I think the board have been stupid in some ways, but this idea they don't care if we go down as long as they are making money is nonsense - the board are not congratulating themselves on our position. I'm not sure how this needs repeating - but lets do it anyway, most clubs end up in the position in the league most seasons based on how much money they spend on wages. That is a statistical fact. I agree we don't know how much we've spent on wages this season compared to the other teams in this league until the financial statements are released, so we are working on guess work somewhat, but I cannot believe we are spending outside the bottom 3 on wages - please feel free to logically argue otherwise. We cannot spend money we do not make on income unless you want to go down the Derby/Fowls/Reading route and pretend to sell your ground, therefore our destiny in all probability is to end this season in the bottom 3. "The Plan" as far as I can tell is generate income beyond our current streams by buying young players (initially to the exclusion of all other types including loans hence their stupidity) who we can sell for more money and spend the profit on paying even better players to join our club, who we can then sell for EVEN more money....and so on. So they are working to a plan to try and allow us to play in a League, statistically we no longer belong in - that is worth repeating - they are working to a plan to try and allow us to play in a League, statistically we no longer belong in - and so far it has had mixed results, we were relegated but they can hardly be blamed for that, we were promoted on the first attempt - they can take credit for that - although I guess it was all down to Stendel if that's your narrative. We have had a tough time in the Championship - which is all down to the board and nothing to do with Stendel - lets flip the blame I guess whatever works to continue your preferred narrative. The bare fact of the matter is that under Patrick we were lucky to have him, now we are just facing the reality of who we are.
Invest to grow - simple as. Not invest hundreds of millions, but invest enough to mean we are paying Championship wages and can therefore reasonably hope to compete for survival in that league. If you're not prepared to do that don't tell fans our immediate aim is stability in the Championship. Our policy at the moment inevitably leads to the opposite. Patrick Cryne was a seller and these people are no different.
Quality not quantity. As many have said over the last 48 hours, we do not want to bankrupt the club and 'do a Bury'. But instead of signing 13 average to poor players this summer, maybe have a go at using the transfers and wages on 4 or 5 decent ones? Scowen being the biggest example of them all.
There is a disconnect between the board and the fans and it's of the boards own making I'm afraid. In some ways although I'm pleased they're now backing a coach and breaking the plan 'm more annoyed that it wasn't done at the start of the season. I think their choice of CEO was poor too in terms of communication I think as others have said why these owners in particular if they're not going to spend?
Agreed, all these players were brought in with future sales in mind not for here and now so instead of prioritising survival they prioritised future profits.
I think they prioritise keeping the club a going concern. There’s nothing out there that points to profiteering but I am happy to be shown otherwise. I base my own view on the accounts available and the work of Kevin Maguire on social media, Red Rain on this bulletin board. The recruitment was far too pure in its approach, some might say it was far too confident in itself. To lose the players we did and fill the gaps in the manner we did looks more laughable with every passing week. Couple that with two different managers with completely different playing systems and our results aren’t surprising. We are lucky that a handful of the squad have excelled because we can make sure the four to six million pounds deficit this coming year will be managed. Boring isn’t it? A sad reality as the OP refers to. But not the apocalypse and nor is it a group of people intentionally hurting or taking from the club. Unless others can prove different.
As I have said on this forum before, we have been a selling club since we turned professional. It is a fact of our life in the football league. As long as FFP remains a joke we will struggle in the Championship. We do not have the option to"sell" our ground, the administrators did that nearly 20 years ago. The model used by our current owners has been shown to be flawed. Let's hope they learn from it. We are stuck with our owners until they get fed up with us. There is not much of a queue to take on a club like Barnsley, we have a great transition but lack the glamour of other clubs. Until the owners tweak their plan to make it successful , my belief is that the best we can hope for is yo yoing between League one and the Championship much like we are now.
There is a big difference between the board prioritising financial stability and profitability. Until the accounts are published nobody really knows which it is, but a lot of people have jumped to conclusions with many opting to think the worst with no evidence to support either way. People will respond with selling Y and replacing with X, which whilst there is no doubt that it is done to raise/bring money in, there is again no evidence either way. The above statement is not trying to defend the board as they clearly have made two big mistakes which has helped people choose their opinions, I see them as: 1) Transfer policy in the Summer, it is clear the option of quantity over quality does not work from a footballing perspective, so this would suggest is driven by Finance, but it is also possible they just made a really bad decision in opting for this, this second decision could be based on inexperience, naivety, arrogance, greed or all 4! So far, it seems they are slowly learning from that experience wether it will be enough remains to be seen. 2) Connection with the supporters, from day one they have been poor in this regard and two years in still don’t seem to have learnt from it. If this was better, there would not have been the outcry over Stendel (which in my opinion ramped up the anti owner comments) and perhaps a better understanding of the transfer policy/options. What I’d really like to see happen moving forward is one of the trusted fan groups meeting with the club and having honest conversations with either and or Paul and Dane, addressing the issues of recruitment, finance etc. Doubt it will actually happen but it would be a good start.
Not for me, not for me at all. If this is all we are now, a wannabe self sustaining feeder club, and may I add, not a very good one based on the garbage purchased last summer, I won’t feed them a penny sorry. These owners are in such a low risk position to themselves that they can afford to pi$$ about and gamble the future of our club like they have as it isn’t their own personal money that they’re frittering away on mostly embarrassing football punts. Sure one or two of their dozen or so purchases may make a decent profit but the plethora of German and Austrian players flooding the first team I’ll wager will bring nothing of note back into the club. Once the sales is Woodrow, Mowatt and Chaplin are done and dusted then this player gravy train will start to severely dry up after the errors made last summer. For me, they either run this club properly in the division it sits and look at an alternative way to compete by bringing in better quality but less numbers of players or they may as well flog us on as I really do think we are going backwards under their ownership. People who think we’ll tear up league one next season with what will remain of this squad need their heads looking at.
This squad would tear the third division up. But relegation means we would lose the likes of Woodrow and Chaplin. Both signed by this board.
Erm..are you sure about that? We had a new arsehole torn into us last Saturday remember to a third division side with arguably our strongest championship side out did we not? Take Mowatt, Chaplin and Woodrow out of that side and we have absolutely no chance of tearing league 3 up sorry. I think you are a little deluded in your thinking on this one tbh.
Take a look at our team in league one if we get relegated and the suspected transfers out of the clubs happen (Mowatt, Woodrow, Chaplin, Brown) and it is slightly worrying: GK: Collins RB: Williams CB: Sollbauer CB: Andersen LB: Oduor CDM: Halme CM: Mcgeehan CM: Ritzmaier CAM: Bahre/Thomas ST: Schmidt ST: Miller? Wilks?
For me, the reality is simple. These people are rubbish at running a football club, rubbish in the transfer market, rubbish at communication, rubbish at employee relations, rubbish at delegation, rubbish at PR, rubbish at marketing, rubbish at customer relations. Hopeless, simply hopeless, that's the impression I have. 2 more sleeps.
Did you watch the match last Saturday? We are truly awful as we were against PNE the Tuesday before. So disorganised with two thirds of the season gone, we looked clueless and if you can’t see what’s before your eyes then that’s your lookout sorry. 5 wins from 29 games and cup exits to lower league opposition. Facts, hard to swallow for some people.
Imho, you need to add a good coach into that equation (im not saying struber isnt btw). The thought you can just chuck a team out because they have played at a higher level, wirhout tactics etc is misleading ....look at sunderland for one.
Two sides to that view though. Your side where you reference the general performance over the season and a specific game against last time we had a similar record in league went out against a non league team(I think) but only a couple of games were as good as Bristol City who have a real chance of being in the play offs. I’ll be honest and say I can’t decide if we would come straight up or not, the league is not that strong and with a couple of early wins and confidence who knows. Equally I do think Mowatt & Woodrow would leave and they would be nigh on impossible to replace. All about opinions in Football.
Think you can take McGeehan & Wilks out of that too. Can’t see either of them playing for us again. Even more worrying.....
