NSWE Investment

[aj2k77]

Tottenham have pulled the trigger. Let's see how long we twiddle our thumbs watching shite performances. 17 defeats in our last 36. 35 points in our last 36. It's not a ''poor run''. That's nearly a seasons worth of relegation struggle form. He's had a fortune to spend. Ultimately he's failed to move us forwards any more. Sack him and make an improvement. We've replaced the magic of Grealish with a Matty Cash long throw.

[paul_e]

Self-inflicted in what way? I personally don't think it's time to pull the trigger on Deano just yet, but he can't ever say he's had anything other than complete support in every respect from the owners.

Until this summer? It's no coincidence that we've progresses year on year when spending  until this one when it looks for all the world were going to regress. All the evidence points to you need to spend, most the time just to stand still and we didn't do it for whatever reason. The poster above mentions that they have held back to come up with a new strategy, I personally think it was known in the football world that the Newcastle takeover was going to happen and that's why they held back. The manager is getting judged now on the expectations of getting near Europe which I think wrong. If they want to go for Europe, they need to invest accordingly (far from easy) if the goalpost have moved and its now a case of do as best you can while making a healthy profit on players then he needs to be judged by that expectation. Could do with hearing from them to be honest as for me they're responsible for the mixed messages.

I've got some sympathy for what you're saying.

And despite the fact the owners have been fantastic, if I'm honest it gnawed at me in the summer when we put in what anyone could see were undervalued bids for Smith-Rowe and Ward-Prowse, just felt a bit Doug.

I really haven't. In there time with us we've had 1 transfer window where we've made a profit and that coincided with repeated bids for players that ended up not coming in (Smith-Rowe and Ward-Prowse) and was accompanied with the manager repeatedly telling the press he was happy with his squad.

It's very rare for a club to sell a player for the sort of money we got for Grealish (only 5 players have ever cost more) and even rarer for that transfer to still be in the balance a week before the start of the season.

Almost everyone will agree that we could've done with a new midfielder to play the holding role but surely the owners, who have got everything right until this summer, deserve the benefit of the doubt that they'd have made the cash available if we'd wanted that player and had found someone the scouting team decided to go for.

[Ad@m]

And despite the fact the owners have been fantastic, if I'm honest it gnawed at me in the summer when we put in what anyone could see were undervalued bids for Smith-Rowe and Ward-Prowse, just felt a bit Doug.

I think that's beyond harsh.

I'd much rather our current approach of paying reasonable money for young players who we can coach to become worth more than what we paid for them, than go back to the MON days of getting rinsed by other clubs because they know we've got money.

The owners have demonstrated they have no issue splashing the cash where it's warranted, as can be seen by Watkins, Buendia, Bailey, etc, etc.  I don't think either of our approaches for Smith-Rowe or Ward-Prowse were clearly "undervalued bids" - we just had an uphill struggle to tempt two players away from clubs they were clearly very happy at and whose clubs didn't want to sell them.

[Scott Nielsen]

I really haven't. In there time with us we've had 1 transfer window where we've made a profit and that coincided with repeated bids for players that ended up not coming in (Smith-Rowe and Ward-Prowse) and was accompanied with the manager repeatedly telling the press he was happy with his squad.
<snip>
Almost everyone will agree that we could've done with a new midfielder to play the holding role but surely the owners, who have got everything right until this summer, deserve the benefit of the doubt that they'd have made the cash available if we'd wanted that player and had found someone the scouting team decided to go for.

I don't know, Paul. Greg with an extra 'g' did say Smith wanted a holding midfielder but was not given the go ahead due to budget constraints (I assume this is what Vegas has been alluding to as well in a few posts). I know we are supposed to ignore whatever Gregg writes but I wonder if there might be something to it after all.

[London Villan]

Where would he have played either of those two?

[VinnieChase84]

New man WILL have money to spend in Jan. Just sign a top CM and left back and we will be fine

[sickbeggar]

Enough people said we needed a defensive/holding midfielder last summer and why can't Dean see it? If the money's not there then the only blame you can lay at Smith's door is spending the money in other area's. We broke even this summer on transfers so either FFP is the problem or getting into the top6 isn't a priority, whereas the spending to get us in the PL and keep us there was

[Mister E]

Re the summer's purchases, Ings is the one that still bewilders me: rushed to get done and totally out of the blue.
Bailey: a Chelsea-supporting mate said last night to me - "There is a reason the likes of RM, Manure, Juve, us etc didn't go for him" - which hints at inconsistency and possibly an arsy temperament.

[LeeB]

Enough people said we needed a defensive/holding midfielder last summer and why can't Dean see it? If the money's not there then the only blame you can lay at Smith's door is spending the money in other area's. We broke even this summer on transfers so either FFP is the problem or getting into the top6 isn't a priority, whereas the spending to get us in the PL and keep us there was

Maybe he could see it but the recruitment team couldn't deliver it, for what ever reason?

[Scott Nielsen]

Enough people said we needed a defensive/holding midfielder last summer and why can't Dean see it? If the money's not there then the only blame you can lay at Smith's door is spending the money in other area's. We broke even this summer on transfers so either FFP is the problem or getting into the top6 isn't a priority, whereas the spending to get us in the PL and keep us there was

Maybe he could see it but the recruitment team couldn't deliver it, for what ever reason?

He's also an employee and would not likely go and bitch in the press about not getting everything he wanted. Therefore his insistence he was happy with what he got. An interpretation as likely as any other, I'd say.

[sickbeggar]

Enough people said we needed a defensive/holding midfielder last summer and why can't Dean see it? If the money's not there then the only blame you can lay at Smith's door is spending the money in other area's. We broke even this summer on transfers so either FFP is the problem or getting into the top6 isn't a priority, whereas the spending to get us in the PL and keep us there was

Maybe he could see it but the recruitment team couldn't deliver it, for what ever reason?

True, we'll never know what went on but seeing the holding midfielder was perhaps the cheapest player to acquire you have to wonder what was the problem in recruiting one. I mean "better than Nakamba" is hardly mission impossible.

[LeeB]

Enough people said we needed a defensive/holding midfielder last summer and why can't Dean see it? If the money's not there then the only blame you can lay at Smith's door is spending the money in other area's. We broke even this summer on transfers so either FFP is the problem or getting into the top6 isn't a priority, whereas the spending to get us in the PL and keep us there was

Maybe he could see it but the recruitment team couldn't deliver it, for what ever reason?

True, we'll never know what went on but seeing the holding midfielder was perhaps the cheapest player to acquire you have to wonder what was the problem in recruiting one. I mean "better than Nakamba" is hardly mission impossible.

Agreed, you can smell the fear in him when he has the ball.

[chrisw1]

I think the new owners have been mostly great, but I do think not going out and getting an extra player in the summer was a big mistake, whoever's fault it was.

We only spent the Grealish money if you conclude that otherwise we would have had no budget for signings last summer, which just doesn't stack up. 

I know it's tricky and appreciate we would want to give Ramsey and Sanson a chance, but the reality is we all knew we'd be light in Midfield.  If you want to be top 6 you need to build a squad not a starting 11. The summer feels like a bit of a missed opportunity to me.

But the squad is strong enough to do better and where we are now is down to Smith and the coaching team (and bad luck with injuries) not the owners.

[Drummond]

Enough people said we needed a defensive/holding midfielder last summer and why can't Dean see it? If the money's not there then the only blame you can lay at Smith's door is spending the money in other area's. We broke even this summer on transfers so either FFP is the problem or getting into the top6 isn't a priority, whereas the spending to get us in the PL and keep us there was

Maybe he could see it but the recruitment team couldn't deliver it, for what ever reason?

True, we'll never know what went on but seeing the holding midfielder was perhaps the cheapest player to acquire you have to wonder what was the problem in recruiting one. I mean "better than Nakamba" is hardly mission impossible.

And what's the point of spending over the odds on someone who is 'better than Nakamba'? We want the right type of player don't we? There aren't many about, bar Rice (who wouldn't come to us anyway) and Kante, and yet identifying the right up-and-coming player is perhaps what we're doing. I think Sarr was mentioned, he's young and playing in France, but not many were linked.

We've all said previously that in Luiz and McGinn we've got two fabulous players who are getting better. With Ramsey doing so well (and plenty on here were lauding his early season promise as evidence of us not needing to buy) and Chukwuemeka coming through and Sanson to return it looked good.

I'm not complaining because so far the investment from the owners has been great.

I like the signing of Ings, and I still think, in the right system he'll do well.

[sickbeggar]

Enough people said we needed a defensive/holding midfielder last summer and why can't Dean see it? If the money's not there then the only blame you can lay at Smith's door is spending the money in other area's. We broke even this summer on transfers so either FFP is the problem or getting into the top6 isn't a priority, whereas the spending to get us in the PL and keep us there was

Maybe he could see it but the recruitment team couldn't deliver it, for what ever reason?

True, we'll never know what went on but seeing the holding midfielder was perhaps the cheapest player to acquire you have to wonder what was the problem in recruiting one. I mean "better than Nakamba" is hardly mission impossible.

And what's the point of spending over the odds on someone who is 'better than Nakamba'? We want the right type of player don't we? There aren't many about, bar Rice (who wouldn't come to us anyway) and Kante, and yet identifying the right up-and-coming player is perhaps what we're doing. I think Sarr was mentioned, he's young and playing in France, but not many were linked.

We've all said previously that in Luiz and McGinn we've got two fabulous players who are getting better. With Ramsey doing so well (and plenty on here were lauding his early season promise as evidence of us not needing to buy) and Chukwuemeka coming through and Sanson to return it looked good.

I'm not complaining because so far the investment from the owners has been great.

I like the signing of Ings, and I still think, in the right system he'll do well.

Isn't that the thing though. You don't have to spend a fortune or over the odds for a decent defensive midfielder.  I'm not asking for Rice or Kante, just someone half decent. There's a half way house .