An Exciting Future

Thanks for the info, we'd all be happy with the club to progress in this manner, the owners have done nothing but show ambition and it doesn't sound like thats changing, but short term we should be looking to sustain and progress from there.

Leicester hardly do anything by halves, we're either getting relegated or winning the league, even this season was a season of two halves. im sure that most would like us to be like Southampton/Stoke etc, who hardly ever look in trouble and build within their means, think it would be irresponsible for us to try and skip this step and risk the long term future of the club.

 

It's not the 'what' that you are conveying that makes you arrogant; it is the 'how'. You think that this 'privileged' information you have come by sets you and your opinions above those of the rest of us. If that isn't arrogance then I don't know what is.

All you have is some words, plans and wishlists that were discussed in a chairman's meeting. The fact that they were said (and I'm not doubting for one moment that these things were said) does not guarantee they will happen. Yet you are demanding that we get excited over what a dozen chairmen will have been saying in boardroom meetings at other clubs up and down the country. Frankly I would have been more surprised if the sentiments expressed in that meeting hadn't been along those lines. I believe some players might be attracted by the ambition of the owners, but history shows that most will still be tempted by clubs that are regulars in the Champions League (Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal), and those that have a history abroad (think Man Utd, Spurs, Liverpool).

I'm frankly confused by your ramblings. I said that the owners need to have a longer term plan rather than just hope for a one season wonder, so please don't accuse me of not understanding business planning. But you are saying the Chairman's aim is to get into the Champions League next season in order to get the plan off the ground and kickstart the extensions to the ground and update the changing rooms ready for the season after. However you then say (and these are your words and not from the meeting): "They have five years to achieve their next goal so how next season turns out is irrelevant in the scheme of the long term plan. You seem to be thinking this is a one season "give it all" and if it fails then it's all over but how short sighted is that? Don't you understand the concept of a "long-term plan"?

The whole long term plan appears to hinge on us getting into the Champions League (or at least doing well in the UEFA Cup), and that means attracting or developing top class players. All I'm saying is that this will not be as easy as you or our owners believe, because the breakthrough into that top 5 or 6 teams will be a massive challenge. The current incumbents will not be standing still while we mop up the best talent at home or abroad. Like other fans who have stood on the terraces over the years rather than in the Prawn Sandwich Boxes, I want to see my team compete at the top; I think the owners have done the club proud and I want them to succeed, but I'm not going to get carried away like some naive school kid by aspirations expressed in a boardroom.

 

You haven't posted under another name by any chance? Queenslander springs to mind.

 

I've never once suggested that my opinion is more valid on any topic I've discussed. I've even gone as far as to say I don't think I'm right and that its just my opinion on several occasions within the last week so that's bullshit!

If you think other club owners around the country are discussing emulating City and Chelsea and potentially doubling their capacity over the next decade, then I'd suggest you're wildly mistaken. Our owners are way more ambitious than you're giving them credit for and you're overestimating others ambitions and means.

Only Arsenal and City and possibly Burnley now they're in the league have no debt, every other club in the league is in debt apart from us. Only the Sheikh and Roman have more money than us but we're only including Vichai's £3.7bn, not our wealthier Chinese investor so with his money combined we could be getting closer to Roman's £8bn. Vichai has more money than the United owners and that's fact so take this into consideration when you claim every other club in the league have the same ambition because they don't and they don't have the money to achieve it even if they did and that's also a fact.

How many other PL owners have written off and paid out over £300m of their own money to pay off debts and the stadium? Roman? The Sheikh? I'd say yeah them but nobody else and nor could they afford to hence why every other PL club is in debt. How many other PL owners are buying a feeder club? Oh that'd just be ours too wouldn't it? You probably should use a little more thought before making wild claims that everyone else is looking at City and Chelsea as models because they're blatantly not.

Our five year plan of being regular CL/title contenders doesn't hinge on next season and I don't know why you keep suggesting that's the implication? It's not! If their plan is to succeed then we "need" to be in the CL for years 3,4&5 then the stadium will be extended to 60k. So 1&2 is building up to 3,4&5. I see no reason whatsoever why we can't sign the five players we need to have a squad capable of finishing at least 7th next season.

We can easily afford to spend £100m and buy quality players, not worldies but quality and I have no doubt we will this time around, now knowing they're aim is CL and if they want it they have to spend. If we fail to get into the CL we will almost certainly qualify for the EL and that's a good start and we continue to build and the following season we go one further. It's a simple concept really but that's not to suggest it's easy but with money and desire they can achieve it!

Oh and I'm not prawn sandwich, I'm just like everyone else except I'm fortunate to be given free season tickets and I'm able to get away tickets, nothing more nothing less. Where were you during the 80's? I was in Pen 2 on my own for many many years before the Little era, so where were you excactly? Where you there when Grimsby brought 48 to a ZDS game? I've always been on the terraces so you're very much mistaken in your assumption that I'm in that brigade!

 

Nope, why's that? I've just started using this site again after JA got stupid with Spuds and Scousers on every thread. I just want to discuss my football club with other people who i thought also wanted to discuss our football club.

I was excited when I heard we want to emulate City and Chelsea and I wanted to share it so we could all wonder "what might be" in the future but it didn't exactly turn out like that aye.

 

I understand what you mean about skipping Southampton and Stoke and yeah it's a fair point. We do have to be sensible but we're also ahead of them in terms of the fact we did win the league and we did reach the CL quarters. Our owners have a taste and they're "desperate" for me. This puts us above Southampton and Stoke in terms of our ambitions because they don't want to settle for mid-table/top 10. Is this sensible?

Time will tell but I don't see why not because we can afford to spend £100m on the five players we need no problem and we can afford to pay £100k+ a week so financially there's no risk so why not go for it? They're looking at the top 7 in Europe next season and seeing an opportunity to capitalise on it and I'm liking it.

 

Mahrez wants out and Athletico after Vardy and goodness knows whats happening with Kasper, not a good start to Champions league qualification. Surely if the owners are so ambitious our best players would be staying.

 

Vardy wants to stay and was quite clear about that in a recent interview, he's not interested in going anywhere and he's one of the players saying he hopes everyone else will stay. He's going nowhere.

Kasper I can't see leaving because he's happy here and has said he believes "he" can qualify for the CL again with us. He's also going to be captain and perhaps for the rest of his career. Rumours of City and United are just rumours in my opinion.

Mahrez might say he wants to leave but actually leaving is another thing entirely because our valuation has to be met first and I'm not sure anyone is going to pay our valuation and he won't be sold cheaply. He's no real loss after this season anyway and if we signed Sigurdsson we wouldn't miss him. I'd like him to stay but he's been **** this season and we've carried him. Deeney is valued at £35m and Real just signed a kid for £38m and all quoted figures for Mahrez have been less than both. Our owners aren't going to let him go anywhere for less than his "market" value.

 

£50m slapped on Mahrez then, I'd say that's a statement of intent to keep our best players and not let them leave on the cheap. So let's see who pays that then.

 

No point keeping unhappy players though the fact we no longer have to seek puts us in a stronger position to hold out for a higher fee ( not to mention Riyad has 3 years on his contract still!!!)

 

Yeah this is true but I think Mahrez needs to accept he's not worth the money based on last season and he can't expect us to sell for less than market value, especially to one of our rivals. He's simply not been good enough to warrant the big move he wants and he only has himself to blame for that. He's a one season wonder at the moment and I can't see anyone willing to offer more than £35m at the most.

City, United, Chelsea and Liverpool could afford him and would probably be stupid enough to pay £50m but do any of them want him? Can't see Pep or Jose being interested, it's a lot for Liverpool to spend when they have quality options there already so that leaves Conte and a possibility.

Arsenal don't pay a lot for players and will try to offload theirs in a swap deal and we don't want Theo or the Ox because they're no better than Gray really. Plus what ambition does that show for him to go to a club who wins nothing and isn't even in the CL?

Spurs also can't afford him and there's no way Levy is paying anywhere close to what we want and they also can't afford his wages, as ridiculous as that is.

So Everton? I'm convinced we'll finish above them next season so what's going there going to achieve because like Arsenal, they're not winning anything either.

So it's Chelsea or nobody then by the looks of it.

 

Monaco will pay money

 

I agree. We're being good to him but it doesn't mean we should let him leave for pennies just because he wants to.

I agree with the analysis on the options too. If he says he wants to go to a team that regularly wins things, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and Man City are out.

Spurs fans going on about having him as an option off the bench

Maybe Monaco?

 

If he wants regular CL football then Monaco would be a decent option because with their money they should finish top two every season. I can't see any club in England being able to guarantee it anymore. I think it's four of eight now being City, United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, Everton and us because the gap is getting closer now there's stupid amounts of money shared more equally.

We're worth £485m now apparently, not bad considering we were £40m in debt when they took over. We're the 16th richest club in Europe and 20th in the world and that's prior to this season's haul of close to £200m plus everything else. We're minted and now we can compete.

I think the PL can only improve in quality and excitement from here on.

 

Riyad needs to decide what is important to him. Is it playing regularly, money, purely playing in the champions league or winning trophies. Realisticly who is going to provide all that and pay us fairly for him?
As you say and I agree, can any English teams provide regular champions league and winning trophies. No.
Monaco is a good shout. They will pay well, be in the CL and likely win domestic trophies like this season and he'd probably be a regular if they are losing players. That's the only shout that ticks all the boxes

 

And yeah both CR and CS were way too good to him and continued playing him because they believed in his ability and wanted to give him every opportunity to discover his form but he didn't and was the only player in the team who didn't reach last season's levels at all. You could say Drinky too but he was carrying an injury all season so has a decent excuse, Mahrez has nothing.

He didn't deserve to be in our team last season and we carried him and won five in the bounce pretty much despite of him being poor so he's no great loss to our team and if we had Sigurdsson we'd be a lot better.

I can't see anyone else guaranteeing him a starting place in this league so off back home seems the only option. Perhaps this was done and dusted when they were in Monaco who knows but I think he has to leave England if he wants to leave us.

 

Also the reputation that he has of being a poor trainer, being late constantly etc. When he was on fire for us and the fact he's a longish serving player, he gets away with it. Going to a new club could be a culture shock when they demand the best attitude from every player and don't allow pre-match naps! I guess what I'm saying is that he's generally been a big fish in a smallish pond and gets away with a hell of a lot. Going to a club with other such talented players and behaving as he reportedly does, could cause him to be an unpopular boy

 

Completely agree. I'm disappointed in him now to be honest because he's been so poor and we have given him every opportunity to rediscover his form and he failed. If he'd had another brilliant season then I could think fair enough you've outgrown us and you should be at a bigger club but he doesn't even deserve to be in our first XI based on last season yet he thinks he's better than us now.

Pull your head in Riyad and appreciate the lads you have around you that carried you and let you get away with being you.

 

I really don't understand poor trainers... don't they want to get better?

 

I agree. We will get slaughtered but it's about constant improvement, willingness to work as a team and commitment.
I'd love him to stay for years and play as he did last year but atm he has only shown what was undoubtably world class talent last year