My views are that every season Blackwell is expected to sell a few of his best players, make a massive profit on transfers, reduce the wage bill AND try to improve the team while doing so.
McCabe and the Board know that realistically the team ISN'T going to improve under those circumstances, so they're happy if the manager just achieves their financial goals AND stays in the top half of the league.
Blackwell HAS raised millions in transfer profits, slashed the wage bill and finished 9th, 3rd and 8th, so he's achieved McCabe's primary objectives. He'd like a bigger budget but he's well paid and knows that taking the flak for our perceived "underachievement" is also part of his brief.
The Club know that they have to keep up the pretence that they're being ambitious to avoid a massive slump in season ticket and other revenue. So you get the erroneous "quality over quantity" statements, the positive spin every time we sell a key player and the mysterious links to expensive players who then somehow fail to arrive (Smith, McIndoe, Surman, Lita etc).
We've only raked in a measly £2M transfer profit this close-season, so more players will be sold before the season starts and again in January. Blackwell will replace them with free transfers and loanees and McCabe will feign surprise and alarm when we fail to set the division alight.
If we drop into the bottom half for an extended period, Blackwell will be thrown overboard and a fresh stooge brought in to continue the "reprofiling" exercise with renewed goodwill from the fans.
