[Albion] Potter was a terrible coach at Swansea too

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Here could well be the problem, Mr Bloom clearly has a plan for longevity of the club, bringing through youth and picking up a bargain that we can utilise and ultimately sell on for a profit while slowly progressing the club to the platform or target of a top ten Premier league club. We are clearly willing to pay top dollar (for a club our size) of 20+ million for a striker however the issue we have fallen down on appears to be wages and that structure put in place.

I feel for us to maintain our league place and push on, we must ultimately offer those kinds of wages demanded and that seem to be the going rate.
Even then, we may fail to attract a target, due to our position and the fact we are constantly near the relegation zone, we need to attract a young striker who is eager to show his talent and move on so to speak, use us as a stepping stone rather than a journey man, who is happy to sit out his contract and has nothing to prove.

Finding the golden ticket will never be easy, when the majority of clubs throughout Europe are all in the same boat, so we have to break the wage structure to survive end of.

I agree that it is about wages as much as (if not more than) the headline purchase price. But it is possible to stay up without paying £100k+ to players. Here are Burnley's 20/21 wages - which are up from the previous year:

Name Age Position Wages in £/Week Contract End
Ben Mee 31 CB 64,000 2022
Jay Rodríguez 31 CF 58,000 2021
Chris Wood 28 CF 57,500 2023
James Tarkowski 27 CB 49,500 2022
Ashley Barnes 30 CF 47,500 2022
Ben Gibson 27 CB 41,500 2022
Robbie Brady 28 LM 40,500 2021
Dwight McNeil 20 LW 40,000 2024
Jack Cork 31 DM 38,000 2021
Nick Pope 28 GK 37,500 2023
Dale Stephens 31 CM 37,500 2022
Matej Vydra 28 CF 37,500 2022
Charlie Taylor 27 LB 36,500 2024
Jóhann Berg Gudmundsson 30 RW 36,500 2021
Ashley Westwood 30 DM 36,000 2023
Josh Brownhill 24 CM 35,000 2024
Matthew Lowton 31 RB 29,000 2021
Erik Pieters 32 LB 25,000 2021
Kevin Long 30 CB 23,000 2021
Bailey Peacock-Farrell 23 GK 22,500 2024
Phil Bardsley 35 RB 17,500 2021
Will Norris 27 GK 16,500 2023
Mace Goodridge 21 CM 4,500 2021
Jimmy Dunne 23 CB 3,000 2021
Lukas Jensen 21 GK 1,250 2021
Bobby Thomas 19 CB 750 2021

 

[Justice]

Agreed, and Hughton was roundly criticised by many on here for sitting on a lead, not pushing for the 2nd goal, and was what GP received credit for early in his tenure.. indeed the very 1st game away at Watford.. had we set up to defend the lead and still conceded a 2nd vs. West Ham, GP would have been lambasted for that too. Of course it can never be one thing or another all of the time, but looking to get that 2 goal cushion is hardly "naive" as others have called it.

Mourhino arguably one of the best managers in the world does exactly the same thing protects a lead, he even did it against us. Considering how desperate we needed three points in my view it was naive by Potter.

 

[Simster]

At the tail end of last season I made the prediction if the club didn’t invest in a proven EPL striker who could provide pace, power and goals then whatever happened in the rest of the pitch we would end up in a relegation battle this season. I haven’t changed my mind 1% on that and I know the vast majority of our fans share that opinion.
Welbeck is not the answer due to his fitness but on the few occasions he has been fit he has made a significant positive impact, that is what this team is missing. That player could/should have been Locadia he looked the part but sadly he’s shitehouse. I worry Bloom is burnt by Locadia and also Ali J.

If we won’t invest in the Wilsons or Ings of this world when they become available then we are on rinse/repeat of this season until we either strike it lucky with an academy striker or we are relegated.

This is why I’m holding back judgement on Potter for now, I think he’s making some small mistakes but he’s so hamstrung by that lack of real quality and threat in the opposition penalty box.

This really is spot on as I see it (except I don't think Welbeck has ever been that good for us either).

I really wish I was ready to just blame Potter for everything but you only have to look at the Newport game to see what he's up against: a) the obligatory fück-up at the back (this time it was the keeper, but they tend to share fück-up duty) that always costs points in the top flight and b) the utterly shithouse ability/form of our front players, as woefully demonstrated by our penalties and inability to ever capitalise on half-chances. Potter must feel his players are letting him down a bit. He doesn't need perfection, but we give so any avoidable goals away and need three times more chances than other teams to score - that simply isn't his fault.

In defence of Potter: 1) I hate the results, but I'm not watching a team of clueless cloggers or players who don't want to play for him. It's still a decent watch, which is why it is all so frustrating. 2) Wolves at home - this one could be a big turning point. He set them up wrongly in the first half and it cost us. But here's the thing; like all good managers he recognised his mistake, changed it, and we thoroughly deserved the point in the end. Besides, I have always said I'd give him until the end of January before reassessing my own opinion of him, so I'm not turning yet.

 

[neilbard]

There are different ways of support, all of which are important for the club in an unprecedented situation mate!

Was you the one up that tree in Newport on Sunday evening? #respect

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Are we being unnecessarily hamstrung by our own wage cap. (Assuming we do actually have one)

Looking online it appears we pay a max of £50k a week. However top strikers, in the Danny Ings / Callum Wilson bracket demand closer to £100k a week.

Looking at ways to get a top striker, could signing a free transfer be the answer?

By signing a free transfer the £15m transfer fee we no longer need to pay could allow us to pay a player a large signing bonus of £5m and have another £10m to top up our usual £50k a week to around £100k.

£10.4m spread over a 4 year contract = £50k a week.

Is this the answer? Or would it just leave us open to signing a duff like Heller or Joelinton?

Not according to what someone posted yesterday - that Lallana is on £90K a week.

The players who were on (allegedly and never proven) 'top earner' salaries are gone (Knocky, Stephens, Duffy).

I would be astonished if someone as smart as Tony Bloom has hamstrung himself by having a 'wage structure' that restricted our scope to recruit. Obviously we won't be signing the likes of Harry Kane or Vardy, but a £40 mill striker on £100K a weeks is certainly not beyond our scope I wouuld have thought. But that could be one hell of a punt. Everton paid 50 million for that lump from Watfords and he's only 'OK'.

The fact we haven't signed such a striker may be partly because in the summer Potter felt we didn't need such a player; if our front three (three!) had shown better composure we wouldn't be having this conversation. Things may change in the January window. 'A player like' Callum Wilson would have fit the bill, albeit even he isn't exactly ripping up the division.

All in all, yes, it is a tricky business, this.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

This really is spot on as I see it (except I don't think Welbeck has ever been that good for us either).

I really wish I was ready to just blame Potter for everything but you only have to look at the Newport game to see what he's up against: a) the obligatory fück-up at the back (this time it was the keeper, but they tend to share fück-up duty) that always costs points in the top flight and b) the utterly shithouse ability/form of our front players, as woefully demonstrated by our penalties and inability to ever capitalise on half-chances. Potter must feel his players are letting him down a bit. He doesn't need perfection, but we give so any avoidable goals away and need three times more chances than other teams to score - that simply isn't his fault.

In defence of Potter: 1) I hate the results, but I'm not watching a team of clueless cloggers or players who don't want to play for him. It's still a decent watch, which is why it is all so frustrating. 2) Wolves at home - this one could be a big turning point. He set them up wrongly in the first half and it cost us. But here's the thing; like all good managers he recognised his mistake, changed it, and we thoroughly deserved the point in the end. Besides, I have always said I'd give him until the end of January before reassessing my own opinion of him, so I'm not turning yet.

When those who offer nothing but 'get rid' rants have slunk off, people with sound nuanced assessments emerge

 

[Albion Dan]

When those who offer nothing but 'get rid' rants have slunk off, people with sound nuanced assessments emerge

Silly mistakes this, can’t score that. The very opening post presents evidence that Potter is a very poor elite level coach.

We have lost sight of the FACT that we have a manager who lacks the basic but essential ability to coach his team to defend a set piece.

Despite watching his team concede over and over again from them we still haven’t changed approach.

Then the revelation that his last team had EXACTLY the same problem. A problem that was IMMEDIATELY fixed when a new manager came in. Yet people really don’t think it’s a big problem and can’t understand how his inability to address it shows how poor it is.

 

[Spicy]

Was you the one up that tree in Newport on Sunday evening? #respect

Yep that was me and I had a sex change for the occasion. Happy days.

 

[albionalex]

He set them up wrongly in the first half and it cost us. But here's the thing; like all good managers he recognised his mistake, changed it, and we thoroughly deserved the point in the end.

This is very tongue in cheek but wouldn't a good manager not make the mistake in the first place?

 

[Justice]

I’ve decided to stop bitching about Potter from now on I will try to enjoy walking football, make an valid effort to stop the dog covering her face every time the oppo get a set play remotely near our box and try to experience what the Potter in crowd do for a couple of games at least

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

I’ve decided to stop bitching about Potter from now on I will try to enjoy walking football, make an valid effort to stop the dog covering her face every time the oppo get a set play remotely near our box and try to experience what the Potter in crowd do for a couple of games at least

Are you Swansman’s third account ?

 

[Justice]

Are you Swansman’s third account ?

 

[Simster]

This is very tongue in cheek but wouldn't a good manager not make the mistake in the first place?

Even Alex Ferguson made selection mistakes, so I guess the answer is no.

 

[albionalex]

Even Alex Ferguson made selection mistakes, so I guess the answer is no.

Alex Ferguson won games though.