PL and Championship standard

[Blade56]

Wow, just wow. Clubs newly promoted like Fulham spent £100m in closed season, several others spending same sorts of money.

Then look at the level of quality of player dropping down to this league and the wages and transfer fees they are driving.

We sold an untested player for £12m and broke our club record with £4m. Think Roygbiv got it spot on with the club losing touch with the reality of the modern game. Watching MOTD and the spends going on I think I have as well.

No wonder we are being laughed at offering £3-4m for a player like QPR's Freeman when he was as influential for them as Brooke's ever was for us.

Even relegation favourites like Huddersfield spent £40m.

We have a lot of work to do on the pitch to stay in the league and a mountain of work to do on the ownership to survive let alone be in with a chance if promotion. This is not a moan, I was genuinely taken aback by the colossal numbers involved.

 

[s4-blade]

Just because the prices are higher doesn’t mean the players are any better. An average player from a top flight club with a fancy name will cost much more than a better player with a normal name from the championship. Remember that.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Just because the prices are higher doesn’t mean the players are any better. An average player from a top flight club with a fancy name will cost much more than a better player with a normal name from the championship. Remember that.

The same bread you bought 20 years ago is 3 times more expensive but basically the same product

Just makes it much harder to find value

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Just as I have been saying the whole time. Until we find a more wealthy backer we will not be able to sit around the top table and if by some fluke we make it there, we will be quickly removed. It can’t be done on a budget anymore.

 

[Tom Bott]

It can’t be done on a budget anymore.

Just on a budget of 100's of millions rather than millions.

 

[Houston_Blade]

I’d rather struggle around in the Championship and League 1 than pay £40m for players that are worth £4. I like our club and our mentality, others might think we should go mental and buy loads of shit players for loads of cash but I think they are wrong.

 

[bromtom]

Need to get that international scouting network on the go more than anything. There are bargains to be had but not in the EFL.

Saw a lot of reasonable signings from Monaco for example, around the 5-10 million mark, which isn't bad for a Premier League outfit, and wouldn't be out of a lot of Championship teams budget depending on where you caught them in their P&S cycle.

I mean Christ, even Scottish scouting would be something, that guy who scored for Villa looked decent.

 

[Topplayersleave]

Well I wouldn't rather struggle watching shyte my whole life

The players cost so much and are paid a fortune because they earn tens upon tens of billions for Sky TV such is the interest in football.
Sky returns the favour by pumping hundreds and hundreds of millions into each club

So it's not the clubs buying these players is it ? it's Sky TV. They provide the funds so that clubs can buy the best and they can continue to broadcast the best action, and everybody's happy. Sky are happy, clubs, players, fans, audiences, sponsors, they're all happy...…..Except of course some Sheffield United fans who can only complain about how obscene it all is.

 

[SwissBlade]

I’d rather struggle around in the Championship and League 1 than pay £40m for players that are worth £4. I like our club and our mentality, others might think we should go mental and buy loads of shit players for loads of cash but I think they are wrong.

I was chatting with my piggy mate last season reminding him that he'd told me we'd do a Barnsley in our second season and get relegated, but so would they. Obviously this was when we were both one down.

I asked about the embargo and he said that "we're fucked", obviously i laughed. But i also made a point that we're also under embargo as the bids we put in are so far away from valuations set by clubs in this division and the only permanents we can sign are League one players. Tongue in cheek of course as we've signed Bryan from Man City and Egan as our record signing.

However, like yourself i've rather we didn't blow our load on ridiculously expensive signings. We talked about Jordan Rhodes and how expensive he was, "going rate for the Championship" he said, to which i said that 19 goal Leon and 10 goal Billy must be worth a hundred million each then!

I always thought it would be the Premier League that would implode, but with the money there not looking like dropping, it will yet again be in the Championship and League one where it happens. It won't be clubs that break FFP as the fines are so laughable that the clubs can pay them over long periods or they are so small not to affect them, but it will be the sides trying to get to the Premier League, the likes of Wednesday being a perfect example. Rich ambitious owner loved by the fans when he spends, hated when he tries to claw back the money.

Lets hope we continue with our stance!

 

[grafikhaus]

The old term about 'something being worth X, if somebody's prepared to pay X' simply doesn't apply in football. Clubs panic as the window closes, agents put rumours about, fans demand signings etc. As for Waghorn, he was worth around £5m but £8m? No way.

I know where Blade56 is coming from - the (heavily-manufactured) excitement of the opening day in the PL made you realise how far behind we are, but let's be realistic. If a Lamborghini drives past, yes a twinge of jealousy but you know it's a different breed of bloke driving it. Possibly a successful businessman. Or drug dealer.

Think of the PL as you would Formula One. Yes, it's (sometimes) exciting, it costs a fortune to attend and even more to pretend you're competing with the big boys. But ultimately, only one will win - one of the usual suspects. Clubs like Fulham, Wolves, Everton and the other 95% of the PL are pissing away vast fortunes because - apart from maybe a good run in the Carabao Cup - they're gonna win fuck all. Nice to dream, tho'.

 

[SwissBlade]

The old term about 'something being worth X, if somebody's prepared to pay X' simply doesn't apply in football. Clubs panic as the window closes, agents put rumours about, fans demand signings etc. As for Waghorn, he was worth around £5m but £8m? No way.

I know where Blade56 is coming from - the (heavily-manufactured) excitement of the opening day in the PL made you realise how far behind we are, but let's be realistic. If a Lamborghini drives past, yes a twinge of jealousy but you know it's a different breed of bloke driving it. Possibly a successful businessman. Or drug dealer.

Think of the PL as you would Formula One. Yes, it's (sometimes) exciting, it costs a fortune to attend and even more to pretend you're competing with the big boys. But ultimately, only one will win - one of the usual suspects. Clubs like Fulham, Wolves, Everton and the other 95% of the PL are pissing away vast fortunes because - apart from maybe a good run in the Carabao Cup - they're gonna win fuck all. Nice to dream, tho'.

10 teams are vying to stay in the PL every season... 5 to break the top 6 and 5 to win the league. By Christmas there's generally only two teams able to win it, but 10-15 will be trying to stay in it. This is the greatest league in the world, because the PL tells us this.

 

[8lade]

Fulham are a poor example to look at, last season they were utter rubbish at times so maybe (didn't see the game) this was another one of those days, when they get themselves together they will beat some of the middling teams but you can't mess around losing points to rivals in the Prem.
Wolves have a good chance of staying up, decent team that smashed the Championship and turning round about half the team in preparation for the Prem.
Cardiff weren't a patch on the other 2 and have bought 'the best' of the Championship to take with them (this was the bloke to worry about trying to nick Fleck or O'Connell).
Having said that we would probably do what Cardiff have done if we get up and it just isn't good enough anymore (to stay up).

 

[Blade56]

10 teams are vying to stay in the PL every season... 5 to break the top 6 and 5 to win the league. By Christmas there's generally only two teams able to win it, but 10-15 will be trying to stay in it. This is the greatest league in the world, because the PL tells us this.

Makes a mockery of the term 'fair play'. Hear what people are saying re standing firm and that suits McCabe cause no way can he afford to let us compete financially. Thing is, if you don't compete financially you don't compete on the pitch.

I would like the ownership situation to be resolved and wealth to be poured into making us one of the teams trying to break into the top 6 like we used to be (when I were a lad). That's purely selfish cause I want to watch the best of the best live, not on tv and I want to talk avpbout football and not finance over a pint. It can be done, look at the rise of some clubs other than mancitteh, I can remember not long back (2008) Bournemouth were virtually wiped out financially and relegated. 10 years on .

The alternative is football or more specifically the PL implodes but as you say it's more likely the championship implodes which is looking more likely although as you say, QPR's fine being reduced to £17 from £42million paid over 10 years could be the green light for wealthy clubs to take even more risks.

Meh, rambles on while bacon butty settles, time for another brew me thinks. Utb

 

[Lil red rooster]

It seems to me that going bust is a good thing ,all of a sudden investors want the clubs because the debts been wiped.
Southampton were bankrupt 12 months later they paid over 1 million for Ricky lambert and pissed the league .
No one wants to take on clubs with huge debts .
At sunderland Ellis Short has stood the debt and basically given the club away.
They'll have a season in league 1 and then back in the championship outbidding the likes of us for players.
Is this prudent bookkeeping really worth it ,has it got to the stage where McCabes holding us back now due to wilders success.
Mccabes time has been and gone for me he should move aside for the club to go forward.

 

[super_pig]

Wow, just wow. Clubs newly promoted like Fulham spent £100m in closed season, several others spending same sorts of money.

Then look at the level of quality of player dropping down to this league and the wages and transfer fees they are driving.

We sold an untested player for £12m and broke our club record with £4m. Think Roygbiv got it spot on with the club losing touch with the reality of the modern game. Watching MOTD and the spends going on I think I have as well.

No wonder we are being laughed at offering £3-4m for a player like QPR's Freeman when he was as influential for them as Brooke's ever was for us.

Even relegation favourites like Huddersfield spent £40m.

We have a lot of work to do on the pitch to stay in the league and a mountain of work to do on the ownership to survive let alone be in with a chance if promotion. This is not a moan, I was genuinely taken aback by the colossal numbers involved.

could be a spike this.. everyone is going nuts.. i reckon Spurs have played a blinder by not buying anyone this year.. i don't think we really need to buy anyone either if i am honest although playing the right players might help Chris

 

[Darlington82]

It seems to me that going bust is a good thing ,all of a sudden investors want the clubs because the debts been wiped.
Southampton were bankrupt 12 months later they paid over 1 million for Ricky lambert and pissed the league .
No one wants to take on clubs with huge debts .
At sunderland Ellis Short has stood the debt and basically given the club away.
They'll have a season in league 1 and then back in the championship outbidding the likes of us for players.
Is this prudent bookkeeping really worth it ,has it got to the stage where McCabes holding us back now due to wilders success.
Mccabes time has been and gone for me he should move aside for the club to go forward.

Agree McCabe wants to move aside, just not willing to take a huge loss like Ellis Short did. That is the fundamental point of all our problems. Wednesday had the same issue with Dave Allen and he only wanted his 5m back. McCabe wants 5+20+? for the ground. Hope mediation sorts it out next month, but can not see it.

 

[I'll tell me dad.]

Four million is the new four hundred thousand it would seem to me.

 

[blade too long]

Getting Coutts back will be like signing a 20m pound player

 

[robbiez666]

We need to invest extensively in scouting if we can ever hope to compete. Both in the UK and in Europe. I don't think full international scouting is needed as yet given the finances of the club. Costs much more and there's only a small pool to sign from. We could do with building up links and relationships around the world though.

There are players to be had for very good money, it's just being aware and getting in there first and smoothing the path.

We can moan about the ridiculous cost of some players that have moved to the Championship this year (including £4-5 million for John Egan, which I'm still struggling to believe is true), but there are big teams bringing in bargains (McGinn to Villa for under £3 million is incredible).

Our problem is that we all too often bid for players whose clubs don't want to sell them, the player doesn't particularly want to move and whose wages we're likely to improve. It's knowing whose contracts are coming up, who isn't particularly happy where they are etc, as well as how good a player is.

We also need to bring in players who we're looking to develop and improve as opposed to trying to find the finished article. We had a perfect opportunity in the striking department. Bring them in and say they'll get a chance but will be gradually replacing those here to become number 1.

 

[nicksufc]

I'm less and less interested in watching United by the day; it's so clearly not a level playing field anymore, something which has been obvious for quite some time but has gotten ridiculous over the past year or two. Now it has spread to the Championship. basically, if you want to get promoted you're going to have to spend vastly beyond your means, plunging the club into hundreds of millions of debt and putting the business' jobs at risk.

We're trying to progress as a club but it's going to take a miracle of a season to go up considering the sums that other clubs are now spending. How the fuck can we compete with the likes of Boro, Stoke, WBA, Derby, Forest etc, all of whom spent £20m+ over the last 12 months - money that either they don't have or comes from a rich benefactor. You're punished for trying to spend sensibly and within your means, and it stinks.