And honestly looking back at the 12 months before ME came in, Jim actually was assembling a very decent squad together on very little money. Why are we never good with money at this club???
âWhat are you on about Westlake? Wages for Gio for a few weeks? Where is the Walters transfer? This is nonsense... Hamps the ONLY transfer sale I have bothered mentioning is Wickham. The article is " transfer fees spent ". I mentioned Wickham because the fee was ridiculously high, but you're right, there is Walters, Rhodes and others where we have received a fee. Not very many though..... Gio was on some very very good money at Tottenham. I'd imagine Evans stumped up some big ££££ for us to have him! Jim had assembled a very decent side for very little money. He hadn't inherited the absolute mess McCarthy had upon taking over from Royle, though there was plenty of work for magic to do! His problem was the money, very little spend. I just find it hilarious that the three managers before McCarthy all during their spell at the club were quite heavily financially backed, and Mick is given not an awful lot.
Westy I guess its a case of three times bitten, fourth shy!!! Cant really blame the guy for that, ptc makes a good point about Jim, he was doing quite well on a budget but when the money was available........ I think it is because with the money comes much higher expectation and us fans want to see immediate improvement and success!! Now, had MM spent 6-8 million and we were as we are now, i think far more people would be on his back, i think most on here are not complaining too much because they know MM has not been backed like previous managers, even though much of the football being served up is dull dross!! I have to say, the old saying, better the devil, is quite true and i now wish we had never hounded out JM and yes i was one of the most vocal (shock horror)
Spanish, I remember having some pretty fiery arguments with you about poor old Jim, I was absolutely disgusted how he was treated by our fans at the end, when ME came in the fans and the press saw the money saw how well he'd done previously with little to spend and we became greedy thinking it'd be instant success and everyone turned on him despite although not doing that well, at the end of the day we finished 9th in with a rookie manager but we were all excited (me not included) by this big name big personality Roy Keane who actually ruined this club, what he did set us back years, we still have yet to get back to the level we were at when Jim was here. Perhaps what you might say the same about Mick in a few years??
In many ways I think Jim had inherited a worse situation than Mick in terms of squad we had nothing when Jim took over and very little money, the squad was far worse than that Mick inherited, although Mick inherited a squad part way through a season low on confidence but in terms of player personel it was far better. I think you mean Jewell not Royle (easily done). It annoys me though what Mick has said today about playing sexy football in that you need the players to play sexy football but be stubborn and organised first and foremost. We played very good football under Jim on a shoestring budget, it's how the manager sets you up how to play, their philosophy, the type of players they like not the players you have who determine the football you play. When Mick talks like that it really pisses me off, I really can't stick this grinding, workman like football, it may get results but by god we don't look like a good team and it doesn't exactly inspire!!
Woah, so sorry to say this ptc and i know its gonna upset you but.......... I agree 100000000000% with everything you said!!
Mick has been by far our best manager since Joe Royle and all he needs now is some backing with finances.
Spot on jonny, but the coffers are empty so our most promising management team in years is being starved of funds to take us forward just as we get to our best league position in years. When I see that useless tosser Keane on TV being paid to be a pundit it makes my blood boil. Pundit?? I can think of a few other names he should be called.
Magilton certainly wasn't helped by the very public arrival of ME and his money. He didn't have the managerial experience or confidence to not agree to big transfer demands. (And let's be honest, if your boss gave you an open cheque would you worry too much about how much was being spent to get the equipment needed?) To a certain extent we as fans, demanded the cash to be flashed. Would we - or do we think ME would - have accepted Magilton saying "I'm happy with what i've got, we dont need to spend big, the money can be invested elsewhere"? Even through all that season of relative disruption to the squad, and Magiliton re-learning how to manage with money and the added pressure that comes with it we were having a season not dissimilar to this one. With the addition of Gorman to the backroom staff, and a first team obviously helped by having Gio things were starting to look on the up again, IMO, when Magilton was sacked. Then Keane came in with all the Media fanfare and the majority of us were swept up by the initial hype, fed by a 100% end to the season/start of his tenure. Then it all went wrong, almost immediately. Interestingly, while I think of it, wasn't budgetary constraints given as the reason for not bringing through Wickham and Rhodes although just over 8million was spent on transfers. The winless start to the season for Roy Keanes Ipswich was the sign of things to come and despite sometimes matching play-off form and more big money transfers we never really seriously threatened and began suffering the first of many heavy and embarrassing defeats. Keane was deseveredly sacked and Jewell saved us from relegation, the "keep the players smiling" attacking philosophy, Josh Carson breaking through the ranks made us all hopeful of better things to come. But once again money got in the way and the seeming lack of reinvestment of Wickhams transfer fee was probably another sign the purse strings were being tightened/wages were becoming a serious financial drain. More heavy defeats and winless runs and despite flirting with the possibility of maybe challenging the top six with Jewells dads army again were in more likely to leave this league through the bottom then the Top. As the last of few of Keanes big money, big wage players were leaving and able replacements were not being found Jewells managerial limitations were seriously exposed. With the club languishing at the bottom of the table with no more money to spend we needed a miracle. Enter Mick, no nonsense defence first brand of football made us solid again and we were saved. This post wasn't originally intended to go through the whole 5 years its all been said before, but I suppose it acts as a reminder of how much money has been wasted. Over the 5 years including wages transfers and paying-off contracts I wouldn't be surprised if is close to £50m that has got us no-where. We don't know what amount ME thought would get us up but, im sure its no-where near that amount and therefore it's no-surprise that ME is wanting to reign it in a bit. It is frustrating that Mick is here when the money has all gone but i'm hoping the lack of investment in transfers is freeing up whatever money there is left to finance the repairing of the youth conveyor belt. Cat. 1 and the 50% target certainly gives me hope that is the case - whether MM will use the products of it remains to be seen.
How is that so many people seem to be so sure that all the money is gone? Is it because we didn't spend much in January? Personally I think we will see a better level of investment in the summer once Mick has shown that he is more competent than his predecessors.
That's the sort of bullshit small mindedness that's the reason we've been a decade in the second tier. What we need is the best manager since Bobby Robson not joe fing Royle!
Glad I did this article, produced some good posts by people. Anyone who in any way slates the fantastic job Joe Royle did - end of the day that is your opinion but I thought he did a fantastic job! Magilton did a very fine job UNTIL he got the dosh, then it went downhill rather quickly. Keane - I don't even no where to begin, but he was backed and given plenty of time by the club to be a success story. I guess sometimes it doesn't work. Jewell - Looked very promising to start with, played a better style of football than Keane. Soft underbelly cost us in many games sadly, could have been different. McCarthy - I think has done a very fine job on a tight budget. Would not be surprised to see him walk in the summer a bit like Royle in 05/06, when the board refused to stump up the cash for Fuller.
" That's the sort of bull**** small mindedness that's the reason we've been a decade in the second tier. What we need is the best manager since Bobby Robson not joe fing Royle! " Very bold statement Hamps, and a very easy thing to say. If you don't mind me asking, who do you think the club could appoint that could possibly be the new Bobby Robson for us?
