This is why I am bit frustrated that Mick has sent Marriott and Hewitt out on loan. He could just as easily be blooding them with us with a view to using them regularly next season. I hope they both get a decent run in the team on their return. Having said that, if they're not in Mick's current plans then they will both benefit from being loaned out.
SD I think we have probably done the right thing with Marriott. We have other options for the frontmen and he has a lack of experience at a competitive level. Let him come back at Christmas and if we are still steady in mid table obscurity (looking safe from both angles) then bring him into the match day squad. Hewitt is different and more difficult. He needs the experience but we dont have plenty of (actually any) options for the position but this makes it more critical. Either send him out on loan NOW to get him some competitive game time or play him. Leaving him playing in the reserves helps nobody.
MM has realised he is a dud....I do base that on the one & only time I watched him away at Stevenage........he was cack.! Along with nearly everyone else that night..
Vasseli is very strange. I knew nothing about him when he signed and a lot of people I know where telling me what an amazing signing we had made. Some actaully said he was the highlight of our summer signings. I had actually forgotten he was still here until I read his comment above!
With he introduction of FFP we are well and truly screwed just like many similar sized and indeed smaller clubs in the Football League! English players are now way too expensive so we will have to look abroad to fill the gap while are youngsters are being developed. This will Kill English football in the future as the young English players will be priced out of the market and will not be the first choice of clubs due to them being too expensive. Football at FL level is heading to hell in a handcart! Thanks a lot Mr Platini! Spare a thought also to clubs like QPR who spent shed loads of money trying to stay in the PL and who are now in breach of FFP rules! When they get promoted they will be fined Millions! What a complete mess!
JWM surely QPR will be fine with the millions of pounds parachute payments don't they plus at present FFP isn't a major issue as it doesn't come into strict force for another 3 or 4 seasons. This season championship clubs are allowed to lose (I think) 8 million and not have any sanctions Agree with you long term - football is going to be a very different place
FFP will screw us over. We lost £30M last season and we need to cut that down to £6M. We have cut a lot but I doubt £24M. We couldn't afford to spend money despite our owners wealth increasing from $150M to $1.6B. The money is there and he is prepared to spend just FFP stopped him It's pretty much make or break for us this season. We have Kasper Schmeichel, Paul Konchesky, Wes Morgan, Lloyd Dyer, Sean St. Ledger, Martyn Waghorn and David Nugent's contracts expiring at the end of the season and we can't afford to keep many of them unless they cut their wages dramatically. A few of them we want to get rid of but no one wants them due to their wages. Interestingly FFP might have kept Nigel Pearson in the job. His contract is up aswell at he end of the season so sacking him would have cost quite a bit in compensation and finding a replacement. Funny how things work out A lot of teams are in the same boat with FFP. This year is a big year for a lot of teams and promotion is a must for a lot of teams
My bad, he came with good pedigree and I'd seen some Youtube clips (yes I also judged Priskin who looked World Class on them) and he looked very assured and he's played for Man City and Man Utd, City didn't want him to go but he went to Man U and apparently based on his performances for the Man U reserves last season alot of Man U fans were shocked he wasn't offered a new contract but since he's been with us he's been non existant. But again from what I saw he didn't look particularly like a Mick style kind of player if u get what I'm saying.
I think FFP in principle is a good idea and will do alot to stabilise the English league, however unless the PL clubs have a similar system then it will make the clubs lower down the piramid struggle. The cash cow of the PL will and has ruined football!!
No, I think you'll find teams get fined a percentage of what they overspent and as I understand it a fine for a Championship club is never likely to be more than hundreds of thousands. Simon Clegg was using FFP to justify underinvestment. Think about it - £60m or whatever reward for promotion is not a cheque written as soon as you go up but spread over several years and that figure includes parachute payments and would be taxed. You can't fine a club £10m or they'd go under.
We have already gone about getting rid of our high earners, in fact we've been settling contracts in order to clear the wage bill. People think that not a lot of money was spent last summer but what did happen was that we started to get our house in order. Some players, like those you've named, may have to take drastic wage cuts just to remain in the game. It's a sad state of affairs and some clubs will fall by the wayside.
TOTALLY OFF TOPIC - but my bad has to be one of the most stoopid and infuriating sayings to have entered the world over the last few years. Its up there with d'ya know what I mean (yes you have just told me havent you) and a few others Rant over - back to football
We have tried to. We paid up Richie Wellens' contract, sold Jermaine Beckford for next to nothing, keep loaning out Neil Danns to anyone who will take him, add to that we have Zak Whitbread, Paul Gallagher, Martyn Waghorn and Marko Futacs out on loan Sven's mad trolley dash have restricted us but Nigel has worked wonders finding young talent for easily affordable prices and moulding them into a team and not a group of players like we had before I think Mick will do that here but you have to trust him and give him time Would you accept 1 season of disappointment for long term success? Not many chairman do and thats why theres too many big clubs underachieving and going around in 1 expensive frustrating circle
I do agree with you PF and we do have an owner that seems willing to give managers time (to effectively ruin their careers ) and only sacks them as a last resort.. ala Keane and Jewell. I think 99% of fans were expecting an indifferent season (which we look like we're getting) we've been flirting with the wrong end of the table for a few years and that doesn't simply change overnight. I think the gripes people have are because: a) we have had many false dawns in the past few years and... b) and most crucially, we have shown great strides under Mick (in 12 months) and with a little bit of luck & adventure we could very easily be sat further up the table. It's frustrating because Mick is capable of going on to be one of the best managers we've had in recent times, but you could question whether he is holding himself back So, in answer to your question. We are a relatively patient bunch, but like any football supporters we want to see our club do well. Come the end of the season we'll have a better understanding of where we are and where Mick can/will be taking us
We had that 'group of players' feeling under Keane and Jewell. Your problems sound very similar to our own. We spent money trying to achieve success and it didn't work out, now we are trying to put things back together and fit into FFP. I personally think we are slightly ahead of some other clubs in this respect. We've already slashed the wage bill and are upgrading from a cat two to a cat one academy so that we may produce our own players instead of spending in the transfer market all the time. Add to that the fact that we spent **** all in transfer fees and have a manager that looks to the lower levels for players and we are on the right track to financial stability. I think the majority of us on here are pleased to have MM but some are growing frustrated at our lack of adventure in games. Realistically, I don't think anyone expects us to finish in the top six, a top half finish would keep most punters happy and be seen as progress.
