[Albion] Paul Hayward Article in Telegraph

[Bold Seagull]

As an aside I see Watford finished 1 place and 1 point above us in 2017/18, spent £11.5 million on Deulofeu, finished top half with a Cup Final to come. Meanwhile, we have £17 mill Jahanbaksh on a 5-year contract.

[active first team playing roster]
Watford's annual payroll is said to be £51m. Ours is £39m.

West Ham £85m
Southampton £70m
Palace £70m
Newcastle £43m
Fulham £43m
Bournemouth £42m
Burnley £42m
Huddersfield £32m
Cardiff £26m

Wolves is the one to pick out, also at £39m, although they went big on 2 players at £100k per week each. Our top earners are £50k.

 

[B.W.]

You know this for a fact? Were the goalposts moved? Maybe it was to keep us up but with an improvement on the previous season given the money spent on new recruits.

I don’t know TB but he doesn’t appear to me to be the sort of person who would expect the way the season went to be acceptable.

Spot on... no goalposts were moved...

 

[B.W.]

How do you know that?

Would it not be to improve on the season before?

It was...

 

[El Presidente]

Watford's annual payroll is said to be £51m. Ours is £39m.

West Ham £85m
Southampton £70m
Palace £70m
Newcastle £43m
Bournemouth £42m
Burnley £42m
Huddersfield £32m
Cardiff £26m

Wolves is the one to pick out, also at £39m.

Disagree with those figures based on the accounts from last season.

 

[Albumen]

It's not a simple as that. He was given a stronger squad and finished 2 places lower, got 4 points less and -5 goal difference worse off.

He had the whole of the 2017/18 matchday squad available - minus Izquierdo and minus Gross for 1/3rd of the season granted - but with Bernardo, Bissouma, Jahanbaksh and Andone as additional options. He should have done better with what he had.

I suppose you could say he overachieved in 2017/18 and set the bar too high for himself, but that goes out the window when you go on a run of 3 wins in 23 matches.

As an aside I see Watford finished 1 place and 1 point above us in 2017/18, spent £11.5 million on Deulofeu, finished top half with a Cup Final to come. Meanwhile, we have £17 mill Jahanbaksh on a 5-year contract.

Deulofeu has finally found his feet under a new manager, but you don't want to give Jahanbakhsh that opportunity?

 

[Ernest]

Disagree with those figures based on the accounts from last season.

View attachment 109625

We don’t need FACTS thank you

 

[B.W.]

Further evidence that player recruitment at our level is a bit of a lucky dip?

Or that Chris's tactics and defense-at-all-costs mentality caused a good player to look like a lemon (TBC)?

 

[El Presidente]

We don’t need FACTS thank you

Those figures don't of course include the 1983 Cup Final money.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Disagree with those figures based on the accounts from last season.

View attachment 109625

Is that all salaries or just playing staff? The website below was purely for first team squad playing staff.

Anyway, source is here, so might not be accurate, especially in relation to bonuses etc.

https://www.spotrac.com/epl/fulham-f.c/payroll/

 

[LlcoolJ]

Is that all salaries or just playing staff? The website below was purely for first team squad playing staff.

Anyway, source is here, so might not be accurate, especially in relation to bonuses etc.

https://www.spotrac.com/epl/fulham-f.c/payroll/

Think I'll trust El Pres on this one. Those figures you quoted are way off the mark.

Pretty sure we're not paying an additional £39m in wages to non first team players and other staff..... If it's true then I want a job at The Amex.

Edit - That's one of those "pure guesswork" sites by the looks of things.

 

[El Presidente]

Is that all salaries or just playing staff? The website below was purely for first team squad playing staff.

Anyway, source is here, so might not be accurate, especially in relation to bonuses etc.

https://www.spotrac.com/epl/fulham-f.c/payroll/

I think the figures from Sportrac are about as accurate as those of Transfermarkt.com when it comes to fees. There's a lot of guesswork involved.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Further evidence that player recruitment at our level is a bit of a lucky dip?

Totally. Deulofeu has scored more goals this season than in his previous three seasons, including 13 games 0 goals for Everton in 2016/17. Credit to Javi Gracia for the turnaround.

 

[El Presidente]

Totally. Deulofeu has scored more goals this season than in his previous three seasons, including 13 games 0 goals for Everton in 2016/17. Credit to Javi Gracia for the turnaround.

Yup, remember Mike Small, Kurt Nogan, their careers were like comets, came from nowhere, lit up for a short period, returned to nowhere. Football is unpredictable as is football player recruitment.

Havind said that, there's an amazing looking player at Queen of the South, has scored 43 goals, he'd look great at the Amex, he's called Stephen Dobbie.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Deulofeu has finally found his feet under a new manager, but you don't want to give Jahanbakhsh that opportunity?

I go by what I've seen with my own eyes. I don't recall Ali J trying to beat his full-back, I don't remember shots that have tested the opposition keeper, quality crosses or defence-splitting passes, I don't recall any demonstration of pace, exceptional skill, any noticeable fight or spirit about him.

What I have seen is a bloke that goes missing on a regular basis.

 

[Springal]

I go by what I've seen with my own eyes. I don't recall Ali J trying to beat his full-back, I don't remember shots that have tested the opposition keeper, quality crosses or defence-splitting passes, I don't recall any demonstration of pace, exceptional skill, any noticeable fight or spirit about him.

What I have seen is a bloke that goes missing on a regular basis.

What has changed between him being top scorer in the Eredivisie and here? I can accept some players not making it but such a decline is staggering.

 

[Bold Seagull]

What has changed between him being top scorer in the Eredivisie and here? I can accept some players not making it but such a decline is staggering.

Is this one of those trick questions?

 

[Pavilionaire]

What has changed between him being top scorer in the Eredivisie and here? I can accept some players not making it but such a decline is staggering.

That's the $64,000 question.

If you watch his YouTube 2017/18 highlights he scored 4 or 5 penalties and 3 from close range after corners - none of that is going to happen for him in the Premier League. A further 4 or 5 of those are from shocking defending - again, the like of which you wouldn't get in the Prem. Of the remaining half maybe 4 or 5 are as a result of cutting in from the right-wing, but another 5 are decent strikes from a central position in the No. 10 role.

We've used him almost exclusively as a winger but a lot of his goals see him start in a central position or move from the right into the centre. His finishing looks great but then you have more time in the Dutch League.

If you then compare that highlight reel to that of Dan James of Swansea it's like comparing chalk and cheese. James has blistering pace, two quick feet, a quick mind. It's all done 25% quicker than Ali J.

 

[Ernest]

Those figures don't of course include the 1983 Cup Final money.

I see you don’t mention this years FA Cup CASH . Maybe you have been got AT too

 

[Papa Lazarou]

What has changed between him being top scorer in the Eredivisie and here? I can accept some players not making it but such a decline is staggering.

He's learnt to defend and track back?