I thought you were thinking beyond next week or even next season and had doubts about the longish term strategy.3 wins in 16?
I agree.You could well be right, and the signs are there. However, I guess TB’s calculation is - do we break our model to keep De Zerbi, or do we continue with the strategy that has been amazingly successful over the past several years? Were the right players even available? KDH was seemingly a target, but I’d be worried if we massively overpaid for him on the off-chance that it might persuade RDZ to stay. For all we know, Tony may already have promised significant spend in the summer, when the landscape will be very different.
Even if we end up around 12th - which is possible - I’ve already experienced some of my best ever Albion moments this season. And whilst I really, really hope Roberto stays with us for several more years, I’m very happy to trust in TB, PBOBE, and the others guiding us….i’m sure they have a decent shortlist for our next manager, whenever that may be needed.
Who are the starsThis was a bad window for sure.
But we still have a chance this season in the cups and league if we can get all players back. People have lost their head after an average run with injuries, we will be back firing.
And next season we will have the kids another year along. We just must make sure we don't sell more than one of the stars.
If RDZ can't hack it anymore, bloom will have another ace up the sleeve.
We don’t appear to have any wingers that are ready for this season or next coming throughI thought you were thinking beyond next week or even next season and had doubts about the longish term strategy.
I was there on Tuesday - don’t need reminding of the recent failings to get a result.
He can hack it I’m sure although the man has been very successful with his preferred system two wingers receiving the ball after we’ve done a team on the press. He’s now trying to play three at the back with effectively two number 10’s because he has no wingers. Why the club didn’t give him a bit of help in the window is a strange decision. If Pedro is out tomorrow we will probably be lucky to get a draw.This was a bad window for sure.
But we still have a chance this season in the cups and league if we can get all players back. People have lost their head after an average run with injuries, we will be back firing.
And next season we will have the kids another year along. We just must make sure we don't sell more than one of the stars.
If RDZ can't hack it anymore, bloom will have another ace up the sleeve.
At what point though does I become nonsensical though? We clearly wanted KDH. Let’s just assume we were £10m apart in valuation. Why not pay that extra £10m and give the squad and fan base a real lift.No we're not. We are well run.
Should we ever go down to the Championship again (realistically a possibility at some time - we're not Liverpool or Arsenal or Citeh) - we won't be going down with unsustainable wages and players on multi-million salaries which could kill us in the Championship.
There's plenty of teams that have done that and suffered!
This ^It is 2024 isn't it? I only ask as I've been off NSC for a day and it's like we've slipped back five or six years to the times when people threw a fit because we hadn't paid over-the-odds for a Spurs reject.
The fan base is so needy that nothing short of , overspending on a decent young Leicester player will do. - and thats how we should focus our efforts in transfer windows. That's pretty nonsensical too. ?At what point though does I become nonsensical though? We clearly wanted KDH. Let’s just assume we were £10m apart in valuation. Why not pay that extra £10m and give the fan base a real lift.
This is the crux of it for me. I wondered why I felt so frustrated last night and realised it’s probably because this season felt like a year we could win a trophy or finish in the top 7 again to secure European football. Consecutive seasons in Europe completely alters the perception of the club in both the footballing landscape and the eyes of players.Ultimately we have a manager that is probably above our station and what we've given him at the end of this window is a weaker midfield than January 1st and a few young players who, aside from Barco, are unlikely to have much first team involvement.
This is the season to win a major trophy. We have De Zerbi. We have a cadre of talented players. We have the Europa leauge and we're still the FA cup. It feels like a unique set of circumstances in our history. All we really need is, at most, a couple more good players in key areas. I find it quite frustrating that we've not given ourselves the best chance at achieving something special.
That was an example to emphasise my point. If you don’t think the majority of the fan base is slightly perplexed if not outright concerned by how stretched the squad is and how this is impacting onfield results then good for you.The fan base is so needy that nothing short of , overspending on a decent young Leicester player will do. - and thats how we should focus our efforts in transfer windows. That's pretty nonsensical too. ?
You could be right. I was just going off the fact that it was reported yesterday that Moder had rejected the move, which implies the club didn't mind either way. I imagine everyone else was going off the same thing.Is NSC Moder thing, Chinese whispers?
Everyone keeps saying we offered or were happy for Moder to go to Everton.
The Argus says it was Everton who enquired about taking Moder on loan and the club immediately dismissed it out of hand?
That was an example to emphasise my point. If you don’t think the majority of the fan base is slightly perplexed if not outright concerned by how stretched the squad is and how this is impacting onfield results then good for you.
Our decision making around transfer spending does appear illogical at times no matter what the odd condescending poster like you may claim.
Yep - I'm not sure you've said anything too different to me.You could well be right, and the signs are there. However, I guess TB’s calculation is - do we break our model to keep De Zerbi, or do we continue with the strategy that has been amazingly successful over the past several years? Were the right players even available? KDH was seemingly a target, but I’d be worried if we massively overpaid for him on the off-chance that it might persuade RDZ to stay. For all we know, Tony may already have promised significant spend in the summer, when the landscape will be very different.
Even if we end up around 12th - which is possible - I’ve already experienced some of my best ever Albion moments this season. And whilst I really, really hope Roberto stays with us for several more years, I’m very happy to trust in TB, PBOBE, and the others guiding us….i’m sure they have a decent shortlist for our next manager, whenever that may be needed.
It’s reported Kudus does not have a release clause and now would take over £100m to purchase him.We can’t break that principle.
I’m very disappointed and I’m sure RDZ is too. I don’t think he has the personal (even with everyone fit) to play his preferred 4-2-3-1 system.
But we just can’t break our principles because you can never get them back.
The most painful one is Kudus. West Ham’s best player. A greedy agent foiled us there. I just hope that like Olise, his very low buy-out clause will be triggered in the summer and West Ham will only get a £5m-£10m profit and a bunch of angry fans claiming they should have kept him. I firmly believe that we’ll make more money on Dahoud than West Ham will make on Kudus. That’s how it should be.