Getting rid of Carroll was only viable if there was an option there ready to take his place. The Dempsey deal was clearly designed to be brokered on the edge of the window, high-stakes style take it or leave it: the club has been bested by Spurs, who found the true value in the deal lied in the fact that Fulham didn't appreciate our approach - meant to save us the pittance of a few million - and would look to screw us as a result. Putting all the club's eggs in the proverbial basket meant that the club never had the strength of its convictions to bluff its way around a deal, and as a result we are left in the only position possible after Fulham called our bluff: completely short of squad striker options, meaning we face another season of blunted attacks. Once we had the spear of Torres leading the line, clinically dispatching teams with the precision of a surgeon: now we have the mad profligacy of Suarez, all flawed genius: yet we're faced with the same dilemma that we've encountered for the last five years, as inadequate backup is all we're left with after the squad enters yet another several-year plan of rebuilding that leaves us without anything to go on.
