No big-money signings in the January
- Thread starter King Binny
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Yes, obviously this isn't shocking, however there's no substance to this article, at all, other than those quotes from weeks ago.
This makes Poulsen and Koncesky looking like real poor signings.
"We have to be more efficient. When we spend a dollar, it has to be wisely. We cannot afford player contracts that do not make long-term sense." The 61-year-old has made it clear already that he is not happy with the number of older players at the club who are earning big money on long contracts.
That statement above baffles me no end when Carra got his contract extension recently. Carragher is finished. We need a manager who can see this. Put him on the bench, play Kelly and give him a some kind of a role Pellegrino had a couple of years ago. Carra is past it and i don't give a flying fuck whoever disagree with me on these issue.
Speaking on the statement above he sounded like he's a fucking stingy dude. Maybe he's worried of Roy as our manager.
That statement above baffles me no end when Carra got his contract extension recently. Carragher is finished. We need a manager who can see this. Put him on the bench, play Kelly and give him a some kind of a role Pellegrino had a couple of years ago. Carra is past it and i don't give a flying fuck whoever disagree with me on these issue.
Speaking on the statement above he sounded like he's a fucking stingy dude. Maybe he's worried of Roy as our manager.
[quote author=Glock link=topic=42449.msg1206592#msg1206592 date=1288160810]
"We have to be more efficient. When we spend a dollar, it has to be wisely. We cannot afford player contracts that do not make long-term sense." The 61-year-old has made it clear already that he is not happy with the number of older players at the club who are earning big money on long contracts.
That statement above baffles me no end when Carra got his contract extension recently. Carragher is finished. We need a manager who can see this. Put him on the bench, play Kelly and give him a some kind of a role Pellegrino had a couple of years ago. Carra is past it and i don't give a flying fuck whoever disagree with me on these issue.
Speaking on the statement above he sounded like he's a fucking stingy dude. Maybe he's worried of Roy as our manager.
[/quote]
Carragher's contract was dealt with before they became owners.
His statement isn't stingy, it's sensible.
"We have to be more efficient. When we spend a dollar, it has to be wisely. We cannot afford player contracts that do not make long-term sense." The 61-year-old has made it clear already that he is not happy with the number of older players at the club who are earning big money on long contracts.
That statement above baffles me no end when Carra got his contract extension recently. Carragher is finished. We need a manager who can see this. Put him on the bench, play Kelly and give him a some kind of a role Pellegrino had a couple of years ago. Carra is past it and i don't give a flying fuck whoever disagree with me on these issue.
Speaking on the statement above he sounded like he's a fucking stingy dude. Maybe he's worried of Roy as our manager.
[/quote]
Carragher's contract was dealt with before they became owners.
His statement isn't stingy, it's sensible.
Maybe he worried of Roy, you gibbering lunatic, but let's be honest, nobody gives a fuck what you think, or copy and paste, because you're a dismal, lonely madman
[quote author=Farkmaster link=topic=42449.msg1206594#msg1206594 date=1288160968]
[quote author=Glock link=topic=42449.msg1206592#msg1206592 date=1288160810]
"We have to be more efficient. When we spend a dollar, it has to be wisely. We cannot afford player contracts that do not make long-term sense." The 61-year-old has made it clear already that he is not happy with the number of older players at the club who are earning big money on long contracts.
That statement above baffles me no end when Carra got his contract extension recently. Carragher is finished. We need a manager who can see this. Put him on the bench, play Kelly and give him a some kind of a role Pellegrino had a couple of years ago. Carra is past it and i don't give a flying fuck whoever disagree with me on these issue.
Speaking on the statement above he sounded like he's a fucking stingy dude. Maybe he's worried of Roy as our manager.
[/quote]
Carragher's contract was dealt with before they became owners.
His statement isn't stingy, it's sensible.
[/quote]
Yup before they OFICIALLY became owners but they should've put that on hold knowing that they would become owners later on.
We'll see in the coming months or so whether they are as sensible as you think.
[quote author=Glock link=topic=42449.msg1206592#msg1206592 date=1288160810]
"We have to be more efficient. When we spend a dollar, it has to be wisely. We cannot afford player contracts that do not make long-term sense." The 61-year-old has made it clear already that he is not happy with the number of older players at the club who are earning big money on long contracts.
That statement above baffles me no end when Carra got his contract extension recently. Carragher is finished. We need a manager who can see this. Put him on the bench, play Kelly and give him a some kind of a role Pellegrino had a couple of years ago. Carra is past it and i don't give a flying fuck whoever disagree with me on these issue.
Speaking on the statement above he sounded like he's a fucking stingy dude. Maybe he's worried of Roy as our manager.
[/quote]
Carragher's contract was dealt with before they became owners.
His statement isn't stingy, it's sensible.
[/quote]
Yup before they OFICIALLY became owners but they should've put that on hold knowing that they would become owners later on.
We'll see in the coming months or so whether they are as sensible as you think.
[quote author=Avmenon link=topic=42449.msg1206596#msg1206596 date=1288161504]
Do we really have the 4th highest wage bill?
[/quote]
manu
man city
chelsea
arsenal
spurs
and we have the 4th highest wages bill? I find that very hard to believe
Do we really have the 4th highest wage bill?
[/quote]
manu
man city
chelsea
arsenal
spurs
and we have the 4th highest wages bill? I find that very hard to believe
[quote author=Brendan link=topic=42449.msg1206595#msg1206595 date=1288161180]
Maybe he worried of Roy, you gibbering lunatic, but let's be honest, nobody gives a fuck what you think, or copy and paste, because you're a dismal, lonely madman
[/quote]
Stop talking about yourself here you mongrel. Behave.
Maybe he worried of Roy, you gibbering lunatic, but let's be honest, nobody gives a fuck what you think, or copy and paste, because you're a dismal, lonely madman
[/quote]
Stop talking about yourself here you mongrel. Behave.
Spurs are still way behind us. there isn't much between us and arsenal. We're fourth or fifth, but we spend it much worse than everyone else.
The article might not have any quotes, but as far I'm concerned it's common sense if you have some idea of how henry operates
The article might not have any quotes, but as far I'm concerned it's common sense if you have some idea of how henry operates
much more on this theme by rory smith of da telegraph:
NESV is believed to have been concerned by the millions of pounds haemorrhaged on transfer fees and wages by the club in recent years as it examined Liverpool's finances as part of the due diligence process carried out before the £300 million purchase of the Anfield side was completed.
Under Rafael BenÃtez, Liverpool spent more than £230 million in six years on fees alone – though much of that was recouped in sales – while the purchases of the likes of Raul Meireles, Christian Poulsen, Brad Jones and Paul Konchesky totalled £25 million in Hodgson's first summer at the club.
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Hodgson pours scorn on 'rival' Rijkaard Though NESV's takeover freed up £36 million a year of revenue that had previously been used to service Liverpool's £282 million debts to be reinvested into the club, and though its offer did make provision for an immediate injection of funds into the playing staff, the American consortium has made it clear it expects value for money, both from fees and salaries.
"We have to be smart," John W Henry, NESV's principal backer, who will assume a place on Liverpool's board, said after the deal was completed.
"We have to be more efficient. When we spend a dollar it has to be wisely. We cannot afford player contracts that do not make long-term sense. We have to be smart, bold, aggressive. It's a great challenge."
Henry will take an active role in football matters at Anfield, assessing both Hodgson's suggested transfer targets and setting budgets for contract renegotiations of players already at the club.
The 61 year-old has already expressed his concern at the wages earned by older players on long-term, high-value contracts.
NESV's approach – applied with great success at the Boston Red Sox – is likely to rule Liverpool out of the glamour signings which many fans hoped would follow the eviction of previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Instead, the club's recent scouting activity suggests they intend to follow the Arsenal model – for which NESV has been keen to stress its admiration – or, perhaps more pertinently, institute on an informal basis the transfer policy employed at Manchester United, where premium fees are only paid for younger players with resale potential.
"At the Boston Red Sox, we invested a lot in management and the scouting system," said NESV chairman Tom Werner.
"We believe the foundation of any good sports club has to be the experience, valuation and understanding of scouting, so we will invest in that as well."
Those players assessed by Hodgson and his scouting team in recent weeks include Steven Defour, the Standard Liège captain and a long-term target for the Liverpool manager.
At 22, and around £12 million, Defour represents minimum risk for maximum reward.
Likewise Ibrahim Afellay, the PSV Eindhoven winger Liverpool whom have assessed on several occasions.
Already a Dutch international at 24 and heralded for several years as one of the brightest prospects in Europe, Afellay would fall within Liverpool's budget, while his wage demands would remain comparatively modest.
More expensive would be Eden Hazard, Defour's Belgian international team-mate, currently with Lille.
The 19 year-old has attracted interest from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea and United, and could cost as much as £18 million.
However, Liverpool believe they can tempt the player – who is likely to be advised by his agent to seek a move to a club where he will play regular first-team football – and Kenny Dalglish was watching when the French side played Levski Sofia in the Europa League last Thursday.
Hodgson will not be allowed to add any players, though, without first trimming the squad. Liverpool boast the fourth-highest wage bill in the Premier League – standing at £107 million in 2009, according to football finance analysts Deloitte – but find themselves marooned in 18th place in the table, having finished seventh in BenÃtez's last campaign.
NESV does not blame Hodgson for that poor performance so far this season, but rather interprets it as evidence that many of the squad do not warrant either their reputations or their earnings.
Henry's experience as a futures trader, as well as his noted obsession with both sporting and financial statistics, put him in a perfect position to analyse such information.
He is acutely aware that figures suggest that, with almost unerring accuracy, a club's league position is defined by their wage bill. That Liverpool's key statistics are so discordant suggests the money is not being spent wisely.
He is also a devotee of Sabermetrics, the statistical analysis of the value of baseball players, pioneered by Bill James and which led Henry to appoint Theo Epstein as a general manager of the Boston Red Sox in 2002 at the age of 28.
Epstein applied James's principles – which are designed to help poorer teams identify value-for-money acquisitions – to lead the franchise to two World Series with a squad largely composed of bargain purchases.
Initial impressions of his time at Liverpool suggest he retains his faith in the method.
Six deals that would not have happened under NESV regime
Fernando Morientes
The Spanish international, signed for £6.3 million as a 28 year-old in January 2005, failed miserably at Anfield, scoring just 12 goals in 61 appearances. NESV’s belief in signing young players would have precluded the deal.
Robbie Keane
Signed as a 28 year-old for £20.3?million in 2008, the Irish international would also have been judged by NESV to be too old to warrant such a premium fee.
Alberto Aquilani
Though the Italian international’s age (26) and pedigree would have still made him a legitimate target, concerns over his injury record would have ruled out a £17 million move for the Roma player, now on loan at Juventus.
Jamie Carragher
John W Henry may have been concerned by the sight of a 32 year-old being handed a lucrative two-year contract just before NESV completed its takeover.
Maxi RodrÃguez
The Argentine international, age 29, came on a free transfer from Atlético Madrid boasting a fine pedigree, but his wages, believed to be around £70,000 a week until June 2013, may have discouraged NESV from such a long contract.
Paul Konchesky
A four-year contract for a 29 year-old – as well as a £5 million fee – does not match the profile of deal NESV believes can help Liverpool develop in the long-term.
this is bound to raise yet more paranoid questions about carragher's new contract. the general policy doesn't bother me too much personally - as i've mentioned before to certain people's vast irritation, i think it's really important for any sensible club to consider age and resale values when making signings.
NESV is believed to have been concerned by the millions of pounds haemorrhaged on transfer fees and wages by the club in recent years as it examined Liverpool's finances as part of the due diligence process carried out before the £300 million purchase of the Anfield side was completed.
Under Rafael BenÃtez, Liverpool spent more than £230 million in six years on fees alone – though much of that was recouped in sales – while the purchases of the likes of Raul Meireles, Christian Poulsen, Brad Jones and Paul Konchesky totalled £25 million in Hodgson's first summer at the club.
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Torres hampered by 'lack of support'
Hodgson hopes for Torres resurgence
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Liverpool 2 Blackburn Rovers 1
Hodgson pours scorn on 'rival' Rijkaard Though NESV's takeover freed up £36 million a year of revenue that had previously been used to service Liverpool's £282 million debts to be reinvested into the club, and though its offer did make provision for an immediate injection of funds into the playing staff, the American consortium has made it clear it expects value for money, both from fees and salaries.
"We have to be smart," John W Henry, NESV's principal backer, who will assume a place on Liverpool's board, said after the deal was completed.
"We have to be more efficient. When we spend a dollar it has to be wisely. We cannot afford player contracts that do not make long-term sense. We have to be smart, bold, aggressive. It's a great challenge."
Henry will take an active role in football matters at Anfield, assessing both Hodgson's suggested transfer targets and setting budgets for contract renegotiations of players already at the club.
The 61 year-old has already expressed his concern at the wages earned by older players on long-term, high-value contracts.
NESV's approach – applied with great success at the Boston Red Sox – is likely to rule Liverpool out of the glamour signings which many fans hoped would follow the eviction of previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Instead, the club's recent scouting activity suggests they intend to follow the Arsenal model – for which NESV has been keen to stress its admiration – or, perhaps more pertinently, institute on an informal basis the transfer policy employed at Manchester United, where premium fees are only paid for younger players with resale potential.
"At the Boston Red Sox, we invested a lot in management and the scouting system," said NESV chairman Tom Werner.
"We believe the foundation of any good sports club has to be the experience, valuation and understanding of scouting, so we will invest in that as well."
Those players assessed by Hodgson and his scouting team in recent weeks include Steven Defour, the Standard Liège captain and a long-term target for the Liverpool manager.
At 22, and around £12 million, Defour represents minimum risk for maximum reward.
Likewise Ibrahim Afellay, the PSV Eindhoven winger Liverpool whom have assessed on several occasions.
Already a Dutch international at 24 and heralded for several years as one of the brightest prospects in Europe, Afellay would fall within Liverpool's budget, while his wage demands would remain comparatively modest.
More expensive would be Eden Hazard, Defour's Belgian international team-mate, currently with Lille.
The 19 year-old has attracted interest from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea and United, and could cost as much as £18 million.
However, Liverpool believe they can tempt the player – who is likely to be advised by his agent to seek a move to a club where he will play regular first-team football – and Kenny Dalglish was watching when the French side played Levski Sofia in the Europa League last Thursday.
Hodgson will not be allowed to add any players, though, without first trimming the squad. Liverpool boast the fourth-highest wage bill in the Premier League – standing at £107 million in 2009, according to football finance analysts Deloitte – but find themselves marooned in 18th place in the table, having finished seventh in BenÃtez's last campaign.
NESV does not blame Hodgson for that poor performance so far this season, but rather interprets it as evidence that many of the squad do not warrant either their reputations or their earnings.
Henry's experience as a futures trader, as well as his noted obsession with both sporting and financial statistics, put him in a perfect position to analyse such information.
He is acutely aware that figures suggest that, with almost unerring accuracy, a club's league position is defined by their wage bill. That Liverpool's key statistics are so discordant suggests the money is not being spent wisely.
He is also a devotee of Sabermetrics, the statistical analysis of the value of baseball players, pioneered by Bill James and which led Henry to appoint Theo Epstein as a general manager of the Boston Red Sox in 2002 at the age of 28.
Epstein applied James's principles – which are designed to help poorer teams identify value-for-money acquisitions – to lead the franchise to two World Series with a squad largely composed of bargain purchases.
Initial impressions of his time at Liverpool suggest he retains his faith in the method.
Six deals that would not have happened under NESV regime
Fernando Morientes
The Spanish international, signed for £6.3 million as a 28 year-old in January 2005, failed miserably at Anfield, scoring just 12 goals in 61 appearances. NESV’s belief in signing young players would have precluded the deal.
Robbie Keane
Signed as a 28 year-old for £20.3?million in 2008, the Irish international would also have been judged by NESV to be too old to warrant such a premium fee.
Alberto Aquilani
Though the Italian international’s age (26) and pedigree would have still made him a legitimate target, concerns over his injury record would have ruled out a £17 million move for the Roma player, now on loan at Juventus.
Jamie Carragher
John W Henry may have been concerned by the sight of a 32 year-old being handed a lucrative two-year contract just before NESV completed its takeover.
Maxi RodrÃguez
The Argentine international, age 29, came on a free transfer from Atlético Madrid boasting a fine pedigree, but his wages, believed to be around £70,000 a week until June 2013, may have discouraged NESV from such a long contract.
Paul Konchesky
A four-year contract for a 29 year-old – as well as a £5 million fee – does not match the profile of deal NESV believes can help Liverpool develop in the long-term.
this is bound to raise yet more paranoid questions about carragher's new contract. the general policy doesn't bother me too much personally - as i've mentioned before to certain people's vast irritation, i think it's really important for any sensible club to consider age and resale values when making signings.
that was a good read. at least this means hodgson wont be allowed to sign anymore old cloggers.
Except rory smith is wrong about them focusing on young players at the red sox. value is the key. In last summers free agency in baseball they felt defence was undervalued so they signed a 37 year old centre fielder, who spent most of the year injured. They had a bad summer actually.
[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=42449.msg1206631#msg1206631 date=1288165693]
that was a good read. at least this means hodgson wont be allowed to sign anymore old cloggers.
[/quote]
well, yeah, it's difficult to get worked up at the prospect of signing hazard, afellay or defour. 2 of those 3 and maybe that wickham cove as well would be pretty darn exciting in my book, even if we'd have to wait a couple of years for it all to gel.
rosco> wasn't smith saying this policy's suggested by our recent scouting activity, rather than red sox precedent per se?
that was a good read. at least this means hodgson wont be allowed to sign anymore old cloggers.
[/quote]
well, yeah, it's difficult to get worked up at the prospect of signing hazard, afellay or defour. 2 of those 3 and maybe that wickham cove as well would be pretty darn exciting in my book, even if we'd have to wait a couple of years for it all to gel.
rosco> wasn't smith saying this policy's suggested by our recent scouting activity, rather than red sox precedent per se?
Who are the older players on long high value contracts he speaks of?
Carra's is a two year extension , so when does it run out, as someone alluded to I don't think JC is one of them, as they must have been in a position to stall that if they wanted
How long is long as far as contracts go............three years or more?
I think it's a sensible approach too, although we do need a striker in January John
regards
Carra's is a two year extension , so when does it run out, as someone alluded to I don't think JC is one of them, as they must have been in a position to stall that if they wanted
How long is long as far as contracts go............three years or more?
I think it's a sensible approach too, although we do need a striker in January John
regards
Sell Poulsen, Lucas, Konchesky, Babel, N'Gog, Maxi, Agger, Jones.
That frees up wages and cash for transfers and would allow us to target quality like Defour et al.
I don't really have an issue with us signing younger players who are shining at smaller clubs, with a view to realising their potential.
Just because we have such a dismal recent record in this area doesn't mean it's impossible.
Smaller clubs like Wigan, Sunderland, Blackburn et al have always had to do this
And Arsenal, Chelsea, United (even Shitty) have always mixed up proven experience with younger players who have "potential" (Nasri, Van Persie, that little pea cunt, Ronaldo, Lampard, Cole, Kukata, Johnson, Magic, Valencia).
I think the trick is to buy players who are good, and not wildly overpriced.
Easy!
That frees up wages and cash for transfers and would allow us to target quality like Defour et al.
I don't really have an issue with us signing younger players who are shining at smaller clubs, with a view to realising their potential.
Just because we have such a dismal recent record in this area doesn't mean it's impossible.
Smaller clubs like Wigan, Sunderland, Blackburn et al have always had to do this
And Arsenal, Chelsea, United (even Shitty) have always mixed up proven experience with younger players who have "potential" (Nasri, Van Persie, that little pea cunt, Ronaldo, Lampard, Cole, Kukata, Johnson, Magic, Valencia).
I think the trick is to buy players who are good, and not wildly overpriced.
Easy!
It's hardly a shock, but we didn't spend £25m in the Summer, we sold Mascherano, we were unable to spend because of the interest payments. I understand that if we spend what we earn we'd be looking at spending in the region of £20m-£30m each Summer, so it's understandable if money isn't as readily available in January, but then again NESV have just bought us and should be looking, like any investor, to make a statement in the first transfer window.
It's all speculation but if these rumours are true, it's either showing a lack of faith in Hodgson (hardly surprising) or a serious lack of ambition from the off.
It's all speculation but if these rumours are true, it's either showing a lack of faith in Hodgson (hardly surprising) or a serious lack of ambition from the off.
You do realise that selling Konch could mean a recall for Insua?
[quote author=Jack D Rips link=topic=42449.msg1206649#msg1206649 date=1288168255]
You do realise that selling Konch could mean a recall for Insua?
[/quote]
Has he been that bad anyway? He's better than what we've had since Riise and he's had a few niggling injuries to get over. He's had a few hairy moments but I'm prepared to give him some games before he proves himself either way, he seems quite tidy in possession and willing to go on the overlap.
You do realise that selling Konch could mean a recall for Insua?
[/quote]
Has he been that bad anyway? He's better than what we've had since Riise and he's had a few niggling injuries to get over. He's had a few hairy moments but I'm prepared to give him some games before he proves himself either way, he seems quite tidy in possession and willing to go on the overlap.
[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=42449.msg1206647#msg1206647 date=1288168173]
It's hardly a shock, but we didn't spend £25m in the Summer, we sold Mascherano, we were unable to spend because of the interest payments. I understand that if we spend what we earn we'd be looking at spending in the region of £20m-£30m each Summer, so it's understandable if money isn't as readily available in January, but then again NESV have just bought us and should be looking, like any investor, to make a statement in the first transfer window.
It's all speculation but if these rumours are true, it's either showing a lack of faith in Hodgson (hardly surprising) or a serious lack of ambition from the off.
[/quote]
i think it's worth a mention that the idea of those interest payments suddenly becoming available for transfers might be a bit optimistic, as they weren't actually eating up profits but generating whacking great losses and yet more debt.
overall, though, i wouldn't particularly say that this sort of policy would be unambitious - if the lack of an early, showy, H&G style splurge is the price of a more sensible long-term strategy then that's fine by me.
It's hardly a shock, but we didn't spend £25m in the Summer, we sold Mascherano, we were unable to spend because of the interest payments. I understand that if we spend what we earn we'd be looking at spending in the region of £20m-£30m each Summer, so it's understandable if money isn't as readily available in January, but then again NESV have just bought us and should be looking, like any investor, to make a statement in the first transfer window.
It's all speculation but if these rumours are true, it's either showing a lack of faith in Hodgson (hardly surprising) or a serious lack of ambition from the off.
[/quote]
i think it's worth a mention that the idea of those interest payments suddenly becoming available for transfers might be a bit optimistic, as they weren't actually eating up profits but generating whacking great losses and yet more debt.
overall, though, i wouldn't particularly say that this sort of policy would be unambitious - if the lack of an early, showy, H&G style splurge is the price of a more sensible long-term strategy then that's fine by me.
[quote author=peterhague link=topic=42449.msg1206655#msg1206655 date=1288169109]
[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=42449.msg1206647#msg1206647 date=1288168173]
It's hardly a shock, but we didn't spend £25m in the Summer, we sold Mascherano, we were unable to spend because of the interest payments. I understand that if we spend what we earn we'd be looking at spending in the region of £20m-£30m each Summer, so it's understandable if money isn't as readily available in January, but then again NESV have just bought us and should be looking, like any investor, to make a statement in the first transfer window.
It's all speculation but if these rumours are true, it's either showing a lack of faith in Hodgson (hardly surprising) or a serious lack of ambition from the off.
[/quote]
i think it's worth a mention that the idea of those interest payments suddenly becoming available for transfers might be a bit optimistic, as they weren't actually eating up profits but generating whacking great losses and yet more debt.
overall, though, i wouldn't particularly say that this sort of policy would be unambitious - if the lack of an early, showy, H&G style splurge is the price of a more sensible long-term strategy then that's fine by me.
[/quote]
Yeah it's only guess work really, and I know this goes against their policy, but you'd wager that we'd have at least one first team squad departure each Summer which would contribute to the revenue, it's only natural. The problem over the last few years is we've been selling a few each year either because of a lack of quality or through necessity.
[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=42449.msg1206647#msg1206647 date=1288168173]
It's hardly a shock, but we didn't spend £25m in the Summer, we sold Mascherano, we were unable to spend because of the interest payments. I understand that if we spend what we earn we'd be looking at spending in the region of £20m-£30m each Summer, so it's understandable if money isn't as readily available in January, but then again NESV have just bought us and should be looking, like any investor, to make a statement in the first transfer window.
It's all speculation but if these rumours are true, it's either showing a lack of faith in Hodgson (hardly surprising) or a serious lack of ambition from the off.
[/quote]
i think it's worth a mention that the idea of those interest payments suddenly becoming available for transfers might be a bit optimistic, as they weren't actually eating up profits but generating whacking great losses and yet more debt.
overall, though, i wouldn't particularly say that this sort of policy would be unambitious - if the lack of an early, showy, H&G style splurge is the price of a more sensible long-term strategy then that's fine by me.
[/quote]
Yeah it's only guess work really, and I know this goes against their policy, but you'd wager that we'd have at least one first team squad departure each Summer which would contribute to the revenue, it's only natural. The problem over the last few years is we've been selling a few each year either because of a lack of quality or through necessity.
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