[Albion] Would a 17th placed finish in the Premier League next year constitute success?

[Don Quixote]

With the level of players and manager we have all we can hope for is a bottom 6 finish. So in that sense yes it is a success, but we can do better with some investment.

 

[El Presidente]

With the level of players and manager we have all we can hope for is a bottom 6 finish. So in that sense yes it is a success, but we can do better with some investment.

Agreed. I’ve said before that if every season ticket holder bought a £2,000 ‘Seagull Bond’ the club would have another £44 million.


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[One Love]

Success this year had to be first staying in the Premier but also developing the team and club.

The first we hop has been achieved but the latter has been a failure.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

And would you be happy with it?

It’s a tough one for me. At some point you have to try and push on, but all the time you stay in the Premier League, regardless of performances and results, you become more financially stable and more established, which should in theory help you move up in the long run.

But is just missing out on relegation in year 3 enough? I guess I’d begrudgingly accept it if you offered it to me now, but it would make for another unenjoyable season, and we are supposed to enjoy going to watch football, otherwise we wouldn’t spend thousands of pounds doing it every year.

Discuss.

Only so many seasons your highest ambitions are to cling on to 17th position before you f***k up and end up 18th. And probably far sooner than later. And don't think that PL place is going to come around again anytime soon. Would need a complete rebuild for that to happen.

 

[albionfan37]

And would you be happy with it?

It’s a tough one for me. At some point you have to try and push on, but all the time you stay in the Premier League, regardless of performances and results, you become more financially stable and more established, which should in theory help you move up in the long run.

But is just missing out on relegation in year 3 enough? I guess I’d begrudgingly accept it if you offered it to me now, but it would make for another unenjoyable season, and we are supposed to enjoy going to watch football, otherwise we wouldn’t spend thousands of pounds doing it every year.

Discuss.

The issue for me isn’t finishing 17th it’s the total deterioration of our football that has put us in this position. We’ve played pretty poorly all season but we had some spirit and could grind out results
If we played like we do now I’d absolutely bite your hand off for 17th

 

[GloryDays]

You are an idiot if you say no. We won't break into the top 6. So, therefore, the goal is 17th+

Not true.

Depends who our manager is and how much money we spend.

Would you regard this season as a success?

 

[Rugrat]

Yes. Our transfer spend and wage bill are both 19th out of 20 therefore 17th is punching.

Wrong

 

[London Irish]

We were saved yesterday by Mike Dean not giving a clear penalty and will probably be saved next week by Palace. If that doesn’t sum up our season, I don’t know what does

 

[GloryDays]

We were saved yesterday by Mike Dean not giving a clear penalty and will probably be saved next week by Palace. If that doesn’t sum up our season, I don’t know what does

Am I the only person that thinks Palace are going to roll over for Cardiff?

 

[Geestar]

Am I the only person that thinks Palace are going to roll over for Cardiff?

No, but they won't.

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[El Presidente]

I know some people think the problem is Chris Hughton but that is playing the blame game because people want simple answers.

Last season we had the 19th lowest wage bill and 19th lowest transfer fee amortisation cost. This year I suspect we may sneak up to 18th and be above Cardiff and Huddersfield (Wolves and Fulham have spent money with vastly differing consequences), and I don't think the football played by either of those clubs has been entertaining either.

There's a fair chance we may stay up on goal difference, and in the eyes of Tony Bloom, Paul Barber and Chris Hughton that will vindicate the cautious playing style as it has stopped us conceding as many goals as Cardiff and will be worth £100 million next season if we are still in the Premier League.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I know some people think the problem is Chris Hughton but that is playing the blame game because people want simple answers.

Last season we had the 19th lowest wage bill and 19th lowest transfer fee amortisation cost. This year I suspect we may sneak up to 18th and be above Cardiff and Huddersfield (Wolves and Fulham have spent money with vastly differing consequences), and I don't think the football played by either of those clubs has been entertaining either.

There's a fair chance we may stay up on goal difference, and in the eyes of Tony Bloom, Paul Barber and Chris Hughton that will vindicate the cautious playing style as it has stopped us conceding as many goals as Cardiff and will be worth £100 million next season if we are still in the Premier League.

View attachment 108480

Thank you.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

Thank you.

I suspect the figures for this season will be different, we had quite a bumper transfer window last summer.

 

[Brovion]

I know some people think the problem is Chris Hughton but that is playing the blame game because people want simple answers.

Last season we had the 19th lowest wage bill and 19th lowest transfer fee amortisation cost. This year I suspect we may sneak up to 18th and be above Cardiff and Huddersfield (Wolves and Fulham have spent money with vastly differing consequences), and I don't think the football played by either of those clubs has been entertaining either.

There's a fair chance we may stay up on goal difference, and in the eyes of Tony Bloom, Paul Barber and Chris Hughton that will vindicate the cautious playing style as it has stopped us conceding as many goals as Cardiff and will be worth £100 million next season if we are still in the Premier League.

View attachment 108480

So according to that chart we should be second. Hewton out!

 

[Dave the OAP]

This has been the issue I have had for a while.

What is the ambition of the club? Is it to remain in the premier league, which obviously is yes.

That then begs the question, as we are never going to compete with wages and transfer fees of the vast majority of clubs in this division what is then the ambition?

To hopefully finish one place above the three relegated clubs every season?

How many punters would put up with the sort of stuff we have had to this season, winning very few games and struggling to compete with teams that we should be looking to dispatch?

I am not saying I would have been happy to get relegated this season, far from it, but if we had , the benefit is that hopefully we would have had a more competitive season, more games to watch and more wins! Yes there is this holy grail of pots of money for staying in the division and playing our rivals( although getting away tickets to that game are virtually impossible if you don't go to most away games) I do hope that we spend that pot a bit better than we have done this season.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I suspect the figures for this season will be different, we had quite a bumper transfer window last summer.

You've still got take wages into account. Transfers are only part of the story.

 

[Icy Gull]

No excuses for the complete lack of urgency at the beginning of quite a few home games imo and so yes CH does have to take some of the blame.

Whilst I get the budget constraints, I cannot go along with “Hughton can do no wrong, poor chap has to work with one hand tied behind his back”

Lack of passion on the pitch at the start of games has been a major problem imo. It’s almost like the belief has been ground out of them. This has nothing to do with budgets, more like a manager who doesn’t have any faith in his players, so ends up sticking everyone behind the ball and let’s see if we can sneak something

There have been quite a few games where we have played out of form teams and our negative fearful approach has let them grow in confidence and they have ended up playing like world beaters. Are our players really not capable of holding the ball and passing to each other without it being sideways or backwards?

I know we won’t be changing managers but it doesn’t stop me wishing we had one with more than one game plan.

We might as well sign skilful defenders and forget about forwards if we are going to play this way. Square pegs and round holes sums up this season for me.

 

[rippleman]

17th wouldn't be a success, but I'd settle for it as it will help us to build towards security.

Our 2nd half performance yesterday show exactly what we are capable of. If we perform like that in August then we could hope for a higher finish. A few extra wins would move us up the table drastically.

Agreed. It showed what we can do when we have the right players in the right formation playing with pace and attacking the opposition.

Maybe we do have the players, it's just been the selection and the tactics that have been wrong for the majority of the season.

 

[Barham's tash]

Our transfer spend is much higher than 19th. We’ve spent more than Palace, Newcastle, Burnley, Huddersfield, Southampton and Cardiff.

Just not true.

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/transfers/wettbewerb/GB1

Wrong

See post #53

18th/19th whatever right but we’re still punching.

And as [MENTION=31]El Presidente[/MENTION] eluded to I expect TB/PB/CH/DA would constitute 17th as very much a success no matter how we as fans feel the season
played out.

All of TBs businesses work on statistical fundamentals but out of all them I’m sure BHAFC is the most emotive and whilst he won’t be immune to the fan’s feelings he won’t make a knee jerk reaction at the end of the season.

 

[Barham's tash]

I suspect the figures for this season will be different, we had quite a bumper transfer window last summer.

Very similar to the first season actually if you look at the numbers [roughly £55-60m in each transfer window].

The wages might shift slightly but I doubt acquisitions from Ligue 1, Eredivisie etc command the same requirements as bringing people in from established Prem or even Championship squads.

So I doubt the amortisation value will move massively and of course us moving up assumes others cut back relative to us which is also unlikely to be the case.

Whichever way you want to spin it we are constantly punching.