Watching the Ipswich game got me thinking, we have so many players playing in the Championship and premier league. Kieffer, Chaplin, mowatt, kitching, Collins, Jacob Brown, pinnock, Liam lindsay, helik... I could go on and on. The recruitment gets criticism so much on this forum but I'd argue over the years the recruitment has been good and served us well you can't get them all right. Our problem is and always has been we can't pay the wages so can't keep the squad together. If we had some sugar daddy owner who threw money at us and managed to keep those played together wow.
Rather than creating a team of individuals, we should be looking at creating a team greater than the sum of its parts. Who have a clear identity and tactical direction. Personally I'm hoping that is the vision of our technical director and the club will spend the summer trying to put round pegs in round holes and, regardless of the division we are in.
From a player-trading perspective perhaps you are right. From a supporter perspective it just makes me feel sad. I’m not sure many of the current crop will follow in their footsteps!
And there isn’t one of those players who have escaped the ‘ not good enough’ risky signing’ ‘ another spreadsheet signing’ mantra
It does me but its the reality, we lost kieffer moore to Wigan of all clubs who got less crowds than us but were spending money they didn't have the rest was just to bigger clubs no doubt if we could pay the wages many would have stopped. And I agree with that every signing is a gamble though.
Brown came through our academy so we didn't recruit him. The others you mentioned are quite a few years ago now. The guys we have signed permanently over the past 2-3 seasons aren't making us money.
That’s because we are now fishing in a pool that means we have to sign players who might come good in 2-3 years time, not under the radar signings who we will sell in 12 months.
Do you not think though, that selling the club to prospective signings as being simply a ‘stepping stone’ to better things, has contributed to our current problems?. It’s true that we’ve mostly always been a selling club, but it now seems to be the primary focus. The players themselves never appear to attach themselves to the club with any enthusiasm because their expectation is that they will be on their bikes as soon as a half-decent offer is made. Perhaps it’s instructive that our loan players tend to show more passion than those on contract to us? Even if this policy is clearly detrimental to our fortunes on the pitch, we appear to have bought into the idea (reality?) that mediocrity is the price we have to pay for simply having a club to support. This may be the reality, but it’s bit disheartening all the same.
If I said to you “listen I think you’re really talented lad, and have a lot of potential, will you please sign for me on less than the average wage in this division, and I will oppose you moving on if a club further up the pyramid comes in for you” would you consider signing?
One positive from this season & last, in my opinion, is this 'new' board are doing well with tranfer fees received and loaning players out. Got very good fees for Andersen & Kitching and despite bad recruitment with Shaw/Dallas, we've atleast been able to loan them out to get some of their wages off the books for a time. I really do think with any players under contract, this board will hold out for a fee we value our players at, instead of selling on the cheap as we are so used to over the past 20 years.
May be a controversial opinion but the team that Daniel Stendel had in the promotion season could have done an Ipswich. Terrific talent spread throughout the 11. Can't believe how far we've declined.
I thought you were going to post summat ace there Frogger kid lol, until you said how great the owners are. Ohh well never mind, move on ehh.
I agree kieffer moore was a reported 3million and same with pinnock both went to the premier league pinnock still there.