Give BMc the chance to just bed in the right foundations for this club. We should have no expectations for this season other than a constantly improving way of playing football and some youngsters being bedded in. The following season, we may have added a couple more young 'uns and blooded a few of our own. I am looking at BMc's third season as our season for going up with one hell of a good squad, full of kids with speed, stamina, experience and a way of playing that is stylish, aggressive, fast and competitive. That's how I see it, and that's how it should have been ever since we blew the Watford play-off all those years ago. Instead, every year was a demand that we had to get up, otherwise we would never get up. Utter baloney - you can either buy your chance to go up (yep, that failed) or build to go up. Grayson nearly managed it, but he did not have the skills and man-management to keep everyone on board, plus he was hampered by Bates. I believe we now have a long term manager looking for long term strategies, and owners who also have that long-term outlook. Our only issue is whether we can keep hold of the good players we will undoubtedly blood or buy in the medium term. Keep a longer term focus on this one guys, I believe our destiny awaits, and it will only be scuppered by short-termism.
Good stuff, I have made myself not read JA606 tonight because I shudder to think what total bollocks will be being written there. It might be possible to get up quicker than you say, but you are right this has got to be part of a building of momentum, and we have a manager who at least MAY be good enough, and owners who at least MAY be able to deliver. (Don't laugh on that last point, I am as disappointed as anyone that they did not spend more this summer, but a lot of stuff they have done has been sensible, and I think they have seen they need more money (investment or sponsorship) and that investment in the team is the priority, so I still think they will either get there themselves or sell to someone who can do it). In the short term, we may have a sticky ride, Nurnberg today looked a class higher, and they are middle to bottom half of the Bundesliga, not Bayern Munich. We continue to look fragile at the back, and I really wonder where the goals will come from. Based on what I saw today, though, Murphy may turn out all right, fingers crossed there. But you are right, the focus is on building medium term momentum. Still a chance we could have a bit of excitement this season, but we should not define success this season as needing promotion.
I popped back to see what insightful comments might have been made on this thread by fellow Leeds supporters................ only to find........................ (sigh)
A good plan in theory, but until someone takes the deadwood off our hands the rebuilding can't start for another year at least. So a three year plan becomes a four year plan, with no guarantee of promotion at the end of that, and before you know it, five years have elapsed and we're still no nearer the PL. The hardest part will be shifting the likes of Tonge, Norris, Pugh etc, if there's any further investment into the club these players should have their contracts paid up to free some space in the squad, and the likes of Poleon, Thompson and the other youngsters given a proper run in the side
Its 10 years in the lower leagues, everyone one of these years we have thought we can not wait another 2 years to get back. But Sheldon is right, with what we have got right now we need to look at a 3 year plan as it will not happen this year, yet we don't have much longer before our fate could be sealed regards home grown players. Because the truth is that our Academy will not be able to compete under the new Elite Player Performance Plan as we have not invested 2.5 million a year in our set up. We will have all the best players snaffled for as little as £3000 before we get a chance to bring them through. We will be left with the scraps from the Premiership that they discard in years to come. If only we had concentrated on the Academy in the last few years and not on the redevelopment of a ground we did not own, by a construction company who's owner is not known, whilst paying rent to a offshore company in the British Virgin Islands.
I would love to believe this two year plan however it isn't the manager I am worried about, it is the board and lack of money which they have. Again I point out the fact that BMC would surely not have blown his entire transfer budget on one player had he known funds were going to dry up? It is pretty obvious to me that Mills is the key player he needs as the manager see's Mills as his captain, the manager is making noises which strongly suggests he is not happy. The majority of us wanted Warnock, we wanted to give him time to build his team and clear away Graysons dead wood players. We now need to give BMC time to build his own squad, something that will take a lot longer than two years at the rate we are going and what happens when we have the Snoddy scenario all over again, key players with contract renewals approaching and agents telling luring them away into the Premiership. I do believe we have taken two steps forward with the riddance of Bates and the appointment of the new manager but without SERIOUS investment we are going to languish in this division for a lot longer than two years.
I see another flaw!! FFP sanctions come in this season (transfer embargo's etc) and by all accounts, you have already declared a large chunk of your future income (ST Sales and catering) so you are starting off in a negative position - your other main source of income (attendance) will be restricted because of the WYP court case (the only one Bates won). Add to the equation, your new board is now completey non-footballing people - it's not looking good right now!!
That doesn't take into account new sponsorship deals we have recently signed, merchandise sales with 2 new kits being released and matchday ticket sales which for the first game stands at 25,500 with still a week to go. Out of that only 12000 are season ticket holders. Plus further investment could come in at any time so it's not quite the doom and gloom scenario that you wallies would like to think it is.
Haigh has said the aim is within 2 years. The owners appear to have accepted that this year is about plugging holes and righting wrongs within the club. The short term goal should always be to get up this season, the long term goal should always be a contingency plan should that not happen. A contingency plan that includes building the foundations laid in the previous season.
Reasons to be cheerful. We have a great manager & coaching staff. We are rid of Uncle Ken. We have one of the best academies outside the premiership. We already have good youngsters in the squad with Sam Byram, Chris Dawson, Luke Murphy, Dominic Poleon, Matt Smith all 6'6" of him & Tom Lees. Plus some old heads with a bit of bite & experience, Stephen Warnock, El-Hadji Diouf, Noel Hunt to name a few. We have a great stadium & the best fans you could ask for. The council own all surrounding land and are keen to redevelop the area in partnership. They also will not deal with anything to do with Ken Bates & could issue a compulsory purchase order should they decide to redevelop the whole area. International interest from investors is rumoured (Red Bull to name one). Plus local businessmen like Steve Parkin stand in the wings to invest should GFH realise they can not sell us to a multi national. === The negatives are just the uncertainty over GFH current capital and security, which is effecting the squad rebuilding. The Shadows of Bates & Harvey remain but a slowly going. Plus we have a few pieces of dead wood to carry from Warnocks old chumps recruitment plan. So in balance we have a bright future!!!
Serious feedback, TC, you are starting to become irritating. Might want to reconsider your posting style as you are on another clubs board. <no smiley added> Under normal accounting conventions, the cash Bates took up front would make no difference to the INCOME reported, accounting conventions can treat cash, and Profit & Loss items, as sometimes different in nature (the most well known example of this is depreciation, it reduces profit but has no impact on cash). If you have studied the FFP regs in detail and can confirm they are 100% cash based, let us know (because I have not studied them) but our income was not boosted by the forward selling (though our cash was) and our income won't be reduced by having to repay, though we will have to use cash to do so.
40 you should read the FFP rules very interesting This season Leeds United have a self imposed transfere embargo, (cos you're broke) If things stay as they are next year you will have an enforced embargo
That must be why we've invested 1 million times the amount millwall have in new players.maybe your chairman needs to look at the FFP rules as he's spent 20% of your attendance income on one player Morisson so it looks like you will be way over budget on wages,meaning your chairman has to pay a large chunk of it himself (only he's not allowed to do that with the new rules)millwalls always been an accident waiting to happen and this season it very well could bring the penalties from the league that will start the ball rolling to league 2.
well you heard it here first m8,millwall has the second or third lowest income in the championship,you've taken on Leeds highest paid player and Boro's not to mention the rest.now I know you wall lads think they all love millwall and are playing for free,but I think this will come back to bite you.
Agreed, give Brian the full length of his contract at least. If we have no money I'd rather do it his way, keeping our best players and adding one or two quality additions where possible, than what we've seen in the past couple of years.
