Yup, but only because I did not agree with your point.
ochlol: You say hope but not expectation. I'd say that you are playing silly buggers with semantics.
Semantics? Maybe.... For the sake of it, given the backdrop of the broader attitudes towards these things here and beyond? Absolutely not. It's an entire necessary distinction to be made... In the context of a
fan, I'd say "expectation" is far more so leaning towards
'entitlement' than "hope"
Maybe I just think about these things more on the basis that you've subsequently chosen to debate me... ?
No transfer is guaranteed to work out so therefore everyone one carries within some degree of risk that it won't. Therefore all transfers would entail some degree of hope. But the crucial point you are not conceding is the fact that at some point, some relative threshold of money for each respective team, that mere hope becomes expectation.
I would say that for each of our record transfers there was a significant level of expectation of success. If you don't have a expectation of a certain level of success then how do you gauge market value and ROI. It's not just amortized transfer fee and years left of contract. Though considering our recent xfer success Levy might still be working here.
I could even argue that the switch from 'hope' to expectation occurs at exactly the point where a team decides to part with its money and consummate the deal. I mean, who in their right mind decides to do a deal without the expectation of success
I've not neglect to think about the things you mention, I just don't think that from our limited outside perspective that we as fans are sufficiently informed to justify genuine "expectations" upon the purchase of what is a less than finite/tangible 'item' (player) that attracts a highly volatile notion of price and value... Least of all when signing a young player with a view of the next 10 years, not him being the finished article at 22 y/o.
Those actually accountable for that £40m spend will have a far more informed view of what can rightfully be expected of this or any other deal; i.e. what any potential risk/reward actually means and the sense of VALUE any upside would bring...
I doubt we have an abundance of risk assessors and stock brokers etc. in the TFC midst so we can all afford to be a bit humble about these subjects. All we have at our disposal amounts to little more than: "Cor! Check that out, fellow yid... Our new CB just cost £40m... He should prove tasty... Yeh, but such and such down the road got X for less... Ahh, but he's shit now..... [Ad lid]".
Maybe, I'm wrong, but it seemed to me the critique from yourself and a couple of others was on the basis of "we paid
too much" for Dav without knowing what we have truly bought yet...
(From the general tone of things today one would be forgiven for thinking he's been an absolute car crash for the last 2 years.... Far from it!)
Honestly, if any of us here can conjur a universally convincing argument of what £40m means or is truly
worth in this game and time... Well, by all means fill yer boots... I don't fancy myself as that much of an expert, personally.
And what type would that be? I hope you don't think I gave a petty retributive 'disagree' because we are having a little amicable debate. If so then no I am not that type. I gave a disagree becasue I truly disagreed and put it out there knowing I would be able to address it in a response.
The type you explain yourself not be be.... Like I say, I didn't have you down us such, but you came accross as petty ("semantic" almost?) and still do when you subsequently call ME out for "semantics" even tho you don't seem to have much of an end-point to your interjections yourself.... Besides linguistics (i.e. requesting I define "blinkered" etc.).
..."Blinkered" needn't be an insult, if one is humble enough to think about what's being discussed.
So, coming full circle.... Are you ultimately contesting that in fact the market does have a clear sense of value attached to it, that prices aren't distorted and prone to erratic market forces, and don't retain much broader meaning from one window to the next? ....You don't believe fans and their arm-chair perspectives aren't left
"blinkered" by a lack of proper insight?
Good for you. Maybe you're a genuine expert... Maybe you are just great at computer games like FM... Lucky for you, I'll never know the truth.
So yeh... Back to kebabs & chicken dippers, FFS! : P
