Sorry to butt in guys, but you can blame NickH for this intrusion. Great result at Watford fellas, but can't help thinking this is all a bit of a distraction from the real business - and it's not because we got dumped out by Burton. Prestige staying in it maybe, but 1 team out of 92 is going to win this thing, whereas 3 teams out of 24 are going to reap the rewards of the Premier league next season - far better odds. Revenue from extra gate money pales into insignificance when it comes to the rewards of promotion - and let's face it, you're not going to be the 1 out of 92 that'll go all the way. Taking what you can get is heading you nowhere. You've now got a great stadium and an owner with money to spend. There's either a lack of ambition or management skills at your club to force the issue. Settling for mid table (at best) and a cup run is a disaster after what you (Lansdown) have spent on the stadium and playing staff this past couple of years. We over the water can't shout too loudly about our recent exploits but at least we've recognised the need last year and acted upon it. Enjoy your Carabao Cup run and the very best of luck to you getting to Wembley, but now the big boys are in it'll probably be 2 of them that'll be there. Doing well in this league must be the priority and a target of mid table safety maybe realistic for some, but if I were a supporter, unacceptable - it seems that some of you would just be glad to stay up.
Agree we now need to build a team to match the stadium.we are ready for take of,it depends on Mr L if this is where he wants to take the club.
Ta for the acknowledgement Sparkey! I think we're treating the League Cup as the Brucie bonus it is - it was largely our 2nd string that played both of the games we've won so far, and I'd expect much the same against Stoke, so I'm not sure how much of a distraction it is. As for ambition, you'll naturally have a varied response, but I think I speak for the majority when I say that we'd be satisfied with showing progress from last season i.e. a solid mid table finish, largely away from the relegation zone. We've a very young squad (I'd be highly interested if anyone can find an 'average age' by team list), with a view to success down the line, so there's room for a certain amount of patience - much of Landowne's investment has been in the infrastructure, and whilst there's been good support on the playing staff also, there's a clear strategy in signing young players whose players will increase, rather than more experienced ones whose will decrease (Lee Tomlin? ) How sensible that is, only time will tell - I've said before that there's no use in planning for tomorrow if tomorrow never comes, so the long-term view shouldn't come completely at the expense of the short term. If we're able to improve consistency and turn more draws to wins then it's not inconceivable we could be in the mix for the playoffs this year, but missing out wouldn't be cause for ripping up the squad and starting afresh - if we're not at least in that particular mix next season, then we're not developing at the rate we'd want. It's difficult balancing being realistic with showing ambition - being blasé about not pushing the boundaries means you're likely condemned to mediocrity, but throwing a tantrum every few months if you're not top of the league isn't likely to result in significant change - there aren't many examples of clubs who replace their manager regularly and are the better for it. Obviously, there are plenty of fans who worry that Johnson isn't the man to oversee the 'project' for the foreseeable, and even those approaching being supporters of him (including me) are quite sick of the bickering and often think it'd be better to move on just to draw a line under that. One thing I remind myself of though is that our most high profile, exciting managerial appointment in recent times was Steve Coppell and that went very wrong, very quickly. Whilst I think about it, what were your thoughts back when Dave Jones was sacked? You had a solid team when he was in charge and came within a gnat's whisker of promotion a couple of times when he was sacked - promotion did follow, but probably more due to Tan's spending than the manager (unless you disagree?). Did you think it was rough on Jones, or was he just not good enough to see the job through?
Nick - to be fair Dave Jones managed the team through a difficult period for 6 years. He was a dyed in the wool 4-4-2 man which made for some very exciting stuff on the pitch whilst we battled with HMRC off it. Despite recruiting the likes of Chopra, Bothroyd and McCormack up front with Whittingham and McPhail in the middle, he couldn't get us over the line and that was his eventual undoing. BTW, it is a myth that he had no money to spend. He was funded by the sale of Aaron Ramsey (for peanuts in the end) and had money borrowed from hedge funds by Ridsdale. When Tan came in and appointed Mackay (he wasn't his choice at the time BTW) he provided the necessary funds for him to mount a promotion challenge in his second season with us. That was great at the time and Malky took full advantage of it with Bellamy let loose as his flagship signing. The rest is history and Malky was followed by a succession of abjectly poor managers. Ole was first who had no idea how to build a squad, and then Slade and Trollope who both had all the charisma of a dead cod - then we got hold of Warnock. That is the difference. It is clear to all at the club, players, staff and supporters that his appointment has revitalised the club that many had not thought possible. IMO, and in the absence of any direct knowledge of your club, that is what you need to do.
I think that's touching on the argument that anti-LJ (and indeed, a handful of anti-Lansdowne) supporters have is that he's divided the fans, though I'm not sure if that extends to the club and the playing staff - on that side of things, there isn't much the way of smoke indicating fire, though obviously, what goes on behind closed doors and what's conveyed to the public are two very different things. I think for a club to be successful you need an alignment of several factors at once, but most tellingly the playing staff and manager. It's looking as though Cardiff have both those things in place at the moment (not sure what you might be hoping/expecting before the transfer window closes though?), so with a little luck to boot, you could well be one of the three to go up. You'll likely get different answers from us - playing staff wise, some will say give a young squad another year to develop together, but others will say the manager has been backed for the three windows he initially stated he needed to shape his own team and so we should expect strong results immediately. The majority will probably say the manager will never be good enough to take the team up - that's possible, but if managers like Ian Holloway, Phil Brown and Aidy Boothroyd can do it, then maybe he is(!).
@Oldsparkey if /when you go up will we get another years break from you? You do realise that RR loves and would cover himself in NW sperm given the chance. So when you're praising NW that puts you in the same mould as RR
Not praising Colin for the sake of it ROD, just as I (and many others over here) see it. You have to experience his effect to appreciate it. As far as Colin's sperm count is concerned, tell RR that he'll probably ejaculate on 4th November at your place when he stuffs you. BTW, I will continue to visit your forum should you overtake us this season like we did to you last - so no escape from me ROD.........
