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It seems from the comments we keep hearing from Derek Llambias that the money received from Liverpool for the services of Andy Carroll has been used up.
Some people simply don't believe this due to the enormous mistrust of anything this man/puppet/shyster says.
So, let's look at where the transfer money we received has been utilised:
- Agent and signing on fees for Demba Ba, Sylvain Marveaux and Yoha Cabaye.
- Money put aside for 'possible January signings'.
- A contract for Jose Enrique if he wants it.
- (Unconfirmed) - To go towards the wage bill.
- (Unconfirmed) - Undersoil heating for the training ground.
- (Apparently) money for a new striker.
Now, let's give Mr Llambias the benefit of the doubt for once. Let's say he is telling the gospel truth about the above. Let's say all of the figures add up and yes, indeed the money has been used up.
Then the issue isn't, 'when are you gonna spend it?', but 'what the hell do you think you're doing wasting transfer money in this way?!!'.
I completely understand running a football club as a business. If I were charge I would do the same. But what seems to be completely absent from our current administration is the realisation that the Football Club as a business lives and dies by how good/bad the Football TEAM is.
The income the business of the football club makes, is 100 per cent dependant on the team on the pitch. If you qualify for the Champions League you make an extra £40 million. If you get relegated from the Premier League you lose £40 million. Those are just the two biggest examples.
When Newcastle United Football Club received £35 million for one player, they had a chance of investing in the team to fast forward our development and rise up that league table quicker than estimated/planned. That's not to mention the deadwood we would sell with every player coming in to take up their place in the squad. So really you could take that £35m and add another £15m -£20m at least.
But yet what have we done? Here are a few examples:
FACT - Zero NET spend on transfer fees.
FACT - Sold top scorer and club captain.
FACT - Wage bill hardly any different seeing as Nolan and Campbell takes £90,000 off and the three new players adds about £100,000 on.
FACT (will be) - Will sell Jose Enrique to the highest bidder, which also in turn writes off this 'contract' we have offered him, which will also take his £50,000 wage off the wage bill, as well as inject us with around £10 million more in 'transfer' money.
FACT - Have brought in injury prone, unproven in the Premier League, French fancies who come December might not like the cold and not put a full shift into the team. We will be TOTALLY relying on these signings to see what kind of season we will have. Scary.
The most logical way of using the transfer money we received, for one player, is the following:
- Bring in at least two or three quality, proven strikers.
- By all means bring in the signings we have made so far, seeing as they haven't cost owt! To add to this, a proven Premier League midfielder or two to bolster our engine room.
- Bring in a left back, a centre back and right back at least, as our defence was our weakest area last season.
- Sell Jose Enrique for at least £10 million to whoever wants him, but try to sell him to a foreign team. Maybe even sell Jonas to a foreign team as well for about £7-10 million.
- Sell other deadwood to reduce wage bill and bring in modest fees to add to transfer kitty (ie. Smith, Ranger, Best, Lovenkrands, Xisco, Routledge etc.)
At the end of August, Newcastle would have a quality 25-man squad, with depth, that can genuinely challenge the top six. That's without breaking the bank as the Carroll, Nolan, Enrique, deadwood money will more than cover the expenditure on quality and quantity.
It would create MORE Income to the club as a business because the team would perform better on the pitch. Higher league position/good cup run/European qualification/cup winner....just some of the possibilities.
Better team = More income. If you can create this equation by not having a significant net expenditure, including fees and wages... you are laughing!
But do you hear anyone laughing wearing Black and White?
Somebody needs to tell all of these football club owners this very simple fact of business life at a football club, including Gold/Sullivan/Brady down in the Championship.
But as far as we are concerned, we will be destined to be hugely handicapped by our own administration as they cant even buy a decent team when somebody gives them £40 million plus to use!
Useless. Absolutely useless.
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