Will We Ever Spend £5 Million Or More On One Player Again?

Well, we don't. You've admitted as much yourself. For the past five or six years we've consistently spent around the same on transfers and we've gotten the results we've had.

That won't change until we change our way of doing things.

 

Because we've failed. That's not been down to not spending enough money, that was us not winning the league and then having a rookie managers getting to grips with European football. Then we got in twice and then we had a rookie manager struggling to come to terms with a new team and European football...

We out spend the likes of Legia Warsaw and Maribor. We should be beating them.

 

In theory , yes we could do that but are we likely to get £15/20 million for a player who mainly plays in this league and only has possibly 6/8 CL games a season against better opponents. I would have my doubts on that.
As you say the players at £5/6 million will look for larger wages. What we need to remember then is that will lead to increased wages across the playing staff. Yes there is the argument of stop buying 2/3 players at approx. £2 million, but then all your eggs are in one basket and IF that player fails, we are left with a large drain on resources.
I can see it from both sides, at times , Im just glad its not my decision :smiley-laughing002:

 

It'd be asking a lot, that's for sure..

 

then maybe our scouting department isn't quite what it should be?

 

I genuinely don't think it's that. Most of these sides are well in to a season by the time we are just starting out, in such massive games..

 

I couldnt agree more. In fact I am often derided for beating the same drum. I feel that we have to show ambition now or it will be too late 5 or 10 years from now. What I mean is that we could possibly win the Europa League in this day and age if we actively target this. In the future this will not be possible as it will disappear into an expanded Champions League or our competitors will pull further ahead.

 

I thought that moving to this model was the next logical progression in our recruitment policy as well. I am horrified at some of our tightness in light of the money coming in. I think Lawwell and all are happy with how things are now and they dont have the balls to move forward.

 

Look at Man City. They spend millions and are pish in the CL.

Money doesn't always mean success. If we spent more and payed more wages i guarantee you on the odd occassion we would still fail to qualify. The team we have now should be able to cruise the qualifiers but it wont always happen.

 

I don't think it's that, the biggest stumbling block has been the fitness and match sharpness entering these games. I think that's where Ronny will show his worth in gold tbh.

 

I think our biggest worry this season is Boyata. I am worried that he might not be fully integrated and possibly prone to a costly mistake.

 

There's a very simple answer to that, don't play him if he's not ready.

Van Dijk, Mulgrew and Ambrose should do. If he's ready, excellent, if not use the others.

 

Fair point

 

Manchester City are in a completely different position though, they're buying finished articles to attain success, we're looking to buy players that can deliver a bit of success but that can primarily be sold for a profit.

We're currently doing that at a low level, and it's really up to the club if they wish to kick on and move that up a gear, or simply remain where we are and tread water.

Currently we're doing the latter, there's no doubt about it.

 

he cant be any worse than ambrose

 

The real question is, would Frank McGarvey spend 5 million on a player?

 

Exactly. Ambrose is more than capable in the qualifiers than risking a player whos not played with anyone in a game yet.

 

I think the part in bold is wrong mate. Look at it this way: We signed VVD for about £2.5m? I reckon if we'd waited a year or so and he'd maybe had another good season at his old club he would have cost us about £4-£5 million. Does that mean we would now be getting offers of £15-£20 million just because we paid £2.5 million more at the time? No, he'd still be where he is just now, an approx. £10 million player.

What annoys me about the demand people have that we spend more and buy £5million players is it's like they're saying we only have players of £2million quality at the club, which is blatently untrue. Although we only sign players of around that value, Celtic fans support a team with several players between the £5m-£10m mark (Bitton, Johansen, VVD, Denayer etc.). The notion we are watching dross because we are clever how we spend is false.

I honestly don't believe this club will progress as much as people think if we start spending more in the transfer market. We'd need to spend much more than upping from £2.5m to £5m to see a noticable impact and we will suffer so much more when we hit a flop, which would happen just as often at those prices. £5m hardly guarantees quality these days..

To give another example, compare a standard market-value £5million player on £30k-£35k age 24 with a £1million, £8k signing like Bitton at 20/21. It could be argued that Bitton is the player that is going to improve the team. You could argue that within 12-18 months Bitton would develop into a £10m player (happens often at Celtic) and eclipse the 30kp/w £5million player at far less risk.

One place I absolutely agree is with holding on to established players by giving them better contracts, although I recognise the way Scottish football is just now that it's been very difficult. I think we do quite a good job of holding on to players all things considered.

The way this club needs to improve itself is by investing inward in it's own youth and player development. If we try to spend our way to success we will lose. We should keep the current model until finances shift in football and we can get higher base revenues. It's all well and good saying we made good profits the last couple of years, but there's never any mention of the losses made the years before..

 

uts crazy to think the last time we spent 5m was something like 2002 and that we havent spent over 6m ever. when you think of how big a club we are its mad. also craxy to think we assemble quite a good side that can compete in matches in the cl on such a low budget.

 

We spent £6.5m on Sutton I'm sure. One of the three: Lennon, Hartson, Sutton.

Sure it's Sutton though.

Mad though, aye.