With you ditching Best I'd be very surprised if you didn't bring someone else in, you've got a sensible system where you have been exclusively going after good footballers rather than whoever happens to be popular right now despite how **** they might be. It's quite amazing the amount of clubs who buy off, Euro/world cup performances, who buy players who are available rather than waiting for those who are good, etc, etc.
That all pretty much makes me think you had 2-3 targets at least to go for and even if it came to it, wouldn't panic and buy someone overpriced or simply not good enough to make up the numbers. If it came to it you'd wait and buy someone early Jan, or no one at all rather than buy the wrong player.
I'll point out Arsenal again, what did Benny, or Gervinho, Santos offer us this year, made up the numbers, Mertesacker as well, but ultimately Benny was on a pretty big wage and pee'd that money away, the other 3 we now have on long term contracts and already have been or will be replaced.
I'd take one slightly worse year than one year with a few more goals during the ACON and 3 years stuck with a player you can't get rid of and offers nothing to the team. Newcastle will get some bad players along the line, you can't avoid that, people who can't adapt to England, get injured, or give up once they get a big move and a big wage. Again Arsenal, we got Chamakh over someone good for the team because he was on a free.... a free transfer isn't free when you end up paying someone 4 mil a year for 4 years who offers nothing to the team. Someone who cost 10mil, but actually contributed ends up far better value.
