January Transfer Speculation (or lack of) Thread

[Greg N'Ash]

if he wants to show he cares, then he should open up his wallet properly and spend some of the money he's siphoned off since last summer. A pittance in real terms on coach travel  is neither here nor there

[Clampy]

Hmm, anyway back on to this transfer window, i had a feeling it was going to be quiet but not this quiet.

[Vanilla]

Hmm, anyway back on to this transfer window, i had a feeling it was going to be quiet but not this quiet.

I prefer a bit of silly transfer noise than absolute quiet. Makes you worried that there is some behind the scenes machinations. 

[Greg N'Ash]

I think i realised that was our lot after the AM letter when he bothered to waste a few paragrapths prasiing a loan signing and some salifou-type punt on a youngster like it deserved a round of applause

[paul_e]

To stay where we are in the premiership would take a fair amount of investment , to get anywhere near the top 6 would take multi multi millions as liverpool are finding out - with the prize money as it is why would randy spend £30m to get maybe £2m more in prize money- seems to me without massive investment in players we are going to be stagnating for a long long time and gates will continue to drop.

Football nowadays is all about money and not the game I loved in the 70s.

Absolutely true re: Liverpool. They spent multiples of millions in the last 12 months just to stay in the shadow of the leading pack. Villa did the usual short term splurge, then pulled the purse strings closed.

This isn't true.  The money only needs to be spent in that way if you take a short term view.  Getting to the top 6 on a smaller budget is possible, it requires very good management and coaching and a squad of players that all buy in to the philosophy.  What we should be doing is building an ethos within the club from the bottom up where we play a certain way and all the training and scouting is focused on getting players that fit that mould.  If you get it right the majority of your squad is effectively free so the money you do have to spend is to fill gaps.  The most successful team in world football currently (Barcelona) is built on this very principle.  Most importantly if you look at the players that have come through their ranks the majority of them are local lads, this is what we should be looking to replicate.

Transitioning to this will mean a few years of struggling along but seeing as we're going to have that anyway at least something like this would be a sign of us having a plan.

[JUAN PABLO]

I would buy Lee Peltier from Leicester or the Watford player  Adrian Mariappa for RB and get rid of Hutton in the summer .

[Irish villain]

Could be worse should be our new club motto.

In fact, it would have been a perfect fit from about the early noughties onwards (with a brief interlude between 2006/10).

The noughties weren't a good decade for us. For the few years we were good we managed to underachieve. I'd take the 90s over the noughties anyday!

[villadelph]

I can't believe this thread hit 200 pages and all we got was Robbie Keane on a six week.

[TheSandman]

I'm surprised it's ONLY that long.

[ROBBO]

The problem us and most premiership clubs have is that it will be almost impossible to challenge for Europe simply because we have all become feeder teams for the so called elite. As soon as you have players that show they can play at the top they will be targeted and will leave, the system has to change for a decent competition.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Keith Andrews has handed in a transfer request

[Clampy]

Keith Andrews has handed in a transfer request

I saw that on SSN this morning. Surely not.

[Greg N'Ash]

well he's a defensive midfielder, Irish. looks odds on i'd say.

[PaulWinch again]

Keith Andrews has handed in a transfer request

He would genuinely be one of the poorest players we've signed for a long time, he has nothing.

[Merv]

Keith Andrews has handed in a transfer request

Goody. It's on.