Summer Transfer Thread: Speculation, Lies, Absolute Cr*p and Bosman Rumours

[Tuscans]

The Huddlestone to Stoke deal has stalled so I would take him for the season with Gardener, Petrov and Mokoun unavailable. Ireland, KEA, Huddlestone wouldn't be too bad.

[Irish villain]

I heard recently that the wage situation to turnover had dropped massively. Now under 60%?

It is much better now, yes, but the desire is to keep it at appropriate levels, not to ramp it back up...

We came mighty close to relegation last season. Generally, if you are fighting relegation two years in a row and don't do anything to drastically improve, you will eventually drop. I think the teams that were promoted this year are better than the ones who dropped last year.

I'm really hoping Paul Lambert is the top class motivator I believe him to be. Even then, if he can get us above 12th he is a miracle worker. We aren't much better off now than we were circa 2005-06.

[Irish villain]

From what Lambert has said today, clubs are asking ridiculous amounts for players. Then you see that Fletcher's going for £14m, Jarvis for £10.75m etc. Presumably clubs drop their prices in the final days of a transfer window to shift them and that's why so little happens during the summer and then there's so much activity in the last week of the window.

What it really comes down to is whether people would rather see us throwing money around on grossly over-valued players and higher wages which do the club's long term prospects significant harm...or bring in players where we can for agreeable amounts and wages that are in line with the club's overall objectives.

The squad is threadbare and we are pinning our hopes on several youth players being the best crop to emerge from any Premier League club since Man United's products of the early 1990s.

I'd say that would be quite a big gamble if that is our strategy. Sometimes you just have to invest to get something back. We have a promising manager and are looking at stopping the rot. However, without a few additions, that squad of ours is looking like one of the weakest in the league.

[pauliewalnuts]

Working with the wage bill is entirely understandable. It was a ridiculous state of affairs when we had, at one point, a wage bill £10m in excess of that of Spurs, and we were throwing 40k a week at dross like Sidwell to sit on the bench, while Spurs were (originally) paying Luka Modric far less than that.

Plenty of us on here were banging on about the wage bill before the austerity measures were actually put in place, in fact.

What people are really concerned with is that Lambert has the money to move in the market between now and a week today, and that he's not going to be constrained to shift Hutton or Warnock first - the flip side of the wage bill issue being that average players on big money are understandably not that keen on moving elsewhere, for less money.

I like his summer signings, but there's a limit to how much we can expect from, say, Lowton, who was playing in the third division. Beyond that, the squad is way too small, with nothing like enough quality there.

If Lambert has the backing and the go-ahead to do something in the market, then that's all people want to be reassured on.

EDIT - having just read the news of Gary Gardner's injury, it's even more threadbare now.

[Chris Smith]

If the vague rumours of Dunne going are true then that frees up his wages for further signings but at present we have 3 players with plenty of first team experience to come back. As I said the other day that I liken it to when MON first came and that it will take more than one transfer window for Lambert to build the squad he wants.

The huge difference there is that O'Neill came in late in the summer, and so didn't have much opportunity.   After that, he was lucky enough to be backed to the hilt by Lerner as they spent fortunes on players they thought would get us to the Champions League.  That clearly isn't the target any more, and Lambert isn't ever going to be given big money to spend.  The point in sacking McLeish was the same as when they signed Bent - the consequences of not doing were likely to be far worse and even more expensive.

Why more expensive? If he's lost interest then he can reduce the wage bill far more by allowing us to get relegated. With parachute payments for a couple of years that should give him enough time to find a buyer.

Slightly far fetched, Chris.

Even with parachute payments as a buffer to some lost revenue, it's hard to believe anyone searching for a buyer for a club would see having it not in the premier league as a way of either saving money or making the club more attractive to buyers.

I was offering the other extreme to Risso's position. He's been running with the same line for 18 months, if he was so desperate to sell how come he hasn't? Or at least why no whisper from any interested buyer?

 

Where did I mention anything about Lerner selling in that post? 

It's the obvious conclusion from your assumption that he's lost interest.

[pelty]

Working with the wage bill is entirely understandable. It was a ridiculous state of affairs when we had, at one point, a wage bill £10m in excess of that of Spurs, and we were throwing 40k a week at dross like Sidwell to sit on the bench, while Spurs were (originally) paying Luka Modric far less than that.

Plenty of us on here were banging on about the wage bill before the austerity measures were actually put in place, in fact.

What people are really concerned with is that Lambert has the money to move in the market between now and a week today, and that he's not going to be constrained to shift Hutton or Warnock first - the flip side of the wage bill issue being that average players on big money are understandably not that keen on moving elsewhere, for less money.

I like his summer signings, but there's a limit to how much we can expect from, say, Lowton, who was playing in the third division. Beyond that, the squad is way too small, with nothing like enough quality there.

If Lambert has the backing and the go-ahead to do something in the market, then that's all people want to be reassured on.

EDIT - having just read the news of Gary Gardner's injury, it's even more threadbare now.

I agree with most of this. As stated in other posts, the money is there within reason; I would not expect record signings. As for the limit on what can be expected of Lowton, and so forth, I hear your point, but this is the choice of the manager and not the owner. He has decided that Lowton is good enough for this level and we have to trust him on that!

[JUAN PABLO]

Then you see that Fletcher's going for £14m,

Ive just spat my tea over my laptop.   Dont you just love Pubehead

[Mister E]

Then you see that Fletcher's going for £14m,

Ive just spat my tea over my laptop.   Dont you just love Pubehead

Well, he's scored 32 goals in three Premiership season; alll for clubs on the back foot and who were relegated.
With Larsson and McLean to bang in the crosses, will he get more? - probably not; he'd have been a great signing for us ... for £7-8m.
For £12-14m? - nah.

[paul_e]

Then you see that Fletcher's going for £14m,

Ive just spat my tea over my laptop.   Dont you just love Pubehead

Well, he's scored 32 goals in three Premiership season; alll for clubs on the back foot and who were relegated.
With Larsson and McLean to bang in the crosses, will he get more? - probably not; he'd have been a great signing for us ... for £7-8m.
For £12-14m? - nah.

Not sure i agree with your definition of great.  He'd have been a decent signing for 7-8m, he's an ok premier league player, nothing more.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

Working with the wage bill is entirely understandable. It was a ridiculous state of affairs when we had, at one point, a wage bill £10m in excess of that of Spurs, and we were throwing 40k a week at dross like Sidwell to sit on the bench, while Spurs were (originally) paying Luka Modric far less than that.

Plenty of us on here were banging on about the wage bill before the austerity measures were actually put in place, in fact.

What people are really concerned with is that Lambert has the money to move in the market between now and a week today, and that he's not going to be constrained to shift Hutton or Warnock first - the flip side of the wage bill issue being that average players on big money are understandably not that keen on moving elsewhere, for less money.

I like his summer signings, but there's a limit to how much we can expect from, say, Lowton, who was playing in the third division. Beyond that, the squad is way too small, with nothing like enough quality there.

If Lambert has the backing and the go-ahead to do something in the market, then that's all people want to be reassured on.

EDIT - having just read the news of Gary Gardner's injury, it's even more threadbare now.

I agree with most of this. As stated in other posts, the money is there within reason; I would not expect record signings. As for the limit on what can be expected of Lowton, and so forth, I hear your point, but this is the choice of the manager and not the owner. He has decided that Lowton is good enough for this level and we have to trust him on that!

I try and remain balanced, and do see both sides of this, but to me it really does boil down to trust/faith in Lambert which, though I do rate Lambert, is abort close to praying for my comfort. The squad is skeletal when you take out all the many many players there are question marks over.
H

[paul_e]

Working with the wage bill is entirely understandable. It was a ridiculous state of affairs when we had, at one point, a wage bill £10m in excess of that of Spurs, and we were throwing 40k a week at dross like Sidwell to sit on the bench, while Spurs were (originally) paying Luka Modric far less than that.

Plenty of us on here were banging on about the wage bill before the austerity measures were actually put in place, in fact.

What people are really concerned with is that Lambert has the money to move in the market between now and a week today, and that he's not going to be constrained to shift Hutton or Warnock first - the flip side of the wage bill issue being that average players on big money are understandably not that keen on moving elsewhere, for less money.

I like his summer signings, but there's a limit to how much we can expect from, say, Lowton, who was playing in the third division. Beyond that, the squad is way too small, with nothing like enough quality there.

If Lambert has the backing and the go-ahead to do something in the market, then that's all people want to be reassured on.

EDIT - having just read the news of Gary Gardner's injury, it's even more threadbare now.

I agree with most of this. As stated in other posts, the money is there within reason; I would not expect record signings. As for the limit on what can be expected of Lowton, and so forth, I hear your point, but this is the choice of the manager and not the owner. He has decided that Lowton is good enough for this level and we have to trust him on that!

I try and remain balanced, and do see both sides of this, but to me it really does boil down to trust/faith in Lambert which, though I do rate Lambert, is abort close to praying for my comfort. The squad is skeletal when you take out all the many many players there are question marks over.
H

If we were in a position where every player with a question mark could be replaced in 1 window with proven quality then it would be different.  With that not being the case we can do little more than hope that more of them answer the questions positively than negatively.  If most of the new signings and 'kids' click this year we've got a good squad.

[Risso]

If the vague rumours of Dunne going are true then that frees up his wages for further signings but at present we have 3 players with plenty of first team experience to come back. As I said the other day that I liken it to when MON first came and that it will take more than one transfer window for Lambert to build the squad he wants.

The huge difference there is that O'Neill came in late in the summer, and so didn't have much opportunity.   After that, he was lucky enough to be backed to the hilt by Lerner as they spent fortunes on players they thought would get us to the Champions League.  That clearly isn't the target any more, and Lambert isn't ever going to be given big money to spend.  The point in sacking McLeish was the same as when they signed Bent - the consequences of not doing were likely to be far worse and even more expensive.

Why more expensive? If he's lost interest then he can reduce the wage bill far more by allowing us to get relegated. With parachute payments for a couple of years that should give him enough time to find a buyer.

Slightly far fetched, Chris.

Even with parachute payments as a buffer to some lost revenue, it's hard to believe anyone searching for a buyer for a club would see having it not in the premier league as a way of either saving money or making the club more attractive to buyers.

I was offering the other extreme to Risso's position. He's been running with the same line for 18 months, if he was so desperate to sell how come he hasn't? Or at least why no whisper from any interested buyer?

 

Where did I mention anything about Lerner selling in that post? 

It's the obvious conclusion from your assumption that he's lost interest.

Eh?  No it isn't.  He might be prepared to keep things ticking over for years, doing just enough to maintain us as a bottom half Premier League team.

[PeterWithesShin]

Then you see that Fletcher's going for £14m,

Ive just spat my tea over my laptop.   Dont you just love Pubehead

Well, he's scored 32 goals in three Premiership season; alll for clubs on the back foot and who were relegated.
With Larsson and McLean to bang in the crosses, will he get more? - probably not; he'd have been a great signing for us ... for £7-8m.
For £12-14m? - nah.

It's 30 league goals in 96 league games. That a career 1 in 3.5 striker can go for such a fee shows the insanity of modern day football.

[ozzjim]

With Gardner out for the season, we need to get 3 in the next week now, a central midfielder, a left back and a forward. Even if the 3 are fairly inexpensive.

[Ron Manager]

The insanity of modern football. QPR trying to bring Caesar in to replace their new signing Robert Green after one game of the current campaign.