Ross McCormack

Big Deals Don’t Guarantee Success In The Football League

The best way I can describe the Football League is an abyss. The tiers keep going and, as clubs in recent years have found out, the only way to be successful is recruit well, and that doesn’t necessarily mean you go and blow millions and millions on players.

Blackpool, Portsmouth, Leeds, Sheffield United, Bolton, Wolves, Wigan…do I go on? All clubs that came down and went down again at some stage in the following few years, some further than others. Some are on their way back up the tables and some are staying put where they are. Clubs have began throwing money at it in the hope they can return to the Premier League and all of it’s riches. It doesn’t always work though, as Norwich and Aston Villa are currently finding out and Derby and Wednesday realised last season when they failed in the play-offs.

Take this season as a prime example that big money deals are a huge gamble.

Ross McCormack – Fulham to Aston Villa – £12 million

I know Ross McCormack’s ability very well. He arrived at my club Leeds for £250k and scored two goals in his first season. He then fired them in from all angles from the next three in what was almost a one man team at times. He then moved to Fulham for a huge fee. He scored and scored but Fulham never even threatened the play-offs.

After two years and about seven new contracts at Fulham off he went to Aston Villa who seemed convinced they had superior players and a coach to take them straight back up. Along with McCormack came Kodjia at a huge price, rising to £16 million. His deal hasn’t been so bad as he’s scored the goals for Villa. McCormack hasn’t found it so simple.

He’s gone from barely getting a game to getting one and doing nothing with his chance. I fully expect him to begin to find the net but Villa in general seem like they need a full makeover under Steve Bruce. Clever buys rather than big buys are normally what get you out of the league.

Take Burnley for example. They bought one or two players last year when they came down. Andre Gray arrived for £8 million which was a big sum but that was about it. Joey Barton came on a free transfer and back up they went. Bournemouth spent money on wages rather than big buys, the likes of Matt Ritchie arriving for pennies in reality.

Alex Pritchard – Norwich City – £9 million

Pritchard is a quality footballer but where was he going to play and thrive in this Norwich City team? It felt like Norwich wanted to make a statement at the start of the season and to be fair they did with that deal, but where has it got them?

Pritchard needs to play in the number 10 role and be given the freedom of the pitch. The problem is that they already had one of the best players in the division in that position in Wes Hoolahan, a man who had brought them up just two years earlier. So Pritchard has ended up playing out wide to be fitted in and Norwich seem to be sinking like a bag of bricks more than just one.

Now flip the coin and look at some of the bargains you can get in the Football League if you really make the effort.

Scott Hogan – Brentford – £750k

Hogan came from Rochdale and is one of the most clinical strikers in the Football League. Brentford weren’t lazy in there recruitment and never are, landing a young player with the desire to make a name for himself.

Pablo Hernandez – Leeds – Free

Hernandez arrived on a free transfer after a loan spell. Garry Monk went half way around the world to recruit Pablo Hernandez when the easy options were names in the press.

Beram Kayal – Brighton  – £850k

Kayal has been part of the Brighton revolution, helping lead the side to promotion fights in the last two seasons after fumbling about in the lower parts of the table.

Money can work sometimes don’t get me wrong, but it’s normally the Premier League sides that get away with it. Clubs at this level can’t sustain this level of investment and it just looks like bad business when it doesn’t work. Derby spent millions on players in the last few years, probably between £30/40 million. Last night they barely got a kick at Elland Road against a team assembled for around £10 million. Teams need to realise that money isn’t everything. The problem is that Sky and the Football League are building everything they can on exactly that. Maybe they need to set a better example for their clubs.

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