What should the club do?

We simply cannot spend money we will not earn in income. Sure let's blow the wage structure and a few million cash on 'experience' then what? What if we get relegated anyway? Board will not endanger the club, and can't do so under ffp regardless. Yes we should bring in players, but I can't stand for mortgaging the club's future on panic buys. Bony? Jedinak? Jesus Christ...

 

I hope they don’t. This isn’t the time to get desperate. It’s the sort of panic stations we’ve seen before, like when we brought Greening, Tudgay, Buszaki and Sinclair in.

We should have added a few more experienced players, in the summer. We didn’t.

 

I don't understand how this would cost us millions. McShane, Ledley, Jedinak (even Bony) haven't found a club and aren't earning any money right now so it's unlikely they'd expect to earn what they used to. My son in law plays golf now and again with Peter Odemwingie and until late last season he was looking for a club and was willing to accept way less than what he used to be on. I'm definitely not proposing we sign him btw!

And if they do want too much then clearly the discussion with them would end. So if we offered them a figure we could afford (£8k? £10k?) on a short term deal it's unlikely to put us at risk. I see it as a short term measure to try a) help the young players and b) avert what I currently see as our almost inevitable relegation.

I don't see it as panic. I see it as a response to our current crisis.

Not saying you're wrong btw, we just have a different view.

 

Hire a director of football who has been around the block, strong championship and english league experience. Someone who knows the british game, strong network and players but will then

- build an on field strategy for the league we are in or potentially in (owners just have a business continuity / financial strategy). Balanced approach

- add some humanity and experience to the scouting process and spreadsheet. Sense check it and evaluate from a different angle than today

- leave owners to manage finances

- support stendel to allow him to purely focus on the first team game plan and competitiveness. By this i mean be the glue that gets what the coach wants and lobbys the owners to make it happen

- works with academy and coaches to make sure progression is supported

- works with other clubs to develop relationships and builds a loan system into the plan. Loans In and Out to achieve a greater good

- helps build and manage a salary and incentive program to work within our means but be competitive. Ie bonus triggers if we are say above half way by half way in season instead of pure salary.

I think the coaches are good but need some help in the experience if the overall game. Let the coaches work with players, tactics etc while someone else works with owners on behalf if the playing front and being competitive

 

Great response.
I would add following Wolvestyke’s comments.
Offer short term contract with a lucrative bonus if we stay up to the short termers

 

It's pretty simple, do as they claimed they would, reinvest every penny made from player sales back in the squad. They haven't, by a long long way they haven't.

 

Too late? You've quit already?

 

Those signings were a means to an ends by the club, sole purpose to give Hill enough rope.

 

Yeah I understand what you mean like, I'm sure some will drop their demands. But I really doubt Bony, earning well over 50 a week at his last club would come here for 10. Let's say Ledley would take that, although it would surely be more like 15, he would want at least a 2 year deal to take that kind of wage cut. So that would cost about a half million a year excluding perks. If we stay up its worth the gamble perhaps even if there is no value in the player at the end. If their legs are gone and we go down anyway we have no funds available to rebuild in league one as we did last time.

Negative as this is, I think we should be happy supporting a sustainable club with a solid structure and the occasional 'really good year', like last year, even if this means we yoyo between these two leagues.

 

Take your point West7. But we don't know if we don't even speak to them. If you're Ledley do you accept 10k and a short term contract that at least gives you an opportunity to gt noticed again and get a longer contract somewhere or sit on your arse and accept that your career is finished? With each week that goes by the likelihood of him getting another club decreases. It's the fact that the owners apparently won't even have the conversations with experienced players to establish what their demands are - because it's not the strategy that I just don't get. DS repeatedly asked for experience in the window and surely you have to trust your head coach and listen to them? Anyway, it's irrelevant now......