Have this feeling that all will not be well in summer.........

[Icy Gull]

Quality of loan players we've had? We nearly got promoted with Bridge, Upson and Ward. Tex would have been even better playing in a better team. We don't have to raise our wages as we'd only be paying a proportion of the player's wages.

How come we can't get a forward who is even half reasonable at this level then? It has been obvious to a blind man from very early in the season that we are absolutely useless upfront but we didn't manage to get even a half decent player on loan?. Does that really not make you think that perhaps we probably aren't willing to pay the going rate? We got Bent for a month I accept but we were probably just putting him in the shop window if the truth be known.

 

[Mellotron]

We have a competitive budget - we have to use it better.

Competitive with who? We're nowhere near paying the wages/transfer fees that the vast majority of top Championship sides do.

 

[Bold Seagull]

How come we can't get a forward who is even half reasonable at this level then?

We've sold or let go 3 in the last 4 seasons...

 

[Megazone]

Basing Chris Hughtons judgement on the signing of Kayal. I think it's 'Best' to wait and see.

 

[Icy Gull]

We've sold or let go 3 in the last 4 seasons...

If we go back three seasons you wouldn't have heard me utter a word against the way this club was run. It's just since Poyet was fired that the wheels have been going in all directions. I could accept that we are just marking time waiting for the Academy to produce if TB or PB would just come out and admit it rather than trying to peddle "aiming for the top six" spin. We are no more genuinely aiming for the top six than we are looking to get relegated imo. I cannot tell you how much I would like to be proved completely and utterly wrong though.

We got so so lucky with Oscar after Poyet and now we are reaping the consequences of selling off the family silver and having a quality manager just walk away. I understand why we had to sell the players I'm just not happy with being fed spin and corporate speak in an attempt to cover up what is actually, imo, going on.

 

[Bold Seagull]

If we go back three seasons you wouldn't have heard me utter a word against the way this club was run. It's just since Poyet was fired that the wheels have been going in all directions. I could accept that we are just marking time waiting for the Academy to produce if TB or PB would just come out and admit it rather than trying to peddle "aiming for the top six" spin. We are no more genuinely aiming for the top six than we are looking to get relegated imo. I cannot tell you how much I would like to be proved completely and utterly wrong though.

We got so so lucky with Oscar after Poyet and now we are reaping the consequences of selling off the family silver and having a quality manager just walk away. I understand why we had to sell the players I'm just not happy with being fed spin and corporate speak in an attempt to cover up what is actually, imo, going on.

I actually think Poyet was the start of the problem, I would go back and suggest he started us down the route of where we've ended up.

Firstly, his title success empowered him and inflated his ego to the extent that he was given largely a free reign. This led (I believe) to Gus making decisions on the the likes of Murray, Cook, Elphick, even Noone not being good enough for 'his' football. So we started down a route of big signings and contracts that clearly got out of control, and letting good players go.

In all honesty, I think Gus was given a long leash, and left us high and dry. The irony is, I think we reached his ceiling, not the club reaching ours. The tightening of the purse strings is a result of Poyet's overspending in those first 2 seasons.

Garcia probably did the best job of the Amex era getting that squad to the top 6 so I don't disagree with you there. But to my mind TB feeling he needed a DoF in Burke was down to Poyet who couldn't be controlled by the club. We're only just pulling out of the mess Poyet left behind him.

 

[chaileyjem]

Competitive with who? We're nowhere near paying the wages/transfer fees that the vast majority of top Championship sides do.

Whats nowhere near ? In the top 10 ?

 

[ozzygull]

I think if the club feel they can't afford a challenge next season then they should be honest about it. If you tell fans to expect a top six team and we end 20th then very unhappy fans. If you don't set the expectations so high, the fall is not so painful.

 

[chaileyjem]

I think if the club feel they can't afford a challenge next season then they should be honest about it. If you tell fans to expect a top six team and we end 20th then very unhappy fans. If you don't set the expectations so high, the fall is not so painful.

Too late. He's already said it...

“We will do our very best to give ourselves a competitive squad to be in the top six, so for sure we’ll be getting in new recruits in the summer which will get us in that position.
...It’s going to be quite a busy summer."
via http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/11877330.Bloom_aims_for_top_six_next_season/

He never actually says we will be top six or promoted. He always says as with next year he thinks he's going to fund a squad that could do it. Just because this lot didn't deliver doesn't this year mean a) he didn't cough up or provide enough funds for that to be possible b) he didn't believe it.

 

[Icy Gull]

I actually think Poyet was the start of the problem, I would go back and suggest he started us down the route of where we've ended up.

Firstly, his title success empowered him and inflated his ego to the extent that he was given largely a free reign. This led (I believe) to Gus making decisions on the the likes of Murray, Cook, Elphick, even Noone not being good enough for 'his' football. So we started down a route of big signings and contracts that clearly got out of control, and letting good players go.

In all honesty, I think Gus was given a long leash, and left us high and dry. The irony is, I think we reached his ceiling, not the club reaching ours. The tightening of the purse strings is a result of Poyet's overspending in those first 2 seasons.

Garcia probably did the best job of the Amex era getting that squad to the top 6 so I don't disagree with you there. But to my mind TB feeling he needed a DoF in Burke was down to Poyet who couldn't be controlled by the club. We're only just pulling out of the mess Poyet left behind him.

I get what you are saying and I was not impressed by Poyet's antics in his last two seasons here, but to blame him for the current predicament suggests that Bloom had no say. I have been of the opinion since the appointment and non backing of Oscar in the transfer market that TB was willing to have a gamble on Gus taking us all the way. It nearly worked and I am convinced that we are now having to be much more circumspect. Bottom line is that I don't think we can compete with the ambitious clubs in this league and that's fine but I wish the club would stop bullshitting.

 

[Seasider78]

The scepticism comes from previous transfer windows where we have made lots of noises about doing the right things but aside from a few notable exceptions have failed to get deals over the line.

However we cannot judge the current setup by the performance of the previous team and for one I want to remain optimistic that the new team plus a manager who is much better connected at this level can address the shortcomings of this side.

I still think it will take a couple of windows to build a side capable of competing at the top end of the division but remain optimistic we will address the major shortfalls this summer.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Competitive with who? We're nowhere near paying the wages/transfer fees that the vast majority of top Championship sides do.

I believe our playing budget last season was 8th highest in the league. That's competitive.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

If we go back three seasons you wouldn't have heard me utter a word against the way this club was run. It's just since Poyet was fired that the wheels have been going in all directions. I could accept that we are just marking time waiting for the Academy to produce if TB or PB would just come out and admit it rather than trying to peddle "aiming for the top six" spin. We are no more genuinely aiming for the top six than we are looking to get relegated imo. I cannot tell you how much I would like to be proved completely and utterly wrong though.

We got so so lucky with Oscar after Poyet and now we are reaping the consequences of selling off the family silver and having a quality manager just walk away. I understand why we had to sell the players I'm just not happy with being fed spin and corporate speak in an attempt to cover up what is actually, imo, going on.

Agree with you all the way along, other than that point. The football under Oscar was dire, we effectively fluked our way into the play-off's and whilst I totally accept you finish where you deserve argument, surely you would admit, that we benefited from a division void of quality (incidentally proven by the fact that none of the promoted teams have cemented their premier league place). Compare that with Palace and Hull, and in our first season West ham and Southampton.

The last time I saw us really play well and destroy a team was Blackpool and Wolves in the final two league games of Poyet's reign. There have been odd games since then, but nothing to match those. QPR under Oscar perhaps...... but not really anything.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I get what you are saying and I was not impressed by Poyet's antics in his last two seasons here, but to blame him for the current predicament suggests that Bloom had no say. I have been of the opinion since the appointment and non backing of Oscar in the transfer market that TB was willing to have a gamble on Gus taking us all the way. It nearly worked and I am convinced that we are now having to be much more circumspect. Bottom line is that I don't think we can compete with the ambitious clubs in this league and that's fine but I wish the club would stop bullshitting.

It's not that TB had no say, of course he did, but I think he was treading on egg shells so as not to upset Poyet and did his best to keep him happy - a process that obviously came to a head when enough was enough.

I think we can compete again in this league. The likes of Birmingham have turned woeful seasons around, and become competitive again very quickly without spending, as have SheffWeds, H'Field, Charlton. Totally reliant on us having a good summer. If we can nail a couple more Kayal's in a few other positions, I think we'll be in good shape - but that is easier said then done.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Agree with you all the way along, other than that point. The football under Oscar was dire, we effectively fluked our way into the play-off's and whilst I totally accept you finish where you deserve argument, surely you would admit, that we benefited from a division void of quality (incidentally proven by the fact that none of the promoted teams have cemented their premier league place). Compare that with Palace and Hull, and in our first season West ham and Southampton.

The last time I saw us really play well and destroy a team was Blackpool and Wolves in the final two league games of Poyet's reign. There have been odd games since then, but nothing to match those. QPR under Oscar perhaps...... but not really anything.

We 'really played well and destroyed' Leeds, two months ago. Ignore the scoreline. Could have been 6 or 7 easily.

 

[chaileyjem]

We 'really played well and destroyed' Leeds, two months ago. Ignore the scoreline. Could have been 6 or 7 easily.

And last year we "played really well and destroyed" Leicester. Twice.

 

[Icy Gull]

It's not that TB had no say, of course he did, but I think he was treading on egg shells so as not to upset Poyet and did his best to keep him happy - a process that obviously came to a head when enough was enough.

I think we can compete again in this league. The likes of Birmingham have turned woeful seasons around, and become competitive again very quickly without spending, as have SheffWeds, H'Field, Charlton. Totally reliant on us having a good summer. If we can nail a couple more Kayal's in a few other positions, I think we'll be in good shape - but that is easier said then done.

If we can find a forward who stays fit and is quality at this level we might become entertaining to watch again, that really would do for me. I love this division.

 

[Icy Gull]

Agree with you all the way along, other than that point. The football under Oscar was dire, we effectively fluked our way into the play-off's and whilst I totally accept you finish where you deserve argument, surely you would admit, that we benefited from a division void of quality (incidentally proven by the fact that none of the promoted teams have cemented their premier league place). Compare that with Palace and Hull, and in our first season West ham and Southampton.

The last time I saw us really play well and destroy a team was Blackpool and Wolves in the final two league games of Poyet's reign. There have been odd games since then, but nothing to match those. QPR under Oscar perhaps...... but not really anything.

I think Oscar was immense last season, I know he has his detractors - boring football, no bottle, can't hold a job down etc but he got the best out of an injury ravaged squad and brought through Ince and JFC as well as introducing March at the end of the season. Yes sometimes it was a little dull but we were hard to beat and we nicked games we had no right to win. I would have loved to have seen what he could do with his own players, but he walked and then had the heart scare, so it was not meant to be.

We are going to have to agree to differ on Oscar

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

We 'really played well and destroyed' Leeds, two months ago. Ignore the scoreline. Could have been 6 or 7 easily.

That's 2 games then, I do agree. You could nearly argue Fulham away as well, in terms of graft and play.

In terms of Leicester (H) theseason before, I think it was a good performance in one half, which also happened against Bolton. We didn't batter them for 90 mins.

 

[GT49er]

How come we can't get a forward who is even half reasonable at this level then? It has been obvious to a blind man from very early in the season that we are absolutely useless upfront but we didn't manage to get even a half decent player on loan?. Does that really not make you think that perhaps we probably aren't willing to pay the going rate? We got Bent for a month I accept but we were probably just putting him in the shop window if the truth be known.

Because our recruitment team wasn't very good this season, and so missed out on the likes of Bamford and Vidra (although the latter was always going to be a tough one given Watford's links). The seasons when we had the likes of Bridge and Upson, we had a chap called Ulloa, so probably weren't looking for a loan striker.