I think Curbs paid £2 million up front (add-ons to be paid later) for Marcus simply because:
A relegation struggled was feared - we had been in a desperate freefall for months.
A fresh face was needed to give a dispirited squad a lift.
We were desperately undermanned for effective forwards.
The previous season at Everton, they had finished 4th - Marcus had grafted and led the line really well in a 4-5-1.
Everton ran a comparatively small squad and Moyes didn't really want to let Marcus go until the end of that season.
In the January window there tends to be too many clubs chasing too few strikers, and the desperate clubs will pay whatever it takes.
Curbs was desperate and, if he was to get his man, knew he had to pay whatever Everton demanded.
Should have been completed yesterday & reason why he was taken off H/T as did not want one of his second half hamstring strains messing the deal up. Think Faye may also be leaving before end of window.
Mail says £1M, Sun says initial £500k - so possibly £500k now, £500k if they stay up - good deal to get a big earner of our books - a shame really since I think he would do well this season, but he is probably on over £20k per week (I think when he signed he became our biggest earner!).
The Mail also refers to us as an East End club !!!
Moyes paid Leicester £450,000 for Marcus and sold him to Charlton 18months later.
Still a tidy profit.
Without checking, I believe he'd scored 7 times as a lone target man in his first season at Everton,
but only once as a squad player the next season before he was sold on to us.
Brilliant! Please let this happen. I don't care how much we get for him, just be glad to see the back of him (which would be shrugging no doubt).
If Faye could go as well and we get a couple of decent defenders in then I'd be as happy as larry - happier still if they're followed through the in-door by Earnshaw.
[cite]Posted By: falconwood_1[/cite]Wasn't Bent also injured when we bought him?
Very Odd.
I don't think so. He scored on his debut at Stamford Beach a few days later and then played in the next game.
So he must have been with us a couple of weeks before his back & hamstrings kicked in.
But maybe he has a bit of 'history' with his war wounds?
When we first signed him I was not impressed but after watching him at Chelsea away scoring a very well taken goal and for a few games after that he looked like striking up a decent partnership with Darren Bent, but then the hamstring/back problems kicked in and he's not done anything since to endear himself to me. Shame really because Curbs signed him for the right reasons. Bloody hard working, a right handful to mark and big and strong. Typical foil striker, which is what we needed to support Darren at the time.
At least we're getting some cash for him.
How's about that for a deadly strike force? Heskey and Marcus!!
I guess I could see his thinking but I think most of us at the time thought that at best he'd grossly overpaid for his man (and at worst signed the wrong one altogether!).
Please don't let that waste of a shirt screw up the deal by asking for silly wages. (I know he's been marginally better thise season but the damage is done)
Comments
A relegation struggled was feared - we had been in a desperate freefall for months.
A fresh face was needed to give a dispirited squad a lift.
We were desperately undermanned for effective forwards.
The previous season at Everton, they had finished 4th - Marcus had grafted and led the line really well in a 4-5-1.
Everton ran a comparatively small squad and Moyes didn't really want to let Marcus go until the end of that season.
In the January window there tends to be too many clubs chasing too few strikers, and the desperate clubs will pay whatever it takes.
Curbs was desperate and, if he was to get his man, knew he had to pay whatever Everton demanded.
The Mail also refers to us as an East End club !!!
Still a tidy profit.
Without checking, I believe he'd scored 7 times as a lone target man in his first season at Everton,
but only once as a squad player the next season before he was sold on to us.
If Faye could go as well and we get a couple of decent defenders in then I'd be as happy as larry - happier still if they're followed through the in-door by Earnshaw.
Did he storm out of the Valley on Saturday as Addickted says?
Still a tidy profit.[/quote]
You're right Oggy. Cheers.
Very Odd.
I don't think so. He scored on his debut at Stamford Beach a few days later and then played in the next game.
So he must have been with us a couple of weeks before his back & hamstrings kicked in.
But maybe he has a bit of 'history' with his war wounds?
At least we're getting some cash for him.
How's about that for a deadly strike force? Heskey and Marcus!!
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_2695084,00.html
Not sure if they are still interested in MB.
Although they are supposedly selling Folan to Hull and Camara to Derby
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2007/08/30/vassell-in-latics-switch-89520-19708488/
It has subsequently been shown that Marcus is a poor man's Bartlett.
Yes with the benefit of hindsight he did get it wrong no question.
I can see why he bought him though and what his thinking was as I said above.
(A pity we hadn't got Dazza the year before though!)