Bloom's Open Letter

[grubbyhands]

Seems like an honest assessment of the situation to me.

Let's just support the players we've got and see what happens between now and January. I reckon we have the personnel to keep up us out of the bottom three.

Yup, this. Let's get behind the chairman and the boys eh?

 

[BadFish]

When money really is no object, then that process is a lot more straightforward. A blank cheque with one of the most famous clubs in the world.

Take your pick and throw money at them, easy. They are in a different game to us.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

 

[drew]

Can't believe the amount of so called fans demanding TB sends a blank cheque to a selling club/player/agent irrespective of the consequences of financial mismanagement when you consider our predicament just 20 years ago.

Also the idiots that think everything was left to the last minute. Get real.

 

[Grombleton]

No need to be sorry, I totally get that the truth hurts and some people are still in the denial stage. Have a good weekend.

How can it be true when its merely an opinion?

 

[Weststander]

That applies to most clubs i guess. The only beacon of light is that we will be part of the parachute brigade when we go down. Also the value of our players will rise providing they perform reasonably well at this level. We could easily fetch 20 million for Dunk

Dunk £25m

Knockaert £20m.

Stephens £12m.

Izquierdo £13m.

Duffy £10m

Skalak £2.76

That's some warchest to raid League One and Championship clubs.

 

[Seasidesage]

Unless Winstanley came up with the goods, but a King Canute wage structure (at first, until belatedly abandoned) from above led to none of the striker candidates fitting the bill in April to July?

It could be what happened? If it is Winstanley will survive I assume. I'd be surprised if we have abandoned a wage structure. To run a club without one would be suicide or Pompey
How realistic that structure was with the new tv deal I doubt we'll ever know. FWIW I think we were too rigid with the plan to buy top performers from the lesser leagues in the early months. It was a good idea as buying the usual suspects that other relegated teams do hasn't worked for other teams in our place previously but it didn't address our move obvious problem with strikers. By the time we widened the search we had already made a poor start and that combined with our relative lack of finance when competing with the other PL clubs plus the time constraints and especially the swiss lad failing his medical meant we run out of time.

All of that is pure conjecture of course,

 

[Seasider78]

I think he, and the recruitment team, are bang on not wildly overpaying. It's very easy for all of us to spend the club's (Tony Bloom's) money willy nilly and with no thought to the consequences.

There is not one single person on this board who has not slammed Palace and Portsmouth for their financial meltdowns and their inappropriate behaviour to get around re-paying their debts. And yet, all of a sudden, we demand to spend ridiculous sums of money on players who may or may not be successful for us. How is that any different to the crazy overspend by Palace and Portsmouth, two clubs who are constantly, and correctly, ridiculed and vilified on this forum.

Financial responsibility is boring. But when the choices are boom and bust, or caution and long term planning - I know what I choose.

The club tried to find the striker, there is no doubt about that. They failed to sign one, clearly. And that failure will be felt throughout the whole club, but we survive and we move on.

Where have we said we are overpaying? We were reported to be chucking £10-18m at clubs last night so clearly the money was there we just did not get it done. I respect Bloom for coming out and making a statement and as a fan (behind his positive statement) he will be as disappointed as all of us particularly as this weakens our chances of staying up and becoming an established premier league club.

Let us not forget we had one fit striker in our last premier league match day squad which is unforgivable at this level. Even with Murray fit we do not have that alternative option that allows Chris to mix it up a bit. We suffered from this last season when Baldock was injured and we played Murray and Hemed together in a two and we missed the running in behind that a striker with pace gives you. We are now in a division that is far less forgiving and will be poorer for not having this option in the match day squad with no sign of Baldock returning soon.

However despite this the club should be congratulated for the business they did get over the line and in Izquierdo we have added pace and goals which will help relieve some of the pressure on the strikers and Brown when fit again will give us an added option. Krul adds much needed PL experience to the squad and a viable alternative to Ryan if needed and Schelotto looks like a great addition alongside the our other additions earlier in the window.

We are fans we will get over this and get behind the team with the players we have but hard not to feel we have left ourselves an uphill task to get to January still in the mix where the club can hopefully achieve what the club aimed for in this window and bring in much needed striking option(s).

Fingers crossed we can keep the current strikers fit and they pull it out of the bag for us and priority now is supporting them and giving them every confidence at this level

 

[spence]

Dunk £25m

Knockaert £20m.

Stephens £12m.

Izquierdo £13m.

Duffy £10m

Skalak £2.76

That's some warchest to raid League One and Championship clubs.

March ?

 

[Johnny RoastBeef]

ManUre did all their deals early. I dislike Jose but you can't fault his method.

A synical man might describe Jose's method as effective but dubious. To me it seems he does like to milk every club he manages for as much as he can on transfers, predominantly signing players who are represented by his agent and close friend Mino Raiola, for what might be considered as above market value. To an outsider looking in it has a whiff of 'conflict of interests' that may or may not result in financial benefits that might be seen as sleazy.

But then again, he does get results.

 

[Weststander]

But interesting you refer to us as a club on the up. I think to many that is clearly up for debate. Many believe we have reached our peak already and will swiftly return to the championship, and that will clearly have played a role in international footballers thinking twice. I don't feel this transfer window has yet given me more confidence they will be proven wrong.

We think that we're really big and an amazing draw. But so do 35 other English clubs, some with billionaire owners, throwing all rules out of the window on fees/wages.

Niasse, Janssen, Babacar, Jovetic would not think of little old Brighton & Hove Albion FC as a footballing attraction.

 

[Weststander]

March ?

Depends on his season. What do you reckon - £15m?

 

[The_Viper]

Dunk £25m

Knockaert £20m.

Stephens £12m.

Izquierdo £13m.

Duffy £10m

Skalak £2.76

That's some warchest to raid League One and Championship clubs.

We'll see maybe 5 million of that to spend. Got to remember Barber and co will be pooping themselves with glee being able to talk about FFP again.

 

[ofco8]

Have to admit I am still feeling ****ing disappointed after yesterday. After waiting 34 years getting back to the PL and being supposedly PLR since we first entered the Amex, I really thought the club would have managed to sort out their striker recruitment this window.
It pains to say that three clubs with smaller attendances, little old Bournemouth, Huddersfield and Burnley have shown us how to operate in your first season in PL. You could also add Swansea to that list. They didn't need to spend heavily this time, except HTFC, as they had already assembled reasonable squads.

However, having now got this off my chest will be back next week helping to be the twelfth man and attending all home and some away matches to help us achieve a reasonable position by the start of January. Hopefully, then, we will be able to, at last, find the elusive striker.

 

[spence]

Depends on his season. What do you reckon - £15m?

Could easily reach that figure and beyond but needs to show it now. Certainly has the ability.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

But Bournemouth have decent strikers already!

I realise that, but the point was they were trying to achieve something and didn't.

 

[bravohotelalpha]

I imagine the recruitment team are there to find players, which they did. I presume someone else takes over to get them over the line

Nail. On. Head.

 

[Weststander]

I realise that, but the point was they were trying to achieve something and didn't.

Plus smirking cock Howe would swap squads in the blink of a (black) eye.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

Bloom's letter looks very fair to me. Alright, we did not get the striker that we wanted- but , hey... stuff happens in life and you don't always get what you want.

At least the man cares. He is a supporter just like us and for that we should be grateful. I don't want the club owned by some foreign CEO of of a far Eastern corporation who views it as an investment and a tax break .

It must be harder to 'sell' this club to the experienced players we want, when newly promoted with no Prem record. .

So how about keeping the faith , showing our support and demonstrating that we ,as well as the players have the stomach for the battles ahead.

 

[Weststander]

We'll see maybe 5 million of that to spend. Got to remember Barber and co will be pooping themselves with glee being able to talk about FFP again.

Then WE GO AGAIN.

A few years older and wiser, but the stoic Albion support are patient when it comes to getting to the top division. Season 2052/53 it is.

 

[Chickenlittle]

Shows the calibre of the Man, has spent many millions but dissappointed as most are that Striker not signed,However remaining positive and asking for all our support. Lets get behind the team big time next weekend...West Brom at home beatable !!!!

"Two strikers down,
who gives a f**k,
we're Brighton & Hove Albion
and we're stayin' up'....

and repeat...