ENIC

[Cochise]

Left back situation sorted? Yes Ben Davies signed.
Back up goalkeeper that can replace Hugo if he's injured without us losing too much from our play? Yes Michel Vorm.
Centre of defence sorted? Yes we have managed to sell Dawson and bring in Fazio and young Eric Dier.

Centre of the park? Somewhat. Stambouli may well become first choice in that position over the course of the year. Sandro left with a lot of people on here questioning his long term fitness. Schneiderlin was imo one that we had no chance of signing, as Southampton refused to sell.

LWF. No, but then again Chadli popped up with two goals vs QPR. In the next few months we may see an evolution in our style of play.
CF. No. This is for me an area where we need a new long term first choice. Bony would have been useful.

Anyway, my point is, it's hard to say Levy hasn't backed Poch. For the most part he has, with only Musacchio and Schneiderlin falling apart and both of those were out of our hands.

 

[Reggie_Mentalist]

Here's a concept. What IF none of the players we wanted to buy were available to us? Or maybe it's because we bought 7 odd players last season and got 6 in already this window.

From what I saw in this window, Poch bought players where he needed them IE The defence. Building from the back is always a sound way of creating a team.

We never got a striker, but as most sane people know...there aint that many about, of the required quality and/or in our price range.

I am sure we will be ok this year...things could be a lot worse..

Just my 2 cents

 

[imcallingbullsh*t]

Im not happy about Sandro on a football level, but Levy wouldnt have sold him at 6-10mil unless he had been directed to. We know how nervous board can be about maintaining a pre-tence of caring about the fans. They would have known selling Sandro and Dawson in a week and bringing 2 relative unknowns to PL wouldnt have gone down brilliantly.

We cannot compete with the big boys, we are playing moneyball all the time, i dont think we are being that successful but at the same time i bet over the last 5years our net spend puts us mid-table. So in some ways we are.

We need a stadium announcement and soon, we need to know what the plan is.. If we stockpiling the extra TV revenue then great, think we all need to see where we are going.

The squad is stronger, the team is not, we are lacking any kind of star and the danger is the infighting takes us down before the stadium goes up.

Ignore the Sky Bull****, Ignore the Media Hype

 

[Superhudd]

only as far as the valudity of the transfer, which they would already know all about

not private contract details

They never gave information on the sponsorships either.. what happened.. they went through a market forces pricing.

 

[DubaiSpur]

What's to moan about. We're still the balance sheet trophy holders.

At least that's something.Everton mucked up there, signing a top striker and not immediately selling five guys to balance it out. Backing their manager cost them this prestigious prize, although somehow I don't think they'll be whining too much about it.

 

[screen nayim]

What's to moan about. We're still the balance sheet trophy holders.

Yep not exactly silverware more like a paper cup.

 

[nelto]

£40m tv revenue + £10m transfer profit = another £50m towards the stadium.

As we've been doing this for 6-7 years now, we mustn't be too far off being able to pay for it upfront with minimal loans.

3 years time and maybe we'll be able to buy our Ozils and Sanchezs

Sorry, just the way I feel tonight:

"The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day." (Lewis Carroll)

 

[SoundAndVision]

Im not happy about Sandro on a football level, but Levy wouldnt have sold him at 6-10mil unless he had been directed to. We know how nervous board can be about maintaining a pre-tence of caring about the fans. They would have known selling Sandro and Dawson in a week and bringing 2 relative unknowns to PL wouldnt have gone down brilliantly.

We cannot compete with the big boys, we are playing moneyball all the time, i dont think we are being that successful but at the same time i bet over the last 5years our net spend puts us mid-table. So in some ways we are.

We need a stadium announcement and soon, we need to know what the plan is.. If we stockpiling the extra TV revenue then great, think we all need to see where we are going.

The squad is stronger, the team is not, we are lacking any kind of star and the danger is the infighting takes us down before the stadium goes up.

Ignore the Sky Bull****, Ignore the Media Hype

no need for sensible posts round here is there?

 

[milo]

At least that's something.Everton mucked up there, signing a top striker and not immediately selling five guys to balance it out. Backing their manager cost them this prestigious prize, although somehow I don't think they'll be whining too much about it.

Everton paid for Lukaku with the proceeds of the sale of Fellani last summer

 

[Baleforce]

They never gave information on the sponsorships either.. what happened.. they went through a market forces pricing.

interesting, yes I'm sure there are many arguments that city for example could make about divulging private sponsorship details, but hey here's a cheque from virgin Atlantic we can show you, there was a bidding war between them and sky news Arabia hence the amount

 

[Jordinho]

Here's a concept. What IF none of the players we wanted to buy were available to us? Or maybe it's because we bought 7 odd players last season and got 6 in already this window.

From what I saw in this window, Poch bought players where he needed them IE The defence. Building from the back is always a sound way of creating a team.

We never got a striker, but as most sane people know...there aint that many about, of the required quality and/or in our price range.

I am sure we will be ok this year...things could be a lot worse..

Just my 2 cents

Every club should just bend over and give us the players we want. Wouldn't want to upset the coach.

Similarly, we should never sell anyone to anyone ever. Squad limitations be darned.

 

[nelto]

Every club should just bend over and give us the players we want. Wouldn't want to upset the coach.

Similarly, we should never sell anyone to anyone ever. Squad limitations be darned.

Sounds like Chelsea.

 

[imcallingbullsh*t]

Since when was it acceptable for any business or club or anything not to break even. You wouldn't walked into your local village pub and said right im going to spend 50k on a new pitch and stands. Why because its the Premier League is it acceptable to deliberately run at a loss either without caring, or hoping that something will happen that will bring more money in. When was it ok to say - sod it please can somebody come in and give us 100mil from their back pocket as we want to some new toys please....!

 

[Superhudd]

interesting, yes I'm sure there are many arguments that city for example could make about divulging private sponsorship details, but hey here's a cheque from virgin Atlantic we can show you, there was a bidding war between them and sky news Arabia hence the amount

It doesn't matter.. if there sponsorship values are bloated they will act. They know the going rates.

 

[DubaiSpur]

Everton paid for Lukaku with the proceeds of the sale of Fellani last summer

According to transfer market, they made 15 million euros overall last summer and had a net spend of some 38 million euros this summer. And before you ask, they had a net spend in 12-13 as well. Still, whatever floats your boat, mate.

 

[Baleforce]

It doesn't matter.. if there sponsorship values are bloated they will act. They know the going rates.

but if that is what city/Chelsea/united demand (from companies owned by their chairman and/or his mates) that becomes the going rate

it's a ratchet action, once a new level is reached it never rolls back

 

[Superhudd]

Since when was it acceptable for any business or club or anything not to break even. You wouldn't walked into your local village pub and said right im going to spend 50k on a new pitch and stands. Why because its the Premier League is it acceptable to deliberately run at a loss either without caring, or hoping that something will happen that will bring more money in. When was it ok to say - sod it please can somebody come in and give us 100mil from their back pocket as we want to some new toys please....!

But it is acceptable to spend all your available money on a classic e-type instead of 6 Triumphs. IMO there are plenty of loan calibre players to fill out the squad.

 

[Bullet]

i dont think we are being that successful but at the same time i bet over the last 5years our net spend puts us mid-table. So in some ways we are.

Try dead last, not mid-table.

The strange thing is, we've been pretty damn frugal so it would make perfect sense if we had squirreled away £200m for the stadium... but we haven't.

Well I suppose we bought/built the training centre and the land around the ground, but it doesn't feel too satisfying just yet... one day it will though.

We generally do good deals and punch far above our "net spend" weight

 

[imcallingbullsh*t]

And we went down that road with the Nelson's and Saha's - Im not saying we look stronger we don't however we have to accept A) who we can get B) that its not about football being a business its that in any walk of life you can only spend what you earn.

We don't know who makes the transfer decisions, but we are basically playing moneyball and are successful at it. If we could cash in all the money we have spent and buy a brand new squad with what we know now could we do better, yes probably. However as shown from Arshavin - Willian we struggle to compete with other clubs and that isnt going to change.

I do agree the biggest mistake we made was not tying up Schneiderlin early if Poch really wanted him, but by all accounts it was stopped last minute.

The issue i see within the squad is that at the moment it feels like it could be a house of cards, nobody really has any ties to each other, to the manager, or to the club. But i think to blame Levy is unfair as most wanted rid of Dawson, Benny, Huddlestone, Livermore, Defoe, Sandro, and some seem keen on getting rid of townsend, lennon and kaboul.

Easy to make a case for all of them, however i think today you suddenly look at the squad and go who are these lot!

 

[Superhudd]

but if that is what city/Chelsea/united demand (from companies owned by their chairman and/or his mates) that becomes the going rate

it's a ratchet action, once a new level is reached it never rolls back

Its not what happened on the sponsorships last year though was it. You seem to think they got away with it last year. There 400m sponsorship was lambasted was it not. City are not on a commercial level that other clubs in the top 10 are at. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if they were behind us on shirt income from sales. Again... they tried to cook it last year.. didn't get away with what you are saying.. there is no reason for that to happen this off season.

What I would like to know is why 5 top earners have all signed deals in the last month or so and whether the wages have been reduced because the club has set up sweet bank accounts in Dubai.