Nick Wright previews this weekend's clash between York City Knights and Hull FC
Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
James Tompkinson reviews an excellent pre-season victory for the York City Knights against Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos
Even in the decade of debt, the sartorial community staunchly refuses to satiate the skinflints by endorsing economised wardrobes. The result is the championing of the ‘trophy jacket’ – an expensive piece that will not only last longer than a bargain buy, but make you feel better about yourself despite the initial financial hit.
Football clubs would do well to, erm, follow suit.
Even the Premier League is feeling the pinch, but the recent January transfer window showed that clubs aren’t cutting costs when it comes to recruitment: the division’s total spending reached £175m, up £25m from 2008 and five times the meagre £35m spent in the first January transfer window in 2003.
While it may seem like asking for trouble a few years down the line, splashing the cash seems to have served teams rather well.
Just look at Arsenal: new signing Andrey Arshavin has transformed the club’s fortunes, dragging them above Aston Villa to secure another season of lucrative Champions League football.
Splashing the cash seems to have served teams rather well.
For all his belief in youth and technique over experience and star-power, this season coach Arsène Wenger finally indulged, breaking Arsenal’s modest transfer record after a protracted courtship to bring 27-year-old Arshavin to the Emirates Stadium.
The Russian dazzled on the international stage during Euro 2008, and has been a fine addition to the Gunners' firepower, evidenced by a man-of-the-match performance that saw him preposterously put four goals past Pepe Reina at Anfield this month. Wenger famously claimed that if he was given £100m to spend in the transfer market he would “give it back”, but he has belatedly discovered the benefits of buying established talent.
Admittedly there is a psychological barrier to be broken when risking upwards of £15m on a single player, as with buying a trophy jacket, but the current Manchester United squad has demonstrated the success it can bring.
Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov cost United around £30m each, with the rest of the squad peppered with players approaching the £20m mark. You have to speculate to accumulate trophies.
Ferguson is not the only Scot with the urge to splurge. David Moyes has never enjoyed an abundant transfer budget, but he picks his players wisely and isn’t afraid of paying a little extra to get his man. £15m for little-known Marouane Fellaini this summer was a record-breaking fee, for Everton to pay and any Belgian player to command, yet despite the raised eyebrows at the time Fellaini has become an integral part of the impressive Everton midfield.
But the luxuriant quality of a pricey player is just one of the rewards. At the other end of the table, Tottenham Hotspur went into January still fretting over a relegation battle. It is difficult to conceive of a side going down after spending £45m, as they did in the winter transfer window.
Although it hasn’t been scintillating displays from Jermain Defoe and Wilson Palacios that have steered Spurs to safety, their signatures were a statement of intent from the board, and their new team-mates rose to the challenge.
The euphoria of making those marquee signings, like the rush felt when forking out for a trophy jacket, is the real bonus.
Of course, it is possible to succeed on a shoestring, as Wenger did for so many years. Tony Pulis looks set to keep Stoke City up with the goals of James Beattie, who continued his tour of candy-striped clubs in January with a crunch-tastic £3.5m switch from Sheffield United.
Yet gems like Beattie are rare. Players that improve Premier League teams usually cost money – big money. Luckily, just like the trophy jacket, that big-money move is all the rage this season.
'Waste of money' team of the season
Gomes (has improved though)
Chimbonda, Coloccini, Ben Haim, Dossena
Bentley, Deco, Bullard (injured for Hull after 1 game)
Berbatov, Kitson, Robbie Keane
SUBS - Jo (Man City version), Xisco, Bellamy
Who's Xisco?
He's that waste of space who has occasionally played for Newcastle this season - he really is appalling!
I'm not sure that I would have Gomes in net - maybe Craig Gordon? I'm biased, but I'm not convinced that Berb has been a COMPLETE waste of money in the style Robbie Keane and Dave Kiston were! At least Berba is still at the club who bought him at the start of the season!
It's interesting to compare Robinho and Berbatov: Robinho has 15 goals in 39 games, and Berbatov has 14 from 37. Very similar records and strike rates, but Berbatov gets hardly any credit whereas Robinho has probably been the best City player this season, alongside Ireland. I'd contend that both have been good signings.
As a Liverpool fan, I have to say the fall of Robbie Keane was painful to watch. That said, I think we should have kept him in January, or at least lined up a replacement. I can't help but think what might have been this season if Liverpool had acquired another prolific goalscorer...
Myles - Craig Gordon has indeed proved to be a waste of money but I selected my team based on signings from this season, otherwise I would have made Afonso Alves my captain!
#4 - Interesting point, but I would argue that Robinho has improved an average team whereas Berbatov has added little to a very good team - I look at United's three pronged attack last season with Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez and would question whether taking out Tevez for Berbatov has improved United this season. If they win the league and champions league again then fair enough.....
#5 - Benitez always favours the 4-2-3-1 formation with Gerrard behind Torres, so I could not understand where Keane was ever going to fit in - he was never going to play behind Torres and im not sure he is suited to playing as a lone striker.
Berbatov also has 8 assists in the league this season... people like to forget this
few points i want to make;
arshavin cost £15m or so i believe and yes that is a pretty big amount to spend for wenger but why have people forgotten wenger also spent 12 on nasri? it's really not as if he literally lives on stealing youth talent.
with regards to robbie keane, i imagine it is easy to deem him a failure when he got shafted onto right wing for about a third of the few appearances he made. nice one benitez! not a great season for him though.
berbatov hasn't been a real failure but he's definitely hardly been impressive by any means. yes he's added a BIT to man utd's already strong offence but he's also detracted a significant portion from their defence by removing tevez from the line up. this means instead of having two forwards who apply intense pressure from the top united instead have just rooney and ronaldo and berbatov being lazy, which in turn has allowed oppositions to build from the back and so on.
robinho has hardly lit the world alight either, but yes as #6 says, he's improved a mediocre team.
one last point - i think it's a bit of a waste to deem gomes to that slot, he's been excellent since we've bought cudicini to be honest. not conceded in 6 home games (having played villa, arsenal and chelsea in that period) in fact if you look at the ratio of the shots he's faced on target to the number of goals he's conceded there's not many better: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/premierleague/stats?table=defensive&stat=sogFaced
Indeed, Gomes has improved dramatically, but with regards Jonny's team selection being limited to signings made this season, has there been a more calamitous goalie signed by any club? Maybe Carlo Cudicini???!!! He thought he would get games, it hasn't happened!
Robinho improving the city side? Im not convinced. They finished with 55 points last season, finishing 9th. They can get to 56 points if they win their three remaining games, but would that count as sufficient improvement? They certainly dont win enough games away from home, some of that probably stemming from the attitudes of Robinho, Elano, and earlier in the season, Jo, who are often seemingly not up for a 'battle'.
Robinho's a good player, but I think he deserves to be on that list more than Berbatov does.
We should be discussing Xisco more though...he really is appalling. It's unbelievable he's a premier league footballer.
Robinho is the top scoring new signing in the Premier League, and third in the overall table. He could have done better, but to call him a waste of money is horribly unfair. Where would City be had they not signed him?
And as for Xisco, he probably won't be a Premier League player for much longer...
Alex,
I never called him a 'waste of money' - I don't think he should be on that list either. BUT, my point was that he deserves to be on that list MORE than Berbatov does. I was merely trying to highlight that I feel the criticism Berbatov has got is probably a bit unfair.
what i meant was robinho's done more for man city being amongst a lesser squad than berbatov has at united where he's had the world at his feet. i'm no real detractor of berbatov, i loved him to pieces at spurs but he hasn't really delivered at united yet, as much as ferguson would want us to believe or is desperate for him to do so. where robinho scores and creates goals IN SPITE of his team (bar ireland who has been great obviously) whereas berbatov hasn't done anything to justify his price to be honest.
now considering the lesser team AND his first season in the premier league: robinho's on 14 goals and 5 assists in 29, berbatov' on 9 goals and 8 assists in 29 as well.
by the way as a general note i think berbatov is more outrageously talented than robinho simply because berbatov's touches are to die for; but he's been more wasteful than anything else this year
......and i need to stop trying my hardest to type furiously on anything apart from the work i need to complete by 10 tomorrow. brilliant.
Another two players to add to the list - Borja Valero, and Nicky Shorey!
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