Incoming? Ryan Bennett

[McGrath]

This all sounded like agent generated guff to me. If anyone has read The Secret Footballer, they might to remember him saying that agents like to fabricate interest from other clubs and put it out in the media so they can bump up wages with the club they are negotiating a contract with

 

[JayGreen17]

Fuck him. We don't need him anyway.

We just won League One at a canter, 100 points, Basham, O'Connell and Wright.

No need for a centre half.

BRING IT ON

Wrong - we need 2 experienced championship centre backs

 

[wizadry]

Not bothered about missing out on this lad as there will be others out there but those who think EEL would be a good addition I totally disagree with.

He hardly played in the last few months for us last season because of a mixture of his form and other players keeping him out of the side (in effect, not good enough to play) so for this reason alone I'll be a bit surprised if Wilder sees him good enough for the Championship.

 

[Muttley]

Absolutely agree but will be interesting to see whether we can attract better players who also want to be here when other clubs in a similar position offer much more money. We offered something different last year because we were the big club and could probably have met most other offers so it was easy for players to want to come / be here and the togetherness could well have grown as the season progressed. I fully support the sentiment and trust CW, but we might just have to prepare ourselves for some disappointments over the next few weeks.

My fear exactly.

 

[Ricky]

I'd like Championship experience at centre half.

But if we can't get the right player for the right money I'd rather sign a less proven player for a good price. We'd be OK, we could easily end up better off. Someone like Cian Bolger could be an astute signing.

 

[JOEYDEE]

He's gone for the club'with more ambition '..yeah right,well we'll see about that shall we ?
Just because we won't pay the same silly wages that Wolves are offering, don't mean we aren't ambitious, far from it..I think we are becoming very forward looking in all departments, and we will surprise a few 'experts'next season.
UTB

 

[FriethBlade]

I just don't understand why people are slagging him for moving to a club who are offering higher wages...it's a job ffs and if Wolves are offering significantly more why wouldn't he go there?

I'm ambivalent about this one but it is slightly worrying (if true of course) that a mid level championship club without any parachute payments appears to have significantly more firepower than us when we also have a supposedly very rich foreign owner. Let's hope that Tufty has stuck to his valuation on the player and we move on to the next one.

 

[davidblade]

I just don't understand why people are slagging him for moving to a club who are offering higher wages...it's a job ffs and if Wolves are offering significantly more why wouldn't he go there?

I'm ambivalent about this one but it is slightly worrying (if true of course) that a mid level championship club without any parachute payments appears to have significantly more firepower than us when we also have a supposedly very rich foreign owner. Let's hope that Tufty has stuck to his valuation on the player and we move on to the next one.

It's not surprising or worrying at all , he has just finished a contract with Norwich where he will of been on premiership wages.
We currently have a squad of players on division one wages , if we tried to compete with Wolves it would unbalance our whole wage structure and Wilder's club ethos.

 

[Tynemouth Blade]

I'd like Championship experience at centre half.

But if we can't get the right player for the right money I'd rather sign a less proven player for a good price. We'd be OK, we could easily end up better off. Someone like Cian Bolger could be an astute signing.

Cian Bolger: Good call.

 

[JordoBlade]

I remember the last CB that opposition fans said he wasn't good enough to make the step up never mind play in his current division like Bennett. Ladies and gentlemen I give you Jake Wright....

 

[Davie Blade]

Disappointing. It's a bit of a reality check for us.

If they've offered double what we have you can't blame him for moving. He'll fancy his chances of getting in their team regardless of who the manager is.

Bad couple of days with him, Mendez-Laing, Etheridge and seemingly Danny Ward all going elsewhere.

We'll have plenty of alternative targets though.

Reality check Indeed.
Many in football have woke up to just how good CW.AK recruitment strategy is.
A year ago it was pretty easy to get players to join the biggest club in the 3rd division by a country mile, but now we are in the Championship it means we are easily outbid. . There are many championship clubs, outrageously backed in a game of chase the dream, paying more in wages than they take in revenue.
We could lose out on many potential signings.
Might not be what many on here want to hear but any agent worth his salt, as soon as he knows CW/AK are interested are going to be going public to get higher wages for the player and commission for themselves.
The harsh reality is we can become victims of our own success.

 

[BushBlade]

I just don't understand why people are slagging him for moving to a club who are offering higher wages...it's a job ffs and if Wolves are offering significantly more why wouldn't he go there?

I'm ambivalent about this one but it is slightly worrying (if true of course) that a mid level championship club without any parachute payments appears to have significantly more firepower than us when we also have a supposedly very rich foreign owner. Let's hope that Tufty has stuck to his valuation on the player and we move on to the next one.

Who's our supposedly very rich foreign owner? Have we been taken over?

 

[Rodley]

Reality check Indeed.
Many in football have woke up to just how good CW.AK recruitment strategy is.
A year ago it was pretty easy to get players to join the biggest club in the 3rd division by a country mile, but now we are in the Championship it means we are easily outbid. . There are many championship clubs, outrageously backed in a game of chase the dream, paying more in wages than they take in revenue.
We could lose out on many potential signings.
Might not be what many on here want to hear but any agent worth his salt, as soon as he knows CW/AK are interested are going to be going public to get higher wages for the player and commission for themselves.
The harsh reality is we can become victims of our own success.

Our owners are "middle order" in the Championship money stakes. But I'm thankful that they have the clubs interests at heart - just look at Cellino et al.

 

[Bladey McBladeface]

Pin this on the wall and let's finish above Wolves this season.

 

[Deadbat]

Pin this on the wall and let's finish above Wolves this season.

Why does he have to say that? Pathetic really and might be way off the mark. Hope so anyway.

I will go out on a limb and say with the uncertainty behind the scenes, another foreign manager untried in this country let alone Championship; I think we should be looking to finish similiar position or higher than Wolves. They will be a long way off the top and closer to the bottom i feel.

 

[CamelBlade]

Top Notch! What an idiot. As Deadbat says pretty confident we will finish above them. I have not been this confident for years.

 

[Davie Blade]

Our owners are "middle order" in the Championship money stakes. But I'm thankful that they have the clubs interests at heart - just look at Cellino et al.

Oh how I wish!

This is a deep read but gives an idea of our relative dire poverty and why we will continue to lose out in player signings against most Championship clubs.
https://swissramble.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/ipswich-town-stuck-in-moment.html
Huddersfield have a £10k a week wage cap paying £13m a year with revenues of £11. Losing £5 mill a year and they are one of the least wealthy in the whole league!

 

[veganblade]

Now that makes it two clubs I desperately want us to finish above. Stinks of a lack of professionalism by the cheap dig. But then again, many are not intellectuals.

'Top half challenge' - a big assumption to make based on, well - not much in recent times. Frequent manager and owner changes, excessive spending for a ROI of a decline in league positioning since their Championship return.

I understand money talks but get real with where your club is currently too. Such comments can come back around to haunt you like a certain play-off final 'contender'...ye' old delusional.

UTB!

 

[Rodley]

Oh how I wish!

This is a deep read but gives an idea of our relative dire poverty and why we will continue to lose out in player signings against most Championship clubs.
https://swissramble.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/ipswich-town-stuck-in-moment.html
Huddersfield have a £10k a week wage cap paying £13m a year with revenues of £11. Losing £5 mill a year and they are one of the least wealthy in the whole league!

Brighton with a £26m loss in one year?! Christ almighty!!

 

[BushBlade]

Brighton with a £26m loss in one year?! Christ almighty!!

That's been going on for six years too. Loss of around £150m plus another £100m or so on the new stadium.

 

[Ricky]

If that's genuine, it's a clumsy, pathetic comment from Bennett but he's hardly going to say "I just quite fancied 20k p/w as opposed to 10k p/w to be honest..."

 

[ljk]

Pin this on the wall and let's finish above Wolves this season.

I could understand why he chose them but saying shit like that (if it's a legitimate quote) just makes him come across as a self-interested charlatan and gives us fodder to reinforce our own 'team before the individual' philosophy.

Enjoy Wolverhampton, asshole.

 

[YES Blade]

Jesus! Some of you just love to get wound up by nothing!

He's just giving it the usual new signing sucking up to the fans comments.

Where does he mention Sheffield United?

 

[Champagneblade]

"You greedy fucking bastard" wouldn't be the worst chant to be thrown his way when we play Wolves, followed by "again, we'll never play you again" as their foreign importa slip slide down the league in the winter months as we drive on for the end of season spoils!

Or so we'd like!

 

[siblade]

If we are the other club and the quote is true then I'm sure CW will not have much trouble motivating the team for the match with them. Just proves he wasn't a player we need in our team and if he thinks Wolves are going to be challenging then he's just as thick as he appears.

 

[BushBlade]

I was really impressed by Wolves' promotion challenge last season. I think with a bit of luck they could well improve on that.

 

[gavtheblade]

They are a team which I dislike.
A lot.

 

[Norderner]

Absolute arse wipe in my opinion. Who in their right mind would join a club without a manager? He signs and then finds out he's Portuguese to boot! He hasn't got a cat in hells chance of playing at wolves. So he's gone there to get a splintered arse for a few £ more. Glad we dodged a bullet there.

 

[Balham]

Oh how I wish!

This is a deep read but gives an idea of our relative dire poverty and why we will continue to lose out in player signings against most Championship clubs.
https://swissramble.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/ipswich-town-stuck-in-moment.html
Huddersfield have a £10k a week wage cap paying £13m a year with revenues of £11. Losing £5 mill a year and they are one of the least wealthy in the whole league!

Thanks for that Davie, interesting read. This is pretty scary though: conventional wisdom is that a wages shouldn't make up more than 60% of revenue (hence the SCMP regs in Leagues One and Two) but it looks like only one club in the Championship meets that. Brentford and Forest are not viable if these numbers are accurate.

As for Bennett: fuck him. He's someone else's problem now and evidently money is his main motivation.

 

[YES Blade]

I really don't understand this money is Bennett's motivation view. It's just coming across as sour grapes to me. It's not like he's joined a small Championship club like Burton for a couple of extra grand.

Wolves are a decent sized club who are established at this level, Bennett can also expect to challenge for a first team place. If you asked most neutrals who you would expect to be challenging for promotion next season, many would say Wolves over us. The extra wages will be a factor, but it wouldn't surprise me if he chose Wolves over us if the contract offer had been exactly the same.