Lambert in or out? Poll reset with majority 'in', 7th May

[Greg N'Ash]

Just being realistic i think. Even IF the defence learn to defend over the summer and the whole team improves from this season's experience you can't get over the fact we're painfully short of quality in many key positions, and If we lost a few long term to injury we'd be in trouble. I realise some on here think Lambert is going to pull bargain basement premiership players out of his arse for the next 5 years but in the real world its not realistic.. They need to spend at least 20m again this summer or we could be struggling. I fear he'll get peanuts unless he sells someone.

[Toronto Villa]

He didn't get peanuts though last summer. He just made every penny stretch and did so very astutely despite the club bleeding from some of the huge contracts we were lumbered with. It's not always how much a manager gets to spend but who or what he spends it on. MON bought some good players, but spent a fortune on transfers and wages on absolutely naff that didn't perform or contribute in any way. Lambert could take half of that and do far more with it.

The club showed last year that we were willing to spend £7m on a relatively unknown Belgian forward and agreed a deal for an established PL attacking midfielder that fell through. I don't see this summer being any different. That we will buy players with potential, but we will consider deals for tried and trusted entities that have a track record. There is a lot of work ahead and the likes of Baker, Clark and Bennett, even Vlaar will be expected to improve if they want to keep their places in the side.

[Greg N'Ash]

I don't know. Last summer was almost entirely funded by the Young and Downing money bought in the season before. If Lerner follows the same breakeven pattern then this season there won't be much unless we sell someone.

[Toronto Villa]

It doesn't matter where the money is generated either. What does it matter that it came from player sales? Man U spent the Ronaldo money, Everton spent the Lescott and Rooney money, Arsenal reinvested the Fabregas, Nasri, Song money and I'm sure they'll spend the Van Persie money. I find we get so hung up on net spend. The importance is whatever money we have do we spend it well, and for the longest time we haven't. The successful clubs spend well, and what will differentiate us from those in a similar position to us and just above is how we spend whatever money we have.

[Greg N'Ash]

It matters because selling your best players doesn't work unless you replace them with similar - you only have to look at us for that. Lambert's done well in picking up bargains but i'd bet my house he'll buy a few duds and if that's their plan - buy bargains, sell them on for big money and repeat for ever, then frankly we're going to spend a long time down the bottom and eventually you'll sell one too many and you go down. That's true all the way back to Wimbledon to the guys we played today.

[SoccerHQ]

I reckon selling Hutton (2m), Bannan, (3m), Bent (8m) and CNZ (7M) would bring in the 20m or so Greg. Add Dunney out of contract and someone from somewhere being mental enough to sign Ireland and that would be a decent enough transition of high earning and maintenance players.

Or we could just sell Benteke for 25m and Weimann for 5m but let's not go there.

End of the day if WBA finishing 8th on 49 points is the standard for top 8 next season, it won't take a huge amount for us to get 50 points and top 8, just keeping Benteke and signing a decent central midfielder could do it.

It is a lot more difficult in this league to move up from 5th-6th to 4th than say 15th to 8th.

[Greg N'Ash]

mebbe. Still think we'll struggle to offload any of them because of the wages bar Bannan. Bent looks like he'll go but i can't see us getting 8m for him. More likely 5m with the rest offsetting his wages. Sad fact is the clubs after our cast-offs aren't going to pay 50k+ wages. We've lost 50m worth of players for no fees in the last 3 years


As for WBA, you wouldn't bet on them finishing there next season, and that's why we need to spend to get back into that comfortably mid-table position, rather than in the 1 season wonder catagory. That means a bigger squad and quality cover in all positions, something neither us or WBA have.  At least then you've got a stable base - as it is you could predict us finishing anywhere from 8th to bottom depending on how the first team play/stay fit - lets face it, past those 13 or 14 names there's sod all else.

[eastie]

mebbe. Still think we'll struggle to offload any of them because of the wages bar Bannan. Bent looks like he'll go but i can't see us getting 8m for him. More likely 5m with the rest offsetting his wages. Sad fact is the clubs after our cast-offs aren't going to pay 50k+ wages. We've lost 50m worth of players for no fees in the last 3 years

No way would i sell bent for £5m - I would hope for closer to £10m.

[Legion]

£20m.

[Greg N'Ash]

mebbe. Still think we'll struggle to offload any of them because of the wages bar Bannan. Bent looks like he'll go but i can't see us getting 8m for him. More likely 5m with the rest offsetting his wages. Sad fact is the clubs after our cast-offs aren't going to pay 50k+ wages. We've lost 50m worth of players for no fees in the last 3 years

No way would i sell bent for £5m - I would hope for closer to £10m.

to whom? He's hardly played so he's hardly the first name on the list of clubs who could afford him. The rest are similar to us or worse off, and looking for a Benteke rather than a Bent.

[eastie]

mebbe. Still think we'll struggle to offload any of them because of the wages bar Bannan. Bent looks like he'll go but i can't see us getting 8m for him. More likely 5m with the rest offsetting his wages. Sad fact is the clubs after our cast-offs aren't going to pay 50k+ wages. We've lost 50m worth of players for no fees in the last 3 years

No way would i sell bent for £5m - I would hope for closer to £10m.

to whom? He's hardly played so he's hardly the first name on the list of clubs who could afford him. The rest are similar to us or worse off, and looking for a Benteke rather than a Bent.

Still a natural finisher though Greg and there will be takers - would do a job at the likes of newcastle or west ham or even everton .

[Greg N'Ash]

mebbe. Still think we'll struggle to offload any of them because of the wages bar Bannan. Bent looks like he'll go but i can't see us getting 8m for him. More likely 5m with the rest offsetting his wages. Sad fact is the clubs after our cast-offs aren't going to pay 50k+ wages. We've lost 50m worth of players for no fees in the last 3 years

No way would i sell bent for £5m - I would hope for closer to £10m.

to whom? He's hardly played so he's hardly the first name on the list of clubs who could afford him. The rest are similar to us or worse off, and looking for a Benteke rather than a Bent.

Still a natural finisher though Greg and there will be takers - would do a job at the likes of newcastle or west ham or even everton .

Dunno. you've got a guy who's supposedly on way above 50k , so they're gonna pay 10m and his wages. He's also 29 so you're looking at a minimum of 17m over three years with no resale value. Can't see it myself.

[eastie]

mebbe. Still think we'll struggle to offload any of them because of the wages bar Bannan. Bent looks like he'll go but i can't see us getting 8m for him. More likely 5m with the rest offsetting his wages. Sad fact is the clubs after our cast-offs aren't going to pay 50k+ wages. We've lost 50m worth of players for no fees in the last 3 years

No way would i sell bent for £5m - I would hope for closer to £10m.

to whom? He's hardly played so he's hardly the first name on the list of clubs who could afford him. The rest are similar to us or worse off, and looking for a Benteke rather than a Bent.

Still a natural finisher though Greg and there will be takers - would do a job at the likes of newcastle or west ham or even everton .

Dunno. you've got a guy who's supposedly on way above 50k , so they'll gonna pay 10m and his wages. He's also 29 so you're looking at a minimum of 17m over three years with no resale value. Can't see it myself.

The thing with bent is that if you play to his strengths he is virtually certain to bag you 20 goals a season - not many players available like that at that price - I'm sure there will be interest in him .

West ham were interested in paying andy Carroll a lot more in wages and a reputed £17m fee and he scored a total of 2 league goals for them this season.

[Legion]

Exactly.

[not3bad]

mebbe. Still think we'll struggle to offload any of them because of the wages bar Bannan. Bent looks like he'll go but i can't see us getting 8m for him. More likely 5m with the rest offsetting his wages. Sad fact is the clubs after our cast-offs aren't going to pay 50k+ wages. We've lost 50m worth of players for no fees in the last 3 years

No way would i sell bent for £5m - I would hope for closer to £10m.

to whom? He's hardly played so he's hardly the first name on the list of clubs who could afford him. The rest are similar to us or worse off, and looking for a Benteke rather than a Bent.

Still a natural finisher though Greg and there will be takers - would do a job at the likes of newcastle or west ham or even everton .

Fulham are interested I hear.  Don't know what they'll offer though.