Deadline day - good article

[domprague]

I think this article in today's Independent sums up the transfer deadline day pretty well. OK, we're not looking at Premiership players but I think his point that it is used by clubs to clear out dead wood is accurate and might explain why we stayed out of bringing in new players.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/deadline-day-a-loveless-night-only-brings-failed-flirting-and-frustration-10021712.html

[cmg]

Good stuff.

There are several truths concerning 'last day' shopping that those caught up in the hysteria of the moment tend to overlook.

Because you are in a sellers' market you are almost always going to pay over the odds. And you are usually confined only to those players deemed surplus to requirements by their club.
Then, specifically for Fulham, even if you do identify a suitable player and decide the price is OK there is no guarantee that the player will want to come. Mid-table (?) Championship clubs are not an attractive proposition for quality players.
And, if anything, the problem gets worse the more money you have to spend. A £30million player, even if you are prepared to pay £40million for him is even less likely to want to come.

It can sometimes work out (most people thought that Danny Murphy was finished when he came, but he turned out to be one of our great aquisitions). But panicking rarely pays off.

Even if you do secure a top-notch player for a bargain price you run the risk of half our supporters thinking of it as a disaster (You know who.)

[ron]

Mid-table (?) Championship clubs are not an attractive proposition for quality players.

Absolutely. The way around that is to have some sort of unique selling point. Clearly we had it in the form of huge amounts of cash once established when Mo took over, but in a more subtle way it had started with the incredible team spirit that Micky Adams had instilled already (which may have caught the attention of Mo's advisers).

The spark of inspiration is needed to convince superior players to come, even before the bigger cash arrives (by promotion this time instead of via our current rather reluctant fairy godfather?) I think Kit is providing that in improving amounts...certainly better than some old has been who's been round the block.....