FirstIsEverything

I just registered on the forum today, so no I haven't made any other thread. I agree with you that we are in a much better position now that Mr Whyte is in charge - I was only pointing out that I feel it could be handled a little differently. Where's Gordon Smith on this? Isn't he supposed to be managing all contracts? I completely trust that he WILL do things differently - christ it can't be as bad as Bain's mismanagement.

We all agree on that, but why is this a downer thread? I stated much the same as the OP on my own a short time ago - don't think we're dragging things down. When there's something more positive to discuss I'm sure we will. Status quo... lots of talk, no signings yet. So do we shut up until something goes right in the transfer market? It's only opinions.

Absolutely, we've known of the interest for a long time, but did we really need to know how much we've offered and how much they're asking? This is part and parcel of transfer negotiations, but it's that sort of info that whouldn't be made public until such times as a deal is done, or a deal is dead IMHO. That's all that's pissing me off, TBH. Mr Whyte's also put a price on two existing players, actively alerting other clubs - despite saying we're NOT selling anyone! Strange way of doing business.

Been reading the forums here for a while, but thought it was about time I actually input something. Just registered today, and this is a bit long-winded, but bear with me! I've been quite astonished by some of the "concerned" posts on here, regarding our lack of signings. I tend to agree with the notion of "don't panic, it'll all work out in the end". It's early days yet and I'm sure we will have a squad capable of achieving 4-in-a-row. But what's been bothering me is the way in which we appear to be approaching possible signing targets and openly discussing existing contract negotiations. Even before Ally went off on holiday he was naming targets during interviews and clearly willing to discuss them. Now he's been away on holiday Mr Whyte's taken over, continuing the open discussion on who we're after, how much we're offering, etc etc. Remember when Van Bronkhurst and Amoruso were paraded? Remember Laudrup? Mo Johnston, even? Every one of those signings (apart from being terrific players for us) were done discreetly. We didn't know about the dealings and the wonderful Scottish media didn't have a clue until the Press Conferences at Ibrox were called. I'm all for providing us, the fans, with as much information as possible - I think we all felt the previous administration were lacking on that front - but when it comes to contract negotiations and any 'business' dealings, I believe that should be kept under wraps until there IS something worthwile to report. What we seem to be doing here is causing more damage. The media are having a field day with this, a lot of fans are getting pretty frustrated with the lack of a conclusion to any deal, and by being so public we allow other smaller but wealthier teams, such as Cardiff to jump in. Now I'm sure a lot of this has to do with agents - they're job is to get their client the best deals, yeah, but they're also out to line their own pockets. That's their jobs! I fully expected the appointment of Gordon Smith to alter this very public approach to our dealings. Having been a player, agent and businessman it seemed to me a no-brainer to get him in there immediately. I thought he would be handling ALL contracts, both existing and potentials? Why then are we still seeing Mr Whyte spouting forth in papers and on the sports news? Step up and play Gordon! Where are you? You may have only had a week in the post, but please, please take over and ensure these things are done in the proper manner. Anybody else feel this public display is having a negative effect?