Wages of sin: pay inflation sharpens Keano’s transfer challenge
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007
So David Nugent will not be playing in the new Boylesports-sponsored red and white stripes of Sunderland in the coming season, and our post-promotion list of acquisitions stands at two*: the encouraging purchases of Greg Halford from Reading and Russell Anderson from Aberdeen.
Very little of what I have seen or read about Mr Nugent inspired me to think that here was a top class striker who, despite showing a lack of obvious enthusiasm for a move to the Stadium of Light, would quickly win a place in the hearts of our fans.
Niall Quinn, I am sure, was right to express some understanding of the reasons for his prevarication. Roy Keane was even more right to become exasperated enough to conclude that he had no further interest in the player.
The Sportingo fans’ site was probably being a little harsh on Nugent in suggesting that he has been less than gentlemanly in his dealings with SAFC.
But from Sportingo’s assessment of him as a “rather limited player” to Terry McLoughlin’s view, at the Blackcats loop that he is “an unproven, average-to-decent, Coca Cola striker”, there seems little cause to be weeping into our beer (or vin rouge).
It is also far too early to become despondent about our slow progress in the business of strengthening the squad.
While we were all still reflecting on a great promotion season, Keane, Quinn and the chief executive Peter Walker were busy hammering out a wish list of nine targets. Not all of these even figure in the mile-long “rumour mill” list at the official club site and there is every reason to believe we will still land some of them.
