Ambition and expectation

[BensGrandad]

*cough*... The club lose an absolute sh*tload of money, funded by the generosity of one man. Therefore "keep them happy while we do what we want to make more money" is more than a little un-f*cking-grateful to that man.

If you start to rephrase that sentence in line with the truth, then the statement actually sounds a little less unreasonable...

"keep them happy while we do what we want to p*ss less of Tony's money up against the wall for no return"

...if you then replace one word you get something actually close to what the club are doing...

"keep them happy while we do what we CAN to p*ss less of Tony's money up against the wall for no return"

Thanks for the correction you are correct. We are supporters and easily pleased.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

A few years in the Championship suits me fine. If we manage that we will have a season (or two) when we have another proper tilt at the play-offs, and we may have a season or two where we (hopefully only) flirt with League One. Just enjoy the games and the football we play, enjoy the company and meet up with friends for a couple of pints after the games.

An amazing stadium to watch the match, the team we love and the players fortunate enough to wear the stripes. Drink the best pint of beer in the County, a wholesome pie if you need it, knowing we have some good people in charge of the club. Enjoy the fortune we have had in Tony Bloom being around to put his hand in his deep pockets, and hope that he stays healthy and wealthy.

And avoid what appears to be a growing resentment against our Club. I find all that rather strange, and assume it is a primarily NSC thing as it is not an issue amongst those I talk to about the Albion. Why do people get so cross with the Club ?

And if we get relegated - well look at the Clubs that are there already, or that have been there in the past few years. It happens. We have no divine right to be in this division.

 

[JCL666]

Actually the club don't use the phrase "premier league ready" in any marketing, messaging or communication to fans. So very few fans would be aware that this is a phrase that the club use behind the scenes . (Although it has appeared publiclyin a couple of interviews with Sami and Paul Barber.) But to be honest , all Champ clubs aspire to be prepared to promoted to the PL . What would you say if they weren't ?

Oh well. I've just heard the phrase in so many things I've read I assumed that it was marketing.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Actually the club don't use the phrase "premier league ready" in any marketing, messaging or communication to fans. So very few fans would be aware that this is a phrase that the club use behind the scenes . (Although it has appeared publiclyin a couple of interviews with Sami and Paul Barber.)

I think you are right. I have never heard it other than PB saying it at some point. The way it gets bandied around on here you would think staff have to have it tattooed on their foreheads.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Thanks for the correction you are correct. We are supporters and easily pleased.

You are easily pleased ? You do a good job in disguising that fact on here.

 

[Pavilionaire]

The cynic in me says that the club's phrase "Premier League Ready" might be being taken too literally by some of the players - Buckley, Bridcutt, Kuszczak etc.

 

[GT49er]

This 'not wanting promotion, just pretending to' thing reminds me of the conspiracy theory of the 1950's. In those days, only one team was promoted from division 3 south, and we were always in the running, but just fading away at the end - twice we were as close as second place, on one of those occasions scoring 112 goals in the season as well. But always, we were nearly men. It was said that the directors didn't want promotion because of the extra cost of travel to places like Middlesborough, Hull etc.

Then the league decided to change to division 3 and division 4 for the 1958 / 59 season, thus meaning travel to places like Accrington and Hartlepool anyway - and guess what? Yep, stormed to promotion as champions! Were the conspiracy theorists right then? Who knows!

 

[symyjym]

A few years in the Championship suits me fine. If we manage that we will have a season (or two) when we have another proper tilt at the play-offs, and we may have a season or two where we (hopefully only) flirt with League One. Just enjoy the games and the football we play, enjoy the company and meet up with friends for a couple of pints after the games.

An amazing stadium to watch the match, the team we love and the players fortunate enough to wear the stripes. Drink the best pint of beer in the County, a wholesome pie if you need it, knowing we have some good people in charge of the club. Enjoy the fortune we have had in Tony Bloom being around to put his hand in his deep pockets, and hope that he stays healthy and wealthy.

And avoid what appears to be a growing resentment against our Club. I find all that rather strange, and assume it is a primarily NSC thing as it is not an issue amongst those I talk to about the Albion. Why do people get so cross with the Club ?

And if we get relegated - well look at the Clubs that are there already, or that have been there in the past few years. It happens. We have no divine right to be in this division.

I can see the positives of a complete rebuild in L1.

If the choice was to keep on patching up the squad on the cheap for the next X years without any real continuity or progress, or drop down to fully rebuild, get back to winning ways to hit the Championship again running, the latter doesn’t sound that bad. It didn’t do Shampton any harm in the long run and Wolves are promotion contenders this season. You can build good teams from L1 and Bournemouth are proof of that even with only 13k gates.

If we drop a division the gates will initially fall, but they would soon rise if we took L1 by storm.

I am not advocating going down, but good things may come of it because it is easier to build a winning team with a winning mentality in that division, so maybe the quickest route to the Prem is via relegation if it is done correctly.

 

[GT49er]

I can see the positives of a complete rebuild in L1.

Let's wait until the Championship becomes Premier League Division 2, then we can get some hefty parachute payments if we drop down!

 

[Man of Harveys]

Why do people get so cross with the Club ?

Sadly observing all of this from a distance, I'd say that getting cross (or at least laughing derisively) would a fairly likely outcome of being flogged a tatty orange t-shirt for nearly fifty quid in between watching a clearly weakened team getting sucked into a possible relegation battle.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Sadly observing all of this from a distance, I'd say that getting cross (or at least laughing derisively) would a fairly likely outcome of being flogged a tatty orange t-shirt for nearly fifty quid in between watching a clearly weakened team getting sucked into a possible relegation battle.

People are angry about everything. The club use the screens to sell shirts ? What do people expect the club to do ? And it is not going great on the pitch at the moment ? That can't generate the anger can it ? If that were the case we would have spent a lot of the past twenty years with steam out of our ears.

You appear to be quite happy stoking the resentment against the Club - but I do not understand where it comes from.

These are great days. We play good football, have an opportunity to establish ourselves in this division - and have ambition for the next step up, yet a lot of people on here post as if they have a personal grudge against the Club.

 

[Landgull]

A few years in the Championship suits me fine. If we manage that we will have a season (or two) when we have another proper tilt at the play-offs, and we may have a season or two where we (hopefully only) flirt with League One. Just enjoy the games and the football we play, enjoy the company and meet up with friends for a couple of pints after the games.

An amazing stadium to watch the match, the team we love and the players fortunate enough to wear the stripes. Drink the best pint of beer in the County, a wholesome pie if you need it, knowing we have some good people in charge of the club. Enjoy the fortune we have had in Tony Bloom being around to put his hand in his deep pockets, and hope that he stays healthy and wealthy.

And avoid what appears to be a growing resentment against our Club. I find all that rather strange, and assume it is a primarily NSC thing as it is not an issue amongst those I talk to about the Albion. Why do people get so cross with the Club ?

And if we get relegated - well look at the Clubs that are there already, or that have been there in the past few years. It happens. We have no divine right to be in this division.

I like this summary best because most business starts with a plan of say 5 years with a proviso to allow for major changes like the departure of a key member.
Since we have lost a key member two seasons running it may be fair to say that our 5 year plan started this summer.

 

[KZNSeagull]

TB has been advised by his financial advisors not to throw any more money at the club, at the moment, for whatever reason.

Then why on earth has he just invested an enormous amount of money in a state of the art academy that will not see a return for a very long time? Why is he now wanting to build a hotel?

He is not hiding behind FFP at all. He wants to be in a position to take advantage of any benefits of FFP that come our way, whilst at the same time, he does not want to be accused of screwing up our future prospects because we cannot sign any players if we are sanctioned under FFP. I have no doubt just as many supporters would moan about that too if it happened.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

I like this summary best because most business starts with a plan of say 5 years with a proviso to allow for major changes like the departure of a key member.
Since we have lost a key member two seasons running it may be fair to say that our 5 year plan started this summer.

What we need most of all is stability. Ideally with a manager we can all get behind. I hope that is Sami - but he is not making it easy for himself.

 

[matt]

Oh well. I've just heard the phrase in so many things I've read I assumed that it was marketing.

It is (or at least was) an "in-house motto" apparently. http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/10735370.Albion_urged_to_be__Premier_League_Ready_/

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[Dick Knights Mumm]

I am not advocating going down, but good things may come of it because it is easier to build a winning team with a winning mentality in that division, so maybe the quickest route to the Prem is via relegation if it is done correctly.

Not sure about that. I think we will be better served establishing ourselves in this division, and getting the academy ready to produce players for this division.

 

[MattBackHome]

People are angry about everything. The club use the screens to sell shirts ? What do people expect the club to do ?

Exactly - there are a number of things to be (moderately) concerned about at the moment. Announcing the sale of Orange shirts is not one of them.

 

[MattBackHome]

Is that a statement of FACT, as it would appear from your posting? Or just some DRIVEL you have made up, which seems more likely?

He just MAKES IT APPEAR like ****ing drivel.

 

[symyjym]

Not sure about that. I think we will be better served establishing ourselves in this division, and getting the academy ready to produce players for this division.

I don't know, it didn't do Shampton any harm and they got promoted twice in consecutive seasons. If it was a choice of spending the next 4-5 years hanging around the Championship or a relegation, complete rebuild, followed by two promotions, I would go for the latter. As I said in the previous comment, Wolves look to have benefitted from the drop.

 

[father_and_son]

Then why on earth has he just invested an enormous amount of money in a state of the art academy that will not see a return for a very long time? Why is he now wanting to build a hotel?

He is not hiding behind FFP at all. He wants to be in a position to take advantage of any benefits of FFP that come our way, whilst at the same time, he does not want to be accused of screwing up our future prospects because we cannot sign any players if we are sanctioned under FFP. I have no doubt just as many supporters would moan about that too if it happened.

This and some. Tony is not some foreign buyer who swooped in to buy up a bargain, blind to the history of the club. He saw what happened to the club in the dark years under Archer and his actions have (in my honest opinion) all the hallmarks of a man determined not to allow the club back into that position, or indeed the difficulties we faced under DK's tenure dealing with Archer's legacy.
Financial stability and security seem to be the legacy Tony wants to leave. He has invested hugely in the club, but wisely too. He could have thrown £100m at the playing squad and stormed into the PL, but with no home, no academy and no long term stability.

I'd rather have a few lean years now to reap the rewards later then gamble the lot on a sh*t or bust play for the PL.