My take on things (for what it's worth)

[lappinitup 629]

Now I''m no accountant but I do know our season in the Championship meant our income was halved down to c.50m. Although the squad took a 40% drop in wages, I doubt there was much left over at the end. And so, we start this season once again on Premier league money which means the players are back on Premier money. Unfortunately, it''s not the £120/130m that many on here repeatedly tell us but c.£64m TV money spread over the season and not in one lump up front. I don''t think there was ever a large sum of money available for transfers, instead the club have had to juggle the funds between incoming and outgoing transfers. We''ve spent around £10m on Dorrans and Brady plus loan fees for Jarvis, Mbokani and Wisdom. I reckon the bids for Gayle yesterday were balanced with the sales of BJ and Grabban which we now know didn''t happen. People thinking the club is awash with money are probably very mistaken. I''m sure Purple will shed some light on our finances in due course.Bradley Johnson. I was one of the few on here who supported BJ from the start and not since he started scoring a few goals last season. Like most on here, I''m gutted to see him leave BUT.....As much as I liked him I could not see where he would start a game this season. He didn''t make the starting line-up Sunday and that''s before Olssen returns allowing Brady to move into that LH midfield slot. With Brady, Jarvis and Dorrans ahead of him, Tettey, Mulumbu, Howson Dorrans (plus O''neil) in the centre, he probably realised his time was up and it made sense for him as a player to move on.He has been brilliant for us and I can only say, thanks Bradley, you''ve left us with some great memories, good luck in the future.Strikers.Now the window has closed Grabban has nowhere to run so I imagine our manager is canny enough to bring him back into the fold fairly quickly. He turned Bassong around and I am confident he will do the same with Grabban. Don''t forget, he was Alex Neil''s first choice when he first came to the club until he was injured and again for the first game this season. Our striking department is much stronger than it was two years ago.Defence.This for me this is my only disappointment. I really thought we would sign a new central defender and I''m sure we tried. However, I rate Russell Martin a lot higher than most and it could also be Ryan Bennett''s chance to fulfill his early potential. I don''t think it''s fair to assess Wisdom until he''s played a few games at CB. Of course, injuries and suspensions will be a concern but it can''t be changed now.Finally.Most of the doom mongers are predicting relegation (predictably). I have seen enough of our manager to know this won''t be a consideration. His record at Hamilton also suggests he has more faith in younger players than many do. Along with McNally, we are in good hands.

 

[kick it off 2,062]

I sincerely hope Grabban isn''t brought back into the fold, he''s absolutely $hite. I didn''t want him here before he threw his little tantrum.

Russell Martin is garbage at CB. He''s ok at RB, but he is a total liability at CB. Goal 1 vs So''ton being case in point. He doesn''t play offside, he doesn''t get goalside, he''s in absolute no man''s land. Goal 3 he should have been on the rebound. Tadic was behind him but neither Russ nor Bassong reacted and left him free to ghost in and tap it in to the empty net. Martin is a bang average Championship CB at best, and probably wouldn''t get in any of the top 8 Championship sides. Same with Whittaker. 

Midfield is fine. Best 2 strikers are OK, Hooper is OK but doesn''t want to be here, Grabban is crap.

The defence however is easily the weakest in the Prem on paper. Olsson is good, Seb is OK, but we will get ripped to shreds down our right side every single game.

I trust Alex Neil, but the board have really let us, themselves, and Alex down in this window.

[CaptnCanary 0]

S0d off James Kent! Oh, sorry Laps...

[Katie Borkins 1]

I think this is pretty level headed.  Not sure about Jarvis still, he hasn''t figured for West Ham in any meaningful way for years so it''s hard to know if this is going to give us anything actually useful - but we''ll see soon enough.

I keep going back to the 2013/14 season when we were relegated and common consensus was this was due to management failure because the squad was easily good enough to stay up.  If we accept that was true, and that over the summer we have added Dorrans, Mulumbu, Brady etc etc, then the squad is better than the squad which was "good enough" in 2013/14,

The one weak point is defence, especially at centre back where I think we need at least one more specialist CB.  You can''t cover CB with makeshifts for too long without getting found out, especially with the Premier League''s pace.

I expect a few loan deals or free signings to follow in this area.

I''m not overly concerned but I have to say I am disappointed that we haven''t capitalised on the momentum of the playoff final and haven''t shown real boardroom intent to fight for our place in the PL.

[Branston Pickle 4,150]

Some decent comments there, Lapps - pretty much agree with most. It is annoying to have missed the cb we were clearly after, it would have made a hell of a difference to the feel of things - I hope there''s a decent free agent we can get in should we need.

I''m not too bothered by the sale of BJ - I too always thought he was decent enough and it is almost funny that he was no1 scapegoat for so long with the very same people now crying at his leaving; I guess it would have been easier for people to take had we got someone in, now it just looks a bit pointless, though it was hard to see where he''d have fitted in our current set up.

[Cerberus 0]

Bor,We cant loan anyone else because the window is shut until January and we cant have any more domestic loans. Only hope is picking up a free agent, but I am afraid that is clutching at straws. If we get desperate with injuries and suspensions, I can see Tettey being converted to a makeshift CB. We only need to lose 2 out of the five CB/RBs in any one game and we have no bench cover.

[Hairy Canary 754]

well said Lappin I began to think I was the only one who had that take on things. Our defence is worrying because of the lack of cover but other areas have improved to a decent degree during the window. That is why Bradley moved on. The team has improved and his chance of getting a starting berth disappeared.

Kick it Off. I guess we all have different opinions and respect to yours but honestly I can''t see how things are really that bleak. It''s going to be tough this season. It was always going to be but come on we need positivity and belief to survive. Otherwise we might as well give in before we''ve started.

[Katie Borkins 1]

[quote user="Cerberus"]Bor,We cant loan anyone else because the window is shut until January and we cant have any more domestic loans. Only hope is picking up a free agent, but I am afraid that is clutching at straws. If we get desperate with injuries and suspensions, I can see Tettey being converted to a makeshift CB. We only need to lose 2 out of the five CB/RBs in any one game and we have no bench cover.[/quote]

Mmm, not great. 

It only takes the "versatile" Martin and Wisdom to pick up knocks and we''re down to Ryan Bennett at CB - no thanks - Whittaker at RB - okay if he''s covered by a decent CB - oh, that''s Ryan Bennett - no thanks - and yeah, I''m depressed now.

[ricardo 8,034]

I agree with much you have written Lapps, although I doubt that the finances were as constrained as you make out. We went into last season on the back of a handsome profit thanks to the non paying of bonuses plus the parachute payment  was not to be sniffed at. A single year in the Championship was annoying but hardly a fateful blow to the finances.Quite obviously with the Grabben problem couple with shipping Ricky and Hoops out meant that we needed striking reinforcements. Mbokani may or may not to be the man but we needed another one and didn''t get it. Therefore the Hoops and Grabban problem is ongoing.Midfield, yeah ok. but selling Johno was pointless and will affect morale both on and off the pitch.DefenceOh deary me.A total failure to strength will come back to haunt us unless the Gods smile upon us.but I see no reason why they should when we have been the architects of our own misfortune.

[Cerberus 0]

Bor,This could happen sooner than you think as Wisdom cant play against Liverpool. If Martin/Whittaker pick up injuries playing twice for Scotland, or if any of our back four (other than Olsson) get injured or sent off against Bournemouth. By the way Bassong is already on 3 yellow cards, so it wont be long before he misses a game once he has 5.

[norfolkbroadslim 225]

Olsson at CB, Toffolo at LB, would allow Brady to stay at LM

[chicken 0]

Ricardo, it pains me to see you like this, it really does.

I agree with you at CB but everything else Lapps is spot on about.

I was sitting there and talking to my father in law about it. With a fully fit squad where would you play Johnson as a first choice? The reality is that when the likes of Olsson and Mulumbu return, which could be for our next game, they will either push someone onto the bench or take a place themselves.

The obvious thing is that Olsson will come in and Brady will push up to midfield. I say obvious, but who out of that midfield would you drop? You would have to say that Tettey is pivotal to the way we play so it won''t be him. So then you are looking at one of Dorrans or Howson.

When you look at their roles, where would he be competing? Out wide? DM? CM? He''s not better than Dorrans or Howson.

Like I said elsewhere - I think there is a lot of emotion involved because a great number of us, including myself, loved Bradders for his guts and thunder displays. But if he isn''t going to be a starter anymore, and perhaps not even get a spot on the bench regularly, then what do you do?

It is strange with him only signing a new contract a short time ago, but things change, perhaps he wasn''t happy to see replacements coming in for him.

It does make me look at things in a different light though. Neil was critical of him after the first game - I think it may have been after the Sunderland game when he was asked why he had left him out of the starting line up.

But one player does not make a team, and yes, it may rock the boat a little - perhaps that is what we saw at Southampton, perhaps some of this was already in motion by then.

[JF 694]

As I''ve said in the other Johnson thread he was happy here and didn''t want or even know till yesterday morning that he was leaving

[Old Yella 0]

I agree with most of the points raised by the OP

But if Johnson isn''t seen to be a premiership player [and I don''t think he is either if I''m honest] how can Grabban who only managed 1 goal in 5 chances in the Championship be consider salvageable for the Prem?

Grab clearly isn''t Prem standard and should have been sold to bring in a quality CB

[Van wink 2,994]

Chicken, a well reasoned post, but how do you explain the fact that Jonno went, what appeared to be, so suddenly and out of the blue, he had not been linked or spoken of in any of the transfer rumours.

The other thing I struggle with is what was the need to sell at this point, he may not have got a starting place, probably wouldn''t, but having him the squad pushing for a place provides motivation to the encumbant, gives us more options and most importantly keeps what we are lead to believe is an important and popular player in the dressing room.

Why sell him now when we surely are not in desperate need of the money.

[ruthers1 0]

"Unfortunately, it''s not the £120/130m that many on here repeatedly tell us but c.£64m TV money spread over the season and not in one lump up front. I don''t think there was ever a large sum of money available for transfers, instead the club have had to juggle the funds between incoming and outgoing transfers. We''ve spent around £10m on Dorrans and Brady plus loan fees for Jarvis, Mbokani and Wisdom. I reckon the bids for Gayle yesterday were balanced with the sales of BJ and Grabban which we now know didn''t happen. People thinking the club is awash with money are probably very mistaken"

Haaahaaaaahaaaahaaaahaaaa!!!!! Love that last line!

You kill me Lappy old Happy Clappy- you really do.

Congratulations on such wonderful insight, very nicely written - BUT is this really from the same man who wanted to bet me just last Friday that we were going to pay £15MILLION for CHARLIE AUSTIN?!!!!!!!!!! Fool.

[PurpleCanary 6,386]

[quote user="ricardo"]I agree with much you have written Lapps, although I doubt that the finances were as constrained as you make out. We went into last season on the back of a handsome profit thanks to the non paying of bonuses plus the parachute payment  was not to be sniffed at. A single year in the Championship was annoying but hardly a fateful blow to the finances.Quite obviously with the Grabben problem couple with shipping Ricky and Hoops out meant that we needed striking reinforcements. Mbokani may or may not to be the man but we needed another one and didn''t get it. Therefore the Hoops and Grabban problem is ongoing.Midfield, yeah ok. but selling Johno was pointless and will affect morale both on and off the pitch.DefenceOh deary me.A total failure to strength will come back to haunt us unless the Gods smile upon us.but I see no reason why they should when we have been the architects of our own misfortune.[/quote]The profit was £6m. Not sure I would call that handsome. Welcome, perhaps. We await the accounts but presumably the predicted halving of income to about £47m included the parachute payments. Yet while income was down by 50 per cent, player wages supposedly dropped by only 40 per cent. So potentially there was a significant gap there.As posted elsewhere earlier, I don''t believe the transfer pot itself, despite the effects of relegation, was much of a problem. Wages are always likely to be much more the constraining factor, and if a year out of the Premier League held us back there then that has to be taken into account.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="ruthers1"] BUT is this really from the same man who wanted to bet me just last Friday that we were going to pay £15MILLION for CHARLIE AUSTIN?!!!!!!!!!! Fool.[/quote]Two quid to the CSF was hardly going to break the bank was it at odds of 1000-1 (which you bottled). And your ?!!!!!!!!!!and your insults give you away once again. Old habits die hard.People in glass slippers shouldn''t throw stones..........

[......and Smith must score. 1,596]

[quote user="JF"]As I''ve said in the other Johnson thread he was happy here and didn''t want or even know till yesterday morning that he was leaving[/quote]If he was that happy here how is it he left ?He was on a contract and we couldn''t have forced a sale even if AN had said he was down the pecking order. I thought players came out with all this guff about '' fighting for their place, etc, etc ''. I suspect a juicy signing-on fee and similar wages to what he was on here made the decision for him.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="ricardo"]Midfield, yeah ok. but selling Johno was pointless and will affect morale both on and off the pitch.[/quote]I believe the rules state that if an offer comes in for a player then that player has to be informed Ricardo. If that was the case and Johnson decided it was in his best interests to move on what were they to do. A good price for a player who had already been upgraded would leave them with no choice.

[JF 694]

In Johnson what''s the prob thread

[? 0]

JF is right, Johnson didn''t request or want to leave, he was sold against his wishes. The reason for it will probably never be known but I don''t think all is rosy in the camp at the moment.

[Yellow and Green 352]

I think BJ left partially for footballing reasons and partially because it was evident he wasn''t going to get much game time. Considering AN chose Howson to play on the left instead of him, BJ must have known he wasn''t getting a game - especially with Brady due to move further up the flank when Olsson returns.

Before the game on Sunday vs Saints and, especially after we went 1-0 down, I looked at the bench and wondered who we could bring on to add another threat. Out of Bennett, Wisdom, O''Neil, Johnson, Hooper and RVW, I wasn''t that confident any of them had the pace or trickery to worry Southampton.

I think we had a opportunity to bring in Jarvis - someone who was once bought for over 10 million and considered good enough for England - and thought he would add something to the squad - another attacking option, if we need to change a game.

Losing such an influential figure could be a risk, but I think AN has done it for footballing reasons and BJ has gone to play regular football.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="Ron Manager"]JF is right, Johnson didn''t request or want to leave, he was sold against his wishes.[/quote]How could he be ''sold against his wishes'' Ron? He was sitting on a three and a half year contract which he signed in February. He could have dug in and said he was going to stay here and fight for his place. It doesn''t make sense.

[morty 0]

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Ron Manager"]JF is right, Johnson didn''t request or want to leave, he was sold against his wishes.[/quote]How could he be ''sold against his wishes'' Ron? He was sitting on a three and a half year contract which he signed in February. He could have dug in and said he was going to stay here and fight for his place. It doesn''t make sense.[/quote]Hearing quite an interesting rumour that explains a few things if true.Its positively libelous so not posting it here lol.

[Van wink 2,994]

Ron Manager wrote the following post at 02/09/2015 9:23 PM:

JF is right, Johnson didn''t request or want to leave, he was sold against his wishes. The reason for it will probably never be known but I don''t think all is rosy in the camp at the moment.

The reason may come out sooner than we think, perhaps it had something to do with primal desires Ron

[ricardo 8,034]

[quote user="Vanwink"]Ron Manager wrote the following post at 02/09/2015 9:23 PM:

JF is right, Johnson didn''t request or want to leave, he was sold against his wishes. The reason for it will probably never be known but I don''t think all is rosy in the camp at the moment.

The reason may come out sooner than we think, perhaps it had something to do with primal desires Ron[/quote]It has to be non football related else it makes no sense.Anything else then it has to be seen in a completely different light.I sincerely hope that there is no internal problem within the squad because that could prove to be disastrous.

[Van wink 2,994]

I suspect the problem may have been resolved Ricardo,