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[Albion] Steve Cooper.







B-right-on

Living the dream
Apr 23, 2015
6,761
Shoreham Beaaaach
Heavily backed = always knew that we would not stand in the way of players and predictably sold our £140m centre-mid pairing, but replaced with two hand-picked expensive signings, one a supposed wonder kid from Barcelona (a regular at one of the biggest clubs in the world prior to injury).

Expensive?
Dahoud: Free
Igor: £17m
Fati: free

Yes I think £17m is a lot of money if it were mine, but compared to £200m of sales in the last year, no it isnt.
 


jcdenton08

Offended Liver Sausage
NSC Patron
Oct 17, 2008
15,019
Expensive?
Dahoud: Free
Igor: £17m
Fati: free

Yes I think £17m is a lot of money if it were mine, but compared to £200m of sales in the last year, no it isnt.
Fati certainly wasn’t free. A loan fee was paid - and I can’t imagine that being small - plus enormous wages.
 


B-right-on

Living the dream
Apr 23, 2015
6,761
Shoreham Beaaaach
Fati certainly wasn’t free. A loan fee was paid - and I can’t imagine that being small - plus enormous wages.

Not a known fact, your opinion, which may or may not be right. I have no idea.

Either way, its still not expensive in the insane football world of mega millions
 






schmunk

Why oh why oh why?
Jan 19, 2018
10,482
Mid mid mid Sussex
Very nauseous seeing grown blokes mocking how someone looks without being willing to put their mugs up for everyone to judge.
Nauseous...? :unsure:

Anyway, I'M not afraid to post a selfie. Mock away, NSCers...

06e6645f-8ea1-4f51-b728-f8c1d94445a1-2060x1236.jpeg
 


Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
37,641
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
It is difficult to get good value in January.
Even more difficult when the manager tells the world, two days before the transfer window opened, "we need 3-4 players". Things don't get cheaper or easier when other clubs know that the club needs to please this manager and his insatiable desire to get new players to play to death or fall out with.

Anyway, he's history. He will be someone elses problem now.
Stevie Wonder could have seen we needed 3-4 players.
 


Stumpy Tim

Well-known member
Not a known fact, your opinion, which may or may not be right. I have no idea.

Either way, its still not expensive in the insane football world of mega millions
What is a fact is he wasn't free. Reported we paid around £120k a week in wages. Even if it was less, it's probably closer than your suggestion of "free".

People also forget that RDZ played MacAllister behind the front man, and we replaced him with Pedro who seemed to do ok.
 




Justice

Dangerous Idiot
Jun 21, 2012
21,110
Born In Shoreham
Signing players to cover injuries seems like an easy fix, but then those injured players come back and now you have a hopelessly bloated squad and a wage bill beyond what it ought to be.

You can't buy your way out of an injury crisis in the transfer market.
How would the squad have been bloated if for arguments sake we had signed KDH and a right winger? Ttwo positions we desperately needed anyway.
 


dippy2449

Active member
May 24, 2004
210
Norfolk
Expensive?
Dahoud: Free
Igor: £17m
Fati: free

Yes I think £17m is a lot of money if it were mine, but compared to £200m of sales in the last year, no it isnt.
Compare that £200m with the reported £400m (not sourced) TB has put in of his own money. Just because the club sells a player at a profit does not mean the money belongs to the club. It belongs to the owner.
 


Han Solo

Well-known member
May 25, 2024
2,917
Stevie Wonder could have seen we needed 3-4 players.
That's possible and one of many reasons Stevie Wonder won't replace Roberto De Zerbi.
We were never adding 4 first team players to our 27-man squad. Nor did we need it imho.
 




kevo

Well-known member
Mar 8, 2008
9,882
Everyone had injuries of course and we had a chance in Jan to relieve some the pressure. We didn't and the list kept growing.
The injury to Mitoma in Feb was very unfortunate timing, but yes it was clear we needed to strengthen in Jan. But as a gambler TB is very reluctant to gamble.
 


Flounce

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Nov 15, 2006
4,605
How would the squad have been bloated if for arguments sake we had signed KDH and a right winger? Ttwo positions we desperately needed anyway.
Were we supposed to kidnap KDH when our offers were allegedly turned down by the club and the player? Seems we did try hard to sign him, we may have tried to sign a winger, who knows?
 










Stato

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2011
7,415
This guy was always going to be one of the most likely candidates. But I'd sort of imagine it would be a done deal now if we've decided he's our boy. Unlike a lot of our other probable candidates, Cooper is not waiting for Manchester United and very unlikely would get a better job than with us.
Exactly. Cooper's name was linked with Burnley last week and he was said to not be interested, but would speak with Leicester. Subsequent links with us definitely wouldn't have leaked from our end and so look very much like his agent advertising his availability 'Look! Brighton are interested! You better move quickly!'

I think he'll end up at one of the Championship promotion contenders. He's proven himself doing that, but his record in the EPL, harsh though it sounds, is one bottom five finish with one of the most expensive squads ever put together by a newly promoted side and sacked the following Christmas when in the same league position.
 


dippy2449

Active member
May 24, 2004
210
Norfolk
The injury to Mitoma in Feb was very unfortunate timing, but yes it was clear we needed to strengthen in Jan. But as a gambler TB is very reluctant to gamble.
Maybe the gamble was to see what could be done with the cards in his hand.
 




Behind Enemy Lines

Well-known member
Jul 18, 2003
4,910
London
But can a manager only work with the calibre of players in his squad?


I think given his coaching sucess in the England youth set up, with potentially some of the best players in the country for their age group, its a forward thinking appointment.

If its Cooper, I would take finishing position 1-10, you can have 11-20, and shall we say £100 straight wager to either Chestnut Tree House or The Rocking Horse Appeal?

We'll have to wait and see. IF it is Cooper, as unexcited as I would feel, I would of course get behind him as with all Albion managers.
 


Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
37,641
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
Exactly. Cooper's name was linked with Burnley last week and he was said to not be interested, but would speak with Leicester. Subsequent links with us definitely wouldn't have leaked from our end and so look very much like his agent advertising his availability 'Look! Brighton are interested! You better move quickly!'

I think he'll end up at one of the Championship promotion contenders. He's proven himself doing that, but his record in the EPL, harsh though it sounds, is one bottom five finish with one of the most expensive squads ever put together by a newly promoted side and sacked the following Christmas when in the same league position.
Bottom five you say? How depressing.

IMG_2170.jpeg
 


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