The Adam Clayton saga - now officially signed for Middlesbrough

[sparkie]

Why not just ignore the quote? It's of zero importance to me, it's management speak, nothing to do with what happens on the park. As for ST sales, they're not as significant as you make them out to be. Last season ticket sales generated £8.7 million, parachute payments are £18 million. Or, to put it another way, we would need average crowds of 60,000 a match to be on an even keel with those clubs who are relegated.

So for one season only, the Ulloa cash puts us on an even footing with the richest parachute clubs.

Let's not waste this opportunity.

 

[HenryC]

Latest Argus is that Clayton is going to Middlesborough... This pm!

 

[Monsieur Le Plonk]

He was the most important player when he was our only fit forward.

Ah. Very true. Seems a long time ago now.

 

[Mackenzie]

Great for the players too. All four are in the PL this season. I would rather have seen them play regularly than the likes of Obika, Harley, Dobbie and Holroyd, who cost us about £1.3 million.

Me too, shame they were sold.

Lucky we got back £800k for Dobbie wasn't it.

 

[El Presidente]

So for one season only, the Ulloa cash puts us on an even footing with the richest parachute clubs.

Let's not waste this opportunity.

No, the Ulloa money is less than HALF of what the parachute clubs receive.

 

[keaton]

Difference is they managed to keep their best players. Barnes, Ulloa, Upson and Bridcutt were arguably our four most important players.

Burnley didn't. They sold Rodriguez and Austin

 

[El Presidente]

Me too, shame they were sold.

Lucky we got back £800k for Dobbie wasn't it.

Indeed, sadly he scored a (very) few goals for the Croydon Crusaders which sneaked them into the playoffs.

 

[Guinness Boy]

A dilemma indeed, but even more bleak is the thought that we may have missed our chance in Amex year two....threw the chance away for some reason.

We definitely did. In hindsight that squad should have gone up automatically, negating The Horribleness We Don't Talk About.

 

[Mackenzie]

Burnley didn't. They sold Rodriguez and Austin

And replaced with the equally effective Ings.

 

[Man of Harveys]

It might indeed, but the Pompey/Leeds overspending model isn't attractive either, we have been down that road before. The current approach won't stop either of us supporting the Albion though I suspect.

That's certainly true. But you and I are some of those slightly WEIRD people who had season tickets at Withdean, slogged it to Gillingham etc: total Sid and Doris Bonkers. Are there enough of people like us around to fill even the West Stand at Falmer to watch drivel at spiraling prices?

I'll be optimistic (for a change), maybe there's a middle way: hovering around the Championship, doing ok. But please enough of this utterly contemptible, patronizing PLR guff from the club in the mean time.

 

[sparkie]

No, the Ulloa money is less than HALF of what the parachute clubs receive.

Fair point, I meant added to our gate receipt advantage over ( for example) Wigan.

What I'm trying to say is that this is the closest we could be in revenue terms to the parachuted teams for a few years.

I hope we don't throw this chance away.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Burnley didn't. They sold Rodriguez and Austin

Ings 21 goals
Vokes 20
Austin 17

 

[El Presidente]

We definitely did. In hindsight that squad should have gone up automatically, negating The Horribleness We Don't Talk About.

Was that squad REALLY better than those of the promoted teams? If we had won the opening game of the season at the KC we would have been promoted, it was that close in the end.

 

[Mackenzie]

It'd be shit in the Premier League anyway. Sometimes the journey is more exciting than the destination.

 

[El Presidente]

Fair point, I meant added to our gate receipt advantage over ( for example) Wigan.

What I'm trying to say is that this is the closest we could be in revenue terms to the parachuted teams for a few years.

I hope we don't throw this chance away.

I don't think we have an advantage over Norwich (decent crowds) or Cardiff (likewise) and have sold players for about £15 million already.

 

[El Presidente]

It'd be shit in the Premier League anyway. Sometimes the journey is more exciting than the destination.

Yup, agree entirely. Being an old fart I remember away days in the old division one. Our away following, which was amazing in the first season, had fallen to double figures for some matches by 1982/3.

 

[keaton]

Ings 21 goals
Vokes 20
Austin 17

And? Austin was injured for a fair bit of the season. The previous two seasons Ings had scored three goals each so Austin was their best player when he was sold.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Was that squad REALLY better than those of the promoted teams? If we had won the opening game of the season at the KC we would have been promoted, it was that close in the end.

Once we'd added Ulloa and Upson then yes. So it was better for half a season. i.e a starting XI of

TK

Bruno (when still good) Greer Upson Bridge
Bridcutt Vicente Hammond
Lua Lua Ulloa Buckley

was possible

FAR better than what will start on Saturday now.

 

[El Presidente]

Once we'd added Ulloa and Upson then yes. So it was better for half a season. i.e a starting XI of

TK

Bruno (when still good) Greer Upson Bridge
Bridcutt Vicente Hammond
Lua Lua Ulloa Buckley

was possible

FAR better than what will start on Saturday now.

Some of those players didn't fancy it on a Tuesday night in Barnsley though.

 

[y2dave]

In the current climate with parachute payments and clubs flouting FFP to scramble over pretty average championship players like Clayton I think developing our own players is more important than ever.

Dunk, JFC, March, Ince, Walton and even Buckley all have long term deals and look more than capable first team championship players.

Where the club do seem to have slipped us is allowing so many first team players to leave over the last 2 windows while other clubs without our FFP principles compete with us for signings. I think we will be scrambling around on deadline day.