Semi-brief update before I go to Wigan today (update on that game tomorrow) – I trust you’ve all read Jonesy’s site on the Dunne transfer and the utter cock-up that seems to have happened. I’m trying to get my head around it, it’s so illogical. After all, if you invite a player down via plane, get him a medical which he passes and then pull the plug on the deal, there has to be something seriously wrong somewhere.
My own personal view is that there was a major 11th hour 59th minute hitch which scuppered the deal. It could have been financial, it could have been a slight anomality with the medical (yeah, he passed it but I don’t trust our doctors one bit), it could have been something totally obscure like Dunne’s living quarters being gazumped and subsequently having nowhere to live. Anything.
Now, I’m finding it a little bit hard to comprehend that we can’t afford Dunne. If, as has been suggested, the wage bill is too high, then why did we even attempt to sign him? I seriously doubt if (a) TB didn’t know what the financial situation was at WFC, and/or (b) BRG didn’t divulge this information at least sometime during this season.
So why the breakdown in communication? Has somebody not been doing their job? Our record on transfers has been pretty appauling recently, much of it was being used in the press by certain people (eh, Mr Merson?), and when we’ve sold players we have to go on major PR damage limitation. So this is yet another PR cockup and quite frankly I’m sick of such amateurism.
What needs to be done now is some major explaining. We need to know why the deal was scuppered, and the reasons behind the lateness of it. If it was finance, so be it. I don’t have any problems with money, I would rather not waste it and according to BRG’s interview, he doesn’t seem too keen on giving it out willy nilly these days. If it was a breakdown in communication between the bankers and TB, then sort that out as a matter of urgent priority.
If our problems are down to us not being able to handle transfers, then employ an intermediate who does. I get the impression that both TB and R&G aren’t particularly experienced in dealing with signing (and selling) players, but David Barnard is. Surely he must know if we can afford it or not? People are starting to lose faith in R&G, and whilst I still firmly believe that they are the best men to be running WFC at the moment, I don’t honestly blame the doubters.
One final thing – doesn’t this remind you of how Glasgow Rangers treated JH?