Andre Villas-Boas and Brendan Rodgers waltzed into their new football clubs with grand ideas and plans to transform the current workings and methods of the previous setup and told supporters they could look forward to the brightest of futures. Normal protocol for any new manager moving in; it’s just a shame their employers failed to give them the tools to do the job.

I have expressed on numerous occasions the sheer farce that is the transfer window and how the failure of it closing before the start of the season has cost football clubs dear. Tottenham and Liverpool have both started the campaign poorly prepared, with both managers failing to bring in the players they so desired, in order to strengthen their squad. Is it little wonder why both teams have struggled early on and failed to find any required momentum that every new manager really needs? Harry Redknapp mentioned a few weeks back that Luka Modric was always set to join Real Madrid this summer, yet it took the last week in August for Tottenham to finally broker a deal. It makes you wonder whether they would have encountered such problems in trying to land the likes of Moutinho, if Daniel Levy had got his finger out earlier.

Brendan Rodgers is surely the man who should feel extremely aggrieved at the failings of his employer. Despite John Henry insisting that they did everything possible to get the transfers in, you have to question how hard they tried. The most amusing thing I heard is that the club refused to pay over £3m for a 29 year-old, as he had no sell on value, while their fierce rivals in Manchester were only too happy to shell out £25m for Robin van Persie of the same age. When did football clubs forget to live in the now, and understand that players win football matches and not a stable balance sheet. Fulham weren’t asking for fortunes; hence why Tottenham nipped in with a £5m deal. Liverpool only have two recognised strikers on their books, hardly the ideal situation going into a new season.

Rodgers and Villas-Boas will have to make do with the squads they have and will rue that they won’t be able to work with the players they would have hoped for this season. There was a time when the manager used to call the shots with the club’s transfer dealings – it appears those days have gone forever.

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