mrmojorisin75

I'm talking this season when he's had his best accident free season. The two seasons prior he has been distinctly average. I will say A VERY GOOD PLAYER, but making out like he's the Irish Nesta is a bit ott. I just wonder would he work well with a Faye or Taylor. just a little narrow bit of support for the lad heneage here - he's got kind of a point about the player of the season thing given that man city were utter dogshit for most of the seasons when he won the award, so it's not perhaps all it's cracked up to be to use that as a stat not saying we shouldn't have tried (try?) to sign dunne as i think he's an organiser and a talker, attributes we could do with in our defence to be honest

Forgive me for saying so, but isn't it a bit harsh to criticise Wise's signings? No one expected Tozer, Kadar, Zamblera and Soderberg to break into the first team immediately. Let's not forget the situation Wise, Jimenez and Vetere started the job in - managerial chaos, scouting network in tatters, bosses who wasn't up to speed with the game. It's not as simple as saying "Gee, we need a centre midfielder, we should get Diego." As I said in the Emre thread we need players who tick all the boxes: skill, fitness, desire, at a reasonable fee and wages and not hijacked by other clubs. That's a lot of boxes that need ticking... yeah but this thread is about the player aquisition people as a whole, not just the scouting of 17 year olds for the future...it's not like these guys were out of football and had to get up to speed is it? one of them (vetere or jiminez, can never remember) was real's scout wasn't he? supposed to have dossier on every player in the world and their unborn children or summat i said it in another thread about the same thing - the lists went in from keegan a while back and he got a list back from the transfer team, so the question remains as the original poster said, what are our people acquisition people actually doing [now]? they'd had 5 months to identify one KEY target we need for the first team, for example - now either that target was modric and when spurs beat us to him we had no backup, OR spurs forced our hand to panic bid for modric and we still really don't know who we're moving for? either scenario is not good enough really is it?

shouldn't that read "be made to keep them"?? don't think anyone's forcing palace to sell are they? agree with the sentiment though, if a kid signs pro terms with a club they should be locked in for a certain period even if the club WANT to sell...though it'd have to be a football wide agreement rather than a law as it'd be totally illegal and considering it wouldn't benefit man u etc.... then forget it eh? Simon Jordan and Warnock have offered Bostock a deal that breaks their wage structure to try and keep him. so he's presumably not signed terms beyond his current contract in that case? spurs can't buy him if he's under contract and CP don't want to sell so he must be out of contract or whatever...

if we offered smith & duff to clubs for free i'd be surprised if we got takers to be honest...wages alone will prevent most of the league touching them smith is the more likely of the two to be picked up as he's "versatile" but duff? jesus, stevie wonder knows he's finished in any position, probably ray charles too Let's hope the rumour of Roy Keane wanting Duff are true. Also, his international manager keeps hyping him which can only help! moving duff on would be akin to a miracle...i thought we did well shipping dyer last year, this one will go down in the history books!!!

shouldn't that read "be made to keep them"?? don't think anyone's forcing palace to sell are they? agree with the sentiment though, if a kid signs pro terms with a club they should be locked in for a certain period even if the club WANT to sell...though it'd have to be a football wide agreement rather than a law as it'd be totally illegal and considering it wouldn't benefit man u etc.... then forget it eh?

if we offered smith & duff to clubs for free i'd be surprised if we got takers to be honest...wages alone will prevent most of the league touching them smith is the more likely of the two to be picked up as he's "versatile" but duff? jesus, stevie wonder knows he's finished in any position, probably ray charles too

nights sleep and a bit of clarity to add to this discussion (note not a complaint); as slugsy says we've drafted in a crack team of people and i'm 100% certain i've read keegan saying the lists were in for the players he wanted and he'd got a list back from vetere etc... right? now the move for modric suggested to me we had identified at least ONE key signing we wanted to make early and have it secured, that's not really a massive leap to make IMO...now we lost him and i suppose i then fully expected us to move early for the alternate in the same manner, that appears not to have happened (although i'm aware it might be going on as we speak) so either our move for modric was forced by spurs or we don't have an alternate identified yet? again not a huge leap to make i don't think anyone is saying we should have 6 players walking through the door on june 1st but i can't see how it's unreasonable that the club should have moved for a KEY player before getting on the sunbeds think of it in terms of this; securing a signing like modric or an equivalent early in the summer would act as signal of intent to other potential targets and fans alike prior to season ticket renewals - this latter part made me think they'd move early as much as anything else; get the fans excited, sell the tickets out, sell some shirts etc... etc... but there i go pissing and moaning again! EDIT: i should have put in there in i'm aware none of this is absolutely necessary and we could easily wait until during/after the euros to move, just saying the positives of an early move seem to far outweight the negatives IMO, common sense really

uh-oh slugsy, you've just joing the ranks of people complaining....what a shame

be a shock if galatasary don't try to trump any deal with fener no?

So 'over the years' you've been sitting by the NUFC Official Fax Machine keeping a close eye on how we conduct out transfer business then? And you've also been and talked the the 17 players concerned? I'm glad you have, because otherwise what you posted would have been complete tripe. Now I'm going to bed, too many beers make me easy troll-bait. wow...wow...not sure what troll-bait is but i'm guessing a pre-requisite is an inability to read?

james, why does having an opinion about how NUFC conduct their transfer policy/strategy have to be deemed complaining? it's no different from having an opinion about tactics or team selection in my opinion...i feel if the club operated in certain way it would be of benefit to us, it's not complaining fact is over the years we've largely operated the sit back and wait about policy (get started in june, it'll take care of itself) and lets face it, it's hardly been a roaring success has it? also in your list of 17 there isn't a single one of them that would prevent a piece of business going ahead if the buying club wanted it enough, but granted these are generally the reasons transfers don't happen early - the point i'm trying to make is that deals COULD be done early if we persued them hard enough

Blam, I win. i'm away now but i'll just say dave that 'cause the other clubs managers are on hols at the same time doesn't mean either ours has to OR it's in the best interests of our club (in our instance though i guess it'd be vetere/jiminez i'm referring to assuming they had the sense to identify targets weeks/months ago) but then i'm just moaning about nothing i suppose...it'll all work out right in the end!

Because the lack of activity is dangerously low. You'd think we'd be trying to shift some of the s*** as well, but nothing is even being strongly linked out. Reckon KK thinks they are good enough, Smith, Duff and the likes of. Worrying for me. its very early days tbf We needs some early signings or this summer will be a disaster. We'll end up chasing the dross and paying over the odds for s**** and we will go nowhere, again for another season. we're on the same wavelength mate - after the "club review" and employment of vetere/jiminez i really expected an early concerted move in the market...an attempt to have players in place before bidding wars start/values increase etc... i basically expected a break from the last decade of agent driven deals & last minute buys at high prices not of that looks likely to materialise and it's disappointing should it happen as you describe I don't think there's anything wrong thinking like we do, it just happens we know the club and how windows work while others bury their head in the sands and hope for the best. We all hope they are right, but past shows its us who end up calling the correct outcome and the club stalls for another season. Just don't want it to happen again, and the longer this goes on, the more likely were the correct ones again. i'm amused how people can't see that carrying on in the way we have for years, decades now isn't going to somehow magically end up with a different result this time! hope is a wonderful thing a times but when it gets in the way of reality people need to have a think summary of NUFC this summer is: we have players that need to leave the club due to high wages and underperformance; we need to strengthen the squad significantly and add pace/creativity etc... i'll repeat the question i keep asking - how is waiting to move going to benefit the club (this is always assuming we're not working on multiple deals that the club have magically managed to keep quiet from everyone)? I wish we could do things like the big clubs and talented managers, get their 1st teamer signings in before the window officially opens. Like Hargreaves, Nani & Anderson for Manu, get them in early so they can settle. Tevez was done by the start of August and to think about the complications that deal had to go through. Courts, about 4 clubs, 3 agents, Fifa, UEFA, probably one of the most complicated deals in history but SAF went for him as soon as the season ended, he knew what he wanted. voicing that opinion just makes you a moaner though TT, complaining 'cause we haven't signed 11 players in may, as opposed to someone voicing a suggestion that might well be a massive benefit to the club in every sense End of the day its a fact i'm not the most patient man in the world, but in the end of the day every window i've had a worry about i've been proven to have had good reason by the end of it. They get more vital everytime as well with over half the premiership better than us we cannot afford to slip away anymore, a bad window this time round will see KK sacked before the end of the season and the club fall into freefall, a good window would see him get another season, a fantastic window could see the revival were all praying for. Am i wrong to worry how this one pans out? the KK sacking part would depend entirely on the owners ambitions though IMO - if he enforces KK to take younger players and develop them then i doubt he'd be expecting europe...i reckon KK showed last season he's enough about him to get shite playing and taking points of the average/shit teams, therefore him getting sacked i see as very unlikely but no i don't think you're wrong to be concerned, personally i'm not really i just have a strong opinion on how/when we should move for players...i've honestly thought from the start this window would be little more than average, time will tell

I don't know about you, but I'd rather we spent a bit longer to make sure we get the right players in, than rush out and buy s*** like Duff and Smith based on their reputations. That's partly the reason we're in this position in the first place. you're kidding with this last bit right? we've had a scouting team in place and a new manager since january - if you're telling me they don't know their targets now then it terrifies me more than them not making any moves at all if they do know the targets, as they must, then we're back to how does waiting (if they are indeed doing so) help the club or benefit anything/anyone?

Incredible hyperbole IMO. Everyone would prefer to get the players in on day one (including the manager and the club, I'd imagine), but it simply doesn't work like that. why doesn't it work like that? who says? i see no reason why it shouldn't should a club wish to force an issue - arsenal have just done it with nasri haven't they? Why didn't Arsenal sign him last week then? What took them so long? The season finished a couple of weeks ago. Players, agents, managers, scouts; everyone either is on holiday or busy compiling their plans for the coming season(s). Common sense tells you it's just not possible to sign everyone you want in the first few weeks. it's 2008, if you want to make a deal happen badly enough you'll make it happen (mobile phones and so forth) as for why arse didn't sign him up last week i'd imagine it was negotiations and discussions - that they started well in advance in order to complete early...(!!!) i was somewhat perturbed by the comments about the whole club being on holiday, it's no way to run a business man - EVERYONE clocking off at the same time for a break...why not make some KEY signings then have a break to assess what's left to do? why not? 'cause they tell you it can't be done so you believe them as far as i can see The evidence of previous summers and all the other clubs' activity suggest that's just the way things go when it comes to transfers. PS - the bit in bold is hilarious. Arsenal are allowed to discuss and negotiate, but we're not. not sure what you find hilarious dave, it was reported last week they were in discussions about signing the lad and a week later they did - to my knowledge such a report of a deal being at that stage for us hasn't been made? maybe i'm wrong (and of course because it's not reported doesn't mean it's not happening, i'm not an idiot) and we are in such discussions and the deals will be announced out of the blue like enrique etc...history suggests otherwise, and football tends to follow histroical patterns

Because the lack of activity is dangerously low. You'd think we'd be trying to shift some of the s*** as well, but nothing is even being strongly linked out. Reckon KK thinks they are good enough, Smith, Duff and the likes of. Worrying for me. its very early days tbf We needs some early signings or this summer will be a disaster. We'll end up chasing the dross and paying over the odds for s**** and we will go nowhere, again for another season. we're on the same wavelength mate - after the "club review" and employment of vetere/jiminez i really expected an early concerted move in the market...an attempt to have players in place before bidding wars start/values increase etc... i basically expected a break from the last decade of agent driven deals & last minute buys at high prices not of that looks likely to materialise and it's disappointing should it happen as you describe I don't think there's anything wrong thinking like we do, it just happens we know the club and how windows work while others bury their head in the sands and hope for the best. We all hope they are right, but past shows its us who end up calling the correct outcome and the club stalls for another season. Just don't want it to happen again, and the longer this goes on, the more likely were the correct ones again. i'm amused how people can't see that carrying on in the way we have for years, decades now isn't going to somehow magically end up with a different result this time! hope is a wonderful thing a times but when it gets in the way of reality people need to have a think summary of NUFC this summer is: we have players that need to leave the club due to high wages and underperformance; we need to strengthen the squad significantly and add pace/creativity etc... i'll repeat the question i keep asking - how is waiting to move going to benefit the club (this is always assuming we're not working on multiple deals that the club have magically managed to keep quiet from everyone)? I wish we could do things like the big clubs and talented managers, get their 1st teamer signings in before the window officially opens. Like Hargreaves, Nani & Anderson for Manu, get them in early so they can settle. Tevez was done by the start of August and to think about the complications that deal had to go through. Courts, about 4 clubs, 3 agents, Fifa, UEFA, probably one of the most complicated deals in history but SAF went for him as soon as the season ended, he knew what he wanted. voicing that opinion just makes you a moaner though TT, complaining 'cause we haven't signed 11 players in may, as opposed to someone voicing a suggestion that might well be a massive benefit to the club in every sense

Incredible hyperbole IMO. Everyone would prefer to get the players in on day one (including the manager and the club, I'd imagine), but it simply doesn't work like that. why doesn't it work like that? who says? i see no reason why it shouldn't should a club wish to force an issue - arsenal have just done it with nasri haven't they? Why didn't Arsenal sign him last week then? What took them so long? The season finished a couple of weeks ago. Players, agents, managers, scouts; everyone either is on holiday or busy compiling their plans for the coming season(s). Common sense tells you it's just not possible to sign everyone you want in the first few weeks. it's 2008, if you want to make a deal happen badly enough you'll make it happen (mobile phones and so forth) as for why arse didn't sign him up last week i'd imagine it was negotiations and discussions - that they started well in advance in order to complete early...(!!!) i was somewhat perturbed by the comments about the whole club being on holiday, it's no way to run a business man - EVERYONE clocking off at the same time for a break...why not make some KEY signings then have a break to assess what's left to do? why not? 'cause they tell you it can't be done so you believe them as far as i can see

Because the lack of activity is dangerously low. You'd think we'd be trying to shift some of the s*** as well, but nothing is even being strongly linked out. Reckon KK thinks they are good enough, Smith, Duff and the likes of. Worrying for me. its very early days tbf We needs some early signings or this summer will be a disaster. We'll end up chasing the dross and paying over the odds for s**** and we will go nowhere, again for another season. we're on the same wavelength mate - after the "club review" and employment of vetere/jiminez i really expected an early concerted move in the market...an attempt to have players in place before bidding wars start/values increase etc... i basically expected a break from the last decade of agent driven deals & last minute buys at high prices not of that looks likely to materialise and it's disappointing should it happen as you describe I don't think there's anything wrong thinking like we do, it just happens we know the club and how windows work while others bury their head in the sands and hope for the best. We all hope they are right, but past shows its us who end up calling the correct outcome and the club stalls for another season. Just don't want it to happen again, and the longer this goes on, the more likely were the correct ones again. i'm amused how people can't see that carrying on in the way we have for years, decades now isn't going to somehow magically end up with a different result this time! hope is a wonderful thing a times but when it gets in the way of reality people need to have a think summary of NUFC this summer is: we have players that need to leave the club due to high wages and underperformance; we need to strengthen the squad significantly and add pace/creativity etc... i'll repeat the question i keep asking - how is waiting to move going to benefit the club (this is always assuming we're not working on multiple deals that the club have magically managed to keep quiet from everyone)?

Incredible hyperbole IMO. Everyone would prefer to get the players in on day one (including the manager and the club, I'd imagine), but it simply doesn't work like that. why doesn't it work like that? who says? i see no reason why it shouldn't should a club wish to force an issue - arsenal have just done it with nasri haven't they?

Because the lack of activity is dangerously low. You'd think we'd be trying to shift some of the s*** as well, but nothing is even being strongly linked out. Reckon KK thinks they are good enough, Smith, Duff and the likes of. Worrying for me. its very early days tbf We needs some early signings or this summer will be a disaster. We'll end up chasing the dross and paying over the odds for s**** and we will go nowhere, again for another season. we're on the same wavelength mate - after the "club review" and employment of vetere/jiminez i really expected an early concerted move in the market...an attempt to have players in place before bidding wars start/values increase etc... i basically expected a break from the last decade of agent driven deals & last minute buys at high prices not of that looks likely to materialise and it's disappointing should it happen as you describe

Because the lack of activity is dangerously low. You'd think we'd be trying to shift some of the s*** as well, but nothing is even being strongly linked out. Reckon KK thinks they are good enough, Smith, Duff and the likes of. Worrying for me. its very early days tbf afraid i'm erring on TT's side...not sure what benefit there can possibly be for the club in not making early moves (to sign new and ship out the shite), all these "don't worry be happy" merchants can't answer that question it's 2 days before the window opens and a week before the euros - spurs and arsenal have already started moving to secure players before values soar i'm not a panic merchant about this but my gut feeling is that the rumoured conflict with keegan/wise etc... is very real and very unlikely to resolve itself easily

is it that unreasonable to think a club in our position would move for their primary targets first rather than aiming to get squad players in? squad players are not exactly our priority are they? we've got plenty of average, we need some above average-very good players can see how some would assume that a move for this guy might be setting a "spending tone" so to speak not saying i do

no, at least one of them called it ages ago

good post dude, agree with it all also agree with NE5 again; if we only buy cheap & young we'll never get beyond a certain level - look at spurs when they started under enic, trawling around finding bargains like defoe, carrick and lennon, staltieri, taino etc... and so forth...they realised they'd never challenge anything doing that and are now still doing it whilst spending big at the same time on first team players failure of shepherds tenure was the only spending big part, if ashleys regime don't do any spending big we'll be sitting here in a few years time condemning them for it guaranteed

there was a thread where someone brought up spurs spending in recent seasons but i could never find it again, i was going to ask the spurs resident ITK's how the club can continue spending at such a sustained rate? they balance out to some degree i'm aware but very recently the balancing out part seems to have been forgotten? genuine question like, not a piss take Look at the difference in the wage bill between Tottenham and Newcastle. There's your answer. (It's even worse than it looks because the figure quoted for Newcastle doesn't include £6.7m of Owen's salary, as the club received compensation from the FA for that amount.) yeah i get the wage bill part but what about the actual spend? 16m or so in january on 2 players, 20m on modric or whatever and the indications are they've not finished yet...last summer didn't they spend about 40m on bent, kaboul, zokora etc...? just wondering like...the cash can't come from nowhere can it?