Any News Relating to Football Matters

[Machiavelli]

Why do we have to trust the club after last summer's shambles!? And, if a player is signed, they cannot be gazumped, so no point in keeping the signing secret...

We have the option to do so, or not. You've chosen not. Most of the rest of us can recognise that the club is in good hands, and that's despite three or four bad transfer windows. Since then the club have got rid of Burke, have signed Kayal, and claim that they've been actively searching for new players (which will no doubt take another step up once the PL released players becomes known in the next few weeks).

 

[KZNSeagull]

Let's assume you are right (you aren't). What is the benefit to the club of not announcing a signing already made?

I have no idea what benefit keeping it quiet would be. But as far as I know, that is precisely what they did with Toko. Perhaps you can enlighten me then if this is not correct.

 

[B.W.]

We have the option to do so, or not. You've chosen not. Most of the rest of us can recognise that the club is in good hands, and that's despite three or four bad transfer windows. Since then the club have got rid of Burke, have signed Kayal, and claim that they've been actively searching for new players (which will no doubt take another step up once the PL released players becomes known in the next few weeks).

I admire your (blind) faith, and I certainly agree that (a) the recruitment team is new, and (b) Kayal looks to be a great signing, but...

One swallow does not make a summer.
We have an awful lot to do - more recruitment of quality players is required this summer than last.
We cannot afford to scrape the barrell at the end of the window.

I really hope you're not wearing rose-tinted specs.

The sooner we make 1 or 2 quality signings this summer, the sooner my faith will be restored.

Some of us are realists...

 

[B.W.]

I have no idea what benefit keeping it quiet would be. But as far as I know, that is precisely what they did with Toko. Perhaps you can enlighten me then if this is not correct.

Toko's signing was announced when he was signed.

But you are right there is zero benefit to not announcing as soon as the pen has hit the paper, whether that be May, June, July or, god forbid, late August.

 

[B.W.]

Here's a link...

Note the deal was finalised with a medical just before Toko was signed, and the signing was announced soon after:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27494507

 

[KZNSeagull]

Toko's signing was announced when he was signed.

But you are right there is zero benefit to not announcing as soon as the pen has hit the paper, whether that be May, June, July or, god forbid, late August.

You are quite right, I apologise. Have just re-read the Argus article and they announced it when he signed and not when he joined. Oops. The deal was struck a long time before that though but was announced when he signed. I will get someone to spank me later!

 

[symyjym]

Why do we have to trust the club after last summer's shambles!? And, if a player is signed, they cannot be gazumped, so no point in keeping the signing secret...

Not trusting the club consumes too much energy and time.

 

[B.W.]

You are quite right, I apologise. Have just re-read the Argus article and they announced it when he signed and not when he joined. Oops. The deal was struck a long time before that though but was announced when he signed. I will get someone to spank me later!

TBF Tony said "We concluded a deal to sign Toko before their season and ours had ended." The word 'concluded' is, at best, misleading, since the deal was concluded with Toko's signing on the dotted line. No apology required.

 

[B.W.]

Not trusting the club consumes too much energy and time.

Good point. I will try to be patient but, after last summer, I'm struggling... my problem, I suppose...

 

[chaileyjem]

Indeed. We need 6 signings before we even think about replacing COG, selling Dunk, or shipping out Holla.

Just 5 weeks until we jet off for the mountain training camp.

Let's not waste our money on the camp, we need to have most of the squad in place for it.

There is a lot to do, time we started delivering on a few of the signings.

So even if we don't make any signings in the next 6 weeks, we'd still have 19 players in the first team squad contracted to the club.
Thus we will have most of the squad in place for the camp. A few of the Dev Squad get valuable experience by going too.
Curious, if you worked there, how you would be directing the recruitment team.
Is your view that unless they deliver 2 or 4 new signings that the manager wants then the pre-season camp/get together is a "waste of money" and should be cancelled. ?
Would you ask them to give up on our #1 targets if they're not landed by the end of June and to move on to our #2 or #3 targets for each position instead because they'll only have any value pre training camp and its far better to have . ?

 

[KZNSeagull]

TBF Tony said "We concluded a deal to sign Toko before their season and ours had ended." The word 'concluded' is, at best, misleading, since the deal was concluded with Toko's signing on the dotted line. No apology required.

Fair enough.

 

[B.W.]

So even if we don't make any signings in the next 6 weeks, we'd still have 19 players in the first team squad contracted to the club.
Thus we will have most of the squad in place for the camp. A few of the Dev Squad get valuable experience by going too.
Curious, if you worked there, how you would be directing the recruitment team.
Is your view that unless they deliver 2 or 4 new signings that the manager wants then the pre-season camp/get together is a "waste of money" and should be cancelled. ?
Would you ask them to give up on our #1 targets if they're not landed by the end of June and to move on to our #2 or #3 targets for each position instead because they'll only have any value pre training camp and its far better to have . ?

My thoughts are it would clearly be best to have the number 1 targets before the camp. We seem to be guilty in the past of holding out for too long with our number 1 targets (who then move elsewhere) when we should have moved on to target 2. Set a deadline, whether that be the camp, or some other later deadline. No response from number 1 by deadline = reluctantly move on to number 2 target.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

So even if we don't make any signings in the next 6 weeks, we'd still have 19 players in the first team squad contracted to the club.
Thus we will have most of the squad in place for the camp. A few of the Dev Squad get valuable experience by going too.
Curious, if you worked there, how you would be directing the recruitment team.
Is your view that unless they deliver 2 or 4 new signings that the manager wants then the pre-season camp/get together is a "waste of money" and should be cancelled. ?
Would you ask them to give up on our #1 targets if they're not landed by the end of June and to move on to our #2 or #3 targets for each position instead because they'll only have any value pre training camp and its far better to have . ?

My view is that we need to get in at least 2 of our targets - preferably the left back, and 1st choice striker - before the training camp. Of course 4 signings would be even better, and the full 6 miraculous.

Otherwise I think it adds minimal value. I have no view on whether it should then be cancelled or not. However, if this nightmare scenario actually happens, then lessons should be learnt going forward, and we should either schedule it later next summer, or not bother with one. These lessons should actually have been learnt from last summer, by the way, and if we don't sign anyone before the camp have presumably not been learnt.

If we are not landing our number one targets by the end of June, then serious analysis needs to be done as to where we are going wrong. On a position by position basis, then the options need to be looked at carefully, and in some cases we move onto the #2 targets. There is simply not an across the board answer, and each position needs to be individually assessed.

 

[Machiavelli]

I admire your (blind) faith, and I certainly agree that (a) the recruitment team is new, and (b) Kayal looks to be a great signing, but...

One swallow does not make a summer.
We have an awful lot to do - more recruitment of quality players is required this summer than last.
We cannot afford to scrape the barrell at the end of the window.

I really hope you're not wearing rose-tinted specs.

The sooner we make 1 or 2 quality signings this summer, the sooner my faith will be restored.

Some of us are realists...

There's a difference between (blind) faith and trust. You claimed that you didn't trust the club -- i.e. Bloom. I responded by saying that I, and most others did. You, in turn, responded by saying that because I had indicated that I had trust in the club, I automatically had blind faith, and then claimed that you are a realist.

Apologies for intervening, and disturbing your astute and acute grasp of the real.

 

[B.W.]

There's a difference between (blind) faith and trust. You claimed that you didn't trust the club -- i.e. Bloom. I responded by saying that I, and most others did. You, in turn, responded by saying that because I had indicated that I had trust in the club, I automatically had blind faith, and then claimed that you are a realist.

Apologies for intervening, and disturbing your astute and acute grasp of the real.

Apology accepted. As I said before, my faith and, more importantly, thousands of our butterfly supporters, needs restoring, even if people like you will trust the board no matter what....

 

[symyjym]

My thoughts are it would clearly be best to have the number 1 targets before the camp. We seem to be guilty in the past of holding out for too long with our number 1 targets (who then move elsewhere) when we should have moved on to target 2. Set a deadline, whether that be the camp, or some other later deadline. No response from number 1 by deadline = reluctantly move on to number 2 target.

What date do they fly out to camp?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

What date do they fly out to camp?

5th-11th July.

 

[sydney]

There's a difference between (blind) faith and trust. You claimed that you didn't trust the club -- i.e. Bloom. I responded by saying that I, and most others did. You, in turn, responded by saying that because I had indicated that I had trust in the club, I automatically had blind faith, and then claimed that you are a realist.

Apologies for intervening, and disturbing your astute and acute grasp of the real.

i say old boy.......steady on....!

 

[Machiavelli]

i say old boy.......steady on....!

Must I? Tosh needs confronting, surely?

 

[symyjym]

5th-11th July.

Thanks, so BW is worrying himself 5 1/2 weeks in advance, with reference to his comment about securing number 1 targets before the camp.