.... or when as some people will say we need to make the absolute most out of the Championship. First of all this is not a doom and gloom post or a post to annoy people it is just my opinion lads. Come July 1st our squad will be depleted Westwood, Ustari, Bardsley, Cuellar, Dossena, Vaughan, Gardner, Larsson and Colback will all of left us as free agents Borini, Ki, Celustka, Alonso and Vergini will of all returned to their parent clubs and that us before we talk about the likes of Johnson Cattermole, Altidore, Fletcher, Cabral, Roberge, Diakite, N'Diaye etc. I feel as though we have the perfect manager in place and everything sounds positive when it comes to our new sporting director in Lee Congerton. Both of them mind have a huge job on their hands. We could see as many as 16-17 new faces arrive at the club and I am not joking for one minute when I mention that many players BUT it is a change for us to restart, start a fresh, put a good, young hungry squad together and get us up at the first attempt! The way it is if we stay up by some kind of miracle then next year is just going to be the same. Now I would rather have that than relegation BUT looking on the bright side if there is one a year in the Championship could be a blessing in disguise for the long term and we come back and replicate what Southampton and Swansea have done.
I agree. The last three seasons in particular we've been consistently poor. Going down will allow us to blood players such as Watmore, Ba and Mavrias, as well as some academy lads
I'd hope to see the likes of Watmore, Ba, Mavrias, Pickford, Moberg Karlsson, Honeyman, Laing and Gorrin join the first team set up and starting to feature.
The last 3 seasons have been very poor due to instability with managers changing out on a regular basis. This isn't good for any team and I use Man Utd, Arsenal, Everton, Stoke (yes Stoke) as an example. Keane did a brilliant job of getting us out of the Championship and for whatever reason spat his dummy out with short and ****ed off, after that is when it all went south for me. Forget Spragia as he was only ever a stand in but managed to keep us up by the skin of our teeth. Bruce came in and bought a load of ex players and mates, designed to play a certain way, the Bruce way if you like. It didn't work and he got the push, some of his players stayed on. O'Neil came in and tried to get Bruce's players to play his way, they couldn't and he bombed as well, but also brought in ex players from his past. PDC, well he just lost the ****ing plot completely and still couldn't get Bruce's & O'Neil's players to perform his way. Next up is Gus and yes, he still has Bruce's players to contend with and they're still not performing. They did initially and the signs were encouraging but true to form, they resorted back to type and are now treading water like headless chickens. We need and will have a massive overhaul this summer regardless of which division we are in but we must hang on the Gus. We need that 4 or 5 seasons with one competent manager and allow him to build his team and get them performing the way he wants them to, no passengers, just a bunch of players who he can mould and get performing.
Call me daft but the more I come to terms with it the more im relishing it. I think its a great job for a manger who wants to put his stamp on the squad. I also think someone like Mavrias will look great in the championship and it could be the making of him.
It's still a reasonably big IF I'd like to think! However, I do think we'd manage a good clear out and to develop the young players you mention. I'd hope some experienced players would stay with us and help us return to the top division (brown, cattermole, fletcher, Mannone) A team of kids wouldn't work in the championship, we must try to keep some core players, like the mags kept Colo and Nolan. Unless they're out of contract or likely to be bought (Johnson) then we should keep them. Hopefully the real Scocco will arrive in the summer and he might be a goal machine in that division. A key signing of a goalscorer like Rhodes or Ing can give us a good squad to start again. Make sure we at least consolidate for a year then probably come back up the year after.
Ive just said on another thread id offer Graham plus cash for Rhodes. Failling that id offer a swap for Wickham
Relegation, for a club in a perilous financial position such as ourselves, can in no way ever be described as a fresh start. It's a disaster. We have managed to have 7 woeful years in this league, scrapping and struggling in all but 1 to stay up. Bruce, MoN and PDC have left an empty legacy for Gus to take up and yet his January signings have made little or no impact at all either. Whatever happens this season, another major overhaul is required in the summer and that's a shambolic position to still be in after such a long run in the top flight. I think a rank and file investigation is needed in all aspects of the clubs running us required, from players to owner. We have too many inexperienced and hapless people running the administration IMO, culminating in the disgrace of the Ji incident. Short needs to take a long hard look at himself as well as the likes of Byrne etc. Big changes needed on and off the pitch and a free hand for Gus. I can see a fire sale again in the summer where we write off millions again and a recruitment more akin to the lower leagues not the world stage. Prepare for some championship or lower players coming in.
We are relegated so you'll have to come to terms with it. If you wait till its mathematically impossible then you're probably going to be a few weeks behind in the recover process. Its happening unfortunately, we have to deal with it. I think it could be a blessing in the long term
Investigate the owner ,what sort of madness are you talking about here ,so hes going to investigate himself is he , he is the owner and can do anything he wants you must realise that,do you not think he knows what needs changing ,its his investment when all said and done,it will be him who picks the tab up .
We are relegated so you'll have to come to terms with it. If you wait till its mathematically impossible then you're probably going to be a few weeks behind in the recover process. Its happening unfortunately, we have to deal with it. I think it could be a blessing in the long term
I know we are down you knob, how the **** it's a blessing apart from being put out of our misery is beyond me.
I'm sorry mate but I fail to see how you or all the others on here are saying that going down is a blessing or will do us good. Please explain yourself to a stupid **** like myself cos I just don't get it.
If we go down, looking back at our history in the championship the last 3 out of 4 seasons. 98/99 1st-105pts. 04/05 1st- 94pts. 06/07 1st-88pts. Over the last six seasons in the bpl our average finish has been 14th, and that's with 6 different managers and no core squad. I look at the average crowd for us and it's top 5 in the league, credit to the fans who have supported safc through thick and thin. If we go down then we have a manager who has taken Brighton to the playoffs last season and IMHO an owner who wants a quick return to the pl where this loyal club belongs!
I get all that mate, yes we are more successful on the pitch in the Championship, we will win more games, have the highest attendances, etc, etc. But we will have a squad full of 'championship' class players, still be known as a Yo-Yo club, and still struggle to attract quality players. Not to mention the financial impact. Going down would set us back 5 seasons mate and while I am almost resigned to relegation, it doesn't get away from the fact that we will face a mountain again once (if) we get back to the EPL. We'll be starting all over again. It doesn't matter how you try to sugar coat it, going down isn't a good thing for SAFC.
I thought Poyet would have got you safe, maybe it was too big a job for him, strange old relegation battle this season, with so many teams in the frame, your run in is not good, I cannot see you picking up points in your next 4 games, but you could get wins against Cardiff and WBA, then there is little old us on the last day of the season!..................
Why is that funny? In all seriousness if someone offered me the situation where we have to win our last game to stay up I'd bite their hand off!
