Yo yo club?

[Gaini Blade]

Personally, I don't mind being up and down like a pair of prostitutes knickers just so long as we get paid.

 

[Charlieblade]

I am a massive fan of Heckinbottom and his coaching and recruitment team. With very limited finances and some very trying circumstances beyond his control, he has managed the side very well.
Look at the effect a new manager has had on Palace and Villa? Very promising.

We question the owner here, but PH gets away with it because he isolates the players from all the turmoil in the background.

Something is not quite right. Should PH do better with the talented and committed group he has, or would he be better with more money? I’m really not sure. I really want him to do well, but I’m not 100% sure about him, despite being a big supporter of what he has achieved?

 

[Charlieblade]

We haven't. We spent the first half of our history in the top division with only minor exceptions.

It's only since I was born in 1976 that thing seem to have gone to shit.

Fucking Jonah!

Sprog ! Haha, but a likeable and knowledgeable one at that.

 

[WF10BLADE]

I don't understand the fans of ours who say they'd hate to be palace cos they're boring, I'd love 9 boring top flight years.

Furthermore I've read on here that some of our fans would hate to be like Chelsea or Man City due to losing "identity"

Yeah let's stick with the likes of mcabe, Prince etc Al and fuck about in the lower leagues and get in transfer embargo imposed on us etc.

 

[bongleblade]

It's all relative, at this moment in time, I'd 100% take us being a yo-yo club. After a while that thought would probably change and I'd want us to establish ourselves as a permeant member of the PL.

No such thing as a permanent PL member anymore! Aside from those with virtually unlimited resources (Top 6)… everyone is at risk of relegation in the PL…

And To answer OP I’d take Yo yo club all day!

1. If youre constantly PL youre constantly struggling, ‘success’ = staying in the division

2. In PL you take on all sorts of glory chasing entitled arsehole fans

3. Yoyo = never a dull season, plenty of money and dominating the Championship near enough every time you come down

 

[PandaCola]

I hope we are a yo-yo club for the next couple of years at least- as I can't see any way we stay up next season. We've got an owner who needs to sell because he can't afford to run the club and no credible buyers. In an ideal world- a knight in shining armour rides in with potful of money- but there's no sign of that at the moment.

I've loved this season- but, if you take away the Man City lads- how many of the players are up to the premier league? We'd need a complete rebuild to get anywhere near being competitive and even the PL money wouldn't cover it. I think we should invest in the academy and the Lane and save the rest for another glorious promotion push in 24/25 when we would hopefully be in better shape to give it a proper go. With the state of our finances, I fear a Forest style spending spree may see us down with the dead men in League 1 in a couple of years

 

[Working Class Hero]

Surely Birmingham?

Three times, same as us currently.

 

[Russtheblade]

I would have thought Robinson has proved his worth this season.

Callum

 

[ZLB]

Am I the only one not keen on the prospect of going up and down like a prostitute's knickers like Burnley, Norwich and so on?

Or maybe I'm just not used to having bouncebackability being a Blade!

Roll on the inevitable last day bottlejob!

You’re joking right?

 

[Programmechap2]

Are you saying look at Leicester like it's a bad thing? I can't imagine United winning the league and FA Cup in my lifetime. If we did, it would be dreamland! To experience those moments with my club.

Well yes, if we were told United would be promoted this year, win the league in 2025, the FA Cup in 2030 and then be relegated in 2032, we'd all take that wouldn't we?

 

[Bartleby]

Yes I would prefer it - fuck sight better than being down in the pub league where the pigs roll.

 

[Programmechap2]

Since WW2 we've had 7 separate spells in the top division and none has lasted more than 7 years. Our average time in the top division before getting relegated is 3 years.

That ain't gonna change.

 

[Swannyblade]

Well yes, if we were told United would be promoted this year, win the league in 2025, the FA Cup in 2030 and then be relegated in 2032, we'd all take that wouldn't we?

Obviously, but as unlikely as it is to happen the only way it possibly could is through gaining promotion and risk getting relegated again next year.
It sucks to have your arse handed to you every week as we did in 2020/21, but 2019/20 was brilliant fun and I’ve never felt prouder to be a Blade.
Equally, I imagine it also sucks to lead a purgatorial existence in the Championship like Preston or Bristol City season after season. Or worse still, confined to League 1 again for six seasons.

 

[broomhillblade]

wrong robinson

My bad...

 

[Green7361]

I'm also one for clearing the debt etc and taking relegation. Defensively we'd have RND, Anel (maybe for a seasonl, Egan, Baldock, Bogle, JLT, Lowe & Bash. I'd try and sign Clark I can't believe he'd cost silly money. Biggest issue for me is midfield, that's where we're really short of numbers given what we have as back-up. Would be happy giving some of the younger lads games

 

[MadDad38]

I'm also one for clearing the debt etc and taking relegation. Defensively we'd have RND, Anel (maybe for a seasonl, Egan, Baldock, Bogle, JLT, Lowe & Bash. I'd try and sign Clark I can't believe he'd cost silly money. Biggest issue for me is midfield, that's where we're really short of numbers given what we have as back-up. Would be happy giving some of the younger lads games

Nah - I want the feeling I had when we tore Man Utd apart at the Lane for an hour with the strikeforce that had cost a packet but, for a fleeting moment, seemed to be worth every penny.

 

[Blade58]

Am I the only one not keen on the prospect of going up and down like a prostitute's knickers like Burnley, Norwich and so on?

Or maybe I'm just not used to having bouncebackability being a Blade!

Roll on the inevitable last day bottlejob!

On this occasion I’d gladly settle for it
Going up is paramount due to the ability to clear our debt and the threat of administration. If that means as a consequence there no money left for player investment and down we go, then so be it.

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

Obviously, but as unlikely as it is to happen the only way it possibly could is through gaining promotion and risk getting relegated again next year.
It sucks to have your arse handed to you every week as we did in 2020/21, but 2019/20 was brilliant fun and I’ve never felt prouder to be a Blade.
Equally, I imagine it also sucks to lead a purgatorial existence in the Championship like Preston or Bristol City season after season. Or worse still, confined to League 1 again for six seasons.

I think Prince with Hecky in the Prem is the answer to this.
PA got sucked in to Wilders blinkered self importance and let him blow the budget. Experience and calm heads sees us stabilise.

All the talk about spending billions on players and stadium if we go up is bonkers. Get the house in order first. Whatever happens after that sees us safe.

 

[s20Blade]

I think the trick is to save your money for when you are back in the championship to hopefully go back up again. Buying any young prospect in the Premier league seems to cost 20m+.....

 

[robbiez666]

Like anyone wants to be a yo-yo club!

We don't have the funds, players or contract situation to simply establish ourselves. Bad planning.

Going up and down is the only way I can see us establishing ourselves though. A couple of yo-yos, buy really well, loan a lot in and out and then it all comes together.

 

[Stu_Blade]

I am a massive fan of Heckinbottom and his coaching and recruitment team. With very limited finances and some very trying circumstances beyond his control, he has managed the side very well.
Look at the effect a new manager has had on Palace and Villa? Very promising.

We question the owner here, but PH gets away with it because he isolates the players from all the turmoil in the background.

Something is not quite right. Should PH do better with the talented and committed group he has, or would he be better with more money? I’m really not sure. I really want him to do well, but I’m not 100% sure about him, despite being a big supporter of what he has achieved?

2nd in the table and a FA Cup semi-Final not doing it for you? With some quality football played with the most international flavour of players in a long time.

 

[jt64]

We question the owner here, but PH gets away with it because he isolates the players from all the turmoil in the background.

Or, just maybe, fans are overstating the level of "turmoil", and those within the club understand exactly what is going on to be a relative nothing burger and are just getting on with their jobs accordingly?

 

[nopigfansintown]

The numbers have to be acknowledged and understood. Last time we went down with a wage bill around 30 million less than the next lowest team, Burnley. This dictates the market for player recruitment. Anybody else is in for a player we want in the Premier League and we are unlikely to get them.

The critique of Wilder from the board was: we were happy with the wage bill and transfer expenditure but not happy buying players that fitted this model from the domestic market. Whether you feel optimistic that they've shown the the acumen to sign the right players from abroad in the last two seasons is a matter of opinion. Personally I'll give them Anel. After that I'm struggling. I expected a plethora of low wage quality permanents from abroad. I got big name domestic players and Anel.

I guess the strategy will be to recruit on a similar model but targeting players from abroad so that we can sell if/when relegated - with the wage bill under control during the two/three year parachute period. This sales strategy didn't work post Wilder (bar Ramsdale) because of big injuries to Berge, O'Connell and Bogle who looked and the lack of success of other investments in the PL under Wilder.

The big difference if promoted this year is the number of out of contract players. Largely those we'd probably choose to move on given the choice. This gives a manager far more scope if he's backed as he doesn't have the volume of Championship level players with the inevitable promotion pay rises. It's a similar scenario tothe hand Wilder was dealt when he took over in league one.

I'm not optimistic about capital expenditure on infrastructure as it never happened last time, despite official announcements of work on the training ground and a promise that we would be reopening the hotel and were looking very seriously at a new academy. The Kop posts removal was also announced if we stayed up for a second season.

I have little confidence that we'll see any of these under the present ownership.


.

 

[JJBlade]

Last time we went up the hope was we'd give it a go and hopefully be good enough to survive

This time is different, it's definitely a Norwich approach (only worse)

Bank the cash, pay Liverpool for Brewster, pay Malmo for Anel, and start again in the Championship the year after

 

[Keen Blade]

I would have thought Robinson has proved his worth this season.

Calum

 

[Charlieblade]

2nd in the table and a FA Cup semi-Final not doing it for you? With some quality football played with the most international flavour of players in a long time.

I make the point of being a fan and a supporter of PH, but why are we so inconsistent? I enjoy quality football and success as much as the next man, but my point is, on paper we should be producing more of that quality on a more frequent basis. It seems that everything he tries to do is undermined by the parsimony of ownership.
I would rather find players with the attitude of Baldock and JLT, and the skill levels of Ndiaye. We do not need to be bullied into a particular transfer strategy like buying only from overseas because it’s cheaper.
I don’t care where they come from, because attitude and a good fit in the dressing room is more important than cuffing the managers hands with a crap wage budget.

Most of the managers difficulties come from trying to juggle finances. Is he at fault because the training pitches were done too late and we couldn’t turn under soil heating on? Is he to blame because recruitment staff have moved on and not been replaced?

PH is the complete opposite to Wilder. Wilder had influence across the club, a finger in every pie. PH is the “football manager” with even that restricted by the ownership.

I believe we will still get promoted this season, but I’m sharing my doubts that PH is the right man for us in the PL, under the current ownership. I hope both sides have learned things from last time we were promoted.

 

[Keen Blade]

Surely the way forward is to produce good young players either to sell on or to strengthen the squad.
Without top quality training facilities we are unlikely to do that.
I would be happy to yo-yo for a few years if each time the whole infrastructure of the club improved and the quality of the squad with it.

We could try and buy well ... We had the chance of Ivan Toney from the Posh but no , we buy McBurnie & Brewster for a shed load more money

 

[Keen Blade]

Whois the club you most admire over the last ten years. It used to be the Leicester City model, then Burnley on a budget with a dour manager. The it’s Brentford with the ‘Money Ball advanced’ model.

Blades are well known for doing well within a very small budget. The owner, and manager are the key ingredients. Norwich failed with the ex Villa knob. Leicester owner is getting cold feet with Rogers moving on.

What is the answer. A wealthy owner, and a manager with a long term plan, and no budget constraints. How many players have we lost due to wagged demands?
The manager needs to find players with the character of JLT, and the skills of Ndiaye.

Brentford probably come closest to that model, but how long will that success last? We don’t know.
We have nlost promising youngsters because our academy is not cat 1. We don’t have the owners nous that Brentford have, so we need to do things differently.

Pay all the outstanding bills. Spend half the PL income on wages, and the other half on infrastructure so we are never financially embarrassed again.

If that means keeping talent and attitude at our club, I’m all for it.

But no new players ?

 

[Charlieblade]

Can

But no new players ?

My comments on wages include the current squad and new recruits, from any source, including our own academy. We will know soon enough if they are good enough to support the spine of Ahmedhodzic, Ndiaye and any striker we own or buy.

 

[Keen Blade]

Unless the owner (whoever the fuck actually wants to own us) has substantial £ to invest , the PL income is nowhere near enough to make a decent chance of staying up.
Take away the loan players and all those out of contract players you'd be happy to wave goodbye , you're looking at too large a requirement for new players for them to be PL survival standard.
We literally can't afford to buy and pay the wages of enough PL survival standard players this summer.
The squad we will be left with this summer would not even be good enough to win the Championship.
But there will be enough money , if well spent (unlike last time) to build a squad of younger players who can be expected to win the Championship in 2025 , providing we avoid the bad luck with injuries.
That should be the aim.
We owe money all over the place.
At least £30m on the McCabe assets.
Various loans from Macquarie Bank.
Unpaid transfers.
Call me old-fashioned but I want that cleared so we aren't financially embarrassed again.
Let's have one tangible benefit from the PL money.
Then make far better transfer decisions than any of those Wilder made after promotion in 2019 apart from Ramsdale.
We need talented youth & athleticism of the mental strength to withstand relegation in 24 and win the Championship in 25.
Spend whatever PL money remains after clearing our debts on the transfer fees & wages of such players.
Do not put us further into debt chasing the small chance of PL survival next season.
Do not waste money on the hotel , ground improvement , Beershott or anything outside our first team.