Businessmen Will Be Businessmen
By Ben Letby On Mon 16 Jul 2007 |
Only ten days have passed since we last signed a player and panic is already settling in. Just last week I warned of complacency and undue optimism, but now I find myself trying to raise the Geordie mood as we await what many people are describing as a statement of intent from new owner Mike Ashley.
We all breathed a sigh of relief when the takeover was completed and the compliments flooded in for our new billionaire benefactor. Mike Ashley is known for being an intensely private man who doesn’t concern himself with public appearances or interviews. More importantly, Ashley is a businessman and his sole aim is to make money. Even more importantly, Ashley is a very successful businessman, who makes a lot of money.
Our new owner did not buy this club to be his personal play thing. He has brought in his team of experienced professionals to sit on the board and has got them straight on the task of completing a complete internal review of all aspects of the club, it doesn’t sound like he is playing games to me. This man has to make money, and he can’t do that without improving the playing side and we should have complete confidence that he will do just that. There are so many things going on behind the scenes that need addressing before you can think about splashing out the millions.
Allardyce has talked about how he is losing his targets quickly, but this won’t be due to a lack of funding.
It is now all about attracting a standard of player that can put us in good stead for the future, if we can get ourselves back amongst the ‘big boys’ and find some consistency before we can think about world-class players again. The reality is that we have languished in mid-table for the last few years and it is going to be a long, hard slog to get us back to a side that can compete properly again.
We’ve got to have a little patience because at the moment, things are looking good. Sam Allardyce has been 100% honest since his arrival and that is refreshing – if he is following the example of Chris Mort, then we’ve got a lot more to look forward to this summer.
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A back four is a priority. I believe Rozehnal will be a good signing. I saw him play twice in Paris and he led the backline extremely well. I think we have a sound player in him as well as a leader.
Why not compete for the likes of Alves? The worst that can happen is the he says no! We need to be challenging for these top players not as trophy signings, as we are now (hopefully) past that stage, but as a way forward!
Sent in on: July 22nd, 2007 at 12:40 pm
With some media sources quoting Big Sam as commenting on a lack of speed hindering us in the market and him believing this has resulted in some targets being missed out on, I am beginning to worry slightly.
Nugent, Jagielka, Drenthe and Saviola were all, in my opinion, attainable targets that would have improved the team yet all seem to have been signed by other clubs.
The signings we have made have been good so far, but we need more if we are to challenge for Europe. Mort, Ashley and Sam will have to sign more quality players if we aren’t to just tread water next season.
Sent in on: July 18th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
It would be great to go out and buy 4 top top defenders. I really think we would then be a top team next year. Went to Hartlepool yesterday and Joey Barton looked great. Not happy about the right side though. Dyer and Carr looked weak and was horrified to hear that Carr had been given this seasons number 2 shirt. He is very poor and was hoping to give him away to the unwashed down the road.
Sent in on: July 18th, 2007 at 9:03 am
Out of all those big spending clubs only Spurs have really signed (paid big money) any players we might have been able/were worth trying to attract and also this is key only Spurs/Man Utd/Liverpool/Arsenal/Chelsea have signed players that would have greatly improved us. They all have big money to spend as and european football, the pull of London or in Liverpool and Man Utd’s case the pull of 2 of the world’s best football clubs.
Distin like Ben-Haim would of been a good option for free but, Ben-Haim chose Chelsea over us like 90% of the players would if we went head to head with a club like Chelsea for a players signature. Distin had gone before Sam was officialy in so that’s not Ashley’s fault.
Sam says £11m might be better spent on a CH with Premier league experience rather than Barzagli. Curtis Davies has 1 season of PL experience and has been valued near £11m by the Baggies, but there’s no way he’s even close to being as good as Barzagli - the only Italain CH under 30 that went to the World Cup after Lippi picked him as the 4th CH he helped Italy to win that WC.
If Ashley wants to make a statement he could do no wrong in my eyes by paying big money to land 4 top european defenders, offers that the clubs couldn’t refuse, players like Barzagli and Zaccardo of Palermo wanted by all the top Italian sides but the Palermo chairman wants top dollar for his two best players something surely Ashley could offer ahead of Italian clubs, who would also struggle to match the wages we could offer were Ashley prepared to help cover the costs of those wages.
Chivu of Roma has been trying to move to Madrid or Barca but they won’t/can’t pay him big wages, maybe if we offered a big fee to force Roma to sell and offered him big wages it would be surely worth it more than gambling on crap like Queudrue.
Finally the much sought after Sevilla RB, Dani alves, is again being chased by a host of top clubs but could again Ashley use his financial clout to land such a player, with the Seville chairman playing hardball with Chelsea over the fee, I know it means taking on Chelsea but it would seem even Abramovich has a limit on what he will spend these days???
The key in my opinion is clubs like Palermo, Sevilla and Roma despite being big clubs are not always flush with money and history suggests they will sell their best players for big money.
Surely the £60m Ashley could spend on someone like Ronaldhino would be better spent on 4 top defenders???
Imagine a back four of… Alves/Zaccardo/Barzagli/Chivu, or 4 players of that class lining up in NUFC shirts next season.
I’d rather we spent big, even overpaid for a back four like that than spunked a huge load of money on another trophy signing.
Sent in on: July 17th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
It seems that the Telegraph (tues) is on a similar track, Quoting Big Sam about the lack of signings:
“” He said: “We need to bring in at least three or four players before the start of the season. We were off to a sprint start, but we’ve slipped a bit. Fulham are up to £19 million, Wigan past £10 million, Tottenham well into the £20 millions and Manchester United and Liverpool well into the £40 millions, so at the moment we’ve just lagged behind the rest and we need to keep up.”
Allardyce believes all the activity surrounding multi-millionaire Mike Ashley’s takeover at St James’ Park may have “slightly stalled” his drive for new signings “”
Interesting that Big Sam seems blames the arrival of Ashley for the slow down in signings.
Sent in on: July 17th, 2007 at 2:35 am
I agree I think we all need to just take a step back and look at what has been promised and is being done.
I also believe that the fact we finished 13th and have no europe is a problem as to why perhaps we cannot sign or signings are taking a little longer, then again if Freddy was in charge he would simply offer the players £100,000 a week, buy them for £20 million then give them a release clause of like £2 million.
All in all can’t wait for the new season and am hoping we can buy a few more defenders ASAP.
Sent in on: July 17th, 2007 at 1:01 am
I don’t need, or expect, a statement of intent from Ashley. Is the mood down beat? – I don’t think so.
Many of us are still ecstatic to see the back of Businessman Fat Freddy. At least Ashley isn’t a few bricks short of hod, and is rich enough to not devote his life lining his family’s pockets at the club’s expense.
Let’s hope that the boys from the Met can nail FF, which would be a result.
It is disappointing we have not signed anyone for 10 days, and the endless press speculation is a bit wearing. It would be best if they just shut up, but in tradition of British football journalism, if there is no news - they just make it up. The News of the world leading the charge linking us with the likes of Ronaldinho/Raul/Deco, and any other galactico that isn’t nailed down.
It is tough to get players to move this far north, to club with no recent silverware, no European football, and a growing reputation for dodgy deals.
Big Sam is signing players that will do a job for him, and get us into a European place. After that we can start to buy the best younger talent to develop the club long term, - that will be expensive, and will require Ashley’s millions.
Sent in on: July 16th, 2007 at 11:46 pm