January Transfer Speculation (or lack of) Thread

[Concrete John]

Yes, that will obviously effect funds for players if we are 'living within our means'. 

My opinion on what Randy's intentions are, once the wagebill is where we want, remain the same - let's wait and see!

[monkeyboy]

They said the club has to live on its own means.

Why would that only involve the wage bill?

I can only recall statements about the wage bill. We'll see in due course but I expect them to invest with a plan to improve revenue but with it all having to operate within a strict wage  structure.

Welcome to our new home - it's known as mid table and is in the suburb of mediocrity

[UK Redsox]

They said the club has to live on its own means.

Why would that only involve the wage bill?

I can only recall statements about the wage bill. We'll see in due course but I expect them to invest with a plan to improve revenue but with it all having to operate within a strict wage  structure.

Welcome to our new home - it's known as mid table and is in the suburb of mediocrity

"New" home ?

Villa have been mid-table for years (finishing 6th doesn't exactly count as challenging at the top)

[Merv]

They said the club has to live on its own means.

Why would that only involve the wage bill?

I don't think it will. I'm sure there is a drive to bring the wage bill down, but no-one's telling me that there's a £15m pot of transfer spend available - McLeish can use it for fees only and not wages for a player he signs? No.

I don't think we'll see the remaining £££ from the Downing/Young sales again, it's been used elsewhere. We'll probably be able to spend what we generate from sales in the summer, and nothing more.

[Concrete John]

"New" home ?

Villa have been mid-table for years (finishing 6th doesn't exactly count as challenging at the top)

Personally I class 6th as above mid table, mainly as it usually brings a European place with it.  It's subjective, but I'd say 8th to about 14th is 'mid table'.

[TheSandman]

Our wagebill is still above the recommended level of 50% of turnover now and the departures of Cuellar, Heskey and Beye in the summer still won't see it fall below that so I don't foresee much additional spending in the summer (especially as Cuellar and Heskey will most likely need replacing as we'll be short of strikers and centre halves).

[hipkiss92]

I know it's not the best financial policy, but whatever happened to 'speculate to accumulate'? Instead of reigning in the money available so that McLeish has no room to maneuver, why don't they give say, 10/12 million and see what he can do with it?

[TimTheVillain]

I know it's not the best financial policy, but whatever happened to 'speculate to accumulate'? Instead of reigning in the money available so that McLeish has no room to maneuver, why don't they give say, 10/12 million and see what he can do with it?

That's the $64 million dollar question.

Well, not quite, but you know what I mean.

As I see it, Randy's cheque book is firmly closed now, so we have to wheel and deal - beg, steal or borrow ( and sell).

This new wages to income ratio is a big issue at VP, they certainly like to point it out a lot, more so than any other club, when is it coming into force, how are the likes of Spurs getting round it ? - Their wage bill doesn't appear to be going downwards.

Oh the joys of supporting a 'middle table with no cash' club again !!

[supertom]

Randy did take a big punt last season on Darren Bent. In fairness even he was sensible enough to weigh up the cost of relegation against 24 million on DB. I just don't see him doing the same thing again. He probably feels we're safe enough not to have to speculate to consolodate. Maybe that or even if we were really in the shit right now, he couldn't afford to do it again.

I know we sold Downing and Young, which kind of covered the Bent sale, but we couldn't have been entirely sure back then, just what a weasly, money grabbing fox hunt Downing was.

We should really speculate to accumulate, but I can't see Randy doing that again. He took us as far as we could go, without getting enough back to warrant all the expenditure. I see that he's trying to make us a viable business, and probably to sell. Perhaps Randy feels a mid table club that stays in the black, is better than a top six club that loses money every year. That might be wrong, it might not. Perhaps any rich Arabs sniffing around us 2 years ago, have caught another scent whilst we've bombed down to mediocrity.

Or to cut a long one short. We aint signing any one!

[bertlambshank]

If we was in the bottom 3 would Randy be splashing the cash?

[TimTheVillain]

If we was in the bottom 3 would Randy be splashing the cash?

Interesting question - I think we'd be buying more 'has beens' in on short term contracts in the hope that they'd save us.

[CJ]

If we was in the bottom 3 would Randy be splashing the cash?

Difficult to say. Last season it was straightforward - we had 2 wingers getting balls into the box and creating loads of chances but no-one to stick them away, so identifying the solution and getting the player was fairly obvious. This season I'm not sure we could identify any realistic single player who'd turn us round, and given that I don't think we'll be getting anyone in.

[Irish villain]

I wouldn't call sixth mid-table. Those years we finished sixth we were within a few points of being fourth and spent time within the top 4. Weren't we title contenders in 08/09 at Christmas? We were where Spurs are now.....

[ROBBO]

So after six years we are no better than we were under deadly, probably worse because at least he knew more about running a club than the lot we have now. Not that i'm advocating his return mind you.

[richard moore]

I wouldn't call sixth mid-table. Those years we finished sixth we were within a few points of being fourth and spent time within the top 4. Weren't we title contenders in 08/09 at Christmas? We were where Spurs are now.....

Technically, I think you are right though it kinda feels that way. I think of it more as the 'best of the rest', the rest being a very long tail of very ordinary fare. And of course it comes with the seemingly poisoned chalace of the Europa League