Build for the future? Or build the bank balance?

It's the time of the year again. Well it is once we get Christmas and New Year out of the way anyway.

The transfer window is nearly here, and once again it brings feelings of trepidation and dread which haven't exactly been helped by Alan Pardew saying that only silly money bids for our players would be considered.

Now on that subject alone, I don't think it's a bad thing. As I wrote here it shows a noticeable change in stance from being a club that wasn't in a position to resist bids to now being a club that can demand top dollar for its stars. That's a good thing right? Progression?

Anyway it does raise an interesting point, not for the first time I'll add. If we're in a position to resist bids unless it's silly money then are we not also in a position to resist bids full stop? At what point do we draw the line and try to build something at Newcastle? Is there even any intention of doing that?

To me that is part of the problem. The fact is that we don't know what the future holds so we can only speculate, but going by various mission statements and from a brief look at the history books you would have to think that every player has his price and will be sold if that price is matched.

It's nothing new in football and it happens all over the place - every club is a selling club, for the right price, but sooner or later it has to stop and we need to start looking after ourselves instead of being a feeder club for the couple of clubs at the top of the table. If we don't how will we ever get the chance to dine at the same table as them?

It's actually hard enough to do without a tanker full of oil money but we seem to be doing a decent job of progressing on the cheap. I don't care how much it costs, never have done, as long as we're moving forwards I couldn't care if we've spent 20p or £20m.

However there needs to be an upside to this frugality. We've gone from feast to famine in terms of transfer activity and whilst it has needed a tough approach to get our financial house in order and turn a business that was losing £30m plus a year to one that is breaking even there has to be an ultimate goal.

I mean, so we're told anyway, we are on the verge of breaking even which means that we aren't costing Mike Ashley a penny to run. We're doing well on the football field and have several well sourced players that, if left to grow together, could form the basis of an excellent team for us.Why can't we stick with what we have an improve it?

I know people will say that getting however many millions for whatever player is great business, but we're never going to progress if we sell key players every time somebody waves a fist full of notes in our face.

It should be about building a team now, yet I get the feeling that the bank balance is the main priority.