Losing chief scout Ewan Chester

[Stat Brother]

Our fans are very anti cheap signings, they like to deem them poor quality and to abuse them, slating their ability often before they have even kicked a ball for us

We have seen with some of our signings that there are quality players out there that can be picked up cheaply and well below their true market value and someone having a big price tag and big transfer fee doesn't make them that much greater than someone who may cost a fraction of the price (Torres to Chelsea for example or more recently Jamie Vardy - £1m vs Wilfried Bony - £28m)

It's surely about getting the right player(s) in rather than price and if targets are scarce and of the ones there are, either the player of their current clubs are unwilling to let them join us (like we were unwilling to let Stephens go to Burnley) then more money may not make the difference in completing the deals (who wants a player who doesn't really want to join us and only eventually comes here because we are prepared to pay a kings ransom in wages for him to even consider it?)

I certainly am not 'anti cheap signings', but football is, esp strikers even more esp strikers involving English clubs.

What I'm anti, on this subject, is no signings.

It's so frustrating because we can all see it.

The squad looks great.
We all have confidence in the manager, we all love the Chairman - already we're up on just about every other club.

All the team needs as a 'better Baldock', that's it.
It's what the manager has been saying all Summer.

Now we're being told the market was 'over heated' and that signing couldn't be made.

On a level that's fine, we are talking about ridiculous sums of money here.
But the problem is the teams is currently the most expensive jigsaw ever, with a sodding piece missing.
Not just any piece but the one bit that makes the whole picture work.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Don't agree with all of it..but some quality (adult) posts this afternoon

 

[BensGrandad]

I think that most would have accepted it had we been told that the targets were proving to be more expensive than we had been prepared to pay but we were kept on a string with the hope that 'we are still hoping to bring in a striker' when they must have known it was unlikely to happen.

 

[The_Viper]

We are the Arsenal of the Championship it seems. Constantly saying we have money to spend and never spending it. Then when we do we're left scratching our heads, why did we spend 4 million quid on a backup center back?

 

[BensGrandad]

We are the Arsenal of the Championship it seems. Constantly saying we have money to spend and never spending it. Then when we do we're left scratching our heads, why did we spend 4 million quid on a backup center back?

That was less urgent than a striker at time he arrived although I dont think the 2 were linked in any way We will never know the answer but perhaps more attention should have been paid to getting the striker

 

[chaileyjem]

Constantly saying we have money to spend and never spending it.

Bloom has just turned down £20m+ worth of offers for players - one of whom is in the last year of his contract.
Has spent a fortune on a new Lewis Dunk contract, is close to spending a fortune on new Kayal/March contracts and wants to give Stephens likewise.
He also spent millions on Norwood, Duffy, Murray (wages), Sidwell (wages) etc. and also £m fees for Knockeart, Skalak, Hemed, Murphy just in the last 12 months.
As well as funding £18m losses every year mostly because we've not sold any players and pay all our squad decent "top 10 in the Champ" salaries.

Sounds like he's spending money hand over fist to me.
They also never ever say they have money to spend, let alone constantly.

 

[chaileyjem]

Now we're being told the market was 'over heated' and that signing couldn't be made.
On a level that's fine, we are talking about ridiculous sums of money here.
.

A few posts back you said it was disingenuous to say that, and the club in citing the state of the transfer market were treating us all like morons, and that it makes the club look like "hicks down from the mountain".
Now its "fine". and you acknowledge that it is indeed " ridiculous sums of money". (although of course they still should have bought a player, any player anyway)

blimey.

 

[chaileyjem]

We will never know the answer

I'll have a go. Duffy is replacing Gordon Greer in the squad. He's 24, has played 100 games in the Championship, is an international and just had a decent Euros. Thats why we bought him and thats why he cost a reported £4m.
What do you think is the answer and why we'll never know it ?

 

[Stat Brother]

A few posts back you said it was disingenuous to say that, and the club in citing the state of the transfer market were treating us all like morons, and that it makes the club look like "hicks down from the mountain".
Now its "fine". and you acknowledge that it is indeed " ridiculous sums of money". (although of course they still should have bought a player, any player anyway)

blimey.

It is and always has been stupid sums of money.
If a fat postie has known that, for years, it's pretty disingenuous to now be told that by the MD of a championship football team.

It was ridiculous sums of money long before Mr Barber even got into the sport.
Just because Brighton need a player there isn't a special rule that says 50% should be knocked off the asking price.

The squad needed this striker.
The club should have known the deal wasn't going to be 'budget'.
The club has cheapened itself with all this 'over heated' nonsense.

In this and the 'Stephens play him sell him' thread the point I'm stumbling to make, has been made better by others.
We can carry this on, but I genuinely don't think there's much more I can say.

 

[Stat Brother]

I'll have a go. Duffy is replacing Gordon Greer in the squad. He's 24, has played 100 games in the Championship, is an international and just had a decent Euros. Thats why we bought him and thats why he cost a reported £4m.
What do you think is the answer and why we'll never know it ?

That said, GG didn't leave as a £4m player.

I understand the deal for Duffy, it makes perfect sense esp for a team desperate to hold it's own in the Premier League.

Now we both know what my next point is, don't we?

 

[GT49er]

I think that most would have accepted it had we been told that the targets were proving to be more expensive than we had been prepared to pay but we were kept on a string with the hope that 'we are still hoping to bring in a striker' when they must have known it was unlikely to happen.

Why 'must they have known'? Presumably Burnley didn't know for sure they weren't getting Dale Stephens until the window had finally shut, and we had stuck to our 'no sale' message. Equally likely the same applied to us and the striker(s) we as fans didn't know about.

 

[BensGrandad]

Hadnt TB told them in no uncertain terms when they offered £7m not to bother coming back, according to AN. Also they must have had some indication as to whether a deal was possible.

 

[ewe2]

We have to hope,the money ploughed into the youth/under23 setup,will (unlike Chelsea etc ) in time give us what we require .IMO if we have an indifferent season,i can see more than one or two getting their chance. Have we a Rashford,maybe,but then only briefly,because we would sell him on,even if we are in the premiership,that's the frightening fact.......( ps we have a 4th striker......Elvis Manu....!! )

 

[The_Viper]

Bloom has just turned down £20m+ worth of offers for players - one of whom is in the last year of his contract.
Has spent a fortune on a new Lewis Dunk contract, is close to spending a fortune on new Kayal/March contracts and wants to give Stephens likewise.
He also spent millions on Norwood, Duffy, Murray (wages), Sidwell (wages) etc. and also £m fees for Knockeart, Skalak, Hemed, Murphy just in the last 12 months.
As well as funding £18m losses every year mostly because we've not sold any players and pay all our squad decent "top 10 in the Champ" salaries.

Sounds like he's spending money hand over fist to me.
They also never ever say they have money to spend, let alone constantly.

All great points and I apologise for ever thinking otherwise. Now I'm thinking about how stupid I have been I can't wait to see us in the Premier League, which this STELLAR window has all but ensured! UTA!

 

[Guy Fawkes]

So if a club trying to buy one of our players gets turned down by the club despite offering a lot of money for a player who is out of contract in 12 months we expect them to accept that they should stop their pursuit because it's clear that we arn't going to sell yet when it comes to us trying to buy a player, we should ignore this when they tell us that they arn't for sale (despite offering a high transfer fee) and yet our fans then expect the club to throw silly money at trying to get this player to sign for us because the failure is our fault because we are being too tight?

 

[Guy Fawkes]

All great points and I apologise for ever thinking otherwise. Now I'm thinking about how stupid I have been I can't wait to see us in the Premier League, which this STELLAR window has all but ensured! UTA!

NO TRANSFER WINDOW DEALINGS can assure promotion to the Premier League

We have kept the nucleus of our squad together, added a couple of players in Midfield and defence and brought in arguably a better striker who adds more by himself then the 2 we lost in the summer

We another transfer window and another opportunity to get in a striker (Providing there is one worth signing that will join us, one that their club will sell and isn't cost prohibitive) but until then we have main 3 options, with the possibility of someone already at the club coming good (for example: Elvis or someone from the Academy set up)

There is no need to sign someone for the sake of adding a signing in a particular position if they won't be good enough just to appease the demands of some fans - all it does is put a plaster over the problem and doesn't solve it, taking up money that could be used for a proper signing once the window opens (should there be anyone worth signing who will join us)

 

[GT49er]

Hadnt TB told them in no uncertain terms when they offered £7m not to bother coming back, according to AN. Also they must have had some indication as to whether a deal was possible.

Well, they did think a deal was possible, didn't they. Obviously. There will have been contact going on with Stephens' agent; Burnley will have known he wanted out; they will have known he handed in a transfer request. And as for TB saying no in no uncertain terms, and don't come back - well, Burnley's attitude to that would undoubtedly be, "Well, he would say that, wouldn't he".
Just as we were probably knocking on one or more doors right up to deadline day evening, but being told, "Sod off, don't come back, we're not selling to you".

 

[chaileyjem]

All great points and I apologise for ever thinking otherwise. Now I'm thinking about how stupid I have been I can't wait to see us in the Premier League, which this STELLAR window has all but ensured! UTA!

Who knows but thats nothing to do with your post which is you're upset with the club because it "constantly [says] they're going to spend money and never do".
Except they don't constantly say they're going to spend money. In fact they never do.
And they do spend a lot of money on players fees, wages and turning down expensive bids from other clubs which i listed in boring detail. An awful lot.

Whether that equals a STELLAR window or not , we'll find out, but in your case then i guess not.

 

[Exile]

That was less urgent than a striker at time he arrived although I dont think the 2 were linked in any way

Completely untrue. 'At the time' that Duffy was signed, the need for a CB was hugely MORE urgent, than a striker. We had three fit strikers contesting two spots, and only ONE available CB.

Which was more IMPORTANT long term, might be another issue entirely, but the CB was the 'urgent' one.

 

[B.W.]

We have to hope,the money ploughed into the youth/under23 setup,will (unlike Chelsea etc ) in time give us what we require .IMO if we have an indifferent season,i can see more than one or two getting their chance. Have we a Rashford,maybe,but then only briefly,because we would sell him on,even if we are in the premiership,that's the frightening fact.......( ps we have a 4th striker......Elvis Manu....!! )

We needed a SECOND striker not a 4th one... so we FAILED to get in the player we needed...