Fans Comment
Mark Dunford

The Waiting Game
2 September 2005

Robbie Keane: Reports of the price Spurs quoted vary wildly between £4.5m and £10m

We over-achieved last season and the squad has been improved significantly over the summer despite the loss of an inspirational club captain in the close season. Over the last few weeks we’ve even had more injuries than all the previous season, still we seem to have played well, although results haven’t gone our way.

The midfield may now be equipped to collectively score more than last year but the key point is everyone knows we need a striker.  The tabloids suggest we were quoted £8M for Keane and the same for Nugent.  Keane’s price has apparently increased by 33% in the close season yet he remains one of 34 players at Spurs and is clearly glued to the bench for the next few months.  He’ll move somewhere in January.  It seems we were effectively being asked to fund their purchase of Jenas and it is no great surprise to learn that this wasn’t something Moyes and Kenwright readily accepted.  Nugent remains unproven at a higher level and the last 20-year-old goalscorer I recall going for £8M was loaned to Rangers from Charlton on the same day we knocked back Preston’s reported asking price.

The sensible riposte is that all this should have been sorted earlier but the truth is we are working in a seller's market where there are precious few goalscorers around and, in any event, we enquired about most of those that suited.  The refusal to pay over the odds has to be in the best interests of the club. We’ve lost bidding wars to Newcastle and, while the Geordies are already out of Europe, their easier fixture list may allow them space to move up the league, yet if they finish eighth or lower the mercenaries will pack up and move on.  Time will tell if Everton’s recent signings strengthen the team but the indications are good.  Davies and Neville both look strong while the others have yet to be seen in serious action.

A real worry is the pressure all this puts on Beattie.  Mid-season signings always seem to take time to settle yet he seems to have become almost a peripheral figure in all the fuss about the need for added strikepower.  His tabloid presence hasn’t endeared him to the faithful.  He remains the club’s record signing, has scored consistently in the Premiership and should flourish in Europe with support from players like van der Meyde.  At 27 he is hopefully approaching his prime.  Gambling on one player like this makes me nervous; it is true that, if he scores 10 by say Christmas, he will be declared a success; someone who has proven the doubters wrong and cert for the Player of the Year awards.  A failure to score more than say 5 will have the critics tapping away at their keyboard.

Even without Beattie, things don’t look too bad.  Bent will score and has turned in some great performances in the year or more he has been at Goodison.  Vaughn is one for the future and Ferguson performed miracles at times last year though I wonder if he can repeat this if he starts too many games.  McFadden is someone who seems to have completely lost his way.  All in all we’re still in better shape than we appeared to be this time last season.  Campbell has effectively been replaced by Beattie.  We’ll almost certainly sign someone in January but until then we need to accept where we are and move on.

My real worry is what happens when Martyn gets injured.  Wright is not the same player since he fell from his attic and the other two keepers are promising but unproven at this level.  I suspect this will be next summer’s dilemma.

Mark  Dunford

"Fans Comment" articles are submitted by outside contributors to ToffeeWeb. The views contained therein may not correspond with those of the site owners. Editorial policy

©2005 ToffeeWeb