Anyone else quite happy if we stay in the championship for a few seasons?

[blue'n'white]

Eh. I don't really care what league we're in as long as we're at our level. Whether we were in Div. 3 or the Championship or League 1, it doesn't matter so long as the football is entertaining and we're relatively competive.
My biggest concern about the club is that we go up into the Premier League and then get tonked every week and come dead last. I think we're just about there though. I reckon if we went up, and used our promotion/TV money wisely, then we could at the very least survive a relegation battle. But as a fan, I'm perfectly happy to be a playoff chasing club for a few seasons if it means when we get to the Prem, we're more likely to stay there.
The worry is that the money will dry up. But it's hard to say what our finances are really like.

Quite agree with this
Personally I think we're at about our right level
I'm assuming those who claim that we are mediocre never saw much of the Withdean years and never saw that bloody awful season where Wilkins took us to 7th playing the most dire putrid football
I certainly don't want us to go up "because it would be a laugh". Struggling each week isn't a laugh and aiming for the parachute payments is, frankly, ridiculous. I want us to be able to compete

 

[The Modfather]

Quite agree with this
Personally I think we're at about our right level
I'm assuming those who claim that we are mediocre never saw much of the Withdean years and never saw that bloody awful season where Wilkins took us to 7th playing the most dire putrid football
I certainly don't want us to go up "because it would be a laugh". Struggling each week isn't a laugh and aiming for the parachute payments is, frankly, ridiculous. I want us to be able to compete

Yep. just about sums it up for me too

 

[Acker79]

Cardiff at home ? one of the poorer matches this season - do you mean Sheff Wed?

Both. Cardiff wasn't a bad overall performance, imho. I think people are distracted by the fact we didn't win making it 10 league games since out last win, and that we failed to convert our chances. But the performance itself wasn't that bad if you think that with ulloa some of those chance would perhaps be converted. A clean sheet, 16 shots, 14 corners, 55% possession. If that was the worst of our performances, I'd be happy.

 

[Rugrat]

Tony Bloom won't be happy and that is the main thing as he wants the Premiership to recoup his outlays

Totally. His investment and upcoming investment in training ground and £8M+ of annual operating loss suggests he wants/needs it sooner rather than later. If we miss out this or next season he may well pull back on the funding and who knows what happens then? A nice shiny stadium guarantees nothing

 

[Northstandite]

Both. Cardiff wasn't a bad overall performance, imho. I think people are distracted by the fact we didn't win making it 10 league games since out last win, and that we failed to convert our chances. But the performance itself wasn't that bad if you think that with ulloa some of those chance would perhaps be converted. A clean sheet, 16 shots, 14 corners, 55% possession. If that was the worst of our performances, I'd be happy.

Lies, lies, and statistics.

The only stat that counts in football is 3 points.

We dominated Bolton but failed at the end.

Football is not like Rugby where territory, possession and pressure from first minute generates points one way or another.

The league table does not lie, and you quite easily argue luck evens out eg we were inept at Ewood but stole a point.

 

[Acker79]

Lies, lies, and statistics.

The only stat that counts in football is 3 points.

We dominated Bolton but failed at the end.

Football is not like Rugby where territory, possession and pressure from first minute generates points one way or another.

The league table does not lie, and you quite easily argue luck evens out eg we were inept at Ewood but stole a point.

Huh? It's not about points. It's about quality of performance/entertainment. It was an attack minded performance that I enjoyed (though admittedly there was a touch of frustration at our inability to convert those chances).

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

It's a great competitive division, loads of decent towns cities, pubs to visit. A good few biggish teams to play and also the chance of a win in most games. I would love us to get to the Premier league but can we have a few more years at this level first and enjoy the ride, as i for one once the novelty has worn of dont much fancy a stuffing week in week out and paying £45 - £50 a match for the privilege.

No. Very unhappy if we don't go up this year, or every year that we are in this league.

 

[ewe2]

IMO we will have maybe another 2 seasons in the championship. We will reach the premiership ,however i believe Gus would have moved on by then. (maybe to Chelsea God help him )

 

[Westdene Wonder]

Its good to see that not everybody is putting pressure on the directors and manager by continually expecting us to gain promotion to the Premiership,those who have attended matches since our arrival at the new stadium, which of course is a large majority have become used to promotion and are not thinking it through, if they had been supporting the team that gained promotion to the old Division 1 they would remember the excitement of being a member of the Top League,huge amount of money was spent on new players and salaries however within a couple of months it was realised we could not compete and for many games it was back to the wall and trying to keep the goals against figure, down.
It was a relief when were relegated and thought we would enjoy the lower league play but of course we could not afford the salaries of the new signings and we had to let them go to be replaced by players who were often nearing the end of their careers and carrying injuries,not surprisingly we continued to drop down the leagues and almost became a non-league side, watched by small crowds.
To hold a good position in the Championship and play entertaining football particularly at home will be i think, a far better option.

 

[SussexHoop]

For us the last 2 seasons have been an absolute rollercoaster - we look as though we're going down but then we did last season as well so it's not over yet.

If we go down, will I wish we'd not gone up in the first place? Absolutely not!! I know we've had some games where we've been battered this season and last but beating the likes of Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal, Everton, Cisse's goal against Stoke, staying up last day of the season, beating the scum twice one of those away - great, great memories.

The finances are a worry but Fernandes and the Mittals have said they're here for the long term even if we go down and I hope they're true to their word.

For the record, Fernandes has said

i) Samba isn't on £100k a week
ii) we've shipped enough players out so our wage bill has dropped even with the new signings
iii) Samba will stay if we go down and his wages will go down too
iv) Remy is being paid what Newcastle offered but will be sold if we go down.
v) Bosingwa's a ****.

I made that last one up.

 

[stss30]

Everyone is somewhat missing the point. The championship is a great league, entertaining football, big games, nice grounds and very competitive. The point is 80% of managers in this league would give there right arm to have the squad we got and we just ain't doing it on the pitch. Thank god for the first ten games, where we took 18 points, otherwise we would be in a relegation scrap. It's deja vu of last season, only we have signed another 8/9 players, nothing has been learnt on the tactics side, with better players.

Completely agree, it is the tactics that are the issue. Time and time again, we drop points through having the wrong tactics from the start or sitting back on one goal leads only to be undone. We should be in the top 4 if these issues have been addressed with the squad we have but it will be another mid table finish for us.

 

[Willy Dangle]

It's a great competitive division, loads of decent towns cities, pubs to visit. A good few biggish teams to play and also the chance of a win in most games. I would love us to get to the Premier league but can we have a few more years at this level first and enjoy the ride, as i for one once the novelty has worn of dont much fancy a stuffing week in week out and paying £45 - £50 a match for the privilege.

Agree but you can kiss goodbye to Gus.

 

[the silurian]

Rather like the Championship - good post and I agree with that.

Enjoying the journey I am, give us another season in the league before promotion. Get to visit some nice places and we also get to feel how lucky we are by having the Amex by visiting places like Selhurst and Hillsborough.

You forgot 'And getting soundly beaten at both'.

 

[Ali_rrr]

Some dull teams in the premiership too. Cant say that Stoke, Wigan, Sunderland etc fill me with any enthusiasm.

So Barnsley, Bristol City and Peterborough do?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

It's a great competitive division, loads of decent towns cities, pubs to visit. A good few biggish teams to play and also the chance of a win in most games. I would love us to get to the Premier league but can we have a few more years at this level first and enjoy the ride, as i for one once the novelty has worn of dont much fancy a stuffing week in week out and paying £45 - £50 a match for the privilege.

You're assuming we can just choose to coast in this division until we strengthen enough to go up. Only needs one sub-standard season and then suddenly the club is fighting to even stay in the Championship, let alone be promoted from it. Would rather get stuffed week in, week out in the next division up than risk complacency in this one. Onwards and upwards always!

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

You forgot 'And getting soundly beaten at both'.

Yes but we'll gloss over that. The only upside of losing at those places that we have another year to go back to them (providing you/they don't go down as you won't be going up).

Also see how the anti-Gus brigade are trying to hijack this thread as well.....where are some of these people when we play well ?

 

[Ernest]

You're assuming we can just choose to coast in this division until we strengthen enough to go up. Only needs one sub-standard season and then suddenly the club is fighting to even stay in the Championship, let alone be promoted from it. Would rather get stuffed week in, week out in the next division up than risk complacency in this one. Onwards and upwards always!

The day we accept the championship is as far as we can go then we will be back down to crowds of less than 10000

 

[Geestar]

Aim high and lets get to the Premier League ASAP

 

[GingerBeerMan]

i would be happy if we stayed in the championship for a couple more seasons and then go up

You wouldn't be so happy to stay in the Championship if it was £8m a year of YOUR money we were losing.

 

[Willy Dangle]

We can't afford to stay put. All the riches are in the prem.