Jan 2012 Transfer Window Rumours

joluafc4eva · Post by **joluafc4eva** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:09 pm

Apparently we are tracking Andros Townsend

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11715/7400301/

LUFCRACE · Post by **LUFCRACE** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:39 pm

Just keeping the place tidy liiiiiike!

joluafc4eva · Post by **joluafc4eva** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 12:46 pm

I see its another loan

The Subhuman · Post by **The Subhuman** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:33 pm

If it's to get him experience at the expense of continuity here then no thanks...if he's promising and a better than even chance of a permanent solution then I'll grudgingly accept....but I don't like short-termism

Gino 1959 · Post by **Gino 1959** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:36 pm

faaip wrote:If it's to get him experience at the expense of continuity here then no thanks...if he's promising and a better than even chance of a permanent solution then I'll grudgingly accept....but I don't like short-termism

We made the same mistake with Bannan/Livermore last time out?

MeeTa · Post by **MeeTa** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:38 pm

only thing i know bout the guy, is that hes fast on FIFA. so if thats true in real life ill take him, we need something that can run

The Subhuman · Post by **The Subhuman** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:41 pm

Gino 1959 wrote:
We made the same mistake with Bannan/Livermore last time out?

we did, although it may have made little difference if we'd had loaned them early January rather than late February...

Short term loans to help "big" Clubs with their reserve teams can only benefit the big club and a small outfit operating on very little and with very small squads..

LuFc MoT · Post by **LuFc MoT** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:49 pm

Rumours of a Greek Player - Alanius Smithius !

The Subhuman · Post by **The Subhuman** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:50 pm

LuFc MoT wrote:Rumours of a Greek Player - Alanius Smithius !

after that joke and looking at your signature...maybe you should just GO....

Post by **1964white** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:53 pm

Coming up - 20 plus pages of rumoured signings that will not materalise for one reason or other

Wait for the panic buy/low key signings

Post by **1964white** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:55 pm

faaip wrote:
we did, although it may have made little difference if we'd had loaned them early January rather than late February...

Short term loans to help "big" Clubs with their reserve teams can only benefit the big club and a small outfit operating on very little and with very small squads..

Correct Faaip, signed in late Feb/early March so they were eligiable for the play-offs

becchio bear · Post by **becchio bear** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:14 pm

MeeTa wrote:only thing i know bout the guy, is that hes fast on FIFA. so if thats true in real life ill take him, we need something that can run

Oh dear God

Toby · Post by **Toby** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:26 pm

Ala.n smi.th to fill the howson role?

MeeTa · Post by **MeeTa** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:34 pm

becchio bear wrote:
Oh dear God

yup, still all i know. never seen him play, never heard owt bout him.

LuFc MoT · Post by **LuFc MoT** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 2:47 pm

faaip wrote:

after that joke and looking at your signature...maybe you should just GO....

Ill get my coat! haha

Silky · Post by **Silky** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:01 pm

Keith Andrews or Alan Smith

HairyArse · Post by **HairyArse** » Fri Dec 30, 2011 10:51 am

Keith Andrews has just injured his hamstring. He's not going to be playing any time soon.

MikeLUFC7 · Post by **MikeLUFC7** » Fri Dec 30, 2011 2:39 pm

joluafc4eva wrote:I see its another loan

Loans helped get Stoke promoted, but like you I'd rather see us build a squad by buying players to develop and make into stars, rather than develop another clubs players.

eastyorkshirewhite · Post by **eastyorkshirewhite** » Fri Dec 30, 2011 2:45 pm

Why try and guess who may come just remember one thing Papa Smurf wont spend any large amounts no manager can work with that kind of problem.

MikeLUFC7 · Post by **MikeLUFC7** » Fri Dec 30, 2011 4:20 pm

eastyorkshirewhite wrote:Why try and guess who may come just remember one thing Papa Smurf wont spend any large amounts no manager can work with that kind of problem.

The flip side to that is that Bates has said in the past that money has been available to be used for transfers and loans, but Grayson has been unwilling to use that money to sign players because he believes in being thrifty. Grayson loves loan deals and free signings, and to an extent, it has become common practice amongst Leeds fans to attribute that to Ken Bates rather than a method which Grayson used effectively at Blackpool.

At Blackpool he had half the 2006 season in charge, two full seasons in charge (2007 and 2008), and then half a season in charge in 2009. In those two full seasons in charge he signed 13 players for free, 2 season long loans, and 22 short term loan deals[/b] (some might have been made longer); he only signed 7 players for fees. I haven't used stats for the January 2006 window, or the summer 2009 window because I can't find them, but I am almost certain that the same pattern followed.

So with this in mind, is Grayson's method that he has used at Leeds any different from the method that he used at Blackpool?

Nope. I am unsure if Grayson was in David O'Leary's position if he would have spent anywhere near the money that O'Leary did. In fact, I could probably safely say that Grayson would probably have spent around a quarter of what O'Leary did. He might have had more success, the same success, or less success, but I don't think Grayson is the type of manager who spends lots of money. He seems to me from his time at Blackpool and so far here at Leeds, that he prefers to be thrifty. That is not Ken Bates' fault, nor is it Bates' method. Bates has brought funds to the table in every transfer window, and as far as we can see, Grayson has preferred to not use it as much as other managers most likely would.

Then again, there is a myth that Grayson hasn't had money made available to him, and that he doesn't seem to use it. For instance in our last season in league one he signed Bromby and Gradel for 250k each. For the 2011 season he spent fees of: 500k on Neill Collins, 300k on Alex Bruce, 350k on Ross McCormack, and undisclosed fees on Clayton and O'Brien. So at the least he has spent 1.15 million on players in two seasons - that figure excludes what Clayton and O'Brien cost us. So Bates has made money available to Simon, and he has spent some of it - to what degree none of us know. That to be dispells the myth that Bates doesn't back his managers, and that's without considering the money he provided for Blackwell, the million plus he provided for Wise, and the half a million plus he provided for Macca. Also, we have spent significant money on wages, because we've always been amongst the highest payers in league one and the championship, and we have spent on loan deals as well because some carry loan fees and some require wages being paid.

So this post really disproves the theory that Bates won't spend. Granted our expenditure hasn't been significant at times when compared to other teams, but those teams who often spend more than us generally have owners putting that money in. Bates is still ambitious with what he wants for this club, but he is also a wise businessman in that he won't risk the clubs future for potential short term gains. I guess he could have told Grayson to spend 5 to 10 million this summer, but would that have got us into the top two? Not on the basis of what's happened to Leicester. Bates has got this club profitable and running within its means, and Grayson is a thrifty manager who tends to prefer loan deals and free signings, and that was how he was at Blackpool and he's continued it here. I suppose that's why they've had a successful partnership to date.