freeurmind
weak willed
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2017
- Messages
- 5,883
Board will do feck all
I'm from Derby, so i'm in no position to talk - but the Venice of the Midlands ain't all that. It might smell a bit like Venice on a bad day, but that's it i reckon...lolHey, whats wrong with Birmingham
It appears the club decided early on to ignore this window. Now that we obviously need help to land European football there is a decision to make. Given the thinness of our squad we would be unlikely to progress out of the group stage. My guess is it’s a poor financial decision to invest at this point. A few more summer windows of good business and then maybe it makes sense.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.
Ye there's not much glam about Birmingham. It is changing slowly. The HS2 line will change things certainly.I'm from Derby, so i'm in no position to talk - but the Venice of the Midlands ain't all that. It might smell a bit like Venice on a bad day, but that's it i reckon...lol
In all seriousness, there's nothing wrong with Birmingham, just its more glum than glam. I reckon that's changing though.
They're on a fairly poor run, coinciding with Brenton's boast about being there to mop up if Liverpool slipped!Always the slight hope of a Leicester free-fall.
This, unfortunately.What should the board do?
Add 3 or 4 new players that they've been actively pursuing (and unsettling) over the last 6-12 months, so the club has enough senior players to cope with the number of games for the rest of the season.
What will the board do?
Go for 3 or 4 players that they've never even spoken to, bid way over the odds and still sign nobody. Then put out some press briefings as to why it was everyone else's fault.
The situation now could have the affect that they veer off from the alleged long-term approach, and go big for non-ideal options. But I'm not even sure to begin with if we authentically have any long-term targets that are plausible.Do you think the board/Woodward will take stock of the table and predicament it presents, and (re)act in accordance?
I agree that smart investment now is not big purchases we had no intention of making until the summer, but do you believe the club will scramble for loans and those that would be intended as squad options in the long term - but for now would be key players in tiding us over - in light of the CL places now looking like they are attainable with the right investment?
@Relfy , same question to you.
Other than pay themselves dividendsBoard will do feck all
This pretty much. Then we will see the same cycle with fans on here hating and blaming the next manager.The board will sit and hope that Ole can squeeze enough from what he has to scrape top 4. If he does, they will release meagre funds in the summer and point towards that 4th place finish as a positive sign for 20/21.
If Ole flops, they'll fire him, replace him and give the new man meagre funds in the hopes he can actually scrape 4th place.
I wonder what his impact will be if we get him. The PL will take some getting used to, as will the unpredictable movement of our young players. Should be interesting.Reports today that MFUC have upped their offer for Fernandes and the deal will close today or tomorrow. Nothing from Stoney yet so I'll take it with a bucket of grains of salt, but its something to pin a hope on.
Agree, The club should show us how ambitious they really are and sign a centre forward with Fernandes, and maybe another midfielder also.Surely the right thing to do is be active in the Transfer market and go all out for it now that it a realistic goal with Chelsea faltering.
Like it or not, not making CL will have a knock on effect when trying to attract players in the summer, realistically we will be in for the same quality or players that City , Liverpool and other top European clubs are in for, i.e. these players will have options and are (the ambitious ones anyway)more likely to pick teams who are challenging for titles or in the CL.
Correct me if I am wrong here but isn't also significant financial penalty for us not making the CL two years in a row outside of TV money etc in that sponsors have clauses inserted that they get a significant discount on what they have to pay if we don't meet targets of us qualifying at least every other year.
I think earlier this year in a financial statement to stockholders the club said it did not envision us missing out on CL again this year thus triggering those sponsor clauses , but looking at our depleted squad now if we don't bring in players then I think we will miss out again, and the longer you are out the harder it becomes every year to get back there again.
Oh for the days when we used to scuff at teams whose main ambition was just to be top 4 , how the mighty have fallen.
But a squad will always have injuries.If it weren't for the injuries we'd easily be top 4. Probably with a solid 5 point gap down to Chelsea as well. So frustrating...
I agree. We severely lack depth(and quality, if we wish to make a title challenge).But a squad will always have injuries.
Fact is our squad was way too threadbare when season started.
Yes, I wonder if Liverpool lost VanD and Salah/Mane for a few months, where would they be.I agree. We severely lack depth(and quality, if we wish to make a title challenge).
Having said that, I think we've been especially unlucky with our injuries.
I think we need to bring in a CF whether it be on a loan deal, or a player that we have on the list. We have a great chance of top 4 and a CF with Fernandes and maybe another midfielder would help get us there, or win Europa League.We've not been in top 4 most of season despite having Rashford's best ever season for us. So if we weren't good enough with him I find it hard to believe we will be without him. He's scored 40% of our goals this season. I don't see it happening personally.
Our best hope of CL is to hope we keep getting through in Europa League whilst we wait for Mcsauce, Pogba n maybe Rashford to get fit. If we can get past Brugges and maybe avoid a big team in round of 16 and progress we could have a full strength side available from last 8 onwards. Long shot though.
aye. Last 3 games at OT have been a draw. Stuff of nightmaresWhat will we do? Drop points vs Burnley of course.
Mmmm. Sounds like Ole has an impossible job, come 4th or win the EL, then Ed and the Glazers will say that there is nothing wrong with our squad, and we will wait for the academy to produce the next generation of stars (which I hope the academy does by the way), finish outside the top four, and win nothing, or just the FA cup (ala Van Gaal), then lose his job?The board will sit and hope that Ole can squeeze enough from what he has to scrape top 4. If he does, they will release meagre funds in the summer and point towards that 4th place finish as a positive sign for 20/21.
If Ole flops, they'll fire him, replace him and give the new man meagre funds in the hopes he can actually scrape 4th place.
If we do miss out on CL this season, then surely that will impact on how much money the Glazers make? Would this then make them think about selling the club?Surely the right thing to do is be active in the Transfer market and go all out for it now that it a realistic goal with Chelsea faltering.
Like it or not, not making CL will have a knock on effect when trying to attract players in the summer, realistically we will be in for the same quality or players that City , Liverpool and other top European clubs are in for, i.e. these players will have options and are (the ambitious ones anyway)more likely to pick teams who are challenging for titles or in the CL.
Correct me if I am wrong here but isn't also significant financial penalty for us not making the CL two years in a row outside of TV money etc in that sponsors have clauses inserted that they get a significant discount on what they have to pay if we don't meet targets of us qualifying at least every other year.
I think earlier this year in a financial statement to stockholders the club said it did not envision us missing out on CL again this year thus triggering those sponsor clauses , but looking at our depleted squad now if we don't bring in players then I think we will miss out again, and the longer you are out the harder it becomes every year to get back there again.
Oh for the days when we used to scuff at teams whose main ambition was just to be top 4 , how the mighty have fallen.
Last January, we could've bought a player or 2, to help alleviate the burn-out which was inevitably going to occur. The board chose not to buy, using the excuse that we haven't decided on a manager yet. The fans believed this. Then we failed to make top 4, when we could have.Feels like deja vu to be honest. We had the exact same situation last May, and we never quite managed to get close enough. It’s the same thing now, it feels like it’ll always be just out of reach because we always seem to shit ourselves whenever we have a chance to capitalise.
Now level. Like I said lack of goals in this team will mean we've no chance of top 4.Have you watched Spurs? Worse than us under Mourinho.
And lack of defence. 4 clean sheets in 24 games after spending £130m on defence. Actually, lack of everything.Now level. Like I said lack of goals in this team will mean we've no chance of top 4.
Quoted for the usage of black magicWhat will we do? Drop points vs Burnley of course.