What's the f.cking point?

I might move to a major city. I'm thinking Burnley, Huddersfield, Watford , Bournemouth or Stoke.

 

The thing is that we have had this conversation over and over again. It has been done to death. All the arguments, both for and against have been taken out, exercised, and exercised to death. We all know the arguments, and restating them all once again will not help to resolve our differences or make our current situation any different. There has to be a point at which we stop looking backwards and start looking forwards, start to concentrate on the future and stop looking back on the past. We have a very interesting group of young and talented players who can only can better once they gel together and meld together as a team. They are all on 3 year contracts so there is plenty of time for Hecky and his team to work their magic. Get behind the new players and stop thinking about teams and players gone by, stop thinking about what might have been and think about what could be. Frankly, the future interests me much more than the past. We have a chance to influence the future. All we can talk about in the past is about our regrets and our what might have beens.

 

Burnley are the exception here. A town doing well but lets be fair thats rare. Bournemouth are owned by the Russians - i cant our town having the same pull for investment.

 

I don't buy this for one second.

 

The only time we have for any "magic" to be worked is the time at which it becomes impossible to stay up. Unless relegation is acceptable of course. Maybe it is.

 

That's the point though. No there isn't. You clearly don't understand The Strategy. The 3 year contract is simply a (sensible) vehicle to extract maximum value from the player as an asset. As soon as they show any promise they will be sold within six months of starting to play well; so, at the risk of repeating what I've said earlier, even if Hecky alchemises them into gold once more, we still won't see even *this* squad of players reach its full potential before it is liquidated. This is why I worry about futility. It's not the historical that I'm most concerned about - you are right to point out that that has gone and it's pointless crying further about it - it's the future.

 

Now if we hadn't sold Tommy Taylor in the 50s where might we have been now.

 

If Arsenal hadn't taken our place in the first division....

 

https://twitter.com/bfc_memories/status/896636111996542976

The difference between our current team and this one is massive.

 

Point is... we didn't sell Hourihane, Winnall, Roberts, Marley, Scowen after 6 months did we? They grew together with us and they went because their contracts were coming up, not because we were prepared to lose good assets at the first sign of us being able to make a profit. We could have cashed in on Winnall in Jan '16 but didn't. They stayed and we were promoted/got off to a great start in the higher division. I agree with what some say that Winnall wanted to leave are there wasn't a lot we could do, but it was worth taking the hit on Connor and having him until the summer. I'm sure the board will have taken stock and it's not like we're in need of a quick cash injection anymore.

In hindsight, it looks a little naive for us to do it all over again with lower league youngsters, this time in the Championship and not get older heads around them. The team who were promoted didn't get to that level over night. It took half a season of disastrous results in League One with them looking like little boys lost before leadership, belief and character emerged. We will have to do that again and I'm confident we'll get there, you just have to hope we don't leave ourselves with too much catching up to do, as it'll be more difficult in the hotbed of the Championship.

But I genuinely don't think the reason we aren't signing experienced Championship players is because there isn't a sell on value. The only ones we can afford are predominantly those who are on the wane who can't get a contract at a wealthier club. Has beens in other words unless we drop on a McShane/James type loan. That's why Hammill is so crucial and if we're not able to recruit, others need to step up to the plate like Connor did and become mesters. A few too many look overwhelmed at the moment.

 

With the exception of Mawson, all the players that we have sold, were sold because they were approaching the end of their contracts and had either refused to discuss new contracts, or had refused the offer of new contracts. Of course, you could argue that we should have offered more, even up to a point when the offers were no longer sustainable over the course of their contracts. That is a view. It is a view that I do not agree with. I take the view that we have simply replaced players whose contract demands we could not afford, with players whose contract demands we can afford. It is that simple.

But I am being drawn back into an argument that I have had so, so many times before. I am repeating once again the same things that I have repeated so many times previously. Just as everyone who continues to participate in this argument is repeating the same stuff as they have repeated before. Time to move on.

 

So if its all down to greedy players and not the .. poor old club.. that gets blamed for everything...

What is the point of getting behind this new lot..?

 

It's not compulsory.

 

Yes - we have had this conversation before.
IMO
We would have got into the playoffs and if we added a couple of players in January we would have won it.

I've said it countless times - the centre of all these problems is how the players contracts are constructed.
All of these players contracts came to an end at the same time.
So the directors had no option other than to sell.
They should have sold Watkins and Scowen in January - we had sold the spine of the team so why hang on to others?
We needed as much money as possible in the pot for this transfer window.

The directors will realise they made a total mess of contracts they gave players - and they are changing how contracts are put together now.
If they get these contracts right then there is a bright future for the club.

 

If i ever felt like this I'd pack in. Plenty more hobbies out there to do on a Saturday afternoon. Based on your current feelings I suggest angling as a soothing relaxing pastime. And don't worry about Tuesday night games, 'Night Fishing' is quite simply splendid.

 

Oh I know...

 

And they're still trying to convince people that they are doing a great job.... make you want to laugh.. or cry.

 

To be absolutely honest, to an extent I have done. I let my season ticket of 25 years go five years ago when I had my first child and couldn't justify the regular 100 mile round trip every other weekend with an away match in the other week.

Now I go when it suits my schedule or to see my mates. I've been amazed how little I've missed it when up to then it was probably the biggest thing in my life.

 

winnal,connor,scowen,roberts etc wernt sold after 6 months,this is true,they were simply sold when more or less the first offers/clubs came about...you cant blame the players for going for more dosh,they keep telling us football is a business first and foremost,,,well i for one pay to watch sport,yes money has been involved for donkeys years but they way it has changed the game nowadays has completely put me off and this is the reason i've done with it...the last straw was winnall,how someone can pay him 18 k a week is beyond me..
we cant build for the future as anyone with the slightest bit of promise is off at the first chance,i really feel for hecky and wish him well,as i do the team,alus have alus will,but i cant see me being a regular again.too disheartened.

 

Do something else with your time then. As in the case of the departed, we couldn't hold a gun to their head to stay, no ones holding a gun to your head to attend what's been described as a pointless exercise.
The most pointless exercise however is running a football club as like any other supporter of a team like ours, your days in the sun are few and far between.