Newcastle-Online comment: June 24th 2004
Money's too tight to mention
According to various reports and opinion £8m is our transfer budget
for Summer team strengthening, surprised? No Champions League football
(again) and Bobby's past record in the transfer market that makes
Marcelino look like an astute signing all contributing towards a rather
pitiful figure - a figure that doesn't give us much of a chance does
it?
Not when Man Utd, who finished two places above us have already spent
over £13m, 38 League game unbeaten Champions Arsenal £3m on a highly
talented Dutch forward, 2nd placed Chelsea over £13m on a right-back
- not to mention those other imminent big money (insert name and fee
here) signings to bolster last season's £110m plus spending spree
it doesn't. And what of Liverpool who pipped us to 4th? Rumours of
investment from Thailand to the tune of £70m have quietened down over
the past month but with Champions League football and a new manager
you can bet your last quid that they will invest in the market...
again, having already secured the services of Djibril Cisse for a
reported £13m before old bug eyes got the boot.
Talk of Gerrard and Owen leaving could further bolster their coffers
considerably even if they were to lose their two best players they
would have the cash to replace them with suitable replacements (surely?).
Villa and Charlton who both finished a mere 3 points behind us have
already started improving their squads. Birmingham, who finished an
equally worrying 6 points behind us have added a few names to their
squad too. Players with pace and power to compliment a solid defensive
unit based around organisation and honest hard graft. They could push
us a lot harder than they did last season unless their manager decides
to leave for pastures new again (for the 6th time). He's a Geordie
you know...
Now nobody at the club has said what our transfer budget is exactly
and don't expect them to either, that would be daft so all talk of
an £8m budget is simply conjecture, but based on Club financial readings
it is hard to see past an £8-10m budget for Bobby to waste...err spend
wisely (Fat Fred's words).
So, who wants to join me in jumping off the Tyne Bridge then?
£8-10m isn't going to close the gap is it? Are you disappointed with
this figure? I sure am, especially considering what Fat Fred and the
parasite leeched out of the coffers last season but with no Champions
League football, a daily struggle to keep those wages below the *recommended
50% turnover ratio and having spent a lot of money in recent seasons,
in spite of having spent zero last season, this is our lot I'm afraid
(it appears). Give or take a few quid.
Well, perhaps that is a good thing. We've thrown money at problems
without a return before. We needed a partner for Shearer in 2001 so
we bought Cort for £7m - didn't work. We needed a top-class centre-back
so we bought Bramble for £6m - isn't working (luckily we did, eventually
buy a top-class Centre-back - who cost £9m). We more than most have
spent vast sums of money on team improvements and whatever the reasons
it hasn't worked.
One of those reasons is Bobby's judgment in the transfer market and
Fat Fred's willingness to trust that judgment. That's a good thing
but it's clear that trust between the two now no longer exists, that's
bad in more than one way too.
With Bobby at the helm for a further 9 months we can only accept the
circumstances that dictate our transfer strategy for this season.
Bobby will be in charge next season and he will be handed some money
to spend, a small figure in comparison to previous years and a figure
that doesn't exactly inspire optimism that next season will be better
than last.
But there is hope, there is cause to be slightly optimistic. If Bobby
and Co. are clever about the situation that is.
Now is the time for Bobby to buy the right players. Not players that
we don't need, not yet more potential but players that will improve
the first-team and players that are tried and tested. With only £8-10m
Bobby is going to have to make that go very far, he has to spend it
wisely.
I hear Portsmouth don't want to stump up the asking fee for Lua Lua.
Do we need him? No, we do need cover for Bernard though. A solution
is staring Bobby in the face to both problems. Matt Taylor. A swap
deal would be a great bit of business Bobby - get it done.
I hear Mido has been telling the world he is to join the Toon on a
season's long loan deal. We need cover up front and further attacking
options, we need cover for Robert too. I hear Mido can play on the
left and judging from video clips of his goals and play he is a handy
striker, especially at no cost for a season. Get it done Bobby.
Having let Griffin go to Pompey we are short at right-back. I hear
Viana could be on his way to Benfica in exchange for Miguel, I hear
we are willing to offer £3.5m as part of the deal. Stuff that, tell
them it's a straight swap or walk away. Mario Melchiot and Danny Mills
(shudders) are adequate right-backs that would cost zero where as
Miguel could cost £12m given what we spent on Viana. Haven't we had
enough of being took for a ride? I'd rather we brung in Mills than
done that.
Do we need Kieron Dyer? What has he done since he joined the Toon
other than drag our name through the mud that is the front pages of
newspapers, crash a car or two, get drunk, watch wrestling, make a
few movies and score a brace in an FA Cup tie? Nothing. He's a waste
of air never mind money but he has talent and some sap of a manager
would take him off our hands. Sell him Bobby, raise some cash by cashing
in. Or swap him, how about Sean Wright Phillips? KK gave Dyer his
England debut. How about asking Chris Coleman if he'd like an engine
in exchange for Steed Malbranque? Long shots they may be, but even
if we got £5m for Dyer we could use that money on a player that will
contribute to the cause other than eating up oxygen.Offer the Smoggies
him in exchange for Southgate or Ehiogu - Steve McLaren recommended
Dyer for inclusion to the England Euro 2004 squad so he would appeal
to him. We'd get more out of Dyer this way and he's saleable. I prey
he gets a game, scores a goal and has a blinder for England at Euro
2004 so that the media can hail him as the answer to some problem
of England's. I don't see a Toon player when I look at Dyer, just
pound signs. Bobby get it done.
Net spent: Zero
Net gain: Cover for Robert (with an adequate LB in Taylor, Bernard
can move to the LW if Robert was injured or suspended without LB being
exposed due to lack of quality/depth). More attacking options/goal
threat and further cover for Robert in Mido. Possibly a very good
right-back in Miguel, if not Mills or Melchiot.
Money earned: £5-8m from the sale of Dyer.
We could quite feasibly improve our squad with Taylor, Mido, one of
Mills, Melchiot or Miguel without spending a penny and we could quite
feasibly double our transfer budget to spend on two top-class players
if we sold Dyer - giving us a much improved squad and first-team for
next season.
And with Chelsea eyeing up Gerrard and Deco and rumours abounding
that they will get their men (to be) they will have two very good
players who will struggle to get into their team in Parker and Gudjohnsen,
two players who would get into our team. With Bobby's friendship with
new Chelsea manager Mourino being father-son strong according to the
ex-Porto boss Bobby could take advantage of this and cheekily ask
to bring the pair to St, James' Park on loan, or put in a bid for
the pair. If you don't ask you don't get. There is no harm in asking
and taking advantage of Chelsea's huge squad.
Which leaves the small matter of keeping certain treatment room groupies
fit for 9 months, ditching the long ball game and designing a new
game plan. Did I mention playing players in their right positions?
Anyway keep the faith because it's not all doom and gloom. A clever
Close Season in the transfer market could do us the world of good
and having a small budget might just force this (I hope).
P.S Bobby, if you're reading, howay man, follow the instructions...
*Leeds United's how not to run a football club guide |
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