Transfer Window - How Important?
Last updated : 30 December 2006 By Footy Mad - Editor
Roeder has so many players with injuries it is getting beyond a joke, and the transfer window is what can turn around Newcastle's season. United have been treading water and the Toon boss has done miracles with the players available.
Also, this transfer window is his chance to prove he REALLY can be the manager we have been looking for. Someone who can make this club successful.
Freddy Shepherd scuppered his hopes back in August, waiting until the final day of the window to tempt four players ... and all four deals went arse-over-tit.
But the pressure is now on the chairman, as his popularity is at an all time low, and he must PROVE to the fans he has the club at heart ... not financial gain. His empty words "I have not made a profit from Newcastle United" will haunt him. Now he must back his manager, because we all know he wasn't sure Roeder was up to the job.
Here we have three Premiership managers, and their thoughts on the window ....
GLENN ROEDER: "I will not be signing players just for the sake of signing them.
"It is not just the fans asking about who I sign. Senior players in our squad like Scott Parker, Shay Given and Michael Owen will be looking carefully at which players I am going to sign.
"It is really judgement day for me. It will put me under more pressure, but I have always been careful in spending other people's money.
"I have only bought two players in Oba Martins and Damien Duff and we went through the thought process with both of them.
"Even though Antoine Sibierski was an 11th-hour signing we made a lot of phone calls in that hour checking out his character and things like that.
"Now we have the opportunity to sign more players in January and I can tell our fans we are looking for quality and not quantity.
"There are plenty of players out there whom we could sign but who would not improve our team and with whom we would then find ourselves lumbered.
"So I will not be buying players who will drag us down but players who will help us move forward."
Harry Redknapp would love to plunder some homegrown talent when the transfer window reopens. But the Portsmouth manager believes the inflated prices often quoted for the best of British may scupper his attempts to strengthen next month.
Norwich striker Robert Earnshaw and Preston's David Nugent are names the club have been linked to as Pompey look to bolster their squad for a possible European push - but Redknapp has insisted the price must be realistic.
REDKNAPP: "I like Earnshaw. He has done well and has always scored goals. His record is pretty good, and he is a natural goalscorer.
"Norwich will probably want good money for him, though. You look at Nugent, who I like - £5million is a lot of money.
"Where can you find strikers? It is hard and it will be tough to get someone here to make us a better team.
"It is always a gamble. You can get someone for a million and they do not perform - or you can get Kanu who costs nothing and scored nine goals.
"Look at the players Chelsea have brought for millions and millions. Some have been great - but some have not quite come off."
Sir Alex Ferguson believes the influence of the January transfer window is "over-rated".
Having secured Henrik Larsson on a short-term loan and recalled Giuseppe Rossi and half a dozen other youngsters from spells elsewhere, Ferguson is now pondering whether to make further reinforcements to his squad.
Ferguson doubts any new signings will have a dramatic effect.
FERGUSON: "The influence of the transfer window is over-rated in the sense of what you can really do," he said.
"If you have ambitions in the Champions League, the Premiership and the FA Cup you are limited in terms of the number of players you can choose.
"We have signed players in the past but it is not necessarily the case we will sign someone this time. We may, or we may not. It depends on a lot of things.
"But I am happy we have Henrik Larsson coming in and also with the improvement in Alan Smith. And, now Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is fit again, he will definitely get us 15 goals."
