Saturday 18 June 2011

Promotion or Bust

Shit or Bust Metro Flight
There's still a distinct whiff of cynicism in the air regarding Sullivan and Gold but credit where credit is due, they don't appear to be skinting on finance at the moment. The signing of Nolan - likely to cost the club in the region of £15million in fees and wages - is a fantastic statement of intent and whilst it has echoes of the Hitzlsperger signing, timed to boost season ticket sales, nobody can quibble at such a huge investment from a team just relegated.

Of course, we are saving a fortune in wages already. The salaries of Dyer, Spector, Jacobsen, Upson, Ba, Hitzsperger and Bridge added up to a cool £360,000 a week or £18,720,000 a year. When Parker goes, there will be a further saving of £4.3million. With the parachute payment, we actually won't be that much worse off after that adjustment.

However, departing players have to be replaced of course, and Nolan is claiming what Derr Hammer was being paid. People keep saying that Nolan is the replacement for Parker but, of course, he is more a like for like replacement for the German.

We have Upson's replacement - and many expect Faye to be an improvement. Derr Hammer has been replaced by, in my opinion, a better player. Dyer, of course, didn't count. We desperately need a right back and left back and probably a goal scorer to replace Ba. But with seven new recruits mooted, surely the key positions are being prioritised.

It looks to me as if Sulllivan and Gold are taking a gamble, conscious of the need for a speedy return. It's shit or bust time.

21 comments:

Sav said...

It's too soon to tell HF! One player won't make so much of a difference no matter how good he may be. I am not too excited by SuGo's and co. because so far they have shown extreme stupidity by clinging to AG until the bitter end! Now we have to compete with another 23 teams for the right to be back in the Premiership. It is not as easy as some people think. Although I don't like Sam's style of football he is a no-nonense manager which is a pitty really because it is the likes of who we really needed to escape relegation last year. But hope dies last and I am hoping like everyone else that we bounce right back. Like him or not, if anyone can do it, Sam can!

John said...

So far we have got one good experienced player and one very good experienced player. If this standard is maintained management will have done a good job at doing their very best to get us back up in a season

USA Davs said...

Sav, even from a totally cynical perpsective it is more likely SuGo will spend money now to get the payoff of promotion. In fact, if they were in fact totally self absorbed and looking to milk what they could, they would never have bought Nolan. Not a chance. They would have bought someone from League One to replace Hitz or Parker. Taken the gamble that way.

One player does make a difference. It really does, regardless of what you believe their intentions are. They want to get us back up for the benefit of the club and supporters? Sign a guy like Nolan. They don't give a rats ass about the club because they make so much money on blow up dolls (or was that Brady? Cant tell the difference) but want to profit on the OS? Sign a guy like Nolan.

That is the logical, pragmatic way to see it in my opinion. Either way the club will benefit. Yes, they were beyond stupid in hiring and keeping Moron Grant. But they want their money back, buddy. And they will get it one way or another.

USA Dave said...

Im sure you know I meant Dave, not Davs. Fix that for me, will ya HF?

screenworx said...

The whole basis of their investment and potential reward is hovering around the Olympic stadium. As such the cost of getting the team promoted would be insignificant to them compared to the cost of not doing so and having a declining yo yo team going nowhere fast. I think it may take till this time next year before people actually start to wake up to that and probably longer for most.

USA Dave said...

Very well said screenworx. I think you have made the point II was trying to make, only better.

Sav said...

Guys, of course SuGo want to get West Ham back to the Premiership asap. The trouble is, they want to achieve this with a team that is costing them half the salary bill compared to the one that was just relegated. This is a lot harder to achieve than spend like crazy in order to get back where you think you belong (that's what Abramovic or the Man City owners would have done for example). I don't think that the same guys who couldn't manage to do the simple thing like changing the manager in January and keep us up can manage such a delicate balancing act. I don't question their intentions; just their ability. Again, I hope I am wrong.

Hammersfan said...

Unless going down was part of the plan Sav.

Sav said...

So you think that they have masterminded our relegation HF? If that is true, then they more stupid than I first thought.

Hammersfan said...

Not masterminded it as such but saw it as a viable plan B. With squad sizes of 25 and a massive wage bill, they had very little wiggle room for as long as we were in the Prem. If they had slashed and burned, you and Stani and co would have howled like wolves at the moon. So they brought in a few loan signings and some cheap recruits and hoped to stay up. When it was clear that wasn't working, I don't think that troubled them unduly. Plan B cut in.

Hammersfan said...

Like me - they knew we were going down in early December. But they couldn't admit that. Look at the abuse you gave me when I said it!

Sav said...

If we gave you any abuse it was because you kept saying "give Grant more and more time".

Anonymous said...

The reason you get abuse is because you're a cnut!

Hammersfan said...

Well you gave me abuse specifically for saying we were down before Christmas actually Sav.

Fair enough 0501.

Sav said...

Selective perception and now selective memory. Stani, please respond to this because I don't feel like getting into a long a futile debate with HF again.

the headmaster said...

For the life of me I cannot understand why you bother to put up posts by pond life.
Your regulars love this blog and it has a growing audience I believe since the range of contributors is also increasing. To have someone get recognition by simply using a vulgarity yes shows him up to be the der-brain he is but will also appeal to those who actually agree with him.

Hammersfan said...

Who are you talking about headmaster?

Hammersfan said...

Oh, 0501. It is perhaps a valid point of view. He is entitled to his opinion and if venting at me stops him hitting his wife and kids, then it is a small price to pay.

Anonymous said...

20:53 "thumbs" down!

GoatyG said...

23:40 snigger* you can't do that - he'll get upset

Anonymous said...

20:53 so headMASTER what are you, fascist, communist or do you perhaps favour totalitarianism? either way they all ban free speech and the airing of the opposite view.

HF is rightly letting all sides speak, and any other way leads to the appalling system of PC correctness bought about by the labour party.