Is the current Albion squad "strong enough to reach the play-offs''

[Bwian]

.....were just lacking confidence

And talent
And ability
And a desire to win
And coaching.

 

[Grombleton]

"The cost of our squad this year, in terms of salaries, is higher than it has ever been in our history."

The most shocking statment from the interview.
We have always been told that we are trying to drive salary levels down.
Based on this we cannot trust the current incumbert (Burke) who agreed these deals to spend any further money.

I'm not defending Burke, but don't all the deals have to be rubber-stamped by TB first, or at least work within the agreed framework?

 

[Bwian]

"The cost of our squad this year, in terms of salaries, is higher than it has ever been in our history."

The most shocking statment from the interview.
We have always been told that we are trying to drive salary levels down.
Based on this we cannot trust the current incumbert (Burke) who agreed these deals to spend any further money.

I said this on another thread:

That really is astonishing that this season's rabble are earning so much.

Time to bring back performance related earnings for footballers-especially our current squad.

I'd like to add that Burke and co should be on performance related pay too-he'd be shopping in Iceland a lot this season...not the country either!

 

[leigull]

I see a squad of ordinary, lower league journeymen footballers, many of them lacking in basic skills like passing to a teammate. This current group of players do not have the talent to get us anywhere near the playoffs.

I can't prove it of course, but think with the right coach they would be competing in upper midtable/playoffs. Confidence is in pieces at the moment which is leading to more and more fundamental errors. The performances at the start of the season really had me believing we were in for a similar season to Oscar's, not spectacular but a solid team nonetheless, despite the huge turnover of bodies. As the weeks went on we still didn't adapt to Hyypia's style, leading to him finally changing it in the last few games.

O'Grady and Hughes could well come under the journeyman tag though!

 

[Bwian]

I can't prove it of course, but think with the right coach they would be competing in upper midtable/playoffs. Confidence is in pieces at the moment which is leading to more and more fundamental errors. The performances at the start of the season really had me fully believing we were in for a similar season to Oscar's, despite the huge turnover of bodies. As the weeks went on we still didn't adapt to Hyypia's style, leading to him finally changing it in the last few games.

These 'men' are professional footballers for crying out loud. That is all they've known about and wanted since an early age-that should be motivation enough to do better. They should be going out there to win in spite of the manager/coaches.

They're not showing any lack of confidence when it comes to asking for high wages so now is the time for them to frigging well start earning their salaries.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

yes it may have been as the players were recruited, but for whatever reason we haven't been getting the points return our performances merit. (Cardiff, Bournemouth, Blackpool, etc)

Had we secure some of those extra points, then we could have been nicely positioned for a play-off challenge again.

Do i think we can make it now without new players - no.
Do i think we can still make it with new signings - It's possible, (but not probable and a mid-table finish is more likely) - how far away were Palace, Reading, Bolton, etc when they put in a very good run in the 2nd half of the season after being in or around the bottom 3?

 

[Albion Dan]

"The cost of our squad this year, in terms of salaries, is higher than it has ever been in our history."

If that is true and TB believes the squad those wages have purchased is up to scratch compared to the last two years then I seriously fear for the future under the current management team.

 

[pb21]

Kuszczak, Upson, Ward, Lopez, Buckley, Bridcutt, Orlandi, Ulloa, Barnes

IMO they would all be in the match day squad above the current lot, and they only just made the play-offs!

 

[Algernon]

Absolutely no chance. Far too lightweight and lacking in leadership and fight.

 

[Icy Gull]

.
"The cost of our squad this year, in terms of salaries, is higher than it has ever been in our history."."

Short term investment for half the team as they won't be here next season and we have paid one transfer fee?. The team is full of loanees, which is never a good thing. See Adams Mark 2 for proof.

If we are going to rely on loanees from here on in, we will not get promoted anytime soon. I can live with staying in the Championship though, just hope that we can.

We have no choice but to run with whatever Bloom deems appropriate, doesn't mean we have to love it and not question it though does it?

 

[Guy Fawkes]

These 'men' are professional footballers for crying out loud. That is all they've known about and wanted since an early age-that should be motivation enough to do better. They should be going out there to win in spite of the manager/coaches.

They're not showing any lack of confidence when it comes to asking for high wages so now is the time for them to frigging well start earning their salaries.

We are high up the pitch, creating a lot of chances (in terms of number but not necessarily quality of shots) and limiting the opposition to only a few chances (from which they seem to be scoring from their first effort on target)

We are lacking that killer pass / cross, that spotted run and through ball and maybe just a bit of luck (keepers playing a worldie against us, woodwork and out for us --> wookwork and in for Blackburn and teams scoring with their first effort, etc)

We are trying to win, the tactics are to go for the win (pushing Dunk & Greer up, even Stockdale at the death on occasions) we haven't appeared to have settled for a point in any of the games i've seen this season

 

[leigull]

These 'men' are professional footballers for crying out loud. That is all they've known about and wanted since an early age-that should be motivation enough to do better. They should be going out there to win in spite of the manager/coaches.

They're not showing any lack of confidence when it comes to asking for high wages so now is the time for them to frigging well start earning their salaries.

I don't doubt they're not trying to win at all, but been obvious since day one how confused they are with the tactics and what's being asked of them, it's not just a case of putting in more effort. Confidence is bound to be fragile when they went 10 or 11 games without winning, it's only natural. Yes the players have to do their part, but it's driven completely by the coaching staff.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

I don't think so no

 

[Hamilton]

Has he actually been to any of the games? Surely he can see with his own eyes that it is not.

 

[oldboyroy]

TB = cloud cuckoo land!!

 

[spanish flair]

I'm not defending Burke, but don't all the deals have to be rubber-stamped by TB first, or at least work within the agreed framework?

Do we know he has to rubber stamp all deals? When I was working and I was given a budget to run my department, I never had to keep running to the boss to rubber stamp every purchase and I don't think I could have handled that if I had. Surely a player budget and guidelines are set and someone manages it, I would think DB and PB between them. The thought of Bloom hiring top guys without authority I find a little strange to be honest.

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

On paper maybe but the game is played on grass and that's where we slip up.

 

[chaileyjem]

The team is full of loanees, which is never a good thing.
If we are going to rely on loanees from here on in, we will not get promoted anytime soon.

is the structure of the team, in terms of loanees really that different to previous seasons when we made the play-offs etc.

For Joe Bennett, Gardner, Teixeira, even Bennett - see also Ward, Andrews, Lingard, Conway last season and Upson, Bridge, Hammond in 2012/13 (virtually all ever-presents in the team) . Obika/Lita for example last year were emergency loans but hardly played and were here for a few weeks like Al Habsi, Halford who we aren't relying on are we.. Bennett feels like a Upson. Potentially a signing in January.
But not true to say this year is any different from previous Amex seasons in terms of the loan/permanent/emergency loanees balance. Its not Watford a la Zola quite yet.

 

[oldboyroy]

Kuszczak, Bridge, Upson, Bridcutt, Barnes, Buckley, Vicente, Ward, Murray, Ulloa, oh yeah and Orlandi and Lopez!

Read those names and weep.... maybe didnt have em all in the same squad but thats the quality we used to attract and have now lost.

And the wage bill is higher now with some players 2 leagues below them in terms of quality.....we have well and truly been had Burke has too!!!

 

[Grombleton]

Do we know he has to rubber stamp all deals? When I was working and I was given a budget to run my department, I never had to keep running to the boss to rubber stamp every purchase and I don't think I could have handled that if I had. Surely a player budget and guidelines are set and someone manages it, I would think DB and PB between them. The thought of Bloom hiring top guys without authority I find a little strange to be honest.

That's partly my point - I presume he would rubber-stamp some of the deals (the big money ones) but otherwise there'll be a framework set for DB to work within - if there's a deal that may break that framework then it'd be a judgement call between DB, TB and (i assume) SH and PB.

Either way, the claim made (not by you) that "Based on this we cannot trust the current incumbert (Burke) who agreed these deals to spend any further money." is peculiar when he will know what boundaries to work within. I do concede that the people he has bought in within that framework have been mixed.