Could we be involved in a relegation battle?

[Agent Balti]

Probably worth mentioning that much of the perceived money 'in the bank' from the sales of Kitson, Sonko, Doyle et al is yet to come in add-ons via clauses. How much we've actually received up front won't be anywhere close to what we'd like it to be.

[RoyalBlue]

Probably worth mentioning that much of the perceived money 'in the bank' from the sales of Kitson, Sonko, Doyle et al is yet to come in add-ons via clauses. How much we've actually received up front won't be anywhere close to what we'd like it to be.

But exactly the same can be said of those we have already bought or might buy in the future. What's more, we usually buy for far less than we sell, so we should be in the positive in that respect!

[Sun Tzu]

Good point well presented Snowball, only downside to that is if we are struggling in January and with our owners much advertised wealth the price for players we are tracking automatically goes up with the view to desperation buys.

Really ?

There are plenty of clubs who are much wealthier than us. I can;t think of any examples where we've been held over a barrell on a transfer fee becasue apparantly someone thinks our owner is rich.

Given the 'much advertised' and rabidly criticised position that the club doesn;t exist on handouts from JM and hasn't for a long time it seems a bit bizarre to put us on a par with the likes of Man City and Chelsea who expect to pay a premium on transfer fees. We are way down the rich list and while the likes of Sheff Utd, Newcastle and Boro are around we won;t be the ones been asked to pay top whack on players.

[Agent Balti]

Probably worth mentioning that much of the perceived money 'in the bank' from the sales of Kitson, Sonko, Doyle et al is yet to come in add-ons via clauses. How much we've actually received up front won't be anywhere close to what we'd like it to be.

But exactly the same can be said of those we have already bought or might buy in the future. What's more, we usually buy for far less than we sell, so we should be in the positive in that respect!

True, but people on here think that £6.5m inbound equals up to the same outbound...which is never, ever the case. Same as some don't get that paying over £1.5m for a player who only has one year left on his contract is 'okay' to do.

[howser]

No sun Tzu have re-read my post many times and for the life of me I cant see Man City or Chelsea mentioned and there was no intent for it to read as simulating those two. We have been treated many times on this site over the last couple of seasons to some very lyrcal an colourful responses when the club have been critisied about its transfer policy, and how the management are "on top" of what the side needed and we have been relegated and finished last season hardly able to win a game, so I think any concerns about our present transfer policy and lack of singings, on a fan based web site is a reasonable point to make. We have over the past couple of seasons been pretty dire when it comes bringing new blood in, and have constantly trawled the cheap market and have been successful in "you get what you pay for". Since reaching the heights of the Premier League our management structure seems to consider it as job done, the premiership as promised, after all they said they would get us there, however not much about keeping us there.

[RoyalBlue]

Good point well presented Snowball, only downside to that is if we are struggling in January and with our owners much advertised wealth the price for players we are tracking automatically goes up with the view to desperation buys.

Really ?

There are plenty of clubs who are much wealthier than us. I can;t think of any examples where we've been held over a barrell on a transfer fee becasue apparantly someone thinks our owner is rich.

I know I'm growing old and the memory is starting to play tricks but I'm sure I remember none other than JM himself moaning in the past that we were expected to pay over the odds because he/the club was perceived as being rich.

[brendywendy]

wasnt that in the 1st div? we were quite big spenders at that level to be fair
i doubt very much anyone has us down as rich since JM started going on abouit self sufficiency and selling up etc.

[Sun Tzu]

No sun Tzu have re-read my post many times and for the life of me I cant see Man City or Chelsea mentioned and there was no intent for it to read as simulating those two.

The situation you described is exactly that experienced by City and Chelsea.

You didn't need to specifically draw the comparison for it to be implied.

I can;t comment on your intent, but I think it was an obvious parallel.

You might be right about the job done.

And it's been stated by many fans that they may not find that the wrong approach....

[Royal Rother]

Good point well presented Snowball, only downside to that is if we are struggling in January and with our owners much advertised wealth the price for players we are tracking automatically goes up with the view to desperation buys.

Really ?

There are plenty of clubs who are much wealthier than us. I can;t think of any examples where we've been held over a barrell on a transfer fee becasue apparantly someone thinks our owner is rich.

I know I'm growing old and the memory is starting to play tricks but I'm sure I remember none other than JM himself moaning in the past that we were expected to pay over the odds because he/the club was perceived as being rich.

Indeed, I am sure that is the case.

I also suspect that he resents having paid over the top for players in the past and won't do it again.

I wouldn't be surprised if the 1st thing his managers have to do after identifying a player they want to sign is answer the question "How much do you think he is worth to the team?"

If BR answered that question in the case of Tommy Smith as £1m, he would have to go a long way to convince Hammond / Madejski to part with £1.8m...

That, coupled with a policy I suggested a few weeks back, of a sliding scale of rewards to the manager based on a ratio of amount of money spent on the team versus finishing position should keep them pretty focussed!

[Royal Rother]

wasnt that in the 1st div? we were quite big spenders at that level to be fair
i doubt very much anyone has us down as rich since JM started going on abouit self sufficiency and selling up etc.

And that's probably why he's done it - it could well save 10% on all transfer fees. Easy win, with no cost risk.

[fester_royal]

LOL @ people who think we're going to get relegated this season

pride comes before a fall? .. not to be a doom monger, but your never too good to go down. southampton were a pretty good side last year and yet instability off the field pretty much had them, ditto with newcastle. im not saying we're unstable, just that a bad season is always potentially there.

but as ive said previous. mid table this year. let the 'new way' sink in and grow

[Arch]

I would think we have enough to be safe from the dreaded relegation battle, although the bit that concerns me is that it increasingly looks like we will start the season with "what we have got" as per usual,

Much better than trying to start the season with what we haven't got.

[brendywendy]

name me a season where we didnt buy anyone?
name me a season where we didnt at least try to replace someone we'd sold?

[fridays child]

I can't believe that the team that finished a season like this are where we are today

DIVISION 4 1971/72
1 Grimsby Town 46 28 7 11 88 56 63
2 Southend United 46 24 12 10 81 55 60
3 Brentford 46 24 11 11 76 44 59
4 Scunthorpe United 46 22 13 11 56 37 57
5 Lincoln City 46 21 14 11 77 59 56
6 Workington 46 16 19 11 50 34 51
7 Southport 46 18 14 14 66 46 50
8 Peterborough United 46 17 16 13 82 64 50
9 Bury 46 19 12 15 73 59 50
10 Cambridge United 46 17 14 15 62 60 48
11 Colchester United 46 19 10 17 70 69 48
12 Doncaster Rovers 46 16 14 16 56 63 46
13 Gillingham 46 16 13 17 61 67 45
14 Newport County 46 18 8 20 60 72 44
15 Exeter City 46 16 11 19 61 68 43
16 Reading 46 17 8 21 56 76 42
17 Aldershot 46 9 22 15 48 54 40
18 Hartlepool 46 17 6 23 58 69 40
19 Darlington 46 14 11 21 64 82 39
20 Chester 46 10 18 18 47 56 38
21 Northampton Town 46 12 13 21 66 79 37
22 Barrow 46 13 11 22 40 71 37
23 Stockport County 46 9 14 23 55 87 32
24 Crewe Alexandra 46 10 9 27 43 69 29

[Agent Balti]

I can't believe that the team that finished a season like this are where we are today

DIVISION 4 1971/72
1 Grimsby Town 46 28 7 11 88 56 63
2 Southend United 46 24 12 10 81 55 60
3 Brentford 46 24 11 11 76 44 59
4 Scunthorpe United 46 22 13 11 56 37 57
5 Lincoln City 46 21 14 11 77 59 56
6 Workington 46 16 19 11 50 34 51
7 Southport 46 18 14 14 66 46 50
8 Peterborough United 46 17 16 13 82 64 50
9 Bury 46 19 12 15 73 59 50
10 Cambridge United 46 17 14 15 62 60 48
11 Colchester United 46 19 10 17 70 69 48
12 Doncaster Rovers 46 16 14 16 56 63 46
13 Gillingham 46 16 13 17 61 67 45
14 Newport County 46 18 8 20 60 72 44
15 Exeter City 46 16 11 19 61 68 43
16 Reading 46 17 8 21 56 76 42
17 Aldershot 46 9 22 15 48 54 40
18 Hartlepool 46 17 6 23 58 69 40
19 Darlington 46 14 11 21 64 82 39
20 Chester 46 10 18 18 47 56 38
21 Northampton Town 46 12 13 21 66 79 37
22 Barrow 46 13 11 22 40 71 37
23 Stockport County 46 9 14 23 55 87 32
24 Crewe Alexandra 46 10 9 27 43 69 29

I hate hate hate this attitude. Oh that's alright then...we have to officially be 'this bad' before we should give a toss. That is not progression!!! It's an excuse!!!

[brendywendy]

its just added a little perspective youngling.

[Agent Balti]

its just added a little perspective youngling.

No it isn't. Does SJM or Hammond say "Hmm...shall we buy a player or few or leave it until we're back in the 4th tier?" It does absolutely no good to anyone to look THAT far back (aside from those who wish to get misty eyed about when they were saplings and everything was in black and white and smelled of leather.)

[brendywendy]

MMmmmmmm leather.

[Thaumagurist*]

But it is true, though, that we have come a long way since those days. The new season will be our 17th at this level. We have played 12 seasons of 2nd tier football since 1972 - and I've seen each of those seasons.

I also can't believe that we actually spent 8 seasons in the bottom tier.

Another fact to bear in mind - since 1976, we have only stayed in the same division for longer than 4 seasons once and that was between 1989 and 1994. That a truly terrible period until Madejski and McGhee came along.

[Who Moved The Goalposts?]

Indeed, I am sure that is the case.

I also suspect that he resents having paid over the top for players in the past and won't do it again.

I wouldn't be surprised if the 1st thing his managers have to do after identifying a player they want to sign is answer the question "How much do you think he is worth to the team?"

If BR answered that question in the case of Tommy Smith as £1m, he would have to go a long way to convince Hammond / Madejski to part with £1.8m...

That, coupled with a policy I suggested a few weeks back, of a sliding scale of rewards to the manager based on a ratio of amount of money spent on the team versus finishing position should keep them pretty focussed!

Manager, DoF or Chairman - all tough positions to be in the current climate. With Abramovic and now Man City tilting an already uneven playing field in their favour, the knock on effect is felt everywhere. Your point about Smith highlights this - no way is he worth the money Sheff U bid, but then he's not even a million pound player in my book. Yet if you want a player, you must pay well over the odds if you feel he'll make the difference. And that's a gamble JM will no longer take because he knows he'll have to pick up the tab in the long run (which is another reason why we won't be spending much money in the coming seasons).

Someone earlier mentioned that maybe it's "job done" and that's exactly the vibe the club is giving off. And if I'm being honest, I feel that way as a fan of nearly 40 years. Don't get me wrong, nothing would be better than seeing us back at the top table, but there's no "spark", no anticipation at the moment. I'm sure that come 3pm a week on Saturday, that will change though.