what does everyone think will happen in the summer? this can be in terms of players signings, releases, season tickets, change in staff. me personally, i'd like to see some fringe players and older players go - fuller, sullivan, hughes, cort, cook, bwp - and buy two new central midfielders. as far as season tickets go.. i'm deciding after the leeds game. and i think we'll be 2 or 3 thousand down on this year in terms of gates.
That's the million dollar question - or in our case the tuppence ha'penny question. It's been covered on other threads but I do not believe we will be relegated. Only six or seven points clear but there are simply too many teams below us and seven of them will not get past us. However, I also do not believe that this squad and manager will be anything other than relegation certainties next season. I am a CP fan but he has flaws and has managed somehow to make a silk-ish purse out of a sow's ear this season. He will not get away with it twice. There is also a feeling, if not of decay, then certainly of treading water with the spectre of financial meltdown around the place. We have certainly lost the momentum and feel good factor of last May. With the hike in ST prices and another due to come if the club is true to its word (significant savings before 8 April) I'll be looking at the thick end of 500 quid for my seat next season. I doubt that I will see much by 8 April to make me take the early bird plunge. Regardless of personal finances, I simply cannot see how I make a case on current evidence for that sort of lay out so I will almost certainly be reverting to pay as you go next year. I don't think that makes me a fair weather supporter or a "plastic" or whatever the latest CL term of abuse is. I am looking at all aspects of my disposable income spend at the moment on a vfm basis and my ST will not be the only thing to go. It's becoming a chore to go to the valley at the moment (and believe me I am just happy to be alive to be able to do it) and I am not the only one who thinks so. I think ST sales will take a significant fall. God only knows what will happen if we do actually go down. Not quite sure what the solution is. Be careful what you wish for is a motto that we forget at out peril. Guess I'm looking for the good fairy to appear, wave her wand and turn CP into the finished article, leave a few million under the covered end together with an industrial sized bag of grass seed and produce an owner that looks a though he or she genuinely gives a toss. Problem is there are about 70 clubs hoping for the same BTW I'm on the mend and feeling much better than this twisted rant would indicate.
Worst Case Scenario... No money for reinvestment. The likes of Solly, Hamer, Wiggins, Stephens and Morro are sold and the money gained not put back into the team. The likes of JJ, Yann and Fuller become another year older and are relegated to the fringes (probably not Yann) and we are left with a team of players that Chrissy isn't keen on ie the likes of Green, BWP and Hollands. Then it will be a long long season.
I am too finding it a chore. I'm 60/40 towards not renewing and just going to odd game here and there.
I'd keep fuller. He's not at the same level of a few years ago, but he's still a game changer. I'm worried about the summer. Realistically, assets will have to be sold. I just hope it gets reinvested.
A "long long season"- good euphemism. Financially we're in the poo, so the question is, can The Doctor do a Curbs and bring us success on a shoestring budget? Two advantages Curbs had- first a very good relationship with Murray, enabling them to work closely together in moving the club forward. Second an Academy run by John Cartwright which although not very successful in terms of results, did produce youngsters who could play first-team football. The Academy is one area where the owners have invested heavily, so it's a waste of time and money watching the under-18's and under-21's thrashing all comers if they are not producing first-team footballers. For instance Harriott is at last getting his chance but not before we wasted a lot of money on the inferior Kerkar. And I don't see any sign that Obika is better than Michael Smith. Youngsters are often referred to as "risky", but I think we should be aiming to have a first team which is half Academy products, it's also risky running up a debt.
Doesn't CP's contract run out in the summer? Haven't heard anything about negotiations for a number of months. I can see a good number of players leaving in the summer - Hughes, Sullivan, Green, BWP, Kerkar, Wagstaff, Hollands, a few youngsters and possibly Fuller. I'm optimistic we will keep most of our 'assets', i.e Haynes, Stephens, Hamer, Solly. Interestingly enough (and I hate to jinx it), there has yet to be any solid publicised interest in Chris Solly, despite him being seen as our most valuable (money-wise) player. The West Ham and Bolton (?) rumours seemed to be completely unsubstantiated, and were rubbished on all sides.
