The “undisclosed fee”; How does it benefit the fans?

I’ll bet you any money that many of any transfers in this winter window will involve “undisclosed” fees.

Why? What’s it about?

To me, there can only be one reason and it’s basically so owners/managers can’t be criticised if they’ve over-paid for players.
Which is fair enough; no-one wants to look like a mug if they’ve got it wrong.

But where does this leave us as fans?
How can we criticise players when we don’t know what we’ve paid for them?
By the same token, how can we praise players when ……

You get the idea.

My point is, how can you judge any player if you don’t know what’s been paid for him?
Where’s the competition, that the fans love, in saying X was a much better buy than Y, if the clubs take this information away from us?
Where’s the debate going to be had, if we don’t know how much the Villa have spent compared to z club?

Indeed, where can there be any debate, apart from what’s happening on the pitch?
Even then you can’t really debate and the result will be the only thing that matters.

That’s certainly not what I want.

My firm belief as a general viewer of the premier league these days, is that we’re being presented with a smokescreen.
One where the owners don’t want you to know what’s really going on.
One where you’re being conned, in short.

I don’t know how you can complain or protest about this sort of stuff, but remember, I mentioned it as something you might want to think about.

46 Comments

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  1. VillaAwayInDiv3
    VillaAwayInDiv3 January 8, 2015 at 12:06 am . Reply

    You would think it would have to be out in the open if only for tax reasons…..just like all attendances are correctly given…lol

    1. Bill Pearson
      Bill Pearson January 8, 2015 at 8:02 am . Reply

      Now its shows how distant the club want to be from its fans, as you say Badger our opinions don’t matter, Bring back the forums we had years ago when people like the Chinn family made waves. The only reason behind undisclosed fees in my mind is purchases of failed players ,or could be hidden money from taxman.

  2. OriginalLondonLion
    OriginalLondonLion January 8, 2015 at 11:07 am . Reply

    The payments do have to appear correctly in the accounts for the financial year. However football has this nasty practice of delayed stage payments, which means that IOUs for past transfers abound. I would bet that Man City still owe us some of Milner’s transfer fee so anyone we buy from them might not involve Villa paying anything, just some debt forgiveness.

    The negative aspect of this system is that clubs financial wonks are in favour of buying players from other clubs that owe them money. This influences the choice.

    1. colonius81
      colonius81 January 8, 2015 at 11:11 am . Reply

      Hmm interesting point .. I wonder if a snapshot was taken of all the clubs in the premier league now of who owes who what … What kind of spiders web it would reveal

      1. Bill Pearson
        Bill Pearson January 8, 2015 at 11:23 am . Reply

        Makes you wonder, to me nothing is straight forward in footballing world, surely dirty dealings must take place, remember Clough, and Graham , was that not for sale of a player?.

      2. Hitchens 60
        Hitchens 60 January 8, 2015 at 11:24 am . Reply

        Bit like the banks then – no one actually knew where the final liability lay with their complex financial instruments ………. And look what happened to them !

        1. Hitchens 60
          Hitchens 60 January 8, 2015 at 11:28 am . Reply

          Oh yes – then they discovered the assets where a pile of sh**e anyway 🙂 🙂

  3. ifiruledtheworld
    ifiruledtheworld January 8, 2015 at 12:31 pm . Reply

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn3gTkGF5cs

    Some people saying we’ve had a 5 million bid rejected for Carles Gil and that Valencia are holding out for his buyout clause which is 7.5, and some are saying they want to get a player of their own in first before they let him go. Sounds like Villa are gonna match his buyout clause but only time will tell.

    The video is of him at Elche last season, wonder if Sanchez is after telling Lambert to go all out and get him in?

    1. GarethVilla
      GarethVilla January 8, 2015 at 12:44 pm . Reply

      I could put a video together and make Julian Joachim look as good as Ronaldo.

      1. ifiruledtheworld
        ifiruledtheworld January 8, 2015 at 12:54 pm . Reply

        Make of him what you will, some people have compared him to likes of Maloney while others say he’s like Lallana over on twitter! Personally I think he looks good, he seems to be in the positions and makes runs that we currently lack! So it’s a no brainer for me, a young talented attacking midfielder? Isn’t that what we all wanted? Apparently we made an improved offer yesterday which was further fuelled when the Valencia manager refused to comment on whether Gil would be staying after their match last night!

        1. GarethVilla
          GarethVilla January 8, 2015 at 1:07 pm . Reply

          Its rubbish, Lerner will not make that kind of money available.
          The last 2 January windows have brought us Sylla, Dawkins, Holt and Bertrand.

          1. ifiruledtheworld
            ifiruledtheworld January 8, 2015 at 1:12 pm . Reply

            Didn’t the original links for Cissokho and Sanchez come from abroad, too? Oh, and Valencia CF official twitter have just announced they are currently looking in to a 5 million bid they received from Aston Villa for Carles Gil.

            1. OohAhPaulMcGrath
              OohAhPaulMcGrath January 8, 2015 at 4:41 pm . Reply

              The undisclosed fee is pointkess as media more or less give out the expected price anyway so weve all hot an idea

          2. GarethVilla
            GarethVilla January 8, 2015 at 1:15 pm . Reply

            Younes Belhanda?

          3. ifiruledtheworld
            ifiruledtheworld January 8, 2015 at 1:22 pm . Reply

            Yep he’s not an easy one to forget is he? Let’s just see what happens, obviously everyone is more cautious after the Belhanda debacle but not every situation is like that.

  4. ifiruledtheworld
    ifiruledtheworld January 8, 2015 at 12:44 pm . Reply

    Lots of reports also saying Man City are gonna bite the bullet with Sinclair. Imagine if we got both Sinclair and Carles Gil in.. our attack already looks a whole lot better. And on a day when James Nursey has tweeted he’s going to the clubs training ground? Could obviously mean anything, but you’ve got to wonder… BAH! I’m clearly up on cloud cuckoo land again.

    1. GarethVilla
      GarethVilla January 8, 2015 at 12:46 pm . Reply

      Also alot of reports (Telegraph) saying that there will no major investment in the January window.
      Simon Dawkins anybody?

      1. Bum Bum
        Bum Bum January 9, 2015 at 9:13 am . Reply

        U mean Stephen Hawkins? I know his wheelchair has been pimped, but I still don’t think he’d be fast enough for the EPL! Sylla Black? Plastic Bertrand???
        I wonder if Hawkins could improve on our tactics with his genius???

  5. Adam
    Adam January 8, 2015 at 2:28 pm . Reply

    I think we need another defensive mid to protect the 0-0 from kick off.

  6. ifiruledtheworld
    ifiruledtheworld January 8, 2015 at 3:26 pm . Reply

    Rumors circulating on twitter now that Valencia accepted Villa’s offer before Peter Lim arrived at the club, now they are holding out due to injuries and their squad depth so they want to bring a player in before they let him go so time will tell.

    1. Hitchens 60
      Hitchens 60 January 8, 2015 at 4:28 pm . Reply

      Bl**dy transfer window – can’t live with it, can’t live without it 🙂

  7. patrick walsh
    patrick walsh January 8, 2015 at 4:51 pm . Reply

    I wouldn’t mind us paying an undisclosed or any other type of fee if the player was James Milner. He is exactly what we need and is unsettled at MC. Yet I’ve not heard a word. I don’t suppose we can afford him but I’ll bet he still has a sift spot for the Villa. I’d sooner have him than any other 3 players as I feel his passion for the game and work ethic would rub off on the rest of the team.
    Suppose I should go back to bed if I want to dream (sigh)

    1. patrick walsh
      patrick walsh January 8, 2015 at 4:53 pm . Reply

      Sorry that should be ‘soft’ spot 🙂

  8. GIDDYVILLAN
    GIDDYVILLAN January 8, 2015 at 4:54 pm . Reply

    Vlaar’s out for up to 6 weeks no surprise there,UTD have pulled out of any interest in him at present for obvious reasons.hopefully we get another 3 games out of him from now til the end of the season but I won’t bank on it.

  9. OriginalLondonLion
    OriginalLondonLion January 8, 2015 at 5:42 pm . Reply

    I see the Yankee site say Villa have just signed the next John Terry, a 17 year old Ben Swift. I guess they can’t find the pen or the keys to BH his folks signed the forms.

    1. Andrew
      Andrew January 8, 2015 at 6:39 pm . Reply

      That would be because his former academy manager compared him to Terry… lol

    2. ifiruledtheworld
      ifiruledtheworld January 8, 2015 at 10:02 pm . Reply
  10. OriginalLondonLion
    OriginalLondonLion January 8, 2015 at 5:43 pm . Reply

    “since” his folks……..

  11. Bill Pearson
    Bill Pearson January 8, 2015 at 5:48 pm . Reply

    Supposed we’re the only club that falls for the five card trick, how many more clubs are saying don’t say anything we will sell you to the Villa and spit .we only buy dead beats and has been.

  12. BWS
    BWS January 9, 2015 at 7:49 am . Reply

    Rumours of Elon Musk buying us. He’s a South African born Canadian American worth around $12 billion (f**k knows what that is in English money). Lets hope there’s some truth in it and Villa can escape this football purgatory and move forward.

    1. DSVilla
      DSVilla January 9, 2015 at 9:53 am . Reply

      Sounds like a 1970’s perfume but if he’s that rich bring it on.

      1. BWS
        BWS January 9, 2015 at 11:33 am . Reply

        I hear he’s a bit of a Brut!

      2. Andrew
        Andrew January 9, 2015 at 8:22 pm . Reply

        Why does it matter that he’s worth 12B or say 2-3B? With FFP he can’t spend more than someone worth less.

        1. BWS
          BWS January 10, 2015 at 8:52 am . Reply

          You are still permitted to lose £105m over 3 seasons, can you see Randy putting that sort of money into the club?
          So yes it does matter.

    2. Hitchens 60
      Hitchens 60 January 9, 2015 at 12:02 pm . Reply

      About £8 billion BWS

      1. BWS
        BWS January 9, 2015 at 12:35 pm . Reply

        Cheers h60, so it’s safe to say he’s a couple of quid than Randy then.

        1. Bill Pearson
          Bill Pearson January 9, 2015 at 1:17 pm . Reply

          He must have lost some BWS just Google him and says 2.1 Billion ,young geezer bit like Chelsea rich twit. Don’t have enough for us need to start from ground upwards.

          1. BWS
            BWS January 9, 2015 at 1:24 pm . Reply

            He made 1.1b yesterday mate as shares in his company gained 14%. Google Elon Musk net worth, it’s 11.7b Bill.

          2. Bill Pearson
            Bill Pearson January 10, 2015 at 11:06 am . Reply

            Puts me in mind of a pension rise coming soon, April.⏰ .

        2. BWS
          BWS January 10, 2015 at 10:44 am . Reply

          H60
          * a couple of quid more than Randy then*

          1. Hitchens 60
            Hitchens 60 January 10, 2015 at 12:31 pm . Reply

            Bet they have the same amount of ready cash though BWS – that would very little then!

  13. OriginalLondonLion
    OriginalLondonLion January 9, 2015 at 4:04 pm . Reply

    Elon Musk is not afraid to go against the trend. When everybody else was making electric cars like motorized roller skates and shopping trolleys his Tesla was a 140mph sports car. When they said nobody would build a factory to make long range batteries that made enough of them, Elon Musk built his own giant factory. So bring him on, and tell him Villa cannot hope to challenge the big 4 for EL places!

    1. GarethVilla
      GarethVilla January 9, 2015 at 4:45 pm . Reply

      Where are these Elon Musk rumours-I can’t find any links?

      1. Bill Pearson
        Bill Pearson January 9, 2015 at 7:50 pm . Reply

        Wouldn’t worry Garethvilla only wishful thinking, Villa ain’t that lucky.

        1. Hitchens 60
          Hitchens 60 January 10, 2015 at 12:30 pm . Reply

          Now there speaks the word of wisdom……..or is just years of following the Villa, Bill 🙂

          1. Bill Pearson
            Bill Pearson January 10, 2015 at 1:00 pm . Reply

            Take your pick Hitchen 60, on reflection may have kept me going all them year’s. (WORRY )

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