That really is the conundrum, in fact it's a double conundrum. Yes, it sounds sensible and pragmatic to bring in that type of player ... ... but who, in reality, would they be. They'd generally be players who haven't really made it at that level or been relegated with their current club. Neither are particularly exciting and probably not better than Rigg, Jobe, Cirkin, etc.
Exactly. Personally I think we have about 8 players who have the ability to play in the prem at the minute and who can forget those games against Fulham in the cup a few years ago when we fully matched them at times. If we do go up this season, next season will be a really steep learning curve for these players and I don't doubt that with the togetherness, we will learn
It's a really big step to the PL and I think a few of our better players may struggle. That said, I do like the direction we have went in and the KLD take over has been transformative for our club. There is no doubt about it. Timing is everything though, and if there is a chance to push on due to league dynamics or over achieving a touch, you have to take it.
One of the things us exiles feel is the attitude of other fans towards us. Now it is easy enough to say we dont care, but in all honesty it is great when you are talking to say a Forest fan, or Derby fan, and they things like saw your goals at the weekend and they were class, or who is this Rigg lad I keep hearing about. I have been an exile for near enough 35 years and there have been times when we werent even a footnote for clubs around this neck of the woods. We are bring talked about now and folk show an interest and it is because of things like goals and player reputation. Jobe is the talk of every other fan when they ask who I support. It is what is that Bellingham lad like. Then they cant shut me up. To an exile, that sort of stuff is nice.
I'm happy with the slow burn as long as we're seeing progress being made. I do think there is an argument for speculating a bit in Jan to address cover/competition in some positions and to give us a bit of push and I'm sure we will. Don't have to throw the model out to do that.
I think we have to look at the younger players and give them a pathway to develop and improve, that way the money keeps coming in as they hopefully outgrow us and we use the money to improve the squad. If say Bellingham is picked up in the summer for £30 million that's a hell of a lump of money and increases our chances of picking up some serious young talent that may have been out of our price range. It's all about the balance and we have that about spot on this season with the signings we made.
I like seeing the academy lads doing well now and coming through, glad there’s a pathway. Might just be frustrating in the short term watching them make mistakes learning on the job. Probably the best way a club without parachute payments can grow, look how cheap this team was assembled and how much it’s worth now. Bodes well imo. Never too early to get promoted though and that prem money could transform us
I don't shout the odds but people ask me if I'm going to the match and sometimes notice my little lapel badge ... ... half the village pub follow our results and lots of them watch our games. It's a nice feeling.
Slow burn every time. Have we forgotten where trying to spend our way into the PL got us last time? I’d rather, assuming we go up this season, have a few years of consolidation and establish ourselves as a side capable of playing in the top league.
Just watched Click on BBC. Apparently we are trying out a AI program based practice aid to improve ball skills. It is supposed to increase ball skills significantly better than normal practice.
The slow burn as you put it is the only way to go. The days of owners being allowed to plough a load of money into clubs is long gone and rightfully so. If Newcastle are barely allowed to spend with their state ownership then why on earth do people think KLD is allowed to spend? It's all about collecting assets (players) through the market and our academy, developing them, selling them and then restarting the process at a higher level/price point. As a club and especially as a fanbase we need to embrace selling players. It doesn't make us unambitious or whatever other words get thrown around by some, it makes us smart. An unambitious club signs players for big fees and lets them run down their contracts and leave for nothing, like we did for years under Short and Donald. A small annoyance I have with some of our fans right now is suggesting we miss Clarke because Mundle isn't as good as him. That may be the case but the real question that should be being asked is was Clarke £15m better than Mundle? And was he worth keeping over the money and Mepham? I know the answer to both. It's about improving the team and club not the individual position. There's always a balance to find between now and the future, I think we found that balance very well in the previous window, but the priority should ALWAYS be the future. It's always about creating a conveyer belt of players that can step in once we sell someone, Mundle for example. It's funny that the summer 2023 window is widely regarded as terrible, which it was for the short term, yet we signed the player that will collect the clubs largest fee ever in Jobe. That's what I call a slow burn.
Summer 2023 focused to much and the future and not enough what we needed. Summer 2024 was a lessons learnt window that addressed failures in the squad but also had 1 eye on the future. Of the 2024 signings, how many are either still here or wanted?
Jobe and Mayenda are definitely still wanted, then I'd imagine Seelt will be as long as he has recovered properly. Really rate him personally.
He's going to have a hard time getting back in, probably harder as we signed Mepham. Jobe and Mayenda I agree with, I'd love Adil and Rusyn to step up, but it's looking unlikely
Yeah I really like Aouchiche but I guess if RLB doesn't trust him then what's the point in him being here. Same for a few players that, we could really trim the squad in January and sign 2 players that would be trusted.
