wots happened to the game, Reading have apparently offered £10m for him. How the chuff can we compete in this market? I'd rather pay £7m for fletcher than him. We'd be splashing the cash at £1.5-£2m & that won't get you owt. It really is just nuts.
It also highlights something our directors need to be very aware of ....... how much are our players actually worth in the current market? These latest few sales that Barnsley have made were alright at the time - but are increasingly looking like bargains now.
The value of players (in the top 2 divisions especially) is intrinsically linked to the amount of money teams have and that comes largely down to Sky. It has very little, or anything to do with actual value and the players actual skill level. When Shearer went for a record £3.5m people thought it was crazy money. Yet no one in their right minds would say that Wells is nearly three times as good as he was. The same for those strikers going at £30m+. Most of them don't have records anything approaching Shearer's. It's crackers. On that basis we're looking at those players in the divisions below as they offer excellent value and like Wells can end up making a decent player at this level - and obviously a massive profit. The problem is spotting the ones who can become the player we need without being obviously a class above. Winnall probably falls into this 'under the radar' category. His record was good, but he wasn't being chased by Championship teams as a stand-out player. It goes without saying that these players are few and far in between.The other alternative is picking up unwanted youth players from those Championship/Premiership teams who have question marks over them making the grade. Again this isn't without problems as strikers especially attract attention and there's always the risk we end up being a shop window for them to move elsewhere - see Fletcher. The final alternative is to hopefully find players outside the striking position who score goals. We were lucky with this in Hourihane, Watkins, Scowen, even our CB's scored a few. Currently it's this that worries me with the present team. I think we can be competitive and have a good team, but can we score the goals? A team with players who score goals can make up for deficiencies in other areas, but when you don't have goals in a team small problems can end up looking like massive cracks, even if you have a decent team.
People also have to realise that if we become successful (ie promotion), we will end up with that kind of money and to some degree become like those other clubs and the system we like to hate so much. We can't have it all ways. "Football and money is disgusting! But we want Barnsley in the Premiership".
Always thought he was a decent Championship striker, but £10 million is f*cking nuts. Transfer fees seem to have become even more crazy this summer.
13/14 - 22 appearances - 7 goals 14/15 - 25 appearances - 11 goals 15/16 - 44 Appearances - 14 goals 16/17 - 43 appearances - 10 goals. Reliable enough for 10+ goals a season, but not the record of someone pulling up trees at this level.
To be honest, I want Barnsley there like we are now. Against the odds, battling and trying our damned hardest but doing it the right way. I'd rather stay in Championship/briefly dipping in and out of League One forever than suddenly be bought by a rich owner and be a Premiership darling who throws money around left, right and centre but earns nowt for themselves.
No such thing as the "right way". There's a way that works and a way that doesn't. It all comes down to where you want to be in the pyramid and how successful you want to be. Or not.
Of course there is, it takes all the sense of achievement out of it if you've pretty much cheated your way there. I couldn't be proud of a team like that. It's like sleeping with someone to get a promotion at work, 'it's a way that works and boils down to where you want to be in the pyramid and how successful you want to be. Or not.' It's not a way I'd take though, I'd rather earn my way properly or not at all.
I don't see why the current system has to change if we did manage to get into the premier league or even top end of the championship. Yes we would have more money and be a more attractive proposition to existing and potential players, but surely that just means we can keep hold of more of our players and win the race for the most exciting young players from "lesser" teams. Doesn't mean we have to go and spend £20 million on a 29 year old?
That is the aim ... If it's not then we should close the the gates, knock it down and build houses on it
I don't think the example of sleeping with someone works. Do you think Brighton did things the wrong way or just differently? They took a huge gamble and you might say they spent money they didn't have, morally you might say it is "cheating" but in terms of FL rules it isn't. They're just able and/or willing to take a risk that BFC are not. If we did it and got to the Premiership it would not bother me one iota. If they were really honest about it no one else would be. Whether we like it or not this is modern football. To say Brighton didn't "earn" their way is wrong. They accrued however many points they did and that was enough to get them promoted. They didn't bribe anyone.