You can tell Wednesday have won one. Any team that is in the European places after the three quarter mark in a season is a realistic contender. The opening post was written innumerable times by Wednesday fans last season and the previous season: the bubble bursting, the step up in level unbridgeable, reality check etc.
January signings aside, United's recruitment was about filling the squad with young, hungry players that wouldn't break the bank, were saleable, and could grow with the club regardless of division. This was a necessity after the club had invested very little in the squad over Wilder's tenure, resulting in an ageing, threadbare squad that had to be addressed. The fees paid for Callum Robinson, Freeman and Osborn were well under their real value due to their (favourable, for us) individual contractual situations. On that basis alone, only the hard of thinking would believe theses signings not to be sound business. (For reference: We paid around 50% of Wednesday's expenditure on Rhodes on each player). We were spending half a Rhodes or a Reach level sum on proven elite Championship players that would (at worst) result in us getting promoted next season if we went down. Our squad all have big wage drops in their contracts too, and no doubt hefty promotion bonuses in the event we did/do go down, (see the promotion season bonus's); so, really, this was a very sound strategy. We've outperformed massively which explains a lot about the inability of these players to break in: Freeman and Osborn have been excellent when they have played, and look a snip at the prices paid. C Robinson doesn't look like he fits in our system, but still looks the bees knees coming in off the left in the Championship for WBA. He's probably worth double our money, so, again, this was a prudent bit of business. If we change system slightly his United career could turn around. As for Jags: one year and then we can move him on. No wage would've followed us into the Championship if we'd gone down. Prudent financial management, unlike that seen in S6; the same with Henderson. J Robinson has been an excellent acquisition: he'll be on peanuts, cost peanuts and would be top drawer in the Championship base on his performances thus far.
Moussett represented a worthwhile gamble, and he's more than paid his fee back already. He has the potential to really kick on. If he doesn't he was a good buy anyway. The fact the opening poster put Stevens and Basham on his not good enough list is laughable, but the omission of Baldock from the list of premier league players takes the biscuit. He's only been one of the best RWB in the country this season.
It is really naive of anybody to judge these new acquisitions after one year anyway. When they came in, the younger ones were highlighted by Wilder as development projects. You only have to look at how many of our other players have been transformed by Wilder, Knill and the fitness staff, when they've previously had a pre season or two to work with them and develop them tactically, technically and physically. It's a brave/foolish man that would bet against this happening again with some of them. Next season would be the first season at Bramall Lane when we haven't seen huge improvements in individuals, if that was the eventuality. Wilder marked people's cards re Berge only days ago. The question I'd ask the opening poster is this: why are players on the books (particularly new signings) not going to improve next season when it has happened in all Wilder's previous seasons?
If the opening poster is one of the number of Wednesday fans that have come on here in the last week, I hope he has learnt something about prudent financial management and building an affordable squad from my riposte.