I really hope somebody tells the owners to shove their ‘plan’

and spreadsheet up their arse!
They have have ripped apart a winning style and side, ostracised the fan base that was growing on the back of last season.
Ignored calls from fans ( who they patently think know nothing) for experience in midfield , strengthening up front and a manager who knew the league.., and the list goes on.
They are now IMHO) seriously taking the piss! …Rant over!

 

only the fans can do this by boycotting every game home and away until they piss off

 

Spot on.

 

There's nothing wrong with 'the plan' (don't spend more than we earn, target young players who can yield a profit) or indeed 'the spreadsheet' (trying to use data interrogation methods to gain a competitive advantage). Our club needs to operate sustainably.

The problem is that it's been implemented f***ing horrendously by an ownership group that doesn't have the faintest idea how to run a football club, nor apparently any real interest in doing so. With an added sprinkling of not giving a flying f*** about the fans to put the cherry on the cake.

Don't fall into the trap of letting them off by complaining at the approach, because the counter-argument is too easy - people will rightly tell you that you're arguing we need to spend a boat load of cash we don't have. That isn't the only alternative - we need to operate much more effectively in all areas of the business, than the owners have given any indication they are capable of doing.

I agree with the sentiment - I'd like the owners out - what I want to see them replaced with though is someone capable of implementing 'the plan,' rather than to tear it up.

 

Unfortunately the plan is to make money

 

I agree about the theory, but as we have said many times on here , it can be largely implemented with the addition of experience and authority.They also seem to have no idea of a balanced squad, in fact they seem clueless

 

They aren’t very good at that either.

 

Replacing them isnt so hard......however they will want far more than they paid....
thats the problem.

 

I don't agree. The plan has only worked when it has been tweaked like the signings of Hammill, Solbauer, James etc. We've wasted what little money we've had gambling on foreign imports and potential. I would like to see our transfer record in terms of money spent on players and income from sales but we seem to have lost out too often from what I can see. We have only stayed in this division (without other teams being deducted points) under these owners once, and during a false season imposed by covid with no fans, 5 subs and clubs having no money to spend. I might be missing something but I don't see where it has worked and how it can

 

I think the 2nd of your points is more important than the first. Experience costs money, though none of us doubt we need some of it.

For me it's now abundantly clear that any level of success on the pitch is just not considered necessary, so long as we can make a buck on the players. That's so short-sighted, because success on the field (as shown last season) is the main factor that drives up a players value. It's the lack of understanding of this - as well as what is required to get that level of 'success*' - which signals to me they haven't got a clue.

*I'm not someone who bought into the idea we were a play-off ready team this season or last. I expected us to be bottom third. With our budget, that would still have been 'success' in my eyes, and players playing well in such a side would have been profitable.

This season our club has failed spectacularly to identify - let alone act upon - blatant holes in the playing squad that have seen us all but relegated by Xmas. They're so bloody obvious to everyone who watches us, yet the turnover of staff in key positions and lack of leadership throughout the club has compounded the natural disadvantage we have through lack of budget. Entirely self-inflicted.

If we'd had a half-decent season (north of bottom 6) as should have been well within our grasp after last season, we'd be selling Helik, Styles, Brittain, Collins, Woodrow, Morris and Andersen at profits in the next 12-18 months, as per 'the plan.' As it is we can't because a) they've been ****, b) no-one will pay what we think they might be worth and c) we haven't got their replacements in.

All for the lack of a player or two to enable them to compete as a team. Balance, as you rightly say.

What a shame,

 

I dunno, they seemed to get their mitts on £750k fairly easily...

 

Totally agree that the basic principles are right we just need to balance it with some football nous and be more reactivate to what we instantly need as well as looking for profitable players. Maybe a director of football type role is needed to guide the owners and provide the nous or knowledge?

 

Just to be clear, I don't believe in running a team with exclusively under 25's. I think that's nuts. But I do believe that to continue to exist sustainably, we need to have a much younger squad than the league average, because that's where the profit is.

I agree that we've seen a handful of good examples of how an experienced player or two can help the group, and I'd like to see more of that. And I don't think it compromises 'the plan.'

I also agree we've been damn lucky , but we've ridden that luck and built a squad that finished 5th. I don't expect to repeat that, but I do expect us to take that squad and build SOME value out of it. Which barring a miracle this season, has bee thoroughly squandered.

 

It wouldn't be hard to pay them more than they've paid because they've paid **** all of their own money for the club.

 

No potential buyer would currently pay more for the club than the 80%ers did and due to the failure on the pitch this season then no player is worth anyrhing like he was last season.
So I'm sorry but it appears that we are screwed. There is nowhere to go.
There will be no investment in new players in January, who in their right mind would want to come, and any offers for those we have will be immediately accepted to fund the remainder of the season.
The ship has sunk and the 80%ers will not pay to raise it. Sorry.
Then we start again in the 3rd division with "hungry" kids full of hope.
The difference next time is that the supporters will not be fooled by the tosh uttered by the club when season tickets are due for renewal. Hopefully, yet regrettably, fans are not drawn in and very few renew.

 

Generally, (and I know there are some exceptions either way) we have had success bringing in established young players from the top end of the English leagues below - Hourihane, Scowen, Mawson, Yiadom, Pinnock, Winnall, Moore, Morris, Roberts - and failure with all other sources, especially Austria. The only success from Austria was 'off-spreadsheet'!

The Hourihane era needed it's Hammill, Long and Brownhill experience to kick-start it and Val had James at the outset, together with Sollbauer, and by then, a very experienced Mowatt.

The spreadsheet doesn't know how to build a team. We currently have incompatible pieces which don't fit together even if any of them were good enough. And clearly, the spreadsheet is missing a column headed 'Pace'.

 

Probably the thing which winds me up the most to be honest. Not only are they awful at running a club, they can't even carpet bag one successfully.

 

I'd have more sympathy for the 80% mob if they hadn't squandered every bit of good fortune they've had while controlling the club. They ****** up with Morias then dropped on Stendal who even before the season kicked off got the fans onside with some brilliant PR then exceeded expectations on the pitch. They then ****** up again by not listening to him and driving him out. They brought Struber in and again lady luck dropped their way with the changes brought about by the pandemic and wigans admin coming just in time to save us. They then again ****** up by not listening to the manager over recruitment and just like Stendal Struber was gone. Lady luck once more shined however when Val arrived took one look at the squad and completely and very successfully changed the playing style and nearly achieved a miracle but once again the 80% mob have snatched defeat and failure from potential success and stability. To blow good luck and success once is unfortunate to do it twice is careless to do it three times is downright incompetence of the highest order

 

So what’s that they’ve made so far? About -£8m?