Kayal & Stephens

[Finchley Seagull]

If we want to go up, we need to keep our best players and, yes, that includes Beram and Dale. Would, for example, Derby, let their two best midfielders go? The answer is no.

Think back a couple of seasons. We sold Leo to Leicester for a great fee. Watford turned down a similar bid for Deeney. They are now in the Prem reaping the rewards, whilst we nearly got relegated with COG up front. Please, please Tony et al don't make a very similar mistake.

It will definitely NOT be easy to replace them, great recruitment team or not. Put a silly price on them and tell Burnley et al to do one.

It's ridiculous to compare the two situations. Ulloa left in a summer where we lost the core of our team (Kuszczak, Ward, Upson, Andrews, Buckley, Lingard, Orlandi and Lopez). There was a lot of replacing to do in a summer where we also lost our manager and our scouting team was proved to be poor.

This summer we have a settled management team and a far superior scouting network. If one of Stephens or Kayal left (and only because we got an amazing offer) then it may actually improve the squad and I'm sure we're already working on possible replacements if that happened. It would not be ideal and I would love them both to sign new long term contracts but these things happen in football. We need to be realistic and trust the management/scouting network if it does. After last season, I'm sure we can trust them to find good replacements and Hughton to work them into the team. It's easy to forget that Kayal and Stephens had never played together in a two man midfield this time last year.

 

[Sheebo]

Do you think it ever crosses Stephen's mind that perhaps he owes Albion a bit of loyalty? He was out injured for nearly a season. Maybe I'm being a bit precious here

I've never bought this 'if you were offered 50% pay rise blah blah' line people churn out. Some footballers do show some loyalty at times to their employers. I'd say there's 5 or 6 in our current squad now that woul but it always depends on the circumstances. To jump ship to Burnley who only just pipped us last season and may well come straight back down (as would Stephen's contract) would be a bit of a piss take. I think most of the squad want another crack at it with the same lads. Not sure on Stephens...

 

[lancyclaret]

Middlesbrough "pipped" you on goal difference.....Burnley finished 4 points clear with a better goal difference.

To me, 4 points is a clear-cut margin.

 

[lancyclaret]

Middlesbrough may have "only just pipped" you on goal difference.....but Burnley finished 4 points clear with a better goal difference.

To me, 4 points is a clear-cut margin.

 

[Icy Gull]

Middlesbrough "pipped" you on goal difference.....Burnley finished 4 points clear with a better goal difference.

To me, 4 points is a clear-cut margin.

Not wishing to go over old ground, you would have dropped a point and we would have gained two if Barton had been sent off as he should have been, at the Amex and don't forget you were played off the pitch for 85 minutes in that game too. You escaped with a lucky point

You did finish well clear of us in the end though.

 

[clippedgull]

Do you think it ever crosses Stephen's mind that perhaps he owes Albion a bit of loyalty? He was out injured for nearly a season. Maybe I'm being a bit precious here

Let's be honest, we are all mercenaries when it comes to improving our lot financially under the right personal circumstances. Loyalty would be nice but it's very rare in professional football.

 

[Stat Brother]

You can use the "bargain bucket forward" stick to beat TB with once the transfer window is closed if we go down the COG or Wilson route again.

I don't see why I should wait.

5 comparatively cheap signings and nearly 20 loan and free transfer strikers in 5 seasons is hardly a financial commitment at the pointy (and expensive) end of the pitch.

 

[Icy Gull]

I don't see why I should wait.

5 comparatively cheap signings and nearly 20 loan and free transfer strikers in 5 seasons is hardly a financial commitment at the pointy (and expensive) end of the pitch.

That was then, this is now. Stop looking for reasons to moan!

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

I have no desire to trawl through ancient records to find exact quotes. Before Leo was sold Paul Barber said the club had no need to sell him. That seems at odds with your assertion that if we hadn't sold Leo we'd have failed FFP. My view is that the club would have met FFP with different transfer dealings that financial year.

Me neither but, assuming you're referring to events that took place in July/August 2014:

1) BHAFC know that as of 30 June 2014 that the annual operating loss is £8.5M with total liabilities exceeding assets by £60.7M; the annual audit may even be underway.
2) In order for the auditors/accountants to "sign" off the business as a going concern then the shareholders have to confirm that they are prepared to fully meet the company's financial obligations.
This declaration can be found in note 1.2 ("Going Concern") to the final accounts:-
"The chairman of the ultimate holding company, Brighton and Hove Albion Holdings Ltd, has indicated his willingness to support the company by providing adequate loan facilities to enable the company to meet its financial obligations as they fall due for a period of at least twelve months from the date on which these financial statements are signed."
3) So BHAFC is confirmed as a going concern for the following year and if the club is asked during that period if it needs to sell a player then the correct answer is therefore no.

 

[Boy Blue]

So what's happening with these two, are the club trying to negotiate new deals for them both as the silence is rather worrying.

 

[Stat Brother]

That was then, this is now. Stop looking for reasons to moan!

You do know where you are, don't you!

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I don't see why I should wait.

5 comparatively cheap signings and nearly 20 loan and free transfer strikers in 5 seasons is hardly a financial commitment at the pointy (and expensive) end of the pitch.

1. As soon as we arrived at the Amex, we DESTROYED our signing record, to bring in a striker, courted by Premier League club(s), who'd scored 40 the previous season. (The fact he failed to deliver does not remotely lessen the 'commitment' shown at the time in signing him).

2. Ulloa and Hemed, at £1.5m a pop, were 'bargains' in the 'good value' sense, rather than being picked up for a pittance. Are Bristol City fans whining like ungrateful little twats, because Kodja wasn't 'expensive enough'?

3. For all the bleating about 'lack of commitment' to our forward line, we were the division's TOP SCORERS last season. Presumably you feel that the other 23 sides were all under-powered up top, too?

Its so, so tedious.

 

[Machiavelli]

You do know where you are, don't you!

We do. I also know that my memory fails me -- often -- but it's telling me that you spent most of last season defending Hemed. If so:
-- does this constitute an about-turn?
-- is it that you don't think his strike partners are good enough?
-- do you think that, for example, Newcastle buying Gayle means that the situation has been transformed?
-- that the quality of the striker is to be determined by the size of the transfer fee and/or wages offered?
-- some other explanation(s)

 

[Stat Brother]

We do. I also know that my memory fails me -- often -- but it's telling me that you spent most of last season defending Hemed. If so:
-- does this constitute an about-turn?
-- is it that you don't think his strike partners are good enough?
-- do you think that, for example, Newcastle buying Gayle means that the situation has been transformed?
-- that the quality of the striker is to be determined by the size of the transfer fee and/or wages offered?
-- some other explanation(s)

That's kind of my point looking back on recent history and projecting forward.
Tomer, and Leo before him were fantastic VFM buys, but neither were backed up, or better still improved upon.
The same could be said of CMS, but there's plenty of other 'issues' there that have been done to death.
(destroying the transfer record of a broke team, with no ground, playing 3rd and 4th division football at a municipal athletes track, must be too Pravda even for jem)

So looking forward the club with a settled 'new' squad could either:-

- Make a statement signing that ought to bring out the best of the other 3 strikers (and the ever hopeful yoof prospect.
Or
- Get in another loanee and hope for the best.

Money doesn't guarantee goals, form and fitness.
But not spending money on a striker pretty much guarantees not getting those 3.


I've always rallied against McCormack money, and always will do.
But that's the nature of the beast.
That beast has got ever bigger, while the Albion have repeatedly not played ball.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

1. As soon as we arrived at the Amex, we DESTROYED our signing record, to bring in a striker, courted by Premier League club(s), who'd scored 40 the previous season. (The fact he failed to deliver does not remotely lessen the 'commitment' shown at the time in signing him).

2. Ulloa and Hemed, at £1.5m a pop, were 'bargains' in the 'good value' sense, rather than being picked up for a pittance. Are Bristol City fans whining like ungrateful little twats, because Kodja wasn't 'expensive enough'?

3. For all the bleating about 'lack of commitment' to our forward line, we were the division's TOP SCORERS last season. Presumably you feel that the other 23 sides were all under-powered up top, too?

Its so, so tedious.

If it is so tedious, why do you read his posts?

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

If it is so tedious, why do you read his posts?

You can't help but stumble over them infecting every transfer thread like a nasty rash. It was the same last year and we did okay didn't we?

 

[Publius Ovidius]

You can't help but stumble over them infecting every transfer thread like a nasty rash. It was the same last year and we did okay didn't we?

No, we failed ultimately! But it was fun whilst it lasted.

 

[BensGrandad]

I hope that our recruitment in the coming weeks does not have to involve replacing either Kayal or Stephens I am sure that TB realises that we are very near to having a team capable of automatic promotion provided we do not lose any of last seasons first team squad that haven't left already and replace those that have, I down 3 to go.

 

[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

I hope that our recruitment in the coming weeks does not have to involve replacing either Kayal or Stephens I am sure that TB realises that we are very near to having a team capable of automatic promotion provided we do not lose any of last seasons first team squad that haven't left already and replace those that have, I down 3 to go.

He'll sell if Barber tells him to sell.

 

[BensGrandad]

He'll sell if Barber tells him to sell.

He is a fan and wants Premier football from both the football and financial success side of life. Would he not rather not sell and get promotion rather than keep incurring season on season losses.