Getting to Division One: Alan Mullery's transfer budget

[Goldstone Rapper]

It's often commented that unlike his predecessors, Alan Mullery had a massive transfer budget to get Brighton & Hove Albion into the top division. Trying to get beyond the opinion, I wanted to see to what extent this was true and have (to the best of my ability) tried to collate all the incomings and outcomings from 1976/77 to the end of 1978/79:

In
Steele £19,000
Lawrenson £112,000
Ruggiero £30,000
Potts £14,000
Williams swop
Clark £30,000
Maybank £238,000
Poskett £60,000
Sayer £100,000
Ryan £80,000
Chivers £15,000

Total: 700,000

Out
Beal free
Kinnear free
Cross Swop
Wilson Swop
Binney Free
Towner 65,000
Ruggiero Free
Potts £37,000
Mellor £30,000
Fell Swop

Total 132,000

At the time, would a deficit of £568,000 for transfer dealings of a Third/Second Division club be considered massive or a reasonable figure? Certainly Pat Saward didn't spend anything like this when Brighton reached Division Two earlier on in the decade.

Anyway, your thoughts are appreciated!

 

[HenryC]

I never realised Maybank cost so much! Wouldn't be with £240k today, let alone 35 years ago!

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I never realised Maybank cost so much! Wouldn't be with £240k today, let alone 35 years ago!

HEY!!!!

To be fair he scored some very important goals and more than repaid the £238K. Luton away for a point, first goal Blackburn home.

In terms of the transfer dealings, there is no doubt Mullery could spot a player. I'm not sure on some of those figures though.....

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

It is often forgotten that Maybank scored as many goals as Ward did in the league season that took Brighton to the top flight.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Lawenson was a massive signing for a 3rd div 'unknown'. Sayers showed that we were big spenders, buying a star player from a rival club. Maybank seemsed a bit silly and I reckon there was a bit of Mullers helping out his old club, Fulham.

Back in those days teams bought 3 or 4 players a season and teams evolved, rather than today where It's almost expected there will be 6-8 signings pre season and another 3-4 in the Jan window. Mullery inherited a very good team and many of those 3rd div players went on to play at div 1 level.

 

[Mackenzie]

A pint of beer in 1977 in our pub was 27p, in 2007 it was £2.70 so using that very rough scale.....Mullers spent the equivalent of £5.68m.

My maths could be waaaaaaaay out as regards inflation, but if it is somewhere near then its probably a little less than Gus has spent. The only difference being that Mullery actually achieved his objective before he flounced.

 

[Brovion]

The general consensus is that when we came up from the third division we were considered to be pretty big spenders. The hundred thousand for Lawrenson was the example often cited. "How many clubs that come up from the third division can afford to splash 100 grand on a single player? " was the question often asked. And it was for a 3rd division player as well! (Remember at this time the UK record transfer was I think the £500,000 Liverpool paid Hamburg for Kevin Keegan. Prior to that the record had been the £375,00 Everton paid Birmingham for Bob Latchford!)

As an aside the club also replaced the floodlights before that first season in division two.

 

[Baron Pepperpot]

A pint of beer in 1977 in our pub was 27p, in 2007 it was £2.70 so using that very rough scale.....Mullers spent the equivalent of £5.68m.

My maths could be waaaaaaaay out as regards inflation, but if it is somewhere near then its probably a little less than Gus has spent. The only difference being that Mullery actually achieved his objective before he flounced.

But relative to the spending of the day v now, I'd say Mullery had more resources at his disposal.

 

[glasfryn]

Mullers certainly could spot a player

 

[Mackenzie]

But relative to the spending of the day v now, I'd say Mullery had more resources at his disposal.

Fees have certainly spiraled as you say.

What does £5.68m get you these days!

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

So would the Craig Mackail-Smith signing for about £2.5 million be roughly the equivalent of the £238,000 we paid for Maybank in late 1977?

 

[Mackenzie]

So would the Craig Mackail-Smith signing for about £2.5 million be roughly the equivalent of the £238,000 we paid for Maybank in late 1977?

I reckon so....CMS is the new Teddy Maybank.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

At the time the fee we paid for Teddy Maybank was enormous.

 

[Brovion]

A pint of beer in 1977 in our pub was 27p, in 2007 it was £2.70 so using that very rough scale.....Mullers spent the equivalent of £5.68m.

My maths could be waaaaaaaay out as regards inflation, but if it is somewhere near then its probably a little less than Gus has spent. The only difference being that Mullery actually achieved his objective before he flounced.

Your maths are irrelevant really. There is FAR more money in football now than there was in the 1970s and you can't just use 'beer inflation' to compare transfer budgets and resources.

 

[glasfryn]

I reckon so....CMS is the new Teddy Maybank.

what hangs about nightclubs

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

I reckon so....CMS is the new Teddy Maybank.

Poor first touch, works hard. Occasional spells where he is amongst the goals. Yes!

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Going by the measuring worth website, Maybank cost around 1.6 million going by the 2010 retail price index.

 

[Footsoldier]

Fees have certainly spiraled as you say.

What does £5.68m get you these days!

CMS, Will Buckley, Lua Lua plus a few more.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Back then Bamber and Wickenden were considered the wealthiest partnership in English football, how true that is I haven't a clue.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I reckon so....CMS is the new Teddy Maybank.

Don't start!!!!

Maybank is much better than CMS!