I think a big issue for Davidson was trust. He trusted Gary Rowett, not just in terms of loans but also guys we signed. Even players like Bryson, Butterfield, Solomon-Otabor had played under him. And whether people like the fact or not, there was an unhealthy relationship between Davidson and his agent, Allan Preston, when it came to bringing players to Saints.
Contacts are vital for a club like Saints who don't have an extensive scouting or recruitment network and you'd hope it was given consideration before appointing MacLean. It was always something Geoff Brown saw as a priority.
I also can't see any way our reputation hasn't been tarnished by the last 2 years. Paying inflated fees for players, paying bigger wages, settling up contracts and a big turnover of players. You go from being a club that rogues wouldn't waste their time with to ripe pickings.
How we did conduct our business isn't too distant a memory though so hopefully we gain move back towards that model.