Can I just say..

Whilst I fully support the club's strategy & I'm more than happy with where we are I do think that while ever transfers are listed as 'undisclosed' fans have every right to question the club's dealings.

 

Fair play Whitey, good post mate.

 

Well said lad. Particularly like the bit 'not taking part in this nonsense' i passionately agree with this.

You magical lovely Reds

 

Some more sensibility. The amounts of money available to clubs either currently or recently in the Prem are skewing the game to the point where it's no longer a competition, never mind a fair one. We're basically a feeder club for top half Champ/Prem teams for the foreseeable, until we can somehow fluke breaking into the Prem. No amount of moaning/planning/spending/recruiting is realistically going to change that. If we do go up, luck is going to play a huge part in it. We have a solid plan worked out, including sustainability, and polishing and selling, but to go beyond that we will need luck. Nothing will change that, bar being bought by billionaires. Which I don't want to happen.

 

Hang on Whitey. What I'm saying is, if his existing contract ended (say) on 31 May, we offer him a new contract which also ends on 31 May, with a new salary somewhere in between his existing one and what Villa would pay him. But we say we won't release him now. He goes in June without a fee, free to negotiate his terms with any number of suitors (although he seems to have a yearning for Villa). We have an extra outlay limited in time, which gives us at worst our best shot at guaranteeing safety and at best, a chance of achieving something spectacular. In our present situation we could have afforded the extra 400K outlay? If we stood firm, why would Conor refuse more money between now and Summer?

 

Fantastic post Andrew, my sentiments exactly and as usual you've worded far better than I could, (lots of applauding emojis)

 

Good post, It's like we've come as far as we can. We need some investment into the club, l wonder if we are still seeking buyers? What a time to attract some investment, not like last time when we were stuck down near the bottom of the Championship and being the perennial strugglers.

 

Define "investment."

 

"The action or process of investing money"

 

Go watch his interview upon joining Villa. He wanted that move and wanted it then. And their fans have written him off after one game. He's gone. We moved on. We've had far better and got by. We will again.

 

Just one point on that (and be extension Winnall). I think your original post is excellent and I agree with much of it. My only point is one I made at the start of the season, and holds true now - we shouldn't let Hourihane go at any price in January as his worth to us is more than we could recoup and, for exactly the point you make, that January is not the time to buy players. If the fall off in form does happen (hopefully it won't) this could in turn impact on the current good mood and in turn season ticket sales, revenue, who we can attract in the summer etc.

Anyhoo, you make the point that he wanted to go to Villa, but that said he did remain under contract. I don't get the feeling he would be a player who would refuse to play (although you never know) but even if he did he would be taking himself out of the shop window for the summer and reducing his own worth. I don't in anyway want you to comment on him or put you in any awkward position, just pointing out that we did still have a choice to make. I'm not saying what I would have done is right (there are clear counter arguments for selling now), and certainly don't blame Conor.

I'm a big fan of the strategy, I just think we should make it clear to good players that they won't be sold in the last transfer window of their contract as at that point their value will have decreased below their worth for the remainder of the season.

Anyway mate, keep up the good work.

 

Very good post and some good points made; however I believe your post could have been made much better with a reasoned argument for the alternative viewpoint as other people have put. There are possible advantages & disadvantages in the two arguments and I believe it comes to a head v heart viewpoint - do we as a club take the cash on offer now and give us some more financial viability or hold onto what we have in the short term with a possibility of the play-offs. Decisions decisions....... anyway what's decided is decided

 

We've had far better? Only had Redders in our lifetime watching them. Also they haven't written him off after one game.

 

Hourihane isn't the complete midfielder like Redfearn was. Hourihane can score worldies from distance and his delivery into the box is Beckham-esque, helped by the fact that others are on the same wavelength. He needs to be allowed to pull all the strings wherever he is and time to build that understanding with his team mates. If he isn't the main man taking all the free kicks and corners, he isn't going to be as effective.

 

I agree that's why I said second to Redders and not first. Don't see him ever being overtaken as my all time favourite, even if I live to see hundred but happy to be proved wrong one day.

 

It's an opinions game, which I love. This place would be closed in a week without them.

 

I don't know the rights or wrongs in these situations, not sure even the owners, players or managers do. Much is down to personal preference I imagine. All I do know is that we signed a lad for a very small fee in this day and age, gave him a platform, our coaches helped him develop as a player and boy did he develop. We got to see him captain us to two Wembley wins in the space of a few weeks. And he stepped up to this level like a duck to water. Then he asked to leave for this particular club in this particular window and he was allowed to for a massive profit.

The Club could have said no, you're right. But the Club didn't. I try to deal in facts and the here and now.

Mate, I've sat in that office all season hoping we could one day break the news that Conor had signed a new deal. Just as I've sat telling Jacob to leave Derby and come play for us. Just like I wish I had a fringe.

 

i know we think we get mugged off with transfer fees, but plenty of experts say its not a great time to buy players in January. to that end then it must stand it is a great time to sell them!

that's what we've done be it right or wrong, the 3 players have been a pleasure to watch, who can forget the atmosphere at home to Walsall as Winall bagged his second, or the feeling seeing Conor lift a trophy at the home of English football. It might be a bit rose tinted for some but we've had a few players come and go and we will have plenty more, thats life and sometimes it takes a meander no one was expecting or was hoping for. its how you deal with it that counts and id back the current owner and manager to do that any day.

now Whitey keep on at jacob as id love to see him back one day !!