There certainly was something to their reaction, when we were the only ones seeking to use public funds…
We could twist ourselves into pretzels trying to find an alternative narrative instead.
Not even looking for an argument here, just not entirely sure what your point is exactly.
Not really. Someone has to have the guts to try it first. We took the leap, got burnt, everyone else decided not to jump into that fire.
We weren’t the only ones though were we. Given the reaction of our fans though its clear why other clubs may have either chosen not too.
Something simply does not add up, in spite of the mountains of excuses and justifications…
I mean, why for instance is there suddenly talk in the media about selling Brewster?
Because the media need to talk about the champions.
The narrative we need to sell to buy was put out there, and now Brewster is one that the media have decided is worth adding.
Take it as a positive that the rumours are only around exits for a youth player and Gini, and the fact our core are clearly staying, happy, and therefore the media cant say anything that might stick.
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The time to judge our actions or lack thereof is when the window closes. Would anybody be surprised if we signed a mega youngster on Tuesday out of the blue?
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Prior to his recent contract there was pretty open discussion about him only staying if there was some sort of commitment to help him break through into the first team. This coincided with him starting to get a profile at the club far beyond what he had earned, which was seen as a clear statement that we saw a big future here for him. It’s now been one dreadful injury and two years later and he’s no closer to really breaking through. We dont know exactly what is going on, but it is easy to see a scenario in which Klopp is simply respecting a person he was worked with and giving him the out he needs to continue his career in a way we no longer believe he can achieve here.
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Read the Twitter thread from Swiss Ramble that has been posted here numerous times. He does all the adding up so you don’t have to. If you don’t then appreciate the financial position the club is in, well then that’s you choosing to ignore the reality.
We have one of the highest wage bills in the world. We’ve invested in a new stand, a training ground and another stand on the way. There is a finite amount of money and it has been made clear we’ll not only run to FFP regulations but also as a self-sustaining entity.
There is a finite amount of money and a finite amount of space in the squad. We want to add some players, we need to move some on.
Saying “things don’t add up” over and over is pointless if you then simply proclaim that the reasons people point out are just excuses. The reason you don’t think it adds up is because you aren’t willing to acknowledge the reality and prefer to stick blindly to your perception.
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But the point is, we already moved some players. And we are not in need of the level of investment we made a few years ago.
What is more, everyone else is impacted by the pandemic. And not everyone has an oligarch or a country behind it. Last I checked, Mike Ashley is not an oligarch. The owners of Villa are Americans impacted by the same pandemic economy as FSG…
As was said long ago, there’s something about protesting too much that simply does not add up…
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I am confused at times what is the point driven to be proved, when we say our owners aren’t investing, and so on? Are we suppose to change the owners, because these guys will run the club the way they have been running upto now. It won’t change. And that means running it carefully with proper analysis, not being reckless and keeping the future in mind.
So are you looking at change of owners and the entire system that has put us back on top when you are not happy with the way things are? What’s the other option?
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FSG are amongst the bottom 5 wealthiest owners within the premier league.
Mike Ashley is wealthier than they are and is trying to sell to a Saudi group who may have given the club funds to ensure signings are made before they take over.
Their costs and benefits from spending are completely different to ours .
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It’s been suggested, based on Swiss Ramble analysis and from others, that the investment in the existing squad over the last couple of years to keep this team together, is equivalent to something like spending £200m in the market.
It’s quite clear that’s where the money has gone. Fans think about transfer fees as the be all and end all, but it’s far more instructive to talk about wages.
So we know where the clubs income has gone. If people refuse to see that or talk about Kool Aid, we’ll you can’t do anything. What the question actually is this - Should the club be extending its debt to buy players with huge uncertainties over its future income
Other clubs (although not as many as you think) have answered yes to that question, and we’ve said no. I think there are many reasons why the answer has been no including the simple fact that FSG are reluctant to use debt to fund the squad regardless of pandemics, to the obvious point that we don’t really need to, as we’ve already got the best squad in the league.
Regarding Brewster, as long as it isn’t media bollocks, which it likely is, we have to remember this is a lad who has already nearly left the club once over playing time and signed a new contract on the promise of games. The desire to move on is more likely to be his rather than the clubs. Then you have to bear in mind he plays a role we don’t tend to use, are obviously having difficulty shifting Wilson, Origi and Grujic, and you can see why getting £20m for him (as long as there are some serious kick back if he goes for mega money in the future) starts to make sense for all parties.
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It doesn’t add up because you aren’t willing look beyond your blinkered view.
Newcastle and Villa don’t have hugely wealthy owners no. But they also don’t have one of the highest wage bills in football and a new training ground to pay off.
Ashley also needs to keep Newcastl in the league so it’s an attractive proposition to sell. If he doesn’t invest and they go down he stands to lose a lot more than he gains by staying in the league.
Villa are desperately trying to cling on too. Difference is, we finish one place lower this season it isn’t a disaster in the grand scheme of things. Villa finish one place lower and they are in serious trouble financially. They have different motivations than we do, hence the different approach to spending money without knowing what they might have coming in.
For the record, I want us to bring in a couple players. I don’t see Thiago as a big need unless Gini goes. But if the manager is cool with the situation then we probably should be too. The day he says he isn’t getting what he needs I’ll be out there with the pitchforks for the owner.
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I think at this point you’re running the risk of people starting to get very frustrated with you. You’re not doing a lot of listening. You just keep saying things don’t add up, while people are literally doing the sums for you and showing you the working out.
All clubs are affected by the pandemic. Some a bit less than others (ahem sovereign wealth funds) but in general all clubs are feeling the pinch. TV money is down. Match day income is non-existent. Commercial revenue will be sluggish.
Clubs that are spending money are doing so by putting debt onto the clubs books to fund it. Now, of course, FSG could do this, and I’m 100% sure if Klopp said he really needed player x FSG would find a way to make it happen.
So it is a question of risk. To take Newcastle and Villa, since you mentioned them. Both those teams have poor squads and go into the new season amongst the favourites to go down. For those clubs, increasing the debt to improve the squad with the aim of staying in the division makes a certain amount of sense. Could backfire horribly if the don’t spend wisely, but it’s a gamble the probably have to take.
For us, increasing debt to make what is already the best squad in the league marginally better makes less sense.
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As mentioned above, Leeds.
Same story. They obviously view taking on debt to improve to squad and avoid relegation a risk worth taking.
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On the day of the closure of the transfer period probably?
Klopp’s already said we’ll probably move late.
I think that just about sums up the difference between our views…