McCann talked last year about 'The Plan', and I'm not sure it was ever revealed. If we do get promoted back to championship at the first or second attempt, then would getting relegated have proved a blessing? We go up with a young and hungry team who have a season (or more) of professional football, and have that winning mentality. We've had a season of massively reduced wages when the rest of the championship have built up far more debt. We are likely to unearth the odd 'gem', who can be sold, to line Ehab's pockets/reduce the debt. The club would return to the championship with a positive feel around the place unlike the situation had we survived relegation last season, which would probably only have delayed the inevitable and having to rely on younger players, out of their depth at that level at that time of their careers, which could well have set them back. All in all, this could turn out very well. Of course, I am giving Ehab far far too much credit. For one, he won't have known football would have no income from gate receipts. I'm sure if things do go well, he will claim it was his overall plan. But I ask the question, what else could that 'plan' have been that McCann spoke about? Why did we just allow the club to sink so rapidly last season without any apparent effort? Why wasn't he sacked?
Nice thought, but I don’t credit Ehab with having enough intelligence to execute this plan. I’m sure he will claim it!! it’s just a happy coincidence
The plan Develop our own players Try and unearth gems that other clubs let go Be strict on wages Keep with a young coach and believe in him Sell players at a profit the Plan will struggle if we get back in the championship and want to push on for the PL. Adam Pearson acknowledged he wouldn’t do it when he was in charge Duffen went gung ho for it and saddled us with debt. The Allams speculated and it paid off with Sir Steven Bruce but look at the rewards he brought in terms of sell on value for players Ehab was too stupid or more likely jealous to see it. So we shall see if we get back there it’s whether the financial climate with covid means some of these clubs are actually brought to book for running up huge debts and getting properly penalised for it
I worry that McCann acknowledges him limitations i.e. "He knows this league" because once we're out of it does he fail to push on or do we get rid.
I thought the plan included getting rid of some of the bad apples in the dressing room? I'm actually enjoying watching the games more now than I have for a long, long time, and that's not just because we're winning.
The plan? To be quite possibly one of a handful of clubs in the football league who do not have immediate pressing financial problems. That in itself has nothing to do with matters on the pitch. If it was deliberate to sell the only goals in the squad to bankroll the club in he event of a global disaster twelve months down the road, that isn't genius. More clairvoyance taken to another level.
The ‘plan’ was to get the high earners off the wage bill. It’s been the same plan since we came down from the Premier League. The result of that is that the quality of player decreased and we ended up going down. I don’t think this team is Championship ready at the moment, but at the end of the season and with the right additions in January, it just might do alright next year. We would be in there as a newly promoted club, so the expectation would be lower and with a year of first team football under their belts, the likes of Greaves and KLP will be much better prepared.
It’s about momentum & the players start to expect to win - creates that winning mentality. Dare to dream!!
Agree with a lot of the above. Just reaching down for my tin hit.......but selling. Bowen and Grosiki when we did. Was it inspired or stupid ? We could not keep them both because Bowen attracted a very good offer and if it wasn't WHU he would have gone somewhere else. Grosicki was nearing the end of his contract and it made sense to cash in our chips. Perhaps the club thought we had enough points in the bag to survive or perhaps a season in a lower league wasn't seen as the end of the world ? At the time we were tied to some big contracts and our gates were dipping by the week. Start again, in a new league, get the winning habit back and attract the crowds back again ? Also concentrate on youth, finding young players, take a punt on them and hopefully bring them on ? Was that the plan ? Because it looks like that today and so far it has worked. So inspired or stupid ? The only missing ingredient is the crowds, which couldn't be foreseen but I'm sure a team at the top of League 1 and winning would attract far more fans into the KC then a team treading water in the Championship. I long for the day when we can return and put that theory to the test.
Even without Bowen and Grosicki we should have performed considerably better than we did. I would love to know what went on, because you would have thought McCann would have been sacked. As we was not held responsible by the owners, something else has gone on which caused us to play so badly. Rotten apples?, Bad blood? players not giving their all? could have been all three but I am still curious as to what happened.
He wasn't sacked because it was not his decision to sell Bowen and Grosicki. It was out of the managers hands. Then it was a combination of things, all the above plus when the season was interrupted and it was thought we would come back from the enforced break fresh with most of the injured back to pick from and get the few points we needed to stop up. That never happened obviously. We also had some 'key' players nearing the end of their contracts and that uncertainty didn't help. The same players didn't fancy stopping on to help us when the end of the season overlapped the end of their contracts which tells you a lot about their desire in the first place. I'd like to know when 'the plan' was decided on and I do think that plan was what we are witnessing this season.
The big problem with the plan was it wasn't cunning enough. For that reason it failed miserably - without cunning skill you have nothing.
I'm hoping the plan includes the club in a healthy financial position with a young squad are an attractive proposition for an investor.
The plan wasn't announced until after we'd gone down. It was said in answer to one of David Burns many grilling's on the radio, although McCann wouldn't tell him what the plan was. it was said at the time and often by DB that we didn't have a Plan B and as an answer McCann said we have a plan.
