Should Mike Ashley get his wallet out?

[Northern Monkey]

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/nufc/newcastle-united-news/2007/11/20/big-sam-ready-for-transfer-window-72703-20133375/

Big Sam ready for transfer window

 

Nov 20 2007 by Alan Oliver, Evening Chronicle

 

SAM ALLARDYCE has admitted his plans are well advanced so that he can quickly move when the transfer window opens again in January.

 

The Newcastle United boss believes his squad is not big enough and he also has to take into account that he will be without the likes of Oba Martins, Geremi, Abdoulaye Faye and Habib Beye when they head off to the Africans Cup of Nations at the turn of the year.

 

While Allardyce has strengthened his backroom staff at the clubs training ground, United now also have arguably the strongest scouting squad in their history, with men working for them who have had a lifetime in football.

 

Former United No 2 Bobby Saxton is one, and he has been joined by Adrian Heath and veteran Jackie Chapman, all of whom have a wealth of experience and knowledge.

 

Uniteds scouts were out in force at the weekend, and Allardyce said today: They are out watching 24/7, 365 days a year.

 

All we are doing now is building up a knowledge and a database of players that has had to start from its infancy.

 

It will take a good few years to come up to speed to live with the big boys in the Premier League, but we have started the process.

 

United have been linked with several players in recent weeks, but most have been inaccurate.

 

But Tal Ben Haim at Chelsea is one target, and so too are Brazilian central defender Edmilson and Russias versatile Andrei Arshavin.

 

Ben Haim would love to link up with his former Bolton boss at St Jamess Park, and Big Sam can only hope the Israeli central defenders current £75,000-a-week pay packet at Stamford Bridge does not prove to be a stumbling block.

 

The next step for Allardyce is to discuss what he would like to do in January with Toon owner Mike Ashley and chairman Chris Mort.

 

The United boss added: I will have the discussion with Chris and Mike when the time is right.

 

We will then sit down and plan for what might or might not happen regarding January and move it forward from there.

 

Those discussions are not needed yet. What we need is the information on the players who would make Newcastle United better at first-team level first, and then below that at an age where we have not got any development players.

 

The club has very few development players between the ages of 17 and 20, and then below that, to bring through more and better players for the Academy.

 

That all comes with time, the right structure and the right amount of knowledge to get those players.

 

you just KNOW he's itching to squeeze an "Emerton is close to signing" lie in there.

 

£75k a week for Tal Ben Haim??? I hope we don't match that!

[Guest Sniffer]

Fat Sam thinks the squad is not big enough, eh?

 

Does that mean more mediocre to average players that fit into a game plan that nobody wants other than him?

 

I hope Ashley is smart enough to see through that.

[Yorkie]

Does that mean more mediocre to average players that fit into a game plan that nobody wants other than him?

 

First of all, the whole 'who nobody else wants' thing is pretty much bollocks. And second of all, what are you really expecting from a mid-season transfer window? If we get Arshavin and Ben Haim in January, i'd call that a fucking productive January tbh. It'd replace Faye and it'd replace Geremi for that time being, and bolster the squad in the long-run with two very good players (well, it's a bit unfair of me to say that about Arshavin, but his reputation speaks for itself).

 

But then, i mean - blowing £20m on Anelka and Arteta in January is a realistic demand for us to make, isn't it.

[Guest optimistic nit]

Ashley will seriously get his wallet out - ie. a transfer window which doesn't involve a 'sell before you buy' policy as was seen last Summer - or promise a *major transfer kitty as a means of tempting Shearer into the manager's hotseat imo. Shearer has a remodelled back-4 to work with, and Allardyce has established a deeper sqaud with minimal backing from the board when compared with Souness' outlay on less than a handful of franchise players - ie. Owen - and in Luque and Buomsong's cases so-called 'franchise players. So a spine is there to be built upon. As such some of the hard yards have already been traversed, and i think the squad is in better shape as compared with the Summer of 01/02 when Robson brought in the two pivotal players - ie. Bellamy & Robert: the 2 club cancers according to a considerable section of the internet world - who propelled us into the European mix.

 

I think Shearer is cherrypicking his timing in terms of moving into the top job. He didn't want to risk his undebatable hero status amongst his hordes of worshippers by fast-tracking his coaching courses and ultimately taking over a bare bones squad in the wake of Souness and Roeder's respective reigns, and with it adopting a higher chance of failure.

 

Whether it be as a then means of self preservation in the first-team, or just poor judgement by unflinchingly backing his mate Souness at the time, i therefore question Shearer's credibility & ultimate potential as a sound decision maker who will put the health of the club/the team ahead of his own ego and personal motives. I'm also concerned with a bloke's thinking wavelength when they express that 'NUFC players have to of a certain character' at a time when Bellamy and Robert's imminent departures were a foregone conclusion during the Scottish b******'s regime. With that said i feel there will be no marjin for error for the volatile but talented types under Shearer, much like a Souness-led lockerroom imo.

 

I hope i'm wrong but i think Ashley will have to dig deep and frequently too if Shearer is his top-choice, that is if he financially supports his top-choice or 'his man' which imo is a bracket which Allardyce doesn't fall into, because if he does become manager i can envision the sort of players previously mentioned falling foul if Shearer breaks his line/rule when it comes to 'character issues' and actually goes out there and recruits them.

 

 

*the sort of 40-50m figure being thrown about in this thread

 

 

shearer was wanted by shepheard not ashley surely? ashley has come here to make newcastle a successful club, and surely he knows one of the ways not to do this is to put a complete novice in charge of everything. i don't think ashley is even considering employing shearer, i hope so at least.

[Dave]

Mike Ashley is now skint.