Gamble92

It's also kind of not spoken about how hated our owners were after that decision. The tragedy rewritten a lot of how they became viewed again but up until that everyone wanted us to go down. Spoken about in very different terms now to back then.

Without that great escape can you imagine how ****ed we'd have been? Everyone talking about the gamble paying off. Imagine dropping back down to the Championship with the wage bill and money we'd spent on Beckford, Mills and the rest. Doesn't bare thinking about. Thank god for Nigel Pearson.

The lady does protesteth too much

Highlighting that it's an aircraft and somehow linking it to the helicopter crash is just a last ditch gaslight attempt by happy clappers who will no doubt boo the plane going overhead. Those kind of fans will no doubt renew their west stand season ticket next season and sit there silent, apart from to groan a misplaced pass, or to take a sip of their Bovril flask.

Man City 2-3 Leicester

This, and the Bennett window when we were in top 4 are going to become this era's "if we kept heskey after the Sunderland 5-2"

I haven't seen anyone say it's just down to Pearson. It is down to the set up under Pearson and then a bit of a ripple effect after. There was no genuine plan for the reinvestment after the unexpected big sales of Kante and Mahrez. We had that one brilliant window. If you have any evidence that was down to Vichai learning his lessons and installing some masterplan then id love to see it. Then that scout ****ed off, we got Rodgers and Congleton who spent it all on the absolute turds we can't shift today. And out of his depth Rudkin went along with it because Brendan knew he could wrap him round his little finger.

I'm glad there's only one or two that hopelessly try and defend the owners now. I think a couple of years ago as we headed for relegation there was still enough goodwill to allow that to happen. We at least seem to be unanimous in wanting change. The club and the media are aware of that. Just up to us what we do next

I feel like Commissioner Gordon at the end of Batman Begins.

Savage who is paid to wind everyone up and talks bullshit about every single top class player? Even describing himself as world class once? Yeah of all things you could have said, I don't think that matters to anyone.

What Ruud said was a bit like saying I could have pulled that girl in the bar. Only she said no instead of yes

Id love to know how we were the only club to vote against the £15 price to watch COVID games from home and then last summer charge £10 to watch a ****ing friendly

You're absolutely right that it worked. But it worked because it took Pearson, Walsh and Shakespeare to come in and be responsible with everything. Up until then we were basically doing what we do now. Irresponsible wages and every chance of sending the club into oblivion. No one is arguing if we couldn't have done this without their money. No one is arguing we have come out of a period all of us are grateful for forever. I just don't attribute it to great strategy by the owners.

Revisionism would suggest it's only being said now. Me and many were saying it during the success too. The success changed the narrative from what a lot of us could still see. I'd say Mandaric employing Pearson is an example of a man learning from his mistakes. He then didn't give a **** about letting Pearson go as soon as these lot asked for it though. It's a bit of a stretch to applaud them for the amount of risk they took in the Championship and being lucky enough that the man they forced out come back to sort it for them.

Again though, we are talking about a man they had to go back to with their tail between their legs after he left because he got wind new owners wanted him gone. With Paulo Sousa watching on in the stands for our play off game with Cardiff too. They're lucky he didn't tell them to do one. Thankfully he didn't and like you say Pearson and his staff were able to lay all those foundations. Another massive question is why did Ranieri want to dismantle so much of it and why on earth did they let him?

I only asked for examples of where there were examples at ownership level of good decisions or a genuine plan? The point is there never was one and only recently everyone realised that. Some of us realised it from the start. We're all grateful for the past 10 years. We could not have done that without their money. That's where it ends though. Could give many more examples of the massive luck that was involved. What choice was Ranieri? Like 11th? It's all been done without the kind of plans big clubs have that carry on sustained success.

Can you try our goal line?

In what world are "dodgy dealings" good strategy by the way?

So they demand Pearson gets sacked before they even come in. Appoint Sousa. Get Sven with us languishing bottom. Spunk an incredible amount irresponsibly to dangerous levels (sounds familiar that) then go and get Pearson back (on recommendation from Alan Birchenall), who in turn manages to install just about every foundation for the success we have. Can I get an example of where any of the great decisions were made at board level?

Pearson the second time round was the foundations for every bit of success we have now. He's not on about the first time, but to dismiss League One as a walk in the park after Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest spent as long as they did down there is also very wrong on your part. The fact you called it the Owners strategy and are now referring to it as "dodgy sponsorship dealings" too kind of confirms the point of the thread. The money taken out against us was of no risk to them. It was calculated that buying us for £60m or whatever it was was pocket change in comparison to what we could eventually be worth. Which proved to be true. There was no risk to them and every risk to us of going bust if the gamble didn't work.

Does anyone remember the dispatches programme that went undercover of owners looking to buy clubs? Think one was Birmingham's later owners and Top/Vichai were on there too. Basically just met in a boardroom and said the strategy is you just buy a club, take out loans against their name, spend that money and then what you own will be worth x amount more in Premier League. There was zero risk to them and every risk to us with the way we got into the Premier League. We also didn't spend much when we come up or before the title win. Was only when we started to get the big sales we used that money.

I think it's fair to say that Susan Whelan and Jon Rudkin are so far out of their depth at doing the roles they do at a football club. But both kept their jobs because of the work done below them. And it's only now it's been truly exposed.

Dealings? You mean without his money? Of course not. I wouldn't deny that. But the "strategy" at Championship level was throw way more money at it than was actually sustainable and get out in time before we get punished and end up bust. See Derby County and others for the exact same strategy when it didn't go well. It was Pearson, Shakespeare and Walsh realising exactly what was needed that got us back on track. There's not many managers in the world that wouldn't have just carried on doing what Sven did. Thank god the Birch recommended we go and get him back. (After they instructed they wanted 'world renowned' Paulo Sousa)