Race for Walcott hots up

[Barrington Womble]

Dave, said that we offered £3M for him last summer. Saints wanted £3.5m so Parry walked away.

 

so what? in the summer he'd hardly kicked a ball and there's no way anyone on these forums then could have put a price on him because they wouldn't have seen enough of him playing. LFC on the other hand had had him scouted. after watching him, we decided 3m was the top line - if you know anything about business, you only pay what you think something is worth. you talk about half a mil as if it is about 50p or something. if we threw the odd mil here and the odd half mil there on every transfer, we'd soon be sitting in the samne financial mess the likes of leeds and man city are in.

 

do you think parry is big mates with mickey thomas or something?

[Vim Fuego]

We don't tend to buy super star players, and we don't get involved in the chase for the countries hottest talents, so we have the best manager in the world working with smaller budgets than Newcastle, Tottenham, and Middlesboro. I don't think thats right for a club of our size, history and success.

 

Where's throwing that money around got those teams though? I'd rather we bought players that will improve the team so we can win a cup now and again rather than do a Newcastle (who've won nothing for going on 60 years incase you'd not noticed) and throw money at strikers just to keep the natives onside when it's painfully obvious a couple of quality defenders would be more useful

[05 Milan]

Rashid, I've been reading some of the stuff on here for quite a while now, and I've noticed that you have a tendency to treat foreseeability as if it's merely a reflection of hindsight. Just because, at this moment in time it may look as though having paid £3.5M for Walcott in the summer would have been a good thing to do doesn't mean that, on the information available then, and in view of the circumstances then it wasn't the correct decision to pass on it. We're not in the position to know all the facts of the situation in the summer - how much money we had and what other targets were being looked at.

 

Right now £3.5M looks like a steal for him. In three years' time it may look like the biggest waste of money ever. But, if we bought him now and that turned out to be the case, would that mean it was the wrong thing to do to gambled the money? No, it would just mean circumstance have changed and it didn't work out.

 

Ultimately the point I'm making is this: just because things end up in a mess it doesn't necessarily mean that they do so because people were stupid, negligent or useless. Unless and until we have possession of all the facts - and that's not going to happen unless Rick and Dave suddenly post the accounts on the Internet and tell everyone what they're thinking and everything Rafa says - we simply can't know whether their decisions make sense or not. True, it rather stiffles a whole line of posting, but even so, all the disappointment in the world over our failure to sign Zidane/Ronaldinho/Adriano/Joaquin/etc.etc.... isn't going to change any of that.

 

Y'know, for a farmers boy you sure talk a lot of sense.

[Brownie]

I can see what people are saying about the extra half million, but seeing as he's about to be sold for double the price wouldn't that indicate that it was a mistake not to pay it? Don't get me wrong i'm not criticising Parry particularly for it, I mean I can understand his viewpoint.

 

With the benefit of hindsight though it looks like a costly mistake that's all.

[05 Milan]

I can see what people are saying about the extra half million, but seeing as he's about to be sold for double the price wouldn't that indicate that it was a mistake not to pay it? Don't get me wrong i'm not criticising Parry particularly for it, I mean I can understand his viewpoint.

 

With the benefit of hindsight though it looks like a costly mistake that's all.

 

Shuddup fool!

[Barrington Womble]

I can see what people are saying about the extra half million, but seeing as he's about to be sold for double the price wouldn't that indicate that it was a mistake not to pay it? Don't get me wrong i'm not criticising Parry particularly for it, I mean I can understand his viewpoint.

 

With the benefit of hindsight though it looks like a costly mistake that's all.

 

but we didn't have the benefit of hindsight. if soton were willing to sell to us for 3.5m, they were willing to sell to every team in the country at that price. so are all the other chairman and CEO's round the country stupid too? it seems to me we should be glad we identified him as a talent and were in there for him. i'd be more worried if our scouting network hadn't have identified him.

[LiverpoolFreak]

Have someone signed theo yet? have you guys checked out the compilation i posted earlier?

[Guest FarmersBoy]

We don't tend to buy super star players, and we don't get involved in the chase for the countries hottest talents, so we have the best manager in the world working with smaller budgets than Newcastle, Tottenham, and Middlesboro. I don't think thats right for a club of our size, history and success.

 

Brian Hall

Terry Mac

Ray Kennedy

Steve Nicol

Alan Hansen

Ian Rush

Rob Jones

Craig Johnston

Phil Neal

Gary Gillespie

Kevin Keegan

Ray Clemence

Emlyn Hughes

Steve Heighway

David Fairclough

Jimmy Case

Ronnie Whelan

Jim Beglin

Gary Mac

Owen

Fowler

Gerrard

Carra

Finnan

McManaman

Hyypia

etc...

 

I'd say that, on the whole it was a policy that had served us very well. Yes, occasionally (which, historically has tended to mean every three seasons or so) we go in for a big player. But generally we've done best when avoiding the headline acts and making a good team out of what others consider to be the supporting cast.

 

 

 

.......

[Christian]

Looks like he's on his way to Arse which is a shame IMO. Looks a proper talent the kid.

[The Party Boy]

Looks like he's on his way to Arse which is a shame IMO. Looks a proper talent the kid.

 

Aye but he's no Winston Black is he?

[Christian]

Aye but he's no Winston Black is he?

I dunno kid, since Black stepped up to the under-8's the other lads seem to have grown in stature too. He isn't standing out no more.

 

Now, "Wee" Dougie McLintock! THAT boy is gonna do big things. Under-6 captain, already being talked about at the next Souness.

[The Party Boy]

Yeah but Trent allen is the star of the under 6 team lad, what is it 6 goals and 11 assists this season. The next Digger maybe? Think Chelsea bid a mill for him

[Christian]

Yeah but Trent allen is the star of the under 6 team lad, what is it 6 goals and 11 assists this season. The next Digger maybe? Think Chelsea bid a mill for him

Makes me sick does Roman, Just cause Trent is a cockney doesn't mean he isn't a red as well. He's dad is a season ticket holder ya know?

[The Party Boy]

Yeah takes Trent when he's not playing I think. Player in the under 8's to look out for is Kyle Steeley. You heard of him? Been outshining the star Black like

[Christian]

Aye lad - I know Kyle well. Nothing flash about his game, but he wins the tackle and lays it off simple. Almost like a very young Makalele in some ways. I see a bright future for that kid.

[The Party Boy]

Winstons black's poor form is a bit of a mystery though, I know Mama Black's had trouble getting him to clean his room lately

[Christian]

Dunno lad, it's a mystery. Pressure thing maybe? Star player, got taken to the zoo by Riise, even Didi likes him?

[The Party Boy]

That zoo trip with riise did stir up the old proverbial hornets nest. It just isolated him from his team mates and gave him this ego. No matter how much he loved the reptile house its just aint right.

[cotter]

isn't it the case that he's (probably) going to go to arsenal because he or his family want to remain in or around the south coast. and this despite him being a reds fan. if he does go to arsenal it'll be clear that it's less to do with money and more to do with football development and off-the-pitch issues.

 

in which case the summer "offer" seems a bit of red herring, whether it happened or not.

[RedinSweden]

isn't it the case that he's (probably) going to go to arsenal because he or his family want to remain in or around the south coast. and this despite him being a reds fan. if he does go to arsenal it'll be clear that it's less to do with money and more to do with football development and off-the-pitch issues.

 

in which case the summer "offer" seems a bit of red herring, whether it happened or not.

 

 

Kyle Steeleys leaving???!!!!

 

Sack Parry :wallbutt:

[Christian]

I reckon Winston can get back on track. Riise was the one to blame there, dishing out the star treatment (rumoured that when the other lads get the usual healthy pasta, Riise was buying the lad a kiddie meal from Maccie Dees).

 

He'll turn out all right, just needs to concentrate on his playing and worry a little less about Alton Towers.

[The Party Boy]

Maybe Bolo could take him under his wing, bit of stability instead of the crazy ginge

[Christian]

That's a thoughtful and measured post TPB. With Bolo out injured it could almost be like an adopted son? We gotta look after the talent of the future.

[Brownie]

but we didn't have the benefit of hindsight. if soton were willing to sell to us for 3.5m, they were willing to sell to every team in the country at that price. so are all the other chairman and CEO's round the country stupid too? it seems to me we should be glad we identified him as a talent and were in there for him. i'd be more worried if our scouting network hadn't have identified him.

 

That's fair enough of course, but when you are looking to buy a 16 year old and you offer £3M, that says to me that you think he's going to be something special. So why not pay the half a million? Anyway it's a futile discussion so not much point in carrying it on really.

 

I think he'll go on to be a brilliant player and will be dissapointed we missed out.

[Rushian]

I'm not convinced the kid would have moved in the summer - there's been nothing to suggest he or his family were ready then, and they seem to have their heads firmly screwed on.