Transfer Talk Topic

[Max Fowler]

10 minutes ago, Morgs said:

My mate said something interesting to me last night - he mentioned that he didn't want to see Palmer come on for England in the second half of the Serbia game because he was worried he would change the game, put Serbia to bed and look the player we all know he is. The thinking of course being that if he was to shine as he did in a Chelsea shirt last season on the international stage, we'd start seeing silly money bids coming in for him much faster.

It got me thinking and I make him spot on correct. In all the furore about who are we supposed to be signing and whether the new manager is any good, people seem to have this collective myopia about Palmer. It is an understatement to say he was the shining star last season, and I dread to think where we would be without him. But exactly this is a scenario that has to be coming up around the bend faster than any of us might be thinking. 

Fact is he is a world class number ten who can play behind the striker, track back, play out wide on the right, take players on and beat them, is good in the air and a clinical finisher goalscorer.  He's creative, he can beat a press and he works really hard. 

Arsenal won't pay it, but if Man City, Bayern, PSG, Barcelona, Real or even dare I say it Liverpool were to offer us £120m+ for him, (IE: three times what he cost us) there is no way on God's earth Winstanley and his merry band say no to that. From Palmer's point of view he wants to be playing Champions League football, he deserves to be there, that is his level, and I very much doubt the Conference League is going to excite him much. Imagine if we miss out on top four next season, fall short in the Cups etc, whilst managerial upheaval continues, the club still makes stupid errors and offs the likes of Gallagher, Chalobah and maybe Madueke (all of whom are young English lads Palmer is close to) then what would he make of it all? He'd be off.  And none of us could blame the lad in the slightest. 

Now imagine Palmer has a really amazing Euros and the aforementioned clubs start taking a serious, nine figure interest in him, a season earlier than we were expecting to have to fend off such bids? 

Do we get top four without Palmer next season? No. Will that factor in any way into the club's thinking when they are totting up the crazy return on investment he would bring at that price? Also no. 

Scary. 

I don't see him leaving this summer at all but I could see United coming it at some point. He is a fan after all.

I think we should be building heavily around Palmer to make us the Championship competing team that he can be proud to play for, but we won't. We'll continue to buy youngsters and assume that he can just carry the sword. 

I see him leaving in 2-3 seasons.

[Morgs]

1 minute ago, Max Fowler said:

I don't see him leaving this summer at all but I could see United coming it at some point. He is a fan after all.

I think we should be building heavily around Palmer to make us the Championship competing team that he can be proud to play for, but we won't. We'll continue to buy youngsters and assume that he can just carry the sword. 

I see him leaving in 2-3 seasons.

Ironic if Palmer going to United finally seals Mason Mount's fate and kill off his United career once and for all. 

[Max Fowler]

50 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

I think you're expecting us to be in the market for Kane and his excessive wages or Lewandowski when we just aren't able to do that sustainably. 

If we sign Duran, I'm happy, if we sign Alvarez I'm happy on the proviso that the coach is happy to have either of them. 

I'm not Mark. If you're happy with Duran you've come to accept mediocrity. And we all know that Maresca was hired because he will accept players are going to be brought in whether he likes them or not.

[Mark Kelly]

8 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

I'm not Mark. If you're happy with Duran you've come to accept mediocrity. And we all know that Maresca was hired because he will accept players are going to be brought in whether he likes them or not.

For ninety percent of  my Chelsea journey we aspired to be mediocre, we were much worse. 

I'm enjoying the difference at the moment, good, bad, indifferent, it's still Chelsea and I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst. 

Duran may be a load of old rubbish but to me he looks worth a punt.  Sorry about that. 

[My Blood Is Blue]

9 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

I'm not Mark. If you're happy with Duran you've come to accept mediocrity. And we all know that Maresca was hired because he will accept players are going to be brought in whether he likes them or not.

What striker would you sign, and why? Are you in the Osimhen camp or elsewhere?

Personally I liked Sesko, but he has his new deal and I’m really not behind us signing Osimhen as I think the fee would be way too high for what we’d be getting.

My issue then, is that I don’t really see many other options as the pool of elite strikers is so slim, which means getting in a second/back-up option for Jackson seems quite a logical approach at this stage, unless other options are out there that I just haven’t thought of?

Alvarez is a decent player and I agree RE your points about getting experience in, I’ve been banging that drum for months now. My reluctance for Alvarez would be that I’m not convinced he’d be someone who would come in and even score more than Jackson. But I also wouldn’t be totally against him if a suitable deal could be agreed.

Duran is a strange one, I don’t know that much about him and he seems an unexpected choice, but if he’s coming in to play as a back up option to Jackson, as I suspect the club were hoping Broja would, then I can see some sense to it, for the right price.

I also think we need to be careful not to impact Jackson’s development too much, because I think he has a lot of potential and he did better last season than I probably expected. He’s still rough, but if he continues improving then he’ll be a really good player for us, IMO. Would he benefit from having an experienced striker to work with and learn from, yes, I believe he would, but finding one that fits the bill is tricky. It could  be someone like Callum Wilson, who could be back up or even third choice, but be the experienced player Jackson needs/wants to get advice and guidance from.

What would you do though Max? What do you think is the best approach and therefore what player(s) should the club bring in?

[Max Fowler]

10 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

For ninety percent of  my Chelsea journey we aspired to be mediocre, we were much worse. 

I'm enjoying the difference at the moment, good, bad, indifferent, it's still Chelsea and I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst. 

Duran may be a load of old rubbish but to me he looks worth a punt.  Sorry about that. 

Again, I like signing Duran and then send him out on loan. We cannot have Duran and Jackson as our strikers though, or we can and we'll be mediocre again this season.

[Max Fowler]

1 minute ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

What striker would you sign, and why? Are you in the Osimhen camp or elsewhere?

Personally I liked Sesko, but he has his new deal and I’m really not behind us signing Osimhen as I think the fee would be way too high for what we’d be getting.

My issue then, is that I don’t really see many other options as the pool of elite strikers is so slim, which means getting in a second/back-up option for Jackson seems quite a logical approach at this stage, unless other options are out there that I just haven’t thought of?

Alvarez is a decent player and I agree RE your points about getting experience in, I’ve been banging that drum for months now. My reluctance for Alvarez would be that I’m not convinced he’d be someone who would come in and even score more than Jackson. But I also wouldn’t be totally against him if a suitable deal could be agreed.

Duran is a strange one, I don’t know that much about him and he seems an unexpected choice, but if he’s coming in to play as a back up option to Jackson, as I suspect the club were hoping Broja would, then I can see some sense to it, for the right price.

I also think we need to be careful not to impact Jackson’s development too much, because I think he has a lot of potential and he did better last season than I probably expected. He’s still rough, but if he continues improving then he’ll be a really good player for us, IMO. Would he benefit from having an experienced striker to work with and learn from, yes, I believe he would, but finding one that fits the bill is tricky. It could  be someone like Callum Wilson, who could be back up or even third choice, but be the experienced player Jackson needs/wants to get advice and guidance from.

What would you do though Max? What do you think is the best approach and therefore what player(s) should the club bring in?

The best approach is getting the best striker available given the current crop and move from there. 

Of course we have to take into consideration price, injury history etc.

The fact of the matter is, we are not not going for the best striker because he is not available, we are not going for the best striker because it does not fit the model.

I repeat, and I will repeat again and again, we will never go for the best in class player because we are copying the Brighton model. And so we will never make the step up against teams who are buying the best in class.

Again, get Duran, I am sure he's talented. Ship him out on loan. Have him as a third striker. An investment.

At some point we need to make a decision on which next level player to try to bring in. In no particular order:

1) Osimhen 2) L. Martinez 3) Alvarez 4) Isak 5) Boniface 6) Gyokores 7) Watkins 8-Toney 9) Solanke

I know where this is heading - Osimhen is too expensive. Fine go for Toney, or Solanke, or Isak. 

The fact is we are not shopping in this market NOT because these players are not available, or simply because they are too expensive, but because IT DOES NOT FIT THE MODEL!!!

If you really think the best in class striker is not available, then get the best in class defender, or best in class goalkeeper. But we're not interested in getting the best in class anything. We're interested in getting the 20 year old who is an investment.

I like Jackson as well but it's high time you and others held the board to account for not getting best in class players any more. 

We cannot keep saying that getting better players will hinder the current players development.

How are they going to develop if they are made to carry the whole responsibility on their shoulders for just magically becoming title winners themselves?

Get them some proven winners to help them grow and fulfil their potential.

If not in the striking position then bloody somewhere!!!!

[Max Fowler]

I think the thing that infuriates me if we just bought 2 or 3 quality, experienced players we really would be competing at the top of the league, I would argue definitely in the top 3 and maybe making a bit of a run at the title.

As it is we're just accepting this pathetic loser model which will maybe deliver us top 4 and likely top 6 again.

[Mark Kelly]

47 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

I think the thing that infuriates me if we just bought 2 or 3 quality, experienced players we really would be competing at the top of the league, I would argue definitely in the top 3 and maybe making a bit of a run at the title.

As it is we're just accepting this pathetic loser model which will maybe deliver us top 4 and likely top 6 again.

I think the bods who run the club think they've put together a side that can do just this provided they get the right coach which is why they're changing coaches .

Until they prove themselves wrong then this is their path 

It's really no good railing against it , they don't care what we think !

[My Blood Is Blue]

1 hour ago, Max Fowler said:

The best approach is getting the best striker available given the current crop and move from there. 

Of course we have to take into consideration price, injury history etc.

The fact of the matter is, we are not not going for the best striker because he is not available, we are not going for the best striker because it does not fit the model.

I repeat, and I will repeat again and again, we will never go for the best in class player because we are copying the Brighton model. And so we will never make the step up against teams who are buying the best in class.

Again, get Duran, I am sure he's talented. Ship him out on loan. Have him as a third striker. An investment.

At some point we need to make a decision on which next level player to try to bring in. In no particular order:

1) Osimhen 2) L. Martinez 3) Alvarez 4) Isak 5) Boniface 6) Gyokores 7) Watkins 8-Toney 9) Solanke

I know where this is heading - Osimhen is too expensive. Fine go for Toney, or Solanke, or Isak. 

The fact is we are not shopping in this market NOT because these players are not available, or simply because they are too expensive, but because IT DOES NOT FIT THE MODEL!!!

If you really think the best in class striker is not available, then get the best in class defender, or best in class goalkeeper. But we're not interested in getting the best in class anything. We're interested in getting the 20 year old who is an investment.

I like Jackson as well but it's high time you and others held the board to account for not getting best in class players any more. 

We cannot keep saying that getting better players will hinder the current players development.

How are they going to develop if they are made to carry the whole responsibility on their shoulders for just magically becoming title winners themselves?

Get them some proven winners to help them grow and fulfil their potential.

If not in the striking position then bloody somewhere!!!!

If the best approach you've described were as easy as you suggest, everyone would be doing it. You have to consider numerous factors, including (off the top of my head):

• The club's transfer budget
• The overall financial position of the club (we might need to sell before spending over a certain amount)
• The club's short-term and long-term plans
• The other positions the club wants/needs to strengthen in the same window
• The style of play the coach/club prefers and finding someone who fits that
• The personality fit within the existing squad
• The balance of the squad
• The plan for existing players (e.g., if the club genuinely believes Jackson will be an elite striker in a couple of years, they may prefer to invest in his development rather than blocking his path)

Although the club has spent big on players like Enzo and Caicedo, and to a lesser extent Cucurella, I don't see many more big-money signings in the near future, at least not until we're hopefully re-established in the Champions League in a few years.

I understand you don't like the current approach, but that doesn't make it wrong, nor does it make anyone with a different view wrong or suggest they are just going along with whatever the club does without complaint.

Regarding your list, personally, I wouldn't take Osimhen or Martinez because they would cost a fortune with no guarantee of success, and I don't think we can afford that risk this summer. I already mentioned Alvarez. Isak interests me; if he becomes available for a decent fee, I hope we would be in the conversation, although I expect Champions League clubs to show interest as well which would make it harder for us. Boniface is only slightly older than Jackson with no Premier League experience, so he doesn't seem like the right fit to mentor Jackson if that is what you're after. Gyökeres is interesting, but he's pricey, and I think Arsenal is also looking at him. Watkins is unlikely to be sold by Villa, especially with their Champions League campaign ahead. Toney's personality and poor form since returning from suspension are concerning. Solanke might not be much of an improvement over Jackson, and I believe Jackson has a higher ceiling.

This is just my opinion, but it's why I'm not worried about us not being linked with an £85m+ bid for a striker right now. I don't see one out there.

Also, it seems like you want a big-name, big-money signing, which I find a bit odd. I agree we need some experience, but I'd focus on proven Premier League players who can come in and manage the game when needed, even if they don't play week in and week out.

[Max Fowler]

23 minutes ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

If the best approach you've described were as easy as you suggest, everyone would be doing it. You have to consider numerous factors, including (off the top of my head):

• The club's transfer budget
• The overall financial position of the club (we might need to sell before spending over a certain amount)
• The club's short-term and long-term plans
• The other positions the club wants/needs to strengthen in the same window
• The style of play the coach/club prefers and finding someone who fits that
• The personality fit within the existing squad
• The balance of the squad
• The plan for existing players (e.g., if the club genuinely believes Jackson will be an elite striker in a couple of years, they may prefer to invest in his development rather than blocking his path)

Although the club has spent big on players like Enzo and Caicedo, and to a lesser extent Cucurella, I don't see many more big-money signings in the near future, at least not until we're hopefully re-established in the Champions League in a few years.

I understand you don't like the current approach, but that doesn't make it wrong, nor does it make anyone with a different view wrong or suggest they are just going along with whatever the club does without complaint.

Regarding your list, personally, I wouldn't take Osimhen or Martinez because they would cost a fortune with no guarantee of success, and I don't think we can afford that risk this summer. I already mentioned Alvarez. Isak interests me; if he becomes available for a decent fee, I hope we would be in the conversation, although I expect Champions League clubs to show interest as well which would make it harder for us. Boniface is only slightly older than Jackson with no Premier League experience, so he doesn't seem like the right fit to mentor Jackson if that is what you're after. Gyökeres is interesting, but he's pricey, and I think Arsenal is also looking at him. Watkins is unlikely to be sold by Villa, especially with their Champions League campaign ahead. Toney's personality and poor form since returning from suspension are concerning. Solanke might not be much of an improvement over Jackson, and I believe Jackson has a higher ceiling.

This is just my opinion, but it's why I'm not worried about us not being linked with an £85m+ bid for a striker right now. I don't see one out there.

Also, it seems like you want a big-name, big-money signing, which I find a bit odd. I agree we need some experience, but I'd focus on proven Premier League players who can come in and manage the game when needed, even if they don't play week in and week out.

This is precisely why I didn’t want to get into a breakdown of the individual players, although I am pleased to see you like some of them. Strange you suggest that I want a big money signing as many of the players I mentioned are “PL proven”.

It’s actually not my job to tell the board which striker to sign, but you also casually ignored my point about signing quality players that improve the squad in other positions, instead. Or is there a dearth of quality players in all positions?

As for your list of factors, which influence in our decision-making, this feels like a vague set of excuses for our strategy. We pump out PR saying we are modelling ourselves on Arsenal who precisely did what we should be doing - buying PL-proven players that improve the squad. So Arsenal now have the finances to buy quality, experienced players, but we don’t?

We have plenty of money. The owners have plenty of money. This is a deliberate strategy that the owners have undertaken to turn us into an up-market Brighton. The RB Leipzig of London.

[McCreadie]

54 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

Simply. engage. with. the. argument.

There is no argument. We haven't bought anyone, or chosen anyone over anyone else. The transfer window is not open.

54 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

You are simply saying, as far as I can tell:

"If the board chooses to sign Duran over Alvarez I trust that the board has done that for good reasons and because I don't feel privy to those reasons, I will support the player and assume that it is the right decision."

Pretty much, with the exception of changing "I dont feel privy to those reasons" with "None of us are privy to those reasons".

Stewart and Winstanley know a lot more about football recruitment and the club's position and strategy than me, you or ROTG.

 

[paulw66]

13 minutes ago, McCreadie said:

There is no argument. We haven't bought anyone, or chosen anyone over anyone else. The transfer window is not open.

 

 

stupid facts

[My Blood Is Blue]

23 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

This is precisely why I didn’t want to get into a breakdown of the individual players, although I am pleased to see you like some of them. Strange you suggest that I want a big money signing as many of the players I mentioned are “PL proven”.

It’s actually not my job to tell the board which striker to sign, but you also casually ignored my point about signing quality players that improve the squad in other positions, instead. Or is there a dearth of quality players in all positions?

As for your list of factors, which influence in our decision-making, this feels like a vague set of excuses for our strategy. We pump out PR saying we are modelling ourselves on Arsenal who precisely did what we should be doing - buying PL-proven players that improve the squad. So Arsenal now have the finances to buy quality, experienced players, but we don’t?

We have plenty of money. The owners have plenty of money. This is a deliberate strategy that the owners have undertaken to turn us into an up-market Brighton. The RB Leipzig of London.

If I understand you correctly, you don't believe the players we are linked with are of high quality. Have you scouted them personally? How extensively have you watched Duran to conclude he's not what we need?

I don't view my list as a series of excuses. Rather, it's a basic outline of just some of considerations clubs must account for when developing their transfer strategy. It highlights that it's not as simple as just signing the best players.

Regarding your point about signing quality players in other positions if we can't get a quality striker: which positions are you referring to? I think we need a quality CB and possibly a goalkeeper, provided they are available and fit our needs. But what other positions do you believe we should target for top-quality players, and what do we do with the current players in those roles?

While the owners have substantial funds, we must operate within financial regulations and constraints. We can't simply spend an additional £200-300 million this summer without recouping a significant portion through sales, which is challenging.

To summarise my point, transfer deals and strategies are complex, especially when we lack much of the information the club uses for planning. Signing the best defender, midfielder, and striker might look good on paper, but if they don't fit with the rest of the squad and disrupt the balance, it could actually worsen the team.

Also, where are the briefings about us basing ourselves on Arsenal? I ask as I just haven't seen anything about that, but I also haven't really been looking to be fair.

[Max Fowler]

20 minutes ago, McCreadie said:

There is no argument. We haven't bought anyone, or chosen anyone over anyone else. The transfer window is not open.

Pretty much, with the exception of changing "I dont feel privy to those reasons" with "None of us are privy to those reasons".

Stewart and Winstanley know a lot more about football recruitment and the club's position and strategy than me, you or ROTG.

 

You are just kicking the can down the road. I've explained why "they know a lot more" is an evasive non-point we can ignore.

Edited June 17 by Max Fowler

[Max Fowler]

I mean it really is simple folks.

If we buy a better player than we have now, our squad improves and gets more competitive. If we buy a worse player, it doesn't. Yet somehow we have duped ourselves into thinking that buying a better player will actually make the squad worse because it will hinder our current player growth.

To say otherwise is baffling and it reflects the state of apathy/delusion/denial within a minority of the fanbase.

[Max Fowler]

6 minutes ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

If I understand you correctly, you don't believe the players we are linked with are of high quality. Have you scouted them personally? How extensively have you watched Duran to conclude he's not what we need?

Regarding your point about signing quality players in other positions if we can't get a quality striker: which positions are you referring to? I think we need a quality CB and possibly a goalkeeper, provided they are available and fit our needs. But what other positions do you believe we should target for top-quality players, and what do we do with the current players in those roles?

While the owners have substantial funds, we must operate within financial regulations and constraints. We can't simply spend an additional £200-300 million this summer without recouping a significant portion through sales, which is challenging.

To summarise my point, transfer deals and strategies are complex, especially when we lack much of the information the club uses for planning. Signing the best defender, midfielder, and striker might look good on paper, but if they don't fit with the rest of the squad and disrupt the balance, it could actually worsen the team.

Also, where are the briefings about us basing ourselves on Arsenal? I ask as I just haven't seen anything about that, but I also haven't really been looking to be fair.

Are you really arguing that Duran is the best in class? With 5 Premier League goals to his name? It's obvious Duran is being bought for the future, like every other player, and not because he's going to make the biggest impact on our squad now.

GK, CB, CF. 

It's not challenging. We just spent 60 million on a 17 year old. Are going to spend 40 million on Duran.

Yes we can't go nuts in every position but we could at least buy one top quality, ready-made player in one of those key positions. But we won't. Why? Because it doesn't fit the model.

I really like Olise and almost think he counts and it would be great if we bought him, but really I am talking about the core of our team (GK, CB or CF) and someone bringing much needed top level pedigree and experience. 

Olise is very talented and great that he is PL-proven but that's about it. More talent, no leadership or experience.

There's been a lot over the years but 2 found in 2 seconds.

Clearly we brought in Maresca partly based on the Arteta model but Arsenal crucially bought Arteta player after player of Premier League proven, quality experience, Premier League winners, top level players over the age of 25.

 

 

 

 

 

[ROTG]

37 minutes ago, McCreadie said:

ROTG

Well helloooo 

[Mark Kelly]

13 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

I mean it really is simple folks.

If we buy a better player than we have now, our squad improves and gets more competitive. If we buy a worse player, it doesn't. Yet somehow we have duped ourselves into thinking that buying a better player will actually make the squad worse because it will hinder our current player growth.

To say otherwise is baffling and it reflects the state of apathy/delusion/denial within a minority of the fanbase.

If we buy a better player than we have now we have absolutely no guarantee that they will remain better , none whatsoever 

Nobody has been duped by anything , some merely understand it as the ups and downs of supporting a football team when your opinion counts for nothing 

Saying otherwise reflects that some supporters have a more adult outlook than others , twitterchimps for instance where if we don't sign Messi and Ronaldo we're not worth playing in FIFA . 

Edited June 17 by Mark Kelly

[Mark Kelly]

[Max Fowler]

3 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

If we buy a better player than we have now we have absolutely no guarantee that they will remain better , none whatsoever 

Hard to follow that logic through Mark - let's keep buying worse players instead then?

- time that I said to all, agree to disagree 🫡

[Mark Kelly]

3 minutes ago, Max Fowler said:

Hard to follow that logic through Mark - let's keep buying worse players instead then?

- time that I said to all, agree to disagree 🫡

No , it's time to access what attributes the side needs to go to the next level.

If you as a director of football think you need a big powerful CF you don't go out and get Messi because he's one of the Worlds best just because. 

You get the best big powerful CF that fits the remit including your requirements for age , wages and re-sale value . 

Maybe they want a mental CF with a blistering shot who's already half decent but with the right coaching can push on a piece?

 

[My Blood Is Blue]

2 hours ago, Max Fowler said:

Are you really arguing that Duran is the best in class? With 5 Premier League goals to his name? It's obvious Duran is being bought for the future, like every other player, and not because he's going to make the biggest impact on our squad now.

GK, CB, CF. 

It's not challenging. We just spent 60 million on a 17 year old. Are going to spend 40 million on Duran.

Yes we can't go nuts in every position but we could at least buy one top quality, ready-made player in one of those key positions. But we won't. Why? Because it doesn't fit the model.

I really like Olise and almost think he counts and it would be great if we bought him, but really I am talking about the core of our team (GK, CB or CF) and someone bringing much needed top level pedigree and experience. 

Olise is very talented and great that he is PL-proven but that's about it. More talent, no leadership or experience.

There's been a lot over the years but 2 found in 2 seconds.

Clearly we brought in Maresca partly based on the Arteta model but Arsenal crucially bought Arteta player after player of Premier League proven, quality experience, Premier League winners, top level players over the age of 25.

 

 

 

 

 

No, that isn't what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that Duran may fit the profile of player the club is looking for in that position, for whatever reason and it may even be that this profile is the second choice, but the elite level striker profile they were after, just isn't out there at the moment. 

The other thing to point out, is that we haven't signed anyone yet, the window hasn't even opened. What if they sign Duran and Alvarez, it's still possible. It's also possible they don't even sign a striker. Who knows?!

Max, I just think you're getting wound up by things that haven't happened yet, by things people haven't actually said and are refusing to open your mind to a wider approach than just 'sign the best players'. This isn't Footbal Manager, this is real life.

I'm stopping now and we'll 'agree to disagree'.

[ROTG]

1 hour ago, McCreadie said:

Pretty much, with the exception of changing "I dont feel privy to those reasons" with "None of us are privy to those reasons".

Stewart and Winstanley know a lot more about football recruitment and the club's position and strategy than me, you or ROTG.

 

I say!

They might know some about recruitment as in scouting, however neither has the education and subsequent qualifications to be given a title of sporting director or the salary of £750k per year. 

It's another great example of why the youngsters of today take the route of sports science degrees rather than studying for a doctor's degree and to work +50hrs per week in A&E for peanuts 

Edited June 17 by ROTG

[My Blood Is Blue]