The Adam Clayton saga - now officially signed for Middlesbrough

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

The Albion recruitment team doesn't close a deal that was also described as almost done by reliable NSC sauces - and Andy Naylor is getting criticised? The world is upside-down.

Isn't holding Andy Naylor, a paid for journalist, to a higher degree of account in comparison to forums posters, fair enough? Naylor is always going on about not indulging in transfer tittle tattle- it appears here that he relied on sources that bolted a bit too early and now the club will be criticised because of it.

 

[Bladders]

Andy Naylor has done nothing wrong. The lynch mob would find another reason to have a go at him if he had kept quiet about our interest in him.

He didn't need to say anything, our reported interest was already out there as well as on this site.

I would expect a journo to report on it when it's all done.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

Well big shame to miss out on a great player, but yeah Naylor getting what he deserves for that stupid message about 3 named players signing

 

[El Presidente]

He didn't need to say anything, our reported interest was already out there as well as on this site.

I would expect a journo to report on it when it's all done.

Have you read the national newspapers? They are full of such rumours, to Naylor's credit (and I have given him criticism in the past) he doesn't usually post wild speculation. We have had a number of bids rejected by Huddersfield, the club were confident of the deal going through, but, as always, money came into it and the player goes where the money goes.

 

[Foolg]

Seemingly another one missed out on.

It does seem only ourselves and one or two other clubs (Derby, for example) actually seem to be sticking to this FFP.

Charlton have just spent £2.4 million on a striker, Gudmundsonn on a free (we were interested), and another striker for £3m.

Middlesborough have seemingly beaten us to the signing of Clayton, and have bought another striker for £3m.

Meanwhile, despite selling over £10m worth of players, we've spent 500k on a striker (where we were already short), and £1m on a keeper, despite having about twice as many season ticket holders as both clubs.

 

[keaton]

He didn't need to say anything, our reported interest was already out there as well as on this site.

I would expect a journo to report on it when it's all done.

You don't read about football much then?

 

[Bladders]

Have you read the national newspapers? They are full of such rumours, to Naylor's credit (and I have given him criticism in the past) he doesn't usually post wild speculation. We have had a number of bids rejected by Huddersfield, the club were confident of the deal going through, but, as always, money came into it and the player goes where the money goes.

National newspapers post rumours to sell their rags, and mostly journos don't put their names to these rumours either .

How could anyone be confident of it going through if we can't even agree a fee with the parent club?

 

[keaton]

Well big shame to miss out on a great player, but yeah Naylor getting what he deserves for that stupid message about 3 named players signing

"Expected" to sign, which it appears they were.

 

[El Presidente]

National newspapers post rumours to sell their rags, and mostly journos don't put their names to these rumours either .

How could anyone be confident of it going through if we can't even agree a fee with the parent club?

Perhaps we had agreed the asking price with Town and were gazumped?

 

[Albion Dan]

Do people criticising Naylor actually understand football journalism? Plenty of other credible sources were also claiming the deal almost done. The fact is Boro have gazumped us. If you want to have a go at anyone its the club that need to some questioning. We are woefully short for Saturday!

 

[Bladders]

"Expected" to sign, which it appears they were.

How does that work then when fees aren't even agreed?

 

[symyjym]

The club/TB just need to be honest and admit we are not really competing in the transfer market with promotion in mind. You have to speculate to accumulate to an extent and we are getting outbid continuously. If we are uncompetitive on transfers fine but the club have to set expectations! I see crowds dropping dramatically after this season with our current recruitment policy.

Agree, we had a clue to this last January. Our transfer strategy probably works well on paper but in the real world it is counter productive. If we are bidding with other clubs they just go that little bit further knowing that we don't budge. We are very easy to gazump because we are predictable in setting the bar low.

Even with Ward, if we are not careful, we could see him going on loan from Wolves to another club.

 

[fleet]

Not going well on trio to sign front it would seem!

 

[keaton]

How does that work then when fees aren't even agreed?

We don't if fees were agreed.

 

[spring hall convert]

TB must be loving this news just before the fans forum.

Is the venue waterproof?

 

[Peterrhodes]

When you name 3 players as a done deal and 2 out of 3 minimum don't happen that is poor journalism. Where you don't get minimum 2 out of 3 targets to sign that is bad selling of the club and it's 'ambitions'.

I understand why managers keep walking as their ambition is not matched by the boards.

 

[Albion Dan]

TB must be loving this news just before the fans forum.

Is the venue waterproof?

It's a shocker. No doubt they were actually expecting to unveil him as a new signing. I hope there is some tough questioning tonight.

 

[Seagulls1984]

This shouldn't be happening 4 days before the first game, this should have been sorted in june. If you want a player pay the going rate no point haggling over a fee and then lose the player.

 

[Foolg]

Do people criticising Naylor actually understand football journalism? Plenty of other credible sources were also claiming the deal almost done. The fact is Boro have gazumped us. If you want to have a go at anyone its the club that need to some questioning. We are woefully short for Saturday!

Agree.

I think what's pissing people off the most, is the continual push of this 'Premier League ready' bullsh*t. We are constantly reminded just how many season tickets we sell, and how our attendances are the highest in the division. Yet, having sold over £11m worth of players in the last 6 months, we've spent £1m on a keeper and 500k on a striker, with just 4 days left before the season starts (having lost arguably our 4 best players last year), i'd say we've adequately replaced 1 of them (Stockdale).

Naylor is an easy target, in that he got people's hopes up, and is now the one breaking the bad news.

 

[keaton]

When you name 3 players as a done deal and 2 out of 3 minimum don't happen that is poor journalism. Where you don't get minimum 2 out of 3 targets to sign that is bad selling of the club and it's 'ambitions'.

I understand why managers keep walking as their ambition is not matched by the boards.

Who said they were a done deal (Naylor didn't)?
Who says two of them definetely aren't going through?
And who says we were only interested in three players?