[Albion] Are you OK with TB’s long term ambitions for the Albion?

[BensGrandad]

I will be a happy man if I never see BHA relegated again during my lifetime, anything else is a bonus

 

[stewart_weir]

Nothing is forever. Mid table obscurity will get boring after a while. I do think that unless a extra funds are pumped into the club the idea of rubbing shoulders top 6 every season is a fantasy. The only way we are going to compete without those additional millions of £s is to get the academy producing world class players.

 

[Grizz]

As long as they play decent football, bring through the youngsters, give it their everything each week then I'm happy with staying in the Premier League each season. A cup flirtation would be nice, but you have to be realistic, we're never going to have the resources to compete in the top 6 even with Bloom's money. Just enjoy each game as it comes, the lower leagues are littered with clubs who tried to take it all on without the correct preparation and bringing in money that didn't really have the core club values at heart. I'd rather be relegated than go down the road of staying in the division at all costs.

Saying that in Tony I trust, just phenomenal what he's achieved over the last 5 years or so, so who knows what he has up his sleeve for the future. Sure to be a fun ride.

 

[DumLum]

Happy to finish bottom half and stay up every season if we beat a couple of big 6 sides every year and see the installation of safe standing in the north.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Very few teams to fear in the PL. 2/3rds are pure cannon fodder. Among the 'Big Six', Arsenal and Liverpool have seriously ropey defences, Chelsea blow hot and cold, ditto Tottenham. ManU more so. IMHO only Man City have genuine unplayable quality. Well until they lose Aguero and De Bruyne that is. When Leicester can win the PL and Burnley can qualify for Europe then there's absolutely nowt to fear in this division for the foreseeable. PL currently contains at least two seasons worth of relegation candidates WAY ahead of us in the queue.

 

[Justice]

CH had most teams worked out, blunder against Chelsea although we could of gone in 2-2 at half time if John Moss wasn't on the Chelsea pay roll. A few better players in certain areas and we all might be surprised.

 

[Triggaaar]

Interesting that the Wolves chairman is aiming for top 10 finish in the Premier league and TB ambition is just to stay up.

It's not his ambition, it's the first priority

 

[Justice]

Thought Fulham had a lot of potential and Derby were like Derby have been over the past few years, ok but nothing exciting. On Tony’s ambition, happy to improve each year, after Hereford we are in dreamland.


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Fulham pressed more although they began to annoy me, short corners didn't work thought they would of realised that after the 8th one. Also looked delicate at the back and Derby should of scored another at least.

 

[Triggaaar]

What a magnificent, sprawling epic of an album Get Happy was. If my memory doesn't deceive me, EC and Nick Lowe crammed so many tracks onto it that there were serious doubts as to whether it would play loud enough because the grooves were so close together

I think you'll find it's just one continuous groove on each side

(and before the pedants start, yes I'm aware that there is only one groove on each side of a vinyl album but you know what I mean).

 

[essbee1]

I've written about this on here before and I'm sure some people think I'm miserable.

I would love us to stay up for the foreseeable future and, financially, that's where we have to be The money TB has invested only makes sense if we're in the Premier League and pushing to become a global brand. But for me to be content we have to be evolving positively every season. Not just competitive in the cup but pushing for finals. Not just hanging on to 17th or 16th by the tips of our fingers but, eventually, pushing for Europe. Not by one miracle season, a la Leicester, but by constant little tweaks and improvements. The good news is I think that's where the club are too.

There are a couple of "buts" though. Firstly, the thing I really don't want is for that position in the table to be achieved with negative football and the small club attitude that's dogged us a bit this season. I thought we'd got over the initial awe of being here and then I hear people suggesting that we should maybe have a banner tomorrow wishing luck to Liverpool in the Champions League. No. F*** off. If we're here long term then we deserve to be on merit and there should be no tugging of the forelock. Some points away from home would be nice too.

Secondly I offer exactly what my Cardiff mate Sam said about Stoke this season. "Relegation will do them good. Shake the place up a bit, give them a chance to be the big boys again". If we do end up stagnating then I think a season or two in the Championship would similarly do us the power of good.

Miserable bloo*y git

 

[Triggaaar]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when he talked of 'forever' was it not based on the first goal of any club outside the top 6 being survival, or words to that effect?

Agreed.

He obviously believes that the top 6 is now locked down and that not even another Man City type spending spree could allow a club to break into it consistently.

IMO any club could break into the top 6 with City's level of money.

With that said, he is lumping us in with the other 13 clubs in the PL which is not excluding the possibility of incrementally improving and having a season like Burnley, which has to be the realistic dream, anything else is pie in the sky to suggest from a businessman even if he is a fan at heart.

Agreed.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Nobody is going to win the Premier league outside of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, or Arsenal unless they get immensely lucky and absolutely everything works for them all season (Leicester), or somebody throws vast sums of money at them for at least five years (or Arsenal plummitt after Wenger).

Therefore the best anyone can look for is to finish seventh, or scape a Europa league place like Burnley.

The one thing to avoid is complacency and staying just above the relegation zone because sooner or later everyone who has done that eventually falls - Sunderland, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Stoke, Swansea, West Brom etc.

Aim to finish above Everton.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I've written about this on here before and I'm sure some people think I'm miserable.

I would love us to stay up for the foreseeable future and, financially, that's where we have to be The money TB has invested only makes sense if we're in the Premier League and pushing to become a global brand. But for me to be content we have to be evolving positively every season. Not just competitive in the cup but pushing for finals. Not just hanging on to 17th or 16th by the tips of our fingers but, eventually, pushing for Europe. Not by one miracle season, a la Leicester, but by constant little tweaks and improvements. The good news is I think that's where the club are too.

There are a couple of "buts" though. Firstly, the thing I really don't want is for that position in the table to be achieved with negative football and the small club attitude that's dogged us a bit this season. I thought we'd got over the initial awe of being here and then I hear people suggesting that we should maybe have a banner tomorrow wishing luck to Liverpool in the Champions League. No. F*** off. If we're here long term then we deserve to be on merit and there should be no tugging of the forelock. Some points away from home would be nice too.

Secondly I offer exactly what my Cardiff mate Sam said about Stoke this season. "Relegation will do them good. Shake the place up a bit, give them a chance to be the big boys again". If we do end up stagnating then I think a season or two in the Championship would similarly do us the power of good.

I agree with this except the Liverpool banner bit. Personally I think it would be a decent thing to do and don’t see any issue with it being tin-pot which I think you’re alluding to.

 

[Jim D]

The bottom four this season finished last season in 8th, 10th, 13th and 15th (average 11.5th), so - finishing in the top 14 is absolutely no guarantee of avoiding the drop.

Stoke, Swansea and Southampton had a very good reason why they were at the bottom......they sold key players and didn't replace them. WBA had a poor season and only improved at the end. If we sell Dunk and Stephens then I can see something similar happening to us.

 

[Weststander]

Stoke, Swansea and Southampton had a very good reason why they were at the bottom......they sold key players and didn't replace them. WBA had a poor season and only improved at the end. If we sell Dunk and Stephens then I can see something similar happening to us.

This. Especially selling quality game changers / scorers for Swansea and Stoke. Fatal mistake every time.

 

[Insel affe]

I feel like the cup is something that should be a lot more important to us if we’re in the prem. our run this year was wicked. The Cov game was brilliant. I’d like us to try for decent cup runs in both of them...

Yes, avoiding relegation including year on year progression coupled with a cup win within five years would be amazing and a realistic target. A cup win would also be our biggest opportunity in gaining European football.

Now that’s a target we can achieve.

 

[ozzygull]

Absolutely delighted by what he said. It was honest and realistic. We need to go in to next season with the same attitude as this, get behind the players the same, if we get on their backs or think we have the right to beat anyone in this division the we will go down. The togetherness that got this far will give us the best chance of staying up.

 

[Westdene Wonder]

Nobody is going to win the Premier league outside of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, or Arsenal unless they get immensely lucky and absolutely everything works for them all season (Leicester), or somebody throws vast sums of money at them for at least five years (or Arsenal plummitt after Wenger).

Therefore the best anyone can look for is to finish seventh, or scape a Europa league place like Burnley.

The one thing to avoid is complacency and staying just above the relegation zone because sooner or later everyone who has done that eventually falls - Sunderland, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Stoke, Swansea, West Brom etc.

Aim to finish above Everton.

So returning to the Championship would not be a bad thing, we would be playing entertaining football and be in a league we are comfortable with

 

[Cheshire Cat]

So returning to the Championship would not be a bad thing, we would be playing entertaining football and be in a league we are comfortable with

I said no such thing. I said finish above Everton.

 

[Westdene Wonder]

We got to the QF of the FA cup and stayed up with a couple to spare - that to me is more than decent. Every year we are in the division I hope we improve by playing more attacking football with better players but that's not guaranteed so YES I'm very happy. Tony Bloom's blue and white army!!

We could improve but if we try to play attacking attractive football in our present league we will be destroyed so the choice is a very defensive rather boring very defensive system or a flowing attractive style in the Championship