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So what sort of club are we going to be


PussEKatt

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Apparently we have one of the smallest squads in the Premier League, on top of that PL has been told to trim the wage bill and cut costs,so what does that actually mean to us ?

If our squad is one of the smallest in the PL then surely we are saving wages already ?

If we keep buying players from the lower divisions then our wage bill will drop, but at what cost ...you can't stay in the PL with Championship players.

Ok, the way I see it is that there are 4 kinds of club in the Premier League.

1- The clubs trying to qualifyfor the Champions league, Man Ure,Chelski etc

2- The clubs trying to qualify for the europa league, Everton,Spurs etc

3- The clubs that just make up the numbers, Stoke,Fulham etc

4- The clubs struggling to stay up,Wigan,the 3 promoted clubs etc

So what catogary do we fall in ? 1 and 2 are definately out, so that only leaves 3 and 4 with the current cost cutting mentality I really hope we are not going to be in the 4th catogary.

Lerner and PL must realise that to stay in the Premier League the squad needs a certain level of skill and experiance in it ?!

Your thoughts .................

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We're definitely aiming for 2. That doesn't stop the likes of Spurs and Everton having a go at grabbing 4th spot. I much rather the model we are currently looking to build the club around, picking up the right players for the right money, improving the team and probably selling them on for big profit and reinvesting. It will take 2 seasons minimum.

It's a good question you ask though as we spend so much time looking back at the mistakes of the past and the blame game rather than looking forward to what changes are being made by the club.

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Apparently we have one of the smallest squads in the Premier League, on top of that PL has been told to trim the wage bill and cut costs,so what does that actually mean to us ?

If our squad is one of the smallest in the PL then surely we are saving wages already ?

If we keep buying players from the lower divisions then our wage bill will drop, but at what cost ...you can't stay in the PL with Championship players.

Ok, the way I see it is that there are 4 kinds of club in the Premier League.

1- The clubs trying to qualifyfor the Champions league, Man Ure,Chelski etc

2- The clubs trying to qualify for the europa league, Everton,Spurs etc

3- The clubs that just make up the numbers, Stoke,Fulham etc

4- The clubs struggling to stay up,Wigan,the 3 promoted clubs etc

So what catogary do we fall in ? 1 and 2 are definately out, so that only leaves 3 and 4 with the current cost cutting mentality I really hope we are not going to be in the 4th catogary.

Lerner and PL must realise that to stay in the Premier League the squad needs a certain level of skill and experiance in it ?!

Your thoughts .................

I don't quite agree with your categories.

At the start of the season, I saw it something like this

1. (1st-3rd) Clubs who are trying to win the League = MU, MC, Chelsea

2. (4th-7th) Clubs who are chasing the 4th European place = Spurs, Everton, Arsenal, Liverpool?

3. (8th-12th) Clubs who hope for a Europa Cup place from time to time = Fulham, Stoke, Newcastle, Sunderland, Villa

4. (13th-16th) Clubs who may get sucked into a relegation battle = Norwich, West Ham, Swansea, West Brom,

5. (17th-20th) Clubs in relegation battle / yo-yo clubs = QPR, Reading, Wigan, Southampton

As the season developed some teams are performing better than expected e.g. WBA and some worse e.g. Newcastle, Sunderland, Us

We used to be in category 2, I think RL has ambitions to get us back to category 3 in the medium term and maybe to do an Everton and push back to 2 eventually

My view is that enough has been spent to cement us in cat 2 but through poor purchases (MON) and poor control and poor appointments (RL) we are where we are. I believe PL is the right choice and taking the right approach to get us back to cat 3. Whether we get to cat 2 will depend on PL overperforming or RL loosening the pursestrings

Looking round at my mates - I think the lack of competition at the top of the table means people generally are loosing a little interest in football - we might not see that as we are more enthusiastic than most (hence why we are on this forum instead of working lol)

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4 at the moment but maybe 3 in the future.. i don't see us getting 2 anytime soon to be honest 3 years+ if not more before we even think about european places.

The squad just needs so much work and we'll have set backs on the way with quality players leaving and not replacing them properly like we have done in the past.

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Controversially, if we are still hard up, and so in debt following the cuts we have seen over the last couple of seasons, then I would argue mildly that we are being trimmed for relegation and sit in a hidden 5th category of teams needing to cut their losses, willing to drop down a level (or 2?) and build again.

A lot of me clings to the fact that with the bigger TV money in the Premier League next season, Lerner would not be daft enough to risk missing that gravy boat. With that in mind, I believe we are currently 4 (desperately 4) and maybe longer term looking for 2. As an aside, I'm sorry, I do not want to sit and watch Villa get stuffed week after week on the box... Give us the money, but leave us off the tele please.

If we are 3... and that's all we aspire to be, we might as well pack up now and just watch our historical greatness on Youtube. What is the point of just making up the numbers given the prices we pay? All you are doing then is simply going to the games as a habit... going through the motions and actually just watching the opposion. 'Come to see United... etc.' You might cheer for Villa (as I always will), but who are you actually watching?

As I see more and more, there is more to life than just making up the numbers. Football has to compete with so many other things these days... The days of football being everything you had to look forward to on a Saturday (Sunday... Monday... Tuesday... Wednesday... Thursday even... and please God... not Friday) are long gone - for me anyway. I for one, do not love football that much anymore just to settle for making up the numbers. Polluted by consumerism I may now be... Guilty as charged. That is my right. Matchdays are an ordeal - not just because of results... but all the other hassles...

Simply, as has been intimated in other threads, if we are stuck with 3, roll over Lerner and let somebody else have a go. Rinse and repeat. Whatever anyone says, this IS a competitive football club. It has to be. It has a proud history, and should have a bright future... 3 and 4, are not part of that plan. Never should be for this lovely club, with gorgeous colours...

If you are in the blind loyalty camp and will continue to pump in your money for a season ticket year after year even though we know we can't compete - then fair play, I respect you.

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can't beleive you haven't put the championship as an option. Because thats where I fear we are heading. A few years back we could trounce the likes of west ham, fulham, qpr out of the transfer market. Not any more - IMO those smaller london clubs are whats changed - in terms of spending and pulling power they are ahead of us - Crystal Palace will be next.

Taking it to the the extreme - in a few years the PL league could be 50% london clubs, the 2 manchesters, Liverpool - and a few others fighting over the scraps.

Short term, well if southampton are preparing to spend big - and we are not - it would only take a QPR revival and we would be right in it. - If we don't get a decent CB this window - I reckon we are done for

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Has he actually been told this??? Is there a link or article to it.

Our wage bill just seems to never end, I thought we were basically on top of it now.

it seems to be a continuing process - to always isolate the top earner at VP. Last season it was Heskey, Beye, Cuellar, that we needed to shift - then the wage bill would be manageable. This season its Given, Nzog, Ireland, Bent, - when they have gone - it will be some others. Its not a policy with an end date

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At this present moment we are a 4. We will never be more than a 3 until lerner & co piss off. Major investment about £20-30M before we can be a 3. This is the worst squad in 26 years.

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At this present moment we are a 4. We will never be more than a 3 until lerner & co piss off. Major investment about £20-30M before we can be a 3. This is the worst squad in 26 years.

He invested 21mill in the summer - will spend again this month. If min spend in jan is 10mill, then that's 31mill, which is just what you wanted. Still not happy??

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He invested 21mill in the summer - will spend again this month. If min spend in jan is 10mill, then that's 31mill, which is just what you wanted. Still not happy??

Thats true, not small money. However there seems an overriding desire to balance the books - reducing wages etc. Whilst I can see Lerners point - if you aren't prepared to hemorrhage millions, don't buy a football club, especially if you don't have the expertise either.

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