Man of Leisure
Threatened by women who like sex.
If we get top 4, and that’s a big if, should Ole get to keep his job? Think we should be going after Poch regardless but curious what others think.
The problem is that we look unprepared for every transfer window. A new manager can only do so much when he's being handicapped by the clowns making transfer decisions.Seeing as we've not looked prepared for this transfer window at all, I'm starting to think it's better to just find relatively cheap stop-gap solutions than to go big on targets that aren't first choices. I don't think we're in the financial position to be paying over the odds for players we haven't been working on for months (which we probably haven't), just to try to secure top 4. It would limit what we could do sensibly in the summer, when we might even have a new manager. CL is of course hugely important in terms of recruitment, but if we've already starting forming a squad with new recruits who aren't quite desired and measured targets, it will just further stall a proper team emerging.
He should have been gone after the season ended last year, this season just reinforced that.If we get top 4, and that’s a big if, should Ole get to keep his job? Think we should be going after Poch regardless but curious what others think.
On paper I’d fancy our chances but when you add in our total lack of squad depth and number of injuries we’re picking up it’s going to be a struggle! A couple of attacking players would change that though’Chelsea have some pretty tricky fixtures in the run in. They have
Leichester(A)
Man Utd (H)
Spurs (H)
Everton (H)
Villa (A)
City (H)
West Ham (A)
Watford (A)
Palace (A)
Sheff U (A)
Norwich (H)
Liverpool (A)
Wolves (H)
Meanwhile, we have
Burnley(H)
Wolves(H)
Chelsea(A)
Watford(H)
Everton (A)
City (H)
Spurs (A)
Sheffield (H)
Brighton (A)
Villa (A)
Soton (H)
Palace (A)
West Ham(H)
Leichester(A)
Not predicting results here just my view on the difficulty of the fixtures. IF we win vs Bunley and Wolves at home and Chelsea lose to Leichester away, we will be on equal points and ahead on GD when we face them on the Bridge. Get a draw there and i honestly think our chances of top 4 are as good as theirs
They've got a pretty able squad though. If they can pull their fingers out, they've got more of a chance than us.Have you watched Spurs? Worse than us under Mourinho.
6 points seems impossible for us to make up, even if we win tonight.Every single time there’s a chance to close the gap we blow it, I’m already expecting a draw tomorrow.
They have literally no striker.They've got a pretty able squad though. If they can pull their fingers out, they've got more of a chance than us.
We are a Martial injury away from disaster.
On some level this does make a lot of sense ....yet, not enough senseWhy do we want CL?
Klopps first full season was without any european football.
We arent going to do anything in the CL, so why does it matter?
He should be fired regardless.If we get top 4, and that’s a big if, should Ole get to keep his job? Think we should be going after Poch regardless but curious what others think.
We could win the FA Cup, Europa League and finish 3rd and most of this forum would still think we should appoint someone for the next level.If we get top 4, and that’s a big if, should Ole get to keep his job? Think we should be going after Poch regardless but curious what others think.
If we somehow finished 3rd(considering the gap between us and Leicester in points) and won 2 cups, I'd probably back Ole for another season.We could win the FA Cup, Europa League and finish 3rd and most of this forum would still think we should appoint someone for the next level.
Yeah it's just not happening. There aren't enough goals in the team, there is no creativity whatsoever and we still can't defend, despite spending £130m on the defence last summer.Until Rashford got injured I'd have said even Leicester are catchable if Pogba returns and gives three good months. However now you have to hope someone like Martial or Mata make a star turn and that is when you start escaping the realm of possibilities.
He would but he is also on 360k a week at PSG. Makes it hard to get him here.Cavani would be an obvious one but you only see his name in the Express, etc.
Yeah to be fair, he also apparently wants an 18-month contract. Not really ideal to sign a 33 year old back up striker on daft wages for 18 months.He would but he is also on 360k a week at PSG. Makes it hard to get him here.
Just shows how far we have fallen, we are ready to accept any forward this Jan.Yeah to be fair, he also apparently wants an 18-month contract. Not really ideal to sign a 33 year old back up striker on daft wages for 18 months.
At this point I'd take Chris Wood!
Ok. I'm playing devils advocate. So give me a reason why we want top 4?On some level this does make a lot of sense ....yet, not enough sense
Failing to secure the CL this year will trigger a clause in our deal with adidas significantly reducing the amount they're obligated to pay us per season. Usually this wouldn't bother me too much but it's going to be the same year Liverpool start their record breaking deal with Nike and the optics would be terrible.Why do we want CL?
Klopps first full season was without any european football.
We arent going to do anything in the CL, so why does it matter?
This January window is crucial. Bruno + a striker (maybe Cavani, but whoever) would be the bare minimum required to keep us in with a shout. Realistically a CM too. Unfortunately I don't see it happening - either there is no money to spend, or they don't trust Ole. If we're not spending money; don't expect us to be spending great deals in the summer.Chelsea are all over the place and flagging; they're 6pts ahead of us, but we have a game in hand. If we beat Burnley, the gap is down to 3pts, and the pressure is well and truly on.
4th place, and hopeful Champions League qualification, alters our position over the summer dramatically, both with our sponsors as well as our attraction to a higher tier of talent. It may also be our only hope of retaining elite talent - he who shall not be named.
Now, our squad is threadbare and a number of key players are out and shouldn't be relied upon even when they return, not only that, our bona fide starters are in need of some rest (Fred, Maguire, in particular) and rotation, otherwise, it won't be a surprise if they join those out on the treatment table. Essentially, we're in a precarious position with a thin squad bearing a load that cannot possibly be a surprise if it burns them out.
There is all kinds of talk in the transfer forum of this transfer window being a rouse in which we may well not sign anyone to aid our waning squad - whether you believe that or not is entirely up to you. Perhaps three signings are being lined up, unbeknownst to us... perhaps none are, but, my thread header pertains to what you think the club will do in relation to the predicament we find ourselves in where that 4th place that may well have looked unassailable just a few games ago, is now very possibly a seriously viable target once again.
It's said on here that the club and our M.O. is to react to situations rather than prepare for a multitude of eventualities, so, in this instance, does the carrot of CL football, and all that it brings, procure any kind of reaction from the powers that be, or do you believe whatever was set in motion prior to Chelsea's floundering is still set in stone?
As fans, most of us are going to say we should be going for broke and putting all the chips on red/black, but that's not how business works, however, in this instance, risk/reward and the stakes being played for are tremendous, aren't they? The knock-on effect of us being a CL club is worth a fortune, so with all this said, what is your take on what we will do?
I dont think the board actually care. The board is not in tune with football which is worrying.Even our board can't be idiotic enough to think we can survive for 3months with Martial, who has a history of a lot of missed games with little notice, and an 18 year old fallow kid.
There has to be some sort of striker coming in.
I think they'll try and blag it in midfield though, and hope Pereira, Matic and Fred can carry us through until McTom and Pogba are back.
Hey, whats wrong with BirminghamCL football will ensure the sponsor money doesn't drop, it will also help attract better players in the window. We lost out on DeLigt, and Haaland recently - i think if we had CL football we'd have probably snared both. Same is true for Sancho. Players of that quality is what we need to win the league - they'll never join us if we don't have CL football, it's the bare minimum they expect.
Arsenal have been miles away from winning the league for years, but in that time they signed Ozil, Sanchez, Lacazette, Aubamayeng, Carzola, Podolski - all players who could have played for top clubs (and did). London obviously is a big part of that draw, but so was CL football.
Manchester isn't London, but it's not Birmingham either. We offer the best wages, in the best league, but right now we don't offer the best club competition (CL) and we don't offer a shot at titles. We need to change that.