Stoke preview

It’s just a mess all around. Not happy at all with things Itfc

 

As football fans, we spend a lot of time and effort blaming everyone bar the tea lady for our problems...lets face it, and put it all into perspective. We're a small club in a small town. We've had some wonderful times and memories. We've won trophies, mixed (and beaten) the elite of Europe. Unfortunately it's now our time to struggle. It happens to a lot of clubs. Coventry, pompey, Leeds, Forest and Wednesday for a time. Football has changed, at this moment in time, we're just also rans..the only way in today's world to be at the top, is to spend a ridiculous amount of money at it. Most champ clubs have tried it, but the reality is, only 3 teams per season can go up. How many clubs have spent millions and millions over the last 5 years or so to get into the prem? Out of the 24 clubs, probably about 15 of them.
The last ten years or so at our club has seen stagnation. The only way forward is to either buy your way out, and risk the club financially (and possibly setting us back another 10 years) or grow our academy and hope we get a phenomenal group of 5/6 coming through at the same time.
Lambert is doing the best with the cards he has, but he's not to blame for our mess, and neither is Hurst, MM or even Evans..its a collective failure by the club to invest wisely and for making some very poor decisions.

 

Well, I think when there's failure - there is always a blame.

I appreciate what you're saying and agree with a lot of it - the game has dramatically changed since our glory days.

Will we EVER get a prolonged period of success as a football club? Absolutely not, no. Likewise, Forest won't ever win the champions league again. That much I can accept.

Heck, BIGGER clubs than us have all gone down to League 1 the past 20 years.

Man City / Leeds / Sheffield Wednesday / numerous others !!!

££££ has absolutely RUINED the game. FFP is the biggest joke of all time, protecting the big sides / harming the weak. If FFP was in action in the 90s, Blackburn would never have won the title for example.

Does any of this make me happier to accept things as a town fan? Not really.

Where are we as a club on the pyramid when you take into account average attendance / spend from owner? SADLY - We're probably 17th championship to top 6 league 1 - ironically where we're heading.

Not pretty reading - however, without Evans selling up and a rich owner coming in - we're unlikely to succeed.

That's the problem - how many clubs in the top 2 leagues have big backing? Far too many.

I cannot help but feel things are going to get a whole lot worse before they improve. Really dark times these for me.

 

....and where there's blame there's a claim,perhaps you can get a lawyer to take the case on for you!

 

Could certainly take a claim for Paul Hurst claiming to be a manager. Trading standards could be the starting point!