Counting cost of misspent loot

YOU know something is going wrong with the season when my car’s CD player for away day trips is overflowing with The Smiths and Joy Division to cheer me up on the way home.

At the beginning of the season I was filled with optimism, with The Clash and The Stone Roses blasting out on the motorways around the country, believing that Roy Keane’s collection of Championship players could stick it to the man and secure survival.

But we’re now looking more putrid than post-punk and a lot of fans are beginning to question Keano’s eye for a player.

Watching us suffer another defeat on the road at White Hart Lane last weekend, I was left scratching my head and questioning if we’re actually any better off after a summer of heavy investment in the playing staff.

And I’m beginning to wonder if the manager is thinking the same, with so many of his summer buys no longer featuring regularly.

The recently-reinstated Craig Gordon pulled off a couple of good saves in the first half against Spurs, but while we were pressing for an equaliser late on he gifted Tottenham all three points. Nobody expects Gordon to keep us up single handed, but so far his errors have been as costly as his €12m price tag.

At the back, the return from injury of Nyron Nosworthy to central defence, partnered with last season’s loan star Jonny Evans, makes the acquisitions of Paul McShane and Danny Higginbotham at a combined €7m look pointless. I doubt we’ll recoup their transfer fees, they’re not as good a pairing as Noz and Evans and we’ll struggle to win points with either of them in central defence.

At right back, we’ve tried various options, but Greg Halford (€3.5m), Dean Whitehead (out of position) and Paul McShane (again) all failed where Danny Simpson looked comfortable in last year’s promotion run-in. Of the back four, the only player earning any credit this season is Danny Collins at left back, who has been excellent.

So Roy Keane’s defensive signings prior to this window have cost a combined total of €24m (including Russell Anderson) and arguably not a single one of them has improved us as a team.

In midfield, Dickson Etuhu’s departure to the African Cup of Nations has meant a return to the starting line up for Liam Miller. The former Celtic and Manchester United man looks composed and classy, whilst Etuhu has been rash and clumsy. That’ll be another €2m down the spout then. On the flanks, last season’s second top scorer, Daryl Murphy, is back in the side and looking good on the left wing and Carlos Edwards is injured, but would be first-choice on the right flank.

Kieran Richardson would be a starter and has proved his class of late with three goals in five games since his return from a back injury, but he’s out again (until mid-February) after hurting his hamstring.

Six starts so far in return for €7m doesn’t make pretty reading for those in charge of our finances.

Up front is the only argument for genuine success with Roy Keane’s close-season kitty, with Kenwyne Jones looking a snip at €9m.

The boss last week reckoned that: “There is no doubt we have got the best striker in the Premier League at the moment in Kenwyne. If they are on about certain strikers being worth £20million, then Kenwyne is worth £40million, without a doubt.” Whilst the big man’s been excellent up front, the gaffer must have been on the red wine if he really thinks Jones is worth nigh on €60m.

Michael Chopra is another letdown from Royston’s big buys. One solitary goal from the penalty spot is all the striker has to show since last August. His main role now is either on the wing or on the bench, which isn’t really good enough considering he cost €7m. All in all, it means that for our €50m summer investment, Kenwyne Jones is the only one to have given us a realistic return.

So the summer recruits have arguably weakened our team and survival looks tougher every week. Once the chequebook eventually surfaces this month, the money really needs to be spent a lot more wisely.

* Martyn McFadden www.a-love-supreme.com