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FMBlade1

FMBlade1

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Of course usual caveat of it being extremely early days to discuss, transfer window not open etc but I am concerned this is a position we are/will be in.

I think everyone can agree that this squad, as it is, is not good enough to stay up.

Therefore, to stay up we will need to spend quite a bit of money. Its apparent we don't have that, and probably won't have that either.

My question, is what's the strategy? Is it:

a) throw everything at staying up (whether that be short term expensive loans or free agents on 60k a week)
b) prepare for promotion 2024-2025

If its 'b', which I have no problem with, we will/should sell Berge and N'Diaye now and reinvest that money for players to shape the team around and who will be happy to be part of the championship 2024-2025 team.

If its 'a' then we need to spend a lot, and I don't think we can. If we don't spend, we will most likely go down, and lose Berge and N'Diaye on free transfers.

Then what's the point of that? Or do we say that there's a chance that 3 teams might be worse than us and take that gamble? Its a bit of a risk!
 

FMBlade1 said:
Of course usual caveat of it being extremely early days to discuss, transfer window not open etc but I am concerned this is a position we are/will be in.

I think everyone can agree that this squad, as it is, is not good enough to stay up.

Therefore, to stay up we will need to spend quite a bit of money. Its apparent we don't have that, and probably won't have that either.

My question, is what's the strategy? Is it:

a) throw everything at staying up (whether that be short term expensive loans or free agents on 60k a week)
b) prepare for promotion 2024-2025

If its 'b', which I have no problem with, we will/should sell Berge and N'Diaye now and reinvest that money for players to shape the team around and who will be happy to be part of the championship 2024-2025 team.

If its 'a' then we need to spend a lot, and I don't think we can. If we don't spend, we will most likely go down, and lose Berge and N'Diaye on free transfers.

Then what's the point of that? Or do we say that there's a chance that 3 teams might be worse than us and take that gamble? Its a bit of a risk!
Click to expand...
It's B
 
Woodward's Currie said:
Why not operate both plans? Go with plan A and review mid season and change to plan B. Now that sounds like a plan. Should we call it plan C in your thread.
Click to expand...
That is an option but their value would have plummeted by then, with such a short period on their contract. So that's a big cost gamble in itself.
 
Selling Ndiaye would be stupid. We should only look at selling him in January if he doesn’t want a new deal which im sure he will have decided by then If he does or not.
 
Like many, I was not impressed with Norwich gaming the system just for the cash and won't be happy with us going about it the same way.

However, given the ownership scenario, I understand why we are going to do what we are going to do, but just playing at Norwich Mk2 in the event of a promotion in 2 years time merely adds grist to the "closed shop" mill many U.S based owners would prefer.

So, we need to try and stay up, which essentially means keeping our best players and augmenting as best we can. As long as we actually try, then I'll be happy whatever the outcome. If the worst happens, how much appetite will we have the year after to go through the whole rigmarole again?
 
I agree as constructed the squad isn’t good enough to stay up but compared to the side that finished 9th I don’t think we are a million miles off to be honest with a couple of ‘reasonable’ additions.

We don’t have to mortgage the future to be competitive (I hope). For the purposes of discussion if we had a side like the below.

Wes
Baldock Anel Egan {Coady - Fee} {Manning - Free}
{Doyle / O’Brien - Fee} Berge
{Mcatee - loan}
N’daiye {loan - e.g a Dennis, Diallo, Balogun}

Is that any worse overall compared to…?

Hendo
Baldock Bash Egan JOC enda
Norwood fleck Lundstram
mcburnie Mcgoldrick.

We would also be starting with an infinitely stronger bench too with the likes of Mcburnie, Norwood, RND, Robinson, Brewster, Fleck!? Etc on it. Rather than Freeman / Leon Clarke.
 
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My logic would be that we get Berge and Ndiaye to sign new contracts, not to tie them to us for another 3 years but purely so they know that they're integral to the team now and any future success moving forward whether they're here or not at the end of next season i.e. getting half decent money for them when they eventually leave.

"Ili, if you have a good season, people will be queuing up to sign you. We need the money and know that realistically, unless you have a Mousset type meltdown, the football world is your oyster. You could set us up for the next 5 years if you sign and we won't stand in your way if a suitable offer comes in at the end of the season"

Insert various clauses around if clubs playing in Europe make an approach, any offer over £25m for Ndiaye and he can walk if he wants to, sell-on clause whatever it has to be.
 
However, additional funding may be secured prior to a takeover if/when it happens, so that may well leave is in a different pond to fish in.
 
Bladeinleeds said:
I agree as constructed the squad isn’t good enough to stay up but compared to the side that finished 9th I don’t think we are a million miles off to be honest with a couple of ‘reasonable’ additions.

We don’t have to mortgage the future to be competitive (I hope). For the purposes of discussion if we had a side like the below.

Wes
Baldock Anel Egan {Coady - Fee} {Manning - Free}
{Doyle / O’Brien - Fee} Berge
{Mcatee - loan}
N’daiye {loan - e.g a Dennis, Diallo, Balogun}

Is that any worse overall compared to…?

Hendo
Baldock Bash Egan JOC enda
Norwood fleck Lundstram
mcburnie Mcgoldrick.

We would also be starting with an infinitely stronger bench too with the likes of Mcburnie, Norwood, RND, Robinson, Brewster, Fleck!? Etc on it. Rather than Freeman / Leon Clarke.
Click to expand...
Leon Clarke had left
 
Badger Blade said:
My logic would be that we get Berge and Ndiaye to sign new contracts, not to tie them to us for another 3 years but purely so they know that they're integral to the team now and any future success moving forward whether they're here or not at the end of next season i.e. getting half decent money for them when they eventually leave.

"Ili, if you have a good season, people will be queuing up to sign you. We need the money and know that realistically, unless you have a Mousset type meltdown, the football world is your oyster. You could set us up for the next 5 years if you sign and we won't stand in your way if a suitable offer comes in at the end of the season"

Insert various clauses around if clubs playing in Europe make an approach, any offer over £25m for Ndiaye and he can walk if he wants to, sell-on clause whatever it has to be.
Click to expand...
Then you're asking Ndiaye to reduce his future earning potential and lose the ability to pick his own destination though
 
Carlton Blade said:
Anyone wanting to sell the best player we've had in 50 years on the off chance we can sign 2 or 3 decent Championship players in 12 months is crazy
Click to expand...

I get the sentiment, I really do, but unless we qualify for the champions league next season he isn't going to sign a new contract (and even then I doubt he will).

Therefore, we'd be taking a huge risk losing him for nothing and getting relegated. As good as he is, I don't think he can virtually single-handedly keep us in the division and we don't have/won't have the players to support him :(

I know this is a bit of a miserable thread but it does feel like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place despite promotion
 

FMBlade1 said:
I get the sentiment, I really do, but unless we qualify for the champions league next season he isn't going to sign a new contract (and even then I doubt he will).

Therefore, we'd be taking a huge risk losing him for nothing and getting relegated. As good as he is, I don't think he can virtually single-handedly keep us in the division and we don't have/won't have the players to support him :(

I know this is a bit of a miserable thread but it does feel like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place despite promotion
Click to expand...
I completely disagree. One season of Ndiaye gives us at least a punchers chance of staying up. If we sell him I'd give it <1% chance. No contest

Also, I want to watch him play for United
 
Carlton Blade said:
I completely disagree. One season of Ndiaye gives us at least a punchers chance of staying up. If we sell him I'd give it <1% chance. No contest

Also, I want to watch him play for United
Click to expand...

Its hard to say, I hope I'm wrong. Despite going up there are various issues with the squad.

If we got £25 million for him AND reinvested all of it in the squad we may well have a chance of staying up along with the ability of bouncing back if we don't.

Going down and losing him and Berge on a free would be terrible, I'm overly cautious by nature I just don't think its a risk worth taking. If we are to accept that risk we need to spend quite a bit, and I don't see that happening sadly as we don't have the money
 
FMBlade1 said:
Its hard to say, I hope I'm wrong. Despite going up there are various issues with the squad.

If we got £25 million for him AND reinvested all of it in the squad we may well have a chance of staying up along with the ability of bouncing back if we don't.

Going down and losing him and Berge on a free would be terrible, I'm overly cautious by nature I just don't think its a risk worth taking. If we are to accept that risk we need to spend quite a bit, and I don't see that happening sadly as we don't have the money
Click to expand...
Nobody is paying £25m for a player who they could get for free next summer. Also, good luck selling a player who'll get a much lower salary and not be able to pick his next club if you do
 
Carlton Blade said:
Nobody is paying £25m for a player who they could get for free next summer. Also, good luck selling a player who'll get a much lower salary and not be able to pick his next club if you do
Click to expand...

Its a fair point, if the money we get offered is so insignificant that tips the scales into taking the risk and keeping him. That comes with a further risk, that he 'plays safe and within himself' to avoid injuries, a well-known thing that happens to some footballers when they run down their contracts.

I don't profess to have the answers, but it does look like a bit of a conundrum!
 
I would offer higher wage contracrs to both Berge & Illy, with relegation release clauses. If they wont sign then we should sell, same as Spurs/Kane but we dont have the money in the bank to risk them running down their contract and leaving for nothing.

I know people will say 'we have no chance without them' but they could get a bad injury in the first few weeks

Sign Doyle & Coady, McAtee on loan, Archer on loan if Villa loan out again. Id also look at Newcastle as a few will get overtaken with their summer spending spree, If Hecky wants a proven experienced keeper Dubravka is worth a shot

Finally, we shouldnt go in thinking we will go down, Fulham, Bournemouth and Forest survived.

I think those 3 will be in the mix, as will Everton, Wolves, and there is normally a curve ball, Leicester, Southampton etc - maybe West Ham again, Brentford without Toney, Palace without Zaha? Not forgetting Luton and Burnley - thats half the division

If we can put out a team with Dubravka, Anel, Egan, Coady, Baldock, Doyle, McAtee, Berge, Illy, Archer I dont see why we cant finish out of the bottom 3
 
Ndiaye- Keep

We doing OK at Christmas - Keep till summer- off he goes for nowt but we stayed up.

We doing the expected atrocious at Christmas- offload 10 million to a struggler that thinks he can keep them up.
 
steve26272 said:
I would offer higher wage contracrs to both Berge & Illy, with relegation release clauses. If they wont sign then we should sell, same as Spurs/Kane but we dont have the money in the bank to risk them running down their contract and leaving for nothing.

I know people will say 'we have no chance without them' but they could get a bad injury in the first few weeks

Sign Doyle & Coady, McAtee on loan, Archer on loan if Villa loan out again. Id also look at Newcastle as a few will get overtaken with their summer spending spree, If Hecky wants a proven experienced keeper Dubravka is worth a shot

Finally, we shouldnt go in thinking we will go down, Fulham, Bournemouth and Forest survived.

I think those 3 will be in the mix, as will Everton, Wolves, and there is normally a curve ball, Leicester, Southampton etc - maybe West Ham again, Brentford without Toney, Palace without Zaha? Not forgetting Luton and Burnley - thats half the division

If we can put out a team with Dubravka, Anel, Egan, Coady, Baldock, Doyle, McAtee, Berge, Illy, Archer I dont see why we cant finish out of the bottom 3
Click to expand...
Stay up only starting 10 players? It'd be an achievement
 
coolasanidiot said:
Ndiaye- Keep

We doing OK at Christmas - Keep till summer- off he goes for nowt but we stayed up.

We doing the expected atrocious at Christmas- offload 10 million to a struggler that thinks he can keep them up.
Click to expand...
Again, why is Ndiaye agreeing to leave when he can choose his own destination and get a huge signing bonus in the summer?
 
Ndiaye won’t sign a new contract or leave in either the next window or the winter one. It makes no sense for him to allow that unless a top top champions league club comes in for him. He will leave on a free after the next season so enjoy him while we can.
 
Carlton Blade said:
Stay up only starting 10 players? It'd be an achievement
Click to expand...
Thats how good we are!

1686062476829.png

No, but seriously - if we can put out a team with those in, we would still need several players to flesh out the squad.

McB up top with Archer and Illy in behind?
I also wonder if that lad whose name escapes me, plays with Illy for Senegal - would it help to keep Ndaiye?
Kamara from Rangers gets mentioned?
Carvalho loan from Liverpool?
Chukwuemeka from Chelsea?

need a few bodies in dont we
 
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Do you know Berge & N'Diaye want to leave? I'm by no way ITK but i have been tod that they both want to stay, from my point of view that's great news but we would need to get them on new contracts, to protect our asset. Especially if illi is still on the youth contract!

I think keep them and there will be at least 3 teams worse than us.

UTB
 
FMBlade1 said:
Its hard to say, I hope I'm wrong. Despite going up there are various issues with the squad.

If we got £25 million for him AND reinvested all of it in the squad we may well have a chance of staying up along with the ability of bouncing back if we don't.

Going down and losing him and Berge on a free would be terrible, I'm overly cautious by nature I just don't think its a risk worth taking. If we are to accept that risk we need to spend quite a bit, and I don't see that happening sadly as we don't have the money
Click to expand...
Look i get what you’re saying but it’s very seldom we ever spend money like that wisely. seen it too many times before
 

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