Claudio Fannieri

The reality is given that promotion is far from a foregone conclusion and regardless next season we are very likely to have a hefty points deduction so at best we could be yo-yoing between the top two divisions, at worst it could be an extended stay in the EFL, hardly enticing for any potential new ownership. Given the uncertainty I think KP is probably our safest bet to ride through these choppy waters whilst the club resets, however that is only really the case if Top grows a pair and removes Rudkin and Whelan and replaces them with experienced and capable operators within the football industry. Selling at this point in time and I would genuinely fear we end up with someone like Chansiri or Yongge at Reading and that could make this current situation look like a walk in the park.

As others have stated, our expenditure on actual transfer fees hasn’t been that excessive, however our approach to wage expenditure has been nothing short of irresponsible and inept. I have absolutely no issue in players of the ilk of Vardy, Schmichael, Maddison, Barnes Ndidi, Riccy P and Tielemans being paid market rate when you consider their performances and given what the first 2 had achieved at the club. However where I have a massive issue and where I feel we have lost the plot, is in relation to the wages we have paid to squad players such as Ward, Choudhury, Bertrand, Vestergard, Praet, Perez, Soumare and Daka, whilst people say we wouldn’t have attracted them or retained them, I would argue we have massively overpaid as the only way to entice them to sign for us and therefore already running the risk of a player already losing their desire and hunger before a ball has been kicked, then on top of that when they are inevitably surplus to requirements it is impossible to shift them due to the high wages, so they run their contracts down and leave for free. I also believe last season we were paying Alex Smithies in the region of £30-35k per week to be nothing more than 3rd choice keeper for training and drills, I mean make it make sense. Make no mistake, the spin is we gambled and threw the dice trying to be successful, yes that is true if you focus on the Vardy’s, Barnes, Madders, Youri’s of this world but that argument loses all manner of credibility when you take into account the wages handed out to rank average players like Bertrand, Vesty, Ward, Choudhury, Praet, Perez, Smithies et al. We lost all control of expenditure, it is absolutely disgusting 🤢

I defended the initial club statement at the time, too be honest I wish to retract that now after seeing the financial performance and the magnitude of the potential breach, the fact is we never had any serious intentions of getting anywhere close to compliance. The stance of the club would be fully justified had it been a very small breach but for us to have been as damning of Everton and being reported we could potentially sue, to then posting these figures is just downright absurd and embarrassing. When you consider that Fofana was sold, only after kicking off and refusing to play once the Chelsea interest crystallised, and then Madders was sold for a cut price fee approaching the end of June deadline, to top it all off we then had our busiest January window for years and but for Leeds pulling the plug we would have shelled out another £20m, albeit this would have been amortised, and handed out another £100,000 a week contract, to Jack Harrison. Whilst I hate the PSR rules, make no mistake this breach demonstrates how poorly we have been managed in recent years, whatever punishment we get, we absolutely deserve, the arrogance, incompetence and ineptitude of the ownership and senior management who have enabled this to happen is beyond approach. Heads have to roll for this, our finances are out of control and in pursuit of ambition we have actually created a mentality where everyone is already handsomely remunerated for mediocrity. There is no jeopardy for the players anymore and this led to a malaise and relegation. The culture of the club changed and with it came relegation and financial meltdown. For that reason Top has to show a ruthlessness not demonstrated before, remove Rudkin and Whelan, push the reset button financially and most importantly change the culture of accepting poor performance on and off the field. We need to go to a model where players and staff are paid a competitive basic salary but heavily performance incentivised and a move back to attracting young hungry players.

Wow I am absolutely stunned at the levels of utter incompetence, if Rodgers lost his job for what was gross negligence for what went on on the pitch then surely Rudkin and Whelan cannot survive this. Utterly utterly appalling and whatever happens this season, we will not competitive for a number of years to come. people are saying fans would be kicking off we didn’t make signings or had a fire sale last summer or January but the truth is none of us truly understood the position we were in, whilst I love to see us competing, it would never be to the detriment of the football club’s existence. This is worse than the Peter Taylor days. Very worrying times, I sincerely hope this is a wake up call to the owners and at the very least they go out and employ experienced football operators to sort out the sorry mess of our off field football and commercial operations.

I think it will be really interesting if Enzo does stay beyond the summer, to see how the difference in our play next season after a summer of adding in more players with the profile to play this style, regardless of budget there will be players who fit the type of profile we are looking for, I still feel there a number of players in our squad, who don’t necessarily fit how we play and our recruitment in the summer even if restricted, will be intriguing.

Great minds 😂

Not sure if you meant to post the word pisitivity but I think it somewhat sums up the next week or 2, a blend of positive and pissed off 😂 I have a feeling that the manager and players have possibly already had their mini blip and I would imagine internally the situation regards the PSR breach would have come out a few weeks ago, so not sure this weeks announcement will necessarily affect the players, however as a fanbase we have to use this to galvanise us, get behind the manager and players as motivation. The financial mismanagement sits the senior executives and owners, so any frustration, anger and disappointment as to be directed at the right time to the right people, the players, manager and coaching staff are not to blame for the mess we find ourselves in off the pitch, so let’s keep positive and roar the boys home. The reaction to Vardy’s goal yesterday was more than enough to show me there was unity, togetherness and a desire to succeed.

Couldn’t agree more, I think he could sense the players were a bit anxious and whilst our build up play was good we lacked a little bit of quality with our final ball and decision making. He was being supportive to the players rather than critical and trying to take the pressure off them.

I think we signed him with a view to the future, come the summer it’s highly likely Kel’s will move on, Vards could retire and if we get an acceptable offer for Daka I think we would accept. It was now or never to sign Cannon when we did, next season I believe he will flourish and he will prove to be an absolute bargain and a real piece of astute business. I actually think in the games he has played he looks the most natural striker for this style.

Back to his best today

Too be honest looked just like we played for a big part of the 1st half of the season.

Much much better and a performance in keeping with the 1st half of the season, showed some bollocks to regroup and come back from going a goal down and to be honest that 2nd half showing is as good as we have played, we absolutely bossed it. the reaction to the Vardy goal was interesting, players seem fully behind Enzo and seemed to playing for him, I think the drop off has been as a result of the off the field distractions plus a couple of key injuries have definitely knocked the wind out of our sails, would be great to build on this with another decent run of results. Now come on Saints and Hull

This is my fear too

I actually feel and fear they may no longer be playing for the club anymore, the drop off considering our league position, suggests it’s more to do with the catastrophic financial position we find ourselves in and the associated sanctions we will find ourselves under next season regardless of the league we end up in. I can imagine a lot of players genuinely felt the club would use relegation to regroup and come back having another go at becoming a club capable of competing for top half finishes and maybe the odd European challenge. To find out that we are more likely to be hit with a record points deduction and a decimated squad is hardly going to create a positive mentality. I imagine most are drained and quite frankly utterly pissed off.

Reminds me so much of last season, around this same time of year, 3 very winnable and important games vs Palace, followed up by home games to Villa and Bournemouth, we lost the 1st and Rodgers left, only for us to absolute cack our nappy and throw in 2 absolute stinker performances to lose both games. I know Enzo is still here but lose today and Saturday and I genuinely think any hope of automatic promotion will be gone. Massive week especially when considering the potential financial results being released tomorrow.

Really hope we can regroup and come back with a victory that reinvigorates the season, I don’t know why but I have a feeling both Ipswich and Leeds are going to slip up today, just hope we can capatalise. Would be great to get the 3 points on the board and apply pressure to both clubs in advance of their kick offs.

There is a common denominator in all of this, the owner and his sidekicks, I have little or no time for Rodgers, but the more you hear, it is highly likely that both Rodgers and Enzo were not made fully aware of the financial issues and constraints and both appear to have had the rug pulled from beneath them. Communication and trust is critical and yet it would appear that the clubs hierarchy deem that the manager is not worthy of being fully updated on the financial situation. its is all well and good having champagne ambitions and selling the dream to potential managers and head coaches but not if you support them with lemonade senior execs and don’t have the respect to be open and honest in your dialogue with them. It appears to me we have made certain promises and commitments, Rodgers Refresh and I am fairly sure in the discussions with Enzo there was no hint of us breaching PSR, points deductions, embargo’s and fire sales. And yet here we are with a 2nd manager in little over 2 years being left to feel let down and another group of players looking for the exit door. I cannot believe how poorly mismanaged we have become, fans complain about lack of engagement from the clubs hierarchy and yet it appears this extends to the managers of our football club. If I were Enzo I would regroup with the players and literally say 8 games to go, let’s do this for ourselves and give us all a chance of securing decent moves away in the summer. The project has died, there is no project that can be used as motivation. It has to be professional pride, desire to succeed and the opportunity to secure the best move and deal in the summer. What an utterly horrible and horrendous situation we find ourselves in and I have no doubt that come what may, we will start again in June with Rudkin and co still in place and our pool of potential managers and players continuing to diminish with each passing season. Rodgers rightly gets absolute pelters for taking us down, but this is beyond this now and all I see is the common denominators of Top, Rudkin and Whelan, something has to give and change immediately before this club is literally run into the ground. Managers take the fall for performances on the pitch yet why is it when our performance off the pitch is so horrific and is clearly affecting performance on the pitch, the owners are so reluctant to make the necessary changes. if the financial results are as bad as being reported and potentially we are on the verge of announcing the worst breach of PSR reported to date then surely Top cannot just sit back and ignore this and heads have to roll. Massive few days ahead in my opinion.

I absolutely love the pod, I haven’t had the chance to listen to the latest episode as away on holiday and forgot my headphones and not sure my fellow holiday makers would appreciate hearing Ric’s dulcet tones blaring out many a swear word and Norris references 😂 I love the balance that the 4 of you bring, I tend to be in between Ric and Jordan, a wide range I know but in terms of the how the club is run I am definitely aligned with Ric but in terms of on the field I would say I am very much like Jordan, especially this season. I honestly fear a defeat tomorrow and the atmosphere will turn absolutely toxic and I am really not sure it will be reversed. Where we sit now is so reminiscent of where we were this time last year, albeit Brendan had just been sacked, we lacked energy, ideas and generally looked like a team that had thrown in the towel, I pissed on holiday and the team managed to lose back to back home games to Villa and Bournemouth showing little to no fight, I felt then the writing was on the wall. now fast forward 12 months and here I am back on holiday, we have bollocksed the 1st game of 2 critical matches and again the writing looks to be on the wall that we have capitulated and are facing at best a 2nd chance in the play offs. Albeit very different scenarios but the feelings that we have completely shit the bed and like last season we are going to end up feeling so devastated and heading into a summer of negativity and the unknown. What a complete and utter cluster**** the last 2/3 seasons have been, we have literally been written the blue print of how to go from European Semi-Final to blowing what looked an unassailable lead at the top of the championship and guaranteed promotion. We really are some club 😂 ps in amidst of all this inane rambling and ranting, I was meant to be heaping praise on you @BSLBPod boys in what has been an eventful couple of seasons and that is putting it very mildly.

Make no mistake if the size of the losses are anywhere in the region, that @GingerrrFox intimates, and I have absolutely no reason to doubt the validity of what is being said, that is financial mismanagement of a magnitude that could take this club to a level that doesn’t bear thinking about. The owners over he last 10 or so years have delivered arguably our finest days, and quite rightly they received great acclaim, it really was a footballing fairytale, however last 2/3 seasons the cracks appeared and rather than proactively manage these situations, Top and his team of trusted advisors have sat back and allowed the club to implode both on and off the pitch to a level that could lead to a generation of mediocrity and struggle. Now I am not wanting to sound entitled, where we sit now is more akin to our natural habitat but the manner of our plummet from what should have been the foundation and opportunity to build sustained success and being a sustainable established premier league team to a team on the verge of financial meltdown and the impact this will have to put on field ambitions and ability to compete even at 2nd tier level is truly Unbelieveable i really cannot see how Top, Whelan, Rudkin and co can survive and continue as the leaders of our club, either the family have to sell and we start again or Top has to be ruthless and bring in established football experienced operators who can take the embers of what is left and rebuild us both on and off the pitch. What a sad and sorry state we find ourselves in. .

It really does feel like the impending PSR breach and subsequent points deduction has ripped the heart and spirit from the management and squad, at the start of the season there seemed a long term project was in place and everyone seemed to buy into it, however fast forward a few months and it has literally turned to rat shit, highly likely if we do go up we will have a significant points deduction and likely to have to sell some of our better players, hardly conducive to driving a positive culture. All the positivity has been destroyed and looks to be replaced by a group now looking for the exit door after being sold an initial dream that has now turned into an impending nightmare, even if successful at best it’s going to be a long hard season trying to fend off relegation with a severely weakened squad and the likelihood of quite a few morale sapping hanmerings as we will be woefully ill equipped. Soul destroying how the club has managed to shoot itself so badly in the foot. So many look to have mentally checked out now.

I agree from a defensive perspective Coady is so much more solid than Faes, trouble is I think Enzo sees Coady as having limitations when in possession, whilst Faes can have absolute brain farts and at times is an absolute bombscare, however his ability to progress with the ball from deep is definitely a weapon especially when teams set up in a low block as he can manipulate space and that will draw players out of their defensive shape. personally I would like to see Coady in for his stability and leadership but I am not convinced Enzo will go for this due to what we lose when in possession.

Seagrave isn’t the problem in my opinion, having state of the art facilities is an absolute positive and in the long term should be a huge part of attracting new players and more importantly in attracting the very best academy prospects. I still believe our biggest issue over the last 2 years is the number of players who know they are leaving and have mentally checked out of the club, it played a massive part in our relegation last season and I think we are seeing a similar impact now in this second half of the season. I think a fair few had their eye on the January exit door, and when it didn’t happen, motivation levels have most certainly dipped.

If Enzo was to leave before the end of the season, which is highly unlikely, as it would mean a parting of the ways on Monday after the Norwich game, leaving 7 games to go, I really don’t think we would take a gamble like and that and also I ain’t convinced Top and Rudkin would be proactive enough to have somebody like Copper primed and ready to come in on say a 12 month rolling contract. I think regardless what happens this season, Enzo is gone in the summer, I really do feel the true financial position was divulged until January and the trust and relationship is broken. if we don’t get promoted, it’s going to be completely different job and I would like to see us go for a young upcoming hungry manager who sees our club as an honour and privilege to manage our club, I have suggested Richie Wellens in another thread as I feel he not only plays decent football but he has done his apprenticeship at some challenging clubs and had some reasonable success.

I don’t have an issue with having an identity or a defined way of playing but you have to have tactical flexibility and that can be in terms of subs, mixing up formations or subtle tweaks to how we play, all this can be done within a framework that means you are not moving far from your principles and ideology. You have to keep moving forward and evolving, the reason I feel we have hit a brick wall is the fact we have become very rigid in our play, set up and substitutions and as a consequence we look jaded and the confidence at the start and middle of the season that we never looked beaten has evaporated. Enzo has to show some flexibility both tactical and with personnel otherwise we will blow this promotion opportunity and from the position we were in at the turn of the year, regardless of the FFP situation it will be a capitulation of the highest level, and I really can’t see how he survives that.

The drop off has been so alarming, which does make me beg the question have the Manager and players lost their mojo and energy for the club? We were flying just a few weeks back but it does seem to coincide with the financial issues starting to come out, do the players and manager feel they have been sold a massive pup in the summer? For what it’s worth if we don’t go up and we are genuinely looking at a points deduction and a lot of players leaving and a real change in direction and culture, a bit of an off the wall appointment but I would consider Richie Wellens, knows the club, had a good grounding under Pearson and has done a decent job at both Swindon and Orient, his time at Salford was a bit of a blip but predominantly was asked to change the style mid season and get promotion but wasn’t supported. I think he could do a decent job much in the same way as Pearson did. Let’s be straight regardless of whether we go up or not and at the minute it’s looking highly unlikely, this is going to be a tough gig and it needs someone who wants to be here. He has done the hard yards in the lower leagues and I think he could do a very good job.