Black Country Seagull
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Knight: I'll accept mid-table finish
04-08-2006 09:29
Brighton chairman Dick Knight has revealed he will accept a mid-table finish this season - if the club develops it's promising youngsters.
The Seagulls were relegated from the Championship last season but the Albion supremo is warning supporters that a promotion push may not be on the cards.
Knight told the Brighton Evening Argus: "A lot of people expect us to bounce straight back, as we did three years ago. That would be great but we have to be realistic. What is very important is that we have got a lot of new young players coming through who we had the confidence in to give pro contracts.
"It's very important that we develop them this year because the future of this club, until we are well established at Falmer in six or seven years time, will have to be mainly on finding our own players, not spending £2 million on a new player.
"I'm not being defeatist, I am being realistic and pragmatic. We know some clubs in this League have big budgets, much bigger even than clubs in the Championship.
"I'm not accepting mid-table anonymity, I'm just saying if it happens and we bring these young players through into the first team, that will be very good for the future of this club, which is what I'm concerned about."
04-08-2006 09:29
Brighton chairman Dick Knight has revealed he will accept a mid-table finish this season - if the club develops it's promising youngsters.
The Seagulls were relegated from the Championship last season but the Albion supremo is warning supporters that a promotion push may not be on the cards.
Knight told the Brighton Evening Argus: "A lot of people expect us to bounce straight back, as we did three years ago. That would be great but we have to be realistic. What is very important is that we have got a lot of new young players coming through who we had the confidence in to give pro contracts.
"It's very important that we develop them this year because the future of this club, until we are well established at Falmer in six or seven years time, will have to be mainly on finding our own players, not spending £2 million on a new player.
"I'm not being defeatist, I am being realistic and pragmatic. We know some clubs in this League have big budgets, much bigger even than clubs in the Championship.
"I'm not accepting mid-table anonymity, I'm just saying if it happens and we bring these young players through into the first team, that will be very good for the future of this club, which is what I'm concerned about."