From the Guy who broke Rossi,Sibs,Sam,Viduka,Barton

[Baggio 0]

Having the money to spend is one thing but getting top class players to come here when we're not even in the Uefa cup is another.

[Papa Lazaru 0]

Having the money to spend is one thing but getting top class players to come here when we're not even in the Uefa cup is another.

 

Its certainly a fact to consider, in getting the very best players. But i do think one year out of the UEFA at this time is in a way a good thing.

 

We will have less fixtures to play than the teams we will be competing with like Spurs, so better rested players and less risk of injury and fatige. And it will allow Big Sam to concentrate fully on the league place, with hopefully a domestic cup run.

 

Our best year with Bobby was when we weren't in europe and finished 3rd, having got knocked out the intertoto when Bobby played my beloved 3-5-2 formation, which never fails!

[Baggio 0]

Having the money to spend is one thing but getting top class players to come here when we're not even in the Uefa cup is another.

 

Its certainly a fact to consider, in getting the very best players. But i do think one year out of the UEFA at this time is in a way a good thing.

 

We will have less fixtures to play than the teams we will be competing with like Spurs, so better rested players and less risk of injury and fatige. And it will allow Big Sam to concentrate fully on the league place, with hopefully a domestic cup run.

 

Our best year with Bobby was when we weren't in europe and finished 3rd, having got knocked out the intertoto when Bobby played my beloved 3-5-2 formation, which never fails!

 

I agree with us being out of the Uefa cup, any money we lose in that will hopefully be made up by a higher league finish, you see a lot of clubs struggle with an extra dozen games on top of an already hectic campaign.

 

It's all a building process at the moment, I wouldn't be in a rush to go out and spend the reported £40 million just because it's there, get players in to get us back in Europe and then work on attracting the better players then, it'll be easier in the long run.

[luckyluke 1]

Having the money to spend is one thing but getting top class players to come here when we're not even in the Uefa cup is another.

 

Its certainly a fact to consider, in getting the very best players. But i do think one year out of the UEFA at this time is in a way a good thing.

 

We will have less fixtures to play than the teams we will be competing with like Spurs, so better rested players and less risk of injury and fatige. And it will allow Big Sam to concentrate fully on the league place, with hopefully a domestic cup run.

 

Our best year with Bobby was when we weren't in europe and finished 3rd, having got knocked out the intertoto when Bobby played my beloved 3-5-2 formation, which never fails!

 

We finished fourth that year. Finished third the year after just before the Partizan debacle. But I take your point.

[The Fish 8989]

The problem is we cannot attract the big guns until we've got something to shoot for. Our best hopes for tangible success next year will be the domestic cups and that might not be enough to have stars flocking to the gates of St James'

 

I hope Ashley is aware of this and doesn't think that simply an inability to sign a player does not neccesarily mean that Sam isn't trying.

 

 

I think with the right signings and proper drilling we have a genuine and realistic chance of one of the cups, if for no other reason than this year, we will be an unknown quantity. We'll have new players, different attitude/optimism but most importantly a different style of play.

 

That's why so many teams who are promoted attain a higher league position than their squad would indicate and why Fulham and the like struggle. Everyone knows what to expect from them and they don't have the same impetus from when they were the new kids on the block.

 

So I'm not expecting £40m worth of big names, I'd expect a couple more signings on the Viduka, Barton scale and maybe in the summer a fresh face or two from abroad, but next summer I'd want to see some impressive names.

 

until then I'll be patient