Gary and his phone

[drgoodspeak]

What's with Gary and his phone references?

First we had - "I'm 'avin loads of calls off agents" to tell us he was active in the transfer market.

Now we have - "I don't wanna pay telephone number fees for players"

What next? A 0-1-3-3-2-2 formation?

http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/derby-county-boss-wants-avoid-241908

[drgoodspeak]

Derby County are still looking to add to the squad but they do not want to be drawn into paying "telephone number" fees for players, if possible.

Rams manager Gary Rowett has said he would like to bring in one or two "different attacking options" and the club is active in the transfer market.

They have targets but Rowett has also said players coming in have to be better or different to what is already in the squad.

Derby have signed three players so far.

Curtis Davies, Andre Wisdom and Tom Huddlestone have arrived for a combined sum of around £4.5m plus add-ons while transfer fees elsewhere have escalated this summer.

Tom Ince (£8m rising to £11.3m), Will Hughes (£5m rising to £9m) and Cyrus Christie (£2.5m) have departed and the squad still needs trimming.

Asked about the possibility of more new signings, Rowett said: "We would like to add but I think the problem with adding at this point is that we have some really good players and to get a player that is going to give us a little bit more than what we have, you are talking about telephone numbers (for fees).

"They have to be better or different, otherwise there is no point.

"We will do that but it is not easy when you see the sort of figures that are touted around for players at the moment - players that wouldn't be that much better than our players and you are talking about £8m, £9m and £10m.

"I don't think, at this moment in time, that we really want to be in the market for that sort of value of player."

[Rample]

5 minutes ago, drgoodspeak said:

"I don't think, at this moment in time, that we really want to be in the market for that sort of value of player."

We're not good enough at the moment and seemingly unwilling to spend what it will take to improve us. Is this admission that golden oldies and loans are the future?

[RoyMac5]

1 minute ago, Rample said:

We're not good enough at the moment and seemingly unwilling to spend what it will take to improve us. Is this admission that golden oldies and loans are the future?

Well I'm happy not to be paying phone number transfers, we've got a huge unshiftable squad because of doing just that previously. Guess we'll have to be patient and/or just make do.

[Carnero]

2 minutes ago, Rample said:

We're not good enough at the moment and seemingly unwilling to spend what it will take to improve us. Is this admission that golden oldies and loans are the future?

No,it means he wants to get Leicester's asking price for Tom Lawrence down a bit.

[bucktwo]

from "Barker type" fees to "telephone number" fees.....

wonder what type of a fee a "Barker type" fee would be in this day and age.....

or am i barkering up the wrong fee......... 

[ViewsFromTheMiddle]

So are we replacing Hughes and Ince with "high quality replacements" or not?

[Tombo]

Should hope we arent paying £087,147,218.84 for anyone. Fair to say £87m+ is a club record.

Or worse still, £+448,714,721,884

That's upwards of 448 billion pounds by the way. 

[Coneheadjohn]

Telephone number figures..isn't 101 the emergency number now,

3 digits?

[drgoodspeak]

I've done some siginificant research (30 seconds googling + guesswork) and the "lowest" possible phone number in the UK is 0113 200 0000.

So, theoretically, GR won't have a problem paying up to £1,131,999,999 for a player if you count the STD. If no STD, that's a more conservative £1,999,999 limit.

I for one will embrace this new system and if you want to discuss it with me, I'm on £7,880,672,897.

[RadioactiveWaste]

He's probably just had a lot of time on the phone this summer.

Got it on the brain.

[Curtains]

This is  bullshit. 

The team ain't good enough for promotion 

[ViewsFromTheMiddle]

Just now, curtains said:

This is  bullshit. 

The team ain't good enough for promotion 

I find it very worrying if he's struggling to bring in players better than what we already have in the wide positions.

[Carnero]

I find it very worrying that some fans fail to realise that what managers say in public and what they say in private are two very different things.

[Curtains]

2 minutes ago, Saul Pimpson said:

I find it very worrying that some fans fail to realise that what managers say in public and what they say in private are two very different things.

Derby might just get it right one day. 

[Sexydadbod]

4 minutes ago, Saul Pimpson said:

I find it very worrying that some fans fail to realise that what managers say in public and what they say in private are two very different things.

Maybe but I won't hold my breath. I've been calling for a quality left winger for God knows how long but in previous seasons we've been happy with what we've got and that was before Ince's departure. Now we need a very good left winger and right winger!

[Millenniumram]

Seriously hope this is just him trying to reduce prices in players we're looking at buying, and not him giving up from signing players. We're in desperate need of further attacking additions if we've got any chance, even if they're pricey- we've got the money in from Hughes and ince remember! 

Not signing anyone else would make this window very Pearson esque, selling our best players and not bringing replacements in.

[ViewsFromTheMiddle]

Just now, Saul Pimpson said:

I find it very worrying that some fans fail to realise that what managers say in public and what they say in private are two very different things.

So in the public he's saying he doesn't want to pay those fees but in private he's saying eff it go for it?

[Norman]

1 minute ago, ViewsFromTheMiddle said:

So in the public he's saying he doesn't want to pay those fees but in private he's saying eff it go for it?

I think most of the time, a manager's comments to local media are not for us, but for agents etc. 

Same as Rowett saying he was pleased with the display between boxes at Northampton. He's probably trying to keep those on the fringes of the team motivated and make sure they don't drag the team morale down. But he's probably thinking how s**** they were and to make it worse, he knows what were paying them.

[Rev]

38 minutes ago, curtains said:

This is  b*******. 

The team ain't good enough for promotion 

Blimey, I thought you'd at least let the season start before you turned on your man?

I'm sure Gary's got a Plan, and it obviously requires patience from the supporters while he works towards it.

We need to reduce the squad size before we bring anyone else in, surely?

Unless it's an absolutely top drawer player who we simply can't pass up.