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Hughes: Spending Out Of Control

Blackburn Rovers Manager Mark Hughes has hit out at the staggering amount of money be paid for players nowadays, and feels this is spiralling out of control.

Rovers have thus far only spent £350,000 in signing two players (and all of this was spent on Maceo Rigters!!!) whereas clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United have spent close to £100 million between then, with Tottenham Hotspur not far behind with transfer fees approaching £50 million, so between the three of them they have contributed almost half of the entire money spent this summer, which is coming close to an incredible £300 million!!!

The reason for this, according to Hughes, is the extra money being generated by the new Television deal (along with added pressures to succeed), meaning clubs are paying over the top for talent that maybe they necessarily wouldn't ordinarily have to, although spending has increased summer after summer over the years (with this years spending more than doubling last summers!!!)

Sparky told the Lancashire Telegraph:

"There's a lot of players moving around at the moment and the value that has been put on those players is totally out of sync to what they are actually worth.

"I think it's just people looking around to see what's available, and who they can get into their club, and they are having to pay top dollar, and over and above top dollar on occasions.

"I'm just grateful for the squad I've got. It's taken three years to get to this side together and I'm grateful that we are in a situation where we don't have to go out in the market place and buy players for the sake of it, paying over the odds."

Sparky is MORE than happy with his squad (and so he should be!), and when looking at who has actually moved, and how much has been paid for them he is not entirely convinced that had he paid what others did it would have even improved the Rovers squad!!!

He added:

"But there's a lot of players also going for five, six, seven and eight million, and I look at some of the players that have moved, and I then look at my squad and think they wouldn't improve it.

"So I'm quite comfortable with the situation that we are in."

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Writer: Walker

Date:Tuesday July 17 2007

Time: 12:30PM

Your Comments

So long as Rovers can hold on to players, Sparky is proving time and time again that you do not NEED to spend massive amounts of money to build a team. On a shoestring budget he has build something special here.
Obviously without spending the types of money others are Rovers could run the risk of being left behind, but spending beyond your means is a dangerous game to play and I am more than happy with the way we go about things, so WHY should we spend too much?!?!

Hughes Da Man

It's just the fear of falling behind the likes of Portsmouth, West Ham, Newcastle, Man City and Villa who all have considerable spending power at their disposal, this could push us further down the league which in turn means we could lose the likes of Pedersen etc.. which could push us even further down. He is right about the stupid valuations - £14-16m for Bent, £48m for Tevez (inc wages) for a guy that couldn't score a goal three months ago, £27m for Torres (untried in the Prem) and £13m fro Babel who is still an unknown. Don't get me started on the Spammers spending - 6m for a guy who has played for France once. I do think though we are weak at left and right backs and could do with some cover.

Wellsy

so is hughes saying that if he was manager of chelsea or liverpool and he had the money to spend on players that he wouldnt? thats poppycock sparky

Dales_Dad

Nothing that Sparky sais above is news, but I would think that keeping the same squad is a risky strategy. Bringing in 2-3 players always improves a squad, and mebbe he is saying this to fend off any pressure he might get for not making any signings.

prits

If you can't stand the heat......

BaldyYid

Oh he can stand the heat alright. If we keep our squad together and add 2 or 3 more players we will improve. We don't need to spend loads, we have a great squad and anyone who is a football fan knows it... McCarthy, Gamst, Bentley, Reid, Brad and Nelsen... all of these could play for top 4 teams and fit right in.

MikeyGamst

cant stand the heat thats gas just cos he doesnt get ripped off in the transfer market people dont give him credit ill gladly have sparky only spend 6-7 million a summer thats a lot considerin how much he spends per player eg benni 2.5 and 24goals in a year 400,000 on samba, nelsen was free 1.5 on warnock thats four of our starting 11 costing 4.4 million the chap is a legend in the transfer market!

durks de rover

I think what Sparky is saying is that this ridiculous spending is making the Premiership less competitive.. 4/5 teams have crazy amounts of money to spend and so can afford a 20 player squad of world class talent, whereas teams like Blackburn who have less money available obviously struggle to compete in the transfer market. We are lucky to have a fantastic manager who seems to have a real knack of sourcing out talent for cheap, but there have been numerous reports about Blackburn going in for players and losing out because of the money. Hughes would no doubt love to add a few more names to the squad, but the current transfer market is pricing out clubs like Rovers. We have a great team, and we'd like to add more quality to it, but we can't readily get players of a similar quality to those we already have at today's prices. Apart from Sparky's wonder buys, that is. Did somebody say Maceo Rigters?

martinr

Again Ryan Babel and Rigters are from the same squad, one cost £11.5 million, one cost £350k... what an operator!

MikeyGamst

Yeah is stupid, but worrying at the same time, we need to be taken over really adn does anybody have any news on that? seems to have gone all quiet at the moment. We can't keep up with portsmouth and west ham etc..., and even the promoted clubs are going spend crazy. The thing is though i really can't see anybody that will come to us that will better the sqaud.

roverjoy

I dont want to "keep up with the Jones'" thanks lads. Let west ham, Pompey and all the other new money buy buy buy, cos eventually they are gonna have to sell and its those players that can get cherry picked for peanuts! Besides, the trek up the hill with a wad of cash in ur arse pocket may be great but sooner or later, these "investors" will want a return on their invstment or decide that its too expensive a hobby and then step away from the club, where does that leave a club like west ham?? Anyone heard from Leeds lately?

BomBom

History tells us all we need to know... West Ham, Pompey, Villa if their fans are happy to be fleeced and conned... if they think they are going to challenge United and Chelsea then they are fools as well! Look what happened to Leeds! Bom Bom is quite right - so they spend all this money - what for a UEFA spot? yeah right! only one team can win the premiership in a season, We did it without spending over the odds, other footie fans will say we bought the league... but Jack was no mug and refused to pay over the odds and certainly never did a "we'll match any offer" bollox. The Geordies have always spent over the odds... and what did it get them? bugger all! I'll be pleased just to see the squad remain together, they might not all be world class but they are Rovers and that is all that matters.

Ex Ewood Resident

If i had my pick of the "available" players it would be Alan Smith... No to Beattie, but if he comes then i'll still support him.

Ex Ewood Resident

Alan Smith at Ewood no way, we don't want him nor Beattie we have to sign better or as good as our first name one the team sheet strikers. Alan Smith would just be sitting on the bench taking up lots and lots or wages and causing unrest. I would chose McCarthy, Roberts and Derbyshire over him, we need somone or would beat those or match them in the challenge for a place in the team. I don't see the point in signing another back up striker when we have about five don't we so no need.

roverjoy

Unless Benni leaves, I don't think we need to buy more strikers.

martinr

Lets not rule out the new kid!!!! Rigters is a quality buy. And dont worry about the lack of spending.. as Hughes always says... "whats the point of buying players when they wont improve things???"

MikeyGamst

and i seem to remember last year, people were slating Sir Alex for lack of signings and look how they ended up!!!!! (i'm not suggesting we will win the league by the way lol but you get the point, if it aint broke dont fix it.)

MikeyGamst

Touche dude! Could not agree with what you have said more.

Hughes Da Man

Build a good TEAM from our existing squad, playing for each other with understanding and a happy dressing room. We will at least match other 'teams' consisting of overpriced individuals.

r.waterfall

Mikey - the voice of reason - it is true that we are the ONLY club outside the top three big spenders to ever win the premiership and we cretainly didn't have to spend big in one season. r.waterfall is correct too... buying in loads of new players means that a team has to take time to settle. United's buying while excessive is limited in the numbers that will affect teh first team, where as Liverpool, Villa, Fulham(!) and Hammered will ahve problems settling those teams down.

Ex Ewood Resident

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