I would say that we didn't exploit the rules, merely took a route that was prudent. Villa could end up relegated on GD but they will still be £100m out of pocket. Looking forward to next season myself.
The key now is not to dwell on the misery, but stand back, look at what we have (including parachute payments) and move forward. Hopefully SW has made a good start with Sinani, Sorenson, Sitti, McCallum, Mumba and hopefully Plaku the flying Pole. Adam Idah and Josh Martin have also added new interest since their breakthrough, so there's already much to look forward to in the new season and hopefully more to come.
I see Samuels point, with hindsight it is easy to say we really did set up to fail, we could have spent more whilst not gambling with the clubs future. I'm not talking £20m spunked on one player (We couldn't afford a £20m+ players wages), but anything upto £30m in 4-8 players might have at least moved us from 6th worse to at least competing going into the last 3 games. But was the Webber well dry? Did he quite literally get in the players he did and think they would not only be sufficient to keep us up but that he couldn't find value anywhere else? It didn't look a good window and hindsight shows it to be something of a catastrophy. Like 1950, I don't agree with the abolishion of the parachute payments, they are a known and necessary safety net that is now a long established part of the game, not a reward for failure, a safety net on the back of success in getting to the PL in the first place. Of course it is ludicrous to suggest these should be dependant on a club spunking silly money to stay up. MS really isn't paying attention to a game that below PL level see's so many clubs in massive debt and in real financial trouble. So whilst I believe we were a little too cautious, long term more clubs need to be self financing and as examples go in that regard we are not the worst. Also agreeing with 1950, clubs in all divisions must live within their means, 2nd, 3rd and 4th tier teams have less revenue, because they play at a lower level with less demand. The top tier,PL has no responsibility for that. They like any business should not get into financial trouble, if they budget responsibly and live within there means. If that means occationally there is a big club that wants to flex its financial muscles in the division, they have to live with it, just as all the PL also rans will testify. If it means that Leugue 2 has some or all teams go semi-pro, so be it. The best players will still find a way to where their talents deserve. Even as semi-pro teams, the supporters that far down the pyramid are not there for the glory and will likely still go. If they were plastics, they would already be sky subscribing butthorns that have never seen the ground leave alone seen their team. Bah!
WHilst I agree that we can look forward with a degree of hope and that we look to have some exciting talent, I want to be greedy and ask that we should start the season with a side stronger than the one that gained us promotion. So if those supposed stars leave, I don't think its enough to say, but we have this untried youngster (Especially as they will mostly be foreign and untried in British football), we need to have a team ready to hit the ground running. I'd argue that even without sales,we must have evaluated this seasons failings and be looking to ensure that we improve. For this reason, I would be genuinely startled and dismayed if we do not see some recruits with a little more strength, a centre back with a clean injury record to build a defense around. Individually all 4 of our CB's would seem to have enough quality for the championship, but only Godfrey looks like he might stay fit for half a season or more. Of the players you list above, none fill me with hope that they can actually improve the starting XI, not come the start of the season. I remain optimistic, there is deadwood to be shifted, this will be easier if the reputed halving of wages with relegation is true. then we'll see what Rabbits Webber can pull in the coming weeks. One last comment: No Jordan F'in Rhodes shouldn't be one of them! A bit part player that would have been every bit as ineffective as Drmic. Ever since he left Blackburn in 2016, he has failed to play or score a serious amount of goals, he is not the answer, we must be able to do better than him, I'd rather have Idah as backup and Morris as backup to the backup than Rhodes. Bah!
That's pretty hard on Zimmermann, General. Are you suggesting that the knee injury he sustained in pre-season last summer has crocked him for the rest of his career? That injury was his first in over four seasons. He was more or less ever present throughout 2018-2019.
no but after his ligament injury following the clash with Haller he has been missing for much of the season. Maybe it is sheer bad luck this season and he will never get another long term injury, Haller one was impact not a strain/body fail. But once injuries start in atheletes, there is often a weakness there. I hope he can play the whole season and be the rock on which a title or promotion are built. Bah!
I don't think we ran out of money, but Webber's refusal to be held to ransom or overpay may have played a part. The late £10-15m bid(s) for Claude-Maurice in August would suggest money was available for the right player, and whilst Amadou didn't leave until very close to the end of the January window, any transfer money that had been ringfenced for his permanent transfer this summer would have been freed up. That we didn't sign anyone else either suggests the club couldn't find a single player within our budget who they believed would improve us, or our scouting wasn't extensive enough.
I think that wages are the problem here. A average experienced squad player with a Premiership Club is earning more than our wage structure allows and even if he would take a wage cut to come here he is not going to accept a relegation clause as well. That is the problem we had with Naismith and look how that panned out!!!
Certainly there's no guarantee about whether new players will improve us or not, whatever the cost. Hernandez is our only attacking player with real pace and he has had his share of injuries. Wide players seem to be SW's initial priority, along with CM/DM. McCallum will provide competition at LB to save Aarons or Byram having to switch flanks. We currently have a squad of around 30 players so unless some leave, there's a limit on how many new players we can recruit.
I do think that we cannot ignore the fact that players regard our wonderful part of the country as a bucolic backwater peopled by yokels leaning on gates chewing straws and as such reluctant to move here. Of course the lurgy may change all that.
Zimmerman is back in team training, according to Farke in the press conference today. So hopefully he's raring to go next season. Saw this stat earlier: In the 14 games Zimm ermanplayed after his Wham injury, NCFC picked up 11 points and conceded 19 goals. Not an exact science, but if he played the entire season that would mean 30 points and 52 conceded. Taking into consideration the huge issues up front, that's solid.
Snippets: Ryan Bennett playing for Leicester today against Spurs. Jason Shackell promoted with Leeds to PL as Norwich go down to Championship. Weren’t both of these players considered not good enough for NCFC? Also, Jonny Howson sent off playing for Middlesbrough on Saturday. What’s happened to Cameron Jerome? If my memory serves me correctly, Josh Murphy is now playing for Cardiff (scored twice this weekend) and brother Jacob is playing for? having gone to Newcastle. Kyle Lafferty is in talks with newly promoted Reggina in Italian League. I thought he went to Rangers then onto Sunderland?
Watford about to sack Pearson apparently. 2 tough games left and they're only 3 points above the drop. 2 defeats plus a win for Bournemouth or Villa probably overcomes the goal difference and relegates them.
[QUOTE="CitySlicker2010, post: 13968934, member: Kyle Lafferty is in talks with newly promoted Reggina in Italian League. I thought he went to Rangers then onto Sunderland?[/QUOTE] Kyle does like those Italian ladies!
Ryan Bennett is on loan from Wolves at Leicester, he was considered too injury prone I believe, I always liked him. Jason Shackell I believe left the club when we were relegated from the Prem? But was always considered good enough. No idea where Jerome is now, he was at Derby last season and I think they released him. Jacob Murphy has been at West Brom on loan this season.
Both Murphys scored yesterday, Josh for Cardiff and Jacob for Sheff Wednesday. Maybe they fancy returning to base camp for another season........
