Who knows? I'm not making any predictions, but in some ways it may be a postive in the long in if we do go down, because if we stay up then whoever is running the club might be tempted to believe that our recent business model still works.
Totally agree with that. My only problem now is, yesterday has recharged my hope, and now I'm dreaming of seeing in the new Arsenal era. Kicking Brightons butts next season & continuing Boscombes terrible record against us. I hope Evertons flipflops are sufficiently sandy!
Surely that can’t be possible?! Although if we stay up selling VVD and investing close to nothing could be seen as business masterstroke
The selling of our best players was never really our business model....that was just how it worked out when players started agitating. The club just made the best of a bad job as it is quite a decent model if not carried to extremes. They held onto players such as Schneiderlin, Wanyama, and Mane for at least another year after they requested leaving. They tried to get people on longer contracts as an attempt to keep players or at least get best value from them....the trouble was that it didn't work for VVD (despite him signing a long contract) and it was introduced pretty much after the horses bolted. Even top clubs struggle to hold onto players once they want to leave. I think it was an unplanned business model forced on us by the success of finding several excellent players within a few years. We have solved the problem by becoming a poor side with decent but not outstanding players. Job done.
I think our downfall has been partly due to lack of squad turnover in recent seasons. I don't have a problem selling players, bigger clubs do it all over the world, its our recruitment that has let us down. If we kept all of our players but recruited how we have done in the past 18 months, we'd still be in a similar position.
Certainly agree on quality recruitment letting us down. Wesley might have something but like Lovern, he needs a leader, quality CB with him. Corrillo .... least said. I think Lemina is the real deal but needs the right manager, which MH might just be. Dare I say the board have failed miserably .... ducks.
I agree that things have gone wrong this season and were showing signs of the same last season (though I'd love to be in that position now)....the only thing I argue with is that we have this business plan idea thrown at our heads by the media. Turning over players happen in every team, but how many teams have had to cope with having so many highly-desired players on their books at the same time. Most smaller sides are only trying to keep their one star player. We've had several who have had their heads turned and were impossible to keep more than one extra season. The club decided to sell the initial tranche probably partly to fund purchases....some of which were very good and we found ourselves back in the same position again. Should we have refused to sell....fans think so, but they aren't running a business. And if we hadn't sold at the beginning, would we have had the likes of Mane and Wanyama. Not saying that things haven't gone wrong and the board don't carry most of the blame ultimately, but just saying that life isn't always straight forward and what can make good sense one season can prove to be wrong the next. The major mistake that can be laid at their door is not giving Mark Hughes more time....he has produced an improvement, but league games have gone by in the time it has taken for him to understand the players he can trust and those he can't. Now we have only 3 games left....we may play well, but not get the points we need....because these games are truly must wins. I blame complacency after several seasons of success as the biggest crime.
No Gary, that simply is not the case. A lot of the decisions Les has made in the last 24 months deserve criticism. Some of them are questionable, some indefensible like the hiring and firing strategies. He needs to own those mistakes, and maybe be more vocal in accepting them. In saying that, if his character is to be questioned over unfounded bullying and fraud accusations along with other things, then I'm sure there's a few out there who will defend him out of pure principle.
Why would you think they are unfounded? Unproven, I can live with that, but not without foundation (or they wouldn’t have been brought up).
If they are true, I want him out. If they are true I want the club to investigate. If they are true, anyone with evidence needs to present it to the relivent people.
I think they'll pull the trigger when the seasons over. His bad run at the end has sealed his fate. Sadly.
