All these... Going down is suicide unless someone is willing to throw in some serious money! Mr Khan at least has not shown this attitude so far. But as we all know the board is working quietly. Let's wait.
The worst thing about getting relegated this season is that it would almost certainly mean no Riverside Stand development. Other than that, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Most of us here supported Fulham before we were in the Premier League (before the Premier League even existed for some of us) and I'm sure we'll all go on supporting Fulham if we were to go down. To borrow Frank Skinner's observation on one of West Brom's many relegations, 'We come here to watch the Albion, not to watch Premier League football'. As for sliding down the divisions, I don't see it. Relegation would mean a lot of highly paid, aging players moving on and space being created in the first team for more of our much-vaunted youngsters. We'd lose some good players along with the poor (I couldn't see Stekelenberg staying, we may well lose Reither, Hangeland, Parker, etc) but it would mean more starting opportunities for the likes of Dembele, Minkwitz, Mesca, Burn, Christianson, David, Grimmer, Tankovic, etc. In football terms, it could mean the renewing of the side and be something that we look back on in ten years as the best thing that could have happened. At the very least, if we went down I would expect us to stabilise quickly in the Championship and start building for a return. The fact that the Championship is such a competitive division is also a good thing - we'd be playing in a league where we have a chance of competing against anyone rather than one where finishing 8th represents the most anyone realistically expects from a good season. None of that means I want us to go down - I don't. Not adding to the ground capacity would be a missed opportunity that might take a decade (or more) to get back again. Currently we're in a position where we can afford it and the demand is there to justify it. It would be such a shame to waste that.
Captain I posted something similar some time ago. The risk of relegation is staying in Championship for a few years which means that will have a huge effect not only on the ground development and pursuing other things but also on the academy and infrastructure we have created. In addition the danger of becoming a yo-yo team would be massive given our financial constraints.
But teams like West Brom have shown that becoming a yoyo team doesn't have to put you in financial jeopardy, as long as you don't overspend to stay up. If we went down and shed a lot of wage bill costs there's no reason why the quality coming through the academy should suffer. If fact, given that we could become known (like Southampton) as a place where good young players can get into the first team, it could even improve that. The effect on ground development is a colossal minus to relegation, other than that I don't think it needs to be a financial burden for us, and I think we could realistically expect to be serious contenders for promotion up again within a relatively short period of time.
I don't think anyone really wants us to go down, but at the same time, who's happy with the course we're on? If I'm given a choice of whether to continue limping along, putting plasters (Bent) over bullet holes and having Sunderland show us how football is played, I'd rather bite the bullet and start over from scratch with a new, young squad of hungry competitive players. If we somehow survive this year, what's going to happen next summer? Is the new owner going to shell out 100 Mil to restaff the entire squad with the kinds of players we need? I rather doubt it. Realistically, all we can expect is more of the same: a few old big-name players seeing out the ends of their careers and a bunch of inexpensive youngsters who may or may not be EPL material. That's not building toward a new future, that's just sustaining the rot.
Rene has already started the re-building if you have not noticed for either option. 3 youngsters came in the game against Norwich. There are a few players who will be the spine of the team next year. Stekelenburg, Riethe, Brede, Sidwell, Parker, Kasami, Kaca, Dejagah, Taarabt (if he continues the improvement) with a whole generation coming up Burn, Dembele, David, Tankovic and a few others. Even Bent if he gets fit can be part of the spine. Will need to spend and I think the players we have been linked for this transfer window are again for the future. We need to get a lot of players in this is true but not 100m or anything like that. A few of the players to come will again be older as you need the experience to help the rest.
The issue with relying on talented youngsters if we go down is we're in a much worse position to keep them. How many will happily move to a PL club of any sort of standing if given the opportunity? My guess would be a fair few. Look at Marcus Gayle at moving to Palace last Summer. I'd rather trim the rot and play our promising kids in the PL than the Championship.
This. If we go down our youngsters will, quite understandably, be snapped up by other clubs. Can't imagine Dembele staying, for example if we are in the Championship and Man City come calling.
Must agree with Fulhaman & Bidders, forget the argument that we could consolidate in a lower division. 1 We would possibly loose our most tallented youth players & their coaching staff ( remember where we aquired them from) 2 Craven Cottage, Mr Khan is a buisnessman first and formost,and the current value according to jan RIBA land valuation puts CC at 230/40mil.which makes the purchase investment returnable plus 3 Stay in the premiership (even its by the skin of our teeth,)blood some youth, and get the new stand built, with the extra capacity it would bring in at least 200k p.h.g.
I think the idea that Khan would be happy to let us go down is flawed, too. He may be many things, but what he isn't is a bad businessman. He will know as much as anyone that PL football = the big bucks.
Think our youngsters would stay if we went down if it was made clear to them that a lot of the first team squad would be moved on to be replaced by themselves..... Would Dembele go to Man City if we went down if we told him Bent, Rodders and Berba are leaving and your going to be starting! Think Tankovic, Dembele, David, Burn could all be in the first team squad next year if we went down plus I'm sure there's a few others
Yes. Rodwell and Sinclair were playing regularly at PL clubs before they moved to City and did... nothing.
Both of these. And the point about the fanbase that rosc makes - in an earlier post to the Captain (When Saturday Comes) I reckoned we'd be down to a hardcore of 8,000 and even with 'floaters' the crowds at best will halve overnight. PS Think it's Man United who already have Dembele in their sights.
Villa signing Grant Holt on loan negates any chance of them taking Bent back, not that it was likely!
