Where should we be shopping?

[a1canary 0]

Particularly if we survive another season, we will start to have more money available for signings than we''ve ever had before.

But does this automatically mean we should be shopping for £5-8 million players? It seems to me there are 3 markets that Prem teams shop in. The stratosphere, where only Europe''s top clubs shop for the best players in the world; the opposite end of that spectrum, the best up and coming players from lower leagues where Lambert shopped with us; and then the market in the middle, where there be dragons! I think it''s easier to p*ss millions down the drain shopping in this middle market on players with over inflated price tags who don''t live up to expectations. Sure this can happen shopping for younger players but it''s going to be a far less expensive mistake with a lower price tag and far lower wages.

IF, and it''s a big if, we make it to a 3rd season and cash in on the next Premier League contract bonanza, i''d be quiet nervous at the prospect of us wading in to that middle market. With established middle level players, you get established wages and transfer fees and you are more likely to get players who have got comfortable and lost the desire. What''s more, you are unlikely to get the resale and appreciation you get from successfully shopping lower down. Think of what we paid for Pilkington, Bennett (both), Ruddy and others and what they will cost the next time they move on. You can''t normally say that with middle market players with whom you will tend to get serious depreciation of your assets.

I''m not saying we shouldn''t shop for more expensive players, and of course you can pick up some good players - Garrido on a permanent deal would come in to that middle market and you can see the extra quality you can get. But i think QPR are a great example of what can go wrong. They waded right in there to assemble a team of expensive multi million pound players on big wages. And look at them. Is that a team playing for the shirt, for the club, or just for themselves?

So far Hughton has done well with his signings and i''m hopeful even with more money he''d continue to make some astute signings. I just hope we don''t go down the route Hughes has - he and Fernanades clearly have no idea about building a team that is bought in to a club''s ethic and culture.

[Mister Chops 7]

TK Maxx, it''s amazing.  You have to look through everything to find two things but OMG those two things will be super-awesome.Yes, this is a bit of a metaphor for "young hungry players from lower leagues".  Except TK Maxx have a 14 day returns policy.

[a1canary 0]

Lol - my post title is asking for that isn''t it!

[Mister Chops 7]

[quote user="a1canary"]Lol - my post title is asking for that isn''t it![/quote]It is, but you raise some good points and my post wasn''t as tongue in cheek/stupid (delete as applicable) as it might have seemed.The bigger issue for me is wages, and the impact on squad harmony/cohesion that arises when the new boy in the dressing room is being paid more than everyone else, even those who have shed blood, sweat, tears and quite a few pies for the cause (Holty).  Balancing the need to move the club forwards with the task of keeping the team as a team must be bloody difficult, which is why so few managers get it right.  But if we are serious about being Premier League then at some point we need to start paying the low end of silly money if we are going to compete to do anything more than stay up.Until we''re ready to do that, it will be the "young and hungry" model rather than the "one last pay day" model which failed teams like Hull City and appears to be going rather badly for QPR.  Shame, that.

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Stoke can afford more expensive players but don''t seem to gain quality.

[Houston Canary 0]

 Some pretty good quality talent is frequently seen at ASDA so that might be another place to shop.

 

 

 I agree the middle ground is fraught with danger. It seems a lot of players make a name for themselves with one team who sell on for a nice chunk of change, but when they arrive at their new home, with a new system and new teammates, things too often don''t go so well.  If we''re going fishing in that middle pond, the scouts better be ware of what the players they recommend are used to and how they would fit into OUR system, not so much how well they play where they''re already established.

 

Is this 64 million pound influx a one time deal or will that be the new annual payment to clubs in the Prem?

 

 

.

[a1canary 0]

Perfect case in point Rudolph. Stoke have spent a fortune in the last couple of seasons yet they appear to be going backwards quality wise. They''ve done brilliantly to establish themselves in the way they have but this could be the season it all starts to unravel. When the really tough questions are asked, will they stand up for the shirt or will they throw in the towel?

[Miss Jane Marple 0]

My dear a1canary, I believe in using my local stores. You cannot beat their knowledge of knowing their stock and provenance of said stock.

[fried_chicken 0]

If we stay up, we will sign better players than before but we wont spend much if any more than this season or the last. We will be judged to be a stable prem club and will therefore be able to attract better players. it''s no secret that Lambert sometimes struggled to sell the club to players in the past. If we continue this cup run and reach the final we might even make european competitions, which will attract many more players. If we lost 5-0 to Chelsea in the final we would still make europe.

[Smudger 0]

[quote user="Mister Chops"]TK Maxx, it''s amazing.  You have to look through everything to find two things but OMG those two things will be super-awesome.Yes, this is a bit of a metaphor for "young hungry players from lower leagues".  Except TK Maxx have a 14 day returns policy.[/quote]But you are always in danger of picking up something that you, or indeed anybody else in the right mind would not want when shopping at TK Maxx Choppsy and let''s not forget that the pants (players) are not covered by their 14 day returns policy.

[Webbo118 0]

[quote user="Smudger"][quote user="Mister Chops"]TK Maxx, it''s amazing.  You have to look through everything to find two things but OMG those two things will be super-awesome.

Yes, this is a bit of a metaphor for "young hungry players from lower leagues".  Except TK Maxx have a 14 day returns policy.

[/quote]

But you are always in danger of picking up something that you, or indeed anybody else in the right mind would not want when shopping at TK Maxx Choppsy and let''s not forget that the pants (players) are not covered by their 14 day returns policy.


[/quote]

 

But the big question is, are you ?