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Post by reamsofverse on Aug 15, 2024 9:23:52 GMT
It concerns we that NJ thinks the margins against Brum were very small. It concerns we even more that Taylor and Fraser can't get into what is a very average midfield. |
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brad
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Post by brad on Aug 15, 2024 9:26:51 GMT
It isn't bad, and we'll all be able to make comparisons to last season soon enough. We all want the club to add players, but surely we should also want the management to develop players AND the team? Looking forwards to watching Orient and Bolton games, then seeing if we bring in a couple of EPL loans. Last season has gone mate, it was a shocker and we are setting a very low bar if the target for success is to improve on our pathetic 16th position. We need three new players in positions we are lacking or playing kids who fill shirts but not my confidence in terms of getting any better. Somebody is seriously overeating them, has NJ really got full control? I would never rule out him being told he has to play them. They are trying anything and everything to raise money. Showcasing young kids to clearly try and sell them will be on the 'How to' list. They are in the side because the board, Rodwell especially is a bullshitter. Waitrose and Lidl's he said, wrong Jim, it's more like the soup kitchen in terms of outlay. This Hungarian player in January? Why? If we like him bloody sign him. Putting it off six months is pointless. He has a good first half of the season and then what happens? He goes to a far better club than what we are. I'm afraid choosing youngsters over seasoned pro's who really would make a difference is not a footballing decision. This is my biggest worry I think we all know if Leaburn at stayed fit he would have been sold already. Jones was told couldn't have Dobson. Its a just a click they all have each others backs. Rodwell is just a good talker that's all he is. Still think the overall aim is to flip the club with the less money spend and way CM, JR and AS all get a form of payment to reflect that. |
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brad
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Post by brad on Aug 15, 2024 9:27:57 GMT
We spent appox 800,000 over what we got for May All fees nowadays are undisclosed so we don’t really know the accurate figures until they are released officially, if they are released at all…and a lot is now made up of sell on / extras……otherwise it’s just rumoured figures but I do think 800,000 sounds a bit inflated to me… We got £900k for May will get more if Birmingham get promoted etc etc. |
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Post by revilo on Aug 15, 2024 9:34:04 GMT
It concerns we that NJ thinks the margins against Brum were very small. It concerns we even more that Taylor and Fraser can't get into what is a very average midfield. I'm starting to believe that NJ doesn't want an attacking midfielder. |
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Post by zenga on Aug 15, 2024 9:39:32 GMT
Brad can you confirm how you know this? All we know is we have to reduce the numbers to avoid FFP Nothing to do with FFP just budgets. Owners can always put money in and write off as shares to get around FFP if wanted. Simplified example why owners need to be very careful with that is because it becomes a recurring thing if the revenue remains more or less the same: Year 1: Your turnover is 100, of which 60 are wages (max allowed). Owners put in 20 (raise capital), turnover is now 120 max allowed wage bill is 72 Year 2: revenue is just like previous year 100, but your wage bill is still 72 and too high, to comply with the rules the owners have to put in again 20 that basically does nothing fans unhappy, and they want to increase the wage bill once more by 20 to sign players now turnover is 140 (100 revenue and 40 coming from owners), max allowed wages are 84 Year 3: revenue is again 100, but you are sitting with 84 wages. Owners now need to put in 40 to comply with the rules. etc |
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Post by aaronaldo on Aug 15, 2024 9:42:46 GMT
That’s a shame, he looked very decent in pre season and has a forward pass on him…..I would have offloaded other midfield players either out on loan or sold and kept Taylor….but I don’t think he suits NJ’s style of play I think he will do well wherever he goes and at our loss…..good luck to him This feels more like we can't offload who we want to (Edun? Ness? Fraser) so we are offloading someone who we think we can sell. I agree with Mundell (I think it was) who said Terry might struggle to be on the bench as he's not an impact player. He will just replace Coventry. My question is what if Coventry gets a long term injury? I agree he will do well elsewhere. I was looking forward to see him play this year personally. |
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Post by aucklandaddick on Aug 15, 2024 9:47:30 GMT
That’s a shame, he looked very decent in pre season and has a forward pass on him…..I would have offloaded other midfield players either out on loan or sold and kept Taylor….but I don’t think he suits NJ’s style of play I think he will do well wherever he goes and at our loss…..good luck to him This feels more like we can't offload who we want to (Edun? Ness? Fraser) so we are offloading someone who we think we can sell. I agree with Mundell (I think it was) who said Terry might struggle to be on the bench as he's not an impact player. He will just replace Coventry. My question is what if Coventry gets a long term injury? I agree he will do well elsewhere. I was looking forward to see him play this year personally. Yep my thoughts were the same, what happens if we get an injury to Coventry…… |
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Post by clarky on Aug 15, 2024 9:58:29 GMT
All fees nowadays are undisclosed so we don’t really know the accurate figures until they are released officially, if they are released at all…and a lot is now made up of sell on / extras……otherwise it’s just rumoured figures but I do think 800,000 sounds a bit inflated to me… We got £900k for May will get more if Birmingham get promoted etc etc. Which means BexleyBoy thinks we have spent £1.7m on incoming payers. You have to laugh. |
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Post by eric on Aug 15, 2024 10:01:04 GMT
As said previously it’s great we’re spending money on the pitch , training ground , family days etc . but priority surely should be the first team squad . Our new billionaire owners appear to have short arms , long pockets .
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Post by aucklandaddick on Aug 15, 2024 10:02:56 GMT
We got £900k for May will get more if Birmingham get promoted etc etc. Which means BexleyBoy thinks we have spent £1.7m on incoming payers. You have to laugh. TBF I think he meant we spent 800km over the May money…..so in theory he is saying that the Adhame fee and Mays fee literally cancelled each other out and we spent 800k over this on Edwards, Mitchell and Godden……...I think…..unless I am mistaken…… I still think those numbers are rather inflated though….. |
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Post by scabbyhorse on Aug 15, 2024 10:05:08 GMT
I'm starting to get suspicious about all this supposed transfer activity involving Nombe, Collins, the Celtic goalkeeper, and now the Hungarian player who seems to have some pedigree. I'd rather the club just admit we don't have the finances
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Post by scabbyhorse on Aug 15, 2024 10:06:04 GMT
Which means BexleyBoy thinks we have spent £1.7m on incoming payers. You have to laugh. TBF I think he meant we spent 800km over the May money…..so in theory he is saying that the Adhame fee and Mays fee literally cancelled each other out and we spent 800k over this on Edwards, Mitchell and Godden……...I think…..unless I am mistaken…… I still think those numbers are rather inflated though….. I'd say they are well over inflated |
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Post by scabbyhorse on Aug 15, 2024 10:13:25 GMT
We’ll definitely be better defensively this season and finish higher, but as it stands today, I'm at peace with the fact that we won’t be going up.
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Post by Mundell on Aug 15, 2024 10:25:03 GMT
Last season has gone mate, it was a shocker and we are setting a very low bar if the target for success is to improve on our pathetic 16th position. We need three new players in positions we are lacking or playing kids who fill shirts but not my confidence in terms of getting any better. Somebody is seriously overeating them, has NJ really got full control? I would never rule out him being told he has to play them. They are trying anything and everything to raise money. Showcasing young kids to clearly try and sell them will be on the 'How to' list. They are in the side because the board, Rodwell especially is a bullshitter. Waitrose and Lidl's he said, wrong Jim, it's more like the soup kitchen in terms of outlay. This Hungarian player in January? Why? If we like him bloody sign him. Putting it off six months is pointless. He has a good first half of the season and then what happens? He goes to a far better club than what we are. I'm afraid choosing youngsters over seasoned pro's who really would make a difference is not a footballing decision. This is my biggest worry I think we all know if Leaburn at stayed fit he would have been sold already. Jones was told couldn't have Dobson. Its a just a click they all have each others backs. Rodwell is just a good talker that's all he is. Still think the overall aim is to flip the club with the less money spend and way CM, JR and AS all get a form of payment to reflect that. How do you think flipping the club is going to be in the interests of the investors? How will that help them get back the £20 plus million they’ve already spent? |
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Post by clarky on Aug 15, 2024 10:29:09 GMT
Which means BexleyBoy thinks we have spent £1.7m on incoming payers. You have to laugh. TBF I think he meant we spent 800km over the May money…..so in theory he is saying that the Adhame fee and Mays fee literally cancelled each other out and we spent 800k over this on Edwards, Mitchell and Godden……...I think…..unless I am mistaken…… I still think those numbers are rather inflated though….. Agreed but in total he is saying those players cost £1.7m, which if true is ridiculous, and only likely to be true if you include add ons which aren't paid until they happen. I would say without add ons Adhadme around £600/£650k, Godden £200k and Edwards £90k. Which would mean Mitchell is the only player we bought above the May money. |
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Post by willett on Aug 15, 2024 10:38:50 GMT
Didn’t we also get some money this summer for CBT?
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Post by valleydobson1 on Aug 15, 2024 10:44:53 GMT
TBF I think he meant we spent 800km over the May money…..so in theory he is saying that the Adhame fee and Mays fee literally cancelled each other out and we spent 800k over this on Edwards, Mitchell and Godden……...I think…..unless I am mistaken…… I still think those numbers are rather inflated though….. Agreed but in total he is saying those players cost £1.7m, which if true is ridiculous, and only likely to be true if you include add ons which aren't paid until they happen. I would say without add ons Adhadme around £600/£650k, Godden £200k and Edwards £90k. Which would mean Mitchell is the only player we bought above the May money. What I thought. |
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Post by westwickhamaddick on Aug 15, 2024 10:44:54 GMT
We also have the aneke problem , he was a cheat code 18 months ago . I don’t remember the last time he came on and created chaos. He runs like he doesn’t want to pull a muscle
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Post by aucklandaddick on Aug 15, 2024 10:47:30 GMT
We also have the aneke problem , he was a cheat code 18 months ago . I don’t remember the last time he came on and created chaos. He runs like he doesn’t want to pull a muscle Must admit he doesn’t look particularly mobile at present…… |
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Post by Mundell on Aug 15, 2024 11:08:33 GMT
I’m not doubting bexleyboy ‘s numbers but I’m not sure how much they help us to understand what’s going on. They must inevitably contain an element of speculation and heresay while the big picture is actually both much clearer and more significant. In the year to end June 2023 (Sandgaard’s last season in charge) the club had cash losses of £8.9m. In other words, owning the club required Sandgaard to write personal cheques to that value simply to enable it to operate. Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, the notes to those accounts, which were published on 12th April this year, tell us that by that date the new owners had already provided an additional £8.9m of funding. It is reasonable to suppose that this scale of losses is continuing. In other words, in round numbers, the new owners are spending circa £10m p.a. in order to operate, sustain and develop the club. I’m very confident, based on reliable sources, that this level of cash injection is helping to fund a top six wage bill, though it’s very likely that at least one club is spending substantially more. Other clubs may have higher revenues which, in turn, will help them fund a very competitive wage bill without the same need for owner funding. As I see it, these are the facts. We might like the owners to spend (lose) more money or to spend it more wisely (as we might see it anyway), but I don’t believe we can reasonably say they aren’t investing or that they have no ambition. |
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Post by seriouslyred on Aug 15, 2024 11:09:08 GMT
It isn't bad, and we'll all be able to make comparisons to last season soon enough. We all want the club to add players, but surely we should also want the management to develop players AND the team? Looking forwards to watching Orient and Bolton games, then seeing if we bring in a couple of EPL loans. Last season has gone mate, it was a shocker and we are setting a very low bar if the target for success is to improve on our pathetic 16th position. We need three new players in positions we are lacking or playing kids who fill shirts but not my confidence in terms of getting any better. Somebody is seriously overeating them, has NJ really got full control? I would never rule out him being told he has to play them. They are trying anything and everything to raise money. Showcasing young kids to clearly try and sell them will be on the 'How to' list. They are in the side because the board, Rodwell especially is a bullshitter. Waitrose and Lidl's he said, wrong Jim, it's more like the soup kitchen in terms of outlay. This Hungarian player in January? Why? If we like him bloody sign him. Putting it off six months is pointless. He has a good first half of the season and then what happens? He goes to a far better club than what we are. I'm afraid choosing youngsters over seasoned pro's who really would make a difference is not a footballing decision. Agreed that last season was a shocker but we emerged as mid-table, same as the seasons before under Sandgaard. What we can say is that the defence improved once Jones became manager, and that the players acquired in January made a difference. Taking the results (plus the xG) of just the games under Jones, we were roughly 10th best. The bar has been set this season as challenging for promotion which means top six for most people. Sixth place gives us a 25% chance of promotion, same as six years ago. The defence looks convincing, wing-backs too, and we await the return of Leaburn. But our midfield is simply not good enough at passing forwards and creating chances. We will all watch the forthcoming games vs Orient and Bolton - the evidence will be there for all to see. And the club then enters the final week of this window. Do they know what they're looking for? Can they identify and land the talent? And how much do the investors wish to spend? As per Mundell recent post, the owners are covering significant losses and their patience will be sorely tested if we aren't in a good place by January 2025. And that pressure will hopefully be enough to sharpen the focus of those running the club. For they need to be extremely precise over the coming weeks. We don't know the precise dynamics...The alternative to landing more talent is that the club has to motor on with the current squad. And I'd suggest that the week leading up to Reading away on 31st August will have everybody speculating / calculating on how our season will pan out if the club does nothing. It's a shame that Reading away isn't a couple of days earlier and that Miles Leaburn won't be available sooner. The reality is that the CEO Charlie Methven needs to weigh up the exact position after the Bolton game including the views from Jones, what our scouts are telling us and the SMT views. Let's not get addicted to the Pardew mentality of "just two more players" as that will push the club under, unless the 25% chance of promotion occurs AND we win at Wembley. The investors have clearly agreed a 2024 vision, and maybe loathe to pump in more commitment right now? Towards the end of 2024 they'll be in a position to assess where we are and what needs to be done in 2025. Buying players is only one part. Managing risk, managing departures and improving the squad through coaching, fitness and performance analysis has to do the heavy lifting in between windows. Sixth place is not a big ask, and once we've played ten games we can all tell whether we are true contenders for the play-offs. |
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Post by clarky on Aug 15, 2024 11:20:09 GMT
Didn’t we also get some money this summer for CBT? Forgot about that. So Mitchell covered as well then. |
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Post by scabbyhorse on Aug 15, 2024 11:20:44 GMT
I’m not doubting bexleyboy ‘s numbers but I’m not sure how much they help us to understand what’s going on. They must inevitably contain an element of speculation and heresay while the big picture is actually both much clearer and more significant. In the year to end June 2023 (Sandgaard’s last season in charge) the club had cash losses of £8.9m. In other words, owning the club required Sandgaard to write personal cheques to that value simply to enable it to operate. Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, the notes to those accounts, which were published on 12th April this year, tell us that by that date the new owners had already provided an additional £8.9m of funding. It is reasonable to suppose that this scale of losses is continuing. In other words, in round numbers, the new owners are spending circa £10m p.a. in order to operate, sustain and develop the club. I’m very confident, based on reliable sources, that this level of cash injection is helping to fund a top six wage bill, though it’s very likely that at least one club is spending substantially more. Other clubs may have higher revenues which, in turn, will help them fund a very competitive wage bill without the same need for owner funding. As I see it, these are the facts. We might like the owners to spend (lose) more money or to spend it more wisely (as we might see it anyway), but I don’t believe we can reasonably say they aren’t investing or that they have no ambition. Hence why I am at peace that we are not going anywhere anytime soon. |
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Post by aucklandaddick on Aug 15, 2024 11:25:59 GMT
This is my biggest worry I think we all know if Leaburn at stayed fit he would have been sold already. Jones was told couldn't have Dobson. Its a just a click they all have each others backs. Rodwell is just a good talker that's all he is. Still think the overall aim is to flip the club with the less money spend and way CM, JR and AS all get a form of payment to reflect that. How do you think flipping the club is going to be in the interests of the investors? How will that help them get back the £20 plus million they’ve already spent? The only way the investors will make any money is by getting this club up through the leagues…….You wonder if they have been informed that the playing budget provided is sufficient to get us into the top 6……Will be interesting to see how it all pans out if we are mid table mediocrity and the gates have dwindled by Jan / Feb? 🤔 |
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Post by alburyaddick on Aug 15, 2024 11:41:57 GMT
Nothing to do with FFP just budgets. Owners can always put money in and write off as shares to get around FFP if wanted. Simplified example why owners need to be very careful with that is because it becomes a recurring thing if the revenue remains more or less the same: Year 1: Your turnover is 100, of which 60 are wages (max allowed). Owners put in 20 (raise capital), turnover is now 120 max allowed wage bill is 72 Year 2: revenue is just like previous year 100, but your wage bill is still 72 and too high, to comply with the rules the owners have to put in again 20 that basically does nothing fans unhappy, and they want to increase the wage bill once more by 20 to sign players now turnover is 140 (100 revenue and 40 coming from owners), max allowed wages are 84 Year 3: revenue is again 100, but you are sitting with 84 wages. Owners now need to put in 40 to comply with the rules. etc Zenga , maybe football works differently and I'm not an expert on football financing but in every other business on the planet, raising capital ( as per your example above ) does not increase turnover. Its investment capital and will go to the balance sheet and cash but it won't increase turnover |
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Post by aucklandaddick on Aug 15, 2024 11:49:38 GMT
Last season has gone mate, it was a shocker and we are setting a very low bar if the target for success is to improve on our pathetic 16th position. We need three new players in positions we are lacking or playing kids who fill shirts but not my confidence in terms of getting any better. Somebody is seriously overeating them, has NJ really got full control? I would never rule out him being told he has to play them. They are trying anything and everything to raise money. Showcasing young kids to clearly try and sell them will be on the 'How to' list. They are in the side because the board, Rodwell especially is a bullshitter. Waitrose and Lidl's he said, wrong Jim, it's more like the soup kitchen in terms of outlay. This Hungarian player in January? Why? If we like him bloody sign him. Putting it off six months is pointless. He has a good first half of the season and then what happens? He goes to a far better club than what we are. I'm afraid choosing youngsters over seasoned pro's who really would make a difference is not a footballing decision. Agreed that last season was a shocker but we emerged as mid-table, same as the seasons before under Sandgaard. What we can say is that the defence improved once Jones became manager, and that the players acquired in January made a difference. Taking the results (plus the xG) of just the games under Jones, we were roughly 10th best. The bar has been set this season as challenging for promotion which means top six for most people. Sixth place gives us a 25% chance of promotion, same as six years ago. The defence looks convincing, wing-backs too, and we await the return of Leaburn. But our midfield is simply not good enough at passing forwards and creating chances. We will all watch the forthcoming games vs Orient and Bolton - the evidence will be there for all to see. And the club then enters the final week of this window. Do they know what they're looking for? Can they identify and land the talent? And how much do the investors wish to spend? As per Mundell recent post, the owners are covering significant losses and their patience will be sorely tested if we aren't in a good place by January 2025. And that pressure will hopefully be enough to sharpen the focus of those running the club. For they need to be extremely precise over the coming weeks. We don't know the precise dynamics...The alternative to landing more talent is that the club has to motor on with the current squad. And I'd suggest that the week leading up to Reading away on 31st August will have everybody speculating / calculating on how our season will pan out if the club does nothing. It's a shame that Reading away isn't a couple of days earlier and that Miles Leaburn won't be available sooner. The reality is that the CEO Charlie Methven needs to weigh up the exact position after the Bolton game including the views from Jones, what our scouts are telling us and the SMT views. Let's not get addicted to the Pardew mentality of "just two more players" as that will push the club under, unless the 25% chance of promotion occurs AND we win at Wembley. The investors have clearly agreed a 2024 vision, and maybe loathe to pump in more commitment right now? Towards the end of 2024 they'll be in a position to assess where we are and what needs to be done in 2025. Buying players is only one part. Managing risk, managing departures and improving the squad through coaching, fitness and performance analysis has to do the heavy lifting in between windows. Sixth place is not a big ask, and once we've played ten games we can all tell whether we are true contenders for the play-offs. I think the Bolton game at home next week will be an interesting one and a real acid test on where we are with our recruitment …….I looked at their bench for the game at Orient and thought the majority would get a game with us…… |
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Post by clarky on Aug 15, 2024 11:50:03 GMT
I’m not doubting bexleyboy ‘s numbers but I’m not sure how much they help us to understand what’s going on. They must inevitably contain an element of speculation and heresay while the big picture is actually both much clearer and more significant. In the year to end June 2023 (Sandgaard’s last season in charge) the club had cash losses of £8.9m. In other words, owning the club required Sandgaard to write personal cheques to that value simply to enable it to operate. Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, the notes to those accounts, which were published on 12th April this year, tell us that by that date the new owners had already provided an additional £8.9m of funding. It is reasonable to suppose that this scale of losses is continuing. In other words, in round numbers, the new owners are spending circa £10m p.a. in order to operate, sustain and develop the club. I’m very confident, based on reliable sources, that this level of cash injection is helping to fund a top six wage bill, though it’s very likely that at least one club is spending substantially more. Other clubs may have higher revenues which, in turn, will help them fund a very competitive wage bill without the same need for owner funding. As I see it, these are the facts. We might like the owners to spend (lose) more money or to spend it more wisely (as we might see it anyway), but I don’t believe we can reasonably say they aren’t investing or that they have no ambition. I totally agree with the money they are putting in regarding the operating costs and to fund a top six budget, however, that was pretty much the position they inherited. They knew what they were taking on, nothing has changed apart from us having our worst league position in history. Of course nobody wants to lose money and of course they want to bring the operating costs down and off the pitch things have improved but can you honestly say putting together a team largely by selling the leagues top goal scorer is showing ambition? Yes, our defence looks tighter but that is it. Talking about finishing in the top six doesn't cut it with me, Sandgaard was rightly lambasted for his "we will blow this league away commemts", we have had enough nonsense to try to appease the fans. now is the time to show real ambition. The youngsters (Kanu, Anderson, Campbell) are currently not good enough to start, so lets bring in three key players that are. Just about everybody on here and elsewhere is saying that if that happens we will be knocking on the door of a top six place. The transfer window is still open and this may happen but whilst we continue to wait until the likes of Fraser are moved on the players we require are and will continue to be sucked up by our rivals and once again we will be left with deadline day left overs. Ps £10m pa is a lot of money to us but split between 2/3 billionaires that isn't so much the case. |
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Post by kings hill addick on Aug 15, 2024 11:52:05 GMT
Sam Nombe Aaron Collins Jonson Clarke-Harris Mihaly Kata Anyone can be interested, completing the deal is what matters. Anything else is either just noise which in our case normally sounds like 'We were interested but couldn't quite get it over the line! We've had one of those in every window, why not this one! Kata was named in Hungary's squad for UEFA Euro 2024 so he's be a good acquisition but I can't get my head around sacrificing a CAM for yet another defensive midfielder who if he comes in will be replacing a player who was deemed good enough to keep a CAM out in the first place! I am way too cynical but we have had too many of these for me not to think that these 'leaks' are just PR from the club. Maybe it's to convince other players to sign for us, maybe it's to win favour with the fans and maybe it's to convince fans to buy (season) tickets. Either way, I don't believe that we paid anywhere near £1m for Ahadme, so I think that the excessive use of academy players, and free transfers indicates that the owners are trying to 'win' promotion on the cheap. I'd be surprised if the higher earners in the squad were not signed before the current owners arrived. I don't have a problem with sensible management of the finances, but it is clear that we do not intend to 'buy' success, and all the while there are a handful of clubs in the division that are going to do just that, it is going to be difficult for us to compete. If the 'leaking' of these prestige names continues, with none of them signing, in the end no one will believe them. |
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Post by Mundell on Aug 15, 2024 11:52:24 GMT
How do you think flipping the club is going to be in the interests of the investors? How will that help them get back the £20 plus million they’ve already spent? The only way the investors will make any money is by getting this club up through the leagues…….You wonder if they have been informed that the playing budget provided is sufficient to get us into the top 6……Will be interesting to see how it all pans out if we are mid table mediocrity and the gates have dwindled by Jan / Feb? 🤔 Agreed and I’m sure the owners are very clear about that too. I’m fairly confident that the owners will know for a fact that our wage bill is top six and hence with good management expect us to have a decent chance of a playoff place and hence promotion. They clearly decided not to spend more, fully aware that others have and/or are doing so. |
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Post by aucklandaddick on Aug 15, 2024 11:52:31 GMT
I’m not doubting bexleyboy ‘s numbers but I’m not sure how much they help us to understand what’s going on. They must inevitably contain an element of speculation and heresay while the big picture is actually both much clearer and more significant. In the year to end June 2023 (Sandgaard’s last season in charge) the club had cash losses of £8.9m. In other words, owning the club required Sandgaard to write personal cheques to that value simply to enable it to operate. Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, the notes to those accounts, which were published on 12th April this year, tell us that by that date the new owners had already provided an additional £8.9m of funding. It is reasonable to suppose that this scale of losses is continuing. In other words, in round numbers, the new owners are spending circa £10m p.a. in order to operate, sustain and develop the club. I’m very confident, based on reliable sources, that this level of cash injection is helping to fund a top six wage bill, though it’s very likely that at least one club is spending substantially more. Other clubs may have higher revenues which, in turn, will help them fund a very competitive wage bill without the same need for owner funding. As I see it, these are the facts. We might like the owners to spend (lose) more money or to spend it more wisely (as we might see it anyway), but I don’t believe we can reasonably say they aren’t investing or that they have no ambition. I totally agree with the money they are putting in regarding the operating costs and to fund a top six budget, however, that was pretty much the position they inherited. They knew what they were taking on, nothing has changed apart from us having our worst league position in history. Of course nobody wants to lose money and of course they want to bring the operating costs down and off the pitch things have improved but can you honestly say putting together a team largely by selling the leagues top goal scorer is showing ambition? Yes, our defence looks tighter but that is it. Talking about finishing in the top six doesn't cut it with me, Sandgaard was rightly lambasted for his "we will blow this league away commemts", we have had enough nonsense to try to appease the fans. now is the time to show real ambition. The youngsters (Kanu, Anderson, Campbell) are currently not good enough to start, so lets bring in three key players that are. Just about everybody on here and elsewhere is saying that if that happens we will be knocking on the door of a top six place. The transfer window is still open and this may happen but whilst we continue to wait until the likes of Fraser are moved on the players we require are and will continue to be sucked up by our rivals and once again we will be left with deadline day left overs. Bang on the money mate👍 |
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