Transfer Speculation / Gossip

[Toronto Villa]

The time to panic will be at the end of the window not now. Signing experienced free agents isn't ideal but isn't the end of the world either. We're not weaker because of it, just not significantly stronger. If this is all we've done by August 31st there is every reason to be worried. However never have we gone a transfer window not having spent anything on transfer fees and not for a second do I believe it will happen this summer.

[hilts_coolerking]

Well, if you ignore the Arsenal part, the bit about us mooking around the bargain bins in Poundstretcher is still worth comment.

Yet more proof the disengagement of our owner is now total.

Who'd have thought it, that he'd go from how he used to be to what he is now.

When Randy took over I never thought for a moment that we'd be spending £35M on a player.  But equally I never thought we'd get to the point where we were signing - exclusively - free 30+ has-beens.

I genuinely can't fathom how a man as wealthy as Lerner has let the club get into this position.

Joe Cole - 32 - free
Phillippe Senderos - 29 - free
Kieron Richardson - 29 - undisclosed fee (if/when it goes ahead)

That's pedantic of me I'm sure but so be it, if you can twist facts to make your outrage all the more acceptable then I see no issue with calling you out on it.

As for Lerner, he's already put a fortune into the club, why have you got such a problem with him deciding enough is enough.  Feel free to criticise how that money was used but demanding he dip into his pocket every year is just silly.

I have a problem with him deciding enough is enough because he is almost certainly more minted than every season ticket holder put together - more money than any human being could ever need - and yet is running the club on the cheap to save himself money and as a consequence the club has plummeted down the table.  As paulie says, his disengagement is total.  I wouldn't consider my reaction to that as 'outrage'; and even if it is, it's justified.

And, okay, you've got me bang to rights: Senderos and Richardson are currently 29 (although both will turn 30 before the end of the season) but it's not really "twisting the facts" is it?  I'm not sure justified criticism is worthy of such a shrill reaction.   

[cdward]

http://www.thepfa.com/transferlist

This is where our players will be coming from.

[john e]

I know us fans of avfc are all a bit close to the current "situation" , but if you just pause for a moment, take a step back and absorb what's going on, the club is an absolute shambles and from the outside looking in you'd guarantee it's just a ticking time bomb now.

when the going gets tough the tough get going

(on a related note I used to work with Billy Oceans brother in law)

[dave.woodhall]

Well, if you ignore the Arsenal part, the bit about us mooking around the bargain bins in Poundstretcher is still worth comment.

Yet more proof the disengagement of our owner is now total.

Who'd have thought it, that he'd go from how he used to be to what he is now.

When Randy took over I never thought for a moment that we'd be spending £35M on a player.  But equally I never thought we'd get to the point where we were signing - exclusively - free 30+ has-beens.

I genuinely can't fathom how a man as wealthy as Lerner has let the club get into this position.

Joe Cole - 32 - free
Phillippe Senderos - 29 - free
Kieron Richardson - 29 - undisclosed fee (if/when it goes ahead)

That's pedantic of me I'm sure but so be it, if you can twist facts to make your outrage all the more acceptable then I see no issue with calling you out on it.

As for Lerner, he's already put a fortune into the club, why have you got such a problem with him deciding enough is enough.  Feel free to criticise how that money was used but demanding he dip into his pocket every year is just silly.

I have a problem with him deciding enough is enough because he is almost certainly more minted than every season ticket holder put together - more money than any human being could ever need - and yet is running the club on the cheap to save himself money and as a consequence the club has plummeted down the table.  As paulie says, his disengagement is total.  I wouldn't consider my reaction to that as 'outrage'; and even if it is, it's justified.

And, okay, you've got me bang to rights: Senderos and Richardson are currently 29 (although both will turn 30 before the end of the season) but it's not really "twisting the facts" is it?  I'm not sure justified criticism is worthy of such a shrill reaction.   

He's also put more money into the club than every supporter put together, including a fair chunk over the past two, supposedly "totally disengaged" years. I fail to see what's so outrageous about the fact that he doesn't want to spend further vast sums. 

[cdward]

http://www.thepfa.com/transferlist

This is where our players will be coming from.

Luke Young, Carlos Cuellar,  Gareth Barry all available.

[hilts_coolerking]

He's also put more money into the club than every supporter put together, including a fair chunk over the past two, supposedly "totally disengaged" years. I fail to see what's so outrageous about the fact that he doesn't want to spend further vast sums.

Who's asking for "further vast sums"?  Nobody.  That's what we need but no-one's asking for it, much less expecting it.

I fail to see what's so unreasonable about asking why an inordinately wealthy man is running the club on the cheap.

[dave.woodhall]

He's also put more money into the club than every supporter put together, including a fair chunk over the past two, supposedly "totally disengaged" years. I fail to see what's so outrageous about the fact that he doesn't want to spend further vast sums.

Who's asking for "further vast sums"?  Nobody.  That's what we need but no-one's asking for it, much less expecting it.

I fail to see what's so unreasonable about asking why an inordinately wealthy man is running the club on the cheap.

And I fail to see what's unreasonable about expecting a football club to survive without having to go cap in hand to the Bank of Owner every year, racking up bigger and bigger debts in the process until you end up like Rangers or Portsmouth. It's his money, to spend how he sees fit. It might not seem fair to you, but life's a bitch. 

[pauliewalnuts]

It's not so much "not spending further vast sums", it looks very much like "spending considerably less than the TV money alone"

We don't exist in isolation, other clubs will be spending a great chunk of their TV money, yet we look increasingly like we are going to spend hardly any of it - despite the squad having been proven to be woefully inadequate last season.

I totally understand he's lost interest - a lot of us spotted that before we got the final "Shummanite" confirmation - the problem is, he's lost interest to the point that he's only prepared to do the absolute bare minimum to keep us in the league.

It is basically back where we were with Doug in 2006, except in 2006 it was more about "we haven't got the money" whereas now it is about "we don't want to spend the money".

[pauliewalnuts]

He's also put more money into the club than every supporter put together, including a fair chunk over the past two, supposedly "totally disengaged" years. I fail to see what's so outrageous about the fact that he doesn't want to spend further vast sums.

Who's asking for "further vast sums"?  Nobody.  That's what we need but no-one's asking for it, much less expecting it.

I fail to see what's so unreasonable about asking why an inordinately wealthy man is running the club on the cheap.

And I fail to see what's unreasonable about expecting a football club to survive without having to go cap in hand to the Bank of Owner every year, racking up bigger and bigger debts in the process until you end up like Rangers or Portsmouth. It's his money, to spend how he sees fit. It might not seem fair to you, but life's a bitch. 

There will be 65m TV money for the bottom placed club this season.

How about spending a bit of that?

[john e]

I wonder what our season ticket sales are now compared to say, the summer after we signed Carew and Young in January? I don't know a single person that has renewed.

Hopefully in 5 years time we'll be a proper club again and visiting fans will sing 'where were you when you were shit?' at us.

Not watching, in your case.

Indeed. Although I have been there for the last three seasons, when we were also shit. Only these remarkable circumstances have pushed me over the edge.

your no different than Randy
he started off all excited and proud now he's had enough and wants to get out,
your both in the same boat in a roundabout way, both not going because your fed up

[Malandro]

http://www.thepfa.com/transferlist

This is where our players will be coming from.

Luke Young, Carlos Cuellar,  Gareth Barry all available.

I'd be happy with Carlos as sub

[pauliewalnuts]

http://www.thepfa.com/transferlist

This is where our players will be coming from.

Luke Young, Carlos Cuellar,  Gareth Barry all available.

Barry signed for Everton today.

That's permanently skint, owner-wants-out Everton.

[RussellC]

Genuine question: how much money has Randy put into the club? I thought that it was all interest-free loans that he either has recouped, or will do?

[cdward]

http://www.thepfa.com/transferlist

This is where our players will be coming from.

Luke Young, Carlos Cuellar,  Gareth Barry all available. Edit Gareth Barry not available, but Shane Lowry is.