So Stephen Ward was ours for the asking all summer...........

ofco8 · Dec 17, 2014

but the club procrastinated to such an extent that Burnley stepped in with bigger fee, higher wages and longer contract. from Argus today as told by his agent. Club have no comment to make!!!!

I know this is what everyone thought but now confirmed. Instead we are left with Chicksen/Joe Bennett.

marshy68 · Dec 17, 2014

Seems we have had a terrible summer all round although I like Joe Bennett was good to see the dim Finn left out one of our most exciting attacking players in a crucial must win game.

Nathan · Dec 17, 2014

Just goes to show the problems are not just with the manager.

Gullflyinghigh · Dec 17, 2014

ofco8 said:
but the club procrastinated to such an extent that Burnley stepped in with bigger fee, higher wages and longer contract. from Argus today as told by his agent. Club have no comment to make!!!!

I know this is what everyone thought but now confirmed. Instead we are left with Chicksen/Joe Bennett.

Does it count as 'confirmed' when the source works on behalf of the player?

Football agents hardly have a sterling reputation for honesty after all!

Mellotron · Dec 17, 2014

Are we genuinely the worst at player negotiation in the whole football league?

Murray, Barnes, Ward, Grabban, sure there's plenty others where we've completely ****ed it up over the sake of £1k a week or so.

hans kraay fan club · Dec 17, 2014

ofco8 said:
but the club procrastinated to such an extent that Burnley stepped in with bigger fee, higher wages and longer contract. from Argus today as told by his agent. Club have no comment to make!!!!

I know this is what everyone thought but now confirmed. Instead we are left with Chicksen/Joe Bennett.

Christiano Ronaldo would also have been 'ours' if Real Madrid hadn't stepped in with a 'bigger fee, higher wages and longer contract' ?

:shrug:

aolstudios · Dec 17, 2014

Club's activity even in the 6 months before this season was bizarre. Complacent bordering on arrogant

turienzo's lovechild · Dec 17, 2014

i actually think joe bennett has been pretty good this season to be fair

Mellotron · Dec 17, 2014

hans kraay fan club said:
Christiano Ronaldo would also have been 'ours' if Real Madrid hadn't stepped in with a 'bigger fee, higher wages and longer contract' ?

Bit different, innit? Stephen Ward was actively saying he WANTED to be at the Albion and was willing to take a pay cut from his Wolves contract.

Mellotron · Dec 17, 2014

turienzo's lovechild said:
i actually think joe bennett has been pretty good this season to be fair

He has but it's not the POINT I want to be ANGRY

turienzo's lovechild · Dec 17, 2014

Mellotron said:
Bit different, innit? Stephen Ward was actively saying he WANTED to be at the Albion and was willing to take a pay cut from his Wolves contract.

so was ronaldo

hans kraay fan club · Dec 17, 2014

Mellotron said:
Bit different, innit? Stephen Ward was actively saying he WANTED to be at the Albion and was willing to take a pay cut from his Wolves contract.

Of course, and I'm sure the chance was there to tie him down. It just looks funny in writing - the agent saying that we would have had him, but for someone offering a bigger fee, bigger wages and a longer contract!

Mellotron · Dec 17, 2014

turienzo's lovechild said:
so was ronaldo

oh bugger

hans kraay fan club · Dec 17, 2014

turienzo's lovechild said:
i actually think joe bennett has been pretty good this season to be fair

Agreed. I think he's a good player, and great to watch. Most of the percieved deficiencies highlighted by some ('constantly caught out of position', etc) are down to the impossible role asked of him, rather than actual weakness in his game.

Bwian · Dec 17, 2014

Nathan said:
Just goes to show the problems are not just with the manager.

Hyypia is taking all of the flak and I kind of feel sorry for him. He, unfortunately, does not look to be very good as a manager but the shit we are in isn't solely down to him. Maybe he is a good manager with a decent assistant working with him? Who knows?

What is clear is that somebody/everybody involved in recruitment of players is as bad at their job(s) as Hyypia is at his right now.

Change is needed if only to break out of the mood currently engulfing the club. That change needs to be more than firing Sami though.

jasetheace · Dec 17, 2014

Mellotron said:
Are we genuinely the worst at player negotiation in the whole football league?

Murray, Barnes, Ward, Grabban, sure there's plenty others where we've completely ****ed it up over the sake of £1k a week or so.

And how much have the ineffective loanees cost us? The entire senior football operations team need replacing (excludes youth and womens).

London Irish · Dec 17, 2014

ofco8 said:
but the club procrastinated to such an extent that Burnley stepped in with bigger fee, higher wages and longer contract. from Argus today as told by his agent. Club have no comment to make!!!!

I know this is what everyone thought but now confirmed. Instead we are left with Chicksen/Joe Bennett.

It was the common sense on here that the club's strategy of waiting til towards the end of the transfer window would leave us well-placed to pick up handy bargains.

The opposite happened - we ended up ludicrously overpaying for Baldock who I dont think is worth even half the 2m we paid for him.

We will also have to shell out again for new players in the Jan window to avoid going to League one.

This will end up being a costly business for the board.

If they learn and are self-critical, and realise that acting decisively in the transfer market and paying a good price for the right player is how we will succeed, then I think fans will support them regardless of the disappointment of the past few months.

Thunder Bolt · Dec 17, 2014

hans kraay fan club said:
Of course, and I'm sure the chance was there to tie him down. It just looks funny in writing - the agent saying that we would have had him, but for someone offering a bigger fee, bigger wages and a longer contract!

This, especially when he actually starting travelling to Brighton to sign his contract, then turned around because a better offer came in.

leigull · Dec 17, 2014

Joe Bennett fits Hyypia's system better than Ward would have, ignoring how that system is not working whatsoever!

The only benefits in my opinion of signing Ward over Bennett is that keeping Ward would have added some more continuity to the defence, and he would have been our player rather than a loan. Not too fussed other than that.

aolstudios · Dec 17, 2014

leigull said:
Joe Bennett fits Hyypia's system better than Ward would have, ignoring how that system is not working whatsoever!

The only benefits in my opinion of signing Ward over Bennett is that keeping Ward would have added some more continuity to the defence, and he would have been our player rather than a loan. Not too fussed other than that.

I think the post's more about the club's recruitment policy, which this illustrates pretty well, than Ward specifically

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