The Mail Bag
Stay calm...
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Great news on the two contract extensions, particularly Mikky, who for my money is just about the best player outside of the "top four" right now, apart, perhaps, from Berbatov.
And as for the unease surrounding our "lack of activity" can I just make one point. Let's analyse who has gone where shall we:
1. Scott Parker, useful "tier two" Premiership midfielder, Newcastle to West Ham.
2. Joey Barton, useful "tier two" Premiership midfielder, Manchester City to Newcastle.
3. Nigel Reo-choker, leaving West Ham to joining God knows who (Man City perhaps?)
4. Darren Bent, useful "tier two" Premiership striker, Charlton to Spurs.
5. Jermiane Defoe, on his way out of Spurs (perhaps) to...another useful "tier two" team...
There's a trend here folks. It may appear that Newcastle, Spurs and West Ham (etc.) are all showing "more ambition" than us. But they're not. They're engaged in a complex game of musical chairs, fuelled by agents and egos. So West Ham sign Parker, they lose Reo-choker; so Spurs sign Bent, they lose (perhaps) Defoe...
Of course I'm uneasy about us not adding to our squad but I'm confident that DM will get one or two in over the next three weeks. And, whilst that won't be enough to see us challenge for a title, we have to realise that buying Re-choker and selling Cahill wouldn't either. Whether we like it or not we're not "tier one" and the same people who moan about BK today will moan tomorrow if he sells his soul to some Dubai based prince or whatever. Aston Villa thought they had it nailed this time last year and look at them. Foreign bucks don't guarantee success.
If Everton and DM can finally establish themselves in the top 6 or 7 again (and avoid the yo-yoing of pervious seasons), I'll be content (I know, I know, "nothing but the best" and all that, but really, apart from 85-87, when has that really been true over the last 35 years? - just saying is all...).
And anyway, to be honest, despite all of the "ambition" shown by Spurs, Newcastle etc. I'd still prefer to have Arteta... Apologies for the ramble.
C'mon the toffees!
Jer Sweetnam, Posted 29/06/2007 at 13:45:55
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Owen Hargreaves is pretty useful...so is nani and anderson...and Henry has moved....torres...etc etc.
Arsenal have signed nobody and have lost Henry. They’ll buy Martins or someone. So Newcastle lose a striker, but they buy Viduka...from Middlesbro, who buy Defoe from Spurs...and around it goes...but that’s all it is "activity" as you call it, musical chairs...I challenge you to name a team, outside United, that has spent money on real quality this summer.
Well, what about "signing anyone who might be considered even likely to break into the squad in the next 12 months"? We’ve lost 3 squad players. None have come in. FACT. No conditions or rules.
To re-iterate your last response, Man U apart, who has taken the transfer market by storm in the last month?
Do you see where I’m coming from? No team really improves, they all just swap around between a handful of teams who have to prove to their fans that they have "ambition"...it’s the same with most mamagers.
And anyway I wouldn’t want that fat sulky so and so Viduka anywhere near a blue shirt...
This is slightly unfair - give us a chance to actually spend the money. The takeover went through after last summer’s transfer window closed meaning no spending then other than 7m on Petrov (Lerner lent the club the cash to buy him whilst the takeover was going through)
We spent a reasonable amount in January, on Young and Maloney (10m). We’ll spend a decent amount this window, too, but the market has barely started moving.
Money doesn’t guarantee success, but it helps. It helps if you actually have a chance to spend it, and thus far we haven’t really.
Judge our new owners’ level of backing at the end of this window, not the start.
Cheers!
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