Ambitious

Will Vaulks contract talks with Wednesday have stagnated. He was their player of the season last year and has previous with Warne. 
I wouldn’t be surprised if we were throwing a few spanner’s in the works to see if we can persuade him to sign for us. He suits the system, is well known to the manager and is a proven at Championship level. If we can pick up Vaulks and Bernard on frees from Wednesday that would be lovely start to the window. 

Will Vaulks contract talks with Wednesday have stagnated. He was their player of the season last year and has previous with Warne. 
I wouldn’t be surprised if we were throwing a few spanner’s in the works to see if we can persuade him to sign for us. He suits the system, is well known to the manager and is a proven at Championship level. If we can pick up Vaulks and Bernard on frees from Wednesday that would be lovely start to the window. 

Will Vaulks contract talks with Wednesday have stagnated. He was their player of the season last year and has previous with Warne. 
I wouldn’t be surprised if we were throwing a few spanner’s in the works to see if we can persuade him to sign for us. He suits the system, is well known to the manager and is a proven at Championship level. If we can pick up Vaulks and Bernard on frees from Wednesday that would be lovely start to the window. 

You tell 'em!!! 🤣

Depends on his wages, but if they’re reasonable then you give him a home and see if he comes on. We know talent isn’t an issue and that’s usually the biggest problem when recruiting. TJJ has fitness problems, for sure, and if someone gives him a great deal when walk away but otherwise put him with Dej Brown and try and progress him. Worst case is that he doesn’t progress but sign him on low wages and no fee and we’re no worse off. He has ability to play at Championship level, at one point he was seen as one of the most elite prospects in the country. Take the gamble, seems like a good kid. 

My worry with Manning and Bird is that he could go back to being a passive midfielder again. Like Barlaser, Warne took on a technically gifted player and made him more impactful - and out of all our players, it was Bird who Warne improved the most. I think he would've been better off at Derby, both financially and otherwise. I'm still surprised at why he moved so quick to Bristol, who is a good club in a nice area, but there's a lot about that move that I don't like. Bristol, Preston and Cardiff are three teams who are established but also very apathetic towards their club. It creates a negative environment. Bird could've got a move to a better club IMO.

My worry with Manning and Bird is that he could go back to being a passive midfielder again. Like Barlaser, Warne took on a technically gifted player and made him more impactful - and out of all our players, it was Bird who Warne improved the most. I think he would've been better off at Derby, both financially and otherwise. I'm still surprised at why he moved so quick to Bristol, who is a good club in a nice area, but there's a lot about that move that I don't like. Bristol, Preston and Cardiff are three teams who are established but also very apathetic towards their club. It creates a negative environment. Bird could've got a move to a better club IMO.

In terms of ability, of course he is. He has always been a technically gifted footballer, but in terms of consistency, fitness and general application throughout his career he has been lacking. The same could’ve seen said about NML when we signed him.
The general consensus is that he doesn’t fit the profile we’re being told that we are after and as a player looking at potentially his last major contract then it has all the ingredients of a bad investment. 

I have absolutely no problem in signing experienced players on a free - the problem is when you start paying fees for players late into their career. I would argue that it’s not advisable for a club in our situation.
Ultimately, we do need quality in any way we can get it. NML just had his career best year at 31/32. If the plan is to run a sustainable football club, outgoing transfers are a major part of being able to realise that. If you’re looking to compete, like we did in League One, the only factor is bring enough quality into the club. The resale value of assets is inconsequential, but I’d guess and hope that’s not the case now we’re in the Championship. 

In terms of ability, of course he is. He has always been a technically gifted footballer, but in terms of consistency, fitness and general application throughout his career he has been lacking. The same could’ve seen said about NML when we signed him.
The general consensus is that he doesn’t fit the profile we’re being told that we are after and as a player looking at potentially his last major contract then it has all the ingredients of a bad investment. 

I have absolutely no problem in signing experienced players on a free - the problem is when you start paying fees for players late into their career. I would argue that it’s not advisable for a club in our situation.
Ultimately, we do need quality in any way we can get it. NML just had his career best year at 31/32. If the plan is to run a sustainable football club, outgoing transfers are a major part of being able to realise that. If you’re looking to compete, like we did in League One, the only factor is bring enough quality into the club. The resale value of assets is inconsequential, but I’d guess and hope that’s not the case now we’re in the Championship. 

I have absolutely no problem in signing experienced players on a free - the problem is when you start paying fees for players late into their career. I would argue that it’s not advisable for a club in our situation.
Ultimately, we do need quality in any way we can get it. NML just had his career best year at 31/32. If the plan is to run a sustainable football club, outgoing transfers are a major part of being able to realise that. If you’re looking to compete, like we did in League One, the only factor is bring enough quality into the club. The resale value of assets is inconsequential, but I’d guess and hope that’s not the case now we’re in the Championship. 

In fairness, that’s taking into account the non-playing staff (roughly 115) are earning £4m - without the costs of the management team and Pearce. I suspect that’s seriously over-egged. 
To put it into context, Burton Albion have a wage bill of £4.8m with 242 staff and that includes the football operation. 
Maybe our groundsmen earn more than their first team players, but doubtful. 
As I said previously, we’re never going to know what Sibley is on but with our wage bill being relatively high and SCMP relatively so low… there is a lot of money going somewhere within the club so it wouldn’t surprise me. Sibley also signed at the most perfect time, we had a ton of interest in him and he had just broke into the first team and had an almost flawless start. Mel was still spending money. 
How and where we are spending money is almost the elephant in the room: Sunderland during their promotion season from League One, which likely includes bonus payments, spent £16.1m on 572 staff. We, on our first year out of administration, spent £17.2m on 177 staff. They had more ‘football’ staff than us too, albeit only slightly. 
For me, it really doesn’t add up and the only way I can make any sense of it is that Sibley, Bird and Knight on legacy contracts were incredibly well paid. The other would be the management staff are really well paid among the best in the EFL and lastly that Stephen Pearce earns an unbelievable amount of money - £1-1.5m per annum. 

When the accounts were released we had a wage bill of £17.2m which noted 42% first team wage bill in relation to turnover (£8.6m). However, the 42% / £8.6m didn’t include Bird, Knight and Sibley who, significantly, were on legacy contracts. It also didn’t include a number of other players: Cashin & Thompson who were probably on decent wages. It means that either our off the field staff are paid supremely well, even more so considering the directors weren’t paid, or that the wages to those three in particular are far from significant. 
I’ve said based on general rule of thumb figures that first-team costs generally run at 70% of the club’s overall figure. I’d suspect our wage bill to be roughly £12m for the 23/24 when factoring all first team players which leaves £3.4m unaccounted for. If you use that same rule of thumb for playing staff.. it means the average annual wage of non-playing staff at Derby is £44k a year. I suspect shop workers, admin, chefs, etc aren’t clearing that kind of money. 
There is no way to know for certain but taking in all the evidence then my best guess is that Sibley is on a minimum £10k a week (£520k per annum) more likely to be much higher especially when considering bonuses. 
Someone at Derby is making a lot of money, anyway. Knight, Bird and Sibs seem the most likely party. Pearce might be making a decent wage too, as might the management team (£1m per annum?) I would guess at the legacy contracts handed down and Sibs signed his right after his breakthrough year on a four year deal. We know from court records that Bogle at 18 was being paid £9500 a week. It’s not unthinkable that Sibs is on £15k, perhaps £20k. 

£17.2m in wages at the club for 22/23 - I would say £12m (70%) is a fair reflection for the playing staff. It left £5.2m per annum for 118 non-playing staff which is roughly £44k per annum on average. I could argue again that’s still pretty high, but as ball park figures are likely to be there or thereabouts.

He’d be in it if he played for a Championship club! 

I had the privilege of watching him for the U18s & U21s prior to him breaking through and that's what I'm referring towards so I'm talking in regards to his peers. It was absolutely no to me that he had 5 goals & 2 assists in his first 11 games. It was also no surprise Wolves were desperate to sign him before he burst on to the scene for £5m plus. He was an elite-level prospect, he shared a pitch with players worth £40m+ now and looked every inch as good. He was a midfielder who got involved in every level could drag a team by their coattails and his career should've been vastly, vastly different. The more I think about it and what he was, to the point we've arrived to, makes me feel a bit sick. Whittaker and Archie Brown got out at the right time - both were good prospects, Brown in particular, but neither were remotely close to Sibley IMO. 
Huddlestone, Hughes & Barnes I only got to see at a first-team level so unfair comparison. 

I had the privilege of watching him for the U18s & U21s prior to him breaking through and that's what I'm referring towards so I'm talking in regards to his peers. It was absolutely no to me that he had 5 goals & 2 assists in his first 11 games. It was also no surprise Wolves were desperate to sign him before he burst on to the scene for £5m plus. He was an elite-level prospect, he shared a pitch with players worth £40m+ now and looked every inch as good. He was a midfielder who got involved in every level could drag a team by their coattails and his career should've been vastly, vastly different. The more I think about it and what he was, to the point we've arrived to, makes me feel a bit sick. Whittaker and Archie Brown got out at the right time - both were good prospects, Brown in particular, but neither were remotely close to Sibley IMO. 
Huddlestone, Hughes & Barnes I only got to see at a first-team level so unfair comparison. 

I had the privilege of watching him for the U18s & U21s prior to him breaking through and that's what I'm referring towards so I'm talking in regards to his peers. It was absolutely no to me that he had 5 goals & 2 assists in his first 11 games. It was also no surprise Wolves were desperate to sign him before he burst on to the scene for £5m plus. He was an elite-level prospect, he shared a pitch with players worth £40m+ now and looked every inch as good. He was a midfielder who got involved in every level could drag a team by their coattails and his career should've been vastly, vastly different. The more I think about it and what he was, to the point we've arrived to, makes me feel a bit sick. Whittaker and Archie Brown got out at the right time - both were good prospects, Brown in particular, but neither were remotely close to Sibley IMO. 
Huddlestone, Hughes & Barnes I only got to see at a first-team level so unfair comparison. 

I had the privilege of watching him for the U18s & U21s prior to him breaking through and that's what I'm referring towards so I'm talking in regards to his peers. It was absolutely no to me that he had 5 goals & 2 assists in his first 11 games. It was also no surprise Wolves were desperate to sign him before he burst on to the scene for £5m plus. He was an elite-level prospect, he shared a pitch with players worth £40m+ now and looked every inch as good. He was a midfielder who got involved in every level could drag a team by their coattails and his career should've been vastly, vastly different. The more I think about it and what he was, to the point we've arrived to, makes me feel a bit sick. Whittaker and Archie Brown got out at the right time - both were good prospects, Brown in particular, but neither were remotely close to Sibley IMO. 
Huddlestone, Hughes & Barnes I only got to see at a first-team level so unfair comparison. 

I had the privilege of watching him for the U18s & U21s prior to him breaking through and that's what I'm referring towards so I'm talking in regards to his peers. It was absolutely no to me that he had 5 goals & 2 assists in his first 11 games. It was also no surprise Wolves were desperate to sign him before he burst on to the scene for £5m plus. He was an elite-level prospect, he shared a pitch with players worth £40m+ now and looked every inch as good. He was a midfielder who got involved in every level could drag a team by their coattails and his career should've been vastly, vastly different. The more I think about it and what he was, to the point we've arrived to, makes me feel a bit sick. Whittaker and Archie Brown got out at the right time - both were good prospects, Brown in particular, but neither were remotely close to Sibley IMO. 
Huddlestone, Hughes & Barnes I only got to see at a first-team level so unfair comparison. 

I had the privilege of watching him for the U18s & U21s prior to him breaking through and that's what I'm referring towards so I'm talking in regards to his peers. It was absolutely no to me that he had 5 goals & 2 assists in his first 11 games. It was also no surprise Wolves were desperate to sign him before he burst on to the scene for £5m plus. He was an elite-level prospect, he shared a pitch with players worth £40m+ now and looked every inch as good. He was a midfielder who got involved in every level could drag a team by their coattails and his career should've been vastly, vastly different. The more I think about it and what he was, to the point we've arrived to, makes me feel a bit sick. Whittaker and Archie Brown got out at the right time - both were good prospects, Brown in particular, but neither were remotely close to Sibley IMO. 
Huddlestone, Hughes & Barnes I only got to see at a first-team level so unfair comparison. 

I had the privilege of watching him for the U18s & U21s prior to him breaking through and that's what I'm referring towards so I'm talking in regards to his peers. It was absolutely no to me that he had 5 goals & 2 assists in his first 11 games. It was also no surprise Wolves were desperate to sign him before he burst on to the scene for £5m plus. He was an elite-level prospect, he shared a pitch with players worth £40m+ now and looked every inch as good. He was a midfielder who got involved in every level could drag a team by their coattails and his career should've been vastly, vastly different. The more I think about it and what he was, to the point we've arrived to, makes me feel a bit sick. Whittaker and Archie Brown got out at the right time - both were good prospects, Brown in particular, but neither were remotely close to Sibley IMO. 
Huddlestone, Hughes & Barnes I only got to see at a first-team level so unfair comparison. 

They were if they are at Chelsea or Man City