Hecky presser today

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I don’t disagree with that. But we’ve had the time now to get people under contract. The embargo ended months ago.
I don’t disagree but the uncertainty surrounding the finances and ownership would give me concern as a player. Probs being advised to keep power dry to see how it pans out. Same goes for incoming with squad finances making us odds on favourites for relegation. As Hecky says, bring it on, was there last season with injuries but got promoted.
 

I don’t disagree with that. But we’ve had the time now to get people under contract. The embargo ended months ago.
I agree with you that we’re a bit slow off the mark with this, and worry that speed of action seems to be an issue for us across a broader front.
On contract renewal specifically, I think we’ve seen evidence of trying to address the most business critical issues first, ie our top talents in Ndaiye and Berge. I know it didn’t end well for reasons much discussed, but I think it was right that we put our early efforts there.
I don’t think that it was just about getting the embargo lifted that fired the starting gun on this. We had to consider the other financial priorities to which I alluded, and knit them all together in a cogent strategy, since spend in any one part obviously affects available cash in others. Some of them also carry big uncertainties - such as how much will it cost to get in the players that we need - so there’s some merit in doing things in sequence rather than in parallel.

Who knows what’s going on - perhaps I’m just reaching for reassurance that we actually have this under control! Only time will tell.
 
I don’t disagree but the uncertainty surrounding the finances and ownership would give me concern as a player. Probs being advised to keep power dry to see how it pans out. Same goes for incoming with squad finances making us odds on favourites for relegation. As Hecky says, bring it on, was there last season with injuries but got promoted.
I would also share those same concerns as an existing or potentially incoming player ( although it would be dwarfed by the concerns of everybody else once they saw me play...). It’s not a good place to be. It’s fantastic that we’re back at the top table ( apart from VAR), but the journey has clearly overstretched the financial resources of the owner - he’s said as much himself.
 
I agree with you that we’re a bit slow off the mark with this, and worry that speed of action seems to be an issue for us across a broader front.
On contract renewal specifically, I think we’ve seen evidence of trying to address the most business critical issues first, ie our top talents in Ndaiye and Berge. I know it didn’t end well for reasons much discussed, but I think it was right that we put our early efforts there.
I don’t think that it was just about getting the embargo lifted that fired the starting gun on this. We had to consider the other financial priorities to which I alluded, and knit them all together in a cogent strategy, since spend in any one part obviously affects available cash in others. Some of them also carry big uncertainties - such as how much will it cost to get in the players that we need - so there’s some merit in doing things in sequence rather than in parallel.

Who knows what’s going on - perhaps I’m just reaching for reassurance that we actually have this under control! Only time will tell.

The root of my frustration is that we get to the Premier League on average once a decade. We’re at the peak of our financial and resource muscle. But we seem to operate like a lower Championship outfit.

Ultimately it’s an outcome of generational poor ownership, but fundamentally even if we’re skint there’s no excuses for the chaotic shambles of this close season. We have to be and demand better than this if we’re ever going to make the step and stay there for more than a season or two (see numerous other clubs of our size who have done so this last 30 years).
 
I don’t disagree with that. But we’ve had the time now to get people under contract. The embargo ended months ago.
I don't pay close attention to the finances, but my understanding is that we are losing millions (tens of millions, even) a year when we're not in the premier league. Even if players would accept extensions on their current terms, the club just can't afford that - and the owner doesn't have the money either.
 
The root of my frustration is that we get to the Premier League on average once a decade. We’re at the peak of our financial and resource muscle. But we seem to operate like a lower Championship outfit.

Ultimately it’s an outcome of generational poor ownership, but fundamentally even if we’re skint there’s no excuses for the chaotic shambles of this close season. We have to be and demand better than this if we’re ever going to make the step and stay there for more than a season or two (see numerous other clubs of our size who have done so this last 30 years).
I share your frustration about the risk of blowing our chance to establish even a fingertip hold on consistent Premier League status.

I can’t agree that we’re at the peak of our financial and resource muscle, and you’ve seen that I think this is the root cause of our current issues. I recognise that we’ve just secured a Kings ransom of cash as a result of promotion, but this isn’t landing on a blank canvas.

I struggle to define our ownership as generationally poor. Not having enough money to buy the things that you want or need is a valid excuse. If Premiership money has been wasted in the past ( and I think it has), then I don’t think it fair to retrospectively apportion blame only on the owner ( not saying you are doing this btw).

At the end of the day, my interest is in watching the football. Our third season in the Premier League within the space of 5 seasons is at least bucking the trend of our once a decade average.

I don’t think the Prince has the funds for the job, but in my opinion it’s a bit harsh to describe his leadership as generationally poor. We need somebody with some money - much as was the case for most of the other clubs of similar size that have, as you point out, successfully managed the transition.

Let’s hope that Hecky can pull off another miracle on the pitch this season, and that our new billionaire owner has been on the phone to the Prince 🤞 If we could land that combination, then I think we’re sorted!
 
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Bettis said "the player expressed a strong interest to leave"

Hecky said "Sander was happy to stay, he would have stayed and given everything. I'm disappointed and Sander is in a way"

Hecky also said "Vinie was coming in to play with Sander"

From this, I take it that the CEO and the manager do not agree on how the situation played out (they're saying the complete opposite things) and that Sander's departure was a surprise to the manager to the extent that he'd been recruiting players who he thought would combine well with him.


I can understand how it would be difficult to get Sander to sign a new deal (although I'm still not sure why so many posters are so confident about how hard we tried to do that - or even if we did try). Think it's a fair assumption to say he's probably one of the highest earners and probably somewhere close to our wage ceiling so there's not loads of room for movement. We're also unlikely to be able to help him achieve his ambitions within the game (neither are Burnley by the way).

I cannot understand how it is OK for the manager's planning to be totally undermined by something that he obviously wasn't expecting to happen. I know nothing's certain in football and things change all the time but we're not talking about Internazionale coming in at the last minute with a huge bid and the player being desperate to go. We've sold a player who the manager didn't expect us to sell, at the last minute, with no replacement at the club and the player himself is "disappointed in a way". That can't be right, can it?
The last time we had a manager who was "hands on" when it came to transfers was Chris Wilder and that was the agreement when he became our manager. It worked well until the disastrous summer of 2020.

As I understand the CEO now has more power when it comes to transfers and that is now the modern way as we can see the other clubs are doing the same. I believe both Jokanović and Heckingbottom both agreed to this before becoming our manager. They only have to give a list of the players they want to the CEO and let him do the dealings.

We have done well to get £15M for Berge.
 
As fans, i think we have to be realistic. We have an owner that wants to sell, yet want a long term plan.

I think a decision needs to be made by the Prince. He can either try to tout and force a sale or he sets his mind on a 3-5 year plan for the club and executes it. And if someone wants to come and buy the club, so be it.
He needs to achieve clarity

Make up his mind - stay or go - the current malaise of - I want to sell , maybe 80% , but to stick around and be involved - is not a clear enough and hampers , clouds and slows down decision making in terms of actively grown the club with a sense of clear direction that can be communicated to supporters.

This coming and going is the worst of both worlds -
 
The root of my frustration is that we get to the Premier League on average once a decade. We’re at the peak of our financial and resource muscle. But we seem to operate like a lower Championship outfit.

Ultimately it’s an outcome of generational poor ownership, but fundamentally even if we’re skint there’s no excuses for the chaotic shambles of this close season. We have to be and demand better than this if we’re ever going to make the step and stay there for more than a season or two (see numerous other clubs of our size who have done so this last 30 years).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

👍 👏
 
The last time we had a manager who was "hands on" when it came to transfers was Chris Wilder and that was the agreement when he became our manager. It worked well until the disastrous summer of 2020.

As I understand the CEO now has more power when it comes to transfers and that is now the modern way as we can see the other clubs are doing the same. I believe both Jokanović and Heckingbottom both agreed to this before becoming our manager. They only have to give a list of the players they want to the CEO and let him do the dealings.

We have done well to get £15M for Berge.
Regardless of whether the manager is hands on or hands off, he needs to know what is happening. Hecky's comments suggest this wasn't the case here.

As for £15m, both clubs have said it's an undisclosed fee so I suppose we'll never know what we got for him.
 
I don't pay close attention to the finances, but my understanding is that we are losing millions (tens of millions, even) a year when we're not in the premier league. Even if players would accept extensions on their current terms, the club just can't afford that - and the owner doesn't have the money either.

We must have the money to have more than 8 or 9 senior players under contract next year. There’s clubs in the Champ with squads of 25 players without parachute payments.

If this season is just “one and done” to clear the financial slate I can accept that, if we’re told that’s the case. Norwich did the same, but in a managed and planned way. They diverted the cash to build a new training ground facility, a conscious decision to give them better infrastructure off the pitch. I’d imagine they administered contracts to players they wanted to retain. They had a strategy.

Being poorly resourced doesn’t mean you abrogate any responsibility to have any strategy whatsoever. But don’t sell your assets, spend little on anything else and leave the squad management in chaos.
 

Enough explaining .... doesn't alter decisions in the game ....
 
Enough explaining .... doesn't alter decisions in the game ....
They're attending teams to shape how they make decisions going forward, fair play to them for that. At least they're admitting mistakes nowadays.
 
^Thanks for that.
PH almost pulled it off away to Spurs, with a new style and less well known manager.

Blades at home against Newcastle and a manager he knows very well. Could this be the game we get the points we deserve?

With McBurnie missing, I think he could go with Archer and Traore for pace, but I hope we have at least one centre forward fit to come off the bench last 20/30 minutes. Good luck lads!
 
The associated issue with what Hecky was discussing re:how we play being affected by refs decisions raises, again, a massive issue. If we don’t have full transparency on timekeeping by introducing stadium clocks showing time remaining, how are teams supposed to manage the concluding period? If players know there are 30 seconds left, they may go long into the corners but 2 minutes means we need to retain possession. The second Spurs goal was a classic example of this.
 
The associated issue with what Hecky was discussing re:how we play being affected by refs decisions raises, again, a massive issue. If we don’t have full transparency on timekeeping by introducing stadium clocks showing time remaining, how are teams supposed to manage the concluding period? If players know there are 30 seconds left, they may go long into the corners but 2 minutes means we need to retain possession. The second Spurs goal was a classic example of this.

They have to consider stopping the clock, per rugby.

If they want to introduce some drama for TV / new audiences, they could introduce a buzzer on 90 like basketball and allow one final play (blow when the ball goes dead).

I saw some saying it can't be done but it absolutely can. They don't have to stop the clock every time the ball goes out of play, they just have to be sensible with it.
 
With all the statistics collected these days and the automation that’s possible someone must know average times taken for throw ins, goal kicks, fouls, substitutions, etc.
Using that data a maximum allowance could be used for each, after which the clock stops.
All it needs then is someone triggering every stoppage as it happens and the time could be added automatically and the time left in the game displayed for us all to see.
Would work for injuries too except there would be no limit to the added delay.
The way data is shared these days making these statistics publicly available would even mean the bias that every supporter suspects happens would have to disappear (on Fergie time anyway).
 

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