I was having a beer with my mates at the weekend and conversation turned to the Championship and how much money is being spent by some. Let's take Sheffield Wednesday (and their new owner) - they have taken Michael Turner from Norwich on loan and are paying ALL of his £20k+ per week wages. They have also signed Barry Bannan from Palace whose wages will not be cheap. Add to that the fact that they have signed Watford forward Fernando Forestieri for an undisclosed fee and brought in Hornets defender Daniel Pudil on loan, plus new bigger contracts for Lees and Westwood, and the wages bill is looking very big. We reckon there are at least 10 teams who are gambling on going up but only 3 can. Derby is another name that springs to mind. Fortunately it appears that City have been fairly sensible. The reward for getting to the Premier League next season is huge (£99m for finishing bottom in 2016/17), but we think someone from the Championship will be the "next Portsmouth" in trying to do it.
Talking of which, lets not ignore the fact Portsmouth got away with financial murder in their well deserved slide down the great football pyramid. It's a shame they stopped at the 4th division and didn't keep on falling in my opinion. How they are still in existence and remain a league club to boot is the biggest mystery of all. Yes stupid sums of money are being spent in the Championship and of course only 1/8th of the clubs competing will see the huge financial benefits that the EPL brings. But you have to speculate to accumulate as the saying goes. It just depends on your 'stake money' and how much of a gambler you are I guess.
99m for finishing bottom! I can remember a few seasons ago when Fulham survived the commentator saying, "That'll be a 12m bonus for staying in the league" not sure if that was just 12m for the season or an extra 12m but **** sake! I'd be quite happy if city went up and finished bottom! Then gave it a right good go after that. Stupid amount of money.
The cynical pessimist in me is very much to the fore today for lots of personal reasons. So here goes reference SL and Bristol Sport. SL lost around £50 million trying to firstly get us up and then trying to keep us up. He is bankrolling a new stadium to the tune of £45 million. I don't have the faintest how much he is putting into Bristol Rugby who could not win a play off final if they were the only team on the field. And their first game on Sunday was absolutely abysmal. The Women's Academy will be relegated this season. Don't know much about The Flyers and the others under the BS umbrella. So loads of cash spent and virtually no return. Will City perk up and finish top half or better? Probably not so we could be looking forward to a Rugby club and a football club that will never make it to their respective Premiers. He has been a very successful businessman but will he forever be a loser at sport? Sorry that I sound so pissed off but that's just how I feel today.
I don't follow rugby, but aside from the unparalleled success on the football pitch last season there have been many mistakes and an equal amount of bad decisions over the years from someone who you think would either know better, or that could pay someone who does know better to advise him accordingly. I will happily settle for survival this year, but stadium aside, I do wonder whether there is a real long term strategy. The cynic in me says there isn't.
Sorry to hear you're pissed off cidered but your thoughts on what sporting acumen is possessed by our leaders is quite simple - none! We hear all these well regarded phrases coming from the horse's mouth whilst his great big hoof is crushing our dreams at the same time. Please tell me the last time some goods news came from the bowels of Ashton Gate and actually came to pass? The faithful follow the big sheep over the hill and far way only to have the wool pulled over their eyes again, but the upshot of it all is that we keep coming back for more again and again. Does that mean we are mugs being taken for a ride or does our acceptance mean compliance with the new age order in football that states that you don't care about the punters because they'll show up come rain, shine or a team that isn't equipped to do the job? If Bristol City are to rise above mediocrity then don't hire a successful businessman to run the show and pull the strings, but rather like when you are frustrated with today's technology - find a 5 year old kid to do the job because they know everything. Said tongue in cheek - and yet there's a lot of truth here. Ann says hi cidered.
So what are you saying Mike, take your money Mr Lansdown and don't bother? Because last week you was saying why can't we pay for all these players, and that you hoped we didn't go for players like Bradshaw etc. Think you will find if SL does take his money, the money generated by income in the club at the moment would not even afford us to shop in the conference. Until the ground is built, people buy into the idea and go and watch putting money into the club, we can only rely on SL to fund us on the players we want. Failing that they put the price of admission up to fund the players we want. Even in our season last year, I doubt we broke any where even. Me I'm glad we got SL, with him being extra cautious on the wages front, we might get to a level pegging. I said before, fans criticise the running of the club, but come transfer window time would quite happily take all the money SL can afford.
Last time we were in the championship SL was criticised for paying average journeymen players obscene sums in wages.. we spend 3 years desperately working them off our books, then the first season back in the championship our fans are criticising the fact that SL won't pay average championship players obscene amounts in wages.
Sorry but I wasn't having a go at SL. Just that whichever clubs are under the BS banner, none seem capable of any real, long term success in spite of all his millions. Maybe one day but some of us may not be around to see it unless it happens soon!
Maybe the common denominator in all this and I include the smeg heads up the road is "Bristol" which looks like it is never going to be a passionately large supported sports city. Comparing us in the first division all those years ago to lots of clubs attendances are now only at the big clubs. Cardiff being a prime example, 27k in the prem down to just touching 15k when things go sour. And imagine if they dropped another tier. Simon started this thread off comparing us to Sheffield Wednesday who get a bigger fan base than us, and charge the earth to away supporters to balance their books. Any way, what's your views on Halfpenny? Do you think he should of been sidelined for the warm ups?
If not left out, he should have not been so competitive. Difficult decision for Garland but no Halfpenny and Webb will make it difficult.
I was concerned with the group we are in as it is, I think it's going to take a massive bit of fortune to get past that this year losing those two.
