Why sell Virgo?

[Gully]

Bakesy is right to a certain extent, we seem to be producing a decent crop of youngsters, it is just extremely sad that we are now having to sell them and not look forward to seeing them run out at Falmer.

Virgo has received plaudits for his leadership qualities and I can't be alone in having hoped that he would captain the Albion one day, he may yet do that. Everyone is going on about him being a centre back, my opinion was that he was the best right back we had had for many a year, despite being used as a makeshift centreforward, no player or even manager is bigger than our team but I was far happier to see him in the team than many others.

I would certainly wish him well for the future and hope that a move north of Hadrians wall is the right one for him, I don't think it will be too long before we see him in the Premiership.

 

[Zebedee]

I think this will cost the club in the long run - no question. Virgo had turned into a colossus of a player and was so so important to our promotion and staying up.

£1.5m is a lifeline to the club, sure, but he was the one player I didn't want to see go and this decision could cost us our place in the championship.

Virgo's value will only truly be known to us at the end of the season. I've no doubt that he played an enormous part in keeping us up last year and I have no confidence whatsoever that he will be adequately replaced. I just hope that I'm proved wrong. At present our back four looks ponderous in the extreme. Other clubs' forward players must be licking their lips at the prospect of facing our defence.

 

[Lawro's Lip]

We are a selling club and had better get used to it. The good thing is that we are producing players who clubs want to buy and we get a season or two of their talent before they go. With more coming through the ranks Virgs wont be the last to leave.

 

[Yorkie]

Virgo's value will only truly be known to us at the end of the season. I've no doubt that he played an enormous part in keeping us up last year and I have no confidence whatsoever that he will be adequately replaced. I just hope that I'm proved wrong. At present our back four looks ponderous in the extreme. Other clubs' forward players must be licking their lips at the prospect of facing our defence.

Butters El Abd Dodd and Mayo

Certainly no worse than last season and when Hinsh is back then we'll look as good if not better.

 

[Simster]

He was our best player, yes, but was he our best defender? I say no. His value to our club this season was his work up front and his flexibility as a utility player given our small, weak squad - his defending could be very good (Spurs) or very bad (Cardiff, Watford, that horlicks of a goal he gifted Ipswich).

But now we have a better targetman than him in Kazza, I'm pretty relaxed about this transfer.

I'm not kidding, I would pick Butters in front of him as a central defender, and a fully fit Hinshelwood maybe as well.

I wouldn't rush to disagree with that - but we'll badly miss his versatility in a squad with comparitively few proven Championship level players.

 

[niknokseagull]

Amazing. Something I thought I would never see. People saying that Harding was a good player.
He wasn't. He was average at best.
As for Virgs, I've been jumping round the front room unable to fathom how we managed to get 1.5 million for him. This is the best news.

Player of the year, yes. In a very average (albeit wonderful, heroic, determined and all round legendary) team.

Remember, Peter Smith was once 'Player of the Year'. Not so long ago either. Largely for the same reasons too. Guts, determination, stamina and effort. Something we all value in our heroes.

But seriously. Virgo. He wasn't the lynchpin of the entire squad. Bobby Z was (at the time).

And we survived perfectly well without him, thank you very much.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

I really hope people don't see this Trinidadian as the solution to Virgo leaving. He was relegated from the SPL, and has been described by Dundee fans as having been skinned repeatedly by a 17 year old & by an aging Noel Whealan. This is NOT the player to replace Virgs.

I hope we buy another young lad with a future ahead of him and give him the chance to settle in. In fact, with Dodd & Butters in the team, we need some youthful energy back there

 

[London Irish]

I really hope people don't see this Trinidadian as the solution to Virgo leaving. He was relegated from the SPL, and has been described by Dundee fans as having been skinned repeatedly by a 17 year old & by an aging Noel Whealan. This is NOT the player to replace Virgs.

If we'd have been guided by fans websites, we'd have never have signed Currie who was ripped to shreds by Wycombe fans.

Sancho looked promising in his first game, and McGhee thought so because he wants to take a longer look. I say give him a chance to see what he can do in the rest of the pre-seasons before judging him too quickly.

 

[Icy Gull]

The reality is we have sold an 8 goal in a season striker for 1.5 million, it shouldn't cost anywhere near that to sign a 10 goal a season striker. Virgs had loads of potential and scored crucial goals but we didn't play him much in his natural position because of circumstance. We have had to sell him for the same reason and with the right replacement, it may not be as bad as it looks at the moment.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

If we'd have been guided by fans websites, we'd have never have signed Currie who was ripped to shreds by Wycombe fans.

Sancho looked promising in his first game, and McGhee thought so because he wants to take a longer look. I say give him a chance to see what he can do in the rest of the pre-seasons before judging him too quickly.

In a matched played with a non league side

 

[Kent Seagull]

Why all the fuss? We are a small club and as such have to develop youngsters and sell them for as much as possible to survive. Man Ure, Chelski and the Arse are about the only English clubs that can turn down big offers for playere.

When we get Falmer we will still need to sell our best players to survive, don't forget we sold the likes of Wardy and Lawrenson at a time when we had big crowds and were playing at the top level. Falmer won't suddenly turn us into a "big" club, we'll still be little old Brighton playing in a comparitively small stadium.

Unless we can build a 60,000 seater stadium and then fill it week in week out, nothing will change I'm afraid.

 

[3gulls]

i cannot believe this decision.

our back line is now reid, butters, dodd, mayo.

what are we doing?

we must really, really, really be in the shit.

we want falmer but we want to be in a decent league when we get there!

we have now lost harding, virgo and hinsh might never be the player he was.

this is a very sad day

Why, because Dick Knight would sell his own Grandmother if he could. Don't you know by now that every player at the club will be sold if an offer is made for them.

The sale of Adam Virgo has left me feeling sick, how can the Club sell him? He is the inspiration of the Team, and surely would have been the next Club Captain.

I wonder how much "some" of the money for team building will be?

 

[Scoffers]

We just have to accept that we will lose good players until we have the financial clout from a new stadium to pay players better and even then, lets face it, Albion or Celtic? Um, tough one that (not)

 

[3gulls]

We just have to accept that we will lose good players until we have the financial clout from a new stadium to pay players better and even then, lets face it, Albion or Celtic? Um, tough one that (not)

Not tough at all, it's not like it is Rangers.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Personally I think 1.5million is a good deal. That's what we got for Zamora and he was IMO far more central to the team than Virgo- as good as Virgo is.

I think we can get 750,000 of that money to spend on players. Last year we made 500,000 from player sales, plus the money form the tottenham game. If we take the same amount of money from the Virgo sale, we shouldn't need to sell anyone else. Then, pretty much all the money from the Harding tribunal can also go on players. And because Virgo has gone for such a high price, I think we can expect around 1million for Harding. Harding played more games than Virgo last year(i think) and was also an U21 player. Virgo played a few times for the Scotland 'Futures' team. So if Virgo is worth 1.5million, surely Harding must be worth something similar?

The money from virgo can go on getting a keeper(Blayney? Chris Day?) and a couple of defenders, while the harding money can go on a creative midfielder and an experienced striker. So, from the sale of two players that cost us nothing we will be able to rebuild the squad. Sorted.

And as a bonus if we can manage to get an away game against a prem team in either the f.a or league cup we'll have some money to bring in a loan signing or two in the january transfer window aswell as a little more to be fed into the black hole.

 

[silky1]

I can't believe al the doom and gloom of some people over this transfer. Virgo was undoubtedly our most infuential player last season, but every player can be replaced, and for 1.5 million, McGhee will replace him well and we will stay up.

Great move for Virgo, and there is no way the club or the player were in a player to realistically turn this bid down.

Good luck Virgo, I will certainly pay a little more attention to Celtic results from now on.

 

[caz99]

i understand the need for money but its a shame now that the club has turned into a business instead of a football club.

we wont replace virgo cos the money will be swallowed up into the falmer black hole i dont hold out much hope for next season

 

[Dave the OAP]

Butters El Abd Dodd and Mayo

Certainly no worse than last season and when Hinsh is back then we'll look as good if not better.

Sorry Yorkie

How do you know?

How can you [possibly say we will be better than last year at the back. Butters is one year older, and lets face it, up against speedy strikers, Virgs helped him out many a time, El Abd is a decent full back no more, Mayo was in and out of the side like a YOYO and had some shocking games ..CREWE? Dodd we have no idea...although Plymouth fans reconed he was Ok, but lacked pace.

I wish people would stop doing this...it will be alright nonsence before the season has even started.....our squad is rediculously thin at the moment...I hope we dont get any injuries in pre season or we could be playing the under 12's at this rate