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Author Topic: If spending hadn't been cut  (Read 5881 times)

Offline Fergal

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If spending hadn't been cut
« on: February 07, 2012, 10:38:06 PM »
If Randy hadn't pulled the plug on the finances how much would he have had to spend to keep us in the hunt for a top 6 place?
Also without turning this into an anti AM ranting thread who could/should we have gone for as manager?

Offline hawkeye

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2012, 10:56:36 PM »
Hi Fergal The back 4 needed replacing, I guess bargain basement deals would have netted 0 as we would have to pay thier contracts off, the balance sheet effect would be more serious. So Keep Cuellar, not buy Hutton. Another 30 million + wages a central Midfield player and another forward Keane type, thats another 20 mil + wages so at a guess 60 mil + wages would put us in play.

Offline Greg N'Ash

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2012, 11:12:41 PM »
I think we could have still cut the spending and stayed up there if the funds and comparable wages had been released for quality  replacements for milner, downing and Young. The reality was MON got us in the hunt with a hugely bloated squad  and rarely changed his team outside the same 11 with a few favoured subs. With the youngsters replacing the 10+expensive reserves that never figured the wages bill would have dropped by now anyway. I still think the likes of Moyes could have handled that sort of situation quite easily, and he would have re-jigged our defence by now. However, as it is, he'd struggle to rebuild it with virtually no funds

Offline nuninho

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2012, 11:24:15 PM »
I think £200 million and Ancelotti when O'Neill left would have seen us content for a top 4 place.  Note only a top 4 place.  It wouldn't have bought the league, and remember however much we spent, it would always rely upon attracting players.  We'd have been going for the Scott Parkers of this world rather than the Silva's, Tevez's etc.

Offline Greg N'Ash

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2012, 11:27:51 PM »
Spurs did it for a lot less than that, as did everton, albiet couldn't capitalise.

*quickly turns off VillaDawg batsignal*

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2012, 11:38:14 PM »
Ancelotti was still at Chelsea when MON left.

He'd taken us as far as he could I think, we'd probably have still been in the 6th-8th bracket if he'd stayed for another season but we'd have been a lot further off the top 4 than the previous two seasons.

Offline Irish villain

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2012, 11:42:46 PM »
I want to cry every time I think of just how close we came. In fact we should have made it if MON shuffled his pack a bit better.

At the time, I was critical of MON and I stand by it. He had the tools to take us into the Champion's League. Screw that, he had the tools to turn us into a title challenging outfit and he made poor decisions at crucial times.

He's still a good manager on balance. None of us can deny that, but we all know that he is over rated and that he probably hasn't what it takes to become a top four manager.

Offline Greg N'Ash

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #7 on: February 07, 2012, 11:46:17 PM »
if you look at sidwell, Davies, Heskey, MFH, Shorey, Beye. Just there is 30m in transfer fees and probably not far off the same in wages that arguably had no effect on where we finished under MON. I could mention others but you get the idea. What we could do with that money today. - absolutely tragic

Offline Irish villain

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2012, 11:48:38 PM »
if you look at sidwell, Davies, Heskey, MFH, Shorey, Beye. Just there is 30m in transfer fees and probably not far off the same in wages that arguably had no effect on where we finished under MON. I could mention others but you get the idea. What we could do with that money today. - absolutely tragic

So true. We could buy ourselves a new defence and pay their wages, well two new centre backs anyway.

Offline hawkeye

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2012, 11:52:48 PM »
if you look at sidwell, Davies, Heskey, MFH, Shorey, Beye. Just there is 30m in transfer fees and probably not far off the same in wages that arguably had no effect on where we finished under MON. I could mention others but you get the idea. What we could do with that money today. - absolutely tragic
Yep all that happened is that the profit from Young Barry Milner paid for the loss on those players

Offline eamonn

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #10 on: February 08, 2012, 01:14:17 AM »
Newcastle are who we should be looking to replicate. It's possible to be challenging for a Champions League place without spending shedloads of money.

Online Sexual Ealing

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #11 on: February 08, 2012, 01:28:13 AM »

 but we'd have been a lot further off the top 4 than the previous two seasons.

Would we though? Lots of people (I've no idea if you were one of them) were predicting worse seasons ahead at the end of each one, but we kept getting closer.

Obviously a resurgent Spurs and Man City getting their act together would have made it hard (as would Liverpool sorting out their shit) but it's not like there weren't challlenges that we overcame.

Offline ktvillan

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #12 on: February 08, 2012, 09:33:45 AM »
We have some good attacking players and it's the shite defence and low confidence that is stopping us from being a top 8 team.  However the standard in the PL really isn't that high below about 7th or 8th, so that is nothing to really shout about.  Hence we were able to finish 9th last season with said shite defence, and after a major injury crisis and a player revolt.   Newcastle and Spurs have shown you can pick up very talented players from abroad for reasonable sums and wages, and challenge at the higher end.  That was O'neill's major blind spot, along with buying two entire shite defences.  I think if the money had been there and GH had stayed it seems he was tartgetting the likes of Cabaye, Romeu etc. , and I'm fairly sure a few new defenders.  With that I think we could have been doing what Newcastle are doing.   With AM spending it I'm not so sure who we'd have got, but Robbie Keane wouldn't have been a bad start.   Also with money available Downing may have stayed, and depsite his crapness for redscouse, he was bloody good for us last season.

Offline Concrete John

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #13 on: February 08, 2012, 09:46:46 AM »
Newcastle are who we should be looking to replicate. It's possible to be challenging for a Champions League place without spending shedloads of money.

They are doing it, and I don't think they will end up in the top 4, at a time when the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are a lot worse than when were having a go at it.  The top 4 was well established, but now the Scousers have dropped out, Arsenal or Chelsea probably will this year, Spurs have been in, then out and now look like being in it again.  In truth I think it's probably easier now, despite Man City, as it's less set in stone and places are there to be taken.

I agree that some of our money could have been better spent, but enough was spent well to get us close.  So where would we have been if it continued?  Taking the question of who the manager would be for a minute (Benitez if money was there to spend?), then we'd be well in the mix.  Probably ahead of Newcastle and Liverpool and putting a LOT of pressure on Chelsea and Arsenal.

Offline Simon Ward

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Re: If spending hadn't been cut
« Reply #14 on: February 08, 2012, 09:59:27 AM »
As a side issue Beye is now on £2k a week at Donny compared to £46k a week with us according to a piece on Late Kick Off!

 


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