So are Reading really a better project ?

[The Large One]

I'm impressed that they had access to budgets and player spending from last season before the accounts have been published for last season. How do they manage that then?

This was for 2011-12.

Are you of the opinion that the club massively - in real terms and comparatively - increased the playing budget for 2012-13 to be among the highest in the division?

 

[Paris]

Talksport's 1-4pm show are going to discuss 'whether Poyet is taking a huge gamble taking Brighton to court' during the course of the afternoon.

 

[Icy Gull]

This was for 2011-12.

Are you of the opinion that the club massively - in real terms and comparatively - increased the playing budget for 2012-13 to be among the highest in the division?

I have no idea but I'd SUGGEST we spent WAY more last season than we did the one before. Bridge portion of wages, Kuz, Ulloa transfer and wages, Bruno,Dobbie, Orlandi, Spanish Dave just off the top of my head. CMS was the only really big spend from the previous year wasn't he as we used the players from League One for the most part? Vicente could have cost a fortune in wages but I can't imagine he took less last season.

I'd suggest that shot us up to much much higher than 14th

 

[Justice]

I know the transfer window is still open but we haven't exactly gone wild. I hope we get at least I marquee signing.

 

[Justice]

I have no idea but I'd SUGGEST we spent WAY more last season than we did the one before. Bridge portion of wages, Kuz, Ulloa transfer and wages, Bruno,Dobbie, Orlandi, Spanish Dave just off the top of my head. CMS was the only really big spend from the previous year wasn't he as we used the players from League One for the most part? Vicente could have cost a fortune in wages but I can't imagine he took less last season.

I'd suggest that shot us up to much much higher than 14th

Hoskins 500k Buckley 1 mil

 

[Pavilionaire]

I am still in a funk over all this as Poyet is a better manager than Garcia by a long way and I think that will be proved this season.

"By a long way". Hmmm...

Gus has a League 1 title to his name, he's done OK in the Championship. Oscar did enough at Barcelona Youth to win the endorsement of Johan Cruyff, then won the Israeli championship at a canter.

I'm not seeing the "By a long way" bit. In fact, I'm not seeing the "better manager" bit either.

 

[The Large One]

I have no idea but I'd SUGGEST we spent WAY more last season than we did the one before. Bridge portion of wages, Kuz, Ulloa transfer and wages, Dobbie, Orlandi, Spanish Dave just off the top of my head. CMS was the only really big spend from the previous year wasn't he as we used the players from League One for the most part? Vicente could have cost a fortune in wages but I can't imagine he took less last season.

I'd suggest that shot us up to much much higher than 14th

You're also over-looking the acquisition of Buckley and Hoskins in 2011-12 - £1.5m between them, plus Harley (£300k...?).

A club with a new stadium with all its ongoing new costs, spending its first two competitive seasons in Div 2, doesn't compete from a standing start with established Div 2 clubs, especially those assisted by parachute payments.

 

[Icy Gull]

You're also over-looking the acquisition of Buckley and Hoskins in 2011-12 - £1.5m between them, plus Harley (£300k...?).

A club with a new stadium with all its ongoing new costs, spending its first two competitive seasons in Div 2, doesn't compete from a standing start with established Div 2 clubs, especially those assisted by parachute payments.

I am not suggesting that we had anywhere near the budget of the parachute payment clubs but I am finding it extremely hard to believe that we were at the lower end in terms of spend last season. I will be more than delighted if we spend as much this season, which seems unlikely.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Gus describes Reading as "a better project" and yet sidekick Tanno describes the rejection of the offer as "it was only Reading".

I read this as pure arrogance on the part of Team Poyet. Yes, they LOVE the financial offer Reading made but they DESPISE little Reading for not being Chelsea or Spurs.

Well done Reading, you've dodged a bullet there. In Adkins they have a man who can get the job done this season AND, whilst being a bit of a prick, will at least have some humility.

 

[London Irish]

I have no idea but I'd SUGGEST we spent WAY more last season than we did the one before. Bridge portion of wages, Kuz, Ulloa transfer and wages, Bruno,Dobbie, Orlandi, Spanish Dave just off the top of my head. CMS was the only really big spend from the previous year wasn't he as we used the players from League One for the most part? Vicente could have cost a fortune in wages but I can't imagine he took less last season.

I'd suggest that shot us up to much much higher than 14th

That's a strong argument, I agree we must have gone up the table of spending - how high, we can only guess at. But I think what you are arguing here for me defeats your earlier point about fans being happy about constant seasons in the Championship. Expectations have been raised massively, partly by Gus's record of 4th place and partly by the signings of those players you mention. Oscar has those players at his disposal apart from Bridge, Hammond and Vicente, with only one of those consistently rated by fans.

 

[Justice]

And to think Oatway cocked up his testimonial lol some people just cant help biting the hand that feeds them.

 

[Eksman]

Gus needs to move on now and stop bringing up the past

 

[symyjym]

I think that Tony called it right during the season as getting someone new in then could have been disastrous for our season. However, at the end of the season we could easily have agreed a parting of ways behind closed doors and moved on. In relation to stciking to his principles of not allowing Gus to walk over over him and the club I agree with the route Tony has taken since the end of the season and I agree that the stubbornness of Gus has meant that neither side are going to back down. All I am saying is that most other chairmen would have reached an agreement and moved on and we MAY have been in a better position now had we done so. Gus certainly would be.

But Bloom did try to reach an agreement and move on, Gus had that option just like Tanno and Oatway, leaving by mutual consent. I keep saying he could have offered his resignation when he was suspended, or he could have left by mutual consent at the first meeting. His choice was to either leave with dignity or we will fire you for gross misconduct.

If I said to you leave with dignity or we will fire you for gross misconduct, what is your prefered option?

 

[The Large One]

I am not suggesting that we had anywhere near the budget of the parachute payment clubs but I am finding it extremely hard to believe that we were at the lower end in terms of spend last season.

Sadly, I can believe it, especially after having seen the previous year's comparative figures on here.

I will be more than delighted if we spend as much this season, which seems unlikely.

Which I believe was another of Gus' gripes.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Gus is the last man who will "move on" from something like this.

 

[The Large One]

But Bloom did try to reach an agreement and move on, Gus had that option just like Tanno and Oatway, leaving by mutual consent. I keep saying he could have offered his resignation when he was suspended, or he could have left by mutual consent at the first meeting. His choice was to either leave with dignity or we will fire you for gross misconduct.

If I said to you leave with dignity or we will fire you for gross misconduct, what is your prefered option?

Maybe challenge and defend himself from the initial charge(s) of gross misconduct, the outcome of which he evidently feels is unfair...?

Rightly or wrongly, he wishes to have his points of view heard by an independent arbiter. He may come out worse off, or he could have one or more of the charges reversed - who knows? Seeing as no-one knows the actual issue(s) surrounding the 'gross misconduct' charge(s), is anyone in a position to judge whether this is reasonable?

 

[London Irish]

I disagree with Matt Richards saying;

"My personal reading of this is that Tony's reaction was one of hurt that Gus was jumping ship and was done to tarnish Gus' reputation in order to make any other interested clubs wary." and "Clearly he would never admit it but I suspect this is the biggest call of his chairmanship so far (in respect of the team) and maybe playing it as a poker player and not an experienced football chairman hasn't worked. It is pretty clear the way it has played out (and continues to do so) that Gus has lost and we have lost too."

Fair enough, there is one bit of this that potentially goes out on a limb unfairly - that Bloom was driven by some vindictiveness towards Gus, I agree comments like that need more active evidence before they should be aired.

The rest, however, is either plausible or yet to be determined. It's plausible that Bloom was upset by the breakdown in the relationship, no one would fault him for that. How he dealt with the issue was certainly one of the biggest calls of his chairmanship. Have we lost out? Only time will tell, if the tribunal case gets ugly and embarrassing, then we could lose in terms of reputation. There is also the question of whether Bloom could have attempted another course and repaired his relationship with Poyet and got him to finish his job here - Darragh Anthony and Ferguson kissed and made up, and Pulis went back to Stoke after beong sacked by the board, it's not unprecedented.

 

[Icy Gull]

We'll have to agree to differ on the paucity of Gus' budget.

I am of the opinion that we had the players to go all the way and without a decent upper Championship budget this would not have been the case.


If it was the norm to gripe, I might have much more sympathy as many on here seem to have for Gus. I am struggling to think of any other unproven above League One and the Championship managers that has been quite so vociferous in his whinging when he had the facilities that Gus had. I cannot think of many non Premier League managers, no I can't think of any, that have been as demanding as Gus appears to have been.

I don't mean that to sound like Gus had not achieved plenty with us but his expectations just got out of hand imo and it's not like he dropped a league or two to get back to where he had been and has some sort of right to manage at the top.

A little bit more patience and keeping his gob shut would have seen him in the Premier League, with us or without us I'm sure. He may get there now but he is gonna be seen as a prima donna by most real football fans and I believe his ultimate ambition has probably slipped further out of reach with all that has gone on.

 

[brakespear]

And why didn't we go up? Squad not good enough, wasn't that? Budget not good enough, wasn't that either? Manager insists on drab defensive formation and lacks a plan B, more than likely.

 

[symyjym]

Fair enough, there is one bit of this that potentially goes out on a limb unfairly - that Bloom was driven by some vindictiveness towards Gus, I agree comments like that need more active evidence before they should be aired.

The rest, however, is either plausible or yet to be determined. It's plausible that Bloom was upset by the breakdown in the relationship, no one would fault him for that. How he dealt with the issue was certainly one of the biggest calls of his chairmanship. Have we lost out? Only time will tell, if the tribunal case gets ugly and embarrassing, then we could lose in terms of reputation. There is also the question of whether Bloom could have attempted another course and repaired his relationship with Poyet and got him to finish his job here - Darragh Anthony and Ferguson kissed and made up, and Pulis went back to Stoke after beong sacked by the board, it's not unprecedented.

The thing is, once you have lost faith in a manager and you know he could up sticks at any time, it makes it wvery difficult signing players if you don't know if he will be here or not.

New and current players also need commitment otherwise we get an unsettled enviroment. There was no chance of a repaired relationship and that is just wishful thinking.

As soon as Bloom knew Gus wasn't the future he had to act to find possible replacements. It just so happens that he knew OG was leaving Maccabi, he spoke to him, he liked what we are doing and told Bloom what he will do. As soon as he had the interest from OG, Gus would have been on his way.

The only question was how Gus would leave, and if he was an angle and acted properly, Bloom would have paid him the compensation. Fortunately for Bloom Gus chose to hang himself and he has saved £2.5m or whatever it was.