There's a lot that goes on that we obviously don't know about - and neither should we.
No. But what we are exposed to - us being beaten most weeks, is a gauge of success.
Wilder wanted Cash, Robinson and Wilson. We were blown out of the water with wage demands, so he stuck to his plan of buying players who might make it, but also demand much less wages.
I'm kinda sick of hearing this 'wage demands' trope now. What do people expect in the PL? Div One wages? If you are purposefully limiting wages then as others have said, you are purposefully limiting talent and capability to perform in the English Premier League. This isn't rocket science. And it's certainly not rocket science when we signed players (fee or no fee) who are still a financial liability on the club yet don't appear in a United shirt. That is just poor scouting, profligacy with funds and frankly incompetent recruitment.
Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't.
Snake - when you are in Division One, such an ambivalent approach doesn't cut too much ice. When you have spent several times the club's own worth in two seasons on dud players, then the factor is more serious. Please tell me you acknowledge this and understand it?
Yep, we've bought some duds,
C Robinson - c£6m. Hardly played. Loaned then 'swapped' for Burke, who has his feet on back to front.
Morrrison - Free. Hardly played. Waged.
L Freeman - £5m. Hardly played. On loan at Forest.
Jagielka - Free. Hardly played until needed. Waged (possibly considerably)
Mousset - £10m. Never played 90 minutes of English football in nearly 100 appearances. Nine fucking goals, six for us. Allus out of condition or injured. Fucking kitbag of a signing
Osborn - c £4m, In and out and when in, tries like fuck but clearly isn't even the best of the Championship in honesty
McBurnie - £20m. Six goals last season and some visions of potential but this season way, way below standard
Verrips - Free. We got Foderingham as well? Has anyone seen him play? Still drawing a wage, as is Moore, who played twice last season due to Hendo being loan-tied
Rodwell - Free. Waged. Unused
J Robinson - Undisclosed. Fucking useless. Mysteriously injured forever now but still being paid
Berge - c£23m. Now injured and never really showing anything which changes the game
We also loaned in Besic, Zivkovic and Retsos, The latter two were anything but good enough for this level, but presumably still drew a wage for next to fuck all showing or return. Besic was definitely one to buy or further loan but, y'know ...
then, as if that lot wasn't enough
Foderingham - Free. There isn't a Rangers fan who didn't breathe a sigh of relief when he fucked off. Still drawing a wage, mind
Ramsdale - £18m. Played every game and has been on the whole, an unmitigated disaster.
Lopata - Free. Who?
Lowe - c£4m. Struggles at PL level
Bogle - c£4m. More potential and has the ability to threaten and score. There, you can have him as a 'good signing'.
Burke - part of the swap deal with C Robinson. Pace to die for. Footballing ability and goal threat to top yourself for.
Coulibally - Undisc. Who?
Brewster - c£26m. Woefully underhorsepowered and nowhere near capable
but this has to be balanced by the good signings we have made
Bogle - c£4m. More potential and has the ability to threaten and score. There, you can have him as a 'good signing'.
Great balance.
and the proof in the pudding is we got to the PL and reaped all the associated financial rewards.
Firstly, we got to the PL without all of the above and secondly the financial rewards we jizzed on the above. That's a kind of sweet circular argument, but fuck me is it true, or what? Now tell me snake - who signed all of these? Was it you? Was it HRH? Was it mild mannered Henry, the janitor?
Fucking tell me about it.
- but we always knew there was a fair chance of that happening.
Not really. Up until lockdown we were talking about Europe and playing pretty decent football. Even if we didn't qualify, it could be said we had done bloody well in our first season in the PL and just needed to augment the squad in areas we'd shown weaknesses. Instead, we come back after lockdown and when it was seen that teams had sussed us out, simply stuck to plan A, because that is all we know, or want to know.
Wilder has of course made mistakes, he's also make some cracking decisions. He'll do for me.
Yes he has and indeed, he will still do for me. But he needs to make some big decisions in the intermediate weeks between dropping out of the PL with humiliation and opprobrium. Ones that will affect the clubs future and ours as supporters and him as manager. He needs to ditch the sentimental retainers, bite the bullet with sicknotes, clear out the fucking loft-full of stuff there 'just in case' and change the fucking system. Next season won't be quite as easy as people think and if he isn't in the top six by Christmas with a minimum objective of winning the playoffs without taking us to second legs needing snookers and having Ramsdale take the last spot kick and it clearing the stadium roof again then he really needs to ask himself the question what he can achieve with the scared cutlasses on his left breast.
pommpey
