I'd rather the investment was put in. Lowering the prices and setting out a long term plan based on that will just confirm his plans for us are to turn us into second tier also-rans.
I prefer the option that it allows us to get away from this short-termist "must get promoted this year" mentality - which has failed - to one where we put in a long term strategy that is built up through the youth system in a way of playing football, with a long term management structure and a goal that wehen we get to the prem we have a chance of staying there on merit. Much as I hate to say it, this is exactly what Martinez put in place at Swansea and Rodgers continued. In 2004-05, our first season in the Football League after we got relegated from the Prem, Swansea were in League 2. By introducing a long term strategy, they got into the Prem a lot faster than we have, plus they have stayed there, plus we look no nearer to getting there than Barnsley. I would like ot see a long-term approach taken, as I believe that is a much better strategy of building a foundation for our football club than the one we have been taking.
of course, but id prefer it take advantage of the financial advantage afforded to us by the fact that as long as the club shows ambition people will pay the prices we have at the moment. I'd prefer to do it with a high wage structure than a low one, to make sure nobody can keep up with us in the Championship and we maximise our chances of breaking into the top of the Premier League.
I don't think the fans are willing - any longer - to pay such high prices on anticipation of ambition, and we know Bates is not going to pay high wages, so I am trying to be realistic about the only way I see us having any success under a regime where by the club must finance every aspect of its playing staff (as stated by Bates when he first came in). I don't mind that strategy, as long as it is backed up by actions that suggest the strategy is being followed in a logical manner. But they are not. The Ridsdale era is still too fresh for me to blindly back going into debt - but Bates is blindly putting us into debt through his daft non-football industry ventures so the football income must bail out those ventures. It is all wrong at the club corporately, and I think racking up further debt through higher wages is precisely the ewrong way to go without having got rid of the loss-making industries first. Unless it's a way of getting Bates out through the next administration....
I'm sure there isn't a fan alive that doesn't want to see their club spending good money on good players and paying them a top wage, but I'm with Elmo on this - if (and it's clear he won't) Bates won't spend to match the ambition we have, at the very least we should be looking at a long term strategy. He claims he wants us in the premier league, hires arguably the best man for the job and then (presumably) refuses to back him with the funds necessary to make a successful attempt at promotion. If he won't do this, I would rather he bring in a manager for the long term (I would have no problem with it being Warnock, but he's already stated he's here to get us promoted only, and preferably this season), lower the ST prices and build from the youth team. Thing is, it's Bates, and he doesn't see anything apart from the £ signs in the profit column.
You're welcome. It is a really simple and very effective strategy, which they have proven does work. Would work for all those clubs that do not have multi-billionaire benefactors, I think. Another intersting point the book makes is how poor the management of clubs in general are and how few people with real experience are hired by clubs as, aside from managers, executives tend to not go to other clubs after leaving a club. Many executives are simply ex-players with little or no formal education or training to do the job they have been brought in to do. Peter Lorimer, for example?
The way I saw it is that bates is no more likely to increase investment in playing staff than he is to lower ticket prices. If he were going to change his ways I'd prefer he go in and show willingness to do the best for the club and increase investment on the pitch.
Like this ... Andrew Haigh ‏@AndrewHaigh Interesting stuff from Warnock on Radio Leeds. Denies bid for Derby's Davies: "If I get £1m I'll have to spend that on five players!" Full interview .... http://audioboo.fm/boos/813914-neil-warnock-bbc-radio-leeds
5 players for £1m? Can be done, but the fact he said he'd be happy for it...have to admit that's a rather worrying statement!
