[Albion] Tony Blooms vision for the club (aka Olive Branch II)

[vagabond]

If he were to listen to the boo boys right right now, Tony would fire Graham Potter and install a fire fighter manager to dig us out of trouble. Else what would be the point?

So who would you get then. The just relegated Eddie Howe?
Mark Hughes? And say this new manager keeps us up. We all celebrate. But what next season? We start firefighting again, and if the manager is struggling, we fire them again.

Surely it’s fairly clear that even with this approach we would be in Groundhog Day every season and be relegated eventually. Our wage budget simply cannot compete with most clubs in the division.

But this is what some here want I think. What a lack of vision. How short term.

Or as Tony is trying to do. Have a vision. Try and beat the bigger clubs by playing the long term game (those who play poker will be familiar with this ethos). Change the playing culture at the club from top to bottom, have a technical director overseeing and ensuring we have the same footballing philosophy at all age groups. Start a production line of talent. That doesn’t require hundreds of millions of pounds. Buy cheap exciting talent and blood them. If the haters actually had a look you can see this starting to bare fruit already (Lamptey, Ben White, Molumby, Alzate, Sanchez, Ostigard, Connolly would all go for millions and millions pounds already).

This transition is obviously not going to be easy. And you’d have to be fairly short sighted to not see that. But the rewards are clear. Either continue being a yo yo club a la Norwich or West Brom, or try and become an English Ajax.

As Tony and the club have said many times, top 10 is a LONG term goal. And it’s not going to be easy. I think there’s a big subset of fans who understand this. However there are short term fans who clearly don’t.

If you don’t buy into Graham Potter or Dan Ashworth and what’s going on at the club, rather than direct and hurl abuse online to GP every week (and anyone who dares go against group think) you should be honest enough to take it up with Tony Bloom, as it’s his vision for the club.

So do you want to be West Brom and fire and hire a firefighter? Or do you want to be different and try and build something special that could see us become an English Ajax?

 

[BNthree]

Thanks for that. It is an admirable ambition and one I hope we realise but in the meantime when we are likely to win a match?

 

[Deadly Danson]

Maybe just maybe the vision is correct but Potter is not good enough to achieve it and he will have to find someone else who can.

 

[pocketseagull]

Perfectly reasonable to not be convinced Potter is the person to deliver the vision.

 

[METALMICKY]

FFS these self righteous posts are doing my head in. What I'm not convinced of is if we go down is Potter the man to get us back up.

 

[mitch]

i totally agree with the op we need a few more players in january not a new manager its long term and not short term.

 

[A mex eyecan]

If he were to listen to the boo boys right right now, Tony would fire Graham Potter and install a fire fighter manager to dig us out of trouble. Else what would be the point?

So who would you get then. The just relegated Eddie Howe?
Mark Hughes? And say this new manager keeps us up. We all celebrate. But what next season? We start firefighting again, and if the manager is struggling, we fire them again.

Surely it’s fairly clear that even with this approach we would be in Groundhog Day every season and be relegated eventually. Our wage budget simply cannot compete with most clubs in the division.

But this is what some here want I think. What a lack of vision. How short term.

Or as Tony is trying to do. Have a vision. Try and beat the bigger clubs by playing the long term game (those who play poker will be familiar with this ethos). Change the playing culture at the club from top to bottom, have a technical director overseeing and ensuring we have the same footballing philosophy at all age groups. Start a production line of talent. That doesn’t require hundreds of millions of pounds. Buy cheap exciting talent and blood them. If the haters actually had a look you can see this starting to bare fruit already (Lamptey, Ben White, Molumby, Alzate, Sanchez, Ostigard, Connolly would all go for millions and millions pounds already).

This transition is obviously not going to be easy. And you’d have to be fairly short sighted to not see that. But the rewards are clear. Either continue being a yo yo club a la Norwich or West Brom, or try and become an English Ajax.

As Tony and the club have said many times, top 10 is a LONG term goal. And it’s not going to be easy. I think there’s a big subset of fans who understand this. However there are short term fans who clearly don’t.

If you don’t buy into Graham Potter or Dan Ashworth and what’s going on at the club, rather than direct and hurl abuse online to GP every week (and anyone who dares go against group think) you should be honest enough to take it up with Tony Bloom, as it’s his vision for the club.

So do you want to be West Brom and fire and hire a firefighter? Or do you want to be different and try and build something special that could see us become an English Ajax?

And there is also a reverse to this, maybe those who do buy into the long term could stop hurling abuse of bedwetters etc at those who don’t share their view.

After all, respect of another persons view point is the grounds on which you are entitled to your own.

 

[blue-shifted]

OP, there has to be a balance between the long term and the short term though doesn't there? I mean we've spent a fortune on our academy which will help us in the longer term and to a degree is helping us now, but the consequences are that we're getting outmuscled in the transfer market by the likes of Newcastle and Villa (and ahem Benfica) for strikers. They are getting up the league and we're going down it.

I don't think we should ignore the long term view, but if we do go down and spend a couple of seasons in the Championship we won't be able to run a Cat A academy with well funded women's and disabled teams and all that stuff.

The project relies on PL income and for that we need goals and for that we need to be competitive in the striker market.

 

[Stat Brother]

Maybe just maybe the vision is correct but Potter is not good enough to achieve it and he will have to find someone else who can.

Maybe Potter is plenty good enough and a victim of his own success.

Over the past 18 months many, most, all but 1 or 2 of us, have been turned giddy by performances from GPott's team.

The amount of abuse the serial moaners Spence, et al, got once Potter settled in and the team was playing glorious football went on for page after page.


Sure right now something is wrong.

But there wasn't anything wrong after 90 minutes v Utd.
Or when the B Team was ripping up the EFL Cup.
When Newcastle and Alan St Maximum were humiliated.

3 (three) months ago.

The table looked wonky after Villa.

Just 1 month ago.


Arsenal have won 2 games and have gone from being our bunnies to one win away from Top 10, and 6 points behind Spurs.

Brighton should have won 2 of their last 3 games.



As said I have no idea what's wrong, but I find it hard to believe making it right will take wholesale Allerdycing.

 

[vagabond]

OP, there has to be a balance between the long term and the short term though doesn't there? I mean we've spent a fortune on our academy which will help us in the longer term and to a degree is helping us now, but the consequences are that we're getting outmuscled in the transfer market by the likes of Newcastle and Villa (and ahem Benfica) for strikers. They are getting up the league and we're going down it.

I don't think we should ignore the long term view, but if we do go down and spend a couple of seasons in the Championship we won't be able to run a Cat A academy with well funded women's and disabled teams and all that stuff.

The project relies on PL income and for that we need goals and for that we need to be competitive in the striker market.

Good point. The middle ground is where recruitment and presumably whoever’s involved in transfers need to strike the right balance.

I think we’re getting the balance mostly right (Lamptey, Mac, Modor, Webster, Tross, Maupay) in all areas but up front.

For whatever reason recruitment have failed to replace an ageing Glenn Murray. Not an easy job mind, but that has been the failing.

 

[andy1980]

This is what Tony Bloom was quoted as saying when he fired Chris Hughton.


"Our run of three wins from 23 Premier League matches put our status at significant risk. It is with that in mind, and the performances during that period, that I now feel it's the right time for a change.


It can only be our performances that is saving Potter at the moment. How long will that be the case?

 

[Bombadier Botty]

Who has the time to write, read and ingest all this shite? Long rambling posts are so yesterday, so is reading them. Shut down NSC until our next victory. The thread count is getting out of hand, as is all the same regurgitative bollox.

 

[vagabond]

Who has the time to write, read and ingest all this shite? Long rambling posts are so yesterday, so is reading them. Shut down NSC until our next victory. The thread count is getting out of hand, as is all the same regurgitative bollox.

If you haven’t got time to read then take a break you don’t need to shut down NSC. How odd. Is someone forcing you to visit here?

 

[blue-shifted]

This is what Tony Bloom was quoted as saying when he fired Chris Hughton.


"Our run of three wins from 23 Premier League matches put our status at significant risk. It is with that in mind, and the performances during that period, that I now feel it's the right time for a change.


It can only be our performances that is saving Potter at the moment. How long will that be the case?

That and the 6 year deal he's on

 

[Guinness Boy]

So do you want to be West Brom and fire and hire a firefighter? Or do you want to be different and try and build something special that could see us become an English Ajax?

False dichotomy. I don't want either of those. I want a coach who buys in to the long term strategy but stands up to the top brass when it comes to recruitment and doesn't pick a home team that contains two full backs playing at wing back and no strikers.

Hope that helps.

 

[WhingForPresident]

English Ajax

It wouldn't be so bad if our youngsters were actually getting a chance, but no, we'd rather play Jahanbakhsh, Burn, Bernardo and Groß than Connolly, Sanders, Molumby, Roberts or Alzate. Only academy player that has come through under Potter and is playing regularly is Sanchez and that's only because his hand was forced by Ryan's awful form.

 

[GT49er]

Buy cheap exciting talent and blood them. If the haters actually had a look you can see this starting to bare fruit already (Lamptey, Ben White, Molumby, Alzate, Sanchez, Ostigard, Connolly would all go for millions and millions pounds already).

But apart from Sanchez, none of them were playing last night. Instead we went for a mixture of slow, not good enough and out of position.

 

[Springal]

English Ajax

It wouldn't be so bad if our youngsters were actually getting a chance, but no, we'd rather play Jahanbakhsh, Burn, Bernardo and Groß than Connolly, Sanders, Molumby, Roberts or Alzate. Only academy player that has come through under Potter and is playing regularly is Sanchez and that's only because his hand was forced by Ryan's awful form.

Roberts is on loan, Alzate has been ill / injured a lot of this season but has featured. Connolly & White have come through making Premier League debuts and regular appearances.

 

[vagabond]

English Ajax

It wouldn't be so bad if our youngsters were actually getting a chance, but no, we'd rather play Jahanbakhsh, Burn, Bernardo and Groß than Connolly, Sanders, Roberts or Alzate. Only academy player that has come through under Potter and is playing regularly is Sanchez and that's only because his hand was forced by Ryan's awful form.

So you’re just basing your entire perspective on yesterday’s completely rotated side.

And who’s just talking about academy players? Part of the plan is also to be smart with recruiting talented young players and give them a chance here. And that doesn’t mean “play them every match”. There’s a clear development plan at work (hence our loaned players).

Lamptey
Ben White
Webster
Alzate
Molumby
Connolly
Maupay
Sanchez
Sanders

All given senior debuts under Potter. Note that 6 of the above were here during Hughton’s reign.

 

[vagabond]

Tony Blooms vision for the club

But apart from Sanchez, none of them were playing last night. Instead we went for a mixture of slow, not good enough and out of position.

No doubt. But last night is just one game with a hugely rotated side and nothing to do with the long term vision.

May have been last chance saloons for a few (AJ, Bernardo) who knows.