ClaphamFox

So you missed the 1-0 win at the Ricoh on the opening day of 2011/12 under Sven when we were so optimistic and thought that Gelson Fernandes was the new Patrick Vieira? A pity - that was a fun day. Sven was sacked a few months later mind…

Why? We desperately need to trim the squad and we’re getting rid of the players that we should be getting rid of. How is that preparing for several seasons in the Championship?

I reckon BEK will play.

Wilf probably recommended him. What a soldier - he keeps serving us even after he's left. Build the statue.

JJ will probably happen. Bilal will depend on whether Palace agree to pay the asking price, which it sounds as if they're stalling on.

At least if they try to take away one of Top’s ponies he might finally wake up and start taking it seriously…

Indeed. And if Bilal doesn’t leave, which is possible, we probably won't go for Rego.

If talks aren't progressing I suspect it's because we're being very stubborn over our valuation because we don't really want to sell him.

Basically, no we can't. Football finance 'experts' like Kieran Maguire, Stefan Borson and Swiss Ramble make rough estimates based on their knowledge of allowable deductions etc, but it's not an exact science and they often get it wrong. It's also very possible that we're in dispute with the PL over the exact amount. We won't find out until the Commission has sat and delivered its verdict, which may not be for some time...

We made a financial loss of £19m for 23/24 season. The PSR loss hasn't been revealed yet.

We're in a strong position because I don't think we're actively looking to sell him — we're just open to offers. There's no reason for us to accept less than our valuation.

Hey Bilal - your idiomatic English is coming along really well...

Yep. Was gutted to miss that.

I've watched us at The Valley about five times and never seen us won. My only positive memory of the place is a late equaliser from Les Ferdinand. Weirdly I think Charlton scored twice on every occasion I've seen us play there. I can't make it tomorrow, so we'll likely win.

Fair enough. Unfortunately we’re in a tricky spot because we badly need to trim the squad, both from a financial and a squad management perspective, but doing so will be very difficult. The players we’d like to get rid of are proving difficult to shift because nobody else will match their wages, which is clearly a problem of our own making but not one with an easy solution. It wouldn’t surprise me to see one or two (eg Winks) depart towards the end of the window, possibly on loan, with a few others coming in. I don’t expect Fatawu to leave as we’ll price him out of a move. Overall I think we’ll start the new season with a squad that has been moderately refreshed but nowhere near as much as most people would like. Then it will be up to Cifuentes to do what he can with what he’s got. A major refresh will have to take place next summer irrespective of what happens this season because of the number of players coming out of contract in June 2026.

Bilal hasn’t been sold yet and the transfer window doesn’t shut for another nine days, so the ‘big sign’ you refer to is something you’ve just made up. I get that things are grim and the club’s appalling communication strategy is making things worse, but the way some of our fans are completely losing their heads over what has so far been an entirely predictable and fairly modest cost/squad-cutting exercise is quite something to behold.

If Top wanted to sell the club, he’d be doing everything he could to the club back in the PL as he’d get a much higher price. A lack of investment does not indicate a planned sale All that’s happening is that the owners are trying to break the cycle of us being perennial PSR breachers because they know we won’t continue to get away with it. That’s all it is.

Another important difference is that the club had likely decided that we needed to sell Mads and so weren't in a strong bargaining position. With Bilal I suspect it's more a case of us being happy to sell him for the right price but equally happy to keep him if that price isn't met. Far less pressure on us to drop the asking price.

That double negative is a bit confusing. Have you seen any actual evidence that he regards us as beneath him, or is it just that you haven't seen any evidence that he doesn't turn his nose up at us? If it's the latter, how is he supposed to prove a negative?

If this deal doesn't happen, we might have to organise a roster for regular welfare checks on Sacha.

What makes you think he would do that?

It will be interesting to see how he responds if he doesn't get a move. Does he actually want to play or would he prefer to rot in the reserves until his contract is up? And if he does play, does he plan to continue sulking all season and storming off down the tunnel on 90mins irrespective of the result?

Momentum can be a very powerful force, both positive and negative.

Oh I agree that providing the state school system with the resources is the best solution. I just don't have any faith that it will happen. A few months ago we visited a local state school (not the closest one I mention above, but another equally large one) that is regarded as being best-in-class for its provisions for neuro diverse children. We desperately wanted to like it and be reassured that our son would do well there. Only it turned out that their much-lauded provision is a special unit that autistic/ADHD kids are allowed to go to at any time - ie, they are permitted to leave the classroom and go to this unit and choose what work they wish to do, under the supervision of a teacher and an assistant. The idea is that no pressure is put on them and they can escape the demands of the classroom. This may be fine for children who aren't particularly academically-inclined, but many neuro diverse children are very bright and perfectly capable of thriving in a class with fewer pupils if they have the right support. The last thing they need is a passport to walk out of the classroom and go to a special unit where they won't be subject to much scrutiny. And this school is held up as a model for what other state schools should be aspiring to. We came away feeling utterly deflated and depressed.