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

[Dante Lavelli]

In the last three season’s published accounts (listed on Swiss Ramble) we have lost 54m, 37m and 46m which Randy has effectively paid from his own pocket (via loans to the club I think).  That’s 137m in three seasons, yet we demand more money from him.

The club has been poorly managed to have consumed that amount of money and still have a dreadfully weak squad.

I'm sure Randy doesn't like spending that kind of money, but if he carries on slamming the brakes on as he has done recently, we will get relegated. That's not hyperbole, either, look how close we sailed to the wind last season.

You can moan all you like about fans clamouring for more money, but we just want the club to do well, and not have more seasons like the last two.

It's also worth pointing out that it was his stewardship of the club that turned that kind of investment into gigantic losses and ending up largely back where we are when we started six years ago, it wasn't the fault of the fans.

I don't expect or want him to throw huge amounts at the club in a futile chase for glory, but if he is envisaging some kind of Ajaxesque system where you consistently grow your own success, thus avoiding the need to invest in players, then he's in for a rude awakening.

We have a switched-on, progressive young manager, but if he is not backed soundly, then he'll achieve not much more than the previous, less progressive manager.

All valid points Paulie and I apologies if it sounds like I am moaning about the moaning.  I personally think there will be another signing or two before the window "slams shut" resulting in us spending about 15m (net), however I can understand the logic in waiting Lambert to prove he can do the job before backing him with scarce cash.

I think our biggest problems recently have been bad manager appointments rather than the amount of money that was invested.   

[Holte L2]

Monty is right about Bent. He scores goals but makes the team in general score less. Don't understand why people would take that equasion.

Our midfielders don't commit to forward runs when he's on the ball because they're pretty sure he'll lose it and they're preparing to defend. Watch them.

I don't buy that. When we had Downing, Young and Albrighton supporting Bent, they didnt mis-trust his runs. its all about the intelligence of the player. 

[john2710]

Other than the money spent on Young, Milner, Downing & probably Carew you'd have to say that most of the money spent has been wasted or delivered little or no improvement.

Add this to the money wasted on managerial changes, (Houllier I could understand based on his experience / ethos & the shit MON left us in)

That's an awful lot of money that's gone for good.

[Percy McCarthy]

Holte L2: I didn't say they mistrusted his runs. I said midfielders who are now tasked with playing it up to him and get up in support don't trust him to hold the ball up and don't make runs themselves.

[Irish villain]

We gambled 2006/2010 and it didn't work out. It has worked out for Chelsea and City but not for us. We spunked it on the wrong manager who hadn't the imagination to invest in the right players or take us to where we should have been based on the money Lerner brought to the club.

It will take time to recover from those mistakes.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think our biggest problems recently have been bad manager appointments rather than the amount of money that was invested.   

The amount of money we've wasted paying off managers is definitely an issue.

That's another example of how the club has been stewarded of late. How was it, for example, that last summer, the only three people on the planet who thought appointing McLeish would be a good idea, let alone anything other than an expensive mistake, were Randy, Faulkner and McLeish. There's no getting away from it, that was ineptitude of the highest order. Look how much that cost, and how much more it almost cost us.

He's got to put more money into it, yes, but he also needs to start making good decisions, and not ones that end up costing us a fortune.

That more than anything is what i was getting at when saying it's not "our" fault he wasted so much money. It's true, none of us were clamouring for MON to stop spending (although quite a few of us were concerned about the players he was spending it on), but then again, none of us knew that that level of spending was going to lead us so close to a financial abyss, and the following fast clawing back of cash that almost got us relegated as a result.

If you look at our squad now, how many of our players would we need to worry about getting poached by other clubs right now? Bent, probably, and that's about it.

That's a terrible return on all that money invested, and to a decent degree, it's his own fault.

[Risso]

Completely agree.  The last two years or so have seen utter insanity from Lerner.  He looked to be on the road to setting things back on the right track when he appointed Lambert, but unless he backs him properly, I'm afraid it'll be another case of trying to do just enough not to get relegated.

[avfcpg]

It certainly seems Adam Johnson is on his way based on quotes from Mancini.
Only word of caution would be from the Man City (proper) fans I know saying how he looks great on highlights but over 90 minutes doesn't cut it for them...
That said, I would be more than happy for him to end up here....attacking, can beat a man, puts the ball in...

[Irish villain]

It certainly seems Adam Johnson is on his way based on quotes from Mancini.
Only word of caution would be from the Man City (proper) fans I know saying how he looks great on highlights but over 90 minutes doesn't cut it for them...
That said, I would be more than happy for him to end up here....attacking, can beat a man, puts the ball in...

Even being good in flashes would be an improvement on N'Zogbia.

[KRS]

It certainly seems Adam Johnson is on his way based on quotes from Mancini.

What quotes? All I know is that he isnt even on the bench for Citeh today.

[Quiet Lion]

I don't want to bring up the 'F' word, but we lose one game 1-0 away and all of a sudden all the calls for patience, quiet optimism, slow progression and congratulating Lerner for actually having a plan give way to a need for root and branch reform of the whole club. I'm sorry, but it just looks totally ridiculous.

This is really spot on

[UK Redsox]

It certainly seems Adam Johnson is on his way based on quotes from Mancini.

What quotes? All I know is that he isnt even on the bench for Citeh today.

I was talking to some West Ham fans yesterday who were confident that Johnson was heading to Upton Park

[KRS]

It certainly seems Adam Johnson is on his way based on quotes from Mancini.

What quotes? All I know is that he isnt even on the bench for Citeh today.

I was talking to some West Ham fans yesterday who were confident that Johnson was heading to Upton Park

Werent they convinced they were going to sign Maradonna, Carroll, Beckham...

[Holy Trinity]

It certainly seems Adam Johnson is on his way based on quotes from Mancini.
Only word of caution would be from the Man City (proper) fans I know saying how he looks great on highlights but over 90 minutes doesn't cut it for them...
That said, I would be more than happy for him to end up here....attacking, can beat a man, puts the ball in...

commentators during the city game today said johnson is off to everton on loan for a season as a gesture of good will between the 2 clubs after the rodwell deal so nothing to see here it would seem

[ozzjim]

I disagree with the midfielders not trusting Bent. He found a team mate more often than not when he had the ball at the weekend.

The ideal situation is to get a centre forward who is young, and good in the air, physical presence we can play off and can score goals, AND play alongside Bent who will benefit from that. Carroll being available is a perfect fit, IF Lerner wants to bankroll the deal. I still think he will give Lambert the funds for a couple of bigger signings, as logically he would have negotiated his budget to some extent when taking the job. Lambert is not stupid, and will say it is not all about money, but he was doing well at Norwich with his own squad, to leave that there has to have been a carrot dangled.