Gary

[wookey]

The most important characteristic that Gary wants in a player, after ability and workrate, is attitude and the ability to blend into a hardworking dressing room.

This should be easily assessed during an interview but in most cases a players attitude would be well known in the football world so, for example Mifsuds attitude was known to Neil Warnock and so he was not interested in interviewing him leave alone signing him.

So, why did Gary nearly sign Mifsud? Was it a panic reaction after the debacle over Metab?

The concern that I have is that Gary having spent £1 million on Trundle, demonstrably to little effect and arguably wasting his money, does not have the confidence to spend £1,5 million. So, when there is a hickup in the transfer, which would normally be easily sorted out, Gary uses the opportunity to run away from and cancel the deal.

It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, he buys now and for what money.

[Red]

The most important characteristic that Gary wants in a player, after ability and workrate, is attitude and the ability to blend into a hardworking dressing room.

This should be easily assessed during an interview but in most cases a players attitude would be well known in the football world so, for example Mifsuds attitude was known to Neil Warnock and so he was not interested in interviewing him leave alone signing him.

So, why did Gary nearly sign Mifsud? Was it a panic reaction after the debacle over Metab?

The concern that I have is that Gary having spent £1 million on Trundle, demonstrably to little effect and arguably wasting his money, does not have the confidence to spend £1,5 million. So, when there is a hickup in the transfer, which would normally be easily sorted out, Gary uses the opportunity to run away from and cancel the deal.

It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, he buys now and for what money.

As with Mifsud time is running out to the start of the new season, so Mifsud or his advisors thought that we could not get another striker in, so therefore lets see what extras we can get! GJ did not like his attitude as he has stated at this early stage so pulled the plug. Time would have told if he was worth the money.

GJ and his scouts should have transfers and the players attitudes sorted before a medical. So IMO the work on the players is not complete. Transfers should be sorted out at a much earlier stage, he should know by the end of a season who he wants and get them soon as!

Other clubs don't seem to have this problem of will he or wont he sign. OK, agents don't help, as they want to get the best for himself and the player, but if the player wants to play for City then he should tell his agent and whoever to shut up and keep the deal between the clubs. Sadly as proved does not work like that.

GJ would spend 2 million on a player if he was the man!

[simon uk]

I know what you mean, but the fact is that the club wont allow you to talk to a player until a bid has been accepted, so GJ cant exactly sit down with them until half the negotiations are complete. I also seem to recall GJ saying that if at all possible he tries to speak with a player he has worked with, to ask him if the target is likely to fit in with GJs philosophy. Well Adebola knows mifsud well, so I wonder what happened there!

Either way, it is nice to see a manager have that much conscience that he wont just blow the money if he isnt 100% sure, can you imagine if that was mick mccarthy or numerous others - they would have him signed and sealed, then wonder why their club is falling apart. Our spirit is what got us where we have, and GJ wont give that up lightly.

I would say that because we have been in a lower league for most of the last 10 years, we probably still wont attract certain players, like mifsud, who probably looks at us with his nose turned up thinking they can do better, so it might be up to us to go for someone at a lower level who sees us as a definite step up rather than a sideways or downward step, and we all know who that potential target is.

Si.