Ric Flair Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 Not sure why lowest points total should mean it was easier to get in to the playoffs? If anything the fact that there was such a small points different between playoffs and relegation was becuase it was a really tough league with a lot of good sides. A couple of clubs running away with a stack of points doesn't mean it is harder to get into the playoffs. You could look at it two ways. Last season was a much of a muchness and there was so much dross, us included. I genuinely think the relegated teams plus Bolton, Forest and a few others could cause a gulf because of their ability to sign certain players when other clubs are having to completely change their spending. I know we were the money bags in the last few years but it didn't help us, we must be one of only a few clubs that's rinsed that amount of money at this level and failed. Therefore I don't see how this squad will be able to get a higher points total in a league with better quality in it. We need to strengthen but I accept we can't and rightly so. I've accepted what's coming and promotion isn't the be all and end all for me anyway, not arsed about the PL at all. I just cannot buy the bullshit that will be dished out that we're in good nick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bert Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 To me Whitbread is gonna be Wes' partner. A full pre season will hopefully get him 100% and then we might see a repeat of his Norwich performances. SSL will cover whilst he's still on the books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callabinho Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 To me Whitbread is gonna be Wes' partner. A full pre season will hopefully get him 100% and then we might see a repeat of his Norwich performances. SSL will cover whilst he's still on the books. Agreed. He is a quality defender, and with a pre season under his belt he should be just what we need! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Flair Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 To me Whitbread is gonna be Wes' partner. A full pre season will hopefully get him 100% and then we might see a repeat of his Norwich performances. SSL will cover whilst he's still on the books. Hopefully but he's injury prone so we need an able cover. I see a season long loan in the offing later on this summer. No biggie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dickov22 Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 The players we don't want already knew they weren't wanted as we shipped them out last year also at one time or another. Not true. For example St Ledger was loaned to Millwall to "Get Fit". And now he's been told he can go when we are obviously short of quality centre backs. They all know the FFP situation as well, what are we supposed to do, tell them they are wanted and then flog them or not play them. Well if it was me I'd play it cute and have moving them on if interest is show in mind whilse publicly keeping them on side and using them as and when needed. It gives everyone a chance to sort their futures if they want to. Most will be happy earning the biggest pay day they will ever get though sadly. By our own club's admission the market is "Frozen" so unless you are at the very top of a club's wanted list you are going to find a move that suits difficult, so why alienate players we may end up needing? We did that last season with some who for me might have helped halt the choke. SSL was not loaned out to get him fit. Does anyone seriously think we'd be that stupid! If that were the case how come he didn't feature at all following his return? He was loaned out with the hope Milwall would sign him permanently. To me Whitbread is gonna be Wes' partner. A full pre season will hopefully get him 100% and then we might see a repeat of his Norwich performances. SSL will cover whilst he's still on the books. Whitbread yep. SSL won't be here IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linemakers Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 FFP just makes it easier for the teams who drop down from the prem to bounce straight back up. I think the football league have had to do something to stop clubs getting into debt, but it will make it very hard to get promotion. It's a good job we have got Cat 1 in the academy or we would lose any good young players we have as well. Still looking forward to this season and think we will have a couple of loan players in before the start of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col city fan Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 I told you all this weeks ago We gotta eat what is on our plate.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 This happens all the time - players are told that they are free to find another club. Especially with the FFP rules coming into play, most players would simply ask their agents to have a look around. No hard feelings. And while footballers will never come up with cure for cancer, most of them have a genuine desire to play football and enough brains to realise where the money to pay the bills comes from. So even if five out of the six are here for the next season, I'm sure everyone of them will be training hard to try and get a game - and play well if selected. Even if it's purely to put themselves in the shop window. I know the circumstances and the personalities involved are entirely different - but look at Beckham at Real when Capello came in. Fabio benched him and pretty much said there was no room for Becks in his team (due to the LA Galaxy announcement). He then had to chance his mind (and even later selected him for England) when he saw how hard Beckham trained and how dedicated he was in his performances for the team when he did give him 20 minutes at the end of a game. Players can turn it around. Somebody like Danns could well get a run in the team if he shows Nige that he wants it enough. Whether he fits in with the system is another matter. I've got to tell you I think you are wrong sadly. I'd love to see Danns and St Ledger get rewarded for knuckling down and training hard and even winning a place in the side on merit, but once you are the wrong side of Nigel there seems to be no way back, and for me given the situation and that we may well be stuck with a lot of these players a clean slate all round would be the most sensible and cost efficient manner of getting the very best from the coming season. However what will probably happen is they will mostly be farmed out on loan elsewhere while we struggle on with a small pool of players that the Manager sees as suitable, and for me cutting off our own nose to spite our face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burbage Fox Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 Its all very boring simple facts are unless we can get rid of RW,PG,ND,SSL we are basically stuffed... none of them will be anywhere near the first, SSL apart, and are in the top bracket of wage earners ( I use that term loosely) and with FFP we cant afford to bring in new blood until they all free up some finance. So unless the team have 1. Grown some backbone 2. Improved lots 3. learnt how to win away we will be in for a long season of ups and downs....more ups hopefully but I said that last year.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burbage Fox Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 You could look at it two ways. Last season was a much of a muchness and there was so much dross, us included. I genuinely think the relegated teams plus Bolton, Forest and a few others could cause a gulf because of their ability to sign certain players when other clubs are having to completely change their spending. I know we were the money bags in the last few years but it didn't help us, we must be one of only a few clubs that's rinsed that amount of money at this level and failed. Therefore I don't see how this squad will be able to get a higher points total in a league with better quality in it. We need to strengthen but I accept we can't and rightly so. I've accepted what's coming and promotion isn't the be all and end all for me anyway, not arsed about the PL at all. I just cannot buy the bullshit that will be dished out that we're in good nick. Nice One!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgfualol Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 Oh god, I'm so incredibly bored. I think I might support someone else until Middlesborough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harpendenfox Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 Presumably this means we will need to play the loans market astutely. I think most feel we don't need or want a massive influx of players anyway. Three loan signings may be the solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indierich06 Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 I've got to tell you I think you are wrong sadly. I'd love to see Danns and St Ledger get rewarded for knuckling down and training hard and even winning a place in the side on merit, but once you are the wrong side of Nigel there seems to be no way back, and for me given the situation and that we may well be stuck with a lot of these players a clean slate all round would be the most sensible and cost efficient manner of getting the very best from the coming season. However what will probably happen is they will mostly be farmed out on loan elsewhere while we struggle on with a small pool of players that the Manager sees as suitable, and for me cutting off our own nose to spite our face. What's all this rubbish about 'getting on the wrong side of Pearson' - I'm sick of people making excuses for piss poor players by saying 'oh yeah, they must have fallen out with Pearson'. Is it not possible that Pearson is trying to move these players on because he realises that they represent terrible value for money and aren't good enough for our side? Says it all that the only sides interested in Beckford, Danns and St Ledger last season were mid table sides or sides battling relegation. They're not good enough for our side and the sooner they're shipped out, the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitesh Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 When will people learn that the season is played August - May and not just a few games in May. We made the play-offs by virtue of our hard work during the first part of the season and although the blip at the end wasn't great I think we were better all around than the rest of the teams around us. We obviously missed out at the end but I don't think its a bad thing with us not signing a lot of players. Like NP says, we have a good side that will learn a lot this season from last and that will put us in good stead. Also remember for a lot of these guys its the first full season they've had (professionally and with LCFC) and so I'm sure they'll take that into this season. I reckon we'll also sign a few players on loan through the season so expect a few fresh faces later on in the year to boost us. I don't think there is reason for all the perceived doom and gloom - on paper we have a strong squad and some fans need to realise that and we can't always be going out buying lots of players etc - also remember that we've done that quite a bit in the past and look at where its got us! For the first time in a while we actually have a stable squad which isn't chopping and changing, we might actually get a bit further! Look at other sides who have been promoted as an example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxfanazer Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 Unlike previous seasons the squad doesn't need a complete overhaul. A couple of loans or bargains to add quality in some key positions and we will be alright. It is starting to feel like FFP was designed just to stop us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleronnie Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 I agree it doesnt need drastic changes but it does need some, hopefully we can strengthen because if we dont I cant see us competing for a top 6 place next season, for me the championship is even stronger than last season. Looking forward to it, I cant believe its less than a month away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babylon Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 I know people say that every year but look at the facts, our points total would have had us finish about 8-10th in most seasons and that would have been an abject failure amongst our fans, the owners and the media. Pearson would have been sacked and we'd be looking for yet another manager. I can't take any confidence from the fact we finished 6th that we'll definitely be up there again this year, apart from a couple of winning streaks we had we were appalling from February onwards, APPALLING. It still points towards a much harder season ahead of us. I don't see us seriously challenging for promotion this season. We'll be competitive but I think it'll be a scrap for top ten with a sniff at the play-offs but ultimately we'll fall short. I won't be that gutted either, I hope the problems we're facing with the FFP make us look to build from within as i'm excited what the likes of Cain, Panayoitou and Laraurri can do if given the chance. Babs I love your devil advocates approach but there's bugger all confidence can be taken from this situation, it's more hope than belief for the coming season. Not that that changes much as we've had belief the last 3 seasons and it's ultimately led to the square root of fook all. We'll still plod along though, it's what we do. But we didn't finish 8th or 10th, we finished 6th... it's pointless comparing to other seasons as it can mean the bottom teams were stronger this time around than in previous years, rather than top teams being greatly weaker. I agree we were shocking in a lot of games Feb onwards. But lets not forget in the last 8 games we only lost two games both of which to Udinese B (one of them thanks to a missed penno). We drew away at Brighton and Palace, beat Forest away, Bolton and Watford at home... all teams who were up there challenging and are expected to again. I'm not confident and I'm not downbeat, you never know what's going to happen so I'm not making any real predictions and what I think will or won't happen. My biggest fear is that we end up having to sell players we don't want to to fit in with FFP, and Pearsons words in that article worry me a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Fox Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 It is depressing quite frankly the deadwood don't seem to be moving which was my fear, we need at the very minimum 3 players if we are to challenge for the playoffs let alone automatic promotion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indierich06 Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 Unlike previous seasons the squad doesn't need a complete overhaul. A couple of loans or bargains to add quality in some key positions and we will be alright. It is starting to feel like FFP was designed just to stop us! To be fair, we are definitely the kind of club that these rules were brought in to stop. Reckless spending? Check. Racking up a mountain of debt? Check. It might be a bit crap for some time while we try and sort our finances out, but that's preferable to continuing to chuck money away in a fruitless attempt to buy promotion that would probably see us bankrupt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumbleFox Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 I know people say that every year but look at the facts, our points total would have had us finish about 8-10th in most seasons and that would have been an abject failure amongst our fans, the owners and the media. Pearson would have been sacked and we'd be looking for yet another manager. I can't take any confidence from the fact we finished 6th that we'll definitely be up there again this year, apart from a couple of winning streaks we had we were appalling from February onwards, APPALLING. It still points towards a much harder season ahead of us. I don't see us seriously challenging for promotion this season. We'll be competitive but I think it'll be a scrap for top ten with a sniff at the play-offs but ultimately we'll fall short. I won't be that gutted either, I hope the problems we're facing with the FFP make us look to build from within as i'm excited what the likes of Cain, Panayoitou and Laraurri can do if given the chance. Babs I love your devil advocates approach but there's bugger all confidence can be taken from this situation, it's more hope than belief for the coming season. Not that that changes much as we've had belief the last 3 seasons and it's ultimately led to the square root of fook all. We'll still plod along though, it's what we do. Erm, you do realise that it was the lowest points total for 6th because the league was closer, more competetive and tighter than ever? It doesn't mean we were the worst sixth placed team ever or that we were lucky, it means that the teams were all closer together in quality and that more teams were picking points off each other. We were the sixth best team in the league over the whole season, it is impossible for you to deny that. Now, I'm not saying we'll win the league or we were amazing all the wat throuugh last season but your negative attitude and flimsly arguments are a little silly. X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indierich06 Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 I agree it doesnt need drastic changes but it does need some, hopefully we can strengthen because if we dont I cant see us competing for a top 6 place next season, for me the championship is even stronger than last season. Looking forward to it, I cant believe its less than a month away. You just never know what to expect from this league though. I thought last season the league was as strong - if not stronger - than the season Newcastle finished as Champions. I thought Blackburn and Bolton would absolutely piss this league and I thought Wolves would be very strong too. They all looked to be making quality additions as well, much like the relegated teams this season. And what happened? One of those sides were relegated and the other two were scrapping in the bottom half of the table for the majority of the season. Conversely, I would never have picked Cardiff, Hull or Palace for promotion in a million years. It just goes to show, trying to make predicitions in the Championship is an absolute fool's game. And that's what makes it an enjoyable league to be honest, you literally never know what's going to happen next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchandro Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 Nothing new. Everyones in the same boat. Except for the relegated teams, who are snapping up players left right and centre. And maybe Watford if they get in a few loans again. In fact we're probably more in debt than anyone so no, we're not really in the same boat. It seems like these rules will hit us harder than most. I have to say this is not what I wanted to hear right now. I knew things were going to be a bit tricky but we're basically admitting here that we're probably not going to make the additions necessary. I mean it sounds like we're not even considering signing anyone at the moment. Going on Pearson's words it sounds like he knows we're up against it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indierich06 Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 Except for the relegated teams, who are snapping up players left right and centre. And maybe Watford if they get in a few loans again. I have to say this is not what I wanted to hear right now. I knew things were going to be a bit tricky but we're basically admitting here that we're probably not going to make the additions necessary. I mean it sounds like we're not even considering signing anyone at the moment. Going on Pearson's words it sounds like he knows we're up against it. I highly doubt that. I'm sure Pearson's got targets in mind for if/when we offload a few players. Then there's players on loan, or free transfers. Pearson's always kept his cards close to his chest in terms of transfers, so I wouldn't expect him to come out and say any of this anyway. Like I said in my other thread - a new centre back is an absolute priority. As for the rest of the side? I could live with it if we kept the same team as last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Flair Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 But we didn't finish 8th or 10th, we finished 6th... it's pointless comparing to other seasons as it can mean the bottom teams were stronger this time around than in previous years, rather than top teams being greatly weaker. I agree we were shocking in a lot of games Feb onwards. But lets not forget in the last 8 games we only lost two games both of which to Udinese B (one of them thanks to a missed penno). We drew away at Brighton and Palace, beat Forest away, Bolton and Watford at home... all teams who were up there challenging and are expected to again. I'm not confident and I'm not downbeat, you never know what's going to happen so I'm not making any real predictions and what I think will or won't happen. My biggest fear is that we end up having to sell players we don't want to to fit in with FFP, and Pearsons words in that article worry me a bit. FFP is going to be a farce but it's actually needed for us if we can't get promoted within the near future. We've had a crack and failed miserably at trying to buy our way out of the league quickly, but this is exactly what the relegated teams will now do with the ridiculous parachute payments they are to receive. Being relegated will be a minor inconvenience to teams in the PL and bar a shock season 2 of the 3 will go straight back up and it's a lottery in the play-offs for the other team. The league will start to get stronger with the teams who didn't immediately get back up but still have a lot of money classed as income from when they were relegated within the last season or two. We're in for a battle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Flair Posted 8 July 2013 Share Posted 8 July 2013 Erm, you do realise that it was the lowest points total for 6th because the league was closer, more competetive and tighter than ever? It doesn't mean we were the worst sixth placed team ever or that we were lucky, it means that the teams were all closer together in quality and that more teams were picking points off each other. We were the sixth best team in the league over the whole season, it is impossible for you to deny that. Now, I'm not saying we'll win the league or we were amazing all the wat throuugh last season but your negative attitude and flimsly arguments are a little silly. X A posh way of saying the league was full of toss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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