The 2011/12 Gary Speed Memorial Thread

[-A-]

What really annoys me when people talk about the inflated transfer fees is that they don't consider the circumstances. Everyone laughs at Carroll as a £35 million purchase as if Liverpool walked in on Day 3 of the transfer window and said "hey, Alan, we would like to take Andy Carroll. Will £35 million suffice?". When in actuality, they spent the entire window trying to convince Fernando Torres to stay and then when he finally decided to go with about 2 days left of the window, Liverpool realised they were about to embark on a season-saving 5 months down a big striker.

Except they signed Suarez in the same window. They lost N'gog and Torres and they signed Suarez. They had very little to play for for the remainder of the season and they had a big money signing coming in to potentially replace Torres. No-one cares about N'gog either way.

Liverpool didn't sign Carroll for sporting reasons, they signed him because the owners were desperate to avoid the PR mess that selling Torres to Chelsea would have created. They have money to spend (as has been clearly shown since) so they don't even want to start the rumblings of 'more Yanks here to grind out a profit like the Glazers.' They're in for the long-term and I think they're aware how important it is to keep the fans and the media on their side. It's OK to have an expensive flop (what big club hasn't had one?) but it's a slippery slope if you allow people to start mumbling about their financial motives or resources.

[The Lusophone]

Interesting to note that Kenny has an average spend per season of £25,266,667, higher than his 3 predecessors (Hodgson: -£5,150,000, Benitez: £17,341,667 and Houlier: £10,393,33) making him the 9th highest spending manager (on season average) in Premiership history (discounting his time at Blackburn and Newcastle, which might make him even higher).

[brenchill]

I'd imagine he spent a lot of money at Blackburn compared to other manager's of that period.

[The Lusophone]

I'd imagine he spent a lot of money at Blackburn compared to other manager's of that period.

Presumably.

I do like that Arsene's season average spend isn't even in the millions.

[Gazz]

I think what you should all remember is Ba + Cabaye + Tiote = £7.7m

(Y) (Y) (Y)

[Colly]

I think what you should all remember is Ba + Cabaye + Tiote = £7.7m

(Y) (Y) (Y)

+ Ben Arfa, Santon, Marveaux, Obertan ( ) and you're still shy of Henderson...

[Dingle]

Being good for 3-4 months doesn't make you a proven Premier League player, I'd argue one season doesn't make you a proven Premier League player. One swallow doesn't make a summer.

One swallow doesn't make you my girlfriend . This is where I thought you were going with that line, curse my filthy 21st century mind.

Also, anyone got a list of top 10 highest spending managers handy? Since the stats are being quoted here and I cba opening google .

[Matt]

Being good for 3-4 months doesn't make you a proven Premier League player, I'd argue one season doesn't make you a proven Premier League player. One swallow doesn't make a summer.

One swallow doesn't make you my girlfriend . This is where I thought you were going with that line, curse my filthy 21st century mind.

Also, anyone got a list of top 10 highest spending managers handy? Since the stats are being quoted here and I cba opening google .

I nearly added "but it does make a good blowjob", then I realised that's not necessarily true

Anyway, http://www.transferleague.co.uk/league-tables/managers-comparisons.html

[METALMAN]

Looking at Wenger's net transfer spend, it's actually quite incredible how well he's done in the past. In fact, it's pretty impressive that they're still in the top five now.

[Dingle]

Being good for 3-4 months doesn't make you a proven Premier League player, I'd argue one season doesn't make you a proven Premier League player. One swallow doesn't make a summer.

One swallow doesn't make you my girlfriend . This is where I thought you were going with that line, curse my filthy 21st century mind.

Also, anyone got a list of top 10 highest spending managers handy? Since the stats are being quoted here and I cba opening google .

I nearly added "but it does make a good blowjob", then I realised that's not necessarily true

Anyway, http://www.transferleague.co.uk/league-tables/managers-comparisons.html

It just makes for an easy clean-up.

Haha, major lulz at David Moyes' spending. He's probably well liked there (at a guess, I never watch an Everton game unless they're playing one of the big boys and nothing better is on) thanks to this though.

I'd rate Hughes as being quite wasteful with a lot of his money. Although Kompany signed under him for £6m, and that's a fucking quality signing for City. Shame he spent almost four times that on Lescott ¬_¬. He also had a 'Tevez issue' with Robinho I believe? Problems with not wanting to play in England etc? Probably down to the weather no doubt.

But like we were discussing earlier about Dalglish's spending. Hughes was given lots of money to spend and only achieved 10th (could've been 8th but I recall 10th for whatever reason) in the league and didn't get any silverware, and then didn't have a great start to his second seasons' campaign, IIRC. So whether you think Hughes was cut too early, there is definitely expectation from a lot of investors to see some end product to all their money being spent. I'd give Dalglish next season too, but I'm not in charge of his future, and I don't particularly mind Liverpool being out of the top 4 anywhow.

EDIT: On Wenger, I was shocked a few months ago when I found out that Arshavin is the most expensive Arsenal player since Reyes (assuming inflation, or something). Although I think they need to start spending if they expect to stay up there with the big boys. Losing Fabregas for such a low amount was criminal. I don't know the scenario, but more money would definitely have helped them not spend money on Arteta and Mertesacker (I like Per, but he has no legs that boy) and probably someone else I'm forgetting.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Devil In Jouzy City

[Hobo]

I remember former Chelsea manager Phillip Scolari!

That list may have some correct numbers but it's pretty shoddily put together looking to me. My main question is: Over what period of time are some of these managers being judged for their spending? Is that all SAF has spent in 25 years? Why does it include some clubs and not others?

I'm not really surprised that the post big/bigish take over managers are the highest spenders though: Hughes, Ranieri, Roy Keane, Dalglish, Eriksson.

[Matt]

That list may have some correct numbers but it's pretty shoddily put together looking to me. My main question is: Over what period of time are some of these managers being judged for their spending? Is that all SAF has spent in 25 years? Why does it include some clubs and not others?

I think it's from the start of the PL era, as for why it includes some clubs and not others, it seems they only have the information on certain clubs (and some of those look half-arsed looking at the Leeds one).

[The Lusophone]

That list may have some correct numbers but it's pretty shoddily put together looking to me. My main question is: Over what period of time are some of these managers being judged for their spending? Is that all SAF has spent in 25 years? Why does it include some clubs and not others?

It's the spending of the club during that manager's tenure *shrug*

It starts 1992, judging by the 92-2011 list: http://www.transferleague.co.uk/league-tables/1992-to-2011.html

[Jimmy]

On the subject of Wenger, I read an amazing stat that, in his whole time at Arsenal, his net spend on transfers is 12m. I know people have a problem with Wenger, but that's a phenomenal stat. To have achieved the success they have under him, and to have only spent 12m overall is fantastic.

Edit: Looking at that site, it's much lower than 12m. Wow.

[hugobomb]

Birmingham City Net Spend - £63,970,000

:lmao: And remember this time period includes our spell in the old Division Three in 94-95. Though in our defense we did have Barry Fry in charge for three years The man who in the words of Jasper Carrott 'seemed to be trying to single handidly solve the unemployment promble'

[IAceI]

Mind you it doesn't seem to take into account any undisclosed fees and certainly some of the prices mentioned for Sunderland players in and out I don't recall actually seeing published anywhere, so while it's a decent enough source it's not going to be entirely accurate - as you would imagine.

[hugobomb]

Though according to the Blues section, we bought Peschisolido once and sold him twice so you can add on another £400,000 to our total for when we bought him back off Stoke

[Lineker]

Former Bolton Wanderers manager Gary Megson has hit out at the club's supporters, claiming that they did not like him - and he did not like them.

Megson never won the fans over in two turbulent years at the Reebok Stadium before being sacked in December 2009.

"I liked Bolton as a club, but the fans didn't like me," Sheffield Wednesday boss Megson told BBC Radio Manchester. "I don't particularly like them either.

"You realise what, in my view, proper support is and that's here," he added.

As the first anniversary of his appointment at Hillsborough approaches, back at the club where he spent two popular spells as a player, 52-year-old Megson has turned round a team he inherited in mid-table a year ago into genuine League One promotion contenders.

And, if the Owls were to go up, and Bolton were to go down, they would be meeting in the Championship next season, allowing him and his number two, Chris Evans, a return to the Reebok.

Megson was appointed Bolton manager in April 2007, having left his job at Championship side Leicester City after just six weeks in charge.

But the Manchester-born boss was not a popular appointment when he took over, now acknowledging that many of the club's fans did not see him as their first choice to replace Sammy Lee.

Despite steering the club to safety after taking charge, Megson never had an easy relationship with fans and was booed after a 2-2 draw with Blackburn in January 2009.

After that game he called the jeering supporters "pathetic" and, when asked after his last match in charge 11 months later if he thought it was impossible for him to win over the Bolton fans, he simply replied: "Yes."

The Owls boss also revealed that, during his spell at the Reebok, Bolton chairman Phil Gartside asked him to ignore their European campaign in a bid to avoid relegation.

"I took Bolton further in Europe than they've ever been," he said. "Yet I was told by the chairman to get out of Europe because they don't make any money in it and it was having an impact on the league position, and it was absolutely imperative to stay in the Premiership.

"Bearing in mind that was the worst start that's ever been seen in the Premiership and still is, it was a huge ask to stay up, notwithstanding the fact we were in Europe.

"We took the reserves to Bayern Munich and got a draw there. Most people get beaten, and there's a lot of British teams since then that can't get a result there.

"We went to Red Star Belgrade, were the first team ever to have won there in over 100 years, managed to get through and we knocked out Atletico Madrid over two legs.

"I do think that, if it hadn't had been as tenuous in the Premiership, we could have got even further against Sporting Lisbon.

"But we just had to make sure that the club stayed up, by hook or by crook, we managed to do that, and yet you're still viewed as you were viewed."

[Lineker]

Brendan Rodgers has signed a new three year contract at Swansea.

[Summers]

Damnit. >_>