Like you, I share a frustration that we haven’t made any substantial and/or significant signings in the last transfer window. This window has set new standards for incredulity - Wednesday signed Adam Reach for a reported £5 million. This for a player who spent last year on loan at Preston; Villa thought Jonathan Kodjia worth the £15m that they payed Br City. That’s almost £1m for every goal he scored last season. Villa also forked out £12m for 30 year-old Ross McCormack.
I can’t find any evidence of your views on these (and other) eye-watering figures, but having read some of your recent comments the impression you give is that you think we should be competing in this market (your quotes in italics) -
Thread: Stewart on how Millers deals were wrecked
Unfortunately if that's where the market is that is what you have to pay.
Hence other teams sign players and we don't.
Similarly, you appear to think that Tony Stewart should join the race for the top by paying potential signings whatever they demand, while accepting the likely debt -
Thread: Panic Time
Footballers really aren't that intelligent, if you pay them what they want they will come.
Thread: Stewart on how Millers deals were wrecked
We are dealing with a over inflated market where the majority of teams in the Championship are willing to go in to debt to chase the Premiership dream, whilst we are trying to run the club at a profit…
You clearly don’t share TS’s pragmatic approach to spending his (stress the his) money -
Thread: Pay peanuts and you get monkeys
No we'll either do one of two things.
1. Bid £1m for a player who is easily valued at £2m+
Actually manage to get a bid accepted but then offer the player a couple of bags of KP salted nuts a week, with a bag of dry roast thrown in if we manage to get a win.
I’m not remotely on the first rung of the ladder of wealth that TS is standing on, and I suspect that neither are you. I don’t know about your financial management skills, but I manage to run my accounts at a small yearly surplus. I’m happy with that. Likewise, I’m happy that TS is circumspect with his financial control of RUFC. Given the choice of watching my team play in Lge. 2 or go through another episode of financial meltdown, with the prospect of not having a team to watch, I know which I would opt for. Okay, TS has been guilty of upping the hype, but which fan doesn’t share those dreams every pre-season?
You seem to promote Barnsley as a model to follow, but I have to admit to finding your arguments a little confusing -
Thread: In Tony we trust
Barnsley, Burton, Wigan, haven't had the same difficulties as us but are operating in the same market.
I have looked enviously at Barnsley’s dealings in the transfer window. As you have pointed out, they are reaping the rewards of some fortuitous investments in young players -
Thread: Can I ask what Tony Stuart (sic) has done wrong?
The difference between Barnsley and Rotherham United last season was Barnsley said to their fans look we are going down the route of signing up and coming players, it might not be pretty, but long term we believe it is the way to go, hence low expectations amongst the fans but they understood what the club was trying to achieve...Barnsley delivered exactly on what they said, the Millers did not.
But then -
Thread: who will be left to sign
Barnsley are hardly the model of stability when it comes to keeping managers for any length of time and I agree they were very lucky last season to achieve what they did.
and -
Thread: Barnsley and RUFC: chalk and cheese
Think the 2 visits to Wembley, £8m from John Stones transfer and £5m from the sale of Mawson has helped their cause.
So there is some recognition of their different financial circumstances. They did manage to sign one of the players that we were interested in. I don’t think either of us has the slightest idea of what the different offers were, or why Bradshaw chose the Tykes over the Millers. But, as you pointed out, there should be other strikers available -
Thread: Now it’s time to have my say
I'm sorry but I just find it totally unbelievable that from all the strikers available in the English league, Scottish League, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Australasia, Arctic and Antarctic we cannot find a single one who is willing to sign for Rotherham United in 3 months of trying.
Indeed, you identified one yourself -
Thread: ALFIE to Wigan. Another one bites the dust!!!
ALFIE to Wigan.
Another one bites the dust!!!
Really? Sorry, but I can’t resist smiling at that one.
Another thing we have in common is experience of senior management. Mine was in education.
Of your experience you write -
Thread: Greg Halford….grow up lad..
I'm a senior manager at work and one of the key things you need to understand in management is that everybody is an individual and that they need to be treated differently.
I agree. I always thought that to bring the best out of people you should identify their strengths and build on those. But no one is perfect, so you also have to recognise people’s shortcomings and devise strategies to help them improve their performance. I wouldn’t, for example, say to someone -
Thread: Typical of Millersmad
Christ almighty!!!! You say your sixty yet write posts a 5 year old would be proud of!!
Or -
Thread: Can I ask what Tony Stuart (sic) has done wrong?
Seems you can't understand basic English or are you too stupid to understand
Or -
Thread: OT WTF is Nicola Sturgeon
Stupid cow thinks…
I think that’s probably enough and to be honest I’ve run out of source material. I expect you will want to reply, and given the above, probably not in a complimentary way (laughs to himself). So here is my challenge - show me that you can be civil, and positive (!!).