TRUE BELIEVER
Vital Football Hero
I'm not suggesting we paid out the most, but given the expenditure they can't be classed as bargain basement buys. Personally I just don't think we used what funds we did have wisely. It's clearly been a weak area for us and something the new ownership group can improve upon to see incremental gains.
Surely it is all relative to the division you are in. I remember people posting on this forum when Caldwell won us the League One title slagging him off because he had the biggest budget in the league and had bought the title.
Paul Cook had a budget to work with and bought the players he could with the funds available, I am sure if he had been given a larger budget he would have been able to bid for better quality players, as it is he could only buy what in my opinion are bargain budget players. You say that in your opinion he did not spend his budget wisely and you are entitled to that opinion, but as I say the only opinion that really matters in this case is Paul Cooks and he must stand or fall by that opinion.
Personally I agree that our recruitment policy has been weak over the last few years and hopefully with Royle Jnr and Snr at the helm this will improve as they bring their years of experience to bear. I would however like to see the club having less reliance on transfers and loans by bringing through young players from our own academy, which I believe is a priority of the new owners but we will have to wait and see on that one.