Just a bit of post season hypothetical fun..........There are understandably lots of posts about who we are going to sign etc., but I couldn't help wondering what would have happened if we hadn't gone up. I firmly believe that once we got into the Championship, our 5 year plan went out the window. People talk about the financial necessity for West Ham to get back into the Premier League at the first attempt but for other reasons I think it was equally important for us to do so as well. Two possible scenarios; firstly, that we missed out by a point or so; secondly, that we struggled all season. If we just missed out you'd have to look at the team for next year and think who would leave. Maybe Lallana, Lambert and Schneiderlin? Had we struggled all year we almost certainly wouldn't have signed Sharp, Lee and Hoolveld so they wouldn't be here either. What do you think would have happened, what would our Championship team look like next year? Or do you actually not give two hoots
I think under the scenario that we were up there all season but just missed out: - We would have a right battle on our hands to keep hold of Lallana and in particular Lambert. After proving himself in the Championship and with age against him, I think he would have taken the opportunity if a Prem club came in for him, which I don't think I could blame him for but is horrible to think about. Lallana staying would probably have been 50/50 and maybe dependent on who was after him in the Prem. I don't think our policy would have changed though, and if we managed to keep hold of our players I think we would have been even stronger (team/squad wise) for the next season...having said that, the momentum and unpredictability factor in our brilliant start to the campaign would be difficult to recreate for a second season. I'm just glad we are having this discussion on a hypothetical basis and not actually having to come to terms with the fact that we might be loosing some of our best players.
Lambert might have moved on, Lallana would have stayed though. He signed a 5-year contract recently, and he wouldn't have thought we'd have been promoted immediately when he did. Same goes for Schneiderlin and most of the others, they all signed new contracts when we got promoted from league one, so we'd have been able to keep them. We'd still have finished in the top 3, so not much would be different. We'd still be one of the favourites for promotion next season and we'd probably have improved our squad further. Remember it wasn't part of the plan for us to go up so soon!
They would have all stayed. The players coming to the ends of their contracts might have gone, but that's it. Saints were to give the Championship a really good go in the first year, but it was not going to be a problem if they took another year or two to do it. Personally, I think that if it hadn't happened this season, we would have gone up as champions in a stronger, and possibly better planned side for the PL, next season. One reason for enjoying the fact that Saints went up in the shortest possible time though is to allow Rickie the maximum amount of time in the PL.
Sorry, but as a Hampshire club it's physically impossible for you (or any other Hampshire club) to win the play offs.
You mean Hampshire clubs are cursed in a similar way to England being cursed in penalty competitions..?
Si. http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/sport/s/2001543_its_all_over_for_boro http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/13380187 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/6649689.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/8682172.stm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Football_Conference_play-off_Final http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/sport/farnboroughfc/s/2049890_heartache_as_boro_miss_promotion http://www.fleettownfc.co.uk/match-report.php?id=65 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/4501011.stm http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/sport/9692834.Town_suffer_play_off_woe/
I think Lallana would stay no matter what. We should be very thankful for him. I think it would have been okay so long as Adkins and Cortese remained at the helm.
