When promotion means you lose your job

[Brian Deane]

Don't think Liverpool think Bournemouth. Haven't they still got some players who was with them in League 1/2 ? Simon Francis was deemed not good enough. I can remember him stood on the right unmarked and waving his arms about wanting the ball but was often ignored.

 

[Smirth]

Didn’t seem to bother Matt Done, Stefan Scougall, Jay O’Shea etc when we did it last time. All the likes of Lundstram, Coutts and Freeman will be dreaming about is helping this team to promotion.

 

[Shoreham_Bhoys]

We'd obviously need serious additions in the event of promotion. But no reason why the majority of the guys can't play at least some role.

The one's who can't will be attractive to other Championship sides with potential payrises.

 

[LS16Blade]

Sounds daft but most of our players were deemed not good enough for the Championship. The players proved everyone wrong.

If we and the players have learnt something over the past 3 years, it is that they are good enough and that if they trust in Wilder and the team - they'll manage it in the prem. May not be world class superstars but anyone good enough to get promoted to the premier league is good enough to play in the premier league

Don't think Liverpool think Bournemouth. Haven't they still got some players who was with them in League 1/2 ? Simon Francis was deemed not good enough. I can remember him stood on the right unmarked and waving his arms about wanting the ball but was often ignored.

Exactly right, lmaobob. It seems, however, that some some haven't learnt anything over the past 3 years.

Bournemouth, as Brian Deane noted, took several players all the way through with them because they were integral parts of a team that worked.

Contrast with Fulham, who ripped up a team that gelled in the Championship and sprinkled 'names' through their squad.

 

[Lmaobob]

Exactly right, lmaobob. It seems, however, that some some haven't learnt anything over the past 3 years.

Bournemouth, as Brian Deane noted, took several players all the way through with them because they were integral parts of a team that worked.

Contrast with Fulham, who ripped up a team that gelled in the Championship and sprinkled 'names' through their squad.

Was going to add onto my comment about Fulham - they near enough changed their whole team that got them promoted which definitely didn't help them. Complete opposite of what we will be like

 

[pommpey]

Like it or not, the current squad are a bunch of galacticos and heroes and if we get promoted, deserve their glory.

But the Premier League is very much a large stride in capability requirement. If we are comparing ourselves to Fulham who spent a fucktonne and got nowt out of it, I'd say Wilder is a damned sight more adroit and capable at spotting that requirement and filling it with the right players. He did it when he came, he did it when we got promoted from L1 and did it again this season. But let's not kid ourselves. Div 1 to Championship is a step up - Championship to Premiership is way more than that. I know a lot on here snub PL coverage and get all snotty about watching it, but just take a look at what are considered the 'lower' sides in the PL and watch their game and players. They are tactically and positionally better and far quicker in building attacks and if we are being brutally honest about this, even the likes of Burnley, Southampton and Newcastle would find our midfield and defence pretty easy to work through.

So we first of all need to look at the relegated clubs, look at the players who have 'relegated clauses' in their contracts and look at areas where we might need to become 'PL-Ready'. We need to have a competent, PL capable keeper to keep Deano in the top spot. We need a replacement for Baldock who is a grafter but who will hardly get past the halfway line in most matches. We need to look at Basham and his ability to actually do the centre back's job against much tougher and quicker attackers (think about him facing Hazard, or Aguero) and the midfield needs a complete re-think. I don;t think Fleck, Duffy or even Norwood have forty odd matches in them, Madine and Hogan might turn it on but Billy will be up against international centre backs week in and week out, and his age might be telling some tales come Christmas, which is where we need Mapuay and better equipped front men to lose their markers and get in on goal. This obviously doesn't all come at once, but to ensure we aren't dumped south at the first attempt and avoid a repeat of last time, we need to learn from that and not say, have all our eggs in one basket with Hulse for example. We need our top scorer to be on twenty goals and two others to be on high teen levels of goals scored to ensure we are there in 2021-22.

And most of all, we need to keep Wilder and Knill.

pommpey

 

[Camden Blade]

Whilst it must be a great feeling to be in a team that gains promotion, it must be a very strange feeling too if you know deep down that you aren’t good enough for the next division and this is likely your last game wearing the shirt.

I wonder if any of our lads have these mixed feelings and behind (hopefully) ecstatic smiles while applauding the away section at Stoke, there’s also sadness?

I don't know about the players but if we win promotion I might quit my job. I'll have seen it all.

 

[Blade56]

except perhaps Kevin , who has had 12 years to rue his misjudgments.

He might be aware of his errors last time but he can't act on them. He brought the BRP in to the club and with schoolboy business errors left himself wide open for his business partner to potentially take his pants down and walk away with up to £100m PL money. Problem is he will leave us relegated without the windfall (if we get promoted).

Nice one Kev.

 

[PokerBlade]

I bet every one of them will have some kind of bonus for promotion. At least for a footballer recently promoted to the Premiership it's not like anyone else "losing their job". They'll all have their pick of a few sides and I'd be amazed if any of them started the season without a club.

The other spin on this thread is I wonder how many of our players genuinely thought they'd ever have this kind of shot. Basham had a chance at Blackpool and was ultimately deemed not good enough for them, dropped down to League One and you wonder if he thought in that period he'd ever be on the brink of the Prem again.

Duffy's biggest club before us was Birmingham where he couldn't find a place, and then got turned away from Burton when they made the Championship.

Sharp dropped down a division to join us. Granted you'd think he could've found another Championship club that wanted him but when he came here it was to rescue us from League One, not carry us to the top of league above.

You can go on with a few other players, but for many of them this has to be either the last shot of major glory or beyond what they dared dream not too long back.

 

[Tezza1889]

So what you’re saying is we’re gonna buy loads of players and replace the squad, with McCabe and the prince at “war”..

It’s the opposite, if I were a player at our club I’d fancy my chances of keeping my shirt for next season, other clubs like Leeds would devastate the first team and it’s their players that might be thinking that way..

Just look at Leeds recent results...

 

[SB_90]

for anyone wanting vast changes compare Fulham & Cardiff. 1 spent a £100m on 8/9 players, since September have been on similar form to Huddersfield & relegated a few weeks ago. another spend 30/40m on a few players & still have a chance at survival

 

[PittsburghBlade]

They'll get around 2-300k a man from their share of promotion winnings, a 25% increase (standard PFA input to contracts of all ages, some much more) in wages and any bonuses that might have additionally been written in to their contracts. Which although often speculative in our situation of signing many players I imagine those like Norwood who's remarkably been promoted 3 years in a row and their agents will be no novices with ensuring they had additional incentives in their contracts.

 

[BushBlade]

They’ve spent their entire lives in a highly competitive environment. They’ve got through all the youth levels, most have faced some kind of rejection, dealt with it and moved on. I’d be surprised if any of them don’t think they can contribute to the club next season, don’t believe they’re worthy of a chance to prove it.

 

[COME BACK CHED]

I would like to see us keep it 100% British/Irish and hold on to good acadamy players , Would have loved Brooks to still be here , Disclaimer < we aint up yet .

 

[blades95]

I would like to see us keep it 100% British/Irish and hold on to good acadamy players , Would have loved Brooks to still be here , Disclaimer < we aint up yet .

I'd rather us sign the best players we can regardless of their nationality