Croc, this is why I said there needs to be a major strategic shift (from short term signings to long term rebuilding from the depth of talent we have at youth level). Encouragingly, the very fact that we are at the moment caught between a rock and a hard place with Benitez whom no-one wants and the fact that firing him now would rightly make us the laughing stock of the entire football world, may just make the club wake up and smell the coffee when the season draws to an end - whether we qualify for Champions League or not, but especially if we DON'T. Off the top of my head, I want to see the club offer a 5 year contract to a decent manager, with the specific task of blending the youth team into the senior team. I would provide the manager free reign over transfers with an initial 30million to spend as he/she so chooses, and to incentivise long-term goals I would A) guarantee that he will not be sacked if he should finish 6th or above in the first season, 5th or above in the second, 4th or above in the third, and 3rd or above in the remaining two seasons of his initial 5-year contract. B) offer very large end-of-year bonus payments for every position finished 4th or above in the first two seasons, 3rd or above in the third, 2nd or above in the 4th, and 1st in the 5th. C) offer very large end-of-year bonus payments for the use of current (as of 2012/2013) youth team members in all years.
