by Mr Optimist »
01 Sep 2009 20:36
Schards#2 OUT
Hahnemann
Murty
Lita
S Hunt (2.5m)
Doyle (6.5m)
Bikey (3.0m)
Harper
Duberry
IN
Mills (2.0m)
Howard
O'Dea (loan)
Rasziak (500k?)
McAnuff (500k?)
A net £9,000,000 in plus about £5,000,000 off of the wage bill, All together now.........
"this demonstrates our commitment to getting back into the Premiership"
I could go through your list of "outs" but we know that the three that went for money were always likely to leave after last season's failure to go back up. Of the other five players mentioned, Lita was always going to let his contract run down and grab the increased wages on offer elsewhere.
That leaves Hahnemann, Murty, Harper and Duberry. Of these, personally only Harper you could say is a surprise to be surplus to requirements under a preferred passing game. Three are club legends for their part in the most successful era of the club and I will always be thankful to them for the part they played but all good things must come to an end.
Not many managers can completely re-build a successful side at the same club. Fergie is a master of it, Wenger has achieved it, but I think Sir Steve realised the task awaiting him knowing his team of last season will need to be completely re-built and in my opinion was capable of doing it but decided he didn't want the hassle and pressure that would go with it. Maybe he also wisely realised that the fans level of expectations at RFC would now be so high after the last five years of success that he would not get the time and patience he was afforded by (most of) the fans first time around..............
Brendan Rodgers has decided he is up to the challenge and I think we need to give him the time and space and I am certain he will get it right. Right now we need to support him and our club.