Merson tips us to go down

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

What a tool that man is.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Can he tip us to go down next year as well,please ?

 

[Weststander]

Can he tip us to go down next year as well,please ?

Let's predict his predictions now:

1. Wolves to finish top half.
2. Hudd and Cardiff to go down, plus Derby or Boro to drop should either make it to the PL.
3. ManC to win the PL.
4. ManU second.
5. Sunderland to win League One.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

It won't be easy for us again. We would like to think we may progress a little from this year but we may not be as lucky with injuries and we may struggle. I say "may" I wonder what the bookies will think. I'd settle for 15th or 16th

 

[Weststander]

It won't be easy for us again. We would like to think we may progress a little from this year but we may not be as lucky with injuries and we may struggle. I say "may" I wonder what the bookies will think. I'd settle for 15th or 16th

True about our great luck with injuries.

But we have another £100m of ADDITIONAL income to build squad quality and numbers this summer.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

True about our great luck with injuries.

But we have another £100m of ADDITIONAL income to build squad quality and numbers this summer.

That's all well and good but a good few other teams will have that amount of money to throw around. It doesn't put us at a great advantage over all the teams. Does it?

 

[Weststander]

That's all well and good but a good few other teams will have that amount of money to throw around. It doesn't put us at a great advantage over all the teams. Does it?

This season we (with Hudd) had a huge disadvantage with a thin squad and some players that found the PL a struggle at times.

Next season that squad/quality disadvantage is narrowed.

 

[*Gullsworth*]

This season we (with Hudd) had a huge disadvantage with a thin squad and some players that found the PL a struggle at times.

Next season that squad/quality disadvantage is narrowed.[]

I completely agree Weststander, only trouble is other likely relegation candidates.....Bournemouth, Southampton, Palace, Watford etc etc will be better off too. The club's who come up......Wolves......minted with high ambitions, will not struggle in my opinion. Cardiff may struggle but may do a Huddersfield/ Brighton and defy the bookies. That leaves the play off winners all big strong clubs. Can't see who we have an advantage over really. Yes we have more money to strengthen but we will be playing in an even more competitive league......It going to be hard just to tread water. I think we will improve but it's not going to be easy or straightforward.

 

[Return of the Rev]

have you bumped into anyone else famous?

Trevor Sorbie

 

[Weststander]

This season we (with Hudd) had a huge disadvantage with a thin squad and some players that found the PL a struggle at times.

Next season that squad/quality disadvantage is narrowed.[]

I completely agree Weststander, only trouble is other likely relegation candidates.....Bournemouth, Southampton, Palace, Watford etc etc will be better off too. The club's who come up......Wolves......minted with high ambitions, will not struggle in my opinion. Cardiff may struggle but may do a Huddersfield/ Brighton and defy the bookies. That leaves the play off winners all big strong clubs. Can't see who we have an advantage over really. Yes we have more money to strengthen but we will be playing in an even more competitive league......It going to be hard just to tread water. I think we will improve but it's not going to be easy or straightforward.

We can only worry about ourselves. Hughton, TB, Winstanley and the players won't fret for one second about the squads of Palace, S'ton, Burnley, Cardiff, etc.

We must be in a better position than a year ago, as we're about to have our third PL transfer window, but now with a great base of new players (Gross. Propper, Izquierdo, etc), crucial know-how of PL transfer business (hard lessons learnt) and £135m of turnover to invest.

 

[Creaky]

True about our great luck with injuries.

But we have another £100m of ADDITIONAL income to build squad quality and numbers this summer.

Not sure there’ll be an additional £100m - the club made a loss of nearly £39m last year - can’t see TB accepting a similar loss this year - take into account the higher wage bill this year and the capital costs incurred pre-season with the lights, press box etc. And there won’t be a whole lot left.

 

[Triggaaar]

we may not be as lucky with injuries and we may struggle.

True about our great luck with injuries.

Were we that lucky? Didn't Kayal miss the start, with Sidwell injured all season, meaning we only had Propper and Stephens with no subs? They formed a good partnership through necessity. Didn't March and Baldock also miss a chunk? Would have been nice if Baldock started as he finished last season, and competed for a place. Goldson missed the start too right?

 

[Nixonator]

Not sure there’ll be an additional £100m - the club made a loss of nearly £39m last year - can’t see TB accepting a similar loss this year - take into account the higher wage bill this year and the capital costs incurred pre-season with the lights, press box etc. And there won’t be a whole lot left.

Our budget will need to be similar EVERY year to stay up. You spend to tread water in this division.

I expect it will be, but for fewer players.

 

[Weststander]

Not sure there’ll be an additional £100m - the club made a loss of nearly £39m last year - can’t see TB accepting a similar loss this year - take into account the higher wage bill this year and the capital costs incurred pre-season with the lights, press box etc. And there won’t be a whole lot left.

That was old Championship financial results:
Income £29m
Regular costs £56m

= Loss £27m
(Then less exceptional promotion costs of £9m).

PL club income is at least £135m.

 

[Creaky]

That was old Championship financial results:
Income £29m
Regular costs £56m

= Loss £27m
(Then less exceptional promotion costs of £9m).

PL club income is at least £135m.

That was the FFP loss - total loss was £38.9m
https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/news/2017/december/albion-accounts-201617/

 

[Weststander]

That was the FFP loss - total loss was £38.9m
https://www.brightonandhovealbion.com/news/2017/december/albion-accounts-201617/

No, with the £9m (will never happen again) promotion costs, my figures were the audited results per Companies House.


Separately, to give an indication of our club income 2017/18 and 2018/19, here's Southampton's. Deduct say £30m for their greater broadcasting income/high PL finish prize money .... and we can see how our club income is easily £140m (compared to £29m in the Championship):

 

[Justice]

That's all well and good but a good few other teams will have that amount of money to throw around. It doesn't put us at a great advantage over all the teams. Does it?

Thats up to the recruitment team not all about money

 

[LamieRobertson]

Were we that lucky? Didn't Kayal miss the start, with Sidwell injured all season, meaning we only had Propper and Stephens with no subs? They formed a good partnership through necessity. Didn't March and Baldock also miss a chunk? Would have been nice if Baldock started as he finished last season, and competed for a place. Goldson missed the start too right?

I think we were....when you look at the spine of the ‘regular’ starting eleven we lost only Stephens for any reasonable length of time and that wasn’t too long

 

[*Gullsworth*]

Thats up to the recruitment team not all about money

Agreed it is up to our recruitment team, look how much of a gem Gross was. But financially we will only be better off to a very few teams.....Cardiff being one, Wolves are minted, third promoted team.....anyone's guess. So having an increased income will not give us a financial advantage.

 

[Weststander]

Agreed it is up to our recruitment team, look how much of a gem Gross was. But financially we will only be better off to a very few teams.....Cardiff being one, Wolves are minted, third promoted team.....anyone's guess. So having an increased income will not give us a financial advantage.

But it will allow us to buy our second 'batch' of top flight quality players. Last season Palace, Bmuff and the rest had the huge advantage of having built PL squad over many windows. If they improve that again it will be in small increments, but PL quality players will have to leave their squads to balance numbers. In contrast if we buy say 4 quality players to replace Skalak, Hunnemaier, Sidwell and Hemed, that's a big step forward for us. We have the money to do just that.