LCFCJohn

Why don’t you engage with genuine conversation like my reply to you on a different thread earlier in reply to the American owners comment you made? Seems like you only want to argue and throw insults but anyone comes back politely with genuine points of conversation you go missing?

I just did the same search and Oxford are good to be fair. But it also mentioned 25% in Reading who are a shambles. Anyway I wasn’t saying that with the intention of tarring a whole culture which was my point about people sneering at American ownership as like I say, Oxford are doing well. But for every Glazers at Man U or Boeley at Chelsea who are high profile, there are ones doing things better such as my Sheffield United example (ironically compared to their city neighbours) and Wrexham being a good example as well. The whole careful what you wish for doesn’t wash we with me. I base my views on evidence of what is happening on and off the pitch. Ironically we are heading towards ‘careful what you wish for’ territory anyway.

Would you expect otherwise? Some people just want an argument and when a post with actual fact and balanced information is presented, they can’t argue so just ignore it. I stand by you can’t tar a whole population. It’s not about where your owners are from but what they do. Though Thailand doesn’t have a great reputation with the Man City guy, Sheff Weds and ours…

If you are referring to Arsenal being part of the big 5 and not Arsenal plus the other 5, this is an underrated nod to Spurs

Wasn’t it Edouard or Daka back when Daka came and Edouard went to Palace? Was probably on the radar still. It would be in keeping with the laziness of the club. I felt he came as a means of Cannon going out on loan to get experience. But then we recall and sell Cannon which may be the correct decision for Cannon in isolation but still seems a lack of joined up thinking if that is why Edouard was brought in, like purely for numbers. I agree that youngest, whether our own or the likes of Hermansen and BEK with sell on value is the way we can be competitive. This is why I was pissed off after the QPR game that with 9 sub spots, we couldn’t find a couple of places for some youngsters.

To be fair, I do think Ayew and BDR get a bit too much stick so it was a bit tongue in cheek. Not that I was them both at the same time starting as our wide options mind. I have said before when people complain about the transfer fee for Ayew, that has probably been repaid by the important goals he has scored. BDR as a free transfer…really depends on how much he had in sign on and wages. Purely as a free agent I did think it seemed like the sort we’d had success with before. My point back to Viva was really that all the decisions I mentioned are the ones that impact upon PSR much more than a Tete for example. Not that Tete offered more in his time here if that clarifies? And @Viva, I did note your subsequent point about Edouard which is correct and he has been a waste of space. But he will be out the way at the end of the season and not drag our financial position down in further years which is the point I was making in defence of the loan arguement.

Agreed. Having a young loan player for a minimal cost for the rest of the season who didn’t work out has been much more detrimental to the club than the contract extensions to the likes of Ward and Vestergard and signing Skipp until 2029 for £25mill and the likes of BDR and Ayew on the wages and sign on fees they’ll have had….

It would most likely be American as others have said. And your post seems very judgemental as though all Americans (all 335 million of them) would be out to rip the club off. You know not all people from a Country are the same? One example, Sheffield United have been taken over by Americans who immediately have moved to data driven approach to scouting and signings. I have copied the part of the article below. Sure they are probably there to either for exposure or profits but that can be done in a way that benefits the club and community as well. You’d rather we carry on paying £25mill for the likes of Skipp and brining the likes of Ayew and paying in excess of 60k a week to the likes of Ward presumably? Sheff Utd signings 'driven by data' - Bettis Sheffield United's two permanent transfer deadline day signings came off the back of work with data experts, says chief executive Stephen Bettis. The Blades completed deals for winger Christian Nwachukwu from Bulgarian side Botev Plovdiv and striker Jefferson Caceres, who has arrived from FBC Melgar in his Peruvian homeland. "There was a discussion about long-term planning and bringing in some young players who, with the right coach and the right development, could hopefully push on and become real assets for the football club," Bettis told BBC Radio Sheffield. "This was real data-driven stuff, which is nothing new, but we had a weakness in that area historically, and it's something we wanted to look into and try to progress with." Sheffield United were taken over by American-based consortium COH Sports in December, and Bettis said they had a big part to play in the signings. "With the support of the owners and the people they know, we're working with a group who work with data that highlights young talent that potentially has the ability to push on and become really good players.

Absolutely agree. I am not condoning any of the behaviour you have highlighted and my comments were in the context of the bit of your post I have highlighted. Abuse and. Physical violence is obviously unacceptable. I was referring to the clubs attempts to stamp out those speaking out against the running of the club and fair criticism. I’m not sure if people are banned for this but it is clear the club are tracking people and trying to control what is said on social media etc which is what I refer to by Top needing to understand we are a Country that is democratic and have right to free speech, which in this case I mean raising justified and fair concerns, in the right way against the club.

It is a very bad look banning people for words not physical actions. We all disagree on things even on here but a core principle of the democracy that is the United Kingdom is free speech. If Top doesn’t like that and wants to stamp out free speech, with respect, he is in the wrong Country and owning a football club in the wrong Country.

Hmm. I get what you’re saying but I don’t think it is the same. If a supermarket whacked its prices up, you could go to a cheaper direct competitor. If you had awful service at a restaurant, you would go to a competitor. Football clubs are ingrained. It takes a lot more to turn away. We aren’t going to say, oh I’ll go and watch Derby or Coventry instead. I suppose you get a lot of people turning their back to go to non-league. More games going on general sale tells a story though. And I doubt they’ll get a lucky as they did last year when we bounced straight back and didn’t lose crowds in the process.

Exactly. So for those crying that it is having a negative effect on the team, read that as RVN clearly knows what it is about and will not doubt discuss it with the squad.

He might meet us in League 2 in a couple of years

They are 10 points ahead! They aren’t getting relegated. They may already have enough points when it comes to the end of the season.

Ask @The Bear. How that Voice ***** doing? Hopefully rotting in the ressies with no prospect of a serious career?

And this! Yesterday at 21:55 #21,812 SER19 Full Member Close the thread. There's just nothing to be said anymore. That ref could not have done more for Leicester if they paid him.

Look at this gem from a Man Utd fan on their forum! Yesterday at 21:55 #21,810 90 + 5min Full Member Tough game again. We are getting 99% of decisions against us. What it feels like. We need our club leadership to say something.

Will be another one to walk out for free when his contract ends. In theory we should be able to get him out for a fee that covers PSR wise but again, wages will be too high for anyone to take him. I’ve never warmed to him. For me, bringing players like Winks has been a symptom of the decline in standards, culture and mentality.

Think you have answered the question there. It ‘will’ come into place for the 5th round but can’t be used in lower league ground. I.e this round without it will be a coordinated effort to remove said lower league sides from the competition.

Ayew and Thomas don’t even look like they are playing in the same side!

You make a couple pf good points such as we should have carried on selling to invest. The point later about the clangers for years were obviously masked by the sales and the fact PSR was quite new/not being enforced. People were annoyed at those at the time so let’s not pretend we were all oblivious. Remember the storm against Rudkin after Silva 14 seconds gate? So people have seen through Rudkin for years but at that point, we were still covering our mistakes with big sales. Honestly outside of Pearson and his team, Puel/Macia and a couple of gems (Mads and Fats) under Maresca, our recruitment has been awful. But, with respect, you lose credibility for using the past achievements to justify clapping along this decline now. Of course people were happy when things were going well, equally when things turn to shit, people are unhappy, it’s not rocket science. If fans could see evidence of learning from mistakes, the owners would be given more allowances for what they have been a part of (let’s not pretend they have been the sole or even main reason for the success). But as you point out, bad decisions have been happening for years. Now they are not getting bailed out by managers like Pearson and Puel and the financial stuff has hit, they were going to come under a lot of scrutiny. It eased a bit last year as there seemed to be a plan and some decent signings and signs that maybe, just maybe, lessons were learnt. Enter this season, Cooper and a host of awful (or at least poor value for money) signings. The squad wasn’t improved nor the PSR position by signings the likes of Skipp for £25mill and him not playing or being remotely worth that. So it is lessons not being learnt. If Top came out, gave those responsible the boot, showed evidence of restructuring the football side and acknowledged the mistakes, I’m sure you’d find few people who wouldn’t get behind him. But he’s not doing that is he? People saying ‘Top’s fine, he just needs to get rid of Rudkin etc’. Yes he does, but he isn’t! And re the last part. It’s over. We are just awful. We may have one side in Southampton to finish below. We may find another, likely Ipswich and be 18th. But you’re kidding yourself if you think we are finishing above 3. For me, Wolves are going to end up putting a gap between us and the bottom 3 will be cut off. Wouldn’t surprise me if it’s mathematically done with a couple of games to spare.

Interesting. I may say the opposite based on Nuge being on pens with us so may have taken from Vardy’s tally?

I would turn this round and say it is people like yourself who want things to carry on as they are that need to be ‘careful what you wish for’…..

Yeah, this just adds to the point really. It wasn’t destined to be or part of a cycle, it was avoidable and through small actions such as changing the manager earlier or including players with a decent work ethic like you say.

It keeps having to be said though, but people aren’t angry because we are not challenging at the top, it’s the manor in which we have screwed everything up. We had a higher starting point than the likes of Fulham, even if we had just been more sensible and invested wisely, the outcome may have been to drop to midtable. To actually go from where we were to being relegated so quickly, with the squad we had is not just ‘well that’s the cycle and how it goes’. It was entirely avoidable. Which is why it gives people no faith we will be back as nothing appears to be changing.