Will we spend next season?

[Millhousesblade1889]

Luke Freeman has been injured for seven weeks and has undergone an operation to correct a hernia problem. He is about to start training again now.

He played last week and got pulled off at half time (pardon the pun) before his injury he couldn't get in their team.

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

Actually IF we do go down the price and wages for any players we buy should drop and they will have an easier time bedding in. Mr Wilder will have more time to work with them, and although it wont be that easy it should be easier than life in the Premiership.
Don't forget we came up here at a gallop and although we had a good first team the backup left a lot to be desired and that didn't give our new buys a lot of time to bed in,
And don't forget that even the Championship had been new ground for CW, the Premiership light years ahead, but we still held our own. and in the end if we do fail in this extraordinary season one of the main reasons will be our lack of support in depth.......

 

[Plymouthblade]

We've got to remember our better players will probably move on ... who's to say we will be able to keep them?

Who’s our better players ?

 

[Harry's Game]

The mortgage is going to take a big bite out of the parachute payments. I can’t see us spending big on players next season Especially with no gate money coming in. depends how much we get for Berge, Egan, JOC.

 

[Plymouthblade]

Sander will move on and good luck to him, be a good player in some team, very strong man physically and mentally but it didn’t work out for us or him

 

[Plymouthblade]

Take the 20 back for sander, and swallow our pride on ramsdale, hopefully keep the rest and parachute payments evens us out

 

[Plymouthblade]

Don’t get me wrong love him to bits, not do him any good in championship

 

[ancientblade]

The mortgage is going to take a big bite out of the parachute payments. I can’t see us spending big on players next season Especially with no gate money coming in. depends how much we get for Berge, Egan, JOC.

cant see joc going anywhere till january at the earliest but every chance berge and egan will be gone and for me thats 40m minimum

 

[Harry's Game]

cant see joc going anywhere till january at the earliest but every chance berge and egan will be gone and for me thats 40m minimum

If JOC has the full pre season and the first three or four games in August the Transfer window to the Prem doesn’t close until September

 

[AdamSufc1997]

We need to we need some quality

 

[ancientblade]

If JOC has the full pre season and the first three or four games in August the Transfer window to the Prem doesn’t close until September

yes but hes had a bad injury and wont have played for nearly a year it would be a big gamble for any premier league club to take a punt on him and hopefully we will be in top 6 come january and he might want to stay here

 

[Bladeinleeds]

the majority have been wrong for the premier league but not for the championship imo i think they will do well next season especially bogle and brewster

fingers crossed.

I could see bogle having a Freeman league 1 type impact to be fair.

 

[CornwallBlade]

I really can’t see Egan getting a PL starting place as his lack of pace is a major flaw. So he would only leave for higher wages but be on the bench. He doesn’t strike me as one to settle for that. Berge will go and good luck to him. JOC? I’m not sure, if it’s not a big move he may well figure that he’s better here and work on promotion next season?
If we are building we simply have to replace Norwood, Stevens and Fleck. Osborn can do a job in the Championship but that still leaves two to find. I think Bogle will come good as will Brewster. Burke has a role to play and Billy will score goals in the Championship. I’m just praying that we swallow the loss and get rid of McBurnie. Ramsdale has to go. GK is the least of our worries IMO (in terms of budget/competition) there are plenty of very good ones in the Championship. On Radio 5 live yesterday they reckon that there’s no way Henderson will displace DeGea and he should move on. I’d love to think they’re right and he comes back on a loan + option to buy deal. However his wages are now way out of our league so, if he does leave it would probably be abroad or there may well be other PL clubs in for him.

 

[Harry's Game]

I really can’t see Egan getting a PL starting place as his lack of pace is a major flaw. So he would only leave for higher wages but be on the bench. He doesn’t strike me as one to settle for that. Berge will go and good luck to him. JOC? I’m not sure, if it’s not a big move he may well figure that he’s better here and work on promotion next season?
If we are building we simply have to replace Norwood, Stevens and Fleck. Osborn can do a job in the Championship but that still leaves two to find. I think Bogle will come good as will Brewster. Burke has a role to play and Billy will score goals in the Championship. I’m just praying that we swallow the loss and get rid of McBurnie. Ramsdale has to go. GK is the least of our worries IMO (in terms of budget/competition) there are plenty of very good ones in the Championship. On Radio 5 live yesterday they reckon that there’s no way Henderson will displace DeGea and he should move on. I’d love to think they’re right and he comes back on a loan + option to buy deal. However his wages are now way out of our league so, if he does leave it would probably be abroad or there may well be other PL clubs in for him.

I agree with some of that, except I think Norwood will still have a big role to play at Championship level, Fleck i am afraid looks like his body has let him down now and god knows what has happened to Stevens, Osborn looks a better bet at LWB.

Sadly I agree we need a new keeper Ramsdale needs a loan to League one for a season to see if he can find some form out of the big spotlight, but we have absolutely zero chance of Henderson returning that ship has sallied off to the Cities of gold.

 

[Numpty's Dusty Ruts.]

How about WHERE will we spend next season? Like, top 10, in with a shout, middling rebuild, or FFS, here we go again?
Weer's Nigel????

 

[Upton_Blade]

Not quite sure why this is being debated yet again.

Yes we'll spend as there's absolutely no way we'll go through an entire transfer window without bringing anyone in. Now whether that's the amount that some football manager players out there think we should spend is another matter.

I'm really not quite sure where this entitlement culture of spending has come from but IMHO ever since we were promoted to the The Prem all our signings have been with one eye on us potentially getting relegated and having the best chance of coming straight back up.

It's why we haven't blown the wage bill and why we are probably struggling this year as a lot of the signings are probably at Prem level earlier than they should be realistically.

This is not to say I'm happy with how this season is playing out as I'm really not but surely we all have to acknowledge that we have worked our way up way beyond what the normal trajectory would be and need time to let the whole club catch up with the team on the pitch.

At the turn of the year I really did worry that our points total this year may be something that would take a while to come back from however I then looked at our games this year and we really haven't been as bad as our points total shows. Add that to how we have looked in the cup games and against Newcastle and I'm not sure relegation will be as tragic as some are making out.

In reality the only 2 players I could see with interest from The Prem in the summer would be Baldock and Egan and even if both of those departed, and bare in mind they're both well under contract, then we could line up like this next season.

Rambo
Bash New Signing JOC
Bogle Norwood Fleck Stevens
Didzy
McBurnie Brewster

That's without any incomings whatsoever, which we all know there will be.

A few tweaks and that for me is good enough to come straight back up.

 

[itsinyerblood]

'The question of whether we'll spend next season makes makes me consider the question...if we weren't willing to spend last season (and if anyone considers our spend last season as acceptable then I'm afraid a parting of the waves is inevitable) all this does is compound the inevitability of our our decline.

It seems we have a Chairman incapable (a longstanding United tradition it seems) of producing the funds that are necessary to compete at this level. As far back as I can recall this has been the benchmark by which we consider our ambition to be acceptable. Maybe we're jinxed, or more sensibly, perhaps we just aren't considered worthy of the type of investment necessary to pay the the wages that a reasonable Prem player expects in this day and age. The starting point for this type of wage is, I guess, about £80K per week. Of course, this figure can rise significantly, and a player who can positively and consistently affect his team's fortunes can expects far more throughout his career.

I might be a Blade but I'm also a Blade who expects this club to struggle. I'd love my cynicism to be replaced by an owner who addresses the age-old problems of comparable Prem wages and player recruitment that doesn't send a clear message that our criteria for who we sign is no longer based on signing he occasional player who probably will be sold after 2 or 3 years. I'd like to think that I'm a realist and that we can progress based on retaining good managerial staff. Of course none of this guarantees anything, but unless we grasp a business plan that is underpinned on sound and tried models I fear for this club and what the future has in store for it.

 

[Tezza1889]

If I predict that we'll lose Egan for a good fee, and spend that where we need it, would anybody be upset? We may lose Mcburnie, and Berge too, but, if I'm wrong with my guesses and we keep this side together we'll have a great season, I know some predict the classic hangover, but I'm still full of faith in CWAK, especially in a league below..

Which is where we're heading, so make peice with it, them two deserve the chance bounce back, we'll be a fucking nightmare to play for 90% of championship teams.. I can't wait tbh.

 

[Champagneblade]

Not quite sure why this is being debated yet again.

Yes we'll spend as there's absolutely no way we'll go through an entire transfer window without bringing anyone in. Now whether that's the amount that some football manager players out there think we should spend is another matter.

I'm really not quite sure where this entitlement culture of spending has come from but IMHO ever since we were promoted to the The Prem all our signings have been with one eye on us potentially getting relegated and having the best chance of coming straight back up.

It's why we haven't blown the wage bill and why we are probably struggling this year as a lot of the signings are probably at Prem level earlier than they should be realistically.

This is not to say I'm happy with how this season is playing out as I'm really not but surely we all have to acknowledge that we have worked our way up way beyond what the normal trajectory would be and need time to let the whole club catch up with the team on the pitch.

At the turn of the year I really did worry that our points total this year may be something that would take a while to come back from however I then looked at our games this year and we really haven't been as bad as our points total shows. Add that to how we have looked in the cup games and against Newcastle and I'm not sure relegation will be as tragic as some are making out.

In reality the only 2 players I could see with interest from The Prem in the summer would be Baldock and Egan and even if both of those departed, and bare in mind they're both well under contract, then we could line up like this next season.

Rambo
Bash New Signing JOC
Bogle Norwood Fleck Stevens
Didzy
McBurnie Brewster

That's without any incomings whatsoever, which we all know there will be.

A few tweaks and that for me is good enough to come straight back up.

Looking at the squad, there is nobody who is outstanding enough and has played consistently enough games (see Sander and Jack) to attract a big enough bid not to just keep them for a year. So we are less prone to being ravaged than other teams who have previously gone down.

We must have made some decent friends at this level too so a couple of juicy loans must be possible then it is a question of replacing who moves on.

I see something like this with eventual common sense of 3-4-1-2 being re-adopted.

Ramsdale (Foderingham)
Basham (1) Egan (2) O'Connell (Robinson/RND)
Baldock(3) (Bogle) Berge(4) (Norwood) Fleck (Osborn) Stevens (RND/Lowe)
McGoldrick (Freeman(5))
McBurnie/Brewster (Sharp/Burke)

1 Possible Ampadu-alike who can cover Bash but also compete as a DM. Or like Cranie who can cover here and RWB.
2 Decision, upcoming defender, full-blooded rival e.g Jake Cooper/Ben Davies or made do as will hardly play e.g 1 more from Jags.
3 If Baldock attracts bids then needs young replacement, or steady eddie like Cranie to act as back up.
4 If Berge goes then a midfield battler like Ben Pearson on a free might be more well suited.
5 If Freeman goes then a potential successor to McGoldrick in attacking midfield but could also allow McGoldrick to play in front two. Someone like Jed Wallace would be a good candidate or Daniel Johnson from Preston on a free, maybe a Chelsea loan, e.g. Gilmour.

Plenty there to build on though you still at the back of your mind want more athleticism in that midfield.

 

[247Blade]

Who’s our better players ?

Point taken ... anyway anything regarded as better than mediocre+ will be attractive to better off clubs leaving us with the dross. Makes you wonder why we consider ourselves as a big club

 

[ancientblade]

weve definetly spent money on players with an eye on a championship campaign norwood might still be handy but fleck and stevens seem to have gone bogle does remind me of freeman and will score at that level mcburnie has never done it for me but could come good again at a lower level although it wouldnt bother me if he was sold maybe swansea might be back in for him if they go up and i would certainly try and hang on to brewster hes gonna bang em in next season

 

[Chabuddy G]

Maybe, maybe not

 

[Jimmy Fleck]

midfield needs a complete reshuffle, Norwood and fleck good players to have on bench but we need youth skill and creativity in MF

 

[Brick Wall]

So I’ve seen a few threads on here about whether should spend now to try stay up or save for next season etc etc

But the issue is we don’t get our first choice targets and will we even be spending in the Championship. I get it won’t be the same figures but if I was CW I’d still be wanting some money to buy a replacement for Lunny!

Think that will play a huge part in whether he sticks around or not.

 

[Brick Wall]

It's been reported on Football Insider that the Prince has pulled the plug on any new signings or loanees. He's expecting CW to walk so that he doesn't have to sack him and pay him out!

 

[brownblade]

As long as whatever squad refreshment that is done is a shared process rather than Wilder ringing the 8 people he has in his phone book to ask who he can have then I'll be happy enough

Ridiculous comment.
You'll never be happy, is my guess.

 

[brownblade]

It's been reported on Football Insider that the Prince has pulled the plug on any new signings or loanees. He's expecting CW to walk so that he doesn't have to sack him and pay him out!

That's not a real news source, is it?

 

[Carlton Blade]

Ridiculous comment.
You'll never be happy, is my guess.

I was extremely happy up until the end of 2019. Since then, almost every decision made in recruitment has been muddled, panicked and seemingly lacking in any type of strategy beyond "younger"

 

[brownblade]

I was extremely happy up until the end of 2019. Since then, almost every decision made in recruitment has been muddled, panicked and seemingly lacking in any type of strategy beyond "younger"

I still like all the signings on paper... Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

The main reason our season has been so poor, is the terrible form of Stevens, Fleck, Norwood and Lundstram, plus obviously, the injury to O'Connell (then Berge).

Presumably we couldn't get suitable midfielders in the summer window, as we didn't just "forget". N.B. At that time we probably thought we'd need backup midfielders, not 2 or 3 new first teamers.

I don't see any of it as muddled or panicked. It just didn't work out well this season... But it worked out sensationally the last 4 seasons, so who am I to complain, eh?

 

[Carlton Blade]

I still like all the signings on paper... Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

The main reason our season has been so poor, is the terrible form of Stevens, Fleck, Norwood and Lundstram, plus obviously, the injury to O'Connell (then Berge).

Presumably we couldn't get suitable midfielders in the summer window, as we didn't just "forget". N.B. At that time we probably thought we'd need backup midfielders, not 2 or 3 new first teamers.

I don't see any of it as muddled or panicked. It just didn't work out well this season... But it worked out sensationally the last 4 seasons, so who am I to complain, eh?

The drop off in form is definitely the biggest reason. But I don't agree that it was unforeseeable. Stevens, Fleck, Norwood, Lundstram, Mousset - all of whom were definite starters in our best XI had shown varying levels of drop off in 2020, some of it extremely alarming. To expect them to pick up again without real competition for places was misguided.

This is a hard league and we relied on a way of playing where everyone needed to be together, organised and in form. We needed a plan B that would allow some leeway in that, or real competition for places. I don;t think that we even tried to do any of those things other than a couple of early bids that were blown out of the water. Where was the plans B, C and D on those players?