Soul destroyed

I rarely post, but got to say I fear for our club over the coming years. I've watched the Reds since 1980, and even though we had plenty of hard times, I always thought we were able to at least compete with most of the teams sround us, occasional flirtation with either end of the table.

Sure, the size of the financial mismatch in 2014 is huge, compared to the 80's and 90's, but regardless of the era, the best players always played for the successful clubs. They still do. But we've ended up with one of the poorest quality sides I've seen. I can't recall us capitulating as regularly as we have done over the last couple of seasons. Alarm started ringing for me at Blackburn this season.

What hurts me more now is the complete lack of fight and desire within the club. Our performances seem to reflect an apathy from within that we should be privileged to have been in the Championship for 7 years. Successive regimes of both club and first team management (I'd not include Robins) have allowed the clubs soul to be destroyed. Wilson is the fall guy for 2 and half years of the club allowing recruitment of players who just aren't good enough. I take the point that if you pay peanuts etc, but we've never had the money to compete equally, perhaps other than the late 90s. But we recruited good, dependable pros most of the time.

I've never felt as distant from the club as I do now, but in balance, I think that could apply to supporters of many clubs, it being a reflection of where football sits generally with the ordinary bloke.

Renewing my season ticket isn't in question, my support is guaranteed. I just want the club, from top to bottom, to give us a team with qualities that we expect, or at least some honesty if that can't or won't happen.


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I take on board what you are saying but the type of players we used to be able to get and retain Redfearn, Futcher, Baker, De Zeeuw, Fleming, Taggart , Beresford etc are just out of our reach these days or stay for 5 minutes. It's a different world where money rules. In terms of effort poorer players often look like they are treading wetter against better ones.

 

Cracking post fella! Don't be a stranger. This board needs folk like you. UTR

 

if we go down imo we will be down for a long long time with maybe the odd flirtation with playoffs and relegation to league two. this we need to go down to rebuild and come back stronger crap from some of the fans is naive to say the least

 

I honestly think that the lack of desire you refer to arises from the players not knowing what they should be doing on the pitch.

And Danny's teams are not sent out to gnash at the ankles of others. Which is what Flicker's team did last season.

 

I guess the trickle down of cash via parachute payments, foreign owners, even in the Championship, has put even the "good honest pro" out of our reach as you say. There are more teams awash with decent players that can only reach mid table.

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I think the lack of desire comes from some players, normally the loans and the ones that know there not getting a new contract, knowing that they will not be at the club in the summer, and they just go though the motions..and wont/don't put the graft or a tackle in in case they get hurt

 

It was a long four years last time. I'd even have to question whether we are an attractive proposition for the type of player who we're going to need if/when we drop. Or perhaps thats my doom and gloom ruling my head.

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I know what you mean, but the ones that we can afford on long term contracts are either the lower league players that we all moan about, or kids.

There is a bias on this board against finding lower league players who can cut it in higher leagues. It is not impossible so to find.

Talent and character. The player needs to have enough of both. Wherever he comes from.

 

Agree. Issue is that most of the ones we've had only have one or the other.

 

Or neither

 

Correct.

Dare I say most of the players signed under the previous two had something in common?

 

Agree mate. I've no problem with this. Is part of the reason we have a plethora of poorer "lower league" players maybe due to the fact that 3 of our last 4 managers/coaches have played the vast majority of their football in the lower leagues. I'm playing devils advocate, but will someone like Wilson be able to recognise and recruit those players from down the league who can cut it higher up?

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Aye look at Bolton far and away better than us but good enough for the top nowhere but it saddens me really the trickle down affect where we get a decent player and before you as a fan get a relationship with them they are off.

 

I've nowt against lower league players myself but where in the past we could hope to compete for decent ones like Currier non league Bullock/Sheridan now we struggle to attract even those who are not pulling up any trees in the leagues below.

 

Some of this current crop of ***** don't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as some of those players.

 

I completely agree. The problem being a player like Redders would have stayed with us 18 months at the most and end end up in the reserve reserve team of some Premiershit club ditto local lads like Eaden and Watson.

 

Correct. Which just makes it all seem a waste of time

Oakwell Drive, Redfearn Way and Wilson Walk all have good rings to them.

 

I would like the story about getting a head start in the FFP stakes, explaining to me again. I've noticed a downside to this theory.