Saturday, he looked exposed for pace and, given that it's highly unlikely that we'll get promoted, Upson won't be able to do it with us in the PL.
What I'd like to see is Dunk and Upson next season with Greer in reserve, and us to scour various leagues across Europe to find a fast, tenacious and hopefully ball-playing centre-half.

 

[blockhseagull]

I do worry we don't have the Dick Knight and later Gus Poyet figure who was excellent at selling the club to prospective signings and making them feel wanted and part of that vision etc.

Both those figures had their faults, but they could sell a dream.

Am sure I read somewhere that CMS met with West Ham (or one of the other clubs interested in signing him) for about half an hour but spent three hours with Gus being told everything about how he would fit into the team, where the club was headed etc.

From what I've heard this IS the reason

 

[BobbySmith]

Love all the people on here claim to know someone who knows.........so from someone who also claims to know someone well connected, you are all wrong, think all I will say is that it appears that the fault was very much with us.