January, the lack of transfer activity, and the current team...

[Guest Bellers]

So it's that time of the year again, the January transfer window, every managers worst nightmare. Not only are clubs trying to hold on to their prized assets by they are trying to negotiate for players in a limited time frame, something which Roeder hasn't seem to have mastered yet.

 

Although there is what seven or eight days left in the window are lack of activity is startling, but I think rather than Roeder being incompetent there could be other reasons behind our transfer drought.

 

First of all lack of money. In recent years alone Shpherd has spent £65 million on various players, some successful, most the opposite. Could be until the summer at least the pot has tried up? Roeders constant suggestion of loan signings would certainly back this idea up. Shepherd of all people must realise strengthening the side is imperative with the current injury crisis. He has never been frightened to splash the cash in the past, so is he holding back? Or is there another reason for the reluctant behaviour?

 

Caution or over caution may definetly be another exaplnation. For one Shepherd may be saving his pennies for a takeover, or he could still be reeling from a string of shocking buys from one Mr. Souness. Boumsong, Babayaro, Luque and Owen are all questionable buys and at the same time their fees amount to a staggering £38 million, we hardly got our moneys worth now did we?

 

Roeder, no doubt aware of this fact also seems to have adopted this cautious attitude, determined not to make the slightest gamble in the market, loan signings seem to be on his current agenda.

 

On the same front could Roeder may be aiming too high with a view to permanent signings. Curtis Davies, Anoton Ferdinand and Peter Crouch have all been touted as targets, but surely all three of these players are over priced and unwilling to move in January. Prehaps such signings should be considered in the summer market.

 

Now for all we know three suberb signings could arrive in the next week, but it's going to take more than that to solve our current problems. The back line are inexperienced, the midfield is lightweight and the forwards are inconsistant. We need a good six or seven signings at the least to get us competing for a european place again, obviously this is never going to happen overnight, but we really need to start chipping away as soon as possible.

 

There's being cautious and there's being too cautious, the fact of the matter is the fans wouldn't mind if Glenn took a gamble and right now and that's exactly what he needs to do. If he doesn't he could find our thread-bare squad is being ripped apart frequently in the end of season run in fast approaching.

[Guest Sheriff John Bunnell (Ret]

If Roeder cannot get top class players in on permanent deals, I dont see any point in buying average players just for the sake of getting a few extra players in... We have some good young players who with more experience could turn out to be quality!! I honestly believe Roeder is trying to bring in top class players and wont settle for anything else... I wont be too upset if we have to wait till summer time for the right players - with our current squad we're not going to win anything this season but we're not going to get relegated either so it aint that bad!!

[Lloydie]

I agree with most of that. We've probably got no real cash, we're not going down this season and Europe is going to be a hell of a stretch regardless of signings. So yup, keep it simple, hunt for value and look to build on what we've got. Three or four new players through the academy is a great positive from this season - even if only one or two cut it that's pretty much par for the course for our signings.

 

Add the progress of Milner and Martins, plus the return of Dyer and the squad has probably come quite a long way this season, regardless of spending. Just a shame Owen is crocked...

[Guest Bellers]

Top class players move to top class teams and we're simply not in that category. We need to build a solid base of half decent players. Currently our side is nothing more than mid-table fodder and if you think the likes of Huntington/ Edgar/ Sibierski are going to change that you've got another thing coming...

[Guest nufc 4 life]

many players coming back soon GR from what i have heard from him and his past signings seems desperate to bring in YOUNG quality with premiership experience the premiership experience is a huge thing i believe from what i have gathered from things he has told the media e.t.c + previous signings, duff, sibierski, crouch, ferdinand, davies, bernard ;-) all of these players have played in the premiership and Martins was really his only gamble and look what a good signing he has turned out to be.

 

overcautious if you ask me baring in mind our injury crisis i.e Rocha for Spurs e.t.c if he doesn't have the money he will get in loan signings well according to what he has said "I will use the two loan signings available to me"

[PCW1983]

In my very unprofesional opinon id say that not only are we just about skint but we most likely have more debt then Brazil 

[BottledDog]

In my very unprofesional opinon id say that not only are we just about skint but we most likely have more debt then Brazil 

 

Can we knock this on the head a little.

 

"The chairman is trusting me with a significant amount of money and I don't want to bring in players who will lose value like a driver driving a car off the forecourt." Mr G Roeder Jan 21 2007

 

Yes the club has debt, and our money problems should not be ignored, but in this case it doesn't strike me that we have no money to spend, simply that Glenn is being somewhat cautious.

[Guest Sniffer]

Nothing questionable about buying Owen. He is a world class player who has been incredibly unlucky with two unrelated injuries. If Darren Bent is valued at 15 mill, Martins at 10 mill, Dean Ashton at 12 mill and Young at 10 mill  then Owen is worth every penny of 16 mill. Bollocks to suggest otherwise.

[PCW1983]

In my very unprofesional opinon id say that not only are we just about skint but we most likely have more debt then Brazil 

 

Can we knock this on the head a little.

 

"The chairman is trusting me with a significant amount of money and I don't want to bring in players who will lose value like a driver driving a car off the forecourt." Mr G Roeder Jan 21 2007

 

Yes the club has debt, and our money problems should not be ignored, but in this case it doesn't strike me that we have no money to spend, simply that Glenn is being somewhat cautious.

 

unprofesional being the word of course 

[BottledDog]

In my very unprofesional opinon id say that not only are we just about skint but we most likely have more debt then Brazil 

 

Can we knock this on the head a little.

 

"The chairman is trusting me with a significant amount of money and I don't want to bring in players who will lose value like a driver driving a car off the forecourt." Mr G Roeder Jan 21 2007

 

Yes the club has debt, and our money problems should not be ignored, but in this case it doesn't strike me that we have no money to spend, simply that Glenn is being somewhat cautious.

 

unprofesional being the word of course   

 

Actually your post was probably spot on. I just felt the need to get that quote in somewhere.

[Guest thommo78]

I've already said this before but would it really be that much of a disaster if we didn't buy anyone?

To buy 2 quality defenders we so desperately and obviously need along with a striker we would be looking at an outlay of around 20million? We won't go down this season as there are 4 or 5 clubs who are worse than our current team with the makeshift back four. On the other hand even with an outlay of 20million and 3 new faces, would we really finish much higer than mid table?? Are we going to get into Europe? I seriously doubt it and even if we did scrape into the Uefa cup, would it really generate sufficient revenue to cover the gamble of buying players now? If we wait to the end of the season are we not guaranteed 30million minimum in TV rev next season? Clubs will be slightly more flexible with players and the market place definately moves and without the mid season transfer window premium we are seeing now on players prices. the only target realistically left for us is the Uefa cup with many players that may be potentially let go at the right price by their current clubs cup tied.!! I can see the club wanting to "tread water" until the end of the season as this season is basically a write off!

 

 

[OzzieMandias]

 

First of all lack of money. In recent years alone Shpherd has spent £65 million on various players, some successful, most the opposite. Could be until the summer at least the pot has tried up? Roeders constant suggestion of loan signings would certainly back this idea up. Shepherd of all people must realise strengthening the side is imperative with the current injury crisis. He has never been frightened to splash the cash in the past, so is he holding back? Or is there another reason for the reluctant behaviour?

 

Caution or over caution may definetly be another exaplnation. For one Shepherd may be saving his pennies for a takeover, or he could still be reeling from a string of shocking buys from one Mr. Souness. Boumsong, Babayaro, Luque and Owen are all questionable buys and at the same time their fees amount to a staggering £38 million, we hardly got our moneys worth now did we?

 

1. Shepherd doesn't spend his own money, he spends the club's money. He can hardly save the club's money in order to buy the club with it. Well, I say that. Actually he sort of can, but only slowly. He can award himself huge dividends and use them to buy shares in the club. But hey, he's already done that to the maximum amount of shares he can hold without having to make a bid for outright ownership. And even that conniving greedy bastard can't save enough on transfers to pay himself a dividend big enough to buy out all the remaining shareholders in one fell swoop. Well, maybe if he sold Owen, Given, Emre, Martins, Duff, Butt, Parker, Dyer... no, probably not even halfway to £100 million from that lot.

 

2. He most certainly has been frightened to splash the cash at times in the past. Notably the close season before Partizan hoofed us out of the Champions League – and back into mid-table mediocrity.

 

The likelihood is that Fred has simply steered us into a position where we can't spend much for the time being, even though he can probably see that his existing investment would be much better protected if he could find the cash for a centre-forward and a defender or four.