[Albion] There is ZERO chance of SIGNING anyone today.

[Zebedee]

And we will possibly still be waiting for the elusive striker!

Probably would be a better description. As each day goes by, I fear that we may have to manage until January with what we've got. Your guess is as good as mine as to what we've done with,or are doing with, the £100M+ that we got through being promoted. The vast majority of it has certainly not been spent on the team.

 

[Bra]

I really don't understand the argument that there is still a month until the window closes. It's true of course but it is only 9 days until our first game.

Surely you would want to get the business done BEFORE the first game? Then you have all the squad to bond together, train together, understand the manager's outlook on tactics etc etc. It seems daft to leave it all so late.

And it surely can't have come as any surprise to the club what the "going rate" is for quality PL standard players. If we want to survive we have to invest. If the money isn't there, or is there but we are not prepared to spend it, then just tell us! We will understand.

I don't really get the bits we keep getting told about prices being a surprise. Let's be honest prices are inflated due to the tv money, money we are happy to take. And we would expect any selling price for say dunk to also reflect these prices.
For me you can't have it all ways, it is what it is.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Glad you're so positive and certain that he'll go on doing it forever! Of course, if it's not the £10M (plus) that I suggested, but more like your £35M suggestion, we're buggered by ffp.......................

Although for three years, we'd have parachute payments. West Brom did a yo yo promotion/relegation two or three times, but then got established without breaking the bank.

It's like, every year the Championship was harder and harder. It's like a mantra.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

And we will possibly still be waiting for the elusive striker!

And if we sign one, a third of fans will say he's not what we wanted/not enough pace/can't hold the ball up/too similar to Murray etc.

 

[pishhead]

Probably would be a better description. As each day goes by, I fear that we may have to manage until January with what we've got. Your guess is as good as mine as to what we've done,or are doing with, the £100M+ that we got through being promoted. The vast majority of it has certainly not been spent on the team.

We've spent more on ground upgrades than we have on the team.
I jest of course.

 

[Zebedee]

We've spent more on ground upgrades than we have on the team.
I jest of course.

Very rarely can survival in the Premier League be attained on the cheap, however much we may like to kid ourselves otherwise.

 

[Weststander]

I'm being a bit dim here as I don't quite understand what you mean.

Sorry.

I was confirming your line, that a year ago Hudd wouldn't have been preparing PL players target lists. They were the bookies and even some of their own fans favourites for the drop, or at least a struggle at the bottom of the Championship. Whereas we've been in the mix for years, other than 'the Hyppia/Burke' nadir season.

 

[Weststander]

Probably would be a better description. As each day goes by, I fear that we may have to manage until January with what we've got. Your guess is as good as mine as to what we've done with,or are doing with, the £100M+ that we got through being promoted. The vast majority of it has certainly not been spent on the team.

Relying on January would be very ill judged. Not least due to the cluster of bloody hard games from February to May.

 

[forumwayseagull]

Interesting thing will be when we sign these key signings.. how much did we actually spend..then it will be clear if we got bargains, panic bought or god forbid based PL survival on the cheap!!

 

[forumwayseagull]

Relying on January would be very ill judged. Not least due to the cluster of bloody hard games from February to May.

And, remember TB et al don't like doing Jan business!!

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

And, remember TB et al don't like doing Jan business!!

Which is when we signed Ulloa, Knockaert, Kayal and Stephens etc. ...

 

[Zebedee]

Interesting thing will be when we sign these key signings.. how much did we actually spend..then it will be clear if we got bargains, panic bought or god forbid based PL survival on the cheap!!

Hopefully, they'll be top quality signings who will enable us to make a real fist of staying up this season. Who could ask for more?

 

[trueblue]

As it stands, Huddersfield, Burnley and Brighton. If we improve our goal threat, I'll go Huddersfield, Burnley, Watford. Newcastle possibly in the mix if they don't do enough in the transfer window to keep Benitez happy.

 

[Ⓩ-Ⓐ-Ⓜ-Ⓞ-Ⓡ-Ⓐ]

Which is when we signed Ulloa, Knockaert, Kayal and Stephens etc. ...

If we're in relegation trouble in January it will be harder to attract quality players. We'll either be turned down or have to pay over the odds (wages). January is an OK time to do business if your strengthening from a position of strength, but difficult if you're in a relegation dog fight.

 

[trueblue]

I really don't understand the argument that there is still a month until the window closes. It's true of course but it is only 9 days until our first game.

Surely you would want to get the business done BEFORE the first game? Then you have all the squad to bond together, train together, understand the manager's outlook on tactics etc etc. It seems daft to leave it all so late.

The club of course would want to. But if you're a very small fish in a very big pond and looking for high quality acquisitions, those players are in no rush to sign up. The more clubs they have interested, the more their agents can push for a better contract - and if they hold their nerve until close to the deadline, there's every chance someone will panic into putting even more money on the table.

It's not the club's fault the system is broken and that the season now routinely only takes shape after the first international break.

Of course, if you're happy to sign any old shit, we could have had another 6 in by now.

 

[Nixonator]

Of course, if you're happy to sign any old shit, we could have had another 6 in by now.

Would they have been as good as Gross

 

[Zebedee]

Would they have been as good as Gross

Proof it can be done, of course.

 

[Conelli98]

Jose Ignacio is being linked with West Ham...I wonder if Recruitment team have ever thought he would be good for us? Definitely one I would of taken a gamble on!

 

[Rodney Thomas]

There's a lot of very angry people on this thread

 

[Machiavelli]

This is the PL, not going to accept we have the luxury of being able to wait until the end of the transfer window to start adding more players. We could be 0-3 by then and behind the eight ball already.

We could do that in the Championship because we were already the equal of most teams in terms of squad players. Now we're down the bottom talent wise and need to be ready to go from the opening minute.

We can't afford to be bringing in players and letting them have a month or two to bed down in the new squad as it will probably be too late by then. Need them up to speed on their team mates and game plans now.

You're conveniently forgetting two things:
-- last season, the aim was to finish in the top two; this season, it's to avoid finishing in the bottom three
-- as you indicate, it's a marathon not a sprint