Break the bank...yes or no?

[Dan]

People under-estimate the pulling power of this league. Did Fulham not sign Mitroglou last January? Olympiakos' main forward. Fulham were bottom and Olympiakos were still in the Champions League.

 

This league sells.

[MC Prussian]

Even if they gave Nigel millions to spend in January, who the hell is going to put their careers on the line by coming to the bottom club with nothing but championship players around you and a manager who is now proven not capable of managing at this level ?

 

Come on people it's not going to happen. Their agents get a bloody good living off the players backs what agent is going to tell his premiership standard player to come to us in our present situation ? NONE.

 

 

We have to accept that we are going down and that Pearson's gamble blew up in his face. Deep in our hearts we knew in the close season that the team was not good enough to stop up , it's a pity that the man who should have seen this coming did not see what most of us could see then.

 

All this talk about parachute payments as if it's some sort of get out of jail monopoly card is just nonsense. It made no difference to all those other cubs that went down did it ? how many bounced straight back up ?  

 

The whole club needs re structuring if the owners are serious about us being a Premiership outfit, and that starts with getting a manager capable of managing at this level and attracting the players good enough to do the job. They have to stop thinking small time and put their business knowledge and their money where their mouths are and do it starting now. 

Great outlook on life and all... "We have to accept that we are going down"... Yeah, sure. That's why the players give it their all each game, desperate to stay in this division.

That's why the majority of fans back the manager and don't come to knee-jerk conclusions such as yours.

 

Anyhoo, you make it sound as if we're the kid nobody wants to play with. In fact, I can see some players wanting to join: The ones desperate to show off their skill in the Premier League and the ones towards the end of their contract (with another half a year to go). Oh, and the adventurous. And the ones who just don't care what good old Bunyip thinks. And of course, there's still the loan option available.

 

Parachute money can indeed make a difference. Many clubs who went down from the Premier League were hindered by a massive wage bill, which is not the case with us. They also usually had to rely on the services of a new manager, because the old one got sacked during the PL campaign.

 

We don't need "re-structuring", we are in the process of getting back to a healthy basis and the owners are already working on achieving that goal with punctual investments (stadium, training facilities, etc.).

[Leicester_Numan]

Why, tiered wages depending on division is pretty standard, if QPR didn't do that then that's their problem.

Load wages in favour of survival bonuses

Have release clauses should a club bid for them if we're down

All quite simple and nothing that should effect the sustainability of our club if we're relegated

We can only assume that we've done that with our current crop but we don't know that. But what you're suggesting there with new players is huge upheaval, do you really want to replace a load of players this season and replace the replacements if we're relegated? Hardly building for the future is it? 2 lots of new players to integrate into the squad quicktime

[Crinklyfox]

I'm not in favour of us splashing the cash now and then paying for it over the next 5 - 10 years. Any player brought in is a risk, no matter what the cost. Unfortunately we have a few players who have not made the necessary step up to the Premiership and to replace them all now could be a financial disaster.

[Babylon]

Absolutely not, why would anyone want us to "break the bank"? I seem to remember that not working out to well last time.

 

Sensible investment within our means, whatever that may be.

[RedSoxUK]

This is the squad I want representing Leicester City Football Club. 

We have friends, positional partners, and competition within all ranks of the squad.

 

The players want to be here, and want to be in the league - but if it's relegation on the mind, then i'll want the same players and staff in the Championship next season, and they'll be better for it, still maturing and developing, with additional players improving the squad.

 

I'd much rather go down fighting as Leicester City and keep hold of morale and our key players, than go down having spent millions on players not intended to be here as improvements but as survival players - and be unable financially to keep hold of our key players. 

[les-tah]

This is the squad I want representing Leicester City Football Club. 

We have friends, positional partners, and competition within all ranks of the squad.

 

The players want to be here, and want to be in the league - but if it's relegation on the mind, then i'll want the same players and staff in the Championship next season, and they'll be better for it, still maturing and developing, with additional players improving the squad.

 

I'd much rather go down fighting as Leicester City and keep hold of morale and our key players, than go down having spent millions on players not intended to be here as improvements but as survival players - and be unable financially to keep hold of our key players. 

 

 

 

please dont apply to be the new director of football.

[TrentFox]

Breaking the bank implies spending more than we have. That's a ridiculous strategy, regardless of where we are in any league. Spending what we can afford to spend in order to maintain our PM status is very different and totally sensible.

[Babylon]

Where's the poll?

He's not interested in a poll, it's just his way of taking a couple of made up quotes and making out like he was right and everyone was wrong.

[coolhandfox]

We need quality, but only at prices we can afford.

We also need to offload anyone who we can, there will be championship club willing to take people like Wood etc

[Robin JD Popley]

I think it comes down to this (as I have said elsewhere on here)...

 

We have waited a decade for this chance. On the whole, we messed up in the summer and I think that has been addressed now following Robinson's dismissal yesterday. I still stand by the fact that some of this squad in years to come will be Premier League players of pedigree but for the sake of this one chance we have to re-establish ourselves in the big time, let's throw everything at it. We shouldn't be held to ransom but we need to spend big!

 

I would hope and expect us to spend AT LEAST £15M in this next window if not a lot more. That is the sort of capital that keeps you in this league!

[AyewJoking]

We need 6 or 7 quality players which is practically impossible in the January window plus our precarious position in the table.

 

We could scrape by with 2 or 3 quality additions and no injuries to current key players but that is far more unlikely.

[Guest MattP]

Risk the financial future of the club just to gamble on staying up? Er..no thanks.

If we can buy a couple of players we want at prices we consider value then go for it, if not then certainly don't be held to ransom.

[dorsetboy]

i dont agree with spending obscence amounts but as others have said some quality is needed 

 

for me if they can afford 20 million then fine but i would personally maybe look at the mls for loans as there is some serious quality over there now if we could get some on loan then the cost would be cheaper 

 

 

defoe

donovan

cahill

opare 

[MC Prussian]

I think it comes down to this (as I have said elsewhere on here)...

 

We have waited a decade for this chance. On the whole, we messed up in the summer and I think that has been addressed now following Robinson's dismissal yesterday. I still stand by the fact that some of this squad in years to come will be Premier League players of pedigree but for the sake of this one chance we have to re-establish ourselves in the big time, let's throw everything at it. We shouldn't be held to ransom but we need to spend big!

 

I would hope and expect us to spend AT LEAST £15M in this next window if not a lot more. That is the sort of capital that keeps you in this league!

Except that it doesn't guarantee you safety - only that you've spent £15m on players that may or may not help you stay up.

 

I'm not a big fan of the "All Out" approach, because it's a huge gamble.

I'd rather have us plan well in advance for a possible return to the Championship, mostly as far as wages and fixed running costs are concerned.

Then have another go at automatic promotion (trying to avoid making the same costly mistakes other relegated clubs have committed in recent years).

[Guest MattP]

Are people really getting massively excited about Defoe?

His scoring record in the PL beyond the age of 30 was pretty woeful, he's not exactly been tearing up the MLS either.

[Robin JD Popley]

Except that it doesn't guarantee you safety - only that you've spent £15m on players that may or may not help you stay up.

 

I'm not a big fan of the "All Out" approach, because it's a huge gamble.

I'd rather have us plan well in advance for a possible return to the Championship, mostly as far as wages and fixed running costs are concerned.

Then have another go at automatic promotion (trying to avoid making the same costly mistakes other relegated clubs have committed in recent years).

 

Understand where you are coming from entirely, I just think that we need to give it a go. I understand people's reservations about spending BIG but £15 m isn't a massive sum of money in today's footballing market when the likes of Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal, Everton, Newcastle (list goes on) can easily blow that sort of capital on just one player.

 

I think above all else it comes down to what the owners really want and I think that is Premiership football so they'd rather take a small risk to see it come off than forever think, 'What If'. We have to all remember that the Championship gets harder every year to get out of so there is no guarentees we'd come back at the first attempt if the worst came to the worst.

[Babylon]

Understand where you are coming from entirely, I just think that we need to give it a go. I understand people's reservations about spending BIG but £15 m isn't a massive sum of money in today's footballing market when the likes of Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal, Everton, Newcastle (list goes on) can easily blow that sort of capital on just one player.

 

I think above all else it comes down to what the owners really want and I think that is Premiership football so they'd rather take a small risk to see it come off than forever think, 'What If'. We have to all remember that the Championship gets harder every year to get out of so there is no guarentees we'd come back at the first attempt if the worst came to the worst.

 

The thing is, it's not just £15m is it (presuming you are talking about fees). You've got agents fees, wages over the course of a 3/4 years contract etc. 3 players earning just £20k a week each would be another £12.5m over the course of the next 4 years. Add to that your £15m and other bits and pieces and you are looking at a total of potentially £30m.

 

I also disagree about the champ getting harder to get out of. We say that every year and a lot of clubs you think would do well fail miserably.

[Robin JD Popley]

The thing is, it's not just £15m is it (presuming you are talking about fees). You've got agents fees, wages over the course of a 3/4 years contract etc. 3 players earning just £20k a week each would be another £12.5m over the course of the next 4 years. Add to that your £15m and other bits and pieces and you are looking at a total of potentially £30m.

 

I also disagree about the champ getting harder to get out of. We say that every year and a lot of clubs you think would do well fail miserably.

 

Again, I understand where you are coming from Babs and yet again, think you make extremely valid points as ever.

 

I know my method may be very unlike us in spending big (on the whole). Sadly, though and I wish it wasn't the case, the gulf in the top, the mid-range and bottom of this league is extremely dependent on money spent. Look at Man City, always been a club with history (like ourselves, probably more so but still) yet until their Arab take over they would never have got the players they have today and certainly would have laughed at you during the Joe Royle years for even suggesting they'd win the Premiership.

 

Money talks. Our games are viewed all over the world. It's a question of do we want to buy wholly into the brand that the Premier League has become or do we want to just always strive to be the bridesmaid club? We've never won the FA Cup but I think if we could establish ourselves as a top flight club again that would definitely be achievable. European nights again. I know all this is years into the future but that is what we should be dreaming of and building towards - not whether we can compete with Burnley.

 

Get out of this current mess we find ourselves in, stay up and then the sky is the limit...

[Babylon]

Again, I understand where you are coming from Babs and yet again, think you make extremely valid points as ever.

 

I know my method may be very unlike us in spending big (on the whole). Sadly, though and I wish it wasn't the case, the gulf in the top, the mid-range and bottom of this league is extremely dependent on money spent. Look at Man City, always been a club with history (like ourselves, probably more so but still) yet until their Arab take over they would never have got the players they have today and certainly would have laughed at you during the Joe Royle years for even suggesting they'd win the Premiership.

 

Money talks. Our games are viewed all over the world. It's a question of do we want to buy wholly into the brand that the Premier League has become or do we want to just always strive to be the bridesmaid club? We've never won the FA Cup but I think if we could establish ourselves as a top flight club again that would definitely be achievable. European nights again. I know all this is years into the future but that is what we should be dreaming of and building towards - not whether we can compete with Burnley.

 

Get out of this current mess we find ourselves in, stay up and then the sky is the limit...

It's very difficult to strike the right balance, too little investment and don't give yourselves a chance. Too much and you risk putting the club in a bad place if you go down.

[Robin JD Popley]

Sad but true.

 

I think it was Cloughie who said the reason he would never come to us because we didn't take enough risks. I can't remember the lads name to hand but my Dad has often told me of a story when we were leading Division 1 in the 60s (I think), all we needed was one more winger (someone from Palace) - everything was in place, lad wanted to come to us but the then board wouldn't cough up with the cash and we subsequently blew our best chance of winning the league bar when we finished runners up in the 20s.

 

I'm just thinking maybe now is the time to chance our arm (not do a Portsmouth - Christ No) but go for it!

 

What's the harm in dreaming big?

[Babylon]

What's the harm in dreaming big?

Easy to say when you aren't the person paying for it if the shit hits the fan. The last time we dreamed big in the premier league we got relegated and went into administration.

 

It might be seen as boring, it might be seen as not dreaming big, but not going down that road again comes before any grand dream for me.

 

Go back a decade and the only teams not to have been in the championship since then are Chelsea, Man City, Man U, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool, Everton and Villa. Go back a little further and you lose Man City from the list with Villa and Everton on surviving by the skin of their teeth.

 

The sad reality is for us and every other team outside the biggest 6-8 teams in the country, is that no matter how big you dream, without ridiculous investment you will come back down again at some point. I'm not suggesting we all give up now and don't try, but the future of the club should never be put in doubt again.

[Wortho]

I am not convinced that Pearson has the managerial capabilities for this division. Until we stop shipping goals what is the point of throwing money at the problem. I agree we need better quality players but the management need to work on the defending etc.

[Robin JD Popley]

I am not convinced that Pearson has the managerial capabilities for this division. Until we stop shipping goals what is the point of throwing money at the problem. I agree we need better quality players but the management need to work on the defending etc.

 

Also THIS.

 

 

Easy to say when you aren't the person paying for it if the shit hits the fan. The last time we dreamed big in the premier league we got relegated and went into administration.

 

And I think you've hit the nail on the head Babs why people do find it hard to think of us parting with vast amounts of cash as a club. None of us want that again but we have better people in charge nowadays. No Holmes to find a Taylor!

[ozvaldo]

A new striker.

New left back.

New CB.

A quality creative 'No. 10' type player.

That's what we need in my opinion.

#COYB