bungle4
Well-Known Member
- Jul 15, 2005
- 659
- 269
It's easy for us all to sit here and be disappointed this morning (I am - I was sure there would be a Levy surprise and refused to believe otherwise until well after 11pm) but I think this could turn out to be an important window for us.
For me, the main points relating to this window are:
1. One of our top players had his head turned and wanted away from the club
2. We finally managed to shift a decent amount of deadwood.
3. We lost out on the OS and must go for the more expensive NDP to progress as a club
4. There is uncertainty on the future of our manager (who has done brilliantly for us despite his media annoyances)
I feel that a combination of these factors have led us to this window, and although we tried for the Cahills and others we were not expecting to break the bank.
Point 1 meant the only way to keep Luka would be to bridge the gap between current wage and potential wage. If we increase his wage and break the mythical wage cap then others will certainly follow.
Point 2 means we are finally in a position to do this. I know we would all play for Spurs for free but we can't expect Bale/VdV/Sandro etc to stay and be happy if they're on half what other clubs are offering them. Finally shipping the 40 - 60k earnings of Woodgate, Crouch, Hutton, Bentley, Wilson should mean we can offer the big boys wages to compete with the bigger teams.
Point 3 means we will be forced to go through a transition period like Arsenal did where on-field finances are driven by the wider needs of the club. We all agree we need a bigger stadium to get to the next level, and we must realise we need to fund this somehow.
We now have a trimmed down squad (enforced due to the 25 man rule) that still includes all the of top class players we had before the window opened, less of the high earning established squad players and more (lower paid) exciting prospects.
Point 4 has probably led to such confusion between management and board. Would Ancelotti/Hughes/*insert name here* really want to inherit the old boys brigade that we are led to believe Harry would have bought if given Levy's wheelbarrow of cash? Can Levy sanction buying players for the future if the current manager is unsure of them (such as Suarez)?
I think all in all we may see a shift in how the club operates to help us compete for new players and keep our existing players happy. In an ideal world Modric/Bale et al. would carry on like the last few seasons taking their 65k a week and out-performing those earning twice as much as them, but in reality this won't happen and we must act now.
Granted we should have addressed the CB issue and we should have conducted our business sooner but it's not all bad news.
Stay in touch until Christmas - Leandro + Cahill in January then kick on for 4th. Here's hoping!
For me, the main points relating to this window are:
1. One of our top players had his head turned and wanted away from the club
2. We finally managed to shift a decent amount of deadwood.
3. We lost out on the OS and must go for the more expensive NDP to progress as a club
4. There is uncertainty on the future of our manager (who has done brilliantly for us despite his media annoyances)
I feel that a combination of these factors have led us to this window, and although we tried for the Cahills and others we were not expecting to break the bank.
Point 1 meant the only way to keep Luka would be to bridge the gap between current wage and potential wage. If we increase his wage and break the mythical wage cap then others will certainly follow.
Point 2 means we are finally in a position to do this. I know we would all play for Spurs for free but we can't expect Bale/VdV/Sandro etc to stay and be happy if they're on half what other clubs are offering them. Finally shipping the 40 - 60k earnings of Woodgate, Crouch, Hutton, Bentley, Wilson should mean we can offer the big boys wages to compete with the bigger teams.
Point 3 means we will be forced to go through a transition period like Arsenal did where on-field finances are driven by the wider needs of the club. We all agree we need a bigger stadium to get to the next level, and we must realise we need to fund this somehow.
We now have a trimmed down squad (enforced due to the 25 man rule) that still includes all the of top class players we had before the window opened, less of the high earning established squad players and more (lower paid) exciting prospects.
Point 4 has probably led to such confusion between management and board. Would Ancelotti/Hughes/*insert name here* really want to inherit the old boys brigade that we are led to believe Harry would have bought if given Levy's wheelbarrow of cash? Can Levy sanction buying players for the future if the current manager is unsure of them (such as Suarez)?
I think all in all we may see a shift in how the club operates to help us compete for new players and keep our existing players happy. In an ideal world Modric/Bale et al. would carry on like the last few seasons taking their 65k a week and out-performing those earning twice as much as them, but in reality this won't happen and we must act now.
Granted we should have addressed the CB issue and we should have conducted our business sooner but it's not all bad news.
Stay in touch until Christmas - Leandro + Cahill in January then kick on for 4th. Here's hoping!
