Albion interested in Cardiff Striker Joe Mason

[Mellotron]

Hang on - got it. You mean:

They're his signings in that, from a list of a few players, he's gone 'Ok, that one'.

Anyway, yes, that's what a "manager's signings" means - at any club.

The usual exceptions are when the owner insists on a particular signing, or a director of football makes the decisions on transfers. The situation on the latter is unclear at the Albion, I think?

So let's just say they're...

Nathan Jones/scouts - findings
Oscar Garcia - signings
David Burke - approvals

Agreed. They're not "oscar's signings". Glad we got that one cleared up. An "Oscar" signing would be if we got some obscure Barca B player, or if we got a player due to Oscar's "pull" (ie Vicente and Bruno were 100% Gus signings).

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

The Secret Footballer tweeted a column this week about 'The List' - a constantly changing shortlist of 5 players for each and every first team position, in the event that for whatever reason we had to go out and find a player. He said every single club has their own list, and as a player's circumstances change he may move up or down the list, or be removed altogether. Lita probably wasn't our no1 striker choice, but for budget or availability reasons we'd eliminated nos 1 & 2 so we moved for him when the moment came where we were desperate for a forward.

Indeed. I would recommend the Secret Footballer book to anyone. Excellent read and will really make you understand what the hell happens in football transfers a hell of a lot more( here's a clue, its about making money)

It puts the Bridcutt transfer request into complete context and explains why a player is forced to do it eventually.

 

[Zebedee]

I wonder whether our "interest" in Joe Mason will develop into bugger all as usual come the end of the season? I sincerely hope not.

 

[B.W.]

Worth remembering Perseus values Buckley at £7.5m and doesn't think it's a concern that Bridcutt is leaving.
* leans over and whispers* I think he's nuts.

LoL!

 

[brightonrock]

Indeed. I would recommend the Secret Footballer book to anyone. Excellent read and will really make you understand what the hell happens in football transfers a hell of a lot more( here's a clue, its about making money)

It puts the Bridcutt transfer request into complete context and explains why a player is forced to do it eventually.

I'm reading Zlatan Ibrahimovic's autobiography at the moment which is also a cracking read, for a number of reasons (he is brilliantly arrogant). In it he says on multiple occasions he and his agent "worked on" other clubs whilst still under contract and not subject to a bid. I.e. he fell out with Guardiola at Barca, and his agent began speaking off the record with Man City and AC Milan. Meanwhile Zlatan met with the board and told them he wanted to leave for Real Madrid. Obviously it's unforgiveable for Barca to sell a key player to Real - so when AC bid for him they accepted a lower offer to avoid having to sell to their rivals (who were never interested anyway). Eye opening stuff.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

I'm reading Zlatan Ibrahimovic's autobiography at the moment which is also a cracking read, for a number of reasons (he is brilliantly arrogant). In it he says on multiple occasions he and his agent "worked on" other clubs whilst still under contract and not subject to a bid. I.e. he fell out with Guardiola at Barca, and his agent began speaking off the record with Man City and AC Milan. Meanwhile Zlatan met with the board and told them he wanted to leave for Real Madrid. Obviously it's unforgiveable for Barca to sell a key player to Real - so when AC bid for him they accepted a lower offer to avoid having to sell to their rivals (who were never interested anyway). Eye opening stuff.

That's why I now just CHUCKLE when, for example in the Bridcutt deal, people say "Well Bridcutt may turn Sunderland down. They havent agreed a fee yet etc etc".

If you read the Secret Footballer you will know that his agent has already probably agreed the whole basic contract with Sunderland and NOW they need to get the fee sorted.

It's no longer the sugar puff world of club rings club, makes offer, has it accepted, talks to the player for the first time.

I AM ZLATAN is on my "must read" list.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Agreed. They're not "oscar's signings". Glad we got that one cleared up. An "Oscar" signing would be if we got some obscure Barca B player, or if we got a player due to Oscar's "pull" (ie Vicente and Bruno were 100% Gus signings).

Didn't Oscar bring back Spanish Dave from the wilderness

 

[Mellotron]

Didn't Oscar bring back Spanish Dave from the wilderness

Yup. Players we wouldn't have signed without Gus. I think we'd have managed the likes of Craig Conway without Oscar.

 

[brightonrock]

I AM ZLATAN is on my "must read" list.

It is a GLORIOUS read. On page 2 he describes himself as brilliant and on page 4 he says Messi is overrated and calls Guardiola a "spineless cowardly b@stard". PAGE FOUR. There's nothing like hooking your readers in!

 

[KZNSeagull]

I think you're right to a degree - Oscar probably wouldn't have walked in and said "get me Keith Andrews and Leroy Lita". I think it's plausible though that they would have been on a list of players put together collectively by him and the scouting team at the club, who then sat down together with Burke and went down the list deciding who was available/affordable. That's how it works now. He would sign off on every single player we sign, even if he may not have specifically named X player as a vital target.

The Secret Footballer tweeted a column this week about 'The List' - a constantly changing shortlist of 5 players for each and every first team position, in the event that for whatever reason we had to go out and find a player. He said every single club has their own list, and as a player's circumstances change he may move up or down the list, or be removed altogether. Lita probably wasn't our no1 striker choice, but for budget or availability reasons we'd eliminated nos 1 & 2 so we moved for him when the moment came where we were desperate for a forward.

It is the other way around. Burke and the scouting team create the list (afterall, there is no point in having a list with players on it that we cannot afford). Oscar then goes through the list, watches dvd's etc etc and then decides who he wants. Oscar will also give a list of players to Burke to look at and find out whether they are available/affordable/likely to want to come here.

This is the professional way of doing it, not the "let's throw darts at a list of players" approach employed by a certain club at the top of the A23 during the summer.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

). Oscar then goes through the list, watches dvd's etc etc and then decides who he wants..

So "Premier League Years 2009-10" for Keith Andrews and Leroy Lita then?

 

[sten_super]

Agreed. They're not "oscar's signings". Glad we got that one cleared up. An "Oscar" signing would be if we got some obscure Barca B player, or if we got a player due to Oscar's "pull" (ie Vicente and Bruno were 100% Gus signings).

That is an unnecessary and ridiculously limiting way of defining a manger's signings, presumably done so you can highlight that Poyet attracted a couple of gems (assuming that one player that went missing for most of his time with us and another that is seemingly either great or terrible with nothing in between count as 'gems')? Surely the point is that Oscar is now able to bring in players (pick from a list or however it might go on) that he thinks will suit the precise system that he wants to play, rather than players that suit the style of his predecessor?

 

[maltaseagull]

You should probably listen to David Burke explaining how our player procurement process works

Take the M4 to Wales ?

 

[Footsoldier]

Take the M4 to Wales ?

It does seem we're always heading down the M4 lol

 

[trueblue]

For all this talk of Gus's brilliant flair signings (and there were a couple), we're better off than at the same stage last season. So the so-called cast-offs extensively scouted by Burke et al seem to be doing something right. Someone like Conway may never be as exciting as Vicente but his assist ratio can't be far off being just as good.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

So the so-called cast-offs extensively scouted by Burke et al seem to be doing something right.

Agustein, Andrews and Lita?

Conway is a sucess certainly....but the other 3? I can't say we're were we are because of them. I quite like Andrews but he hasn't really played all that much.

 

[glasfryn]

It does seem we're always heading down the M4 lol

I did that once and regretted it

 

[BensGrandad]

I have a sneaky feeling that Joe Mason isnt our main target and that the club have somebody else lined up.

 

[James Bond's body double]

I have a sneaky feeling that Joe Mason isnt our main target and that the club have somebody else lined up.

You been on that Transfer site again BG

 

[trueblue]

Agustein's been looking much better since he started to get himself fit. Ability not in doubt. Andrews is a quality player who hasn't played as many games as expected because of the emergence of young players already on the club's books. And Lita was primarily signed as cover and not required as the team were doing well anyway.

Bringing in players who have been promoted from this division before seems a good strategy to me. They're cast-offs from a Premier league side - but well up to Championship standard as they've already proven. If we get up to the top flight then it's a whole new ball game anyway with the TV money so it doesn't matter so much if not every player would cut it at that level.