Oh my god - "B I D S" . . .
(or even more accurately - "reported bids").
How many times does THAT need to be pointed out?
Fine then, lets look at facts. Coloccini for a reported 9m going up to 10.3m - also reported to have signed the 'contract of his life'.
True, the Modric bid (I'll forget the Aimer & Inler ones because as Dave said, could be wrong) was made before any players were sold. In the end the deal didn't come off but it shows that the money is there for players of the right calibre. Gutierrez had an original asking price of 10m but we got around the via a loophole, but I imagine we still had to pay a few to get him in.
There's a difference between 'selling to buy' and simply getting rid of players that are no good for us.
How do you know (or 'imagine') that a Coloccini purchase would have been funded, if we had got (say) Modric?
Also, I don't think Keegan would agree with any of you "Milner haters" on here ("no good for us" !!!!)
I don't agree with you either.
I also asked if you thought it would just be a 'mere coincidence' if Ashley actually spends some money RIGHT NOW?
Well?
I'd rather we spent money now than didn't spend any just to prove you and your ridiculous theory wrong. There have been reports of us going for specific players all summer, with either agents or players themselves saying about interest - some I'll take with a pinch of salt but I wouldn't be surprised if some had truth in them. I honestly don't think that the club has been sat about hoping for the likes of James Milner to be sold just so we can buy some players.
Coloccini negotiations were started 3 months before he signed and Modric nearly signed in May I believe. Ashley has come out and said how he feels about the club but you clearly haven't read it or decided to simply disregard it because it doesn't fit in with your opinion. Keegan has said about the type of players we want - need even. It's the easiest thing in the world to go out and splash £10m here and there for players, that's how we ended up with Luque and Boumsong.
I'm curious where you got the 'Milner Hater' thing from as I've never really slagged him off or wanted him out. I do think that £12m is way too good to turn down though assuming he can be replaced. For a player his age and with his experience he just hasn't moved up the level required for me, he has little pace struggles to cross. I think we can get better and hope we do.
Wasn't meaning specifically YOU by the 'Milner Hater' thing - sorry if it read like that.
There are a LOT on here who are though!
You do make a fair few 'broad brush' statements about my opinions and how I form them. None of them are true, by the way.
I am simply observing a disjointed organisation, failing to 'achieve' in the manner that it should be capable of achieving. Naturally (as this organisation is one that I personally care about) I am WORRIED.
Fair play about the Milner craic - same with any of our players I guess. Some go too far, you're right there.
On the topic of a disjointed organisation, you could seriously be talking about any premiership club outside of the top 4 really. Tottenham, City and Villa are the only teams that have really strengthened but all of their fans are still dropping bricks - Spurs, especially. I'd much rather we'd have done alot more to improve the first team squad but I think the issue is less with having no money to spend and simply just not being able to get the type of quality that we're after through the doors which is somewhat understandable given the last few seasons of managers, finishes and performances in general.
On the whole though, I am happy. We've gotten rid of players that never played or reached their potential - like Carr, Emre and Ramage and replaced them with players that have already shown a marked improvement on the first team squad. Some of the passing and confidence that we've shown against ManUtd, Bolton to a smaller extent and Coventry shows that changes are in place - and we're scoring goals with an unfit Michael Owen which fills me with loads of confidence.
I think that even if we had signed more quality, we'd still be in for a hit and miss season hopefully leading to a marked improvement and I feel that we may get a few more names through the door but if we don't I'm confident that we'll do good enough until January. Look what Keegan did at the end of last season with the players he had - that alone gives me faith. I'm not really panicing and if we don't sign anyone else I'll be a bit disappointed but not worried, I'll just go along for the ride because for the first time since Sir Bobby Robson, I trust the manager of the club.
