Rafa to West Ham

Then what?

 

It's amazing how one dimensional managers look when they have **** players and little money to spend.

 

This is thing. I said at the start of last season there were a number of players who needed to prove themselves and kick on and not many did. So that leaves us short for the following season. This season. So here we find ourselves again going into a season saying we need players to step up a level and prove themselves. Otherwise, unless we sign at least 2 or 3 decent, proven players in the next few days, we are up against it.

 

We're still suffering for our previous failures. It's frustrating to realise MA will happily see us walk into the season without those vital signings unless we sell alot of the crap that are, ok not all, from before Benitez's reign and a result of the follies of 5/6 year contracts.
Thankfully it sounds we can get rid of atleast two before windows end, but time is ****ing vital now

 

Interesingly have just just met a Geordie father/son combo in Denver who were very decent until the father asked what did I think of Mike Ashley (expectantly). The following conversation resulted in the father walking out of the bar as explained how Ashley wasn't taking money out of the club and basically he didn't know how to read the annual reports. This ****s me off. Do people really still think that Ashley is mugging the club?

 

Of course he isn't. He just isn't willing to invest. He is using the club as a vehicle for his main business - quite successfully you'd have to accept. He isn't filtering off funds left right and centre. It would show up and it doesn't. He wants the club to self sufficient. The problem is unless you have a fantastic youth system or unbelievable scouting network which allows you to make huge profits in sales, or both then you can't compete in the PL without spending money.

The only thing I would say is Rafa by the end of this window will probably have spent 50m. Personally I think I'd rather have seen us buy 4 decent quality player for 12.5m and a couple of loans, than these numbers with 8m here, 6m there, 4.5m etc. Rafa seems to be cluttering up the squad with cheap purchases. I can't see how that is gonna help. I'd rather risk a smaller squad and go for quality. I know everyone likes to defend Rafa but if he spends 50m on ****e, is he not somewhat culpable?

 

The **** up for Ashley is the relegation, if we had stayed up then the club would have generated funds for a decent transfer spend, thing is though it still comes down to being his own fault, Tufty was a crap appointment but he should have been sacked after ten games, the inertia at the top screwed things and led to relegation.

 

Nobody can be under any illusion otherwise. EVERYTHING is down to Ashley. Failed selling, stupid appointments, horrendous indecision, cronies over experience, failure to make the most of commercial opportunity, etc., etc.

Even today he doesn't get it. He's refusing to borrow against future revenues even though they're utterly guaranteed, he just does not understand fundamentals of P&L in my book. This isn't about doing a Leeds - borrowing against qualifying for next year's CL! - this is about saying "right, Sky will put £30m in the bank in Nov, and again in March, so we can free up another £60m now, interest free loan from MASH Holdings. Go buy what you need Rafa." Nope. This dumb fat kent sits on his hands, and tells Charnley he can have whatever's CURRENTLY in the bank. Now, whether Charnley is saying "but the money IS coming" and he's still ignoring it, or whether Charnley's not doing that is irrelevant; Ashley's just a big dumb ****.

 

I don't know tbh.... I'm ****ing fed up... The one chance we have of creating something and it looks to be ****ed up by internal squabbling and bull ****.

 

Think we need to get to the end of the transfer window and see where we are - we didn't look too bad against Spurs until Shelvey had his "moment" and Huddersfield was always going to tough given it was their 1st home game ever in the PL. We were only undone in that game by one error.

 

I hope your right mate 30years I've Sat in the east stand this year and God knows how many before around the ground..... I just think ffs give me and the many other fans a break... Just when you think there's a chink of light and bang hell on.

 

so do I....

 

Under Ashley, we will remain in a perpetual cycle of mediocrity, if we're lucky.
It's just like the 80s, but at least we eventually saw off the McKeags.
I don't see it getting better under this twat.

Is he taking money out of the club?
Maybe, maybe not - all I know is, that there are more than one way of mugging the Club and Fans off, and he's a ****ing expert at it.

I keep on hearing that he's not obliged to dip into his own pocket.
What a load of bollox - he's the custodian of this club, an institution on Tyneside, and if he still can't get what that means after ten wasted years, he should sell up at a loss and **** off back to where he came from.

 

I wish we had it that good.