Championship signing so far?

[mikeyjh]

Championship is so unpredictable. Was speaking to a Birmingham supporting old work colleague, Terry Birch, yesterday and he was telling me what a big club they are, in his opinion the biggest in the Championship and that Clark has made some shrewd signings. With some high quality loans from top PL clubs to come and some investment expected into the club as they are selling a percentage of it, he reckons this could be their year.

I'm not normally one to comment on the 'size' of a club, but that's pretty deluded isn't it?

 

[Munkfish]

I expect another poor season from Brum, they have signed Hall on loan from Spurs, will be intresting to see how he does at this level, I work with a couple of his friends and by all accounts he wasnt very happy at Swindon last season,

Brum have just signed Donaldson from Brentford, we would be up in arms on here if he was going to be leading the line for us next season.

Clark in charge and signing average players I cant see past them finishing top 15.

 

[crodonilson]

I'm not normally one to comment on the 'size' of a club, but that's pretty deluded isn't it?

He was very bullish about them. Said considering their financial predicament and not winning a home game past October there aren't many other clubs who would average over 17,000 in the Championship. Also that he senses a big respect from opposition fans when they go away. If things go well and they get rid of Yeung as owner they'll be hanging from the rafters with 30,000+ every week.

I wouldn't say they are the biggest but they are a big club.

 

[Mackenzie]

Looks like Bryson may leave Derby to go to Burnley, which would be a loss, Keogh could go with him, which wouldn't. Still chasing George Thorne, have bid £2m so far, great if that one comes off.

Bryson looked excellent, what sort of figure is the transfer fee?

 

[Finchley Seagull]

Championship is so unpredictable. Was speaking to a Birmingham supporting old work colleague, Terry Birch, yesterday and he was telling me what a big club they are, in his opinion the biggest in the Championship and that Clark has made some shrewd signings. With some high quality loans from top PL clubs to come and some investment expected into the club as they are selling a percentage of it, he reckons this could be their year.

Is he serious? If we'd made the signings they'd made, NSC would be up in arms. I don't think I'd want us to sign any of them.

No doubt they'll all be amazing now but really don't think they'll challenge this season. Possible mid table but buying so many players often doesn't work even if they're all good quality.

 

[Foolg]

there aren't many other clubs who would average over 17,000 in the Championship. Also that he senses a big respect from opposition fans when they go away. If things go well and they get rid of Yeung as owner they'll be hanging from the rafters with 30,000+ every week.
.

They didn't.

They averaged 15k last season, and considering the proximity to many teams, I'd say the average away following was probably over 1000. They only averaged 25k the season they won the league cup and were in the Premier League, so i'd expect your mate is talking out of his arse.

They're an average sized Championship club, who seem to suffer from the same problems as Leeds United in that they believe as soon as the 'dodgy chairman' leaves all will be perfect. A Leeds fan I know insisted they'd be back to 30k + averages as soon as Bates left, they aren't, it's just any old excuse to reinforce the ideology that they are still a big club.

 

[mikeyjh]

Bryson looked excellent, what sort of figure is the transfer fee?

There's apparently a £750k clause that allows him to 'speak' to a club, but we've rejected an 'undisclosed' from Burnley today. Word on the street is that he's already spoken to them and that something around £2.5m would do it..... I would be disappointed but thems the breaks and if we do get Thorne back......

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

What about Hughes Mikey?

 

[mikeyjh]

What about Hughes Mikey?

Not heard a dicky bird about him this summer, which is odd considering the noise there was in Jan. Would be quite surprised if he went cos it would take big money and the top prem clubs are now cherry picking the lesser prem clubs aren't they, rather than scraping the barrel and looking at the championship!

 

[Mackenzie]

Thorne for Bryson would be a fair exchange.

Bryson is at the top of his game, Thorne has potential to improve and surpass him. Be good to get Thorne and keep Bryson though!

 

[crodonilson]

They didn't.

They averaged 15k last season, and considering the proximity to many teams, I'd say the average away following was probably over 1000. They only averaged 25k the season they won the league cup and were in the Premier League, so i'd expect your mate is talking out of his arse.

They're an average sized Championship club, who seem to suffer from the same problems as Leeds United in that they believe as soon as the 'dodgy chairman' leaves all will be perfect. A Leeds fan I know insisted they'd be back to 30k + averages as soon as Bates left, they aren't, it's just any old excuse to reinforce the ideology that they are still a big club.

He told me the club were and have for a long time been fiddling the numbers to lower tax returns, crowds at St Andrews have been 2/3k lower officially than actually were present. He said they are in all but status the biggest club in the Midlands. Away support of approx 2k average, which he said was mindblowing considering how poor they've been.

 

[edna krabappel]

Said considering their financial predicament and not winning a home game past October there aren't many other clubs who would average over 17,000 in the Championship

Apart from, off the top of my head, us, Leeds, Ipswich, QPR & Leicester (last season), Norwich & Fulham (next season), Derby, Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Cardiff, Wolves, Charlton, and probably (just about) Blackburn, Bolton and Watford, no: he's absolutely spot on there.

 

[fataddick]

Charlton just paid £2.4m for a striker from FC Copenhagen, where have they got the money for that from ?, I thought they were skint.

Odd. When the Vetokele transfer was first announced about a week ago (with just personal terms to agree) the fee quoted in the press was 1 million Euro, by the weekend he was on a plane over for his medical and the fee quoted was 2 million Euro, by the time he actually signed it was 3 million Euro.

Could be a replacement for Michy Batshuayi, reportedly in the process of leaving Liege for Marseille... or maybe not.

A lot of people surprised that we've given Vetokele a five year contract, but signing young players on long contracts will become the norm under FFP. The reason being that any transfer fee paid is spread across the length of contract, so in this case for example only 600k Euro (a fifth of 3 million, assuming that's the actual price) will go against this year's FFP. Buying young players and selling them on - even if not at a profit - is a good way to up your future FFP limits, if I understand things correctly. For example, say you sign 21 year old Joe Blogovitch for six years for £6 million. £1 million per season of that fee applies to your FFP and Joe's 'book value' decreases by a million each year accordingly. Halfway through his contract, you sell Joe on for the same £6 million you paid for him. Since his book value is now only £3 million, your FFP limit is raised by the difference (the 'profit') so you have £3 million extra to spend that season - well, £4m in total, when you factor in not having to allow his annual £1m amortization. Does it work like that? Correct me if I'm wrong, but if it does then that's the 'loophole' that makes signing young players on long contracts the logical thing to do under FFP, whereas signing older players for a fee (where contracts will be shorter, and resale values lower) is no longer an attractive option at all.

As for Charlton being skint, we were taken over in January by the 18th richest man in Belgium - which doesn't sound that impressive but his fortune is estimated above 500 million Euros, so whether we are skint or not depends how tight he is and where we stand in the panthenon of football clubs he and his family own (seven in total I believe, in Belgium, Spain, Germany, Hungary, etc). Whilst we will presumably be a feeder club for Standard Liege, the other clubs are smaller in terms of income/gates/profile etc, so we're nearer to the top than the bottom of the hierarchy. Also, he will sell Liege at some point - he's already announced his asking price (double the £35 million he paid for them).

In the meantime we have three full regular international team strikers for the first time in our history - albeit Iran, Angola and Wales - and have started getting regulars, rather than the expected bit part players, on season long loan from Liege (ie Yoni Buyens, 26, valued at £1.5m, over 100 appearances for Liege in the last three seasons). Heck, we signed the top scorer from the Dutch second division in January for 800k (press reports were linking him with Villa and West Ham, rather than us) and have just stuck him in our reserves. Our chairman is fully aware that Charlton in the Premier League is worth more financially than Standard Liege in the Jupiler and Champions Leagues. Maybe they're OUR feeder club... *hysterical laughter*

 

[crodonilson]

Apart from, off the top of my head, us, Leeds, Ipswich, QPR & Leicester (last season), Norwich & Fulham (next season), Derby, Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Cardiff, Wolves, Charlton, and probably (just about) Blackburn, Bolton and Watford, no: he's absolutely spot on there.

Not my opinion, if you don't agree with him, tell him........

Terry Birch - Blues NUT

 

[Icy Gull]

Odd. When the Vetokele transfer was first announced about a week ago (with just personal terms to agree) the fee quoted in the press was 1 million Euro, by the weekend he was on a plane over for his medical and the fee quoted was 2 million Euro, by the time he actually signed it was 3 million Euro.

Could be a replacement for Michy Batshuayi, reportedly in the process of leaving Liege for Marseille... or maybe not.

A lot of people surprised that we've given Vetokele a five year contract, but signing young players on long contracts will become the norm under FFP. The reason being that any transfer fee paid is spread across the length of contract, so in this case for example only 600k Euro (a fifth of 3 million, assuming that's the actual price) will go against this year's FFP. Buying young players and selling them on - even if not at a profit - is a good way to up your future FFP limits, if I understand things correctly. For example, say you sign 21 year old Joe Blogovitch for six years for £6 million. £1 million per season of that fee applies to your FFP and Joe's 'book value' decreases by a million each year accordingly. Halfway through his contract, you sell Joe on for the same £6 million you paid for him. Since his book value is now only £3 million, your FFP limit is raised by the difference (the 'profit') so you have £3 million extra to spend that season - well, £4m in total, when you factor in not having to allow his annual £1m amortization. Does it work like that? Correct me if I'm wrong, but if it does then that's the 'loophole' that makes signing young players on long contracts the logical thing to do under FFP, whereas signing older players for a fee (where contracts will be shorter, and resale values lower) is no longer an attractive option at all.

As for Charlton being skint, we were taken over in January by the 18th richest man in Belgium - which doesn't sound that impressive but his fortune is estimated above 500 million Euros, so whether we are skint or not depends how tight he is and where we stand in the panthenon of football clubs he and his family own (seven in total I believe, in Belgium, Spain, Germany, Hungary, etc). Whilst we will presumably be a feeder club for Standard Liege, the other clubs are smaller in terms of income/gates/profile etc, so we're nearer to the top than the bottom of the hierarchy. Also, he will sell Liege at some point - he's already announced his asking price (double the £35 million he paid for them).

In the meantime we have three full regular international team strikers for the first time in our history - albeit Iran, Angola and Wales - and have started getting regulars, rather than the expected bit part players, on season long loan from Liege (ie Yoni Buyens, 26, valued at £1.5m, over 100 appearances for Liege in the last three seasons). Heck, we signed the top scorer from the Dutch second division in January for 800k (press reports were linking him with Villa and West Ham, rather than us) and have just stuck him in our reserves. Our chairman is fully aware that Charlton in the Premier League is worth more financially than Standard Liege in the Jupiler and Champions Leagues. Maybe they're OUR feeder club... *hysterical laughter*

Certainly looks like Charlton fans can be optimistic for next season.

 

[pornomagboy]

Poyet has told Charlton he won't be returning for preseason training

 

[Icy Gull]

Poyet has told Charlton he won't be returning for preseason training

http://www.london24.com/sport/footb...ea_arsenal_spurs_and_man_city_hover_1_3656799

Is he THAT good Looked pretty average when they played down here.

 

[mikeyjh]

Thorne for Bryson would be a fair exchange.

Bryson is at the top of his game, Thorne has potential to improve and surpass him. Be good to get Thorne and keep Bryson though!

Yep, wouldn't rule that out but we will see. If manage to land Jutkiewicz then we're just, in my opinion, a replacement RB away from being a decent side.

 

[Phat Baz 68]

I know one player from the Premier League who will be signing something , Louis Suarez, his UB40 idiotic buck toothed mong.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Not heard a dicky bird about him this summer, which is odd considering the noise there was in Jan. Would be quite surprised if he went cos it would take big money and the top prem clubs are now cherry picking the lesser prem clubs aren't they, rather than scraping the barrel and looking at the championship!

I'd be worried about Southampton if I were you. They are going to have a significant warchest when Shaw and Lallana finally leave. They'll be looking for future Premiership stars from the Championship and I believe you have few!