seany t
President
- Joined
- May 11, 2006
- Messages
- 3,566
As it's all doom and gloom around here (perhaps a little unsurprisingly) I thought a topic to discuss in the meantime might be in order.
So I thought we could discuss WHY transfers are so hard to conclude nowadays. Here's my lot:
For a start, I think it's due to escalated prices. The top teams pay WAY more than they sometimes ought to, meaning that rather than that money trickling down to the bottom, prices become over-inflated for everyone else too for average talent. Therefore League One sides have to pay CCC wages to keep stars on long term deals, struggle to keep their best players, have issues if / when relegated. The money at the top of the game is handsome, and getting handsomer, but down at the bottom it operates on a different, incomparable level.
Secondly, contracts and handshakes count for nothing. Loyalty is sadly a thing of the past for most, and we've been relatively fortunate in this respect in recent years. When did a player last see out a 2 year deal or stay true to his word after a good season? Sign a donkey for 3 years, you are screwed financially. Sign a legend for 10, and he'll still leave after a good season and a few leaked calls by your agent.
Thirdly, the modern pressures on managers are huge. Several managers have all spoken about how hard it is to get someone in given the small window of time, from League One managers like Tilly through to bigger fry like Strachan, Moyes, Wenger and Allardyce. I partially blame the internet, modern hunger for 'gossip' and SSN for this personally.
Any half decent rumour in recent seasons has generally turned out to be in fact true, usually leaked by someone inside a club on a public forum and then picked up by the press. It's hard to keep a secret in this day and age, and the moment the rumour is out there on the web, it alerts rival managers who will entice targets with more money, a nicer area to live, a good car, etc.
Lastly, there is also still a recession on. Some clubs are reluctant to loan players out. Some are reluctant to loan players in for financial reasons. Everyone is biding their time, hoping this storm passes, but in reality every club I read about is largely struggling to attract decent stars or keep hold of their prized assets. Whilst I am highly scathing of King's words this week, I don't envy his job. You have to keep the Echo out of the stories or else deals could be scuppered, you have to make sure you're not perceived as skint or else you'll be raided but you can't be seen to be doing well (as we were 3 years back) or else you'll pay over the odds, as we perhaps did in hindsight for a few individuals.
And what reward do you get for mediocrity and stability? Fans on your back, less TV revenue or players leaving when they get the chance.
So I never blame Tilson for not being able to get someone in; the question is, is this the future of transfers in the country? And if so will it turn (if it hasn't already) the bottom 3 divisions into a set of skint, feeder clubs for the elite few, who in turn are feeder clubs for the even more elite dozen or so?
So I thought we could discuss WHY transfers are so hard to conclude nowadays. Here's my lot:
For a start, I think it's due to escalated prices. The top teams pay WAY more than they sometimes ought to, meaning that rather than that money trickling down to the bottom, prices become over-inflated for everyone else too for average talent. Therefore League One sides have to pay CCC wages to keep stars on long term deals, struggle to keep their best players, have issues if / when relegated. The money at the top of the game is handsome, and getting handsomer, but down at the bottom it operates on a different, incomparable level.
Secondly, contracts and handshakes count for nothing. Loyalty is sadly a thing of the past for most, and we've been relatively fortunate in this respect in recent years. When did a player last see out a 2 year deal or stay true to his word after a good season? Sign a donkey for 3 years, you are screwed financially. Sign a legend for 10, and he'll still leave after a good season and a few leaked calls by your agent.
Thirdly, the modern pressures on managers are huge. Several managers have all spoken about how hard it is to get someone in given the small window of time, from League One managers like Tilly through to bigger fry like Strachan, Moyes, Wenger and Allardyce. I partially blame the internet, modern hunger for 'gossip' and SSN for this personally.
Any half decent rumour in recent seasons has generally turned out to be in fact true, usually leaked by someone inside a club on a public forum and then picked up by the press. It's hard to keep a secret in this day and age, and the moment the rumour is out there on the web, it alerts rival managers who will entice targets with more money, a nicer area to live, a good car, etc.
Lastly, there is also still a recession on. Some clubs are reluctant to loan players out. Some are reluctant to loan players in for financial reasons. Everyone is biding their time, hoping this storm passes, but in reality every club I read about is largely struggling to attract decent stars or keep hold of their prized assets. Whilst I am highly scathing of King's words this week, I don't envy his job. You have to keep the Echo out of the stories or else deals could be scuppered, you have to make sure you're not perceived as skint or else you'll be raided but you can't be seen to be doing well (as we were 3 years back) or else you'll pay over the odds, as we perhaps did in hindsight for a few individuals.
And what reward do you get for mediocrity and stability? Fans on your back, less TV revenue or players leaving when they get the chance.
So I never blame Tilson for not being able to get someone in; the question is, is this the future of transfers in the country? And if so will it turn (if it hasn't already) the bottom 3 divisions into a set of skint, feeder clubs for the elite few, who in turn are feeder clubs for the even more elite dozen or so?
