I don't think that anyone was. Some believed that it was an inevitability. I think that Levy just became distracted by it.
It wasn't a choice of one or the other. If we hadn't built the stadium we would always be at a disadvantage in the transfer market. The lack of signings in the previous windows is still a mystery though.
The lack of outgoings played a part in it, as we needed to shift some of the non-HG deadwood like Janssen or GKN to bring in non-HG players, yet there was no interest and our hands were tied
Many on this board strangely believed that the new stadium once opened would be the answer to all our woes, like it came with some kind of magic fairy dust installed.
For me that's the crux of it ironically. It wasn't the simple fact we didn't bring players in, it was that we couldn't shift those that were surplus to requirements. I suspect that came down to a) Levy placing too high a value on them and putting off buyers and b) certain players expecting wages that were completely unrealistic and opting to stay instead, causing us a major headache in bringing new players in.
Some of you guys can try to spin it anyway you like, the fact remains there are very few positives to be taken from last night and a hatful of negatives. Quite simply, we had our arses handed to us on a plate by a far superior side, who outplayed us in every dept.
**** picking players up! They should have the balls to own up to their individual parts in that shambles;l, and vow to themselves never to repeat it, and if they cannot do that then they shouldn’t be playing at a club that has top 4 aspirations.
I don't think that there's anyone who posts on here who thought that, let alone said it. In the long term... are we better off with a stadium than holds 60,000 or 35,000? are we better off with a stadium that allows us to host multiple sports and events? would we have attracted our current sponsors (and their money)without the new stadium? In the short term, did it cost us opportunity to spend on the squad? Yes, it did. If you're buying a house, maybe you have to wait a few years to buy a Ferrari. C'est la vie. Only Citeh and three or so clubs in the world can spend as they may choose. We're not one of those and are unlikely to be so in my life time and possibly yours. Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy have a business plan and aren't going to change it. You can like it or not but it isn't going to change. That's just the way it is.
But that's kind of my point. The players collapsed and tanked because they're gutless and don't have a spine. If they did, they would have battened down the hatches and defended like lions and try to get a goal or two on the break. Instead, we were wide open and just let them roll over us. They'd rather blame each other than themselves. If they lost 4-2 and fought, they could be picked up easily as they could accept that they were simply beaten by a better team and need to work harder next time. A team that rolls over and dies too easily is a lost cause.
We always lacked a leader in that side. All it took was a situation like this to change it fast and there's no one in that team to tell them to man the **** up.
Those same players got you to the CL final and finished 4th four months ago. I think you'll struggle to hold onto Kane soon and Eriksson obviously doesn't want to be there. It's all about reinforcing your squad while it's on a high.
It’s gone stale. These players are hearing the same thing over and over, seeing the same faces over and over. Football is such fine margins that even a slight decrease can have a huge impact
He can sign a pre contact deal with foreign sides in January and then collect a massive signing on fee. I think he’s gonna be there for the rest of the season