My view on (the lack of) City's transfer activity.

[harry the plumber]

My feeling on our transfer activity is two fold...

Firstly every team wants to screw us with ridiculous fees and we can't fall into that hole now or we will never get out so we have had to act very differently and much more hardball than planned.

Secondly all the Bellamy type targets are very much second or third choices and will not be signed until our first choices are definitely no goes and we will not panic due to impatient lily livered fans into overpaying for 3rd choices. Our first choices are proving harder to get for the reason above and due to the fact we are not as high up the league as we thought we would be and so are proving to be longer negotiations.

However for some reason our doom monger ,lily livered, deppresive, impatient and rather naiive fans want to try and make it incompetence or Conspiracy. Incompetence would be signing our second choices early for expensive prices to keep BlueMoon happy!

Whey have we signed Bridge only? Because he is the only first choice signing we have managed to get!!!

Wow some people do talk sence.
Spot on ealingblue

 

[Brucie Bonus]

My feeling on our transfer activity is two fold...

Firstly every team wants to screw us with ridiculous fees and we can't fall into that hole now or we will never get out so we have had to act very differently and much more hardball than planned.

So you admit our plans have changed somewhat? Hughes stated we would not pay over the odds, he also stated we wanted players as soon as possible. The demands being made must be in excess of what even he contemplated, and the plan to get players in from the off has been shelved. Hughes must not think 18-20m for RSC Cruz or 20m for Bellamy and Parker, or 15m for Lescott (plus their wages) are "ridiculous" amounts. When did Hughes and Cook realize they would have to "act very differently"?

Secondly all the Bellamy type targets are very much second or third choices

Do you think they don't know this? Do you imagine they will want to move knowing that Hughes will discard them in summer once his primary obejctive of saving his and Cooks jobs has been achieved? Do you think they don't realize Hughes might be replaced come summer (hell, he might be replaced in the next few weeks) and they don't fancy what that might lead to.

and will not be signed until our first choices are definitely no goes

We don't even really know who are first choices are though, do we? These can't be first choices who are less than impressed at the prospect of playing for an apprentice won-nowt manager can they?

and we will not panic due to impatient lily livered fans into overpaying for 3rd choices.

Are the players I mentioned above examples of first, second, or third choices? Who is doing the panicing?

Our first choices are proving harder to get for the reason above

No, not at all. Our first choices are not harder to get because of the money involved, we have the money, it's not out of OUR control.

and due to the fact we are not as high up the league as we thought we would be and so are proving to be longer negotiations.

That's an interesting way of putting it: you might have said, "we are lower in the league"...and why are we so low? Why are negotiations taking longer? What does one have to do with the other? Can you be specific. If I understand what you have written, negotiations (for out first choice players) are taking longer (than orginally planned?) because they are asking for more money (than originally thought...and we are also talking to others without closing the door on our first choices?), and our first choices are showing some reiticence because of our lowly league postition, and whilst they determine City's realistic chances of playing in Europe next year.

Perhaps another reason is they don't think some apprentice manager who has won nothing, with only three years experience at Blackburn, is the kind of manager they want to move lock, stock, and barrel for. They might look at our record under Hughes, and imagine a. he's not good enough, and b. he isn't going to be around much longer anyway.

However for some reason our doom monger ,lily livered, deppresive, impatient and rather naiive fans want to try and make it incompetence or Conspiracy. Incompetence would be signing our second choices early for expensive prices to keep BlueMoon happy!

Whey have we signed Bridge only? Because he is the only first choice signing we have managed to get!!!

 

[Wheelsy]

But really, how many transfers have there been so far across the league? I can only think of four.

 

[bluemoondays]

But really, how many transfers have there been so far across the league? I can only think of four.

Yeah, but other managers on TV and in the papers haven't been bleating about the need to strengthen the team quickly.

I still think Hughes deserves some time, I'm a very patient person normally but he is beginning to really piss me off in terms of our league points total and position.

 

[Rammyblues]

We hae all said since the summer we need a quality left back, in Wayne Bridge that has now been addressed. Crying out loud give it time, there is still 20 days left of the transfer window and we might yet have a manic last day again as in August. For me it is imperative we sign a keeper and another defensive midfield player or box to box type player who can tackle. The keeper question I will put on my tin hat now, I don't think Hart is good enough just yet. We need a keeper who can catch a ball in the area under pressure. Whether Given is the man or Cudicini or even Kirkland I can wait and see. We also need a front line striker all the strikers on our books seem to be the second striker. Jo included, for those who get on his back cut him some slack he is only 19 and has been asked to play as front man. Again I am prepared to give him time just like Sturridge and Evans. As for the big money signing just wish we would sign Kaka and then we can all relax and get on with life.

 

[stuart141180]

I think the original post is spot on and I don't understand why people punish our fellow fans for having this concern, please please prove us pesemists wrong and make some world class signings. ROLE ON THE NEXT THREE WEEKS

 

[Cambridgeblue]

Yawn...

Can you name any industry (other than football) where highly sensitive and commercially important deals are announced well before they are completed? No - because it doesn't happen.

I'm sure there will be activity before to long - if anything the hold up is because of our wealth, which means agents and clubs think we can be taken for a ride. We don't want to be paying over the odds if we can help it, especially to Premiership teams, because all we would be doing is strengthening the opposition.

My feeling is that city are playing it smart and keeping a lid on things with non disclosure agreements all over the place. I also think some of the so called targets (Bellamy, Parker etc) are designed to draw attention away from the other negociations we are conducting.

I am not saying we are after Kaka etc etc but what I am saying is that I think our deals this january will be more defensively orientated than the current media speculation suggests.

Scoring goals has not been our biggest problem - it has been shipping them at the other end that has hurt us. Once we get on top (as we did against Pompey and Hull) we can roll over teams but if we conceed first we struggle. Although signing big name strikers and attacking midfielders is exciting and sells papers I would be amazed if that was where our transfer focus truly lies.

 

[stuart141180]

Yawn...

Can you name any industry (other than football) where highly sensitive and commercially important deals are announced well before they are completed? No - because it doesn't happen.

I'm sure there will be activity before to long - if anything the hold up is because of our wealth, which means agents and clubs think we can be taken for a ride. We don't want to be paying over the odds if we can help it, especially to Premiership teams, because all we would be doing is strengthening the opposition.

My feeling is that city are playing it smart and keeping a lid on things with non disclosure agreements all over the place. I also think some of the so called targets (Bellamy, Parker etc) are designed to draw attention away from the other negociations we are conducting.

I am not saying we are after Kaka etc etc but what I am saying is that I think our deals this january will be more defensively orientated than the current media speculation suggests.

Scoring goals has not been our biggest problem - it has been shipping them at the other end that has hurt us. Once we get on top (as we did against Pompey and Hull) we can roll over teams but if we conceed first we struggle. Although signing big name strikers and attacking midfielders is exciting and sells papers I would be amazed if that was where our transfer focus truly lies.

It does make sense that our current speculation is helping keep a lid on our true targets, I HOPE YOU ARE RIGHT WITH THIS!!!!!!!!

 

[SHAUNSWRIGHTFOOT]

Boring .........!

You clearly couldn't negotiate your way out of a paper bag nor have any idea
how any kind of big money deal is done.
You can work months on any financial transaction, which is what transfers of
players essentially are, and still they fall through at the last minute.

As much as i detest Fat Sam at Blackburn, he's spot on the money when he
say's that they would be stupid to sell players to a relegation contender.
They'll lose much more by going down than what they get for Santa Cruz
of us.

Big star players will be held onto, so that there clubs can gain maximum points in
January before they leave on virtually the last day possible.

All our buys big or small will come in the last week if the clubs selling have any sense.
So chill out,stock up the fridge with beer, book the day after transfer deadline day off
and get ready for another deadline day madhouse.

 

[stuart141180]

Boring .........!

You clearly couldn't negotiate your way out of a paper bag nor have any idea
how any kind of big money deal is done.
You can work months on any financial transaction, which is what transfers of
players essentially are, and still they fall through at the last minute.

As much as i detest Fat Sam at Blackburn, he's spot on the money when he
say's that they would be stupid to sell players to a relegation contender.
They'll lose much more by going down than what they get for Santa Cruz
of us.

Big star players will be held onto, so that there clubs can gain maximum points in
January before they leave on virtually the last day possible.

All our buys big or small will come in the last week if the clubs selling have any sense.
So chill out,stock up the fridge with beer, book the day after transfer deadline day off
and get ready for another deadline day madhouse.

It obviously aint than boring or you wouldn't have taken the time to reply and if you are such a good negotiator maybee you should get yous ass in there and get us some world class players however I do agree with what you are saying but the concern over only one signing isn't something we have created it is a product of the statements made by the clubs representatives saying they intend to do business earlier rather than later.